Starpath: Scoundrels of the Interstellar Highway - Games

Sledge: CH Estimate: 4/7 [B]Actual: 4[/B] Roll Passed. Ryan liked to ease into intoxication and then stay drunk for as long as he could. Throwing back another heavy cocktail so soon after his first wasn't conducive to his intentions, but he just couldn't deny the cordial offer from the youngster who just introduced himself. Ryan lifted the glass and tapped it against Sledge's, and the two took a leisurely sip. "I thought I'd met just about every last fan I ever had. I've probably gone and lost a few since then, too, but hey, sometimes even an old dog like me gets a pat on the head. I appreciate the drink, kid. Say, where'd you first see me race, anyway?" He asked. --- "...I will say this: Have you heard of the mafia called Passione?" Yanim shrugged. "I may have. But after a while, all of these gangs and syndicates start to sound alike- the same sort of unprincipled, power-driven illness you'll find anywhere in the galaxy. What's their significance to [I]you[/I]?" she inquired. Before Dio answered, Yanim's attention snapped to the distant sound of tires squealing, her ear implants honing in on the sound to determine the directionality of the movement. Unsurprisingly, the vehicles, several blocks away, were speeding toward their position. "There're more coming," she said, flatly. "I have a ship docked at the port; if you're interested in this pay then I suggest you follow me and explain this 'Passione' group along the way."

Sledge toasted Ryan and knocked back the drink. It felt like someone was slicing him from his chin down to his chest. His body convulsed slightly as the nanites flew into overdrive, desperately trying to break the drink down as quickly as possible. It was a losing battle, as Sledge stifled a few coughs and a slight barf. [QUOTE=Sega Saturn;50056775]"Say, where'd you first see me race, anyway?" He asked.[/QUOTE] "Oh, you know," Sledge said weakly and visibly sweaty, his voice an octave higher than it was before. He pounded his powerful chest with a powerful fist a few times, hiccuped and gulped, and continued normally: "On TV...? But enough about me. How you gonna win the race tomorrow, big guy?" Sledge winced as Ryan took another drink while he was talking, knowing he'd have to follow suit if he was going to keep the pace up. Thankfully the second swig was easier than the first, considering his tongue and throat were completely numb already. There was some kind of rumbly in his tumbly that did [i]not[/i] feel okay, but he went ahead and polished off the drink, hoping to recover before Ryan finished his. (( Let's me and Ryan roll against each other for how drunk we're getting. It's a Blotto Battle! ))

Alex stood by next to Taylor and Porter. Looking at Sledge and Ryan drink. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with the mafia guards around. --- After some searching and yelling at different aliens, she finally found the ship she was looking for. The Muramasa. The woman looked at the ship with anticipation for anything, be it good or bad. "OK! You can do this. Just relax and go knock on the door. What's the worse that could happen?" The young woman started to slowly walk towards the ship. She wore a poncho and a hood in a effort to conceal the light armor she was wearing. But everyone with eyes could see the armored legs and arms. The more observant could spot the faded and scratched insignia of the Alpha sisters. Not to mention the sniper riffle strapped to her back. She wasn't stupid. She knew that anyone could ping her for a merc. What she was concerned about was anyone recognizing her face. She reached the ship and stopped at the door. She started to knock on the metal door in an effort to get someone's attention.

"Oh [I]no[/I]." Frosty thought to himself. Someone, possibly a threat, got up close to the Muramasa without him noticing, and he's supposed to be on the lookout! There's no way he can look like a failure in front of his new friends! He immediately dived down and pulled up close to the woman. He flashed his headlights, grabbed his microphone and spoke through it: "Identify yourself!"

The woman looked at the ship, hand raised in front of her face since the light was blindingly bright. "Calm down! I'm not looking for trouble. Are you with the Muramasa crew? And turn that thing off, you're burning my retinas! "

Suddenly the cargo door opened, revealing Vakarus. With his staff at the ready he approached the woman. He looked towards Frosty. "Frozen-one! You may resume your patrol." Turning to the woman he raised an eyebrow. "How may I assist you?"

She turned to the alien, who opened the door. She had an idea of his apearance, but the image in her head paled in comparison. "Yes, actually. I'm looking for someone. You may know him. His name is Alexander Korunov. Big tall guy, voice that sounds like he chews gravel, stupid mustache. It's really important I talk to him."

Frosty took off, again, to do his patrols.

"Alex'vakrin?" He pointed at her with his staff. "Your weapons shall remain secured." He then opened up the comms channel. "Kitchen Overlord, someone wishes to speak with you. Urgently. I am at the door."

Alex heard his comm. "Uhh, who is it?" --- The woman heard the question. She removed her hood and sead loudly in an effort for to be heard on the other side. "Hey big bear. It's your sister!" [Surprise! New Character!] Name:Amy "Amnesia" Koronova Picture or Physical Description: [IMG]http://orig03.deviantart.net/9e78/f/2010/216/c/4/starcraft_2___sarah_kerrigan_by_halo_again.jpg[/IMG] Birthdate: 14 March 2360 Race:Human Profession:Mercenary Bio:Amy managed to escape the Creed some time after Alex with some help from her brother and others. Once they were in safety, she was to remain on Earth and to lead a normal life thanks to the money Alex send her after every match. While his intentions were well meaning, they couldn't stop Amy's adventurous spirit. The long distance between them allowed her to "bend the truth". She used the money for education. Just education in the fields of self protection, weaponry and others. Eventually, her skills caught the attention of an Alpha sister talent scout. She spend a few years with them until a falling out two years ago. While both parties agreed to brake off contact, Amy had become close to some key people in the Sister's organization. She managed to leave with a parting gift in the form of a stealth suit. After freelancing for a while and dodging questions from Alex, she was forced into making contact with the Muramasa thanks to the Creed's activities. Special Skills or Attributes:Expert with long range weaponry. Trained stealth operative. Specter (First attack on each enemy deals x1.5 DMG, 3/4 CH for all rolls to hide) --- Alex froze for a moment when he heard that voice. "Vakarus, get her inside the ship. Talk to her if you want. When we're finished, I'm gonna have a chat with her." He turned off the comms and took a deep sigh. He looked at Taylor. "You ever feel that the universe likes to screw with you?"

Vakarus nodded and smiled at Amy. "It is an honor to meet another member of House Korunov, please, follow me." Leading the way, Vakarus gave her a quick tour of the ship before showing her to the armory. "You may store your weapons here while you wait for Alex to return." ----- Maddox raised an eyebrow when Vakarus entered the room alongside some redhead in a stealthsuit. Still working on a weapon, he looked at them. "Do we have a guest, Vakarus?"

[QUOTE]It is an honor to meet another member of House Korunov, please, follow me.[/QUOTE] "We're the only two of that clan worth a damn. The rest are...lets say backwards." Amy followed Vakarus around, carefully listening to what he said. He had a very interesting way of describing some of the more mundane things. [QUOTE]You may store your weapons here while you wait for Alex to return.[/QUOTE] "Great. I'll get to it." [QUOTE]Do we have a guest, Vakarus?[/QUOTE] "Yeah, me and the chef are related. The name is Amy." She extended a hand towards Maddox.

Markus was leaning against the wall and looked towards Amy as she entered. Markus had remained in the armory, him, Maddox and Valkyrie getting along surprisingly well for once by discussing rifle calibers and their effectiveness. "All right, luv. Seein' as ya mustaches sis I reckon ya her on account o' ya old man beein a real fuckin top nutter, eh?" he asked amy, still leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, with his hood and mask concealing his face. ((Sorry bout that, I meant Valkyrie))

[Taylor's with Alex and the others watching Sledge drink. I guess she could be talking to Mad and Markus via coms, though, as her suit has a communications suite built into it.]

[QUOTE]All right, luv. Seein' as ya mustaches sis I reckon ya her on account o' ya old man beein a real fuckin top nutter, eh?[/QUOTE] Amy sighed. Looks like the goon squad had made a move. "Not just any top nutter, the top nutter when it came to recruits. Dad always had an obsession with building a dynasty. You can imagine what us getting away from him did to his fucked up mind."

Maddox shook Amy's hand. "Maddox Graves, my friends call me Mad. I'm the ship armorer. Pleased to meet you, your brother is a solid guy." Said Maddox as he continued to work on a gun. He nodded towards Markus. "That's Markus. He's the kind of guy you talk to when you need something done." ----- Vakarus chuckled. "I am not entirely familiar with the situation of your house, however Alex speaks well of you."

"Ohh, great. I was hoping you guys had someone in charge of the guns." [QUOTE]I am not entirely familiar with the situation of your house, however Alex speaks well of you[/QUOTE] "It's a long story. And thank you. Alex has told me much about you too. Although, the genuine article is better than what I had imagined."

Ryan watched as the hulking young man threw back the powerful liquor almost too eagerly. Sledge winced, but he kept up his friendly façade. Ryan was impressed- he usually considered his alcoholism to be a crutch, to help him cope with his inadequacies and insecurities, or at least to project an image of depression powerful enough to deter others from bothering him. But sometimes, a drink is just a drink, and he liked to share one with a friend. "How am I gonna win, eh?" he said, echoing Sledge's question. "I suppose I'll go out there and show 'em [I]this[/I] old dog is still made of iron!" He threw back a similar gulp of the potent drink. Before long, both men had emptied their glasses. Ryan knew he couldn't win the Grand Prix, but Sledge was a fan worth pleasing. And Sledge was ordering up another round... was he trying to impress him by matching him drink for drink? Ryan didn't want to encourage the young man to hurt himself. "Careful now," he warned. "You don't want to end up getting black out drunk tonight, do you? It takes time to build up a tolerance..." "Relax, my good man," Sledge replied with a confident smile, "a man of my size can handle far more sauce than the ordinary Joe. Trust me, I'm a doctor." Eyeing Ryan with an almost comic level of skepticism, he laid out his bait: "but I figured my hero could hold his own in a little pre-race drinking match?" Ryan's eyes widened. Perhaps, even if he couldn't wow the youngster with a trip to victory lane in the Grand Prix, he could give him a tale to tell his friends about the time he [I]almost[/I] out drank the legend, Ryan Schafer himself! [B]Drinking Contest Rules:[/B] Each contestant rolls a D10 to determine a score per round. The best of five rounds wins. -Round 1- Sledge: 10 Ryan: 7 [B]Winner: Sledge (1)[/B] The next set of drinks came in, and Ryan chuckled. "Alright, boy-o. You want a drinking match, I'll give you the best you'll ever get." Both men threw back their drinks as the rest of the group looked on from afar. The Mafioso in the corner began to pay more attention to the barkeeper, to make sure that the drinks weren't being tampered with to harm his charge. Not that they would need to be. Almost immediately, the effects of the cocktail set to work on both men, and Ryan felt a pang in his gut as if he had made a mistake to challenge such a healthy young man. -Round 2- Sledge: 3 Ryan: 9 [B]Winner: Ryan (1)[/B] Another round arrived at the table. Neither man hesitated as they began gulping down the fluid, trying to put their best face on an increasingly-nauseating experience. Sledge's nanites, still struggling from the previous influx, were overwhelmed briefly by the massive intake of alcohol, while Ryan's stomach mellowed out slightly. He had hit rock bottom before, and his body was no stranger to this sort of abuse. No doubt, he would be purging soon, but for the moment he felt nothing as his empty glass hit the table. -Round 3- Sledge: 9 Ryan: 2 [B]Winner: Sledge (2)[/B] Sledge took a breath, his confidence finally cracking as sweat rolled down his temple. Ryan laughed as another set of drinks arrived at the table. "Not so sure about this anymore, are you?" he said. Defiantly, Sledge grabbed hold of the glass and tipped the entire drink into his mouth, his eyes bulging as the unpleasantness hit apex. Silenced, Ryan grabbed his own drink and tried to quickly gulp away at it, but midway through he burped and felt something shoot up his own esophagus. Swallowing back the surge, he thumped his fist against his chest a few times and trembled. Somehow, he finished his drink, but now the two men looked at each other with reversed fortunes. It was now Sledge in control of the battle. -Round 4- Sledge: 2 Ryan: 2 [B]Winner: None[/B] Another round hit the table, and both men eyed the glasses with utter agony in their eyes. Neither even wanted to begin, and both wanted to vomit as soon as possible. Whatever had driven them to begin this game was no longer relevant. All that mattered now was that they wouldn't be vomiting for nothing. Each weakly lifted their glasses and took heavy gulps of the rancid drink. They each made it about halfway through before standing from the table in a panic, tripping over each other on their way to the restrooms at the rear of the bar. They had thrown up simultaneously- and so neither had prevailed. Unless... someone could return to the table and finish their drink. -Round 5- Sledge: 2 Ryan: 10 [B]Winner: Ryan (2)[/B] ...and then they both did. Grabbing hold of the table with both arms, Sledge huffed and puffed his way through the last sips of his drink while Ryan seemed to have actually regained his composure from the vomiting. There were no more jokes, or taunts, however, as Ryan stared bewildered at his opponent's face. There was no way this man was a doctor, and he certainly wasn't handling this as well as he said he would. But, unbelievably, Sledge ordered another round. "Kid, no," Ryan said, holding his temple. "This ain't doin' you any good." "I..." Sledge said, holding his finger up, opening and closing his mouth continuously for about fifteen seconds as if he had a reply. "No comment," he finally said. Another set of drinks arrived at the table. -Tiebreaker- Sledge: 3 Ryan: 10 [B]Winner: Ryan (3)[/B] Sledge took the first sip of the final round. Barely after the drink had crossed his lips, he tipped over backwards and crashed onto the floor. His muscles were totally unharmed, but his pride was utterly wounded. Sitting in a somewhat tranquil state, Ryan lifted his glass, took one sip, swallowed it, and then stood up on wobbling legs. "There... now you see why... they..." Ryan fell over, yanking his chair down with him. Adopting a sort of fetal position on the ground, he seemed to be having a heart attack!

Maddox nodded towards Amy as he put the rifle together. "You know your way around with weapons? Got any skills?" ----- Vakarus nodded. "I am pleased to hear. Now, if you'll excuse me I must return to my duties." With that said he returned to the bridge and sat down at the gunnery console. "Frozen-one, what is your status?"

Frosty replied over comms to Vakarus. "Nothing to report, Vakarus. Who was it that came to the ship?"

"Heh, more of them?" Dio smirked as he followed Yanim. "They really don't know where to give up." "As for Passione being just another unprincipled, power-driven illness in the galaxy that you speak of, you're not quite that far off from the truth. They're willing to use just about any underhanded tactics written in the book just to achieve their goals." "Kidnapping, blackmail and bribery are just some. Of course the most effective way to overcome an obstacle in your path is to just get rid of it...which is where I come in."

"It would appear to be Alex'vakrin's sister, Amy." said Vakarus. He checked the sensors. "I recommend that you land soon, I fear that a patrolling ship might alert anyone of our presence."

Frosty stated to turn back to the Muramasa, and prepared for landing. "Understood. Though who is looking for us now, Vakarus? I do not question my orders, but if the enemy is indeed nearby then I believe it may be best if I stay in the air to provide aerial defense."

"One never knows if the mob is seeking to attack our warhost, Frozen-one. If you believe that we'd benefit from your continued patrolling then by all means, I shall not delay you any longer."

"There's no need to worry, my friend. I do not remember if I ever had any run ins with criminal organizations but I highly doubt a crime syndicate has anything that rivals the power of my Voidwalker. And in the event they do have such a thing, I will be certain to ensure they do not." Frosty then looked at some of his monitors. "Still, keep me updated if you notice anything suspicious. You and the rest of the crew onboard are my eyes and ears whenever I am elsewhere."

Sledge was flat on his back, watching the ceiling wobble and spin as he groped around for something to hold onto so he wouldn't fall off the planet. His ears were ringing and his head was pounding. His entire body was bright red and steaming as he took gasping breaths. Leaning on every possible surface available, he pulled himself to his feet, legs shaking like a newborn fawn. He hobbled up to the bar and clutched his drink. Someone somewhere said "DO NOT--" but Sledge already had done. Throwing the drink back he got at least some of it in his mouth and was pretty sure he swallowed. He looked down at Ryan, twitching and clutching his chest like a sore loser. Oh shit, it was time for the one-liner. What's that thing people say when they win at chess? Uhhh... [i]"Blackjack!"[/i] Sledge slurred, before basically doing a circus tumble through half a dozen tables and chairs to the restroom where [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPpxRhDtaOc]unspeakable things[/url] occurred for the next several minutes.

[quote]Elsewhere...[/quote] A picture was being painted. Oil on canvas, with the finest strokes and brushes, it was beautiful. It was of an empty clearing in a forest, with people enjoying life. Some were playing catch, some were having a picnic, and some were just sitting on the grass as they were socializing. In the painting were also hooded men in black and white, and they too were enjoying themselves. One was telling a story to a group of children, another was throwing a baseball towards a man with a bat, and there was even one in red lighting a fire for a barbecue to feed tables full of hungry families. "That's me." thought Moloch as he painted. He stepped back and examined his work of art. It was magnificent. This was the result of several hours worth of remembering better times. He noticed something off, however. He looked towards the sky in the painting and saw something he didn't see at first. There was something in the air. He looked up to see what it was. A bomber escorted by several gunships was flying high in the air. They had orders to firebomb the forest and burn it down as their enemy was lurking within it. However, they didn't count on innocents being in the forest as well. With every bomb that fell came a large blast of fire. The first to go were the people at the tables, then the people playing catch, then the children. Moloch saw a child burning before his eyes, and tried his best to put out the flames. He carried the child and ran as far into the trees as he could. When he finally got to safety, he checked on the child to see if it was still alive. It was in embers in his arms, dead, with its ashes blowing away in the wind. But there was no bomber, no gunship, no explosions, no death. He didn't paint any of that, and now his painting was in ashes before him with embers slowly eating at the remains. He was so caught up in this memory that he didn't realize he burned his painting in anguish. He went to his chair, put his head in his hands, and tried to forget.

"Affirmitive, Frozen-one." With that said Vakarus began to do some extra monitoring of the proximity sensors. After all, it never hurt to be prepared. ----- High Councilor Wayford sighed deeply. "It is unfortunate that we haven't been able to advance on Hoxith yet." He tapped his finger on the desk. "Any news on the Terranos starport investigation?" Director Williams shook his head. "I'm afraid not, sir. SSOID is still working on it alongside the SISP and the SIG. Last time I checked there were some new leads being looked into, however I fear that it is not enough to trace the point of origin of these terrorists." Wayford stood up and turned to look out of the office window. Not only was the window reinforced but because of the Lunar Children attack the SSOID had added another layer of reinforced glass alongside a kinetic shield. "Is the situation at the Alpha Site unchanged?" Williams nodded. "Indeed, sir. Manufacturing is still optimal however and we're ready to deploy the TIGERs soon." "Sounds good, keep me posted. Dismissed." ----- "Edison, report." "Clear." Replied the twins. McKinze chuckled. He switched the powercell on his rifle and made his way through the bush. Soon he reached a clearing which looked, unlike the rest of the jungle, like a warzone. Parked at the center was his modified Adeptor-class dropship, next to it stood the Edisons on guard with their weapons at the ready. Around them were the remains of a training camp used by the Lunar Children. Burnt down tents, blown up vehicles and dozens of dead were spread around all over the clearing. Those whom had tried to escape the attack and regroup in the jungle had met an ugly end as either the local wildlife had smelled blood or they had stumbled into Daniel McKinze, former SSFD soldier. "Let's head on out lads, notify command." "Yes, sir." McKinze sighed and looked towards the horizon. Another mission completed. The fanatics would pay for Hoxith and the starport attack, that was one of the few things in life he knew for sure.

Alex watched the competition between Sledge and Ryan with interest. Even though Sledge lost, Ryan was down and out by the looks of it. Mission accomplished. "We should probably get going. Out job is done. I'll go get the big guy." He went to the rest room. The sounds comming from Sledge clued him in not to get closer. "Meet you outside big man." He went back to the group. "Is he ok?" Taylor asked. Alex shook his head. "Give him a minute." --- Amy smiled at Maddox. "Do I know my way around guns he asks. Yeah. I'm trained to use short, medium and long range. But between you and me, I prefer the long range, like the Widow here." She pointed at her riffle."Other skills include spotting, infiltration and the knowledge on how to get a taxi fair on Terranos without killing someone in the process."

Maddox chuckled. "I think you and I'll get along nicely, seeing as you're waiting for your brother you could always help me with some weapons testing." He nodded towards her rifle which looked like it was one of a kind. "If you don't mind, I'd love to take a look at that rifle of yours sometime. I pride myself in my ability to disassemble and reassemble any weapon in under a minute. The best way to keep that ability going is study new weapons."