[QUOTE]"First Officer Taylor, I think that is better that we don't further individualize the investment, maybe an short call name but nothing more." Jag explained as they both continued heading down to the brig.[/QUOTE]
"Yeah. Just looking for something better to call him than '33'." she said. They arrive at the brig a few moments later, walking in to see János talking to the prisoner.
[QUOTE]"The name is for free, buddy," he told him in a friendly tone.[/QUOTE]
He stood silent for moment, tiling his head to side in confusion at the guard. "R-Really? No contact or-or plans?" 33 shuttered, dumbstruck by all this before him.
However, 33 flinched at brig's door opening, the loud metal of pistons and like moving about rained an sense of dread onto 33's mind. Starting in fear at the edge of the glass window.
[B]
---
[/B]"First Officer Taylor, I'll refrain myself from being in the investment's sight unless needed. As it's past experiences with I have been....Traumatizing." Jag said while brig's door open in font of them, letting Taylor enter the room ahead of the towering Sanghvi.
[QUOTE]"First Officer Taylor, I'll refrain myself from being in the investment's sight unless needed. As it's past experiences with I have been....Traumatizing."[/QUOTE]
"Alright. Just send me messages if you want me to ask him something for you. I'll let you know if he says anything." she says, before continuing into the room. She turned her attention first to 33, then to János. "How's our guest?" she asked.
33 begin to hyperventilate, rising his arm to shield his body as he learned his back against the wall of the cell after Taylor entered the room. Remembering the tone of her voice from before when she held his revolver towards him, the memory frighten him deeply.
János turned towards Taylor and Jag. "Oh, hey," he greeted them.
[QUOTE]"How's our guest?"[/QUOTE]
"He's OK. He fell asleep, but woke up just a bit ago. I decided to name him Harvey Tertio," he tells the two.
[QUOTE]"He's OK. He fell asleep, but woke up just a bit ago. I decided to name him Harvey Tertio."[/QUOTE]
"Ah, Harvey...good name." she said, looking over at 33. She notices his heavy, rapid breathing and how he was pressed against the wall in fear. "Just calm down a bit. I'm not going to hurt you unless you give me a reason to." She walked over and drew her revolver, before setting it on the desk next to János. She then took a chair from nearby and set it near the cell. "Just want to talk, that's all." she said, turning the back of the chair to face the cell and sitting down. She propped her arms on the back of the chair, and rested her head on them. "Try some breathing exercises. Take a deep breath, count to four, exhale, count to four." Her voice was much softer then before. Maybe it'd put him at ease?
He begin to seemly claim down after several minutes of controlled breathing through his mask, his relaxed his arm by his side and let his legs extend outward. He then looked over Taylor for moment, the sense of overwhelming fear in him started to subdue through still visibly uneasily.
"There we go...see? Its not that bad." she said, her voice still soft as she studied him. "So...János was giving you a name, eh? Harvey? Sounds perfect." She slightly tilted her head.
((Hey guys. Earlier today there was a fiber cable break and massive internet outage in Central Florida around Orlando where I live. I wasn't able to read the thread except for on my tiny cell phone screen and now I've fallen roughly 70 posts behind. I'll see if I can get caught up tonight but I might not be able to update. I really want to though, because I'm probably going to be too busy tomorrow night.))
EDIT: ((Just finished catching up. I have a responsibility to take care of tonight before midnight, and then I should be able to write a mission update to take us to the pre-race preparations. Please wrap up what you're doing on the ship if you can, there's going to be a minor time skip.))
((going to bed, and going to be inactive [for the most part] over the weekend, have fun everyone!))
[QUOTE=enigmarage;50177660]"Oh yeah, that." Owen said, "Might have something to do with me bein' 14 at the time."[/QUOTE]
Sledge laughed. "That's funny. When I was 14 I was in the demolition business. That wasn't legit either. I was skipping school and getting paid under the table by corrupt demomen. It was pretty good money but I didn't really start making the big bucks until I got into pit fighting at 16. Bunch of guys ringed up to see two or more young men beat the shit out of each other with sticks and knives? Pretty good entertainment. Of course it was all orchestrated by a few of the lower-level Mafia mooks. We were making pennies compared to them, but it was enough to prop my family up so I kept on busting heads.
Problem is, I started drawing attention. I was too good. I drew bigger and bigger crowds. Eventually the mooks couldn't keep a lid on it anymore, and word got all the way up to Don Jon Silvestriano. See, the Don doesn't like his men eating alone, so to speak. You have to give the rest of the Family its share. Pay tribute. It's a respect thing.
So these mooks catch wind of the whole thing and are freaking out. I still remember their names: Manny, Freddie, and Fat Joe. See, I didn't know they were with the Mafia at the time. They tell me that their pit fighting racket was under a hostile takeover by another group of criminals and offered us each a metric shitload of cash to stick around and fight to protect them. It seemed like a good idea at the time. One last big battle and I could buy my family out of the shithole they were living in.
D-Day comes and we bust in at this abandoned warehouse, ready to smack some goons around. We'd been told the dozen of us would be taking on maximum five or ten guys. Nope. The guy who came out to deal with this mess? None other than Donatello, the Don's grandson. Of course, I didn't know him back then. I was more concerned with his 20-man entourage bearing down on us like they knew we were coming. They gunned down half of us before we could blink and the rest of us scattered.
I was in way over my head, and was just looking for a way out. There was a side door, and I ran through it. On the other side coming in was another guy who I figure had stepped out for a smoke and was coming in when he heard gunfire. I'd hit him with the door and knocked him on his ass, and he'd dropped his gun. I hesitated for just a second, but it seemed like forever, just looking into this guy's eyes. I watched the shock drain away. Saw him reach for his gun on the ground. I'm not sure when my hammer ended up in my hands but I swung at him in a panic. Busted his skull like a watermelon all over the parking lot.
I fucked up though. Swung too hard at a bad angle and broke my wrists. I couldn't carry my hammer and had to leave it. I just as well could have left my driver's license and state ID and a fucking map to my house there. I managed to get the hell out of there before anyone noticed, but I kept running all the way back to where Manny, Freddie, and Fat Joe are hiding out. I bust in on them, covered in that guy's blood with two purple wrists. I told them what I saw and they all went white as a sheet. I don't think they realized how badly they'd fucked up. They were just looking to buy time by killing off the first wave of mooks before they could skip town. Now they knew that wasn't possible. They had to leave now.
They told me everything. Who they were, who the guys we'd fought were, what those guys would do to me if they ever found me. Weird that they got the aquarium thing right. Anyway, Fat Joe insisted they cut me in on their dirty money. They'd put me in serious danger, I came back to warn them about it, and it wouldn't hurt to give me some incentive to keep my mouth shut about the three of them. I made off with a fourth of the cash for my trouble: Close to seven million.
Manny had told me that the Mafia wouldn't go after my family unless they tried to protect me. My best chance was to sever ties as quickly as possible. I ran home as quick as I could and explained the situation. My family already knew what I was doing for money. They'd always disapproved but they couldn't say no to the income. It was keeping us all fed. Now I had enough that they could get out of the slums for good. I kept a little for myself so I could skip town, and I begged them to do the same.
That was the last I saw of them. Well, for like eight months. Then it turns out I could just message them whenever over Spacebook while I was on the run. So there's that."
Sledge took a really long sip from his drink.
"Anyway sorry for blabbing so much. That story just kinda came pouring outta me all of a sudden."
Yanim tossed and turned in bed, unable to relax. Her sleep was fraught with nightmares and evil memories. She resigned herself to them, eventually...
[video]https://youtu.be/79Nqi_grCkA[/video]
Rakha Metalworking Concern, Voyak - 4:00AM, April 21st, 2384
There was a rattle from somewhere deep inside the plant. Something sinister was afoot, and as the polluted rain fell against the polluted windows of the empty workshop, Yanim and Rask eyed each other, knowing that [I]they[/I] weren't [I]it[/I]. They worked in silence; even Neasha, Vakarus and Alex had all been instructed to wait with the ship and stay off the radio. From here on, the mission would depend entirely on the two kanads' skills as operators. Problem was, their opponent was far more experienced.
Geuranka Ravada was a serek contract killer, one of the best, or worst, in the eastern fringes. He was born into a refugee camp in the northwest quadrant before being abandoned by his parents. Growing up malnourished and unloved, he quickly learned the rules of the jungle, fighting dirty and scrapping his way to the top of the ghetto. By thirteen, he was feared universally within the camp, and was already arranging gang violence when he was arrested by local authorities. At the behest of a humanitarian nongovernmental organization, he was handled as a delinquent youth instead of the threat that he was, and was transferred into a rehabilitation program where he learned English.
Upon his full release at age 18, he found that the refugee camp he had grown up in would no longer receive him thanks to a crackdown on crime, and so he joined with the now-defunct Cyclone Paramilitary Group, a mercenary organization contracted by the Kanad Collective to help fight their losing war against the sanghvi. In 2362 he was deployed to Voyak, an oily clump of dirt owned by the gohva people, clients of the Mantle which the kanads [I]generously[/I] wished to liberate. Before long, Ravada had proved his effectiveness as a guerilla, utilizing the skills he learned as an urchin to terrify gohvan soldiers and outmaneuver his sanghvi persuers.
Over time, Ravada became so proficient that he was approached by the kanad SS, at the time a threadbare organization stretched far beyond its capabilities. To bolster them, the Collective regime provided a liberal line of credit with the promise that any contracts written would be paid with interest at the war's successful conclusion. Ravada became independent and was given numerous valuable jobs, which he completed with unparalleled efficiency. When the war finally began to turn, around 2372, the Black Fleet began to move on, deeper into the Mantle and other races under the UGC banner came to replace them. Ravada could sense the end of his stint as apex predator on Voyak, and requested either a transfer or for his contracts to be fulfilled.
The SS, however, had seemingly evaporated. Without warning, Ravada found himself unable to find his contacts, and the Collective government refused to acknowledge any agreements made with "foreign volunteers." With no money, no job, no country, and no recourse, Ravada defaulted to his one true skill: terror. Targeting the remaining kanads on Voyak, and later, UGC comrades, he became one of the quadrant's most wanted following the war. He disappeared as quickly as possible, and didn't resurface until 2380, when he began taking contracts again. However, the UGC was quick to respond to his reappearance and had managed to nearly catch him once before. He escaped their custody and returned to Voyak, where he knew every street in the capital city.
The UGC weren't the only ones hunting him. The kanad SS were especially keen on capturing him, but they knew that he was far too familiar with their tactics. They hired an outside organization to do the job. They, in turn, hired an even more obscure group to handle it, taking a fraction of State Security's original asking price. This was where Terika-Belladonna entered the picture. Landing on Voyak in March of 2384, it took quite a bit of time for the bare bones operation to gain traction, but soon, they found their leads and tracked Ravada to an abandoned steel mill where he often posted himself during the war. Ravada, now in his 40s, held the home field advantage.
They descended onto the mill's floor, walking with silent, measured steps as they watched for any sign of movement in the rafters. A shot rang out, deflecting off nearby debris. "Contact!" Rask shouted into the comm.
"[Get the right!]" Yanim cried out as she dove to the opposite side. Using her tail, she seized onto a small steel beam and, as she returned to her feet, she turned over in a winding pitch, hurling it across the room in the direction of the assailant. It bounced off of a support column instead, crashing into the unpowered florescent lighting and dropping glass all over the floor. Shots were coming from both directions, with Rask steadily advancing on the right, but even facing two opponents, Ravada easily placed them under greater pressure.
Unable to corner Ravada, they became desperate. Lights appeared on the windows, and Yanim was briefly comforted by the thought that Neasha had maneuvered in close to provide support. "Vakarus, fire on the building!" she ordered.
"Yanim'atvan, we are not in position," he replied.
"Vok? Then who... [Rask, get down!]"
Shots from a nearby vessel ripped through the building, but the vessel was not the Muramasa- it was a UGC ship. "Shnka! [What the hell are they doing here?]" Rask yelled after diving for cover. "[Were we sold out?]"
"[Look-]" Yanim exclaimed as she noticed Ravada limping away, "[-he's hit! Come on, we can still get him!]"
"Ravada," Rask called out, "our contract is to take you [I]alive[/I]. Don't go any further!"
Ravada turned back, tossing a flash bang at the two amateurs. Rask kicked it away while Yanim honed in with her rifle. With one shot, she struck him in the leg, and this time, he dropped to the ground completely. The two closed in on their mark, and began to drag him through the building. He kicked and screamed obscenities at them. "Don't you know what they're doing to this planet?" He demanded.
"Who're you talking about?" Yanim replied.
"The UGC... they're repressing the gohva and keeping the fucking kanads in power, you cunt! Why are you helping [I]them?[/I]" Yanim struck him for the insult.
"Because we can do more with your bounty than you could do on your own. Or, you could join us, and we'll accept you as our payment instead of the millions we were promised."
"Yeah, let's see them hold up their end of the bargain. You're both naïve little fuckers, you know that? I was once your age; I learned the hard way that-" he was cut off by Rask, who struck him for the second insult.
As they approached the exit, Yanim enquired about the extraction route. Neasha replied that there was an open space to land outside, but there were UGC ships nearby... just waiting. She hadn't been contacted by any of them; their intent was a mystery but it was clear that they were holding back. It had happened once before, thanks to the intervention of one of Yanim's previous crewmates, from the Archius mission. "Do it!" Yanim ordered. The ship was landing in the parking lot.
The rain smelled of oil and the night sky was dreary and close. The clouds were low in the sky like brown blankets, stifling any sense of space. It reminded the kanads of their home world. They struggled with Ravada all the way to the landing ramp, where they eventually dropped him and disarmed him of every weapon and tool on his person. He cursed them, over and over, until there was nothing left on his body that he could use to harm them, or so they thought. Neasha emerged from the main tunnel to assist them in moving Ravada to the brig.
They took their eyes off of Ravada for only a moment; he reached into his collar and pulled a needle out of his necklace. Rask couldn't react at all as the point punctured Yanim in the back of her neck, introducing a powerful neurotoxin into her system. Immediately, her body seized up. She had trouble breathing, and she collapsed onto the ground, writhing as her body began to destroy itself. Rask, torn between helping the Boss and holding the UGC troopers at bay, as they were starting to close in, ordered Neasha to administer an antidote.
"Drop your weapons!" A voice from the UGC called out. "This is your only warning!"
Rask responded by firing several warning shots into the air. Something was holding the UGC back; it had to be a sympathetic influence from within their ranks. Otherwise, they would have opened fire. Neasha found a vial containing something labeled "antitox" and placed it into an injector gun. She was no doctor, and at the moment she wished that she were anything accept a pilot for TBC. She pushed the needle into Yanim and pulled the trigger, unknowingly saving Yanim's life.
The latter took in a sharp breath, believing herself cured as soon as the pain began to loosen and her muscles relaxed. She climbed to her feet and held her hand out to the UGC forces in warning, using her implant to control the underbelly machineguns onboard the Muramasa.
"D-don't c-c-come an-n-y c-c-closer!" She struggled through. Her hand was shaking, badly. It was the first signs of permanent nerve damage from the toxin exposure. She was having trouble aiming, and with some strain, she grabbed hold of her right arm with her left. Her whole body shuddered.
"What the hell did you do to her?" Rask screamed before kicking Ravada back to the ground.
"You should've just let her die," he answered. "Those shakes aren't ever going away."
"Is that so?" Yanim asked with sudden clarity. She had reconfigured the implant's control over the neural bridge in the base of her skull. Whereas before, the brain had direct access to the body, now, all brain function would be filtered by the implant. Impulses would be smoothed out, duplicating and rapid movements were controlled... as long as the computer was plugged into her brain, she would be safe. Along with Neasha, technology had also saved her life.
She walked over to Ravada, who by now had realized that his secret "killer move" was out of date, and pulled her tail around blade first. "You aren't gonna hurt me, girl. Let's be real here. Your contractors are paying you to-"
Yanim dug the blade into his throat and completely severed his spinal column before latching onto his head with the fin-like grips and compressing, crushing the skull like a watermelon. The UGC troops began firing sporadically, torn between the orders they were given and the gore that they were witnessing. Yanim opened fire with the machineguns and killed a dozen of them in seconds. The rest, being poor-quality recruits from the fading galactic organization, scattered in fear. She had to be pulled away from Ravada's corpse, as she was mutilating it, cutting the limbs away and stabbing at the torso. She saw nothing but red.
---
Yanim awoke in her quarters and calmly dressed herself. She savored the way her hands moved slowly and gracefully as she put on a tie. The way her breaths were steady and how her lungs filled all the way with air. She wore a suit underneath her pea coat today, with the lapels open and worn flat. She looked like a businesswoman. Checking the time on her tablet, she confirmed that it was about time to move out.
---
[quote]Crew, we have a private viewing box for the Grand Prix. I would like to remind you that we are due to arrive at ten-hundred. Captain Shuur will coordinate the operation from here while the lieutenants and I arrange for our departure, and search for your next contract. The Captain will have choices available to decide the shape of things to come.[/quote]
After some time of slowly working with 33, his state begin to notability improve with his muffled coughs and heavily breathing under control now. 33 started to finally relax, somewhat comfortable now in the cell. He then proceeded to look towards Taylor, witching his head and muttering to himself for a moment before finally speaking whole words.
"I'm-I'm fine, uh. I'll buy-....I mean, take Harvey I guess." He said ever nervously to Taylor, making little eye contact as his eyes diffed on the floor around him. "So I assume your here to ask some questions about..The, the circuit right? Uh, miss?" He asked, still tumbling on his words. Trying to look at Taylor's eyes but still heavy much shaken.
[QUOTE]"So I assume your here to ask some questions about..The, the circuit right? Uh, miss?" He asked, still tumbling on his words.[/QUOTE]
"You can call me Caine, for now." she said softly. "And yes. Just a few questions about the race. Besides the other racers making sure that their pick wins...does the mob have anything else up their sleeves to your knowledge? Like a contingency plan or anything in case things start to go south?"
[QUOTE]"And yes. Just a few questions about the race. Besides the other racers making sure that their pick wins...does the mob have anything else up their sleeves to your knowledge? Like a contingency plan or anything in case things start to go south?"[/QUOTE]
Harvey took an moment to think at Caine's question. Letting out a light, muffled cough through his mask before answering. "The mob?" He grumble under his breath to himself. "Oh the Mafia, uh. Well miss..Uh, Caine, they had our unit employed to aid in the protection a-and..Security of the circuit during and before the event to ensure no criminals could jeopardize the event, I know that we have a more heavily armed unit on standby but I don't know th-that much other then the layout of the circuit as I'm just an number....T-Through, through I do know the patrols routes around the circuit like the...The back of my rig-left hand through." He explained to Caine, trying to keep his cool.
((Nobody talks to me :( ))
[QUOTE]"Oh the Mafia, uh. Well miss..Uh, Caine, they had our unit employed to aid in the protection a-and..Security of the circuit during and before the event to ensure no criminals could jeopardize the event, I know that we have a more heavily armed unit on standby but I don't know th-that much other then the layout of the circuit as I'm just an number....T-Through, through I do know the patrols routes around the circuit like the...The back of my rig-left hand through." He explained to Caine, trying to keep his cool.[/QUOTE]
That could be useful, especially for Hariim and some of the others. "If I can get you a map of the circuit, can you plot the patrol routes?" she asked.
[QUOTE]"If I can get you a map of the circuit, can you plot the patrol routes?" she asked.[/QUOTE]
"Y-Yeah, I can do that." Harvey said to Taylor before letting out a deep breath, laying his head against the cell's wall.
[QUOTE]"Y-Yeah, I can do that."[/QUOTE]
Taylor then sent a message to Hariim, asking if he could send her a 3D map of the track and complex.
[Gonna go ahead and crash for the night. You can use Taylor if you need her.]
Having spent quite some time in the medbay, Vakarus returned to the gunnery station.
-----
Maddox went for the armory to finish up the last weapons for the first Muramasa arsenal.
Satisfied with his work he took the time to run ballistic tests and document the results.
He then sat down next to the workbench and sent a message to Yuga and Taylor.
[quote]I need you both to take a look at a project I've just finished inside the armory. ASAP.
/ Maddox[/quote]
Yuga had been looking over the current information regarding the operation in the bridge with Hariim now at her old spot at the holotable.
As she received the message from Maddox, she left the bridge and used her compass to send an announcement.
"Would our newest employee please make himself present in the armory?"
Hariim had linked the ships computers with Yugas compass, something she found very appreciated and accommodating.
As she entered the armory she looked around while releasing a cloud of vapor from the compass, which she casually walked through as she inspected the previously unfamiliar locale.
She found Mad by the workbench, "Mr Graves, you desired my attention?".
Maddox did a casual salute as hes tood up. "Ma'am." He gestured with his left hand towards one of the armory tables currently occuppied by twenty shiny new weapons with extra parts and magazines laid out next to them.
"I am pleased to report that I have finished my work on first batch of weapons, they're called [b][i]MAWS 1[/i][/b]. Short for [i]Muramasa Adaptive Weapon System[/i]."
He picked up one of the rifles and weighed it in his hands. "Base model is a kinetic assault rifle capable of firing in semi-automatic, burst and full-automatic modes. Effective range depends on the mode. Standard-issue aiming module consists of a flip-up/flip-down scope with a 5x zoom. When flipped down a projected holographic sight takes its place."
Maddox did a brief demonstration by flipping the scope up and down while also activating the holographic sight. He then stroked his hand alongside the receiver. "The base weapon and all extra parts are made of a light but durable alloy."
He then pointed towards the accessories on the table which included longer and shorter barrels, larger magazines, different stocks and other tactical accessories.
"Each weapon consists of five main parts, of which four can be easily swapped to fit another role. Want a SMG? No problem, just switch out the barrel for a shorter one. Sniper rifle? Longer barrel with a marksman stock."
Just like with the scope Maddox did a brief demonstration by quickly swapping our the barrels. Without using any tools he had turned the rifle into a machinegun in mere seconds.
"Due to the weapon system being based around kinetic projectiles, all you need to do is switch magazine and slug settings on the receiver with merely one click."
Popping up a small panel on the receiver, a small touchpad screen was revealed. Maddox then tapped on the machinegun setting which was followed by a audible sound from the receiver as the weapon reconfigured itself.
"All weapons are DNA-locked to our current crew roster, anyone not registered to our crew will not be able to fire the weapon. Should they pull the trigger a very loud alarm will play in hopes of alerting our crew."
Maddox put down the weapon and picked up a datapad.
"Believe it or not but this project only required 70% out of all the resources I commissioned earlier. Following my personal standard I've written down a detailed record of my construction and testing logs which I copied over to this datapad. I also included the tests from various ballistic tests alongside the resource consumption following this project."
He then gave the datapad to Yuga.
"Any questions, ma'am?"
Owen checked the time when he received the message. He had been swapping stories with Sledge back and forth with Frosty listening. The two engineers disappeared and he had no idea where they were. Owen typed out a response.
[QUOTE]Alright, guess I'll be suiting up.[/QUOTE]
With that he departed for his quarters.
((Travelling now))
Yuga observed the demonstration with tired eyes. She looked over the datapad Maddox had given her.
"I'm not an expert on weapons, but from what I can remember these specs seem to be quite impressive."
She studied the datapad further. Maddox had indeed only used 70% of the resources he had requested, but it was still a sizable amount for this crew. The Muramasa had a decent inventory, but if Maddox began some kind of assembly line of weapons they would run out fairly quickly.
Yuga looked up from the datapad, her orange eyes shining from under the visor of her cap.
"Mr Graves, while the design quality is applaudable, the quantity is not. This number is enough to outfit the whole crew. However, a number of our members are specialized, meaning that they might find this weapon restricting or falling short of their needs."
She handed the datapad back to Maddox and walked over to inspect the rifle more closely.
"I will have first mate Caine evaluate this weapon and put a price on it. We will equip the crew members who want this rifle, leave a few as spares and sell the rest to recuperate some of our resources."
Yuga sent a message to Taylor, informing her that she had duties in the armory.
She stopped in the doorway and slightly turned towards Maddox,
"And Mr Graves, if this new Dio or what his name happens to be stumbles in here I want you to re-direct him to the bridge. I want to have a few words with him."
Yuga headed back to the bridge to look over the final preparations before the operation would start.
Maddox nodded. "Yes ma'am." He then turned around to inspect the arsenal. While he wasn't fond of selling the weapons he understood Yugas reasoning.
[I]Duroma an hour ago[/I]
Archangel was looking around the small town. The people living there were avoiding him. He knew it and had his suspicions why. He entered the bar and everything went silent, like an old holo vid from Terra. "I'm looking for someone. Someone with knoledge of what happened here two years ago. Specifically, the battle involving mercs and HarkArk. If you help, you will be well rewarded."
"What about the other battle? The one you caused." An older man stood up from his table. And walked over to Archangel, clearly towering over him. "I lost my family because of you and your big mouth. What was it? 'I don't care about these motherfuckers!' That's what you told the bikers, right big man? Playing tough guy with your crew. I should plant you in the ground."
"That's enough Jason!" Another man was standing behind Jason, hand on his shoulder. "I was mistaken. Go sit back in your spot. I'll talk to him." The man was shorter than Jason, around the same height as Archangel. He looked him over quick and started talking. "No, you're not him. You walk like him, you talk like him. Hell, I bet you would even fight like him. But no, you're not him. You're not Merner. If you were him, you would be on my neck right now."
Archangel crossed his arms "Why? Did you and this Merner have a disagreement?"
"Heh, you could say that stranger. The name is Malal. I was part of that fight tow years ago. The one with the mercenaries. I survived and was left for dead by him. I survived and burried those that were left for the vultures. Took me a while but I did it."
"Then you're the one I need. I need to know where you burried one Bromun Kreas. He had something on him. Something usefull."
"You want me to dig up a grave? Just like that? Listen 'friend', I don't care what your reward is, I'm not going to do it. Already did anyway. This town is still feeling the effects from Merner and his crew's actions. Those bikers? They came back with a vengance. Another chapter heard about what happened and moved in. Every couple of months they come by for a raid. This town would have been wiped out if I didn't dig up armor and weapons and taught them how to use them."
"What if I help you? Will you help then?"
"If you can locate the clubhouse and torch it, sure. But good luck with that."
"Specter, are you in the air? Do a termal scan of the area. Look for signatures related to hover-bikes, motorciles and anything related."
"I thought you were looking for someone to help you dig up a corpse, now you're looking for bikers? Well, there is something on the scans. A bunch of them actually. Think I found a clubhouse."
Archangel looked at Malal and gestured him to come with him. "You're comming with me. After we take care of those bikers, you're showing e where you burried Bromun."
[I]30 minutes later[/I]
The action in the clubhouse was in full swing. Loud music, gambling and drugs were today's activities. One of them stood on a table and motioned to cut the music. "Brothers, sisters and whoever slager got dragged in. We are marking a special ocasion today. Two years ago on this day we lost many of our own to some small town in Bumfuck nowhere. And for the past two years we have been making them pay. But I figured that it's time we moved on. So in a few days, a shipment of weapons will come in. Big stuff. Strong enough for us to wipe that shitstain off the face of the planet and for our payback to be complete." The clubhouse errupted with cheers of the other bikers. it didn't last long however and the windows were shattered from the grenades flying inside.
The explosions shook the building pretty hard, killing several and injuring many more. The gang started to exit through the doors only for the bikes and trucks to start exploding around them. Archangel and the vultures had rigged them to blow. Wasn't hard since in their arrogance, the bikers didn't bother to leave a guard outside, thinking noone would bother them out here. The Death Vigil and Malal opened fire on the survivors. It wasn't long untill they retreated back inside. Then the firebombs started. If they weren't going to die outside, they would burn alive inside. Eventually the building started collapsing as the fire spread. In the end there was nothing left.
Malal looked at the ruins with glee. He then turned around to face Archangel and the Vultures. "Well, that will show them. Fuck those cocksuckers! Alrigth, you did what you promised. Time for me to uphold my end of the deal."
[I]An hour later[/I]
After some digging, Archangel stood over the remains of Bromun. The renegade Boome commander. One who's anger and frustration with the current management let him to his own death. He knelled down and took started to look through. He finally found what he was looking for. He climbed out of the grave and walked to Malal. "So, a memory core and his gun. Do those even work after being burried for two years?"
Archangel aimed the gun and fired. The lazer went through Malal's guts. Leving charred flesh and a strong steanch behind. "This works fine. A magnum that fires a lazer. It's rather nice."
"Aaarrggh, you fuck! Why?"
"I recognized you the moment I saw you. The only reason you lasted this long was because you knew where these were burried. You have outlived your usefullness."
"So....who...are you?"
"Archangel."
"No...your...actual...name."
"Figured you deserve this at least. You were quite usefull." He walked over to Malal and took off his helmet. Underneath it was a face very similar to his own. The eyes gave away his synthethic nature. "My name, the one they gave me when I was made, is Gabriel." After giving him his name, Gabriel stood up and aimed the gun at Malal's head. Giving him a mercy kill.
After a few minutes he was back on the ship, next to Specter and looking at the galaxy map. "So, was all this worth it Gabe?"
"Codenames, Specter. Codenames. And yes it was. This memory core contains some reather valuable information. And the gun is rather nice. Think I'll add it to the arsenal."
"Right right. Where to now?"
"Take us back to Gibel. See what the executor has planned for us."
Bucky enjoys seeing Valkyrie's tattoos, and sticks around for a while until Yanim's message comes through. She preps herself, and then leaves Valk's quarters, and walks with Vaklyrie down to the main bay. She remarks on the way with a chipper smile: "That was fun! You're really cool under the hood, Valk."
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Hariim performs all tasks requested of him, and continues managing his connections with the race track's systems. He's feeling them out, and getting used to their normal operational states so he can figure out how to best work with them if he needs to.
Hearing Owen and Sledge trade stories made Frosty wanna speak up.
"Interesting stories, I must say. As for me, if you are curious, the only story about myself I can recall with any sort of clarity is this: I remember flying in a dogfight against some enemy force, and I had my superior officer... (I think he was my superior officer) in the back who had a laser precision rifle. After several rounds of bullets, missiles, and twisting about, I outmaneuvered the enemy force until one of their own was left. This last one was some brave fool who thought he could try to ram me out of the sky, as he appeared to be out of ammunition and dumped his minigun's ammo can to move faster. I was about to launch my last missile at him, but it malfunctioned and wouldn't fire. My lasers were also overheated as well, but my superior had an idea. We turned to face this fool while I opened up my cockpit partially. He pointed his rifle out, I tried to hold my craft as steady as I could, and when we finally saw the shape of the fool's head, he fired three shots. The fool was struck and died, but as he slumped over, he fired his fighter's machine gun, and several of his rounds hit my superior in the neck and chest. We learned he still had ammunition the hard way. My superior started to bleed out horribly... he died. Before he passed, he held me and told me something. I cannot remember what he said, however."
Frosty had a sad look on his face as he dwelled on the events that unfolded that day, centuries ago.
"I wonder, though, what was it that he told me? He seemed so desperate to tell me, and I wonder if he would've said it if he had survived."
[editline]22nd April 2016[/editline]
(( Oh jeez, I just noticed Sledge is the only one left around to hear his story. This just got awkward. ))
As Owen was getting ready, Frosty's story caused him to think about the events on Prospera. He finished off one thug during the fish tank incident and most recently saw one of his rivals possibly die and a crewman nearly die. All this over a race that might get him hired as a full time racer again. Thoughts started creeping in, perhaps Owen didn't want to go back to racing after the grand prix.
((Post edited from the original))
As soon as she received the 3D map from Hariim, Taylor made it appear on her holo-tablet, and projected it into the cell with Harvey. "There you go. Please point out the patrol routes for me." she said, looking up at him. As she waited for him to do his thing, she replied to the message that Yuga had sent.
[QUOTE]I'll head to the armory as soon as I can. Harvey, AKA 33, mentioned he could provide us with the patrol routes for the mafia guards at the track. He also mentioned that they have a heavier unit on standby just in case things go south. We should plan accordingly.
- Taylor[/QUOTE]
[B]....[/B]
[QUOTE]"That was fun! You're really cool under the hood, Valk."[/QUOTE]
"Heh, you're pretty nice yourself." she said, with a sly grin. [I]Very[/I] nice. The gynoid was pretty 'well equipped'. "Well, we should hunt down Owen, and get ready for the race. Wonder if we have any jumpsuits and helmets? We'd blend in a lot better as a pit crew." she said, changing the topic.
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