Tanya opened her eyes, blinking painfully as bright lights pierced her vision to the core.

For a moment, she lay still, then realising she was on her back, rolled to her left side quickly and off the table she was on. The left side of her chest ached incessantly and fearing an injury, Tanya felt her ribs noting a large heal-patch under her tunic.

Confused, the young woman slowly took in her surroundings. The sense of motion led her to believe she was in flight, thought not in her own ship. The room she was in sparse but functional and her gear was safely stowed inside a transparent locker by the far wall. Through a hazy blur, Tanya tried to remember what happened rubbing at her temples.

She had penetrated the inner sanctum of Governor Jack Mason's base, aboard the Luxury Liner Hawaii. Slain his assistant Hideko and her guards. She recalled climbing the stairs to Mason's quarters, then. A blank. Nothing. A sharp flash of light behind her eyes sent Tanya reeling and she grimaced in pain. A swirl of melee combat, fists, feet, blades, bullets and energy blasts slicing through the air. A conversation. Mason smiling confidently. An explosion. Her green eyes widened.

"Travis!" she said aloud. "What's happened to Travis?" she whispered to herself.

She stood up and walked over to her gear. Most of it was there, though her blasters were missing. Nevertheless, her sword was still wrapped in its sheath and frustrated, Tanya tried to remember what occured. She noted someone had left a towel, a jumpsuit folded neatly on a trestle near the locker and beside that a bottle of water. Smiling she slipped out of her tunic and leggings, now dirt-matted and covered with blood, sipped some water from the bottle then poured the rest over herself. Quickly rubbing herself dry with the towel she dressed swiftly noting how much weight she had lost over the last few months.

The hunt to track down who was behind the Sirian assassinations had taken it's toll and not just physically. Tanya felt very tired indeed. She could use a vacation. Collect her thoughts and try to understand what went on back at the Hawaii and the battle with the Nomads.

The young woman froze suddenly hearing movement from beyond the door to her room and moved her hand to enclose the hilt of her sword.

A moment later, the door hissed open and a fairly non-descript man stood in the doorway who appeared to be in his mid-thirties, though Tanya found it hard to tell for certain. The fringe of his hazel brown hair came down to his cheeks, hiding a pair of deep brown eyes that were focused on hers entirely.

The man didn't smile, nor did he say anything, but Tanya noted his flicker to her own to the grasp of her sword.

"What next?" he asked evenly. "Dice me up then take over my ship?" He stood patiently, unafraid and calm.

The tension grew as the implications of his comment echoed through her mind.

"How did I get on this ship?" asked Tanya finally breaking the pregnant silence.

"I tractored you in," was the reply. "You're welcome," he said drily.

For a moment Tanya didn't believe him, but without being able to remember the previous hour of her life, she merely nodded. Tanya brought her hands to her sides and sat down on the couch she found herself on to begin with, then looked up at the man.

"This might sound strange, but you seem familiar," smiled the young woman, following a deep breath. "How about we start over? My name is Tanya."

(and so it begins!)

(Not a problem, athena. Of course now Tanya's mine to do what I will with. Muahahahahahaaaa-- Ahem. Sorry. )

The man smiled in return and extended his hand. "Rob Schaefer. Pleasure to meet you Tanya."

Tanya leaned forward and clasped the man's had. Both noted, but were not surprised by, the other's firm grip. They knew of each other too well for that. Rob had recently picked up Tanya's trail, one does not disrupt a planned takeover of Sirius without garnering some attention. Following the trail of broken bodies, he eventually managed to snag a guard Tanya hadn't quite managed to kill. Rob hadn't been on assignment at the time so he took the man in, nursed him back to health and in return asked for information. At first the former guard was rather reticent but Rob used his talent for "persuasion" to get the answers he was looking for. What he discovered, though just the tip of the iceberg, chilled him to the core. He knew Tanya would have her work cut out for her and began to make preparations to help. He only just made it in time. The battle for Sigma-19 was over when he arrived insystem, and his scanners caught the tail end of the combined Sirian forces retreating. That, of course, told him a whole lot of nothing about what transpired. He needed survivors.

It didn't take long for Rob to find an unconscious Tanya slowly spinning through space in a damaged vacsuit. He quickly tractored her into the Clydesdale he had decided to use for this outing. She wasn't in very good shape and Rob was no doctor. Still, he treated her as best he could and left her lying in the cargo hold to heal. That was a few hours ago. Rob had spent the intervening time sweeping the system looking for other survivors of the battle. He had found out that Tanya had been working with a few people in her quest to bring down Mason and his jolly bunch of megalomaniacs and had hoped to find a few of them as well. He knew Tanya would be more willing to talk if she didn't feel alone and exposed. Unfortunately Tanya appeared to be the only living person left in Sigma-19. He waited for her response.

"You're Rob Schaefer?" She said. "The Rob Schaefer?" Her voice didn't indicate any surprise, only mild amusement.

"Let me guess," Rob said, "you thought I'd be taller."

Tanya laughed, "Yes, yes I did. A man with your reputation tends to be magnified in the imaginations of others."

"But now that you've met me..." Rob trailed off, knowing Tanya would finish the sentence.

"...I see why you've been so successful." Tanya said, referring to Rob's completely forgettable features. Except his eyes, she reflected, there's an intensity there that would mark him, that's why he keeps them shrouded.

"Exactly. I've been hearing a lot about you, Tanya. You really are a remarkable woman. I'm not exactly sure what you've done here, but from what I do know it seems to have been quite the achievement."

"You don't know? Damn." Tanya said, disappointed. "I had hoped you might tell me what ended up happening. The last hour or so is nothing but a blur and flash for me. But I had friends with me, maybe they could tell you."

"Two things." Rob said. "One, it's been way more than an hour. I think you were knocked out roughly an hour before I arrived insystem and it's been almost three hours since then. Two, you and I are the only people in Sigma-19 now as far as I can tell. I've done a sweep for survivors but it seems like the fleet I saw leaving must have picked up the rest, if there were any."

"You saw a fleet leaving?" Tanya asked. "What sort of ships did it have?"

"I was rather far away at the time, but I think it had ships from all the Houses."

"Were they being chased?"

"Not as far as I could tell, no." Rob said. "But I doubt that whatever they were fighting is gone for good. They seemed rather anxious to leave."

"We have to go after them. If they picked up my friends they'll be able to fill us in on what happened here." Tanya clung to the faint hope some of her allies had survived.

"And if they didn't?" Rob asked.

"Then we'll have to find our answers elsewhere. And hope that Mason didn't survive."

"Well, let's get going then." Rob said. He turned and left the hold. As he stepped over the threshold he twisted his body and looked at Tanya once more. "Get some rest, you're still not fully healed."

Tanya nodded and drew her legs up onto the sofa. Laying her head back down, she closed her eyes and settled once more into the arms of Morpheus.

Rob settled himself into the pilot's chair in the Clydesdale's cockpit and ran through a quick systems check as he prepared to leave the system. He knew that the fleet he was pursuing could be anywhere so he decided to call in a favour. He quickly adjusted his comm settings and broadcast a message to an old acquaintance of his, Jason Fisher. The face of the Rheinland pilot from Liberty materialized in front of him.

"Hey Code!" Jason said. "How are you?"

"Not bad, Jason, not bad at all." Rob smiled. "But I need your help. There was a Rheinland fleet in Sigma-19 not six hours ago. I saw it, or what was left of it, leaving through the Sigma-13 jumphole. I need to know where it is now."

"Okay, I'll get right on it. When I find something I'll let you know." The other man said.

"Thanks." Rob said and cut the connection. There would be time to catch up with his friend later. He swung the Clydesdale around and pointed it towards the jumphole. As he activated the ship's engines his long range sensors picked up some ships on an intercept course from off his port stern. He activated his cruise engines and then glanced down at the sensor board. He couldn't believe his eyes. The ships' energy readings were off the scale. He had heard rumors about ships like that and wasn't about to see if they were true. He made a straight beeline for the jumphole and didn't look back.

Rob made it to the jumphole safely and soon found himself weaving through the gas-pockets of Sigma-13 on his way to the GMG headquarters on Gas Miner Naha. He had two Falcons stored there and wanted to slip into something a little more comfortable for the purposes of his search. He broadcast his intention to land and was granted clearance. Once inside the massive harvester-ship he headed back to the hold to wake his passenger.

(Over to you guys...)

Edit: You know, I had an idea. If you find that you've written a hugely long bit - as I have here - it may be a good idea to toss in a brief summary (maybe make it bold so people will know to read it) at the end so everyone else knows the important bits. Also, if there are some things you want your character to do if he's not under your control this would be a good place to put them.

For example...

Rob and Tanya get to know each other. Tanya goes back to sleep in the hold to recover, Rob pilots the Clydesdale out of Sigma-19 in pursuit of the fleet that may have more survivors from the battle. As he's leaving he sees strange ships with crazy energy signatures (Nomads!) but they don't catch him. Rob also contacts Jason Fisher (that's you Centurus), a contact in the Rheinland Military, in an attempt to discover the location of this fleet. The scene ends with Rob landing on GMG base Naha to switch ships (to a Falcon).

I'm going to have Rob give Tanya one of the Falcons he has waiting for him on Naha. No charge or anything but she'll owe him a(nother) favour. She will be able to either part ways then or stick with him.

Edit 2: Just so there's no misunderstanding here, one of two things can happen with my character now; he can either wake up Tanya and they'll go on their way, or Jason will call him with info and Tanya will stay asleep. One thing is certain though, Rob's not going anywhere until she wakes up and gets a ship (essentially Athena controls Rob for now, though if she hasn't posted anything by morning I'll deal with this myself). Sorry if that throws a spanner in the works for anyone, I probably should have made it less equivocal from the get-go.

Edited by - Codename on 3/8/2005 8:20:17 PM

Dev Shot into Sigma-13 His ship dead silent. He called up a file on his viewscreen, grinning he saw the face of his target. Or some said victim becuase of his creative killing styles.

Info read that the person might be at the GMG HQ. He Grinned and reached into his holster on his leg. He pulled out his prize pistol. It had been modified so that the person died surley, but in much greater pain. He checked the ammo, loaded, saftey off 30 shots to the round.

Grinning he slipped it back in and activated cruise. He was hoping his friend would call him and make plans for a team murder. He smiled as he neared the station. Grinning he looked in a on ship mirror, blue hair spiffed beard trimmed fire in his eyes.

He sighed looking back on his life, Rough times indeed. But now he had no-one to care about no-one to worry about. Just to feed and live.

He snapped out of it and flew towards Naha, Ready to spill the blood of his target

(NOTE: feel free to involved me in any part of any story, i havent involved anyone yet in-case they mind.)




Edited by - DSQrn on 3/8/2005 6:28:11 PM

"Hell yeah!"

"Well, I thought you'd need a distraction after the...incident." Hans Flischer smiled sympathetically, nevertheless reawakening a new and often-felt pain, a burning inside Damien's chest that reminded him of his loss...and strengthened the fire within him.

"Great." The young ex-Hessian drained his glass. "When do we leave?"

"Immediately. The Northern Fleet should be coming out of Sigma 13 through the Frankfurt jumphole as you arrive. Remember--"

"I know, take out the battleship first. Just because your memory's disgustingly weak doesn't mean you have to remind me every time, old man..." Damien smiled and left the bar, leaving the aged Bundschuh officer there to quietly sip at his light Bretonian wines.

______________________________

The wing of Sabres lay in wait outside Bruschal's rocky sanctuary as Damien launched. They quietly soared through the rocky fields of Frankfurt...

"Damien, mission briefing?" Adolf's deep voice was clear over the intercom.

"No, I think I'll just let you figure this out for yourselves this time." He laughed, then continued. "Remains of a Rhineland fleet should be coming through the jumphole...Badly damaged and decimated, usual story with these incompetent morons. The battleship will jump first, our agents have hidden a supply of H-fuel aboard. We attack the battleship, but--if you mess this up, I will rip out your aortas and give you all a collective enema with them--we wait until the rest of the fleet jumps through to take it out. Fly evasively, don't sweat this."

The dark, golden stained skies of Frankfurt sped past Damien's windows. The wind of the flight whipped his long, black hair behind his head. Inside the deep reaches of his psyche, the pain stirred, engulfing his being, burning up his heart...
He forced it down.

"Coming up on the jumphole now.."

"Roger that. Drop out of cruise speed, free flight from here on in. No formations, too easy to shoot down."

The line of Sabres eased out, turning on all hardpoints and lying in wait at the jumphole...
The tip of the battleship poked through, closely followed by its body and tail end. Damien almost laughed. It was the Westfalen , the floating piece of space junk normally in orbit around Aalen in Hamburg.
The green flame of 25 guns rained down on it, burning through its hull and ripping across its turrets, opening massive chasms inside the dying battleship. Sabres flew through the battle as more and more powerless Rhineland ships of the decimated fleet poured through the jumpgate...and the final charge began.

Damien hit the afterburners and zoomed out of range of the battleship, then turned his Sabre, the Ocean Soul , around to face the pathetic beast again. His guns open and screaming, he rained down hell upon the Westfalen .

"Let's move!" He screamed into his intercom, and he and his wing flew in all directions away from the hell erupting behind them. When they looked back...all they saw was dust.

"Excuse me, Herr Solkovsky. I have an interesting offer for you..." The intercom blared out. The voice was nondescript, somewhat cold...but somehow familiar.

"What the--"

"If you are interested in the survival of the Bundschuh, please. Meet me at Naha."

OOC: This guy I'm planning is Rob Schraefer or Dev...unless Code/DSQrn has any problems with that. So anyone can take it from there.

Edited by - Wilde on 3/8/2005 6:21:38 PM

As i said involve me freely in anything, so long as you get my char right.... and dont mess up on the hair

OOC: Realistically, I think we should try to keep at least some of the characters separate. Or, if they are to meet, have it be no more than a passing interaction. Take what Athena did with the Trent and Tanya race as an example. If we keep a few plots running we won't be quite as restricted in what we do. Really I think four people interacting along a given plotline is enough, more than that and things might get bogged down. Of course plots can cross and blend at times (like on Naha) but I'd like to keep my major interactions restricted to Athena's and Centurus's characters for now.

OOC: What i do is i leave oppertunities, it doesnt have to be involvment with another char but it can. I dont mind being involved with anyone as i have said

IC: Dev Piloted his ship into the hangar of Naha. He Climbed down from his ship and looked around, People bustled here and there. The GMG reps avioded him due to his look and his hand close to his blaster. People stood aside as he strode down the corridors. He grinned and pulled out ciggerette lighting it and putting it in his mouth. Dev wondered if anyone would tell him he wasnt allowed to smoke. He entered the bar and looked around, a few people having drinks and all but one man leaned against the coutner of the bar. The man was alone and looking distracted.

Dev walked up to the counter and told the barkeeper

"Bretonian Whiskey, Hit it with the ice" He called out. Then turning to the man next to him he Grinned.

"Hey mate, whats the news" Dev said with a chuckle

Edited by - DSQrn on 3/8/2005 7:50:25 PM

OOC: Good idea Code, and thanks DSQrn, Wilde for your inputs! Hope others will contribute soon too

IC:

In a galaxy of bright lights and shooting stars, the preference of Sirian inhabitants to wear protective shades was no surprise.

Still, for Rob Schaefer to choose wearing them made absolute sense. Tanya noticed his eyes had a feral intensity, the only feature of a fairly non-descript man that would highlight him from others.

She only saw his eyes once, when he removed the shades out of courtesy before shaking her hand. The grip was solid and she returned the gesture.

Tanya lay back on the couch and closed her eyes, the young woman had felt beaten raw and bruised all over. From the information Rob provided, Tanya learnt that the space around the Luxury Liner Hawaii in Sigma-19 had been turned into a gigantic graveyard. More importantly, she had no idea what happened to Mason, the Nomads, or even her friends.

Calming herself through long, deep breaths, she began to consider her next steps and consolidate the information already known.

Her first thought was whether Rob Schaefer could be trusted. Here was a man that lived and died by a 'Code'. To be in your late-thirties living in the dangerous Sirian galaxy requires a great deal of luck, good sponsorship, ability or a combination of all three. Rob was the exception to the case, he was a true freelancer, maintaining his independence through merely delivering on every assignment he'd undertaken.

Rob didn't mention why he was on Tanya's trail, only mentioning Tanya's less than subtle methods to deal with the root of the problem and the eventual emergence of Mason's plot to ruin Sirius via the Nomads.

Tanya opened her eyes and quickly stepped over to the door that led between the cargo bay and the cockpit, placing her ear to the door overhearing She was thankful Rob was using a speaker.

"Hey Code!" said a heavily accented Rheinlander. "How are you?"

"Not bad, Jason, not bad at all." Rob smiled. "But I need your help. There was a Rheinland fleet in Sigma-19 not six hours ago. I saw it, or what was left of it, leaving through the Sigma-13 jumphole. I need to know where it is now."

"Okay, I'll get right on it. When I find something I'll let you know." The other man said.

"Thanks." Rob said and cut the connection.

Tanya quickly shuffled back to the sofa.

"So," she whispered with a faint smile. "The allied fleets survived."

This implied they beat back the Nomad armada but sustained some losses, Tanya just needed to talk with one of the Rheinland officers and find out if they knew anything more.

A sudden acceleration caused Tanya to fall back onto the couch, but as swiftly as it had come the moment passed. The young woman rose and walked swiftly over to the locker, instantly feeling reassured once she strapped the katana between her shoulders. To her dismay, she couldn't find her cred-stick, which meant no credits until she could get to a capital planet and acquire a new one. Rob re-entered the cargo hold and as the door hissed open, Tanya saw the huge form of Gas Miner Naha fast-approaching.

"We're auto-docking with Naha in a few minutes. Just thought I'd drop in and see if you were feeling any better," said Rob. Was he grinning behind those shades? mused Tanya. "We're leaving the Clydesdale behind," he continued. "And I took the liberty of purchasing a Falcon for you. It's only set-up with standard gear, but it will do for now."

Tanya didn't reply at first, merely watching Rob as he spoke.

"Don't say everything at once," chuckled Rob dryly.

Tanya frowned.

"Listen. You're in bad shape. You have limited resources. You're alone. And frankly speaking, if I didn't tractor you in when I did, your suit could have been struck by any million particles out in space. In a phrase, 'you owe me'," said Rob seriously. "And the only way I figure you can pay me back, is if I give you a little head start. Take it or leave it. Making credits is hard when you don't have a ship in Sirius."

Tanya clenched her fists in frustration, but deep down knew Rob was right. If she believed what Rob said, it was fortunate to have been picked up when she was.

"Thanks," she said finally. Rob visibly relaxed. "I have credits, I just don't have the means to pay you back now. Once I get to a capital planet, New Berlin is probably the closest, I can pay you in full."

Rob nodded, then lowered his shades staring into Tanya's eyes.

"Fine. And until then, I'm sticking right by you. Not that I don't trust you or anything. But you're my investment now, and I intend to collect."

The freelancer snapped his shades back on then turned on his heel walking back into the cockpit.

Even though he couldn't see them anymore, those green eyes kept haunting him. He'd have to focus harder if he was to complete his assignment.


***

Dev listened as his contact at the bar outlined recent news. Apparently, a huge fleet comprised of ships sent by all four Houses engaged in a huge battle with an invading Nomad armada. The allies won and the Nomads were beaten for now, the damaged fleets returning to their home systems.

The bounty hunter paid the man then leaned back on his stool, putting both heels up on the bar much to the annoyance of the barman. The large man was about to say something, but Dev brushed his jacket aside and tapped the gun in his holster, a monstrous weapon manufactured by Detroit Munitions known as the DM-008 "Widowmaker" Very Heavy Autopistol. Dev didn't like energy blasters thinking they were too easy to use. He preferred kinetic weapons. Maybe he just liked to see blood.

The barman saw the huge gun, paled, then turned round and went back to his business, leaving a smirking Dev chuckling to himself. He downed his whisky, took another puff on his cigarette before dropping it into the empty glass and walked over to the restroom, shoving open the door and grinning when he heard it slam into someone on the other side.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" shouted the startled man, he was a corporate guy, in a suit and was nursing a red mark on his forehead where Dev had pushed the door onto him.

"Shut it, pencil-neck," replied Dev and pushed past him.

"Hey! What's your problem?" asked the suit this time coming right up to Dev, standing a foot away.

Dev didn't reply and began to relieve himself whistling.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" shouted the suit again. "How dare you ignore me?" said the man in apoplectic rage. Dev suddenly spun, 'splashing' the man as he did so forcing him to squeal and jump back.

"What?" asked Dev mischievously. "I missed that," he took a step forwards and the man turned and fled from the restroom. He laughed then zipped up and walked out back into the bar, only to face the suit flanked by two burly-looking men.

"Your boyfriends?" asked the bounty hunter.

"He's the one!" said the suit in curiously shrill tone. "Beat him up! Go on, hurt him!"

The two men advanced and Dev laughed, removing his jacket and throwing it to the ground and mockingly put his fists up. Before the men could advance, Dev drew his gun with lightning speed and aimed it at them, freezing them in their tracks.

"So. Who dies first? Maybe if you stand in a line, I can take all three of you out in one shot! That would save me bullets. And you can share the experience," he laughed. Dev was about to continue taunting the three men but two people, a man and a woman, just walked into the bar caught his eye. He studied their movements, cool and assured, as they strode confidently to the bar where they ordered drinks and sat talking in quiet tones.

He looked at the three men frozen before him, then twitched his head sharply to the side.

"Wssht. Get moving. Today, you live another day," said Dev.

"I hate you!" shouted the suit. "You'll pay for this!"

"Yeah, yeah. Get moving lowlife," said the bounty hunter. The three men ran for the exit and Dev sheathed his gun. Having been a Zoner all his life, he was rarely surprised, but these two were interesting.

And he could never resist being curious.


***

OOC:

DSQrn, I thought Dev seemed to be a lot like Snake Plisskin...!
Code, when I read your post Rob seemed to have an agenda, though it's not explicitly mentioned. Tried to vaguely build on that.

Dont think my char could of been capured better

As he sipped his neat Balvenie single malt Rob reflected on how exposed he and Tanya were at the bar. Sure he could keep watch for intruders from the reflections in the liquor bottles but it would be better were they at a booth where they could watch each other's backs. Rob wasn't expecting any trouble but one thing he'd learned is that trouble always shows up when you least expect it. He turned to Tanya.

"Let's get a booth." He said.

"I was thinking we might be a bit exposed here myself." Tanya said as she stood. open as well, but it gave the best view of the bar and its patrons. She pointed to it. "How about that one?"

"Looks good to me." Rob said, standing. The two of them picked up their drinks and started walking. Rob suddenly became aware of his gait; it was different. He noticed it seemed much more self-assured, more confident. Though he knew that would only attract attention he kept it up as an abrupt change would have been even more noticeable. It's Tanya, he realized, she's broadcasting power and confidence all over the place. I'll have to do something about that.

The unlikely couple settled into seats not quite opposite one another. Rob sipped his drink. "So you don't remember anything after this 'Hideko' girl?" He asked once more.

For her part Tanya was getting rather annoyed by Rob's broken-record routine. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You've asked me how many times? And my answer hasn't changed, has it? Look, if I do happen to remember anything, you'll be the first person I tell."

Rob laughed. "Sorry, sorry. I just really want Mason to be dead. But until you or somebody else gives me proof, I have to assume he's alive. And that is not something I want to believe."

"Oh, and why's that?" Tanya asked.

"If you really want to know you'll have to stick with me a little longer. You're a good person to have on my side, of that there's no doubt, but I'm not yet sure exactly how far I can trust you. Only time will tell." Rob replied and sipped his drink once more.

"And what makes you so sure I really want to know?" Tanya asked, somewhat petulantly.

"Oh, I'm not." Rob responded. "But if I am to tell you it won't be now. One thing I can tell you is the if we are to work together any more, and I think we will since our aims coincide for the moment, you've got to learn how to walk like a normal person."

"What?"

"You need to learn how not to project self-assurance." Rob explained. "As it stands now you announce everywhere you go that you are strong, you know what you want, and you will get it. This needs to change."

"But why?"

"Because it attracts attention. Surely you've noticed by now that wherever you go people stop and look at you. Let me tell you that it's not just because of your looks." Rob smiled. "Nope, it's not just your looks. It's how you carry yourself. Your body language announces to all and sundry that you are not a person to be trifled with."

"Isn't that a good thing though?" Tanya asked.

"You tell me." Rob answered. "Have people left you alone because they knew you were a strong woman?"

The question hung in the air between the two. Both knew the answer, and it was a resounding "NO".

Rob saw that Tanya knew and continued. "That's right. People singled you out because of your strength. People see you and want to 'put you in your place' as it were. It's quite pathetic, really, that they feel the only way to build themselves up is by tearing someone else down, but there it is all the same. People have a natural tendency to be attracted to those who exhibit 'strength'. In our line of work we want to avoid any unwanted attention and that is a huge source of it. Now, d'you get where I'm coming from?"

"I think so." Tanya said.

"I think you do too. Another problem though is that you bring out my confident side as well. I've become quite good at masking it but when I'm around you I can't seem to help myself. I stand straighter, walk with more visible 'purpose' and generally act like someone who wants to be noticed. I don't think I need to illustrate my point but it seems fate has other plans. Someone definitely noticed us. Don't look now but we've got someone inbound roughly at your two o'clock. Guy's got blue hair, you can't miss him." Rob moved so smoothly from the lecture into the warning Tanya almost didn't pick up on it. She did though and Rob noticed her eyes flick quickly to her right as she searched for the person.

"What now?" She asked.

"Let's play this one by ear." Rob replied.

Summary:
Tanya and Rob talk. A lot. Mostly about the fact that Tanya attracts too much attention. Then Dev approaches. What will happen? Is a confrontation imminent? TUNE IN NEXT TIME!

OOC: If you guys want I can do the Dev-Rob-Tanya convo as well, I just thought I'd leave it for someone else. Plus I don't really know how it should progress. I know I want it to be fairly small but, short of violence, I can't think of any way to pull that off.

I suppose it would be pretty cool to have a shootout at the bar or something like that. Yeah, that's actually a good idea. DSQrn, when you read this, drop me an e-mail so we can discuss how it will go down.

Edited by - Codename on 3/9/2005 2:22:46 PM

I have no prob with you doing the R-T-D convo at all (i sent you a email about dieas and all)

Ocean Soul's deep black body sped along the dusty clouds of Sigma 19 to Gas Miner Ogashawa. Damien dazed lightly inside it, every so often glancing at the scanner to check for Rhineland fighters far afield. He gazed at a small, twisted serpent lying in his hand. Its metal gleamed in the light, setting afire its sapphire eyes.

Ogashawa loomed up in the distance. Pocketing the serpent, He brought up the ship's computer and launched a dock request. Accepted, he moved into the docking bay, GMG workers scuttling around him. Damien slunk out of his ship, and moved like a shadow into the bar. One hundred miner eyes turned to stare at him as he moved. His eyes narrowed as he felt ever more uncomfortable, feeling their haunting gaze.

He slunk into the bar, covering his nearly unforgettable face, and once again damned his obsession with art and beauty. The tattoos on his face were intricate and entrancing, but hard to forget...as with his long hair. It all proved his uselessness as a spy.

He sat down at the counter, ordered a heavy shot of Rhineland vodka. A heavyset, low browed man approached behind him.

"You Solkovsky?" He croaked out in a raspy, Texan accent. Damien turned.

"Yeah."

"Follow me."

Damien walked through a door at the back of the smog-clouded bar, and down a long, steel corridor. Kusari writing gleamed from the doors of the station. The lowbrow opened a large reinforced steel door to the right, to reveal a furnished, leaving room at which an old, balding, and quite visibly quite fat man sat.

"Herr Solkovsky", he boomed out in a Cambridge accent,"allow me to introduce myself. I am John Mason, the face behind every corporation operating in the Sirius sector."

Damien sat down at one of the leather chairs in front of the polished table. "The infamous John Mason....I would like to say it's an honour, but it’s immoral to lie."

"Please, you have to at least admit the brilliance of the plan. Now everyone in Sirius believes that the Nomads are an invading alien race...without realizing the near obvious truth."

"I know all about your communist influences, Damien. As you can see"--the balding man pulled out a large file--"I've been collecting information on you for quite some time. Ex-Hessian, Bundschuh fighter, Bohemian...trained killing off BHG and Rhineland military in Omega 11. Star pilot. Deeply involved in philosophy, and--" he motioned to one of his guards, who brought forward a bottle and glass. "has a weakness for Rhineland vodka."

"That isn't exactly impressive, Mr. Mason."

"--And you have been recently stricken by the capture of your lover, Nikolai van Haalein, by those who at least appeared to be Rhineland military members..."

Damien's mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened. "Please, preserve the last vestiges of respect I have for you and tell me it wasn't under your orders."

Mason winked at him. "Immoral to lie, isn't it?"

Damien's eyes narrowed to slits, but his body remained relaxed. "You are surely the lowest form of human, Mason. You are a damned monster. What the hell do you want from me??"

"Her." Mason slid forward a picture of a stunningly beautiful young woman.

An image flashed through Damien's mind--a face aboard the Hawaii--"Tanya Ramirez? What's she to you?"

"She is everything. The key to the entire plan failing. You see, she tried to kill me a few short days ago. Unsuccessfully. And during the brief period of time she was my hostage, I revealed the whole plan to her--mutating a species of semi-sentient beings found in the Omicrons, breeding an army of them, putting into practice top secret military technology, and releasing them on the Houses to destroy every military force they had. The plans I thought only the Bundschuh had found out--and of course no one listens to propaganda blaring communists." Mason smiled maliciously, and Damien clenched his fists in anger.

"I thought that she wouldn't live to remember or tell it. I was wrong, and now by any means possible she must be killed. This, in return for the life of Herr van Haalein."

Damien's eyes nearly filled with tears. He nodded, stood, and within ten minutes had left the station.

Summary: Damien is hired by Mason to kill Tanya. He accepts, somewhat unwillingly. Mason reveals that the nomads are a race under his control, and he is using them to take over the house systems.

Edited by - Wilde on 3/10/2005 2:36:23 PM

Tanya pouted slightly, but swiftly masked her irritiation smiling demurely as she listened to Rob speak of subterfuge and subtlety.

For the time being, Tanya wanted to be herself. Having stayed in the shadows for so long Tanya felt it was time to be a little more 'natural'. She conceded that Rob's point about trouble always being nearby was true. The ex-house assassin knew though, that sometimes circumstances are often beyond your control. It's how you adapt and change that ensures success.

When Rob announced someone approaching, Tanya glanced over her shoulder taking in as much detail as possible in that split second. The man was dressed in dark leather, wore an impossibly huge grin across his face framed by a even more incredible standing-spiked hairstyle, ultra-blue in colour. A couple of piercings of the nose, ear and eyebrow completed the vision. Tanya didn't fail to notice the huge bulge strapped to his right thigh under a three-quarter length leather coat.

She hoped it was a weapon.

"What now?" she asked, allowing Rob to take charge, curious to see how he'd react.

"Let's play this one by ear." Rob replied.

Tanya nodded, though her entire body was coiled like a spring ready to take action. Before they left for the bar, Tanya had decided to make a few stylistic changes, feeling the urge for a change. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was now cropped in a "page-boy" style and she now wore blue contact lenses to hide her own of deep-green. Without major facial reconstruction there was little else remaining, but once the ritual was over she had felt immense pleasure. Looking into mirrors became less of a burden than before.

She glanced back at Rob noting the concentration on his face. If her presence unsettled him, it would be dangerous for them both to remain together for too long. Rob liked to be invisible. Tanya liked to get things done.

"By the way, Rob," she whispered with a half-smile. "If I'm cramping your style just let me know. I can survive fine on my own."

The leather-clad warrior stomped over to the booth where Tanya and Rob sat.

Tanya was fairly relaxed, sitting with the majority of her back to the bar. Rob sat with his back against the wall where he could take in majority of the bar. Nothing missed his attention as his head turned imperceptibly from left to right, causing the faintest of shimmers from the mirrored shades.

The bounty hunter stood almost directly behind Tanya grinning all the while. Rob looked up slowly and stared at the newcomer.

"Can I help you?" asked Rob coolly.

"You? No. But you might be able to, ma'am," said the newcomer to Tanya who had now turned around presenting a profile view. She sniffed and smelt a combination of stale sweat, alcohol and to her surprise, cordite. Gunpowder.

She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"I was kinda hoping you'd buy me a drink?" asked the man. From her standpoint, Tanya noticed he was much younger close-up, somewhere in his early twenties but possessing the arrogance that only the foolish or youthful could supply. He reminded her of Travis somewhat.

Tanya laughed, a throaty, musical sound.

"I hardly know you!"

He leaned down, placing a large hand on her shoulder.

"We can change that if you like?" he said with a husky whisper.

Rob leaned forwards planting both his elbows on the table.

"The lady is with me," he said coldly, his brows were furrowed a little.

The young man looked over at Rob but merely laughed.

"Whatever, buddy. She looks bored if you ask me. Ain't that right, lady?" he asked turning back to Tanya.

She thought he was an outspoken, cocky rogue but decided to play along. It had been a while since she could relax and not feel any pressure. For now, until proven otherwise, Mason had been incinerated and her future was uneventful. She reminded herself that she would have to contact Rutger soon.

Before Tanya could reply, Rob interrupted.

"I'm not your buddy. Now clear off and leave us in peace, kid," demanded Rob sharply. Tanya hadn't seen this side of him before. He looked ready to kill. Perhaps this is what lies beneath, thought Tanya. Invisible on the outside. Killer on the inside. Makes sense, considering his line of work.

The young man stared at Rob for a few moments, perhaps trying to discern whether Rob was bluffing, then suddenly stood up and spread his hands wide.

"Hey! I'm only messing! I'll leave you to lovers to it!" he said, while taking a few steps back. "Just messin'!"

He turned round and walked back slowly heading towards the bar.

Tanya glanced at Rob.

"That was a little harsh."

"He was beginning to annoy me," said the veteran freelancer. Before he could say another word, the young bounty hunter had spun on his heel with a massive handgun drawn. The laser sight mounted under the long barrel was aimed at the centre of Rob's forehead. Even Tanya noted how explosively quick this young suitor had been.

"Hey, grandpa. Don't call me kid again, ok?" he said through gritted teeth. The bar went silent as everyone turned their attention towards the scene. Rob sighed. More unwanted attention. For some unknown he suddenly grinned then leaned back into the booth. "What's so funny?" asked the young man. "I'm the one with a gun to your head?"

Rob didn't reply.

"Hey, honey. Better check out the enemy in full before engaging them," said Tanya. She wasn't smiling, but slowly nodded her head downwards, where the laser sight of her own pistol poking out from under her arm was aimed at the bounty hunter's groin. "I get the impression you'd miss them."

A few moments passed, with the young man exchanging glances between Tanya and Rob, then he suddenly put his gun up and began to holster it, albeit slowly.

"Hey, just messin'! I gotcha though, grandpa," he laughed, the manic grin returning again.

Rob nodded.

"You're fast. I'll give you that. Take a seat."

The bounty hunter looked confused for a moment, then quickly strode over and planted himself with a thud on the edge of the booth's couch. He grinned at both Rob and Tanya, widening it when Tanya hid her pistol under her jacket. The clientele of the bar collectively breathed a sigh of relief and continued with their own business. The barman poked his head above the counter and after wiping his brow, stood up then began to quickly shine a few more glasses nervously.

"Let's start again," said Rob. "You can call me, Rob. This is Tanya," said the freelancer nodding to his right.

"Pleasure's all mine!" replied Dev eagerly. "I'm Dev. I kill things. And I'm good. You name. I kill it. Quick. I'm cheap too."

Tanya chuckled.

"Do you spend a lot of time in space?" she asked.

Dev nodded.

"And a lot of time travelling through jump holes inter-system?" she continued.

He nodded again.

"You take anti-fatigue stimulants, right? To combat the effect of constant zero-g?"

Dev frowned.

"Yeah. All the time!"

She chuckled then called over a waitress.

"Couple of sidewinder fangs please, on the double!"

OOC:

Oooh Wilde! That's such a great post !!
If anyone wants to e-mail directly with ideas or questions please send them to [email protected], thanks!


Edited by - Athena on 3/10/2005 9:44:33 AM

"Make that three." Rob called, raising three fingers so there was no misunderstanding and throwing Tanya a surreptitious wink.

"So what brings you here?" Tanya asked.

Dev reached towards the small tray of extruded-protein snacks and grabbed a handful. One by one he tossed them into the air and caught them in his mouth as they came down. Rob thought that he heard the word "contract" over all the chomping and crunching.

"A contract?" He asked. "On who?"

Dev caught, chewed and swallowed the last of his snacks and leaned over the table. In his lowest voice he said: "The bartender."

"Really?" Rob was a bit surprised, not only by the very fact that Dev was so forthcoming but by his target as well. He knew bartenders were an excellent source of information but could not for the life of him thing of any secrets that would have attracted such violent attention.

"D'you have any idea why you're hitting him?" Rob asked.

"Naw," Dev said, leaning back into his seat, his grin returning. "I just kill 'em. Don't care about the reasons. Just the money."

"I see." Rob said, unimpressed.

"The drinks are coming." Tanya said, changing the subject.

"Good, drinks." Dev's smile grew. "You're paying, right?"

"Yeah." Tanya said, smiling back. Dev, though no master at reading expressions thought he saw something vaguely predatory in her grin. He paid it no mind though. The drinks had arrived, and they were free for the taking. Dev grabbed the nearest tumbler and downed the fiery brew in the blink of an eye. He let out a satisfied sigh.

"So, Dev," Rob said, smirking slightly. "Tell me a bit about yourself. What's with the blue hair?"

"Ah, I like to be different. You know, stand out." Dev said, he was beginning to wonder why Rob and Tanya were smiling at him so much. He was supposed to be the crazy one, not them.

"Is that so?" Rob asked with a raised eyebrow. Dev could see he was trying hard not to laugh.

"Okay, what's so fun -" Suddenly Dev's eyes rolled back into their sockets and the young bounty hunter slumped forwards. His head would have met the table violently had Tanya not been ready to catch him. She lowered his head onto the table and arranged his arms in a more or less comfortable position. Rob, for his part, found this all too funny for words and began to chuckle softly.

"I've got to hand it to the kid, I don't think I've ever seen anyone last that long before the MPTC hits." Rob said, referring to the powerful amphetamine blocker found in trace amounts in Sidewinder Fangs. Normally it simply made people mellow, but for someone like Dev, constantly hopped-up on perk-pills, it had the same net effect as being pistol-whipped. "We'd better leave before he wakes up. I get the feeling he won't be too happy with us."

"No kidding." Tanya said.

"Hold on a second, I'm going to warn the bartender." Rob said as he stood. "If the blue-haired wonder wakes up just holler."

Tanya watched as Rob headed back over to the bar. A brief exchange took place between Rob and the bartender, with the bartender dashing out of the bar as it finished. Rob headed back to where Tanya was standing guard over Dev's unconscious form.

"Unnnnh." Dev groaned. Tanya looked down in alarm. The young bounty hunter was waking up. She had no doubts that she could take him on, but really didn't want to.

"Rob!" She called, "He's waking up."

"Okay, let's go." Rob said as he arrived back at the table. "The ships should be waiting for us where the Clydesdale was."

"Where'd it go?"

"I sold it." Rob answered. "Don't really need it anymore. Besides, I'm much more comfortable in a fighter."

The two of them hurried to the exit that would give them the shortest path to the docking bays. Just as Rob stepped out into the hallway he felt something smash into his back with tremedous force. Pain exploded from his right shoulder as he was spun around by the force of impact. Rob's vision went black for an instant and came back spotty. He realized he was on the ground, but did not know how he got there.

Sh*t. I've been shot. The realization was rather a shock for the freelancer. He heard more gunshots and something that sounded vaguely like a woman yelling for him to take cover. A bullet whizzed past Rob's ear and the advice suddenly made a lot of sense. He scrambled further into the hallway and flung himself roughly behind a pillar.

Quickly Rob tried to piece together what had just happened. The best account he could come up with was that Dev has woken quickly and shot him in the back. Rob tried to reach around and feel for a hole but his right shoulder screamed in protest. That was all the proof he needed though. The sounds of gunfire had not let up though so evidently Dev was still shooting. Using the pain in his shoulder as a focus, Rob pulled his own pistol from inside his jacket and checked its charge. Full.

Good.

Rob looked across the hall and saw Tanya using a similar pole for cover and trading shots with the young bounty hunter. Rob decided to let Dev know how he felt about being shot. He activated a small camera he had mounted on the side and syched it with the small viewscreens integrated into his glasses. Slowly he inched the gun around the pillar and panned it back and forth until he found his adversary. The bounty hunter was still focusing on Tanya which gave Rob the time he needed to set up a shot. The freelancer didn't wish to kill the younger man, but he knew that a stun blast wouldn't be enough either. Rob concentrated entirely on the small image of Dev in "front" of him. He activated the gun's sight with a flick of his middle finger and saw a small red dot appear on the blue-haired man's shoulder. Rob squeezed the trigger three times in quick succession. Three purple bolts, barely visible over the station's ambient lighting, leapt from the gun. Not a moment later Dev yelped in pain as they burned through skin, muscle, nerves, connective tissue and bone. The bouny hunter fell behind a booth, his gun arm rendered useless.

"Now we've really got to move." Rob said as he tried to stand. His legs didn't end up cooperating though, so he wasn't entirely successful.

Tanya rushed over to help. "Are you alright?" She asked, her face a mask of concern.

"You tell me." Rob said, turning to give Tanya a look at his back.

Tanya looked at the wound. It wasn't too bad, actually. Rob, ever the cautious one, had been wearing some light body armour which had absorbed most of the impact. The slug from Dev's gun had managed to puncture the protective garment though and was lodged somewhere inside his shoulder. That was a problem Tanya knew she could not deal with. But it wasn't the biggest issue anyway. What was most troubling was the amount of blood Rob had lost and was losing. Tanya could see that Rob's entire back was slick with it and the wound was still dripping.

"You'll survive," was how Tanya summed it all up. "But only if we get you some first aid."

"The ships." Rob said. "There are kits in the ships. Advanced. They'll help."

Tanya thought for a second. She didn't know what Rob meant by "advanced". She did know that he was losing blood too fast. It was time for some rather drastic action. She pulled a small knife out of her boot and used the blade to cut off the bottom left leg of her jumpsuit. Quickly she peeled the material off her leg and wadded it into a small ball. She then thrust the cloth into the wound. Rob grunted in pain. Tanya wasn't sure whether this was stoicism at its best or simply an indication of how quickly Rob was fading.

"Here. Get up." Tanya said and draped Rob's good arm over her shoulder. The two of them stood together and began to walk as quickly as they could towards the docking bays.

Summary:
Tanya and Rob give Dev a drink which knocks him out. Rob spoils Dev's bounty as Dev slumbers. Dev wakes up as Tanya and Rob are leaving, and shoots Rob in the back. A brief gunfight ensues. It ends when Rob shoots Dev, but doesn't kill him. Tanya attends to Rob's wound and the two of them head to the docking bay where their Falcons, and some proper first aid are waiting.

OOC: Maybe now would be a good time for Wilde to show up and try to kill Tanya. I have an idea about what might happen. You should get an e-mail from me soon, Wilde.

I'm enjoying this way too much.

Edited by - Codename on 3/10/2005 2:50:36 PM

Edited by - Codename on 3/10/2005 8:31:15 PM