Southampton was a hive of activity. Small automated repair craft flitted about the damaged ships, removing and replacing hull plating. Dock workers, outfitted in zero-G gear moved slowly across the ships' exteriors and through their interiors, repairing and reconnecting vital systems as they went. Rob marveled at the precision, speed and discipline of the whole operation. The Bretonian military didn't often spin up to this level, but when it did it was a remarkable thing indeed. Rob opened a line to the shipyard.
"Southampton, this is Freelancer Epsilon four dash nine on special assignment for Commodore Harry Pearce of the Bretonian Armed Forces. Request permission to dock."
"Roger that, Freelancer Epsilon four dash nine. Our docking queue is full fight now, you will be cleared to proceed when it's free," came the reply, crisp and professional. Rob double-clicked his comm to indicate he had received the transmission and brought his Falcon's engines to idle. He didn't have long to wait. Not ten seconds later the controller contacted Rob to inform him docking bay two was open. Rob slaved his ship's controls to the automated docking systems and allowed his ship to be guided inside.
Once inside Rob powered his ship down and activated its security systems. He knew he had little to worry abut but, as always, preferred to take the two seconds and minimize the risks further. Rob's left hand dropped to a small keypad on his utility belt and his fingers flew across the keys in a pattern the freelancer had long ago memorized. A small map of the station appeared to hover before him, the location of its command centre marked with a red dot. That was the best place to begin his search for Colonel Mayhew.
Southampton's CC was as busy as the docks themselves. People hurried in and out through various doors, waving datapads, shouting across the room and bumping into each other time and again. It was chaos. Rob easily weaved his way through the ever changing sea of bodies towards the middle of the room, where there stood a man barking orders and creative curses at anyone who came within earshot.
"Colonel Mayhew, I presume?" Rob said as he strode up to the man.
"And you are?"
"I'm a freelancer, Colonel. I've been sent here by Commodore Pearce at BAF HQ, he wants me to find your missing ships." Rob explained.
"Ah, very good then. Come with me." Colonel Mayhew said. "Major Adams!"
"Yes, sir?" A very clean-cut young officer ran up to the Colonel and saluted.
"I'm putting you in charge for now. Make sure this lot keeps working at this pace. We want those ships operational by 2100 and fully functional by 0700 tomorrow." The colonel ordered.
"Yes sir!" Major Adams saluted once more and headed off, shouting his own orders at the men and women of Southampton.
"Please, follow me." Colonel Mayhew said as he began to walk to a small room located at the back of the command centre. Rob fell in behind the officer as he plowed through the crowd. The Bretonian officer didn't move out of anyone's way, he just headed straight for the room. Not what I would have done Rob thought but it seems to work well enough for him. The officer waved his hand over a scanner beside the door and is slid open with a soft whoosh. At least, it was soft compared to the din of the command centre. The Bretonian officer entered the small room, Rob close behind. The door shut behind the two men, sealing them off from the racket.
"Do sit down, Mr. um, what did you say your name was again?" The colonel said as he took a seat behind a large black desk, empty save a computer workstation.
"I didn't." Rob replied, settling into a chair facing the officer.
"Ah, I see." Colonel Mayhew paused a second. "Right. The missing fleet. I'm sorry but there isn't much I can tell you."
"Well, what can you tell me?" Rob asked.
"Hmmmmm. Well, after we finally blasted the Hawaii into oblivion we were told to scan the area for any survivors. Each fleet was told to make a sweep of certain sectors. My task force had only just set out our search grid when Commander Price came on the horn and told us the we had to leave the system immediately. I asked him why and he said something about orders from command. I asked him if he could play the orders and he refused, then before I knew what was happening the two other task forces, including two battleships, a handful of cruisers and at least 12 gunboats, activated their cruise engines and left us behind. I contemplated giving chase but my orders were still clear. I had to finish at least my search grid.
"We were about halfway through when we got a message from command - a real one - to vacate the system post haste. I wasn't happy about having to leave a job half done but wasn't about to question a direct order either. We dropped everything and hooked up with the rest of the fleets leaving via Sigma-13. You know, now that I think about it, Price's ships, when they left, they all headed in the opposite direction. How odd."
"Indeed." Rob said. That would have taken them towards the jumphole to Omicron Beta. That's Outcast territory. "Well, that's actually quite useful Colonel. Thank you."
"Oh, my pleasure. Is there anything else I can do to help?"
"Yes, actually." Rob said. "I don't suppose you have a recording of the last transmission you received from Price?"
"It's standard operating procedure to keep logs of all communications between Bretonian vessels, I can call up the records from here, if you'd like." Colonel Mayhew said and began tapping away.
"Yes, that'd be great." Rob produced a small datastick and plugged it into a small port at the workstation's base. "Don't bother playing it, I'll copy the relevant bits and review it on my own time. You'll find my security clearence is more than adequate."
"I'll say, it's higher than mine according to Commodore Pearce's file. I'm not even allowed to know your name." A few more keystrokes and Mayhew announced, "I've initiated the file transfer. It's.... done!" Mayhew turned away from the screen, "Anything else?" He asked.
"Before you were ordered out of the system, did you manage to pick up any survivors?" Rob asked.
"Yes, yes we did. Part of the reason I was so disappointed by our orders to leave. I had a feeling we were leaving someone behind."
"Who was this survivor?"
"A bounty hunter. Rank of Marshal, I think. Name's Carshalton, if I recall correctly."
"And where is this Marshal Carshalton now?" Rob asked.
"Oh, he's here." The colonel responded. " One of the VIP rooms, I think. Members of the guild are scheduled to pick him up at 0600 tomorrow. I believe they have some questions of their own for him."
"Have you by any chance questioned him?"
"Oh no. We couldn't do that. He was a non-hostile. If word got out..." The mere thought caused a shudder to run up the military man's spine.
"I see." Rob said. "Would I be allowed to ask him some friendly questions?"
"I don't see why not. As long as they really are friendly questions. No beatings." Mayhew responded.
"Don't worry," Rob smiled, "I'm not that sort of operator."
"Good to know." Mayhew smiled back. "I figured you wouldn't be, since Harry hired you, but I need to ask all the same."
"I understand." Rob stood and extended his hand. "Thanks for the help."
Colonel Mayhew stood as well and clasped Rob's hand. His grip was firm and crisp. "My pleasure. Now you do your thing and make our ships reappear."
"I'll do my best." Rob said and left the room. His next objective was the bounty hunter. Perhaps he'd have more interesting information...
Summary: Rob meets with Colonel Mayhew of the BAF on Southampton. He learns that the majority of the Bretonian fleet left Sigma-19 early, citing orders from command, orders which clearly never existed. Rob also finds out that the Bretonian ships headed not in the direction of Bretonian space, but towards Outcast territory. Finally, Rob discovers that Colonel Mayhew's task force picked up one survivor: Marshal Carshalton.
OOC: Holy crap! 1400 words! Holy crap! Oh, and HK (d'you mind if I call you that?) since you're in Kusari space I'd recommend contacting either DSQrn or Athena as their characters are most likely to meet up with yours.
Edited by - Codename on 3/15/2005 10:58:14 PM
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CYOF Fanfic RPG - The Game - updates
Read, add and comment on excellent written stories by fans, set within the Freelancer universe
Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:51 am
OOC: ;yay, I found internet 
. Great writing everyone, by the way...(especially Athena, my char could not have been captured better 
)
IC:
Travis Carter stared at the metal walls of the dark cell he was held in. Dirt and ash were streaked across the walls and tracked along the floor, signs of years of usage. He aimlessly wandered about the dank prison, wondering where he was, where Tanya was, and what in hell happened after the Rhineland fleet came through the jumphole. Bright flourescent lights glared out from the corridor beyond, reflecting off of cold steel into his unlit cell.
He paused and stood still. Clanging footsteps from the metal hallway. Voices,speaking in rapid German. Travis frowned. The ships that appeared on scanner on the Westfalen before the attack were sabres, not Valkyries or Banshee. Which left only two options as to the identity of his captors--Hessians or Bundschuh.
The door to his holding cell was violently thrown open. Two men--a guard and one other--entered the room. The guard quickly exited, leaving the door open. Travis shielded his eyes against the blinding light, trying to make out the appearance of the second man in his cell. The cold light in his own cell came on as the door closed, revealing a tall man dressed in black silk, tattoos across his arms, hands, and forehead, long black hair pulled back from his pale face.
"Travis Carter?" the man asked him. He nodded, matted blond hair hanging down over his hazel eyes. "Please, proceed to these co-ordinates. Tanya is waiting for you, in Kusari space."
OOC: Code edit this later tonight to take your suggestion into account.
. Great writing everyone, by the way...(especially Athena, my char could not have been captured better )
IC:
Travis Carter stared at the metal walls of the dark cell he was held in. Dirt and ash were streaked across the walls and tracked along the floor, signs of years of usage. He aimlessly wandered about the dank prison, wondering where he was, where Tanya was, and what in hell happened after the Rhineland fleet came through the jumphole. Bright flourescent lights glared out from the corridor beyond, reflecting off of cold steel into his unlit cell.
He paused and stood still. Clanging footsteps from the metal hallway. Voices,speaking in rapid German. Travis frowned. The ships that appeared on scanner on the Westfalen before the attack were sabres, not Valkyries or Banshee. Which left only two options as to the identity of his captors--Hessians or Bundschuh.
The door to his holding cell was violently thrown open. Two men--a guard and one other--entered the room. The guard quickly exited, leaving the door open. Travis shielded his eyes against the blinding light, trying to make out the appearance of the second man in his cell. The cold light in his own cell came on as the door closed, revealing a tall man dressed in black silk, tattoos across his arms, hands, and forehead, long black hair pulled back from his pale face.
"Travis Carter?" the man asked him. He nodded, matted blond hair hanging down over his hazel eyes. "Please, proceed to these co-ordinates. Tanya is waiting for you, in Kusari space."
OOC: Code edit this later tonight to take your suggestion into account.
Wed Mar 16, 2005 3:36 am
Konn was acutely aware of the three men who had been following him since he landed at the pad on New Tokyo.
He glanced over his shoulder and the three Kusari men were brazenly keeping the same distance behind, not even making much of an effort to remain undetected. Annoyed, he quickened his pace and he'd rounded a corner quickly, burst into a sprint. He could hear shouts from the chasing men as they realised Konn was trying to evade them, but ran harder towards a huge multi-storey shopping complex.
Konn diced with death as he leapt over a pedestrian barrier onto a busy street, where high-powered roadsters were cruising along at incredible speed. The collision detection system mounted on every vehicle ensured none would hit him, provided he stood still, but seeing the three men reach the barrier injected him with fresh adrenaline. He jumped, skipped, halted and eventually threw himself onto the opposite barrier hauling himself over it before the huge form of a transport truck screamed past him with inches to spare.
Upon reaching the complex, Konn turned around and noted with some satisfaction that the three pursuers decided not to follow him across the busy highway, instead running towards the nearest footbridge a hundred yards away.
The trader ran inside and darted towards a huge lift, where he was soon enveloped by a heaving crowd of shoppers. Standing at the back of the lift, he caught the merest glimpse of the three men entering the complex, then he too lost sight of them in the crowd.
As the lift ascended, he began to get a better feel for the building he was in, he initially appraised its size as merely huge. Now, at the top floor looking down, it was cavernous. He was so lost in the scale of the complex that he forgot to get out and before he could move, the lift descended again. It stopped soon afterwards a floor below and a strikingly attractive woman, Bretonian or Liberty in origin entered. She smiled at him and he noticed her eyes were a dazzling green. Konn smiled back and allowed her some room.
She was holding several bags of varying labels and was humming to herself quietly while looking out of the clear glass walls of the lift. Her hair was cropped short, blonde and her figure athletic. Konn noticed a Visitor's Pass hanging from her neck which meant she wasn't from Kusari space, but merely travelling through, or stopping by. It probably meant she had access to her own ship too. She turned suddenly and Konn reddened as he looked away quickly, hoping she didn't realise he'd been staring.
The lift stopped again and the young woman walked out, Konn couldn't resist the temptation and began to follow but suddenly felt a large hand on his shoulder. He spun around and came face-to-face with the three men who had been chasing him.
"Hahuman Konn?" asked one burly Kusari man. The northern Sirian race were not known to be large in stature, but these three men had clearly been exceptions to the gene pool, or had taken growth stimulants.
"Maybe. Who's asking?" countered the trader. The three men didn't look official in any capacity, but they might as well have been Kusari Military Police for all he knew.
"Your Crusader is loaded with H-Fuel. We are confiscating the cargo. And the ship."
"Like Tahoe you are! Show me some ID!" demanded Konn.
The man at the front merely grinned and shifted his jacket to the side, revealing a blaster.
"That enough ID?" he asked dryly. Konn was unarmed and though he'd spent time in military service, he knew better than to fight three men potentially armed with guns.
"Okay. Let's talk. Maybe we can come to a deal?" suggested Konn. All around the small group, shoppers passed by unaware of the situation and Konn was desperately seeking for a means to escape.
"What kind of deal?" asked one of the men. Greed sparked in his eyes.
"I have more than the H-Fuel that's on my ship. I have a shipment of Niobium on order that I'm picking up soon. Let me keep my ship and the Niobium is yours," offered the trader. He was lying, but hoped these goons would give him some slack.
"Where is it?" asked one of the men distrustfully.
"Oh, the shipment? It's at the spaceport. Inside another ship. I'm meeting the trader later to complete the deal. She's taking some R&R right now, but will be returning to the pads soon."
Konn recalled the serial number on the woman's pass he saw earlier, it would be a simple effort to check that number against the manifest and find out which ship was hers. He hated to do it. Maybe there was a way he could warn her.
***
Tanya had spent the last few days in Kusari space pampering herself. Given the harrowing experiences of the previous month, she felt like a good break was needed to refresh the mind and rejuvenate her body. There was, is, and never will be a better means of therapy than retail therapy - shopping.
Using the Falcon Rob provided, Tanya took a few simple assignments on, capturing two wanted felons hiding out in Bering, then stopping off at Deshima to see whether her old friend Kenji Akamoto, recently appointed leader of the famous Akamoto bounty hunter clan had returned home. Instead, she discovered following the destruction of the Hawaii, the remaining fleet assets, and survivors who had escaped from the luxury cruise ship had split into a myriad of directions.
A week after the huge battle in Sigma-19 that had made news across the galaxy, life goes on. News of some other conflict in the Omega systems was the next big thing and Tanya was glad to be free of the intensity that had surrounded her until now. Mason had gone underground, no doubt still plotting, Damien had left a message saying he'd found Travis and he was en-route to New Tokyo. She'd called Rutger and suggested, much to his displeasure, they spend a little time apart for now, but did mention that Daumann Heavy Industries may want to look at rebuilding the Luxury Liner Hawaii, given there was a 'gap' in the market now.
Surprisingly, or not when she'd considered the many perspectives, there was no news at all of the Nomad incursion, nor of Mason's plot to release them as his pet locusts on the whole of Sirius. Had the House governments decided to play down the risk of such a thing happening? Or perhaps they felt revealing this information would destabilise their own governments, for not adequately protecting the people.
Either way, the House governments won, Sirius lives on and for now, Mason was defeated and in hiding.
Tanya felt like a free-spirit and wondered how the likes of Rob, Dev were getting along.
Inside the Shibuya "Shopping Paradise" Complex, a massive, twelve storey complex that featured all the latest designer stores, fashion outlets, accessories and of course, numerous places to savour the Kusari cuisine, Tanya was in heaven. The young woman had taken her time to visit every floor, starting with the top and was working her way down. Of course, she had already held a fistful of bags after visiting one floor.
"I'm going to need a trolley. Or maybe I'll have them sent to my ship," she mused to herself.
She entered the lift and noted with some humour the only person inside looking out of the window, realising the doors were about to close and had forgotten to get off.
Tanya got off at the next floor and spotting a handbag boutique, walked briskly towards it.
***
OOC:
Yes. It's a very girly chapter. And I haven't been to the shops for a while either. I am going this weekend though. Be afraid. :p
HK, I didn't want to portray your character negatively, rather, as resourceful with a good eye for detail.
Wilde, thanks for the compliment and hope you're enjoying the trip to the UK. You could feasibly be sitting in an internet cafe around the corner from me, welcome to my homeland!
Code, I got your e-mail. Hope my post above settles a few questions
He glanced over his shoulder and the three Kusari men were brazenly keeping the same distance behind, not even making much of an effort to remain undetected. Annoyed, he quickened his pace and he'd rounded a corner quickly, burst into a sprint. He could hear shouts from the chasing men as they realised Konn was trying to evade them, but ran harder towards a huge multi-storey shopping complex.
Konn diced with death as he leapt over a pedestrian barrier onto a busy street, where high-powered roadsters were cruising along at incredible speed. The collision detection system mounted on every vehicle ensured none would hit him, provided he stood still, but seeing the three men reach the barrier injected him with fresh adrenaline. He jumped, skipped, halted and eventually threw himself onto the opposite barrier hauling himself over it before the huge form of a transport truck screamed past him with inches to spare.
Upon reaching the complex, Konn turned around and noted with some satisfaction that the three pursuers decided not to follow him across the busy highway, instead running towards the nearest footbridge a hundred yards away.
The trader ran inside and darted towards a huge lift, where he was soon enveloped by a heaving crowd of shoppers. Standing at the back of the lift, he caught the merest glimpse of the three men entering the complex, then he too lost sight of them in the crowd.
As the lift ascended, he began to get a better feel for the building he was in, he initially appraised its size as merely huge. Now, at the top floor looking down, it was cavernous. He was so lost in the scale of the complex that he forgot to get out and before he could move, the lift descended again. It stopped soon afterwards a floor below and a strikingly attractive woman, Bretonian or Liberty in origin entered. She smiled at him and he noticed her eyes were a dazzling green. Konn smiled back and allowed her some room.
She was holding several bags of varying labels and was humming to herself quietly while looking out of the clear glass walls of the lift. Her hair was cropped short, blonde and her figure athletic. Konn noticed a Visitor's Pass hanging from her neck which meant she wasn't from Kusari space, but merely travelling through, or stopping by. It probably meant she had access to her own ship too. She turned suddenly and Konn reddened as he looked away quickly, hoping she didn't realise he'd been staring.
The lift stopped again and the young woman walked out, Konn couldn't resist the temptation and began to follow but suddenly felt a large hand on his shoulder. He spun around and came face-to-face with the three men who had been chasing him.
"Hahuman Konn?" asked one burly Kusari man. The northern Sirian race were not known to be large in stature, but these three men had clearly been exceptions to the gene pool, or had taken growth stimulants.
"Maybe. Who's asking?" countered the trader. The three men didn't look official in any capacity, but they might as well have been Kusari Military Police for all he knew.
"Your Crusader is loaded with H-Fuel. We are confiscating the cargo. And the ship."
"Like Tahoe you are! Show me some ID!" demanded Konn.
The man at the front merely grinned and shifted his jacket to the side, revealing a blaster.
"That enough ID?" he asked dryly. Konn was unarmed and though he'd spent time in military service, he knew better than to fight three men potentially armed with guns.
"Okay. Let's talk. Maybe we can come to a deal?" suggested Konn. All around the small group, shoppers passed by unaware of the situation and Konn was desperately seeking for a means to escape.
"What kind of deal?" asked one of the men. Greed sparked in his eyes.
"I have more than the H-Fuel that's on my ship. I have a shipment of Niobium on order that I'm picking up soon. Let me keep my ship and the Niobium is yours," offered the trader. He was lying, but hoped these goons would give him some slack.
"Where is it?" asked one of the men distrustfully.
"Oh, the shipment? It's at the spaceport. Inside another ship. I'm meeting the trader later to complete the deal. She's taking some R&R right now, but will be returning to the pads soon."
Konn recalled the serial number on the woman's pass he saw earlier, it would be a simple effort to check that number against the manifest and find out which ship was hers. He hated to do it. Maybe there was a way he could warn her.
***
Tanya had spent the last few days in Kusari space pampering herself. Given the harrowing experiences of the previous month, she felt like a good break was needed to refresh the mind and rejuvenate her body. There was, is, and never will be a better means of therapy than retail therapy - shopping.
Using the Falcon Rob provided, Tanya took a few simple assignments on, capturing two wanted felons hiding out in Bering, then stopping off at Deshima to see whether her old friend Kenji Akamoto, recently appointed leader of the famous Akamoto bounty hunter clan had returned home. Instead, she discovered following the destruction of the Hawaii, the remaining fleet assets, and survivors who had escaped from the luxury cruise ship had split into a myriad of directions.
A week after the huge battle in Sigma-19 that had made news across the galaxy, life goes on. News of some other conflict in the Omega systems was the next big thing and Tanya was glad to be free of the intensity that had surrounded her until now. Mason had gone underground, no doubt still plotting, Damien had left a message saying he'd found Travis and he was en-route to New Tokyo. She'd called Rutger and suggested, much to his displeasure, they spend a little time apart for now, but did mention that Daumann Heavy Industries may want to look at rebuilding the Luxury Liner Hawaii, given there was a 'gap' in the market now.
Surprisingly, or not when she'd considered the many perspectives, there was no news at all of the Nomad incursion, nor of Mason's plot to release them as his pet locusts on the whole of Sirius. Had the House governments decided to play down the risk of such a thing happening? Or perhaps they felt revealing this information would destabilise their own governments, for not adequately protecting the people.
Either way, the House governments won, Sirius lives on and for now, Mason was defeated and in hiding.
Tanya felt like a free-spirit and wondered how the likes of Rob, Dev were getting along.
Inside the Shibuya "Shopping Paradise" Complex, a massive, twelve storey complex that featured all the latest designer stores, fashion outlets, accessories and of course, numerous places to savour the Kusari cuisine, Tanya was in heaven. The young woman had taken her time to visit every floor, starting with the top and was working her way down. Of course, she had already held a fistful of bags after visiting one floor.
"I'm going to need a trolley. Or maybe I'll have them sent to my ship," she mused to herself.
She entered the lift and noted with some humour the only person inside looking out of the window, realising the doors were about to close and had forgotten to get off.
Tanya got off at the next floor and spotting a handbag boutique, walked briskly towards it.
***
OOC:
Yes. It's a very girly chapter. And I haven't been to the shops for a while either. I am going this weekend though. Be afraid. :p
HK, I didn't want to portray your character negatively, rather, as resourceful with a good eye for detail.
Wilde, thanks for the compliment and hope you're enjoying the trip to the UK. You could feasibly be sitting in an internet cafe around the corner from me, welcome to my homeland!
Code, I got your e-mail. Hope my post above settles a few questions
Wed Mar 16, 2005 4:01 am
OOC:God dammit you guys AFTER i asleep to write the stuff when i was bored last night, thanks for the consideration
IC: Dev took a deep drag of his ciggereate and grinned as some worried kuasri contracter scurried by him. He walked up grinning "Scuz me sir but your in trouble."
"What could it be" The man asked Dev. He smiled and dropped his ciggerte and crushed it out. Then he sighed, looked at his hand and punched the man as hard as posssible. The contracter got up looked at Dev and ran away, his bags dropped. Dev swaggered over to the mans bags and ruffled around.
"Garbage... Garbage... Ah here you are m'dear" He said with a chuckle removing a laptop. The opened it up and started typing.
Welcome to the New Berlin Govermental News and Infortmation Computer the screen read.
"Nope, no-no-no" Dev mumbled "Underground baby underground"
Welcome the the Bismark club computer
Dev grinned, the Bismark club was a fight club on New Berlin. It opened on the the nigth of new berlin, Aka the half of year where half planet was engulfed in darkness. The major cities of New berlin were on that side, as such all clubs would be.
"Hmmm Mr.Mason were would you be ol boy" Dev said in a mock bertonian Accent. With a chuckle the slipped deeper into the computer.
Guest's of honor
Herry plumbdigger
Alex herrintin
John Mason
Berry Dorwin
The list went on but Dev had found his target. "Hello Der ol boy, I do say chap i happen to of seemed to find ya. Smashing, Simply Smashing. Wonder if it do be true?"
With a smile Dev pulled out a phone and popped in a number.
"Hullo...." A voice answered on the other end.
"Heya mate, I need a little back check."
"Who's the Target?"
"John mason"
"Yeah thats gunna work, ol blue hair taking out a major crime lord or what ever he is"
"Well is he gunna be attending bismark in two days?"
"Yup, he's brought 18 mil to bet on two street punks fighting...."
"Rather stupid." I got some work to deal with, cya later"
"Bye man"
Dev grinned, Target locked he thought. Picking up the laptop he jotted a message.
"Hey Tanya,
look i got a locate on you know who. This line is probably tapped its some one elses work computer. i'll you everything New Tokoya spaceport bar. Its worth the time."
Smiling he light a ciggerete and walked towards the bar's direction.
"Hmmm" Dev thought "If mason makes a public apperance he is going to be protected byalot of security teams. it would take a army to get him, no assasian could get through. I pray to god tanya doesnt actualy want to go there, she'll probably just get killed."
Edited by - DSQrn on 3/16/2005 4:43:05 AM
IC: Dev took a deep drag of his ciggereate and grinned as some worried kuasri contracter scurried by him. He walked up grinning "Scuz me sir but your in trouble."
"What could it be" The man asked Dev. He smiled and dropped his ciggerte and crushed it out. Then he sighed, looked at his hand and punched the man as hard as posssible. The contracter got up looked at Dev and ran away, his bags dropped. Dev swaggered over to the mans bags and ruffled around.
"Garbage... Garbage... Ah here you are m'dear" He said with a chuckle removing a laptop. The opened it up and started typing.
Welcome to the New Berlin Govermental News and Infortmation Computer the screen read.
"Nope, no-no-no" Dev mumbled "Underground baby underground"
Welcome the the Bismark club computer
Dev grinned, the Bismark club was a fight club on New Berlin. It opened on the the nigth of new berlin, Aka the half of year where half planet was engulfed in darkness. The major cities of New berlin were on that side, as such all clubs would be.
"Hmmm Mr.Mason were would you be ol boy" Dev said in a mock bertonian Accent. With a chuckle the slipped deeper into the computer.
Guest's of honor
Herry plumbdigger
Alex herrintin
John Mason
Berry Dorwin
The list went on but Dev had found his target. "Hello Der ol boy, I do say chap i happen to of seemed to find ya. Smashing, Simply Smashing. Wonder if it do be true?"
With a smile Dev pulled out a phone and popped in a number.
"Hullo...." A voice answered on the other end.
"Heya mate, I need a little back check."
"Who's the Target?"
"John mason"
"Yeah thats gunna work, ol blue hair taking out a major crime lord or what ever he is"
"Well is he gunna be attending bismark in two days?"
"Yup, he's brought 18 mil to bet on two street punks fighting...."
"Rather stupid." I got some work to deal with, cya later"
"Bye man"
Dev grinned, Target locked he thought. Picking up the laptop he jotted a message.
"Hey Tanya,
look i got a locate on you know who. This line is probably tapped its some one elses work computer. i'll you everything New Tokoya spaceport bar. Its worth the time."
Smiling he light a ciggerete and walked towards the bar's direction.
"Hmmm" Dev thought "If mason makes a public apperance he is going to be protected byalot of security teams. it would take a army to get him, no assasian could get through. I pray to god tanya doesnt actualy want to go there, she'll probably just get killed."
Edited by - DSQrn on 3/16/2005 4:43:05 AM
Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:58 am
OOC: Adventure always follows athena and tanya. 
IC:
Hahukum Konn was at the New Tokyo spaceport, having hopefully entered completely undetected, with his own visitor pass stuffed temporarily in his pocket to keep people from easily identifying him; he had no wish to encounter the three goons while forewarning the unsuspecting woman he'd dragged into his plans for self-preservation.
He had come in the back way, through the cargo doors where replacement supplies and shipments entered for the personnel that ran the port. The cargo shipment doors had been coded but some rather unsuspecting fool had left them wide open while he secretively snuffled something up his nose.
Tourism today is not an easy adventure, it would seem. Bloody idiots wanting my H-fuel! And they got my name wrong! He was hiding in a hopefully obscure corner of the spaceport, while having a clear view of the control room to his left and above.
While he hadn't been able to take his weapon (and who would? Come on, he wasn't a bloody special-ops guy, and this wasn't the border worlds), he did have another trick up his sleeve: almost-invisible binoculars in his eyeglasses. He put them on now, and carefully activated the zoom-lens feature in the right lens, while leaving the left one normal.
Konn was in luck; normally there were two or three people in the control room to oversee the ebb and flow of traffic in and out of the spaceport, but today there was only one, and he was apparently leaving for a bathroom break. That was a most lucky thing. He guessed that the other one or two people were helping some hapless space traveller, and indeed, there did seem to be a commotion at the far end, above the noise of spaceships powering-up or powering-down.
Off Konn went, sticking as much as possible to the ships themselves in case the security cameras were in evidence. It would look like he was searching for a lost credit stick, all the while nearing the doors that would let him into the control room.
Luck continued to hold; Konn made it to the doors, and casually leaned his back against them, with a look of frustration on his face; he could almost really believe he was looking for his precious credit stick. He then slammed his hand against the door in apparent anger, and brushed the handle behind his back to see if it was unlocked; luck was with him. It had a keypad on it, but the handle was the type that turned, and whoever had entered the code had left it unlocked for the day.
It was child's play to whip inside the door, and dash upstairs to the control room. A quick glance inside, and Konn decided he could risk entering without being seen from outside. He searched the room quickly, praying the visitor manifest was not right next to the window.
Unfortunately, it was. Konn brought up the manifest screen, trying to crouch so as to reduce the view from outside, and cursed when he realized the entire thing was in a language he didn't understand. He cursed long and fluently under his breath, frantically looking for a button that would translate what he was seeing; it was hidden in the bottom right-hand corner; you pushed it once and the strange angular-line script changed to standard English, and pushing it again restored the Kusari language. Persumably some programmer had been thoughtful enough to make a dual-language program for these control towers in order to cut production costs, selling the same thing to Liberty and Kusari.
In a minute, Konn had the search query put through, and the ship he was trying to find was located. He put everything back the way it was, and barrelled out the control room and back into the spaceport's docking bays. He had to find a Falcon belonging to the woman who now had a name: Tanya. He hadn't even picked up her last name off the screen, he'd been in that much of a rush.
----
Summary:
Konn does a little of his own covert-ops after restfully looking at Kusari and encoutering goons wanting his H-fuel. Luck, as always, favors the bold, and now he's off to the races.
Edited by - Hahukum Konn on 3/16/2005 8:13:35 AM
IC:
Hahukum Konn was at the New Tokyo spaceport, having hopefully entered completely undetected, with his own visitor pass stuffed temporarily in his pocket to keep people from easily identifying him; he had no wish to encounter the three goons while forewarning the unsuspecting woman he'd dragged into his plans for self-preservation.
He had come in the back way, through the cargo doors where replacement supplies and shipments entered for the personnel that ran the port. The cargo shipment doors had been coded but some rather unsuspecting fool had left them wide open while he secretively snuffled something up his nose.
Tourism today is not an easy adventure, it would seem. Bloody idiots wanting my H-fuel! And they got my name wrong! He was hiding in a hopefully obscure corner of the spaceport, while having a clear view of the control room to his left and above.
While he hadn't been able to take his weapon (and who would? Come on, he wasn't a bloody special-ops guy, and this wasn't the border worlds), he did have another trick up his sleeve: almost-invisible binoculars in his eyeglasses. He put them on now, and carefully activated the zoom-lens feature in the right lens, while leaving the left one normal.
Konn was in luck; normally there were two or three people in the control room to oversee the ebb and flow of traffic in and out of the spaceport, but today there was only one, and he was apparently leaving for a bathroom break. That was a most lucky thing. He guessed that the other one or two people were helping some hapless space traveller, and indeed, there did seem to be a commotion at the far end, above the noise of spaceships powering-up or powering-down.
Off Konn went, sticking as much as possible to the ships themselves in case the security cameras were in evidence. It would look like he was searching for a lost credit stick, all the while nearing the doors that would let him into the control room.
Luck continued to hold; Konn made it to the doors, and casually leaned his back against them, with a look of frustration on his face; he could almost really believe he was looking for his precious credit stick. He then slammed his hand against the door in apparent anger, and brushed the handle behind his back to see if it was unlocked; luck was with him. It had a keypad on it, but the handle was the type that turned, and whoever had entered the code had left it unlocked for the day.
It was child's play to whip inside the door, and dash upstairs to the control room. A quick glance inside, and Konn decided he could risk entering without being seen from outside. He searched the room quickly, praying the visitor manifest was not right next to the window.
Unfortunately, it was. Konn brought up the manifest screen, trying to crouch so as to reduce the view from outside, and cursed when he realized the entire thing was in a language he didn't understand. He cursed long and fluently under his breath, frantically looking for a button that would translate what he was seeing; it was hidden in the bottom right-hand corner; you pushed it once and the strange angular-line script changed to standard English, and pushing it again restored the Kusari language. Persumably some programmer had been thoughtful enough to make a dual-language program for these control towers in order to cut production costs, selling the same thing to Liberty and Kusari.
In a minute, Konn had the search query put through, and the ship he was trying to find was located. He put everything back the way it was, and barrelled out the control room and back into the spaceport's docking bays. He had to find a Falcon belonging to the woman who now had a name: Tanya. He hadn't even picked up her last name off the screen, he'd been in that much of a rush.
----
Summary:
Konn does a little of his own covert-ops after restfully looking at Kusari and encoutering goons wanting his H-fuel. Luck, as always, favors the bold, and now he's off to the races.
Edited by - Hahukum Konn on 3/16/2005 8:13:35 AM
Wed Mar 16, 2005 8:45 am
OOC: *chuckle* Well, that's all right, we do not expect goons to be terribly good with names, so it works.
"Off to the races"? Just metaphorical, means now he has to get this job done before the goons come back and start harassing him again. Oh, and I sent you an e-mail.
Edited by - Hahukum Konn on 3/16/2005 8:47:17 AM
"Off to the races"? Just metaphorical, means now he has to get this job done before the goons come back and start harassing him again.
Oh, and I sent you an e-mail.
Edited by - Hahukum Konn on 3/16/2005 8:47:17 AM
Wed Mar 16, 2005 2:39 pm
As Hans' ship jumped out into New Berlin,he was horrified at waht he saw."My god!" "3 Battleships,5 Cruisers,7 Gunboats,and 15 wings of fighters,all of Rhienland origin" "I go to tell the others".Hans pulled up his in-ship computer and sent an E-Mail to Dev,Damien,Tanya,and Rob.
"Dear friends,i have bad news.Once again Rhienland seems to be preparing some sort of a war.Id advise you keep out of Rhienland to be safe."
Then Hans picked up his Comm set and sent a warning to Vogtland and told them to warn the rest of the bases."Man" He said. "Another war......"
"Dear friends,i have bad news.Once again Rhienland seems to be preparing some sort of a war.Id advise you keep out of Rhienland to be safe."
Then Hans picked up his Comm set and sent a warning to Vogtland and told them to warn the rest of the bases."Man" He said. "Another war......"
Thu Mar 17, 2005 11:28 am
OOC: Well guys i felt getting a bit of action in and Codey had a suggestion how to get it in so here i go heeewack!!!!
Dev stood up and grinned he had the info and everything. Then a rock hit his head, Making a loud clunk sound.
“Ouch! Who the hell did that!” He yelled as he turned around. 6 Blood dragons stood there, with swords drawn at him.
“Heh the idiots will be fried by my guns” Dev said with a chuckle. Reaching the holster he groaned loudly. “Damn my guns are back on the ship... Oh hell no.”
He drew His sword that he had used to teach the blood dragon in the bar a lesson. Then he pointed it at the lead Blood Dragon.
“Men” The BD yelled “Bring me his head impaled on his own sword”
“Oooh boy” Dev mumbled. The Blood Dragons Ran at him screaming and waving there swords. Dev Jumped on top a crate and turned to run. Only staring down 4 more Blood Dragons.
Then Jumping off Dev smashed into several of the attacking blood dragons. Three fell over presenting a rare opportunity in a sword fight. He swung his blade down smashing into one of the lying blood dragons. Another tried to get up, as he blocked a oncoming blow with his sword he kicked the one trying to get up in the face with a metal boot. The third blood dragon who was knocked over looked in horror as he saw the blade protruding from Dev's boot, blood covering it.
Then ducking to doge another blow Dev smashed his sword inside one of the thugs legs. With a scream the blood dragon dropped his blade and grabbed his knee. Then Jumping to avoid a nasty Stab to the head Dev Swung his blade downwards on a slant towards the wounded blood dragons neck.
The remaining three Blood dragons were about to for the other four to get over when Dev ran at them, Jumped in the air and brought his blade down right on the flat of the lead blood dragons head. One blood Dragon made a attempt to escape but Dev Stabbed his sword right into the mans stomach. The final Blood dragon cowered begging for mercy. Dev knelt down on one knee his sword next to his head. The stunned Blood Dragon just stared. Then Dev yelled and Slashed upwards, the blade going through the mans stomach then throat cutting into the chin. The blood Dragon was nearly split in two.
Dev then jumped on the crate and started screaming. The four other blood dragons looked at him and ran towards him. One started climbing up on the crate by ladder. Dev stuck his sword in the mans head below. The blood dragon fell to the ground with a clump. The other three paused, looked at each other, then Jumped up on the crate. Dev pushed one off and fell on-top of him. Knee on the Chest, blade in the head.
The other two jumped down as Dev stood up. Charging at him he smiled, lowering his blade to the ground one ran and tripped over it as he jumped to the side. Then before the Blood dragon could get up he smashed his sword downwards into the poor man's head.
The final one dropped to his knees and started to Beg for mercy.
“Please sir don't kill me i have a wife and son. I don't wanna die, please sir” He whimpered. Dev spat on him 'Too bad”. Then raising his sword he swung down and removed the mans head.
He heard a click of a gun at the back of his head. He turned to see a kuasri cop with a gun to his head.
“One move and your dead” The cop yelled.
“Chill” Dev said “I am working undercover.”
“Badge?” The cop asked. Dev pulled out a fake badge showing a picture of him as detective Jeremy White.
“Sorry detective White” The cop mumbled walking off.
Dev chuckled and started walking to the spaceport bar. Easy out...
Summary: Dev kicks some ass with some stupid blood dragons.
OOC: That was so much fun to write. Hope you enjoyed it
Dev stood up and grinned he had the info and everything. Then a rock hit his head, Making a loud clunk sound.
“Ouch! Who the hell did that!” He yelled as he turned around. 6 Blood dragons stood there, with swords drawn at him.
“Heh the idiots will be fried by my guns” Dev said with a chuckle. Reaching the holster he groaned loudly. “Damn my guns are back on the ship... Oh hell no.”
He drew His sword that he had used to teach the blood dragon in the bar a lesson. Then he pointed it at the lead Blood Dragon.
“Men” The BD yelled “Bring me his head impaled on his own sword”
“Oooh boy” Dev mumbled. The Blood Dragons Ran at him screaming and waving there swords. Dev Jumped on top a crate and turned to run. Only staring down 4 more Blood Dragons.
Then Jumping off Dev smashed into several of the attacking blood dragons. Three fell over presenting a rare opportunity in a sword fight. He swung his blade down smashing into one of the lying blood dragons. Another tried to get up, as he blocked a oncoming blow with his sword he kicked the one trying to get up in the face with a metal boot. The third blood dragon who was knocked over looked in horror as he saw the blade protruding from Dev's boot, blood covering it.
Then ducking to doge another blow Dev smashed his sword inside one of the thugs legs. With a scream the blood dragon dropped his blade and grabbed his knee. Then Jumping to avoid a nasty Stab to the head Dev Swung his blade downwards on a slant towards the wounded blood dragons neck.
The remaining three Blood dragons were about to for the other four to get over when Dev ran at them, Jumped in the air and brought his blade down right on the flat of the lead blood dragons head. One blood Dragon made a attempt to escape but Dev Stabbed his sword right into the mans stomach. The final Blood dragon cowered begging for mercy. Dev knelt down on one knee his sword next to his head. The stunned Blood Dragon just stared. Then Dev yelled and Slashed upwards, the blade going through the mans stomach then throat cutting into the chin. The blood Dragon was nearly split in two.
Dev then jumped on the crate and started screaming. The four other blood dragons looked at him and ran towards him. One started climbing up on the crate by ladder. Dev stuck his sword in the mans head below. The blood dragon fell to the ground with a clump. The other three paused, looked at each other, then Jumped up on the crate. Dev pushed one off and fell on-top of him. Knee on the Chest, blade in the head.
The other two jumped down as Dev stood up. Charging at him he smiled, lowering his blade to the ground one ran and tripped over it as he jumped to the side. Then before the Blood dragon could get up he smashed his sword downwards into the poor man's head.
The final one dropped to his knees and started to Beg for mercy.
“Please sir don't kill me i have a wife and son. I don't wanna die, please sir” He whimpered. Dev spat on him 'Too bad”. Then raising his sword he swung down and removed the mans head.
He heard a click of a gun at the back of his head. He turned to see a kuasri cop with a gun to his head.
“One move and your dead” The cop yelled.
“Chill” Dev said “I am working undercover.”
“Badge?” The cop asked. Dev pulled out a fake badge showing a picture of him as detective Jeremy White.
“Sorry detective White” The cop mumbled walking off.
Dev chuckled and started walking to the spaceport bar. Easy out...
Summary: Dev kicks some ass with some stupid blood dragons.
OOC: That was so much fun to write. Hope you enjoyed it
Thu Mar 17, 2005 11:53 am
Brace yourselves. This one's a doozy...
----------------------------------
Rob had seen prison cells that were more luxurious than the "VIP" accommodation on Southampton. It was dimly lit and very spartan with only a bed, chair, desk and limited toilet facilities. The walls and floor were bare metal, and there was no ceiling to speak of; pipes, wires and support beams criss-crossed overhead. Guess they don't entertain much. Rob thought. Still, it was adequate for a bounty hunter, who probably wouldn't have appreciated creature comforts in the first place.
"Who are you?" Came a voice from a vaguely man-shaped lump, sitting in what Rob assumed to be a chair. The freelancer toyed briefly with the idea of adjusting the light balance of his shades but decided against it. His eyes slowly adjusted on their own as Rob entered the dark room.
"I'm on an assignment for the BAF." Rob responded. "I'm looking for some missing ships. I think you might be able to help me, Marshal. You are Marshal Carshalton for the BHG, correct?"
"Yeah, I'm Carshalton. Say, you're not BAF. I can't see any insignia." Carshalton said. "What's that all about?"
"I'm a freelancer, Marshal." Rob answered. "I was hired to snoop around a bit, see what I can find out about the missing ships. BAF Command wants this all kept quiet so they hired an independent contractor."
"I see," said the bounty hunter. "Now what makes you think I can help?"
"Well, I need some background as to what happened on the Hawaii before, and during, the main battle. It seems you were in the area at the time so I figured you might have some useful information. I already know most of the background to this whole saga but my source can't seem to remember the final hour of the battle."
"Really?" Rob could just barely make out the Marshal's raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. Say, could I turn up the lights in here a bit? It's a bit gloomy for my tastes." Rob said.
"Yeah, yeah. Go for it. I was catching a quick nap is all." Replied the bounty hunter. Rob quickly found the dimmer switch and gave is a small turn. The room lit up, confirming Rob's original estimation. Yeah, they definitely don't entertain often.
Rob used the increased light to take in Carshalton's features. If there were ever a man who could be considered to be "typically bounty hunter" in appearance, it was Carshalton. He was a big man, broad shouldered and Rob assumed fairly tall as well. He wore what looked to be a perpetual grimace.
"So, what do you want to know?" The marshal asked.
"Well, let's start at the beginning," said Rob. "What brought you to the Hawaii in the first place?"
Marshal Carshalton took a deep breath and began his story. Rob heard about Travis and the contract put out on the hunter by his fellow Guild members. Rob assumed, correctly, that this was the same Travis Tanya had been seeking. When the marshal reached the point in his tale where he met up with a beautiful young woman Rob assumed it was Tanya. He was understandably surprised to hear Carshalton say her name was Eve O'Callaghan. It took the freelancer a second to figure out that Eve and Tanya were one in the same, and that the young woman had had the presence of mind to use an alias at least once. I have to remember to compliment her on that. Rob thought. He didn't interrupt the hunter's continuing narrative however.
Carshalton went on to tell Rob how he had been convinced to help "Eve" and Travis take Mason down. Most of the story Rob had already heard from Tanya, but it was good to hear it from a different perspective. When Carshalton said "and that's the last I saw of her." Rob really started paying attention. He knew that most, if not all, the coming information would be entirely new. He told Rob of the arrival of the Nomads and the ensuing battle. Not being the sort to stand idly by when there was action, Carshalton had jumped into the closest fighter to join the allied forces in pushing the aliens back.
It seemed as though the hunter had racked up a rather impressive kill count before succumbing to a barrage of Nomad fire when the aliens made their final, and ultimately irrelevant push for the Hawaii. The allied fleets had decided to evacuate the luxury liner and use it as bait in a massive pincer manoeuvre. The strategy had been a great success, at least as far as the allied forces were concerned. They hadn't known who or what was of such great importance that the destruction of the Hawaii was so vital to the Nomads, and frankly they didn't much care either. The Nomads took the bait and what remained of the human fleets closed in around them. It looked, by Carshalton's account, like shooting fish in a barrel. He expressed no small amount of regret that he had been forced to watch the endgame from his lifepod.
Not long after the battle finally ended he was picked up by Mayhew's forces.
"It's a real shame we weren't able to finish our sweep of the system. I liked those two, Eve and Travis. I'd like to think they both made it out okay." Carshalton said.
"Well, I can tell you is that the girl is just fine. And her name's actually Tanya, from what I can tell." Rob said with a small smile.
"Really? How'd you find that out?" Carshalton asked.
"Well, I had been on her tail for a while. When the bodies started piling up I knew something big was going down, and I wanted in. I picked up on Tanya's trail and followed it to Sigma-19, though by the time I arrived the battle was long finished. I did a sweep for survivors and picked up this gorgeous girl. She was in pretty rough shape but I patched her up pretty well.
"As it turned out, she was the girl I had been looking for. She couldn't remember anything after she had killed this Kusari girl Hideko, though, so we had no idea what Mason's status was. We had hoped to track down some of the other survivors if there were any. The Rheinland fleet that had been sent out was pummeled by the Bundschuh first, so it's unlikely anyone they picked up is still alive. Later we found out Mason managed to survive as well and is actually controlling the Nomads. Tanya and I, along with a few others are trying to stop him.
"Well," Rob said, "that's the executive summary, at least."
"I see. Well, good luck with all that." Carshalton said. A sadness seemed to wash over the man.
Rob picked up on it immediately. Before he said anything he fiddled quickly with his utility belt. A small electronics jammer activated, ruining any bugs the BAF may have planted in the room. "Something wrong?" He asked, suddenly more alert.
"Ah, I don't know." Carshalton shook his head. "It's just that if Mason's alive I can't help but feel that I'm going to have a rough time when I'm picked up. I was supposed to kill Travis, after all."
"Yeah, that might be a bit of a problem from Mason's perspective. I also think he's got a good number of hunters on his payroll. I wouldn't be surprised if they simply 'disappear' you." Rob thought aloud.
"That's what I'm afraid of." Carshalton sighed.
"You know, I could really use a pro like you..." Rob trailed off and let the implications sink in.
"Wait, what're you saying?" Carshalton wanted to make absolutely sure he understood the man sitting opposite him.
"I'll bust you out of here as long as you agree to help us." Rob made the offer as unequivocal as possible.
"Are you crazy?!" Carshalton practically exploded. "Never mind the fact that it's actually impossible, now you've gone and told whoever's watching us what your plan is."
"Actually," Rob said, leaning closer to the bounty hunter, "the last minute or so of conversation has been nothing but static. Yes, guards will come. But they won't be expecting an escape. You see, there was just a slight electronics malfunction in here."
"Ah." Comprehension dawned on Carshalton. "Won't this hurt your rep though?"
"Eh, it won't be anything I can't handle as long as nobody dies. Besides, I will find those missing ships. The BAF'll have to love me for that." Rob said with a smirk.
"Okay, I'm in. You're obviously the sort who I'll enjoy working with." Carshalton pushed himself out of his chair and stretched. "And it'll be nice to see the girl again."
It sure will be. Rob thought. Again Rob saw the young woman's stunning green eyes, this time framed by her equally beautiful face. Oh sh*t, Rob. You've got it bad. His fists balled in frustration. Dammit! Why couldn't she have been some horribly deformed Outcast with no front teeth?
Rob was jolted from his brief introspection session by the soft patter of feet on metal. Carshalton looked to his would-be saviour, waiting for instructions.
“I'm going to need a boost.” Rob said, looking up at the “ceiling”.
Carshalton leaned forwards and locked his hands together in front of himself, making an impromptu platform. “Okay. On three.”
Rob placed his left foot firmly into Carshalton's hands. “Ready.” He said.
“One.” The footsteps grew louder.
“Two.” Rob thought he could hear four different pairs of feet striking the metal floors.
“Three.” No, wait. It's five. Rob thought as Carshalton heaved him upwards, adding force to Rob's powerful jump.
Rob flew towards the ceiling and grabbed hold of the nearest support beam. He swung his legs up and hooked them around a particularly sturdy-looking pole. He quickly tested its strength and was pleased to find it more than strong enough to hold him.
While Rob was setting himself up, Carshalton had dimmed the lights to their original level and stood about two feet behind where Rob was hanging. Not a moment later there was a loud knock at the door. “Oi! Open up in there!”
“It's not locked.” Carshalton called out.
The door was flung open and five BAF military police rushed in. Their leader was a fairly old sergeant.
Two of the MPs stopped almost directly below Rob, flanking the sergeant who had strode right up to Carshalton. The freelancer quickly evaluated the situation. He was reasonably sure Carshalton could deal with the sergeant fairly easily and the two MPs below Rob didn't present much of a challenge at all. Rob was concerned about the two soldiers guarding the door though.
“Right! Where's that other man?” The sergeant demanded.
“Oh, he left a little while ago.” Carshalton replied, not particularly convincingly
Just in time, an idea occurred to Rob. He released his hold of the support beam with his left hand and reached for his pistol. The two MPs below him were facing the far wall, so Rob was fully out of their line of sight. Rob switched the energy pistol to "stun" and aimed at the outline of the closest door guard. Without pulling the trigger he began to rapidly alternate targets, building up speed and settling into a rhythm.
“Don't play games with me!” The sergeant shouted. “Now, where is he?”
“I don't know.” Carshalton replied. “D'you see him here?”
Rob, finally happy with the speed and cadence of his movement pulled the gun's trigger twice in rapid succession. The pistol squealed twice and the two guards stationed at the door fell, stunned. Rob released his hold of the support beam and allowed his upper body to swing down. “NOW!” He shouted as he fell.
Carshalton didn't need to hear anything else. He wrapped the old sergeant up in a vicious bear hug before the soldier could reach his gun or stun-prod. The two other MPs felt a slight gust of wind and suddenly were confronted with an upside down head hanging from the ceiling. Before either man knew what was going on Rob grabbed their heads and smashed them together, sending both the soldiers toppling to the ground.
Rob swung himself back up and grabbed the support beam once more. He heard Carshalton grunt as the burly bounty hunter attempted to hold the sergeant. Apparently the old man possessed a strength no one had expected. Rob unhooked his feet from the pipe, allowing them to fall freely downwards. Just before they reached the nadir of their path Rob let go of the support beam and dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch. He sprung up immediately after and drew his fist back. The freelancer landed a devastating blow to the base of the old soldier's skull, causing the man to go limp in Carshalton's grasp.
“Let's go.” Rob said, dusting off his hands.
“I'm right behind you.” Carshalton said.
Rob poked his head out of the doorway. The hallway to the docking bay was clear, as far as he could tell. He dashed out, fingers flying across the keypad on his utility belt. In the hangar, Rob's Falcon began to run through a series of automated checks.
'I hope you won't mind a short ride in the cargo hold.” Rob called over his shoulder to Carshalton, who was running behind the freelancer.
“Beats the alternative, I guess.” Carshalton shot back.
“Yeah.” Rob rounded the corner of the hallway. There were three guards stationed at the entrance to the docking bay. SH*T! Rob raised his gun hand and squeezed off three shots, crumpling the men where they stood.
Rob and Carshalton jumped over the stunned guards and raced towards the waiting Falcon. Rob sent another set of commands via his keypad and the Falcon's cockpit hatch and cargo hold began to open. Carshalton dove into the ship's hold while Rob clambered up the ladder and threw himself into the cockpit. Though the automated checks hadn't all finished Rob began to activate all the vital systems.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Rob saw the docking bay doors begin to swing open. What the..? I didn't... Rob was puzzled for a second, until he saw the freighter begin to pull into the station. Not one to pass up an opportunity, Rob gave full power to the Falcon's engines and shot towards the open hatch. The sudden acceleration pinned Rob into his seat and likely sent Carshalton tumbling to the rear of the cargo hold. Quickly calculating the amount of space he'd need, Rob wrenched the control stick to the right and stood the Falcon up on its right wing. He blasted past the slow-moving craft with less than a metre's clearance all around. Rob shot out of the station and let out an uncharacteristically jubilant whoop. He was, despite all his professionalism, really enjoying himself.
Once he was sure no one was yet pursuing him, Rob activated his cruise engines and headed straight for the jumphole to the Dublin system.
Summary: Rob meets up with Carshalton and finds out some new info. He helps Carshalton escape from BAF custody and the two of them head off to Dublin to regroup.
OOC: Damn. That's a short summary for such a long section.
----------------------------------
Rob had seen prison cells that were more luxurious than the "VIP" accommodation on Southampton. It was dimly lit and very spartan with only a bed, chair, desk and limited toilet facilities. The walls and floor were bare metal, and there was no ceiling to speak of; pipes, wires and support beams criss-crossed overhead. Guess they don't entertain much. Rob thought. Still, it was adequate for a bounty hunter, who probably wouldn't have appreciated creature comforts in the first place.
"Who are you?" Came a voice from a vaguely man-shaped lump, sitting in what Rob assumed to be a chair. The freelancer toyed briefly with the idea of adjusting the light balance of his shades but decided against it. His eyes slowly adjusted on their own as Rob entered the dark room.
"I'm on an assignment for the BAF." Rob responded. "I'm looking for some missing ships. I think you might be able to help me, Marshal. You are Marshal Carshalton for the BHG, correct?"
"Yeah, I'm Carshalton. Say, you're not BAF. I can't see any insignia." Carshalton said. "What's that all about?"
"I'm a freelancer, Marshal." Rob answered. "I was hired to snoop around a bit, see what I can find out about the missing ships. BAF Command wants this all kept quiet so they hired an independent contractor."
"I see," said the bounty hunter. "Now what makes you think I can help?"
"Well, I need some background as to what happened on the Hawaii before, and during, the main battle. It seems you were in the area at the time so I figured you might have some useful information. I already know most of the background to this whole saga but my source can't seem to remember the final hour of the battle."
"Really?" Rob could just barely make out the Marshal's raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. Say, could I turn up the lights in here a bit? It's a bit gloomy for my tastes." Rob said.
"Yeah, yeah. Go for it. I was catching a quick nap is all." Replied the bounty hunter. Rob quickly found the dimmer switch and gave is a small turn. The room lit up, confirming Rob's original estimation. Yeah, they definitely don't entertain often.
Rob used the increased light to take in Carshalton's features. If there were ever a man who could be considered to be "typically bounty hunter" in appearance, it was Carshalton. He was a big man, broad shouldered and Rob assumed fairly tall as well. He wore what looked to be a perpetual grimace.
"So, what do you want to know?" The marshal asked.
"Well, let's start at the beginning," said Rob. "What brought you to the Hawaii in the first place?"
Marshal Carshalton took a deep breath and began his story. Rob heard about Travis and the contract put out on the hunter by his fellow Guild members. Rob assumed, correctly, that this was the same Travis Tanya had been seeking. When the marshal reached the point in his tale where he met up with a beautiful young woman Rob assumed it was Tanya. He was understandably surprised to hear Carshalton say her name was Eve O'Callaghan. It took the freelancer a second to figure out that Eve and Tanya were one in the same, and that the young woman had had the presence of mind to use an alias at least once. I have to remember to compliment her on that. Rob thought. He didn't interrupt the hunter's continuing narrative however.
Carshalton went on to tell Rob how he had been convinced to help "Eve" and Travis take Mason down. Most of the story Rob had already heard from Tanya, but it was good to hear it from a different perspective. When Carshalton said "and that's the last I saw of her." Rob really started paying attention. He knew that most, if not all, the coming information would be entirely new. He told Rob of the arrival of the Nomads and the ensuing battle. Not being the sort to stand idly by when there was action, Carshalton had jumped into the closest fighter to join the allied forces in pushing the aliens back.
It seemed as though the hunter had racked up a rather impressive kill count before succumbing to a barrage of Nomad fire when the aliens made their final, and ultimately irrelevant push for the Hawaii. The allied fleets had decided to evacuate the luxury liner and use it as bait in a massive pincer manoeuvre. The strategy had been a great success, at least as far as the allied forces were concerned. They hadn't known who or what was of such great importance that the destruction of the Hawaii was so vital to the Nomads, and frankly they didn't much care either. The Nomads took the bait and what remained of the human fleets closed in around them. It looked, by Carshalton's account, like shooting fish in a barrel. He expressed no small amount of regret that he had been forced to watch the endgame from his lifepod.
Not long after the battle finally ended he was picked up by Mayhew's forces.
"It's a real shame we weren't able to finish our sweep of the system. I liked those two, Eve and Travis. I'd like to think they both made it out okay." Carshalton said.
"Well, I can tell you is that the girl is just fine. And her name's actually Tanya, from what I can tell." Rob said with a small smile.
"Really? How'd you find that out?" Carshalton asked.
"Well, I had been on her tail for a while. When the bodies started piling up I knew something big was going down, and I wanted in. I picked up on Tanya's trail and followed it to Sigma-19, though by the time I arrived the battle was long finished. I did a sweep for survivors and picked up this gorgeous girl. She was in pretty rough shape but I patched her up pretty well.
"As it turned out, she was the girl I had been looking for. She couldn't remember anything after she had killed this Kusari girl Hideko, though, so we had no idea what Mason's status was. We had hoped to track down some of the other survivors if there were any. The Rheinland fleet that had been sent out was pummeled by the Bundschuh first, so it's unlikely anyone they picked up is still alive. Later we found out Mason managed to survive as well and is actually controlling the Nomads. Tanya and I, along with a few others are trying to stop him.
"Well," Rob said, "that's the executive summary, at least."
"I see. Well, good luck with all that." Carshalton said. A sadness seemed to wash over the man.
Rob picked up on it immediately. Before he said anything he fiddled quickly with his utility belt. A small electronics jammer activated, ruining any bugs the BAF may have planted in the room. "Something wrong?" He asked, suddenly more alert.
"Ah, I don't know." Carshalton shook his head. "It's just that if Mason's alive I can't help but feel that I'm going to have a rough time when I'm picked up. I was supposed to kill Travis, after all."
"Yeah, that might be a bit of a problem from Mason's perspective. I also think he's got a good number of hunters on his payroll. I wouldn't be surprised if they simply 'disappear' you." Rob thought aloud.
"That's what I'm afraid of." Carshalton sighed.
"You know, I could really use a pro like you..." Rob trailed off and let the implications sink in.
"Wait, what're you saying?" Carshalton wanted to make absolutely sure he understood the man sitting opposite him.
"I'll bust you out of here as long as you agree to help us." Rob made the offer as unequivocal as possible.
"Are you crazy?!" Carshalton practically exploded. "Never mind the fact that it's actually impossible, now you've gone and told whoever's watching us what your plan is."
"Actually," Rob said, leaning closer to the bounty hunter, "the last minute or so of conversation has been nothing but static. Yes, guards will come. But they won't be expecting an escape. You see, there was just a slight electronics malfunction in here."
"Ah." Comprehension dawned on Carshalton. "Won't this hurt your rep though?"
"Eh, it won't be anything I can't handle as long as nobody dies. Besides, I will find those missing ships. The BAF'll have to love me for that." Rob said with a smirk.
"Okay, I'm in. You're obviously the sort who I'll enjoy working with." Carshalton pushed himself out of his chair and stretched. "And it'll be nice to see the girl again."
It sure will be. Rob thought. Again Rob saw the young woman's stunning green eyes, this time framed by her equally beautiful face. Oh sh*t, Rob. You've got it bad. His fists balled in frustration. Dammit! Why couldn't she have been some horribly deformed Outcast with no front teeth?
Rob was jolted from his brief introspection session by the soft patter of feet on metal. Carshalton looked to his would-be saviour, waiting for instructions.
“I'm going to need a boost.” Rob said, looking up at the “ceiling”.
Carshalton leaned forwards and locked his hands together in front of himself, making an impromptu platform. “Okay. On three.”
Rob placed his left foot firmly into Carshalton's hands. “Ready.” He said.
“One.” The footsteps grew louder.
“Two.” Rob thought he could hear four different pairs of feet striking the metal floors.
“Three.” No, wait. It's five. Rob thought as Carshalton heaved him upwards, adding force to Rob's powerful jump.
Rob flew towards the ceiling and grabbed hold of the nearest support beam. He swung his legs up and hooked them around a particularly sturdy-looking pole. He quickly tested its strength and was pleased to find it more than strong enough to hold him.
While Rob was setting himself up, Carshalton had dimmed the lights to their original level and stood about two feet behind where Rob was hanging. Not a moment later there was a loud knock at the door. “Oi! Open up in there!”
“It's not locked.” Carshalton called out.
The door was flung open and five BAF military police rushed in. Their leader was a fairly old sergeant.
Two of the MPs stopped almost directly below Rob, flanking the sergeant who had strode right up to Carshalton. The freelancer quickly evaluated the situation. He was reasonably sure Carshalton could deal with the sergeant fairly easily and the two MPs below Rob didn't present much of a challenge at all. Rob was concerned about the two soldiers guarding the door though.
“Right! Where's that other man?” The sergeant demanded.
“Oh, he left a little while ago.” Carshalton replied, not particularly convincingly
Just in time, an idea occurred to Rob. He released his hold of the support beam with his left hand and reached for his pistol. The two MPs below him were facing the far wall, so Rob was fully out of their line of sight. Rob switched the energy pistol to "stun" and aimed at the outline of the closest door guard. Without pulling the trigger he began to rapidly alternate targets, building up speed and settling into a rhythm.
“Don't play games with me!” The sergeant shouted. “Now, where is he?”
“I don't know.” Carshalton replied. “D'you see him here?”
Rob, finally happy with the speed and cadence of his movement pulled the gun's trigger twice in rapid succession. The pistol squealed twice and the two guards stationed at the door fell, stunned. Rob released his hold of the support beam and allowed his upper body to swing down. “NOW!” He shouted as he fell.
Carshalton didn't need to hear anything else. He wrapped the old sergeant up in a vicious bear hug before the soldier could reach his gun or stun-prod. The two other MPs felt a slight gust of wind and suddenly were confronted with an upside down head hanging from the ceiling. Before either man knew what was going on Rob grabbed their heads and smashed them together, sending both the soldiers toppling to the ground.
Rob swung himself back up and grabbed the support beam once more. He heard Carshalton grunt as the burly bounty hunter attempted to hold the sergeant. Apparently the old man possessed a strength no one had expected. Rob unhooked his feet from the pipe, allowing them to fall freely downwards. Just before they reached the nadir of their path Rob let go of the support beam and dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch. He sprung up immediately after and drew his fist back. The freelancer landed a devastating blow to the base of the old soldier's skull, causing the man to go limp in Carshalton's grasp.
“Let's go.” Rob said, dusting off his hands.
“I'm right behind you.” Carshalton said.
Rob poked his head out of the doorway. The hallway to the docking bay was clear, as far as he could tell. He dashed out, fingers flying across the keypad on his utility belt. In the hangar, Rob's Falcon began to run through a series of automated checks.
'I hope you won't mind a short ride in the cargo hold.” Rob called over his shoulder to Carshalton, who was running behind the freelancer.
“Beats the alternative, I guess.” Carshalton shot back.
“Yeah.” Rob rounded the corner of the hallway. There were three guards stationed at the entrance to the docking bay. SH*T! Rob raised his gun hand and squeezed off three shots, crumpling the men where they stood.
Rob and Carshalton jumped over the stunned guards and raced towards the waiting Falcon. Rob sent another set of commands via his keypad and the Falcon's cockpit hatch and cargo hold began to open. Carshalton dove into the ship's hold while Rob clambered up the ladder and threw himself into the cockpit. Though the automated checks hadn't all finished Rob began to activate all the vital systems.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Rob saw the docking bay doors begin to swing open. What the..? I didn't... Rob was puzzled for a second, until he saw the freighter begin to pull into the station. Not one to pass up an opportunity, Rob gave full power to the Falcon's engines and shot towards the open hatch. The sudden acceleration pinned Rob into his seat and likely sent Carshalton tumbling to the rear of the cargo hold. Quickly calculating the amount of space he'd need, Rob wrenched the control stick to the right and stood the Falcon up on its right wing. He blasted past the slow-moving craft with less than a metre's clearance all around. Rob shot out of the station and let out an uncharacteristically jubilant whoop. He was, despite all his professionalism, really enjoying himself.
Once he was sure no one was yet pursuing him, Rob activated his cruise engines and headed straight for the jumphole to the Dublin system.
Summary: Rob meets up with Carshalton and finds out some new info. He helps Carshalton escape from BAF custody and the two of them head off to Dublin to regroup.
OOC: Damn. That's a short summary for such a long section.
Thu Mar 17, 2005 2:58 pm
Travis gazed around the Kusari bar, sipping a glass of Kusari saki silently. One has to hand it to the Kusari, he thought, they know damn well how to build a nice bar. Growing up in Liberty, he was used to filth, cheap plastic, and blackened steel. He looked more closely around the bar, his eyes settling on a stunningly beautiful girl with dark glasses. Staring, he could see them lowering ever so slightly--and gaining a refreshing site of her profound, bright green eyes. He smiled, swallowed the weak alcohol, and walked across the room to her table where she was sitting with a suspicious, Rhineland-looking man sniffing Cardamine.
______
Damien, I've found Travis. Thanks for all your help. Tanya.
The pale Bundschuh guided Ocean Soul throughout the stained skies of Frankfurt, listening to Tanya's voice sing out from the intercom. Pieces of metal from Rhineland ships that had melted away under the wrath of his guns floated aimlessly past his window as he set his course for the Honshu jumphole. His sabre jumped into cruise, and he settled down for a rest.
A resounding crash sent him out of his reverie. "SH*T!!" he exclaimed. He caught a quick view of his scanner, showing 20 inbound ships. Grabbing the controls, he quickly locked on to one of the attackers and rained all of his guns down upon its small hull. Clearing his eyes, he could see it was a dagger. 9 more of the ships were on scanner, as well as 7 stilletos and 3 Sabres, all bearing Outcast ensignia. He fired his afterburners, chasing the ship down and firing all of his guns onto its hull. It was destroyed within seconds. He spiralled downward, leading the main force of daggers behind him as he stalled, spun around and launched a barrage of Lancer missiles into the fray. 5 more ships dissapeared, 4 daggers and 1 stilleto. All others were severely damaged. Laughing at the simplicity of taking down the incompetent pilots, he quickly destroyed the remaining daggers, locked onto the stilletos and spun throughout the melee, fire burning through metal over and over.
That was seconds before the Outcast Sabres fired on his ship with the most devastating EMP guns he had ever seen. Within seconds, his shields were down. Tranq gas was subsequently mixed with his air supply, and he slumped back in his seat.
___________
Damien opened his eyes again inside a black, unlit cell. He could see nothing before his eyes in the darkness. He could hear a Cambridge voice sounding out in the distance, a voice he knew only too well...
Summary: Travis arrives in Kusari. Damien is captured by Mason.I have gone insane.
Edited by - Wilde on 3/18/2005 8:55:40 AM
______
Damien, I've found Travis. Thanks for all your help. Tanya.
The pale Bundschuh guided Ocean Soul throughout the stained skies of Frankfurt, listening to Tanya's voice sing out from the intercom. Pieces of metal from Rhineland ships that had melted away under the wrath of his guns floated aimlessly past his window as he set his course for the Honshu jumphole. His sabre jumped into cruise, and he settled down for a rest.
A resounding crash sent him out of his reverie. "SH*T!!" he exclaimed. He caught a quick view of his scanner, showing 20 inbound ships. Grabbing the controls, he quickly locked on to one of the attackers and rained all of his guns down upon its small hull. Clearing his eyes, he could see it was a dagger. 9 more of the ships were on scanner, as well as 7 stilletos and 3 Sabres, all bearing Outcast ensignia. He fired his afterburners, chasing the ship down and firing all of his guns onto its hull. It was destroyed within seconds. He spiralled downward, leading the main force of daggers behind him as he stalled, spun around and launched a barrage of Lancer missiles into the fray. 5 more ships dissapeared, 4 daggers and 1 stilleto. All others were severely damaged. Laughing at the simplicity of taking down the incompetent pilots, he quickly destroyed the remaining daggers, locked onto the stilletos and spun throughout the melee, fire burning through metal over and over.
That was seconds before the Outcast Sabres fired on his ship with the most devastating EMP guns he had ever seen. Within seconds, his shields were down. Tranq gas was subsequently mixed with his air supply, and he slumped back in his seat.
___________
Damien opened his eyes again inside a black, unlit cell. He could see nothing before his eyes in the darkness. He could hear a Cambridge voice sounding out in the distance, a voice he knew only too well...
Summary: Travis arrives in Kusari. Damien is captured by Mason.I have gone insane.
Edited by - Wilde on 3/18/2005 8:55:40 AM
Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:36 pm
OOC:
ST110 - As I said in the e-mail, it's fine. Just try to work n into everything elese that's going on.
Wilde - "I have gone insane"? Now that I like.
Athena - When's Rutger going to make an appearance? I quite liked him and wouldn't mind seeing him again.
Everyone - This damn thing's over 40 pages long! I'm not sure whether we should be proud or ashamed. I'm leaning towards proud though.
Edited by - Codename on 3/18/2005 4:08:45 PM
ST110 - As I said in the e-mail, it's fine. Just try to work n into everything elese that's going on.
Wilde - "I have gone insane"? Now that I like.
Athena - When's Rutger going to make an appearance? I quite liked him and wouldn't mind seeing him again.
Everyone - This damn thing's over 40 pages long! I'm not sure whether we should be proud or ashamed. I'm leaning towards proud though.
Edited by - Codename on 3/18/2005 4:08:45 PM
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