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| Pandora's Box; No blue people allowed. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 29 2011, 02:10 PM (3,711 Views) | |
| ~Alissa~ | Jul 31 2015, 03:44 PM Post #81 |
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Hannah blinked listening to Grace, she had watched the video…it was impressive to say the least, Grace was clearly in her element. She listened as Grace explained how she had lost it all, it was too bad to say the least though some part of her mind was eager to point out that it was Grace’s obvious inability to cut the toxic people out of her life that had led her to that point, it was a lesson that had not been learned. She also knew she had no right to judge. Then grace gave her reason for helping them out…it was the right thing to do…was it? Well at least from Grace’s perspective that’s how it seemed. “You know after the accident I got really depressed…..” that wasn’t a revelation; it was a normal reaction to being blinded, crippled, losing your parents and home all in one catastrophic disaster. “it took…..six or seven months for my eyes to heal enough for the implants, so I just listened to books” she said “I would sit there and listen and feel the sun on my face knowing I was on a world I had never seen and thinking I would never see it.” she said pausing to regain her thread of thought “I started listening to philosophy, eastern, western, some alien, writings from religious types anything I could find, I had nothing else to do…I couldn’t even really sleep….” She had a point…she was getting too it somehow. “Chance….is an illusion…but it isn’t” she said at last “it all really comes down to choice….” She said at last “I chose to apply to Julliard in secret…choice, mom found out….chance, I took a day off work to spend the day with mom…choice…I was behind on work the next day, that saved my life….chance” she took a breath “it’s all just cause and effect though….nothing happens in a vacuum right? We make choices and things happen and sometimes they seem unconnected and sometimes they are great and sometimes they are bad and none of it is really chance…or it all is I guess. I guess what I’m trying to say is that you always have a chance….you could walk away tomorrow, just from what I’ve seen of you…you’d have no problem making your own way…you don’t need those boys half as much as they need you…not professionally. Trust me….you don’t know what needing someone is till you need them to carry you up stairs” She was quiet a long while as if letting that sink in, the next thing she said was business. “So…their transponder frequency is buried in that message they sent off by mistake” she said, the sound of typing could be heard in the background “When they enter the system they should reach out to the navigation buoy with the same transponder…standard procedure right?....well the thing is that is a space pirate signature” she said quietly “I’m talking to the nav-system right now….trying to figure out how to get it to relay to their planetary defense system that a Pirate vessel is coming into orbit when they get there….ought to keep them busy while we sweep in and get the prize.” She was quiet a bit as she considered the next part of information to share, it wasn’t that she didn’t trust Grace….well she didn’t not completely. But to her it was an edge they had, and she still wanted Alex to win the bet. “if I were you guys I would be ready for a planet side extraction…by the math it will de-orbit by the time we get to the system. |
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| ~Emperor~ | Aug 4 2015, 06:34 PM Post #82 |
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The message was endlessly irritating. Smoke drifted around the cramped bridge of the frigate, chalky and bluish, and bearing the unmistakable scent of contraband. An imposing man stood at the center of the bridge, surrounded by consoles but otherwise alone. His face was heavily tanned and bore a weary expression while he stared forward. Slater inhaled the bluish smoke, a lit cigar in his hand as he pressed a button on the nearest console. The message from the Silent Ibis stopped, and the bridge was quiet. The message would have perturbed him more, but the various herbs kept him from feeling more than mildly annoyed. A dull ache ran through his arm as he thought, a reminder from the three pins left in his shoulder. It had been four years and yet they still ached, a relic of that accursed incident. Slater narrowed his steely blue eyes with barely a thought. He hadn’t known Vishik would be in this area. While the last bit of communication from him indicated he was up to something vague, Slater hadn’t bothered to investigate. Had Slater dug into it more, he might have seen the claim Vishik had left behind for the bounty, but the two were hardly on good terms and he almost never checked those anyway. Slater paced back and forth, occasionally pausing to take a draw from the cigar. His crew was scattered about the ship - on break, for their last trade deal in the area had been finished. It was a bit ingenious of Vishik to take this request on, given his history. It honestly begged the question of how financially desperate he was, and Slater smirked to himself at the thought. In another situation he might have enjoyed the irony. But try as he might, he couldn’t get a communication out to the ship that had broadcast the message, and so had publicly involved the Obsidian Group. He had no doubt that a stealth field was to blame, for the message had even mentioned it. It was yet another annoyance. That wasn’t what got to him the most though. Rumors of Jimmy Vega spread fast, and while he hadn’t been privy to the briefings about the bounty they were all after, Vega was an old acquaintance, and one he hadn’t seen in years. They might even have been able to work out some kind of deal, given their past, though Slater knew there were more than enough people willing to throw themselves to the criminal’s command. Slater had been pondering his move when he had finished up the last of his business in the sector. Vishik might have screwed that all up though. And the crew on the ship didn’t give exactly fill him with confidence. Did they even know they were dealing with Vega? He shook his head. They would be stupid not to. Still though, Slater thought to himself. There was a lot Vega didn’t know. And his ship had been following Vega from a distance ever since they had left Archer station. They were more than within communication range now, but he had wanted to hold back before. Now there wasn’t much time left. He hovered his hand over the comm button, his mouth still bitter from the cigar. No matter. The communication he sent out was to the point. “Jimmy Vega.” He paused. “It’s Slater Graves. It’s been a long time. You might think I’m on official Obsidian Group business here, but… That remains to be seen. We could catch up, you know. But really, how far into this bounty are you? You know… for old time’s sake.” ~ Unlike Slater, Vishik had kept a close eye on the positions of all the Obsidian Group commanders, and had long known that Slater would be in the area with his own frigate. He had chosen to ignore that fact for the longest time though, as it was clear Slater wasn’t after the same bounty as him, and he damn well better not have tried to make a move since he would know the consequences of stealing it from under him. Vishik let out a frustrated breath, to the puzzlement of a nearby officer. He ignored him. The Nightfire was still too far out for assistance, and he knew the crew was drawing close to the planet. Slater’s ship was armed, though not as much as the Nightfire. It was still better armed than Damian's ship, and if things took much longer… Maybe… Vishisk shook his head. Not yet. ~ The Silent Ibis raced toward Valhalla, quietly entering detection range from the planet as it sped forward. The pirate cloaking muddied attempts to actively track them, and at that exact point, things seemed quiet. “Hey uh…” Argo’s voice was grainy from a nearby speaker, but rang clear amidst the silence of the ship. Damian had been nodding off, the stars a constant backdrop for his mind to wander. Wearily, he glanced around to try and see where the AI had decided to show himself. “What is it, Argo?” he finally asked, rousing himself from the chair. “I’ve picked up on the tracking beacon for the capsule as we’re nearing the planet. It looks like the capsule has just deorbited.” Damian blinked. Wonderful. “Are you sure?” he finally asked, this time glancing around for the notebook he had been scrawling his plans on. “There’s no question about it, the orbits make a very specific motion and-“ “I know that,” Damian replied hastily. “I just mean…” he paused. “Nevermind. Okay, so it’s deorbited. Fine. We just gotta do plan B.” “Yes. But with the type of competition we’ve got after this… I mean Jimmy Vega? I’m not feeling particularly great.” Damian took a breath. “We’ll be fine. Just gotta be quick.” He glanced down. “I’ll tell Marcus though. And ready a communication for Vishik, he’ll need to know our status as soon as possible.” The hologram blinked for a second and then faded. Valhalla filled the viewport as they drew ever closer. Damian stared at it, feeling a sense of awe fill him as the planet's details clarified. It was rare that he got to see such an approach, and rarer still that he was at the command of the ship doing so. “So that’s Valhalla, huh?” Marcus spoke up gruffly, surprising Damian, who was still staring at the viewport. “Not bad. ...not quite as breathtaking as Earth though. But I haven’t seen it for a long time. You ever been there? Before all this business with the group?” Damian shook his head, taken again by surprise. “Shame.” Marcus glanced aside. “It’s probably for the best though, I suppose.” There was a momentary silence. Damian broke it in a few seconds. “Well I’ve got news you’re not particularly going to like...” Edited by Emperor, Aug 4 2015, 07:58 PM.
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| ~The Boss~ | Aug 9 2015, 02:46 PM Post #83 |
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Native Son
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"Honey, you're so sweet I think I'm getting diabetes just talking to you." Their talk was clearly lifting Grace's spirits. While she generally was upbeat and full of life, the past few hours had seen an uncharacteristic dampening of her mood. But Hannah had been able to pull her out of it through sheer force of her personality, even if Grace's energy level was still pretty low thanks to Ronnie's stash. "It's not so simple," she said, "cutting these guys loose. Yeah, I could probably make it on my own, I have made it on my own. But these guys, as awful as they are, they're like my brothers. Well, not Jimmy of course, that'd be pretty gross. But you know what I mean. I've known them since I was a kid. They took me in when I was living on the streets and welcomed me with open arms. They've always been there for me. All I ever had was my mom, and after she was gone, these guys became my family. And yeah, they did help me up the stairs after I tore every ligament in my knee." She didn't want to delve into the details of how that happened, but chances are the crew of the Persephone had heard of a ship called Sanctuary, a former GFed battle cruiser that had been taken over by rebels and turned into a refuge for those wishing to escape the chaos. Grace had been one of those rebels, working at the time for a guy called Adam, who was far more than what he seemed. Come to think of it, the Powells and their crew might find themselves right at home on Sanctuary. "You know, speaking of which, whatever happens after all this, you gotta at least let me hook you up with my physical therapist. Dr. Nancy Friedman, in Manhattan. That woman is a miracle worker." She hoped Hannah would take her up on that offer. They might be unwilling to work for Jimmy after this was all over, but a couple sessions with Dr. Nancy could really do her wonders. "And thanks for the tip. I'll get Ronnie right on it. And I've been itching to go planetside ever since we left. It's why I'm here. I'm not meant to be cooped up on a ship. I'll be ready. "Anyway, it was nice talking to you. I can't guarantee I can hold the boys off for very long, but either way, I know things will work out for you guys. Feel free to give me a shout any time. Good hunting." Grace leaned back in her chair after hanging up, feeling so much better than she had all day. For a moment, she thought she might want to ride with Alex and Hannah for a while, just for a change of pace. The boys would understand. She often did stuff like that, like her time on Sanctuary. Sometimes she just needed to get away. Just as she was getting lost in her thoughts, another call interrupted her daydreaming. “Jimmy Vega.... It’s Slater Graves. It’s been a long time. You might think I’m on official Obsidian Group business here, but… That remains to be seen. We could catch up, you know. But really, how far into this bounty are you? You know… for old time’s sake.” Great. Just great. The Obsidian Group. She got up and went into the back of the ship, where Jimmy was snoozing in their bunk, still fully dressed. "Hey Jimmy," she said, nudging him. He groggily opened his eyes, none too happy. "Call for you. Some guy named Slater Graves." That got his attention. He dragged himself out of the bunk and made his way into the cockpit. He listened to the message, then opened up a direct line. "Slater Graves," he said. "Figured you'd be dead by now. And why aren't you, anyway?" Even though they'd done a lot of business over the years, Jimmy never liked Slater very much. Then again, not many people did. And that included his own comrades. Grace stood behind him as he settled into the pilot's chair. He was about to tell her to beat it, then reminded himself that it not only wouldn't do any good, it would probably make things even worse than they already were. "And you really think I'd stoop so low to chase after a bounty? You know me better than that. I'm collecting a debt. And one way or another, that debt's gettin' paid. So if you and your people are thinking that you're gonna sneak in and snatch the prize under everyone's nose... hey, fine by me. Ain't no skin off my back. Debts can be paid in blood too, you know." |
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| ~Alissa~ | Aug 10 2015, 09:47 PM Post #84 |
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Hanna sat in silence for some time after Grace cut the call, she could hear what was happening on the other end of the feed but she had turned it off, there was a recording if they needed it and she just, didn't feel like listening, instead she turned on some Tchaikovsky and returned to her work. The ship woke up around her, at some point Alex placed a cup of coffee next to his sister as she plugged away at the terminal attempting to gain access to a system from light-years away. Code streamed across several monitors as her fingers flew across a keyboard. Hannah was only aware of the coffee, which was always full and mostly warm thanks to the efforts of the rest of the crew, by now even Cat had figured out that when Hannah entered this sort of state it was best to let her work. At last Hannah sat back and pumped her hands in the air “yes! Thats right! I am your master and you will do as I tell you!” she said to the screens in front of her “and what...” Alex said from the co-pilot's seat “did you tell it to do?” Hannah blinked turning her chair to face her brother “I told the nav buoy at Valhalla to tell the planetary defense system that when our friends from the obsidian group arrive that they are in fact a heavy pirate battle cruiser” she yawned quietly “even if they get the less than 'kill it with fire' treatment it is going to complicate things for them to no end....I'm going to bed, I'll be back before we jump into the system” and with that his sister left Alex alone on the bridge. Cat looked between the siblings a moment before returning her attention to her own station. Some hours later the Persephone was ready to jump, Alex as in the hold with Sam, and Cat while Mike was suiting up. Cat wore the armor they had taken from Derrick on his short visit to the Persephone, they had modified it to fit her better, and removed anything that might be a tracking or listening device from the armor, upgraded the software and tied it into their own communication system. “So what are you doing if things get out of hand?' Alex said to Hannah over the commented “leaving big brother....promise....scouts honor” “you were not a scout.....” “oh....I guess that means something hmm” Alex growled in frustration with his sister but she interrupted him “coming into the system....I'm scanning for the long sword and that OG....and the pod, yes I'm scanning for the pod.....ok, I think I have an area to look in.....prepare for atmospheric injection” almost on cue the ship began to shake with the sudden application of atmosphere to hull as the Persephone began its decent towards their objective, guided by the tracking beacon which was hard to locate as it was rather weak at this point, and math along with Hannah's faith in its ability to make sense out of the universe. |
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| ~Emperor~ | Aug 16 2015, 08:45 PM Post #85 |
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(OOC: First section is done jointly with Boss.) “Dead?” Slater gave a small chuckle. “Not yet. A lot’s happened in these four years, but that hasn’t been one of them.” He trailed off for a brief second, the smoke still visible in the bridge. “You’ll have to excuse all the rumors, Vega. I can only go by what I know. Though, the thought of you chasing after a bounty didn’t particularly sit with me, I agree.” He glanced to the viewport. “I do believe they plan to take the bounty as stealthily as they can at this point, so I’m glad that won’t be an issue. I may get involved at some point.” He paused. “I’d prefer not to aggravate old friends, you know?” "Oh, I remember that guy!" Grace said as she eavesdropped on their conversation. "He's an asshole!" Jimmy shot her a look, but didn't say anything. Honestly, he really couldn't disagree with her. "We ain't friends, Slater," he said. "But you don't have to worry about any blowback from me. Can't promise you that you won't run into trouble down there, though. My girl's already gone rogue on me, and the rest of my people are hell bent on snatching that package. And I wouldn't underestimate the other crew neither. So you best watch yourself if you get involved. "Come to think of it, if you ain't involved, what the hell you doin' here, anyway? There trouble on the homefront or something?" “Charming,” Slater said in reply to Grace, but otherwise ignored her. “Believe it or not I have legitimate business around these parts, far off as they are. This business with the bounty though... if I’m needed by the group, I’m needed. For the right price, of course.” ~~~ “So where exactly did the capsule end up?” Damian asked to Argo, acutely aware that Valhalla was looming upon them. Argo responded in a halting fashion. “It’s… uh… hold on.” The hologram seemed to flicker momentarily. At the same time, a sudden beep from a nearby console caught Damian’s attention, and he frowned - then grimaced. Three large blips had appeared on their radar, all converging to their ship. “It appears we’re being followed,” he said, squinting out the viewport in an attempt to see their pursuers. “Yeah about that,” Argo said suddenly. “I think they were trying to hail us earlier.” “You didn’t tell me?” Damian felt at a loss for words. Half the time it felt like Argo did this on purpose. “In my defense…” Argo began, but he glowered at the AI’s hologram. “… in my defense, it’s hard to receive hails when we’re cloaked. But uh, here, I’ll play it now.” There was a beep. Then, a loud authoritative voice rang out in the bridge. “Unknown space pirate ship, on behalf of the Valhalla Defense Force you are ordered to drop your cloaking and surrender for inspection immediately.” “Oy,” Marcus exclaimed, and Damian blinked. Well then. He thought for a moment, but Argo suddenly seemed more agitated. “I don’t think they’re going to give us a round two. You should answer them. I’ll open a communication channel now.” “Wait-“ Damian paused, trying to weigh the different ways things could wrong here. “How did they confuse us for a pirate vessel – again…? Did you mess up one of the nav buoys? How did-“ “We don’t have time, Damian. They’re charging their weapons as we speak.” “Alright alright,” Damian said defeatedly, then scrambled around. “Um. Officially, this was a technical mix-up, we’re just a re-purposed vessel in the area…” “Are they going to buy that?” Marcus suddenly asked. “Well I don’t know. We’re not the only Obsidian Group members who come out here. It’s not unknown- “Guys!” Argo suddenly spoke louder, and Damian hung his head, anticipating the worst. He pressed a particularly large button on the console, and their stealth cloaking shut off immediately. In hindsight, it was a good thing he had done so. All three of the military vessels were on the verge of firing at them at that point. “This is the Silent Ibis, operating on behalf of the Obsidian Group. There seems to be a technical mix up here…” ~~~ They hadn’t really bought the story. It had taken hours to convince them that they weren’t, in fact, pirates, and all the while Damian felt himself getting angrier and angrier. The precious time they had gained in front of the others was slipping away before their eyes. He had barely been able to contain himself when the investigative team boarded the ship – and they weren’t impressed by the space pirate decor. He should have at least changed the damn lights, Damian thought, but shook the idea out of his head. Marcus leaned against the wall of the ship, staring at the grizzled officer who now stood at the center of the bridge. He had already confiscated the weapons in plain sight, but Marcus hadn’t resisted. There was no point when they were outmatched. They hadn't found his cache of heavier weapons, and that was all he really cared about. “Well?” Damian finally asked, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice. “You know, we received a notification from our defense grid about a pirate cruiser, not a crummy stealth ship with scarcely a crew on it.” Damian shrugged. “Well, as you can see, we’re not a cruiser.” “No,” the officer responded. “But I bet I know what you’re after. I have half a mind to arrest you both right now. Give me one reason not to.” Damian balked, but Marcus folded his arms. “We’re clearly not pirates, and you know about the Obsidian Group already.” “Maybe, maybe not. Who’s to say you aren’t spies?” The man jerked his head forward. “You know, pirates have spies everywhere.” Damian rolled his eyes, and glanced out the window again. “Besides,” he continued. “The only part of the Obsidian Group I’ve interacted with was with this Slater fellow. And no offense, but you guys are way too sloppy from what I’ve seen of him.” Marcus bit his tongue to prevent himself from saying something nasty. Damian, meanwhile, felt his jaw drop, but quickly closed his mouth. Slater was around Valhalla? How strange. Marcus didn’t miss a beat. “Okay then. Slater, you say? And if we can get him to vouch for us – then what, will you believe us?” “Hmmph,” the man looked Marcus up and down, trying to see if he was bluffing. “Maybe.” “Then you should let Damian get to the comm,” he replied, but the other officer near the console shifted, blocking it. The original man, meanwhile, seemed to think on this. “What are you doing?” Damian hissed at Marcus. “We don’t know where he is, and besides-” “Damian, stop for a moment. We don’t, but Vishik probably does if Slater’s been around here. So if you’d open a communication to the Nightfire…” “Ah…” Damian glanced around. “I suppose seeing what you’ll do will be amusing, yes.” The officer finally replied, and Damian let out his breath. The officer signaled to the man blocking the console, letting Damian get near. He sighed, then started keying out the combination to contact the Nightfire. “And no funny business,” the man added. Damian said nothing, wondering if the man knew that the other ships were the only reason they weren't trying anything. It didn't really matter, in the end. Their lead on the others was all but gone by now. Edited by Emperor, Aug 16 2015, 08:47 PM.
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| ~Alissa~ | Sep 20 2015, 05:48 PM Post #86 |
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The Persephone was not a ship designed with aerodynamics in mind, her creators had known she would be entering atmospheres but had chosen instead to focus on her performance in space, which was useful for almost all of her existence before the Powells took ownership. Now however it meant either entering the atmosphere at a sedate pace…..or as in this case, that Hannah’s hands were full with the entry process till the ship decelerated to a more sane speed. In the cargo hold two vehicles had been prepped, the first was small, large enough for a rider and a bit of cargo, it had the look of a motorcycle, except where wheels would have been found a pair of hover pads were equipped in their place. These were the sorts of things used by a lot of ships that allowed them to hover in place, to taxi without relying on wheels and tires, or in some cases replaced landing struts all together. “You sure about this thing?” Alex asked Hannah who was checking it over pausing and looking up “yeah…my brother built it” she replied, the armor’s helmet was set on the handle bars, the bike had a sort of cyber punk Mad Max feel too it, only adding to that feel was the long high powered riffle currently jutting at an angle from behind the driver seat. “I don’t know your brother Cat….” Alex provided catching himself after the ship shuddered, things were calming down, they were well on their way to the drop location. Cat looked at her boss a moment like she was about to snark off and though better of it before reaching up and wrapping her hair which she had already twisted into a tight braid around the top of her head so she could fit it all in the helmet. “Don’t worry boss, I won’t die….and hey…if I do turn into a crator….one less crew to pay” she patted Alex on the shoulder and climbed onto the bike pulling the helmet on “this way I can cover you guys from a distance and if things go nuts you don’t need to worry about picking me up” “Ok Cat we are coming up on your drop, your scanner should pick up the pod when you get within range” That was Hannah on the overhead Alex backed off toward the other two as Car started her bike, it rose off the deck a few inches and she brought it into position as the back hatch of the cargo hold slowly slid open showing rushing clouds and the ground still far below, they were clearly moving much more slowly now. They had pegged a valley as the likely landing sight of the pod. “Three…” “Two… “One…..Drop!” and with that Hannah lurched forward and out the open doors falling away instantly instead of into any real flight, the three men in the cargo hold ran over watching the bike and rider as they seemed to tumble for a time before two sleek black shuts opened bringing the craft under control. “Oh….” Said Alex quietly A safe distance over the ground Cat would cut the shuts and begin the first part of her mission, long sweeping scans looking for the weak tracking signal from the pod. Once she found it she would find a place to set up and wait to cover the rest of the team. A short time later the Persephone had landed in the closest place they could to where they thought the pod would impact. Mike Sam and Alex left the ship in a tracked vehicle that looked like it might have been used in the second world war on earth. The front was steered by a pair of large wheels while the back half was tracked….Lucy had been loaded into the back. Mike Sam and Alex riding in the front” Hannah Keyed on her radio “Bye bye boys….have fun storming the castle!” |
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| ~The Boss~ | Sep 23 2015, 11:53 PM Post #87 |
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Native Son
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"Okay people, Planet Valhalla." Ronnie sat on the edge of his bunk, spreading a large map across Derrick's trunk while everyone else gathered around. "Once a thriving independent world, part of a loose Triumvirate that also included Carmen and Victoria," he said as he launched into his spiel. "Laid to waste by it's former allies a quarter century ago, now home to little more than scattered villages and tribals up in the mountains. And it's in the mountains where our package has landed. According to the beacon, it should be somewhere around... here." He drew a big red circle on the map, covering a wide area. "And before you ask, no, I can't get any more accurate than that. At least not until we get closer. "Now then, we'll drop Grace in here," Ronnie continued, writing a G nearby the circle. "Let her roll out the welcome mat for our friends." Out came the smirk. "I've got plenty of surprises in store," she said, referring to the homemade explosives and booby traps she had been making during their trip. "We'll have a hell of a time." She winked at Derrick. Between her and Ronnie, it was like a tattoo parlor in here. And while Jimmy was wearing a long sleeved shirt, Derrick knew that he was right up there with the both of them in that department. For his part, Nick wasn't nearly as illustrated as his compatriots, though there was the Marine Corps insignia on his bicep, and Derrick had seen the name "Casey" on his chest. He'd been assured that it was in fact the name of Nick's daughter, and not a wife or lover. As if on cue, Nick pointed to a spot on the map. "Me n' the kid can come up through here," he said, tracing a spot coming from the opposite side of the circle from where Grace was going in. "Put a squeeze play on 'em. Let Grace keep 'em on their toes while we sneak in and scoop up the package." "They still have my suit," Derrick chimed in. "We'll get it back," said Grace. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" "We'll get it back," she repeated. "Again, how are you going to-" "Derrick," Nick interjected, "don't bother." "But she's not even-" "And she ain't gonna. Let it go." Dumbfounded, Derrick could only shake his head. These people were out of their damn minds. Paying no attention to that little exchange, Ronnie wrote an N at the spot where Nick had pointed to, and then an X a little ways away from there. "We can touch down here once we drop you guys off," he said. "Be easier than chillin' in orbit, and if things go south we can get there in a hurry." "Whatever happens, make sure we keep casualties at a minimum," said Grace. "Captain Powell and I made a deal." "What about the Obsidians?" Derrick asked. "Kill 'em," said Jimmy, the only words he'd spoken this entire time. Nick nodded. "I agree. Goddamn communist traitors." "They're not communist, actually," said Derrick. "He thinks everyone's communist," Grace muttered to him under her breath. Nick gave her the stink eye, and she responded in a characteristically mature way by sticking her tongue out at him. "Love ya, Nick,' she said with a grin. "Okay, so everyone knows what to do." Ronnie once again was completely ignoring the extraneous banter. "Should be coming up on Valhalla in a couple of hours. Then the real fun begins." ...................... The Longsword managed to slip past the patrols without incident. They called themselves the Valhalla Defense Force, though in truth they belonged to Carmen and Victoria respectively, jealously guarding the formerly prosperous world in a shaky alliance. Their ship had been designed for speed and stealth, so it wasn't much of a chore to sneak in, especially considering the convenient if unintentional distraction that the Obsidian Group had helpfully provided. As they cruised through the sky above Valhalla, once again a funky beat was blasting through the speakers, the rumbling bass shaking the walls and the floor. "Hey Ronnie, is this Thugalicious?" Grace asked, her had bobbing to the music. She had slipped into a sleek black stealth nanofiber tactical suit, gear that was a better fit for her game than a big heavy suit of power armor. Even Derrick's suit, designed for speed and freedom of movement, was a little too much for her. At heart, she was still a thief rather than a warrior. "Yeah," Ronnie called back from the cockpit. "The album doesn't drop for a while, but he gave me a sneak preview of some of the new tracks just before we left." The boys were tight with the rapper, one of the biggest stars in music today. But before he was topping the charts, Jimmy had given him the money to start his label, and he continued to remember the patronage. He'd even put Ronnie in one of his videos. "You like it?" "Yeah!" Grace continued to groove to the music. "Who's Thugalicious?" Derrick asked. She gaped at him. "Just how sheltered are you?" "It's ghetto music for ghetto people," Nick sneered as he cleaned an assault rifle. "Hey!" Ronnie shouted. "That's racist!" "It's true," Nick said with a shrug. "What, you want us to put on some of that inbred hillbilly music?" "Alright, that's enough you two," Jimmy groaned. He'd been laying on his bunk as everyone had been gearing up. He was weary of this entire operation to begin with, and the last thing he needed was the moron twins going at it like they always did. After a quick laugh, Grace began arming herself. Her big weapon was a sniper rifle - really a re-purposed hunting rifle that Nick had given to her for her 18th birthday. Loaded with armor-piercing rounds, it was every bit as effective as any military grade weapon. On top of that, she had not one, not two, but four pistols on her person. First there was a pair of excellent if unremarkable sidearms strapped to her thighs. In a shoulder holster she had a large, menacing-looking revolver loaded with high explosive rounds - a combo affectionately known to this crew as the Vega Special, and the answer to the question as to how exactly a designer suit-wearing gangster had not yet been killed by power armored bounty hunters. And then there was a rather strange looking pistol she slipped into the opposite shoulder holster that didn't look like any common weapon Derrick had ever seen. "Is that a paintball gun?" he asked, eyeing the pistol. "Yeah," she replied as if it should've been obvious. "Why the hell do you have a paintball gun?" "I might need it." "Okay, again, why-" "What'd I tell you about questioning her?" Nick said, cutting him off. Derrick was about to argue, but quickly realized how fruitless that would be. Instead, he was left to wonder just what sort of high school prank this half mad woman had in mind. Now fully armed, Grace strapped her parachute to her back, and her duffel bag full of goodies to her torso. "The lone wolf Marine didn't faze them," she said. "Lets see how they like tangling with a genuine Apache warrior." "That's racist!" Ronnie shouted from the cockpit. "Ronnie... shut up." She rolled her eyes at him dismissively and headed down to the rear bay, followed by Nick. "Good hunting," he said, hitting the big red button and bracing himself. The bay doors opened, and Grace took the plunge. |
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| ~Alissa~ | Oct 12 2015, 02:51 PM Post #88 |
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The Persephone was not a stealth ship, Hannah had done her job well enough though and knew that at least for a while…so long as no one actually spotted them, they would exist in a well-crafted blind spot of the defense force’s sensors. She had tracked Hannah as long as she could but once the sniper cut the shuts there was no way to find her with the ship’s systems save her com….which was off for now. She watched the big halftrack as it rolled out of the cargo hold and began lumbering off toward where they thought the pod was likely to have landed. Sam sat on the back, a heavy gun in a mount pointing out into the landscape, Mike and Alex were up in the front, Alex was driving and Mike as keeping an eye on the scanner. “You know what bothers me?” Mike said “Cheap rum?” Alex replied “No…well yes…but that’s not what I’m talking about” Mike continued “The Obsidian guys were not at that meeting…” Alex nodded “so how many other players are going to shake out?” “Aside from maybe making our trip back interesting….it is about to be moot isn’t it?” Alex added as they cruised along “I’m more worried about the Vega and friend’s show” he added quietly “they are close enough on our heels that we might be running into them at the work site…I just hope the thing isn’t impacted too deep” he added Mike nodded “that’s what Lucy is for though right? And if she can’t get it out she can uncover it and Hannah can come in with the grapple.” This wasn’t the first time they had recovered something that had started in orbit; they knew it was entirely possible that whatever it was could well have buried its self under a fair amount of debris ***Spotted the crater boss*** that was Cat over the radio “hold on….got it” mike said marking the location on the map, their scanner still hadn’t picked up the beacon “any idea how deep it is?” ***nope….but I see debris about a kilometer away from the site…I’m going to find cover and set up*** Mike swore and looked toward Alex “you should tell your sister to be ready to come on over here….” Alex glanced toward Mike “let’s wait till we get a better handle on what we are dealing with” It was about then the half-track crested a ridge and started down toward the impact crater, mike climbed back and began to start getting the big industrial bot named Lucy ready to go. |
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| ~The Boss~ | Oct 29 2015, 12:51 AM Post #89 |
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Native Son
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"So... how was it?" Nick and Derrick trudged through the snow on their way to the impact side in the middle of the woods. Both were decked out in winterized combat gear, specially brought along for Valhalla's chilly climate. Their helmets were equipped with visors featuring multiple vision modes, as well as cameras that Ronnie had synched up to their ship's monitors. In terms of weaponry, Nick carried a bullpup assault rifle and had a shotgun strapped on his back, while Derrick had an identical rifle as well as the zap gun, which Grace had swiped during the brawl at Maddie's. "What are you talking about?" Derrick asked. "You know." Nick shot him a knowing grin. "That little romp you n' Grace had in the cockpit." It took everything he had not to snicker at the word "cockpit" itself. "That's none of your business." "Aw, c'mon, we're just two guys talkin' here." "There's other things we could talk about. Like the task at hand, for example. Why are you so fixated on this?" Derrick's exasperation was showing. "Cause I'm the only one here who ain't done her! Hell, Jimmy and Ronnie used to tag team her back in the day. It'd be like, wham bam thank ya ma'am... next! I'm tellin' ya, that girl's been 'round the block more than a few times." "Great. So we're slut-shaming her now." Beneath his visor, Derrick's face was a mixture of exasperation and disgust. He'd grown used to Nick's lecherous attitude and crude conversations these past few weeks, and yet somehow the big Texan always managed to sink to a new low. "Whoa there, buddy! Ain't no one shamin' nobody. I ain't one to fault a girl for gettin' hers. More power to her, I say. Besides, it ain't like she's capable of shame anyway." "Nick, you are aware that you're transmitting, aren't you?" Grace said in his ear. Nick could only stammer in response, to which Grace just laughed. "It's okay," she said, probably with a huge grin on the other end. "I love hearing tales of my exploits. Of course, the best stories are the ones you haven't even heard yet. And never will." "Aw, c'mon girl, you can't tease me like that!" "I can, and I just did." This was way too much for Derrick, who was also patched in. His life was on the line - despite Grace's insistence to the contrary, he still felt like he was on the chopping block - and these lunatics flatly refused to take anything seriously. "Enough!" he shouted. "We've got a job to do here. Do any of you actually give a damn?" Nick stopped in his tracks and turned back towards the young bounty hunter, giving him a nod of approval. "Well, look who finally grew a pair." "Everything's taken care of, Derrick. You need to chill out. Seriously," "Sure doesn't sound like anything's taken care of." "I'll have you know that I'm sitting up in a tree right now, looking at the impact site through my rifle scope. The surrounding area is full of all sorts of fantastic little surprises for the Obsidians and our friends from the Persephone. Only thing I can do right now is hang out and wait for someone to come along and cause trouble, so there's plenty of time to make casual conversation. Satisfied?" "Afraid she's got you there, son," Nick said. "Now c'mon, we gotta kep on keepin' on." |
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| ~Emperor~ | Nov 10 2015, 01:45 AM Post #90 |
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Fragment
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(OOC: Ugh, where did the time go? Sorry for being so late. Tried to get this done while I still have time this week, so if there’s something off just message me.) Vishik sighed unhappily as he stared at the comm screen, his fingers closed together in a steeple as he thought, every wrinkle in his face standing out to those around him. He had just finished a conversation with Damian that left him very displeased. He had said nothing of the sort to indicate that, of course, but it left him highly discouraged about their plan. None of the crew nearby dared to interrupt him when he was like this, and he chewed over the scenarios in his head again and again. A mix of frustration, annoyance, and a realization that this situation had to potential to not end well fell upon him, and he frowned. He held his hand above a button on the comm, then pressed it, his mind already made up. The transmission line, sent out to a destination far away, opened, and he waited. Seconds passed, but he didn’t show any sign of impatience. Instead he waited silently - waited for his unscrupulous counterpart to answer, and in turn determine how things would play out. Slater appeared on the screen after several more seconds, a fleeting grin on his face. “Well well,” he said carefully, drawing out the words. “I wasn’t sure if I’d be hearing from you.” Vishik didn’t say anything after a moment, then spoke quickly. “Now you can be sure.” His eyes flickered across the screen. “So I take it you’re already aware of my crew in your vicinity, and the operation I’m trying to do there.” Slater grinned. “It was hard to miss. What with that transmission-“ “Yes, well. As much as I’d like to be there myself, I am unable to at the moment with the current state of the Nightfire, and, well…” Slater seemed to hang to his words with a glee that irritated Vishik. “… well?” the man asked, and Vishik sighed before speaking. “We could use help. I’m officially requesting it, as you’re the only Obsidian commander in the area, and you have the proper ah… means for this sort of mission. There is also the matter of a nosy Valhallan defense inquiry to take care of… and they specifically named you.” At this Slater laughed, though only briefly. “That’s flattering. But you know, I was wondering when you would ask for help. I can clear up an inquiry like that if you give me enough time. We’ve got some guys there that like us. Well me, anyway.” “But you know Vega is also after this bounty. I believe it’s only fair then to ask for a fifty-fifty split of it. I did my research on the bounty. Decided not to chase it myself, for once.” Vishik let out a breath and tightened his jaw. “Can’t do fifty. Thirty-five is the most I’ll do.” Slater stared at him for a second, and then his face twisted. “Thirty-five? Really? Are you that strapped for cash? What have you been doing?” Vishik said nothing, his face hot, and Slater frowned as he realized his words hit close to home. He then seemed to relish it, to Vishik’s eternal annoyance. “Fine, thirty-five. But if we’re doing this, you vote my way at the next council meeting or I’m not taking it. It’ll be a favor, no?” There was a tense moment, which Vishik broke only after mulling it over. He said one word. “Fine.” It was worth it. He didn’t know when the Nightfire would be ready, which was the most damning problem of all. He didn’t care what Slater proposed next at the meeting, for those affairs left him more exhausted than not. “Then it’s a deal.” Slater looked at him carefully. “You understand now that if you back out of this…” Vishik waved his hand dismissively, though inside he felt anything but. “Yes. I won’t. You need the orbital coordinates. Our plans too.” Slater said nothing, then finally nodded. “Yes, tell me what you were thinking with this. And give me the encryption key to talk to your crew over there through their stealth field. That's kind of important, you know.” ~ It had taken far more effort than anyone on the Silent Ibis cared to admit for Slater to get patched into their ship. He seemed overzealous in his bargaining with the defense crew, and then, to Damian’s amazement, it worked. The crew left, and stunned, all he and Marcus could do was awkwardly wait for the last of them to depart. The Silent Ibis, now free of the interference from Valhalla’s defense force, drifted in orbit around the planet. Slater seemed on the verge of saying more to them, but stopped, and then gestured. “Private encryptions would work best now,” he said slyly, and Damian nodded. Once they were fully sure the last of the defense ships were, the comm dinged again, and they could speak without censorship. Marcus seemed half furious, though he managed to keep himself at bay. “So. That was awkward,” Slater said, and Damian felt himself grow hot. “Well anyway… thank you for patching that over.” Damian said. “Hmph. You’re lucky I was in the area. Your captain contacted me about your mission outside of this… problem… and has officially requested my help given his ship problems. And I’m helping now.” Marcus started to say something, but stopped. Damian hesitated, completely caught off guard. They had just wanted him to get rid of the defense forces before, but if Vishik had requested this assistance, it could only mean… “The Nightfire’s in that bad of shape, huh?” he finally said, and Slater frowned. “Well yes, that and the other events that have transpired here already played into it. But I know what’s going on with your mission, and I’ve got the tracking signature for the item too. I see it’s already landed. Given the other parties involved, we don’t really have time to chit chat after all this.” “Other parties, like your old pal Jimmy Vega?” Marcus suddenly said, and Slater narrowed his eyes. “Pal? No. Doesn’t matter though. You should know full well my loyalty to the group trumps all. And since your commanding officer isn’t here to coordinate this mission, I believe you have to actually listen to what I have to say, yes?” Marcus murmured something, though Damian hesitated. “Look, we appreciate the help.” He finally said, then brought his hands together. “And we need to move quickly, you’re right.” “I’m fairly certain Vega’s crew is already at the planet surface, no doubt set up around the target to snare any other search parties.” Slater looked down at something off his screen. “Given the nature of your ship, I think it’s best if you continue with your stealth field at maximum. Full maximum. No outside communications except with me. I can serve as a distraction of sorts on the planet – just to draw attention away from the target. We wouldn’t want a firefight right now. It’ll be hard to not see this frigate though.” He glanced back to them. “I don’t have much crew to send there to help on the ground. We don’t have stealth fighters like yours. You’d be on the ground by yourselves, at least at first. It depends on how much attention we can draw away. You’ll probably have to deal with some of them there too, so. It’s up to you to be good at this.” Damian folded his arms, a comeback at the ready, but Slater continued. “Depending on how poorly that goes, there may be no point in hiding after that, in which case you can expect full fire support. Vishik told me your original plan, though, and it still has merit. Grab the target as quietly as you can with your ship, disable the tracking, and then rendezvous with our ship as soon as possible. There will be attention on us. It will be critical to go undetected as long as you can. ” He smirked. “We need to be fast. I don’t know how many others there are outside of Vega.” Marcus spoke forcefully. “I actually agree with you, Slater. That worries me.” He shifted to his side. “Most of our weapons were confiscated though, so we’ll need to borrow a few…” “That won’t be a problem.” ~ Their new arsenal in hand, Damian steered the Silent Ibis through Valhalla’s atmosphere, their stealth field keeping them undetected for the time being; not even the nosy defense force would see them now with their communications cut to the dead minimum. The mountainous terrain rolled below, and he was on edge as the position grew closer. They would have to stop a ways from it, for there was no doubt that others would be converging to it. Argo voiced an affirmative as they came the closest he wanted, and Damian stopped the fighter just above a patch of forest. “Do you detect anything, Argo?” “Not yet,” the AI replied, though he seemed distant. “They’re there, though. I know it.” Off in the distance and from a completely different direction, Slater’s ship – a large, bulky frigate outfitted with an eclectic arsenal of weapons – lurched toward the target area without any semblance of stealth. The ship would be hard to miss for anyone looking, though it was still a ways from the target site. Slater was half tempted to set off fireworks. He decided against it. Too garish. Edited by Emperor, Nov 10 2015, 02:09 AM.
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2:55 PM Jul 11