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Author Topic: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 51  (Read 88158 times)

Dwarmin

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 25
« Reply #480 on: October 08, 2011, 04:59:09 pm »

Hmm, yeah.

If Father Kosh gets you in melee, you die instantly if your SMG doesn't kill him off on the first burp. That's how I see it.

You could try peppering him at range with your gun, but the SMG doesn't look to a great amount of damage at long range. Still, may has well soften him up.

Problem is, he's no doubt going to be retreating behind additionally prepared defenses, extra guards, ambush spots...if you want to get him, you'll have to be aggressive before he can do that.
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Toaster

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 25
« Reply #481 on: October 08, 2011, 10:55:10 pm »

I want that perk he (Kosh) has.
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HMR stands for Hazardous Materials Requisition, not Horrible Massive Ruination, though I can understand how one could get confused.
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SeriousConcentrate

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 25
« Reply #482 on: October 08, 2011, 11:47:43 pm »

...Yeah, that perk does look kind of amazing. You'd probably have to train for a good long time to get it though... Er, DH. Is it possible to train up skills to reflect things our races could do naturally? For example, earlier I tried (unsuccessfully, of course) to fire all three of my guns in a round on the basis I have six arms. Would it be possible for me to have Gao train at it over the course of his career by dualwielding until he's proficient, then working his way up to triplewielding? I imagine the penalties while 'learning' would be a bit steep, but, y'know. It'd definitely be worth it. :3
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Talarion

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 25
« Reply #483 on: October 09, 2011, 02:04:41 am »

Try to get closer, all the while peppering Kosh with my SMG. Get close enough for the SMG to be enough to kill/disable him, but not close enough to get into melee combat. Retreat if Kosh tries to get into range for his pheromones/blade to work on me.
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Digital Hellhound

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 25
« Reply #484 on: October 09, 2011, 03:15:50 am »

...Yeah, that perk does look kind of amazing. You'd probably have to train for a good long time to get it though... Er, DH. Is it possible to train up skills to reflect things our races could do naturally? For example, earlier I tried (unsuccessfully, of course) to fire all three of my guns in a round on the basis I have six arms. Would it be possible for me to have Gao train at it over the course of his career by dualwielding until he's proficient, then working his way up to triplewielding? I imagine the penalties while 'learning' would be a bit steep, but, y'know. It'd definitely be worth it. :3

I could do 'training' you could 'buy' like implants and such for similar prices. Due to the unholy amount of different traits possible, however, I need you to suggest the perk/training so I can implement it.

I'm thinking severe accuracy and Combat Roll penalties for attempting to dual-wield without training, with each rank of the perk reducing the penalty. I think I'll just call it Multi-Weapon Proficiency which will apply for dual-wielding, triple-wielding and quadruple-wielding (woah). You'd have to shoot all guns at the same target, though.
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SeriousConcentrate

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 25
« Reply #485 on: October 09, 2011, 03:23:57 am »

Buying training makes sense too, so sure, that's completely fine with me. When/If I survive this mission I'll look into buying Gao some dualwielding. ^^^
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Digital Hellhound

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 25
« Reply #486 on: October 10, 2011, 09:16:28 am »

Akhain Gazhorn
Try to get closer, all the while peppering Kosh with my SMG. Get close enough for the SMG to be enough to kill/disable him, but not close enough to get into melee combat. Retreat if Kosh tries to get into range for his pheromones/blade to work on me.

[3+2=5] - The bounty hunter moves up the narrow path, determined to close the distance to the cult leader. [6] Akhain executes four mighty leaps and is suddenly right behind Kosh, way too close for comfort. [Dodge:1] He steadies himself, raises the Inferno and lets loose a hissing burst of compact silver bullets. They streak towards the back of the Father's skull. [Damage:19+12=31] Intricate explosions of pale yellow blood blossom from the man's reinforced skull, fragments of bone and plasteel ricocheting off from the force of the impacts. An ordinary man would've died from an attack like this, but the implant-reinforced alien simply staggers and turns sharply, eyes glowing with a fire of sheer rage.

[3+3=6] 'Stand down!' Kosh shouts through his pain. Akhain can see blood dripping out of the back of his head. [2] The bounty hunter lets out a tiny yelp of terror, abruptly locked into place by the Father's words. He hears Jinan's voice again, but it's hard to focus on it. His mind begins to return to its earlier state - he shouldn't have tried to kill Kosh. He was being led astray by the one above.

Kosh paces back and forth on the path for a few moments. A few grunts of pain and frustration escape his mouth. The alien keeps his gaze locked on Akhain.

'Who sent you? Was that an orbital strike?' he demands, pulling his face close to Akhain. At this distance, he can practically smell the chemicals Father Kosh is flooding his system with. Thinking at all becomes difficult, replaced by a burning, undying love for his teacher. [4] He fights on regardless, desperately biting his lip to keep himself from answering. [3] There's a sudden movement and he finds himself staggering backwards. A painful spot on his cheek reveals Kosh has hit him. He can already feel a bruise beginning to form. The Teacher repeats the question.

[5] Akhain says nothing, trying to hang onto Jinan's words, though he can't make any sense of their meaning. His entire body groans as he forces himself to his feet and to turn, fighting himself to escape. [4] Kosh has turned to his comm-device, sparing him a few glances every now and then. The bounty hunter inches further and further away, his feet feeling like they were moving through thick mud.

[4] He trips and falls, rolling down the narrow path faster than Kosh can follow. [1] And then he rolls to the side and there's nothing under him. Fear tries to grip Akhain again, [5] but he makes a desperate gamble and catches a grip on the edge of the railing. Akhain slams into the side of the mountain path heavily, [Damage:2] but he barely feels it with all the stimulants running in his sytem. He hears his opponent walk down the path, [6] but swings himself up in an amazing feat of acrobatics, opening fire while still in the air. [6+2=6][Dodge:1] Kosh, not expecting a full-on volley again, catches another burst straight across the chest.

[Damage:28+12=40] The armor-skin on his reinforced torso cracks, then shatters. Inferno bullets puncture through the soft flesh beneath. Father Kosh takes a hesitant step back, confusion flooding into his face.

Then he collapses, first to his knees to regard Akhain one last time with the expression of a man who cannot quite grasp his defeat, and then face-first onto the dusty path.

Akhain leans against the mountainside for a few moments, catching his breath. Then he makes his way to the corpse of his target. The Republic wanted him alive - they must've known about his implants - but hopefully they'll pay for a dead man as well. Akhain informs Jinan of the situation.

+Good to hear, Akhain. I need you to come to a safe location with the body so I can pick you up. Can you get out of there?+ Jinan replies calmly.

Akhain looks around. The cathedral below is an option and his gear is stashed somewhere in there, but it's risky, especially if Kosh told his guards about him while on the comm. Then there's the doorway Kosh was heading for up the path - he wouldn't have tried to go there if it wasn't an escape route, right?

Spoiler: Talarion (click to show/hide)

Systar
"Hmm... if my future's on the line for this mission, I'll have to spare no expense.  Time to call in the big guns.  Hopefully, I can get a good rate."

Contact this Calamien and try to get a good rate.

[4] - Systar closes the datacube, arms himself and gets out of his room. The starport connection is the only reliable FTL comms channel in the city. And the cheapest, which is always nice. The staff in the lobby stare at him as he goes, no doubt wondering the reason of the Republican Guard's visit yesterday. They seem a little more afraid of him than before. Probably just for the best. The word will spread now, though, screwing with his reputation. Well, as long as Boka doesn't connect these things together, it'll be fine.

The cab ride to the starport is mercifully short, and he makes his way to the private comms chambers quickly. He examines the room thoroughly for any spying gear, [4] but the ones he finds are too hard to remove and image-only, so as long as he's watching his mouth he should be fine.

[3] Systar struggles for way too long with the machinery, plugging himself in into the cocoon. Once he's ready, he makes a search for Calamien through the old channels he's been giving, hoping they still work. He watches with dread as the price-meter on the top of his cocoon goes higher and higher as it reaches out through inhabited space. [5] Finally, it clicks, and an image begins to form on the back wall.

Calamien hangs from a mess of wires and machinery, using the many hands of the Vantahin to move effortlessly through the room. She seems to be in zero gravity. Calamien doesn't even look at Systar's image, eyes focused on a little screen the bounty hunter can barely see.

'Systar.' she says, which arrives several minutes later due to comms lag. 'How are you? Still with the same job?'

Systar replies to the pleasantries as quickly as he can, not daring to watch at the price increase for the pointless chatter. He explains what he needs once they're done. A few minutes later, Calamien nods thoughtfully on the screen.

'Of course, but Systar - I'm nowhere in the vicinity. Would you have me come all the way there to deliver this for you? I guess you could use a replicator to get it if I sent a surge through, but - sorry - I don't think you can really afford that.'

Systar thinks on this, but the Vantahin soon continues.

'But actually, I was already thinking of heading that way. I could swing by to deliver these passes on the way through.' she smiles, finally turning to look at Systar. 'For you, it would be 40,000¤. But I could give you a further discount for something, to, say, 10 000¤?'

'That is, as long as you send me a copy of yl Vsiri's famous datasphere while you're there. I have clients who would be interested in... that sort of thing. How does that sound?'

[2] Systar glances up. The comms price has reached 8000¤, so the total cost for him would be 18 000¤.

Spoiler: Toaster (click to show/hide)

Gaosaron
OK, we gotta do this tactically. Laying the mine right here is a good idea but we'll be too close to the blast. Gao put a hand on Ratrik's shoulder and squeezed to get his attention; he didn't want to risk talking right now. Too many hostiles in the area. Once he had it, he took three steps towards the doorway they had just came from, then knelt and put a hand on the floor to indicate where he wanted the mine. Afterwards, he went through the door and took cover behind the right side of it, gesturing for his friend to take the left. If the aliens and construct survived the blast, they at least had cover and a good line of fire.

[4] - Gaosaron and Ratrik communicate wordlessly, the first hunter gesturing to his friend for what to do. He backs away to the direction they came from, indicating where he wants the mine planted. Ratrik nods, and performs a quick calibration of the mine. [4] He works quickly enough to follow his friend into cover before the construct reaches the end of the corridor. If it goes right, it'll hit the mine. If it goes left, well, it's no longer bothering them.

[1] It turns right, retreating from the onslaught of the blue-furred aliens. [6] It backs perfectly into the mine. They couldn't have gotten it into a better position even if they'd tried.

[Dodge:1-1-1=1] There's a faint click, enough for the construct to glance down, and the High-Explosive mine detonates. [Damage:68+24=92] It gets a chunk of molten metal embedded inside its skull for its troubles.

That's not the only damage. The explosion throws the abomination off its feet and [3] against the wall, high-speed shrapnel ripping apart reinforced flesh and muscle. [5] The Aliens aren't spared either, all three unlucky enough to be just near the thing when it hit the mine. [Dodges:3/5/3] They jump away, [Damages:71-24=47/47-24=23] but are not fully spared from the detonation. One dies instantly, and another is sent flying down the corridor by the force of the blast.

[4+1=5/5] Then the two bounty hunters open up with their weapons, [Dodge:5-1=4] Tarur missing at almost point-blank range and [Dodge:6] Gao spraying the ceiling of the corridor above the aliens.

[2+1-1=2] The construct is too stunned to return fire. [2+3=5] The alien, however, is not. It charges at Gao's position with a high-pitched shriek. [Dodge:1+1=2] It flings itself past the door and sinks a makeshift blade into his thigh. [Damage:2] It barely penetrates his armor, [6+3=6] but the alien isn't done yet. [Dodge:5] Gao kicks it away before it can act, [1] but is preoccupied with the wound and doesn't continue the attack.

[3+1-1=3] The construct abruptly brings up its Golgo, clumsily rising to a standing position. [Dodge:4+1=5] The shots hammer harmlessly against the walls and door. [6+1=6] Ratrik's return fire [Dodge:1-1=1] catches it straight in the head [Damage:9+15=24] and finally ends its suffering. The creature lets out a pitiful moan and collapses.

The two aliens still seem ready for combat.

Enemies

Spoiler: Other Enemies (click to show/hide)

Allies

Spoiler: Tarur Ratrik (click to show/hide)

---

Spoiler: SeriousConcentrate (click to show/hide)

Subject 971
971 scratched his chin. The VR thing was easy money...he could probably get that done by this afternoon-he sent a PM to the recruiter asking how much of his time this would take. 971 held off on accepting right away though-he wanted to do one more thing.

[3] - After going through a lenghty conversation with a young new bounty hunter hailing from a revolutionary family, 971 gets to work on the sim offer. He sends a quick reply to the recruiter.

[3] He replies after a while, stating that he has no idea how long the whole thing will take - there's some paperwork involved as well, unfortunately - as it's never been done before. He'd fight various simulated bad guys, and spout some rather idiotic-sounding lines from a script, and perform cool stunts, as many as possible. It's a fully-realistic Full-Body Integration sim, much more real than some cheap stimsim. They've been using to train new police recruits, until now.

Spoiler: Dwarmin (click to show/hide)

Barauc
Muttered a stream of explicitness as he safely attempted to get up to the next level of the supports

[2] - No matter how long he tries, Barauc is unable to climb to the upper level. The supports are slippery after the rain, and seem surprisingly fragile under his bulk. As he struggles with the climb, [6] the last of the workers leave without spotting him. He checks the time, realizing with a start the raid is supposed to start soon. How long has he been trying this?

[6] The area is empty right now - but who knows, the cops might just be hidden somewhere.

Spoiler: Riccto (click to show/hide)

Loria
try to shrug off some of the effects of the drugs floating around and then head upstairs to find the PI. Cautiously.

[2] - Loria hobbles through the crowd and to the stairs, barely standing upright in the haze of chemicals and people. Only when she's half-way up the stairs she realizes they're on the wrong side of the club from the man he saw. [4] He takes the long route around there. The upper levels seem more clear and less crowded, people lounging on chairs and sofas chatting with eachother. The fans in the ceiling seem to clear out the worst of the smoke here.

There's no sign of the PI when he gets there, unfortunately. Loria looks around for a few moments, but has to give up eventually. She sits down, ordering something to drink - [6] and her employer sits next to you, appearing from behind the nearest table.

'Easy to get lost in a place like this, huh? In more ways than one.' he drawls in a thick accent - Earth, somewhere in the Americas, most likely. His complexion suggests the South. The PI - a lean, tall man with rugged, worn features and a never-changing expression of barely-repressed anger. He carries himself with confidence. Loria almost laughs at his clothing - while modern, the overall style is more fit for someone out of the 1920's. 

'Teodosio. I'm your new employer and partner. Good to meet yeh.' he continues, offering a scarred hand. Loria shakes it, and he settles back in his chair.

'Well, let me get straight to business. You've got that fancy visor of yours. See the gene-mods and grafts these folks are carrying? There's a bunch of newly-rich in a corner downstairs with implants that they didn't strictly buy. The dame who hired me doesn't really care about that, but she wants to know where they've getting this stuff. I've been following them for a few weeks now, but I can't be everywhere at once. That's why I hired you.'

Loria suppresses a giggle at 'dame', trying her best to look thoughtful. Teodosio doesn't seem to have noticed.

'Any questions before we get to work?'

Spoiler: Theodolus (click to show/hide)

Kaviv Otoli
Reply to first offer, from the store owner, asking for info, gear up, and send 971 some dorky fanmail.

Spoiler: Equipment (click to show/hide)

[1] - There is no response from the store owner. Kaviv waits for what seems like an eternity, but looks like the old man isn't going to be answering him anytime soon. He's already got the store's location, though, so he should be ready for the mission.

[2] Kaviv gears up, taking the two Snaplock clips, [5] five grenades and [6] half a dozen First Aid kits. It seems his friends have been generous with ammunition. Truth to be told, the amount of explosives in the box is a bit disturbing.

Spoiler: Yoink (click to show/hide)
---

I swear I didn't change Kosh's Dodge rolls. The man just couldn't stop rolling 1's. And whew, so many rolls in their turn, I went a bit overboard with giving Akhain a chance to resist and shit.

Congrats on the kill, anyhow. Getting out of there shouldn't be difficult for man of your luck skills.
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Toaster

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 26
« Reply #487 on: October 10, 2011, 10:20:14 am »

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.



"Yeah, that sounds good.  I'll get you a copy."


Accept the offer and get off the phone before I go broke.


That's what I get for not checking the price on the call before saying I'd take it.  Eeesh.
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HMR stands for Hazardous Materials Requisition, not Horrible Massive Ruination, though I can understand how one could get confused.
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Dwarmin

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 26
« Reply #488 on: October 10, 2011, 10:38:52 am »

971 typed in two more messages

@Kaviv Otoli

Quote
I'm on my way. Lets meet at the shop, yeah-we'll scope the area and...deal with the problem.

@Recruiter
Quote
Count me in. I should be able to come in late this evening, but my business doesn't allow me to keep a regular schedule.

Accept the Recruiter job for later.

Put away my mine, and pick up my first aid pack. Load up with my four Aurora clips and two Widowmaker clips.

Then move to rendevous with Kaviv Otoli for the shopkeeper mission, after sending the person who hired me I accept, and and that there will be two hunters on this job.


Spoiler: stored equipment (click to show/hide)
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Riccto

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 26
« Reply #489 on: October 10, 2011, 11:07:34 am »

Try some more! Or otherwise try to scope out a spot thats easier to climb to
Comon Baruc! Use your Rags as climbing ropes or something
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Theodolus

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 26
« Reply #490 on: October 10, 2011, 01:02:40 pm »

Tracy looks down at the small knot of dilettantes and smirks. Black market implants? This shouldn't be too difficult. Still, it never hurts to be overly cautious. She turned to Teodosio, "What's the pay for this job? Your ad mentioned splitting a reward." She turned to look back down at the dance floor. "I'll need names and at least brief bios on anyone you can as well."
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SeriousConcentrate

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 26
« Reply #491 on: October 10, 2011, 01:15:40 pm »

"I'll get this one," Gao said. "You handle the other." He switched out for his mechanical blade and rushed the little creature. No point holding back on these things. Whatever they are, or were, they're clearly in a killing frenzy. Nothing sane would have taken on that construct in melee.
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Yoink

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 26
« Reply #492 on: October 10, 2011, 09:04:40 pm »

Kaviv's eyes widened as he read 971's message, having pretty much given up on getting a reply from the shopkeeper.
"He's on his way now?! Agh, better not keep him waiting, then." He quickly adjusted his various pieces of equipment, glanced once more in the mirror to ensure he still looked like a hardened revolutionary bounty hunter and not some scrawny kebab vendor, and then powered off the computer and headed out to find his way to the store.
'Well, let's hope 971 was right about the "luck" business...'


Couldn't write all that much, since I have no idea where he actually is, nor where the store for the mission is. Ah well! :P
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Talarion

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 26
« Reply #493 on: October 11, 2011, 01:44:51 am »

Continue up the path to where Kosh was headed. Try and be wary, and ready to defend myself.

I flipped a coin. Up we go, I guess. Huzzah for lucky rolls?
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Digital Hellhound

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Re: Nowhere To Run - A Futuristic Bounty Hunter RTD - Turn 26
« Reply #494 on: October 16, 2011, 11:25:18 am »

Akhain Gazhorn
Continue up the path to where Kosh was headed. Try and be wary, and ready to defend myself.

[4] - Gazhorn hefts the cult leader on his back. He's heavier than he'd thought. Good thing he didn't have to face him in close combat, then. Blood drips from Kosh's body on Akhain as he begins to make his way up the narrow path towards the hole in the mountainside. He can still feel a strange guilt at killing the man. The pheromone emitters might still be active, or there just might be a trace of the stuff still lingering in the air.

[1] He's mid-way through the distance when [1] the distant crackle of an automatic weapon begins far behind him. [Dodge:3+1+1=5] Bullets begin impacting on the rocky path around him, accompanied by far-away voices shouting for him to halt. Akhain does the opposite, [6] keeping his balance perfectly even with Kosh on his shoulder and while running up a twisting mountain trail. He closes the distance between him and the doorway in no time, rolling in while the volume of gunfire rises to deafening levels behind him. He's sure he can hear a missile launcher being fired just before he gets off the path.

[5] The doorway leads to a large, round chamber, with a pair of huge metal doors closing the way into a crudely-hacked corridor. It presumably leads through the mountain. There's a personal grav-glider on a raised platform - Kosh must have been intending to fly away. [3] Acting quickly, Akhain figures out a way to close the door to the outside path. The heavy metal chute that slams down behind him should keep them out for long enough. The bounty hunter lets the Father's body fall to the floor.

Unfortunately, when he approaches the grav-glider, he realizes its truly personal, genelocked to Kosh only. Akhain hopes the Father's body will be enough to unlock it, [3] and is proven partially right. The grav-glider's controls light up once he touches Kosh's hands to them, but die the second they no longer touch his skin. Looks like Akhain will have to tie his body against the bottom, or into his lap. There's no telling how it will affect the fragile machine's balance.

[6] He looks around, spotting a control console near the wall soon enough. Opening the main doors is child's play from there, and soon he's treated to a view of a cramped corridor, stretching to a distant pinprick of light on the other side of the mountain. The faint emergency lights in the floor provide little visibility.

[1] A banging begins on the door behind him, maddened voices screaming to him from the path. After a while, he hears the whine of an energy weapon powering up...

Spoiler: Talarion (click to show/hide)

Systar
"Yeah, that sounds good.  I'll get you a copy."

Accept the offer and get off the phone before I go broke.

[2] - Calamien insists on talking for a few more minutes, bringing the comms price up to 9000¤. Once Systar's managed to detach himself from the information broker, he hurries to shut the connection and pay up. Finally safe from the ever-rising price, he stretches a bit after the cramped cocoon and heads out, pondering his next move.

The Vantahin will take a day or so to come here. He doesn't have any time to waste, with the Consul's big speech looming in the horizon. Remembering his request of intel on her on the black market, Systar decides to check if anything's come up.

[6] He's in luck - a recent leak by a drunken assistant has flooded the underworld with information about her. Most of it is useless to him, insights into her personality at most, but he's told there's plenty of juicy details the general public has overlooked. Wading through it all would take time, but he needs everything he can get. [5] There's several offers of specifically-tailored packages for men of his profession. Systar soon determines the largest and cheapest, just 1500¤. If he's willing to look through endless gossip and useless chatter, though, he could just try read it all on his own.

Spoiler: Toaster (click to show/hide)

Gaosaron
"I'll get this one," Gao said. "You handle the other." He switched out for his mechanical blade and rushed the little creature. No point holding back on these things. Whatever they are, or were, they're clearly in a killing frenzy. Nothing sane would have taken on that construct in melee.

[6] - Gao surges forward, [Dodge:1] running the alien through with his Mechanical Blade. [Damage:17+9=26] The bloodied weapon tears open his chest and proceeds inside, ripping apart his heart before exiting through the back and bisecting him not-so-neatly in two. Gao lets his pieces fall, turning to face the other furred creature. [2+1=3] Ratrik isn't willing to let anyone steal his kill, though. He fires again with his shotgun, [Dodge:3][Damage:45-15=30] and the ferocious little thing flies back, his armor shattered. Despite its wounds, it gets back up, snarling in a way that reminds Gao of the gene-engineered beast in the Steelworks.

[2+3=5] It begins approaching Ratrik, [2] who waits patiently for it to come forwards, perhaps wishing to engage it in melee. [6] Gao has no such ideas, [Dodge:4] but the thing moves faster than he expects. Gao's blade rips apart chunks of the wall, [5+3=6][Dodge:6] too close for the creature to execute a proper strike.

[4+3=6] It slips past Gao and leaps at Ratrik, [Dodge:1+1=2] embedding the jagged blade inside his thigh before he can do anything. [Damage:5] He seems more shocked than wounded, and reacts with a [5+1=6][Dodge:2] well-placed kick that [Damage:5] caves the creature's skull in. He finishes it off with a quick slash with his Thermal Blade for good measure.

Out of combat, the two bounty hunters study the direction the construct and the aliens came from. There's doors both on the left and the right, though the one on the right is quickly proved to be a cleaner's storage or somesuch.

[6] The one on the left is much more interesting. It's empty of any aliens, with seemingly random lab equipment scattered around. It looks less like a lab and more like a teenager's room, as Ratrik puts it. There are several glass doors leading to cells, with the remains of one shattered on the floor. The construct must've come through there. Looking into its cell, Ratrik reports several bodies, both unmodified ones and things similar to it. It may have killed them all before its escape. Or perhaps the aliens killed them. It's impossible to tell. The other cells are empty. Investigating the bodies might yield something useful.

[2] Ratrik scouts up ahead, returning quickly. 'There's another group of the little blue ones coming. I couldn't get a good look around them, but I think there's more labs like this up ahead.'


Allies

Spoiler: Tarur Ratrik (click to show/hide)

---

Spoiler: SeriousConcentrate (click to show/hide)

Subject 971
Accept the Recruiter job for later.

Put away my mine, and pick up my first aid pack. Load up with my four Aurora clips and two Widowmaker clips.

Then move to rendevous with Kaviv Otoli for the shopkeeper mission, after sending the person who hired me I accept, and and that there will be two hunters on this job.


Spoiler: stored equipment (click to show/hide)

[2] - 971 sends a few messages and begins gearing up for the mission. He takes two First Aid Packs, discarding the Flare Gun and lone RUS8 Mine, and the Widowmaker, Thermal Blade and fancy Aurora Revolver. He tells the young Kaviv where to meet up and sets off towards his employer's store.

The trip is short and uneventful, from the Old District to the outskirts of the Industrial District. He lands on the street, and doesn't have to look for the right place for long - the windows have been smashed to pieces, with a dour-looking horned alien surveying the damage from outside. When 971 approaches, his expression only grows worse, having finally found someone to vent his anger on.

'Little good I pay my taxes for!' he begins, poking his thick finger against the bounty hunter's chest. 'Look at what they've done now! Just a few hours ago, in broad daylight! This is the third time this month! You're supposed to be a big hero or something - why isn't anyone doing anything?'

971 tries to soothe him with a few vague promises he's seen Dalia throw around. 'Was this done by the gang you mentioned?'

The man lets out a little snarl 971's grown to understand to mean a shrug or similar. 'Doesn't matter.' he says. 'Might've been them, might've been just some stupid kids down the street. There's no difference these days. I'd never thought I'd be missing the old regime.'

Seeing the change in 971's eyes at the last sentence, he quickly adds; 'Err... sorry. It's just something people say. Didn't mean no disrespect.'

A younger man approaches from behind the man, and 971's visor identifies him as Kaviv Otoli. The youth's eyes widen as he sees 971 and he stumbles, almost falling over.

'This is my partner, Kaviv Otoli. I believe you hired us, Mr...?' 971 says.

The store owner, finally calmed down, begins actually talking about the job. These gangers have been terrorizing the street for several months now, running 'protection' rackets and setting fire or breaking into the buildings every time they get bored. They aren't your run-of-the-mill teenagers, but violent and drugged-up people from all around the Industrial District. He doesn't know their base of operations, but they come out of the unused factories a few blocks down. Someone's supposed to come collect their share of the owner's profits today, so the pair could follow them to their leader.

Just as they're about to leave, the man grabs 971's arm. 'I... my nephew. He's gotten mixed up with these guys. He's not a bad kid, but you know how it is. If he's there... please don't kill him.' he whispers. He hands over a picture of him - taken from pretty far away, though the red headband he's wearing should be pretty striking. Otherwise, he has few features that stick around from the norm.

'His name is Larro. He'll listen to reason if you talk to him, I'm sure.'

Spoiler: Dwarmin (click to show/hide)

Barauc
Try some more! Or otherwise try to scope out a spot thats easier to climb to

[3] - Barauc focuses, breathing in deep before trying the climb again. It doesn't work on the first try, or the second, or the third, but on the fourth try, he manages to get a grip and begins pulling himself up.

A pained scream and the clatter of gunfire snaps him out of his focus, and he glances back to see previously-hidden police units swarming into the warehouse yard. The panicking gangers seem to have started to shoot at them, and the police are responding in the same way. He can't see Baseba anywhere, but this far away and hanging from the side of a support isn't the best place to look.

He ignores the raid for now, beginning to make his way up to the good spot again. He slips several times more before reaching the top, where he finally sits down and begins to scope through the yard, looking for Baseba. Looking around, it seems most of the gangers and the smugglers have been arrested, though someone is on the megaphone, shouting to a ganger who's barricaded himself inside the warehouse.

[1] He looks and looks, but Baseba is nowhere to be seen. He can even see inside the warehouse and the face of the ganger inside, but not the police chief. Either he's still inside one of the vehicles, not here at all, or just out of view for now. After all the effort he wasted on getting to this position, he still can't find his target.

Spoiler: Riccto (click to show/hide)

Loria
Tracy looks down at the small knot of dilettantes and smirks. Black market implants? This shouldn't be too difficult. Still, it never hurts to be overly cautious. She turned to Teodosio, "What's the pay for this job? Your ad mentioned splitting a reward." She turned to look back down at the dance floor. "I'll need names and at least brief bios on anyone you can as well."

[3] - Teodosio nods, taking a dataslate from the depths of his coat and placing it on the table. He thumbs the activator and the scren flashes to life.

'The pay's 14 000¤, to be split between us - in two, as long as you get the job done. You done this sort of thing before?'

He manipulates the controls of the dataslate, bringing up the face of a female alien. She has that sort of beauty that comes from pre-birth gene-engineering, and various grafts and implants bulge out from under her skin, and inside the quill-hair of her species. Looking at the group downstairs, Loria realizes she's the one with the glowing hair. The text in the bottom identifies her as 'Mille Roskank'.

Teodosio gives you some time to look at her and moves onto the next one. This pic has been taken from further away than the first. It's a human male with scars - ones that seem oddly symmetric and accentuate his features - and neatly-cut blond hair. He's dressed in a thick fur-trimmed coat, both in the picture and down below, for reasons Loria cannot decipher. He must be sweating like hell down there, unless he's got implants that take care of that as well.

'Anthony... something. Planetary records just call him 'yl Earth'.' Teodosio sneers. The government's habit of removing existing surnames and replacing it with the place of birth hasn't been very popular.

The third image is of a giant of a man, a veritable mountain of muscle who's in the process of bashing the cameraman's face in in his picture. He's also a human, a bald man with striking, aquilline features. Loria can't see him below, but his face and body language in the picture just scream 'bodyguard', so that's not much of a surprise.

'I don't know much about him. This fellow's not on the records. He's Anthony's bodyguard, but I don't know anything else.' Teodosio admits. 'These are the three you'll be following. Anthony and the lady live together - don't ask - so they should stick together for the most part. If they don't, let me know. Follow them and eavesdrop on them, but not too openly. Don't let them realize they're being followed.'

'Was there anything else? I think my chunk is preparing to leave.'

Spoiler: Theodolus (click to show/hide)

Kaviv Otoli
Kaviv's eyes widened as he read 971's message, having pretty much given up on getting a reply from the shopkeeper.
"He's on his way now?! Agh, better not keep him waiting, then." He quickly adjusted his various pieces of equipment, glanced once more in the mirror to ensure he still looked like a hardened revolutionary bounty hunter and not some scrawny kebab vendor, and then powered off the computer and headed out to find his way to the store.
'Well, let's hope 971 was right about the "luck" business...'


[4] - Kaviv hurries to leave, running down the steps of his apartment and to the river-bank to hail a taxi-boat. This doesn't happen as quickly as he'd imagined, though. Despite what always happens in the action pics, there's no cab for him to get into and shout 'follow that car!'.

When one finally arrives, he spends several minutes haggling about the price with the owner. When the boat finally leaves, he's sure enough time has passed for 971 to complete this mission three times over.

He finds the correct street quickly enough. Kaviv sees 971 talking with someone, his heart beating faster than he'd thought possible. To be in the same general area with his hero! The bounty hunter almost falls on his face, not looking where he's walking, and turns red-hot with shame. 971 doesn't seem to notice, thankfully.

When the revolutionary hero calls him his partner, Kaviv's heart swells with pride. He barely hears the rest of the store owner's speech, only snapping out of it once he stops. Oh well. 971 will know what to do.

Spoiler: Yoink (click to show/hide)
---

Dwarmin, I wasn't sure what you intended to bring with you (limit of 4 and all that), so I removed the Flare Gun. If you want to change something else for it, I'll retcon it.
Logged
Russia is simply taking an anti-Fascist stance against European Nazi products, they should be applauded. ¡No parmesan!
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