Akhain Gazhorn"I'd prefer rest, right now. Thanks for the help, Jinan."
Akhain smiled slightly before going off to rest. He would go over the mission later.
[3] - Jinan insists on a thorough application of first aid, and Akhain is too weary to resist. An eternity seems to pass before the pilot allows him to find a nice cushioned spot in the passenger space for himself and lie down. The aftermath of the drug load jammed into his brain tries to keep Akhain awake forever, but eventually he drifts off to sweet, merciful sleep.
His dreams are abrupt and disconcerting, random series of lights and bright colours brought about by his chemical-addled brain.
[6] He awakes - as his visor is quick to tell him - seven hours later. From the abscence of engine-roar and the slight shaking of an in-transit vehicle, he determines they're safely back in the city, and the noise of traffic from outside seems to confirm this. He makes his way up and hears Jinan call from the adjourning room. He finds her idly munching on a slice of bread while writing something down in a clipboard. She looks up and gestures Akhain to take a seat as he approaches.
'So,' she starts, 'help yourself to the food. You must be starving. In the meantime, I'm gonna go over the mission with you.'
'First of all - talking your way in like that - brilliant, if a bit too risky. Upstairs doesn't like me using the ship guns, but you couldn't have known about the pheromones. Speaking of those - can you tell us how they worked? Was he constantly emitting them, or was did he trigger it personally? What was the effective range of those things? How easy was it for you to resist?'
Akhain GazhornHP: 75/75
Equipment: NTT Inferno
(22/26), Thermal Blade (8/8)
Funds: 500¤
Known Perks: MultiVision Ocular ModificationFaction: Bounty Hunter
Target: None
SystarTake the priest's mission, and get details. From my room inventory, check on how many Zuche 20 Shock Mines and Railgun clips I have.
[4] - Systar contacts the priest who put up the job offer and gets the details. The church used to be a Light of Progress hideout, but was abandoned after bigger, flashier churches opened in the Old City after the coup. The tech-head priest had been monitoring the situation from afar and was ready to defend the place, but he found to his horror that the security system had died without proper maintenance. The gangers put an end to whatever remained, and have begun trashing up the holy machines inside. They've apparently chosen it as their new base of operations.
Collateral damage or damage to the church must be avoided at all costs. If Systar is found guilty of destroying church property on purpose, his reward will be severely reduced.
The priest doesn't care if the gangers are simply driven out or killed.
[3] Systar has three Zuche Shock Mines and [5] five shots for his Railgun.
SystarHP: 75/75
Equipment: Thermal Blade
(4/8), Aurora Revolver
(6/6), Gravity Trap (2/2), Zuche 3 Cloaking Device (3/6)
Funds: 18,300¤
Known Perks: AugeanTech LightningBolt PackFaction: Bounty Hunter
Target: Boka yl Vsiri (Crime Syndicate)
GaosaronGao shrugged. "All right then, but if we get jumped from behind then this time it'll be my turn to tell you 'I told you so,'" he said, referencing a mission about three years ago. He was sure his partner remembered the incident. In any case, he looked for a place to conceal himself until the little bastards passed, so that the pair of them could continue moving forward afterward without a fight.
'Always you gotta mention that.' Ratrik says as he crouches into cover under a lab table, huddling against a burning-hot mess of water pipes. [3] Gaosaron hides himself nearby as well, hoping the aliens won't come inside the lab to notice him.
Several minutes pass, with the aliens' footsteps getting closer and closer. It's obvious they've found the construct and their dead brethren when the snarling and screeching begins. Running steps tell them they're heading back - and are likely to return, so the pair needs to move fast.
[1] They head back out to the main corridor, thinking the aliens gone - but are immediately spotted by another blue-furred creature that had been poking the construct's body with a medical needle. It lets out a piercing shriek and prepares to charge at them.
AlliesIn the lab next to GaosaronTarur RatrikHP: 58/75
Equipment: Flechette Shotgun
(4/10), RUS9 Incendiary Grenade (2/2), Thermal Blade (6/8)
Known Perks: AugeanTech FlexiSpeed Aid,
NovaCore Analytic-Reactive Augmentation,
FocusedFaction: Bounty Hunter
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Gaosaron el-Anaula Ra'VantahinHP: 35/75
Equipment: Widowmaker Shotgun
(4/7), Golgo Mechanical Blade, NTT Inferno
(26/26), RUS2 Accelerator Carbine
(13/14), Guard Security Pass, Low-Level Security Pass
Funds: 25,450¤
Known Perks: NovaCore Electronic ModificationFaction: Bounty Hunter
Target: None
Subject 971 and Kaviv OtoliKaviv nervously licked his dry lips. His eyes darted from the apartment door ahead, to 971 and back again.
"D-do you think they're the, er, gangsters?" He says in a hoarse whisper, uncertainly fiddling with the strap holding his shotgun close to his body.
Action: Charm my way into the party to get a good look on the street.
[6] - The door is open and nobody's keeping an eye on the corridor, so 971 and Kaviv can walk in without anyone confronting them. They look around at the partygoers, the booming bass of the music threatening to mute them out. They don't seem to be gangers, and the party doesn't seem too rough - alcohol and various mild drugs go around in great quantities, but nothing outright law-breaking seems to be happening.
[2] 971 says something to the younger bounty hunter, who can't make out anything in the noise. He heads through the room and to the large windows. Kaviv realizes he should probably follow, but before he gets two steps forward, someone crashes into him and sends him sprawling onto the lap of a passed-out alien.
Kaviv's fighter's training kick in and he prepares to counter-attack, but quickly realizes his opponent is no ganger. She seems to be a partygoer who's had a little too much to drink, smiling weakly at Kaviv from the floor. Her eyes wander across his gear and she frowns.
'Err... hi, I think.' she manages. 'You're not a cop, are you?'
[5] At the dirty window, 971 surveys the street below. The store is well in sight from it. [3] No gangers visible, atleast just yet. He should've asked for a more specific time estimate from the storeowner.
Subject 971HP: 75/75
Equipment: First Aid Packs (2/2), Widowmaker Shotgun
(4/7), Thermal Blade (5/8), Aurora Revolver w/ Analytic-Reactive Targeting System
(5/6)Funds: 6250¤
Known Perks: AugeanTech FlexiSpeed AidFaction: Bounty Hunter
Target: None
Kaviv OtoliHP: 75/75
Equipment: Snaplock Pistol
(8/8), Frag Grenades (5/5), First Aid Packs (6/6), Widowmaker Shotgun
(7/7)Funds: 5000¤
Known Perks: Navigator Uplink PackageFaction: Bounty Hunter
Target: None
BaraucThe Scorekeeper will be pleased by the clean kill. Sadly there is no time to take a trophy, the credits will do.
Action : Escape, Quickly and Efficiently through the construction yard.
[6] - Barauc slips down from the platforms and leaves, quickly and calmly, before anyone can even get close. By the time the cops figure out where the shot came from, he's long gone, going home by the longer route. He lets his employer know of the first kill, and receives congratulations in return.
Back at his apartment, he looks at the next two targets. [5] A quick search reveals Tegarr has become the spotlight of the media, so taking him out now might not be the easiest task - though it'd bring him a lot of fame in these circles as well, and no doubt extra points in the eyes of the Scorekeeper. The other chief seems like an easier target. His house should be easy enough to access, in the Old District.
Barauc Na'ShalHP: 75/75
Equipment: Zuche 4 Railgun
(0/1), Zuche 3 Cloaking Device (6/6), Aurora Revolver
(6/6), RUS2 Accelerator Carbine
(14/14)Funds: 6000¤
Known Perks: Focus Improvement PackageFaction: Bounty Hunter
Target: Baseba yl Eos (New Regime Police)
LoriaLoria breathed out at a steady pace, calming her nerves. This isn't the time to be getting jittery like some first year cadet! Still, she wasn't getting any good information by just sitting here and she wasn't exactly dressed to be out on the floor dancing. Her mind made up, she headed out of the club. Scouting around, she found an adequate place to watch the entrance to the club and settled down there, waiting for the targets to emerge.
[3] - Loria decides to leave - and immediately spots the bodyguard coming up the stairs. There's no time to hide, but, as it turns out, no need to either. The bodyguard walks up to the bar desk and orders a drink, heading down the lenght of the balcony after getting it. It seems he's watching the pair from afar as well. Loria's visor notes several modified implants under his bulk, as well as a Zuche Railgun and a pair of silenced coilgun pistols.
[3] No reason to stay around him for any longer than necessary. Loria heads down the stairs and into the crowd, heading for a table near the entrance. She ends up getting pushed around and towards the sides again, and [1] it's just worse than last time, and she gets several elbows to the face that manage to reboot his visor twice. As she tries to get away to the side, another push sends her crashing down - again. She hopes the bodyguard didn't spot her.
She has no idea if the pair is still dancing, and the momentarily disorientation from the repeated blows makes it hard to tell which way the entrance is.
LoriaHP: 75/75
Equipment: RUS2 Accelerator Carbine
(14/14), Zuche 13 Gravity Trap (2/2), Flare Gun
(1/1), First Aid Kit (7/7)
Funds: 4300¤
Known Perks: Navigator Uplink PackageFaction: Bounty Hunter
Target: Mille Roskank, Anthony
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Aww, I wanted to use 971's awesome street jargon. Damn those sixes.