Location: Azure Region, Steelix Range.
George Cain brought his bike to a stop outside the camp and killed the engine. From here he could hear the chaos of the front line less than a mile away. Guns fired, Pokemon roared, men screamed, and lives were lost. It was the kind of situation he had joined Team Ember to avert.
A major mining company wanted to prospect the mountainous land on which a local indigenous tribe had been living, but the natives refused. The company then cried fowl to their friends in the government, and the military had been deployed to handle the situation by driving the innocent natives away from their homes. George had done his part to sabotage the attack, tipping off Team Ember operatives about shipping routes and supply lines. As Ember would leave his shipments alone he had already earned, over the course of this so far three day long campaign, recognition as one of the most reliable deliverymen men out of Fort Ivysaur.
Dismounting his bike Sargent Cain took a second to ponder the absurdity of his situation. Ideologically he had no reason to support the military or what it stood for, but personally he was suffering. He had spent weeks undercover amongst these soldiers, many of them now considered friends, and was now watching them die at the hands of those whose cause he believed was right. As he entered the hospital tent with his shipment he hoped that it would be pack with many soldiers but nobody that he knew personally. As he scanned the full cots it became clear that only one of those wishes was granted.
"Whats wrong with Ripshaw?" George asked of the nurse on duty.
"He's got a bad case of dying Cain. You got the shipment?" responded the medic.
George dropped a decent sized package on a nearby table. "100 doses of Max Potion and 50 full heals. What is he dying of?"
The medic shook his head. "Poison. The natives coat their weapons with a toxin than can be treated by neither Full Heal nor Antidote. We have submitted samples to the drug company's. It will be taken into account in the next generation of mass produced medicine, but that is too late for anybody here. Half the men in this room will be dead by sundown."
"I... I'm still conscious you know. I d-don't think I was supposed hear that." Chimed in a soft voice from one of the cots.
"Umm... Ripshaw... No you were not." The medic responded nervously "Cain, you are a damn Chaplin ain't ya? Take care of him please."
Sargent Cain nodded and slowly walked to his bunk-mates bedside. "Sorry you had to find out like that." he declared in a near whisper.
"I'm j-just glad that I got to find out at all. I don't think that fucking nurse wanted me to know. You can help me get m-my affairs in order right?"
"As your Chaplin I am authorized to attend to your spiritual needs." George responded, placing his hand on the dying man's shoulder. "As your friend I am obliged to do anything else I can for you."
"The afterlife then. T-tell me about that. What do I have to do to get in?" Ripshaw asked.
"As soon as the poison dose it's job you will be taken before one or more of the Elder Gods. You will linger with them until your funeral, so you can employ the testimony given by your friends and family there during the interview."
"Interview?"
George stuck his tongue out in concentration as he attempted to formulate an explanation of the procedure as he understood it. "It wont be difficult, there are no right or wrong answers. The Elder Gods will examine your life and personality, and assuming you are not a terrible person worthy of torment, they will pick a realm in which you will spend eternity."
"Wh-w-were will they send me Cain?"
"I cannot read the minds of the elder gods, so I can't answer that. I think as a soldier your best fit is the domain of Victini, where you push forward in glorious combat towards an inevitable yet eternally distant victory." George then cracked a small smile. "I'm sure it's much better than it sounds."
Satisfied, or perhaps scared by, Sargent Cain's explanation Ripshaw changed the topic to his secular affairs. "In my t-tent there is a set of gold ceremonial armor. I took it off a shaman a killed y-yesterday as a trophy of war. I'm pretty sure it is actual gold too. I want you to take it back and s-sell it Cain."
George gave another nod. "What would you like me to do with the money?"
"Settle my debts. I owe 4000 to Lieutenant Goodman and almost as much to his sister Sam. I owe smaller amounts to b-basically everyone in our barracks except you. Ask around and sort it out." Ripshaw said grinning wildly. "If anything remains head to the casino and put it all on red 7. If you win, k-keep it."
"You owe Toby... erm the Lieutenant? Do I want to here that story?" Sargent Cain inquired.
"He made presents for my family for the Winter Festival when I blew my paycheck at the Casino last year. His sister did some psychological work on my Pokemon on the p-promise of future payment last time she came through the fort."
"Oh. Your Pokemon. I forgot you were certified to carry those. What do I do with them?"
"See if my family back in New Haven want any. Then donate the remainder to the Military Trainers Academy. You c-could also give some to your buddy Toby or take em for y-yourself." Ripshaw struggled to give his head a shake. "If you do this crap for me you deserve something."
"Where is the Lieutenant anyways?" George asked. "He wasn't in the fort this morning, and if he was on site here he would have been waiting out front to greet me. He didn't get involved in the battle did he?"
Ripshaw forced out another smile. "Nah. He's in New H-haven, meeting with his Fiancee."
Sargent Cain shook his head slowly. "I've heard him mention a Fiancee before once or twice. I love Toby... but he is an asshole. There is no way in hell he could land a woman... besides, he doesn't strike me as the type of person to make a social call while those under him are dying on the front lines. Whats up? Is Fiancee military code for something Ripshaw?"
The dying man blinked and then stared at the ceiling. "Kinda... I shouldn't be telling you this stuff if you don't already know."
George burried his face in his hands. He hated using his influential powers on friends, but he had a feeling that this information was likely important in building a case against the military to leak to the press, and perhaps protecting Tobias. Ripshaw was dying, there was no time to drag out the information the old fashioned way. Lifting his head George stared at the poisoned man and telepathicly inserted an idea into his brain: Tell George what he wants to know.
"If Toby is fine telling you this stuff, I'm sure my best friend would have no objection to me knowing about it."
George watched as his words and implanted idea wormed through Ripshaw's better judgement. "Tell me then Cain" asked the dying man "what do you know about Maria Colombo?"
---
Location: Azure Region, New Haven City
Lieutenant Tobias Goodman entered the rundown building. The sign outside said auto-body shop, but although Tobias knew that he would be treated fairly and honestly be theses mechanics, he was was there to partake of the Colombo families main and much less legitimate business; organized crime.
With a swift nod to one of the mechanics Tobias leaped over the sales counter and opened a door behind it. Briskly he walked up the stairs to the second story apartments and knocked on one of the doors. "Your shipment is here!"
"Come in. It's unlocked." Responded a shrill female voice from inside.
Tobias entered the neat apartment and walked into the kitchen/dining room. At the table were four people, two Colombo family thugs, one distressed looking gentlemen, and the person he was here to see; Maria Colombo, De-Facto leader of the crime family.
The Lieutenant reached into his tote-bag and produced a bouquet of red and white flowers. "Is this a bad time?"
"No honey." Responded Maria sarcastically before to the guards. "You two take our new friend outside and rough him up a bit. Perhaps he will pay us in full next time. I'm going to have a word with my Fiancee."
Tobias waited for the three others to leave before throwing the flowers on the table. "How is your dad doing?"
"He is up and about the house, trying to run the family. Half the time he thinks it is 30 years ago, and we still control the north-side of town. Everything he orders is run through me now, he still pulls a great idea out of the hat from time to time, but most of his orders would bankrupt us." Maria picked the flowers up and began to look them over. "Dementia is a bitch."
"Wish it would happen to my dad. Maybe he would forget that he hated me." Tobias loosed a slight laugh. "Is he still buying the whole engagement thing?"
"Yeah. He is. I bet he's the only person in this whole city who still thinks I'm straight. I'll show these flowers off to him and say more wonderful things about you tonight." Maria folded her hands on the table. "Thanks for doing this for me Toby."
Lieutenant Goodman smirked. "Anything to keep my options open. Heaven forbid your dad is still alive when I eventually leave the service. Then I'd actually have to go through with the wedding and take over an entire criminal organization! Oh woe is me."
Maria and Tobias both burst out laughing for several moments before the former regained her composure. "Lets talk business. What were you able to vanish from the warehouse shelves for me this time?"
Reaching into his pocket Tobias produced and began to read a list of items. "200 Submachine guns, 107 Shotguns, 12 Dreameater TMs, 37 military grade fire boosting items, 19 military grade dark boosting items, 45 crates of various uncatalogued healing items, a 50 pack of military energy core launchers, and a single prototype next generation sniper rifle."
Maria excused herself from the room to grab a calculator. Upon her return Tobias was made to read the list several more times as she inputted numbers. Eventualy she was satisfied enough with her calculations to propose a counter offer. "400k sound fair to you Tobias?"
The officer drummed his fingers on the table as he considered. "I understand you expect surplus prices Maria, but that rifle alone is worth nearly 400k. You know uncle Samurott's military operations budget is Jack Shit. My men are spilling their blood as we speak to spread civilization in Azure; I can't balance fort Ivysaur's budget without your help in peacetime. We need everything you can give Maria. 600k."
"I'd be glad too, but those damn cops got our most recent shipment of Crack. Things ain't all rosy over here financialy you know. Lets meet at 500k." Maria paused for a second before speaking again to cut Tobias off as he opened his mouth. "500k and I'll treat you to lunch."
"Can I propose 500k and taking me to dinner as a counter offer Maria? I'm going to need all day to properly launder the cash." Tobias shots Maria a smile. "Deal?"
Maria Colombo nodded and offered Tobias her hand. "Deal."
To be continued...
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Topic: Pokemon Tabletop Adventures: Azure Travels (Read 25174 times)