RP Thread: New Eden

4341551 · October 12, 2014, 8:58pm

Beroya glanced in the general direction of the card players. “Hmmm… I know what you mean. He’s playing with fire, that one.”

The com in his ear suddenly crackled to life. “Captain, it’s Mishra. We’ve got a situation.”

Beroya touched a finger to his earpiece. “Go ahead Mishra, what’s the problem?”

"Sir, there are Federal troops converging on the Fortune’s hangar. I don’t know who tipped them off, but if we don’t get out of here soon, our ship won’t be able to leave…"

_"_Understood." Beroya used his fingernail to turn a small dial on the side of the device. “All hands, shore leave is over. Crewmembers from the Soldier’s Fortune who are not still aboard, join the crews of the Sanguine Shepherd and Wayward Rambler. Rendezvous point is the Ice Pits. Move fast and don’t cause a scene. Good luck. Kaine out.”

He stood up from the table and shouted across the room at his first-mate. “Ari! We’ve been blown! Get you gear and let’s go!”

The Soldier’s Fortune

The Sanguine Shepherd

The Wayward Rambler

16849841 · October 12, 2014, 10:22pm

Just as Ariphes stood up, Efefay exclaimed, “Wait. Lemme give you a gift, if you want it of course.” Efefay once again pulled out the black box and willed half of the glowing, green mist to solidify into a ring. He stuck out his open hand with the ring. “It’s yours if you want it. Use it whenever there is dim or no lighting and whatever you can think of. Something to remember me by.” Efefay looked into her eyes and gave a warm smile waiting for her response.

3402178 · October 12, 2014, 10:28pm

As the crew of the Soldier’s Fortune began their rapid departure, Quinn did his best to activate a covert comms unit. He whispered, “Soldiers Fortune are our mark. Get them out.” Then he carried on acting as though he were just a scavenger whose customers were making a sudden, unexpected exit.

4341551 · October 13, 2014, 6:53am

Ariphes’ head jerked up from the card game, as Captain Beroya Kaine shouted the order to depart. She jumped from her seat, grabbing her stab-resistant vest from the back of the chair before strapping it back on. Efefay seemed taken aback by the sudden turn of events and grabbed Ari’s wrist. “Wait! Lemme give you a gift, if you want it of course.” Efefay once again pulled out the black box and willed half of the glowing, green mist to solidify into a ring. He stuck out his open hand, offering it to Ari. “It’s yours if you want it. Use it whenever there is dim or no lighting and whatever you can think of. Something to remember me by.”

Ari took the ring in her hand, measuring her words carefully. “Efefay, this doesn’t mean there is anything between us. I don’t even know your last name.” She gazed at the ring, weighing its substance. “I don’t know how to say this…”

There was a mechanical click behind Efefay’s back. “Federal Marshal. Put your hands where I can see them. Don’t make any sudden moves and you won’t get hurt,” a low raspy voice growled. “You too, Sweetheart.”

___________________________

“Alright Quinn, I know this was a bit short, but if you can, have your man meet us down at docking bay 13C. That’s where the Fortune is moored. With any luck we’ll be able to cast off before they get a docking clamp lock on her.” Beroya was just getting up from the table when he saw the Marshal standing behind Efefay, gun in hand.

He grabbed Quinn’s arm and pulled him swiftly under the table booth, out of sight of the lawman. Two more guards entered the bar, weapons drawn. “On second thought, maybe you should drop him off at the rendezvous in Ice Pits after we’ve made it off the station.”

16849841 · October 13, 2014, 12:02pm

Efefay felt the barrel’s pressure and heard and sweat started to accumulate on his back. He had to do something fast. “Let’s see what this this thing can do. If it can heal maybe it can kill,” he thought to himself. The small, black box was still open. He willed the other half to enter the ears of the man behind him. First, it climbed out of the box. Then the green mist sneaked across the floor. From this point, Efefay could no longer see what his little helper was doing. “Do him in,” was all he thought. With a whistle, the firearm clattered on the tile floor of the bar and a second later the man’s body, too, was on the floor. He inhaled hard.

Unbeknownst to Efefay, the green mist had grown ever so slightly. The mist flowed back into the box and it displaced a bit more air than it did last time the green mist was there. But Efefay wasn’t paying attention due to the commotion.

4134325 · October 13, 2014, 12:26pm

In a dark room filled with holographic projectors, a strange man observed with interest at the unfolding events. Through the eyes of a dozen of spy cameras positioned strategically to cover all angles, every detail of the engagement was displayed. After reviewing the holo-recording several times, paying especial attention to the green mist originating from a box with patterns resembling the hull of a precursor station, the man pressed a button on the control panel and said with a cold voice:

“Get me the Wiggle Squadron. Functional alien tech sighted. Initiate recovery procedure Beta-Gamma.”

3522870 · October 13, 2014, 2:14pm

The card game was interesting to watch, some words seemed to get to him, but mostly, the leather wested pilot was still interested more in the door than the actual happenings. For any observer it was clear, he was at least waiting for something, or somebody, but at the same time, sometimes he seemed just to enjoy yet another scotch.

When the federal marshal entered the door, therefore, the pilot had actually anticipated someone coming in, saw the federal markings, and slowly got up from his seat. However he hesitated. As the fed finally turned his attention to Efefay, instead of him, he stopped standing right next to his barstool. One hand fiddled with the back of his leather jacket, covertly feeling for his pistol, but with the other, he reached back to the bar, bearing his weight again on it, as if he was unsure if maybe he could just take his seat back.

From his view, he could see, that this Fed marshal was here because of other guests, not him.

“Federal Marshal. Put your hands where I can see them. …”

Finally he decided, he would retreat, after watching others disappear behind tables. He slowly backed to the toilet, and in the dark corner where he could enter the facilities, removing his gun finally from his jacket, suddenly a voice reached him from behind.

“I would not do that Mr. Valor”

The pilot didnt move, and put the weapon back in the holster, but kept his hand ready.

“Are you the contact?”
“Yes. I have your documents. Welcome back to the Federation”
“So why the scene?” the pilot asked angrily.
“I can assure you, I have nothing to do with this, it seems to be a small local coincidence”
“I don’t believe much in coincidences. Prove it, call your Marshal there back.”

In this second they witnessed the green myst around Efefay, and finally, the pilot turned his head to the G-man behind him. Both looked at each other rather puzzled.

3522870 · October 13, 2014, 2:19pm

“Allright then, Mr. Valor”, the G-man said, walking straight at Efefay and the Marshal, also taking a look at the other guards.

If anything sudden might not happen, he would have started by exclaiming a “What seems to be the problem here?” towards the Federal Forces, with the self assurance of an important person.

But the collapse of the Marshal in the green myst thwarted the action, the Government man stopping himself unsure if he should get any further than the couple feet he was standing away from Efefay.

The pilot remained behind, sceptical, and in his ears, small voices started to chatter.

“We should go combat mode, gab”
“No, wait, what happens.”
“Roger.”

3402178 · October 13, 2014, 3:01pm

The bar was becoming interesting for all the wrong reasons, and as soon as an opening presented itself Quinn turned to say, “see you there,” and bolted for the door.

He made his way quickly and carefully to D-Bay and the waiting T-Rex, proudly sporting an arctic camo paint scheme. He went aboard the ship, its crew already preparing for dust-off, and was away and clear in minutes. The frigate stopped at a nearby fuelling station before picking a course seemingly at random and going full burn, flying hard until it came upon a squat, bullish capital ship, painted in the colours of the Pirate clans. The ship fled the scene as soon as the frigate was aboard.

Quinn was greeted by the pirates as though he were their own, and by a female officer in particular. With promises of lustful pleasure he was dragged to her darkened chambers. As the door sealed and the lights came on, both Quinn and the woman became very different people.

“How are you, Marie?”

“Well enough,” she replied. “You have everything ready?”

Quinn nodded. “The Wolfpack will strike Jericho space in two days, which should keep some of the Cartel busy. I pulled some favours with my Tech contacts tomake sure Crimson Haze is under fire from two directions at once. Our team is the Soldier’s Fortune; they’ll hit the facility and get the pirates in.”

“And afterward?”

Quinn shrugged. “As long as the Precursor tech is safely aboard, does it matter what happens to the rest?”

Marie bit her lip and rolled the thought around in her head. “The pirates will be an issue as well, but if you can arrange a welcoming party at the usual place we’ll be able to take the ship quick and easy.”

“Good.” Quinn helped himself to her liquor cabinet. “Drop me off at Victory Bay and I’ll make sure my face is seen by the right people. I need to keep this cover up a while longer. Oh, and let Elijah know he’s to go with the strike team.”

“Shame,” Marie replied, “I liked Elijah. He was a good man.”

“To die in service of the Emperor is a good end,” Quinn answered as he downed the clear spirit. “But don’t die too soon, Marie. I’d miss you.”

She smiled at him from her cot and made a point to ruffle the sheets. “Get a shower before you leave,” she said. “And stay out of trouble.”

16849841 · October 13, 2014, 3:34pm

Now Efefay was surrounded by two guards. He tried willing the Precursor material to kill the two men but it didn’t seem to respond.

His options were running low. He shouted a curse and pointed behind the two guards and caused them to turn around. He looked at Beroya and Ariphes asking them with his eyes to help him. He kicked the back of one of the guard’s knees. He grabbed the gun and threw it at Beroya, who was still hiding behind the table.

3522870 · October 13, 2014, 3:48pm

The Government man was astonished by the sudden hostility against the federal Guards

“Wait a minute” he tried to shout, but then again, found himself outgunned as one of the guards were taken down.

Without any weapons he seemed to try to take a step back from the action.

The pilot however decided to unholster the gun in any case, slowly.

In his ears, several voices discussed, not hearable to anyone around him, coming from internal chips in his body.

“Phase in the armor!”
“No. Wait.”
“Roger.”
“Whatever happens, we have to keep the contact here, we need the documents”
“Switch weapon mode to class 2 projectiles?”
“Affirmative.”

4341551 · October 14, 2014, 12:10am

The sawn-off riot gun Efefay threw across the room clattered to the floor and slid a good distance before coming to rest near the booth. Cursing under his breath, Beroya lunged out from under his cover, drawing his custom pistol and snatching up the tossed gun. Bullet spray from the fully-automatic weapon ripped through the guard who was still standing. Using his momentum to vault the bar counter, the privateer captain ducked into cover just as the first guard rolled back onto his feet and grabbed the dead Marshal’s sidearm.

Efefay and Ari dived to the floor, as the guard sent red-hot lead shearing through the bar in the direction of the privateer. The half-wall started to crumble under the onslaught as expensive bottles of liquor popped and sprayed alcohol in every direction. Beroya prepared to dive for more substantial protection. But as he steeled himself an agonized yell split the air. Then there was silence.

Cautiously, Beroya poked his head above the countertop, and saw Ari standing over the lifeless body of the guard. The captain began to thread his way through the toppled chairs and shattered glass toward the scene, keeping his weapons trained on the downed officers. Blood pooled on the floor from the officer’s slashed throat. The green ring that Efefay had given to Ari now completely enveloped her hand like a gauntlet. Brilliant green talons had sprouted from the fingertips like razor blades. Ariphes stood in shock, staring at her hand. “I… I only meant to punch him,” she stammered. “I don’t understand… what just… how?” The translucent green gauntlet began to recede back into the form of a ring. Ari grabbed at it with her free hand, attempting to pull it off. “Wha…? It’s stuck! I can’t get it off! Efefay! I can’t get your bloody ring off my hand!!!”

16849841 · October 14, 2014, 1:38am

He tried to will it off Ariphes finger but it didn’t seem to budge. Although Efefay didn’t know it, when he gifted the green ring to Ariphes, he no longer had control of it. In fact, even if the ring was able to be controlled, only Ariphes would be able to will it off with her implants.

Efefay thought hard and fast. He didn’t have much time. His mouth began spewing out words. “When I killed the Marshall the green mist, it didn’t respond to my implants when I tried to use it again,” Efefay said.

He threw the box into the air because of panic and willed it do to something spectacular, anything really that would temporarily calm the fears that Ariphes had. The mist burst out of the box. It transformed into the original solar system, the home of the humans. Then it showed a star with four gas giants. There were no planets or any rocky masses. Nothing except six small, rocky columns orbiting the last gas giant.

The entire design had the beauty of a dancer, like clockwork. It fit into the palm of a hand. The system’s star had a miniature explosion. Then the mist condensed into a pebble and dropped into the open box on the floor. All of this happened within a few moments yet still comprehensible to the people watching.

Everyone still in the room had lead jaws.

“It’ll come off later. Right now we got to scram!” someone said.

4341551 · October 14, 2014, 2:04am

The miniature universe display was absolutely stunning and over almost before it had begun. It would have merited an entire days worth of scientific analysis, were it not for the present circumstances. “We’ll get it off later,” Beroya placed a protective hand on Ari’s shoulder as he glared at Efefay. “Right now we need to scram! Efefay, you’re coming with us whether you like it or not. You know the most about this precursor sludge, and you got Ari into this mess. That means you’re going to fix it.” He picked up the black box from where it had landed on the floor, and shoved it forcefully into the young man’s hands.

For the first time, he seemed to notice the leather jacket-clad man over by the bar’s destroyed counter. “YOU!” he boomed, leveling his handgun, “You and your friend in the suit! Don’t move!” The captain began to walk towards them, his eyes blazing as glass crunched under his combat boots. “What’s your part in all this? Do we have you to thank for that little firefight just now? Speak up!”

His steel grey eyes hardened on the two figures. The way he held his weapon made it clear that he was an experienced gunslinger, and if he didn’t like their explanation, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them both.

3522870 · October 14, 2014, 12:44pm

The Government man seemed not used to direct firefights, and was still standing close to where the dead guards were lying.

He seemed not to say much. He looked pale and confused.

The pilot however still was behind the bar in a darker corner, next to the entrance of the toilets, the gun in his hand hidden from sight for Beroya.

As Beroyas booming voice reached him, and he got closer, he answered into the sudden silence with a very confident and relaxed tone

“You really don’t want to do this, son…”

He was about to raise his hand with the pistol. The air around him seemed to shimmer for a couple of milliseconds in a blueish light. His whole pasture changed from tired old pilot to slow, predatory body tension.

The G-Man also raised one hand. Blood was all over it, and it was now visible, he had been hit by a ricochet on the side of his torso. He looked at his blooded hand and shortly after that simply collapsed, most likely to unconciousness.

As the leather jacket man saw this, he moved at the direction of the G-mans collapsed body, exposing his pistol hand, however not raising it completely, but Beroya as a gunslinger would see, it was close enough to counter a stupid move.

“You idiots!” he now screamed back at Beroya, “he is government! Do you really want another fight now, and have your head on display in the next hundred parsecs?”

To emphasize on it, his other hand pointed at the collapsed body.

“Friends…” he finally hissed in a sarcastic tone (which Beroya may have picked up from his distance), as the pilot looked at the G-mans body, but only for a second, then his eyes were fixed on Beroya again.

He stopped as soon as moving up to the G-mans body was impossible without getting to close to Beroya and losing his edge, almost awaiting the other Gunners next move.

“I don’t want a fight, we had nothing to do with this, but you really don’t want that tablet pusher to die…”, he finally explained with his relaxed tone in his deep voice recovered. “I on the other hand only want what he carries with him”

the chips in the pilots mind were chatting again…

“Visual scan analyzed. Life signs confirmed.”
“Stay with the contact.”
“Roger”
“Shooting might have been reported. Analyzing statistical worst case scenario for minimal arrival time of station security backup…”

4341551 · October 14, 2014, 8:40pm

Beroya’s tone was firm and level. “If you want to help him, you’re first gonna have to put that gun on the ground and step back. I’ve got no guarantee you aren’t using him as a ploy to get the first shot in. So that’s the deal. Your gun, on the ground, and then kick it to the far wall. If you so much as twitch, I’ll blow you away.”

3522870 · October 14, 2014, 10:47pm

Voices in the pilots’ head chattered in light speed.

“Ship crew on standby. Connection interrupted.”
“Dampening field detected. Federation officials seem alerted.”
“Completed predictions. Suggested exit window: 2 minutes 37 seconds. Probability factor 0.894.”
“Following suggested course of action will lead to a best case delay, that exceeds this time limit.”

The Feds seemed to already have erected a dampening field, cutting off radio transmissions from this area.

The pilot didn’t move. He took a look at Beroya, and raised one of his eyebrows, fixating him with his protective glasses.

“I don’t kick my guns around. So new deal. I holster my weapon, and you leave.”

He nodded at the G-Man on the floor.

“But where he goes, I go.”

He started moving his hand back behind his back, where the gun holster was.

“I don’t want no trouble here. I just came for a friendly unregistered meeting” he added, "I can tell you, that statistically the probability is extremely high that you will be too late to leave, if we prolongue this incident.

And certainly, you won’t reach your exit plan, and I don’t want the Feds to arrive either, as you do, before I get the documents this man is carrying, if you understand what I mean."

“We are running out of time. But you can take your shot, see where it leads, your choice, soldier”

16849841 · October 14, 2014, 11:03pm

During the discussion between the two men, Efefay opened up the small, black box behind him so Ariphes could see what he was doing. He willed the glowing pebble to heal the government man. It dropped to the floor and evaporated into the fine, green mist. The mist weaved through the debris on the ground and behind the dead guards.

Efefay’s eyes peered down. He saw the mist invading the open wound on the government man’s torso. The bleeding stopped and the projectile clattered out of the unconscious man’s side. Then Efefay made a whistle and the mist came back to him and into the box.

“… your choice, soldier,” said the man wearing the leather jacket. Efefay whispered into Beroya’s ear.

“I fixed him,” he said as he gestured towords the government man., “so let’s hurry it up.”

3522870 · October 14, 2014, 11:42pm

As the miracoulous healing took place, the pilot finished holstering his weapon as if he did not think about the situation straight anymore, his jaw dropping, he raised both hands empty, looking perplexed at Efefay, seemingly speechless, and leaving Beroya completely.unsupervised.

The chips were silent for a while.

“What the heck was that?”
“No explanation. Database search without uplink impossible.”

4341551 · October 15, 2014, 4:16am

Beroya backed towards Efefay and Ari, sensing the time to leave was long overdue. The earpiece crackled to life, but the words were almost impossible to make out. “Sir! zzzzzaaaaaaa…Mishra. bzzzzzzzrrrrrkkkkk…are you guys?!?” The sound of weapons fire could be heard in the background between bursts of static from a jamming system. Then the line went dead.

“We’ve got to move.” The captain’s face was etched with concern as he muttered to his companions. Raising his voice with bravado he spoke to the man in the leather jacket. “Alright, mystery man, we’ll take your deal. But I’ll keep my gun drawn until we’re out the door, if it’s all the same to you.” A small metal canister rolled from his free hand and clattered across the floor toward the bar’s counter seats. Moments later it exploded with a concussive bang, filling the bar with smoke. The sound of running feet receded down the hall, and by the time the haze cleared, the Captain and his crew were gone.

______________________________________

The three figures hugged the wall just outside of docking bay 13C. Just beyond the massive blast doors and inside the hangar, they could hear the distinct sound of Mishra’s assault rifle punctuating the air. Beroya could imagine the situation just from the placement of sound.

Mishra and the rest of the skeleton crew would be firing down the Fortune’s loading ramp, attempting to keep a Federal boarding party armed with riot shields from making their way up the gangway. The occasional high-pitched gunshot suggested that there was at least one sharpshooter near the back of the hangar, who was trying to get a clear line of sight on the stubborn ex-cartel pirate. A loud explosion was followed by a metallic clang and screams of agony, as one of the guards carelessly let a grenade slip under his riot shield. Mishra’s whoop of success confirmed it had been one of her ‘special’ recipes.

“So… how are we going to get through all that?” Ariphes’ voice quavered, thought she tried to hide it.

“Very carefully,” Beroya pulled a forged Federal badge from one of his utility pockets, and fixed it on his chest. “Lets see if they fall for one of the classics…” Without any hesitation, Beroya Kaine, Captain of the Soldier’s Fortune, strode fearlessly out into the hangar. Not sure of what he was planning, Ariphes and Efefay followed, with just the slightest hint of hesitation.

The privateer marched confidently up to an officer crouched behind a barricade, who appeared to be in charge of the operation. Beroya took a quick glance at his rank and badge. “Lieutenant McKeen! I’m the negotiator you sent for. Good thing too, it looks like your boys are taking a beating!” Another grenade went off, making everyone duck reflexively.

“Negotiator? I never requested a negotiator!” McKeen’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “These are pirates! They can’t be reasoned with! Especially that crazy woman out front!” The Lieutenant gestured toward Mishra, who stood defiantly on the ramp of the second-generation T-Rex. Another scream issued from the gangway as a guard fell headlong into the hangar’s lower decks.

“Sir, with all due respect, if you don’t let me try to reason with them, more of your men will die trying to take that ship! Surely your men’s lives are worth more than this!”

The Lieutenant became crestfallen. All of the strength in his shoulders seemed to leak out onto the floor as he sighed. “Alright, you’ve convinced me. You get one shot. If you can’t talk them down, we’ll have no choice but to use the hangar’s turret defense system to obliterate them.” He touched his ear deftly and began issuing orders. “Team Bravo, you are to begin an organized retreat back towards the barricade. Keep those shields up, but do not return fire. Team Sigma, keep your snipers trained on the cargo ramp and hold your fire. We’ve got a friendly going in for some peace talks.”

Beroya fixed a white piece of cloth to the front of his uniform for the sake of the performance. The crew would recognize him without any problems, but he had to keep up appearances with the Feds.

Slowly he stepped over the barricade and began a cautious walk toward the ship, flanked by Ari and Efefay…