My best campaign ever....

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  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    He had no sooner looked up at the assembled Lin-Kuei and TRIADE guests of honor who seemed quite excited by the display when Hoo was the only guest to point behind the Jumper. A Shoge Hook penetrated his kevlar-reinforced racing jacket just under his armpit. The blades edge had miraculously not causing signifigant injury when a fierce and deep voice resounded in the arena:

    "GET OVER HERE!!!"

    Helen took Vivian's hand and squeezed it urgently prompting the doctor to open her eyes and look. The Jumper was pulled behind and swept off his feet, flying 3 yards land hard and slide to the feet of one of the most dangerous assassins of the Tsurimatso Clan....

    SCORPION vs MEE-CHAN:

    The Ninja immediately launches into a series of stomp kicks aimed at the face of his prone target. A character point had been spent by Phil to engage stun points for hand to hand damage results but this doesn't prevent the Ninja from landing 2-3 good kicks to the puss before Knowledge was able to effectively counter. The Jumper brought his foot up from where he lay as hard as he could with the intention of hitting Scorpy's gut and manages instead to tag "Bunny Eyes" right in the pills. Despite Scorpion's legendary tolerance to pain, Gregs streak of bad rolling is really starting to make superior fighters look bad. Knowledge is almost to his feet as Scorpion is upon him and locks the Jumper in a neck clinch, landing four savage knee strikes before finishing with a strong push kick to his opponents torso causing him to slam spine first into the edge of the VIP table behind him. North is dazed but he's determined not to go down.

    Vivian squeezes Helen's hand as she bows her head and closes her eyes, resigned to her fate...saying but a single word:

    Hoo: "Go."

    Mike: "A BLIND BOOMER NINJA!?!"
    GM: "S#@t, ya GOT me dude."
    Mike: "AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
    Greg: "Okay....pretty cool....but can she do THIS?"
    Phil: "Dude, were you beaten as a child?"
    Mike: "Nobody should EVER have to see that!"
    GM: "Ooooookie....Greg loses a point unless he puts his pen1s away."
    Mike: "You ARE going to put that thing away, AREN'T you?"
    Greg does his best Fat Ba$tard impersonation: "Mebbe...."
    GM: "If you don't wash your hands before you touch MY dice, you INSTANTLY lose the game."
    Greg: "Uhhhh....I'll be right back."

    Scorpion begins to extend his Shoge Hook chain and lasso's the Jumper by his throat, subsequently throwing the opposing end over a rafter. The Tsurimatsuo assassin then hoists Knowledge into the air and begins to deliver a series of brutal shin kicks to his torso, waiting for the momentum to return the swinging body before landing subsequent attacks. The impacts continue to tighten the chains grip on his throat and he is in danger of passing out.

    SCORPION vs HELEN SEVEN:

    Before Scorpion can react, he is struck by the vaulting Helen Seven who lands a DEVASTATING push kick on the unexpecting Ninja that launches him a staggering TWELVE yards before hitting the kitchen's "easy access" push doors and disappearing until coming to a sudden stop as indicated by the sound of breaking crockery and falling utencils.)
    He did NOT get back up.

    "FLAWLESS VICTORY!"

    Greg: "Sonnova B@#$H!"
    Mike: "Whoa."
    Phil: "Heheheh...I'm gonna f'k a blind-ninja-boomer!"

    TO BE CONTINUED....

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Helen Seven even managed to catch the chain of Scorpion's Shoge Hook and prevented The Jumper from falling uncontrollably to the ground.
    He had barely pulled the chain from his throat when Rain drew his katana charged up upon Helen as she was distracted by Mee-Chan.

    RAIN vs ?:

    Rain had been preparing to strike Helen target and so, North's attack came as a complete suprise.
    Helen senced Knowledge's strike coming and easily dodged under it as he snarled and swung with ALL his might with the sole purpose of preventing a death....and in the process was responsible for YET another.

    For the first time (since I had started playing GURPS) the maximum amount of damage possible for an attack (by someone with his strength and attack options) is caused in a single VERY lucky critical strike that results in a ONE-HIT-KILL by an extra-effort strong aimed attack that causes triple the normal damage amount possible by die result to the skull (further multiplying the damage by four).
    Knowledge hits Rain SO hard he (as unlikely as the real world possibility of it occuring is) shatters his nose and drives the splinters of cartilage into his brain. Rain swayed for a moment before keeling over dead as a mackerel.

    "FLAWLESS VICTORY!"

    Knowledge almost breaks his fist in the process. The momentum of his swing sent him off balance and Helen manages to catch him after the flukishly deadly display.

    Phil: "Let's see your stupid ninjas top THAT!"
    Greg: "Lucky ba$tard."

    Although there had been quite a buzz up till this point, Rain's sudden death caused a silence in the room. The remainder of Tsurimatsuo then assumed a semi-circle around Mee-Chan and Helen trapping them against the table. This action prompted a similar result from the Shaolin team except they still chose The Hand as their enemy and not Odd Kat's upstart Westerner guest. Things were about to turn pretty ugly but Lin-Kuei and Kat both stood as one from their seats and ordered their respective Clans to stand down.

    The Jumper was relieved to no end as Scorpion had very nearly killed him with relative ease in the first place and he wasn't eager for a rematch. By his hand alone, he had killed one Tsurimatsuo "legend" in a spectacular display and had managed to hospitalize second with far less finesse.
    The only problem was it may have just cost him his life.

    In all the comotion, no had noticed Li-Li Kat had disappeared from the Banquet Hall...

    TO BE CONTINUED....

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Mee-Chan finds himself immediately incarcerated in the Elysium detention centre.

    Instead of being executed, he is taken before Odd Kat who praises the Jumper for "saving" his niece from certain death but fears the behavior has breached acceptable protocol. Despite the cozy state of affairs that exists between TRIADE and Lin-Keui, The Hand feels they have been insulted and Tsugi Lin-Keui demands tribute before moving forward with any future business arrangements. To ensure compliance from Odd Kat, The Tsurimatsuo have abducted Li-Li stating unless Knowledge surrenders himself to them, she will be killed.
    He asks the Jumper what he would do were the tables reversed?

    "You're pretty much doing it now..."

    North tells Odd Kat he would go willingly and without resistance providing Doctor Hoo and Miss Seven are not punished for his actions at the banquet.
    Odd Kat reminded Knowledge that this wasn't a request. Simply a courtesy "from one collector to another" and was only informing him what was going to happen so he wasn't clueless when he met his end.

    "What will you do to Hoo and Seven?"

    They would be "dealt" with appropriately...unfortunately, Odd didn't elaborate on what that meant.
    Yorobazu took pocession of "Samantha" but Odd was still partial to North's Tomahawk & "David" Bowie and began to examine at his trophy wall, deciding where best to make room for his latest acquistions.

    North: "I thought you only mounted the weapons from people who tried to kill you?"
    Odd Kat: "After what I am about to do to you...you DON'T want to kill me?"

    Knowledge began to laugh to himself as he was lead away in chains by Orange Socks. He really DID want to kill him!

    North's departure from Elysium was much less glamorous than his arrival. From sipping whiskey in first class by scramjet to being secured on a long-range military transport, surrounded by heavily armed Lin-Keui security team members who were lead by Scorpion.

    He was brought before Tsugi Lin-Keui at their corperate headquarters in Japan. The monolithic arcology structure which comprised the nexus of Lin-Keui global operations dominated the Poseidon cityscape. It is internationally considered to be "sovereign corperate territory" and operates independant of Japanese political influence. It has its own goals, it makes its own laws and maintains its own VERY well-equiped private military to enforce it. Such displays of brute force are rarely needed since Lin-Keui can compel legitimate government agencies to harass their opponents while remaining safely hidden in the shadows.
    Tsugi Lin-Keui/Michelle Yeoh, was not charmed by Knowledge's looks or demeanor. Ermac had not just been her personal bodyguard...he had also been her lover. She felt North "owed" her for her inconvenience and would certainly made him suffer for it...until she discovered who he really was.

    Tsugi: "Neem-bis."
    North: "Awe, f'k"
    Tsugi: "YOU...are Neem-bis!"
    North: "I don't know what you're talking about and I have no idea who this "Nimrod" is."
    Tsugi: "Do you know what I find when I put your datachip into the globalnet?"
    North: "C0ck-brutality Porn?"

    Scorpion forearm strikes Knowledge in the face for his insolence. North spit blood and begins to shake his head:

    North: "Y-yeah, I'm sorry....I deserved that-"
    Tsugi: "Nothing...there's nothing. Yes, there are a few numbers but no scholastic data, no dental or medical records..."
    North: "Till NOW..."

    Scorpion blindsides North a second time. Knowledge doesn't recover as fast as before but once his vision clears he tries to focus upon Miss Lin-Keui:

    North: "See?"

    Scorpion goes to strike North again but Tsugi motions for the Tsurimatsuo to desist causing him to freeze in mid-strike only to stand aside, bowing his head in reverence.

    North: "Thank you."

    Tsugi executes a spinning kick to the bound Jumper's jaw which sends both North, and the chair he is tied to, to the ground.

    North: "Can I go back to having "Bunny Eyes" hit me?"
    Tsugi: "You must LIKE the pain."
    North: "You to want REAL pain? Get married."

    TO BE CONTINUED....

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Scorpion drew his katana and placed the blade's tip under Knowledge's jaw.

    North: "What are ya waiting for? DO it!"

    Lin-Keui placed her hand over Scorpions and slowly moved the blade away from North's throat...

    Tsugi: "We BOTH know you are Neem-Bis..."

    (It's taking ALL of North's remaining restraint not to scream out: "IT'S NIMBUS, NIMBUS YOU CRAZY B1TCH, NOT "NEEM-BIS"...NIMBUS.!!! FFFF'K, YOU RUN A SUCCESSFUL COMPANY, GET IT RIGHT!!!")

    Tsugi: "...we can do this the easy way or we can do this the "fun" way."
    North: "That's okay...I'll take door number one."

    ("It'll be fine....as LONG as she just STOPS sayin' it!")

    Mike: "PHIL!?! YOU WHIMPING OUT DUDE!?!"
    Phil: "...."
    Mike: "Say it AIN'T so, man?!"
    Greg: "C'mon Phil....that's right, punk me AGAIN....I DARE you!! I'll Scorpion you're @$$!!"
    Phil: "F'king ninjas SUCK!"

    Lin-Keui displays genuine disappointment as she leans down and lifts Knowledge back up in chair...

    Tsugi: "So easy? I expected MORE from Stormfront..."

    ("Just don't say it...")

    Scorpion resheathed his blade as Miss Lin-Keui mocked the helpless Jumper with her laughter. Tsugi leaned on his shoulder as she pinched his cheek like one would a child...

    Tsugi: "...what kind of leader ARE you, Neem-Bus?"

    ("FFFFFFFFFFF'KKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!")

    NEEM-BIS vs TSUGI LIN-KEUI:

    Phil: "VERY funny..."

    Knowledge leaned his head back as if he were laughing with her but at the last possible moment, used the extra momentum to head butt Tsugi Lin-Keui in the nose as hard as he could while she hung in his face. It was a NASTY break...even split her upperlip wide open, she was bleeding ALL over the place...high damage...good effect...totally caught her by suprise!

    Mike: "I take it BACK, Phil...you're my hero again."
    (Phil takes a bow.)

    North: "IT'S NIMBUS, NIMBUS YOU CRAZY B1TCH, NOT "NEEM-BIS"...NIMBUS, FFFF'K!!!"

    Tsugi recoiled from the Jumper and stumbled as she went. Scorpion had drawn his katana from his sheath and prepared to execute an "impaling finishing move kata" upon the immobilized Jumper. Knowledge braced for the end when a voice rose above that of Scorpion in mid-kiai:

    Akira: "What is the meaning of this?!"

    Scorpion immediately aborts his combination and kneels before the sound of the Chairman's voice can become an echo.
    Tsugi now crawled towards her father...a bloody, sobbing mess.

    Phil: "FATHER!?! Awwwwwe, THIS isn't gonna be good-"

    The senior Lin-Keui/John Lone proceeded to slap his progeny as she kowtowed before him. Tsugi's sobbing came to an abrupt stop. Akira berated her and stormed past Knowledge's one time torturer, throwing a hankie at her in his wake. Next he fixed his gaze upon the bound Jumper.

    (Greg is now holding up Phil's sheet, as if about to tear it up.)

    Akira Lin-Keui barks a command which prompts the assassin to take up a position behind the Jumper as he raise his katana above his head in preparation to strike.
    Instead of being decapitated, the base of the hilt strikes North upon the temple and sends him to an unscheduled "time-out"...

    Fade to black.

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    The federalists put their plan into action.
    Knowing that outside of A.S.P. (and the occasional favor for Halpern Security Concepts) that Stormfront exclusively accepted missions which involved Boomer, nuclear or bio-terror threats against civilian populations, they came up with a sure-fire plan to destroy the teams credibility in the eyes of the nation.
    Great sacrifice would be required to achive their goal and to further that end, a single american city would need to be destroyed. Using the Piotr Arumov, the federalists would employ the services of Interfist (today we call them Blackwater!) and lure the Stormfront to Corpus Christie. There, they would detonate a the remainder of the Alfa-Class submarines aging nuclear payload and frame the team with carrying out the deed. DoJ knew that the buck didn't stop with Stormfront. They had good intel which connected Calaveri Concepts and Halpern Petrollium (unwittingly provided by Andrew Halloran) with the group and the Corpus Christie event would provide the perfect cover to go after two corperate giants and destroy them. Not only would it strike a blow against Stormfront and their allies but it would also cripple the prosperity of Texas, weakening the Free Oil States and the newly formed Southern Protectorate in the process.
    Behind the scenes, orchestrating it all, was your friend and mine; Gary L. Stevenson...The Black Asp.

    Phil: "Dude? WTF, man?"
    Greg: "THATS WHAT YOU GET FOR TAKING A YEAR OFF @$$HOLE!!! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE...BRUCE WAYNE!?!"
    GM: "From 2-3 sorties a month to nothing in a year...there was BOUND to be some backlog."
    Phil: "Grmmmble-Grrrmble."
    Mike: "You gonna finish those?"

    (Writer's Note: That last exchange didn't actually take place for a few game sessions but it seemed funnier to include it now!)

    For all their scheming, there was a single problem they hadn't forseen which even now threatened to unravel the plan. It had been in place for monthes but Stormfront didn't seem to be taking the bait.

    When Knowledge awoke, he was not in a darkened cell as he would have expected. Upon seeing "night sky" out the window he walked over to the pane to examine his surroundings and was shocked to see it hadn't been night sky at all...he was in orbit. He had seen holo's of "personal residential space platforms" but never dreamed he would ever visit one.

    The room was luxurious with furnishings of the finest quality. It was stocked with only the best food & drink. The wardrobe provided was not only resplendent but fit him like a glove. His room overlooked a meticulously tended rock garden and the surrounding area gave the illusion that it was set in a lush forest and not a habitat module. The hand he had broken seemed to have been completely healed and his body showed no sign of any injury that had resulted from the banquet or his ensuing capitvity.

    Phil: "I'm completely f'ked here aren't I?"
    GM: "Yup."

    He wasn't alone either. Other occupants who also seemed to live there ignored him as they went about their day. He saw no guards, He observed no weapons and the majority of the guests/residents seemed to be women and children.

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Phil: "THIS is bad...VERY bad, yeah...missing Jeopardy, uh-oh, uh-oh."
    GM: "RAINMAN, Dustin Hoffman...you get a point!"
    Greg: "WHAT?!"
    GM: "If he had quoted Tom Cruise, I'd have deducted a point."
    Mike: "Greg must have too many points."
    Phil: "How so?"
    Mike: "He's writing down Top Gun quotes..."

    Mee-Chan shortly discovers that he has been taken to Akira's private residence. While there he discovers the shocking reason for the Jumper's sudden favor with the senior Lin-Keui.

    HE-IS-ALSO-A-JUMPER!

    Phil: "YESSSSSSS!!!"
    GM: "Not so fast..."

    Akira is convinced that Knowledge knows the secrets of "world jumping". Despite becoming fabulously wealthy and powerful on Earth-6: Autodeul, Akira desires nothing more than to return home to Earth Prime. He will stop at nothing to achieve his goals and unless North spills his secrets and provides him with a means to return home, he will use his vast fortune to destroy everything Mee-Chan holds dear.

    Phil: "FFFFFF'KKKK!!!!"
    Greg: "YEESSSSSS!!!"
    Mike: "Dayum!"
    Phil: "TOLD you it was a mistake to come here."

    North tells Lin-Keui that there's only ONE person who can help him to get home. Doctor Hoo. At first Akira is elated until Knowledge informs him of Hoo's "uncertain" fate as a result of his behavior at Odd Kat's banquet.
    The Yakuza/Corperate kingpin decrees that Knowledge will be set free and that if HE does not bring Doctor Hoo to him within the week, he will make good on his threats.
    Mee-Chan accepts his terms providing he agrees to release Li Li Kat. Lin-Keui laughs at Knowledge's folly and informs the Jumper that the banquet he spoke of was over two weeks ago and Li Li had been returned to Odd shortly after they took custody of North.
    Despite his mistrust of the westerner, Akira can't help but be impressed by the Jumpers selflessness.

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Odd Kat was very disappointed by Hoo and her guests behavior but once he discovered that Vivian's assistant (and lover) was in reality a combat-model 33-S Sexaroid, he became livid. Hoo was the backbone of Odd's Conveyor research and while he was unable to punish North and could not kill Vivian to make his point, he COULD make Helen Seven suffer in her place. The return of his niece had not abated his anger and so after reporting LN-7 as an illegal replicant, Odd had Helen deported off planet to be put to work on one of the SDPC platforms which ring the earth.

    The SDPC project would eventually become the core of the Mars colonization program that would see the planet completely terraformed by 2124. The average life expectancy of a replicant on an SDPC platform is 3 years.

    Helen had been given a death sentence.

    Akira had North shuttled to an SDPC platform for a return trip to earth via planetary tether. Originally the brainchild of the Liandri mining corperation, the tether stretched around the entire planet and was one of the major stepping stones to humanity's conquest of space. The decent to earth takes a little under an hour during which the tether car breaks the speed of spound. Except for the security team which escorted him planetfall, the monolithic ten-story tether car is devoid of personel & crew. It wasn't long before Knowledge found himself being ejected from the grounds of the Lin-Keui acrology.
    He was completely f'ked.

    - Lisa was still a.w.o.l.
    - Cathy was still not talking to North.
    - North was still not talking to Maim.

    The group had unofficially disbanded.

    - Hoo was still in Odd's clutches.
    - Helen would be worked to death in space.

    Plus, if he failed to locate, free and deliver Hoo to Akira, the Lin-Keui would destroy Stormfront, Calaveri Concepts and Halpern Petrollium.

    Phil: "...."
    Greg: "Y'know...I'm startin' to feel kinda bad for ya, Phil."
    Mike: "That mean you gonna relent a bit?"
    Greg: "F'k no...I've ALMOST got him!!"
    GM: "You forgot about the feds..."

    All throughout this loomed the shadow of federalist treachery. Ready to put their monstrous scheme onto play...poised to murder Corpus Christie...all to maintain the illusion of control and protect the "New World Order".

    Stormfront had (at long last) reached the end of the line.

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    He had no phone.
    He had no cash.
    He had no weapons.
    He had no passport or identification.

    He was completely alone.
    He was lost in Neo-Tokyo and he couldn't read or speak a word of Japanese.
    He was shunned (as a westerner) by the general population and the more he tried to make himself understood, the more (politely) intolerant the locals became.

    His only good fortune for the evening? An unopened package of bubblegum he found while wandering the streets.

    It was as if he had stepped out of the Lin-Keui doorway and walked into the Third World. The poverty was staggering. He couldn't believe so many people could be "stacked" upon each other, in massive incongruent towering living module structures that greeted the arcologies edge.

    The streets became an ocean of umbrellas and rain hats as thousands upon thousands of citizens "flowed" through the confusion of the Neo-Tokyo depths, distracted by the dispair & poverty of life in 2041. Most never even looking up to meet the gaze of those they pass. He was dressed traditionally for the region and even though being a "Gaijin" it was his lack of umbrella or raincoat that made him stand out from the rest. He was very quickly drenched as he wandered into the cityscape of Poseidon.

    "Ground Roads" were still used in Poseidon at the time but the traffic on them more ressembled a neverending refugee convoy than rush hour in LA-1. Converti-Cars and similar "air car" personal transports, used by the affluent, are the preferred mode of transit in NT-1. An extensive mag-lev system exists for public transit now that most conventional subways have fallen into disrepair with the times. And if you are poor...you walk.

    He had been wamdering through the Yokohama Marketplace to get out of the rain. It seemed a pointless gesture as he was already soaked to the bone but his feet had been aching from the traditional japanese sandals on his soles and thusly tried to find a spot in the food court to rest his "dogs". Nothing he saw being eaten there even remotely ressembled food as he knew it. Beginning to feel queasy due to a live octopus being consumed beside him, the gentleman got up from his seat and took his meal elsewhere rather than be vomited on. North couldn't afford to eat so he chewed gum and had just been looking around to see if he could locate a water fountain when Scorpion caught his eye.

    The Ninja appeared from out of the bustle of the busy food court and the crowd (while distracted by their own minutia) would seemingly part for him to pass without noticing he had gone by...

    Phil: "S#@t."

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited September 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    North nervously popped the rest of the gum into his mouth while glancing around for a signs of other Tsurimatsuo. He noticed Sub-Zero next.

    Greg: "Nah-nah-nah-nahhh, nah-nah-nah-nahhh, HEY-EY-EY...GOODBYE!!!"

    Knowledge got up from the table but has now realized that Sub-Zero and Scorpion have effectively cut him off from the food courts exits. As they approach the Jumper, diners in the area have begun to take notice of the three and are now in the process of moving away from them.

    North: "I thought your boss wanted me alive?"

    He joked as he wrung the rain water out of his sleeves.

    Tsugi: "Akira is NOT their boss."

    Phil: "S#@T!!"

    North: "Riii-iiight."

    The Jumper diverted his attention to Tsugi Lin-Keui who was even now, standing directly behind him.

    North: "You look good Tsugi..."

    (She really didn't, it would take a few more surgeries before her nose & lip scars would disappear)

    North: "...so, how's the nose?"
    Tsugi: "Yu must LOVE pain to taunt me Neem-Bis."

    ("ffffff'kkkk.")

    North: "No...we've pretty much established it's just poor impulse control on my part. Daddies gonna be pissed darlin'."

    This enrages "Number One Sister" and her blade flies from it's sheath as she growls in Knowledge's face:

    Tsugi: "DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A FACE THAT CARES TO YOU!?!"

    At least that's what she WOULD'VE said if she'd been able to finish her sentence...

    NEEM-BIS vs TSUGI LIN-KEUI - ROUND TWO:

    Phil: "Duude!!! It's Nimbus!!!"

    North who had been blowing a really BIG bubble with his gum chose to spit it at the face of his enemy. It popped and covered her eyes. Not exactly a head butt in the nose but it provides him with the precious seconds he needs to attempt an escape.

    Tsugi: "KILL HIMMMMMM!!!"

    Sub-Zero sends a storm of icicle shards at the Jumper which tear the court apart in his wake like an automatic weapon. Scorpion, not to be outdone runs parellel with the jumper as he flees while tossing one sonic shuriken after another. The shuriken fly past into the food kiosque behind him as he flees and sever gas pipes used by the various cooking establishments, causing a massive fireball which consumes everything in its path. Still they are unable to hit Knowledge.

    NEEM-BIS vs SCORPION - ROUND II:

    Phil: "DUDE?! WTF!?!"

    North has reached the edge of the plaza. Thanks to the Great Kanto Quake, the plaza comes to an end complete with 200' drop to the faultline crevasse below which bars the Jumper's path. Scorpion charges up on North and removes his mask while retracting his plasma sprayer implant. Unwittingly, Knowledge grabs the nearest thing he can find...in this case an oversized wok filled with hot oil...and tosses it at Scorpion as he engages his fiery finishing move. The spraying oil ignites in flight and sets Scorpion ablaze instants before the heavy metal wok bounces off his skull and knocks the elite assassin to the ground.

    TOASTY!!!

    Phil: "YES!!! DID YOU SEE THAT S#@T!?!"
    Greg: "Lucky-sonnova-bitch."
    Phil: "IN YO FACE!!!"

    NEEM-BIS vs SUB-ZERO:

    Phil: "Okay...NOW you're just doing it on purpose!"

    North flees along the "faultline" as Sub-Zero attempts to cut him off. Creating an icy surface on the floor which he slides across on his knees, Sub-Zero releases a series of "super-cooled" orbs which strike bystanders beyond with the effect of freezing them solid on the spot. Sub-Zero then releases a kiai and unleashes a storm of armor-piercing ice pellets against the Jumper who barely finds cover beside a pillar. As he slides his back up the support, his shoulder bumps into a fire extinguisher...

    Sub-Zero reaches the pillar and swings his katana at the support. The ensuing strike passes through the pillar with little difficulty but stalls just shy of slicing it in two. North gives Sub-Zero a face full of extinguisher foam which temporarily blinds the ninja assassin long enough for Knowledge to wind up and bean Sub-Zero off the melon with the extingusher's tank.

    By the time the Tsurimatsuo has gathered his wits about him, North has fled.

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    There's no denying it. Knowledge North, at one time a 50 point student, had graduated to 500 point GURPS cinematic legend.

    He still couldn't face Scorpion or Sub-Zero openly in hand to hand combat but was resourceful and (more importantly) lucky enough to clean their clocks and elude capture. The fact that Tsugi Lin-Keui wanted North dead against her lord and father's wishes was a moot point to Knowledge. She would complicate matters considerably but was still only a secondary concern for him. If he was going to set things to right, he wouldn't be able to do it alone...he needed "Samantha".

    Knowledge's arrival at the entrance of the TRIADE Tower came as a complete shock to Odd Kat. He had been convinced Lin-Keui would dispose of the troublesome foreigner for him. By contrast Tsugi Lin-Keui, who was still on Knowledge's trail, found herself unable to continue the chase the moment he crossed onto TRIADE "sovereign corperate territory".

    "ODD, I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE...YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ME!!!"

    At first, North was barred from entry by a pair of security guards. He used his forearm to pop the first guard in the throat (nearly shattering his larynx) and redirected the second guards TAZER into the first one, stunning the victem and startling the shooter. Knowledge follows up by fast drawing the remaining guards pistol and cracks the guard across the bridge of his nose. Knowledge tosses both pistol and TAZER into a trash can as he advances.
    After using the guards hand to open the biometric lock he strode into the parking entrance.

    "YOU CAN'T HIDE IN THERE FOREVER ODD!!!"

    He had almost reached the vehicular security barrier when he was greeted by the second wave. A contingent of two dozen more security personel. Unfortunately they were identical to the first two 75 point "low-end" thugs North had just faced. Even though their combined value was almost double that of North, they may as well have tied their armed behind their backs. Unlike the first pair, this contingent was clad in city-camo'd reinforced riot armor utilizing DAPS, shin protectors, ballistic gloves and a reflective-visored helmet. They had armed themselves with stun tonfas, TAZERs, titanium extendable billy clubs, and stun whips. Furthermore, 1/3rd of their number also carried large lexan shields which had a slit through which they could fire a sidearm.

    The first guard charges at him and extends his club as he closes the ground between them. His sudden lunge has also prompted two other guards to charge as well...one with a stun tonfa and the last with a shield.

    Knowledge almost appears to "sidestep" the pistol fire from the shield bearing guard as he closes and the billy club armed guard who was almost upon him is shot in his stead. While riot armor is perfect against an unarmed foes (such as Mee-Chan) but puts up little or no resistance at all against firearms. The rest of the contingent begin to charge as the first of their numbers start to drop. North is barely able to parry a stun tonfa along his forearm as the next guard reaches him but North is fortunate enough not to be shocked into submission by the contact. He proceeds to punch the guard in the throat and breaks his windpipe, resulting in his suffocation and breaking the contact between his arm and the current coursing through the guard's tonfa. The "bad shot" guard takes aim but the time it takes for him to complete the manuver isn't quick enough and North throws the "throat punched" guard into his shield, knocking him over. He must roll his suffocating team mate off before he can do anything else.

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    A second wave rushes upon Knowledge but he neutralizes them with seeming ease. The first tries to poke Mee-Chan with stun prod but he redirects his strike into the guard charging up behind him and finishes by executing a forearm strike to the base of the "redirected" guards neck that knocks him to the ground in a single strike. Knowledge completes the forearm strike manuver by ducking at the last moment before another security guard attempting a flying tackle sails passed him towards a fourth security guard. The "flying tackle" guard does not hit the approaching sentry but rolls on the ground towards the charging TRIADE trooper. He jumped over the rolling man but before he could land he was greeted by a forearm smash to the "leapers" throat that sent him crashing to the ground almost on top of the man he had just jumped to avoid.

    North executed a sweep against a stun whip armed thug JUST as a second shield armed guard opens fire only to accidently shoot one of his own team mates.

    Nameless TRIADE Sentry with speaking-part #1: "CHECK YOUR FIRE!*" (*= Translated from Chinese)

    North was struck across the back by a stun whip lash but is fortunate enough not to be immobilized by the strike. The guard who had charged with the shield attempted to slam Mee-Chan only to find himself being thrown into the stun whip armed guard who had just struck the Jumper, knocking both to the ground and winding the pair.

    Knowledge backsteps away from a TAZER needle shot and backs into one of the guards he had struck earlier. A timely critical hit see's the Jumper's wind up unwittingly elbow strikes a TRIADE guard he had bumped into in the face before punching the TAZER wielding thug in the Adam's Apple.

    He wheels around as another series of gunshots ring out and manages to throw the shield wielding guard who fired it to the ground, and in the process, using said shield as cover from another gun wielding sentry as well as a second shot from a TAZER. Kneeling on the fallen guards throat, he breaks his windpipe, relieves him of his pistol and spins on his knees to pistol whip the next guard to reach him (in the kneecap, shattering it in the process) and kneeling on the foot of his newly wounded leg. North then simply lets gravity do the rest and the sentry further breaks his ankle in the fall!

    (Nice touch Phil!)

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    North is kicked in the back by the next guard to charge upon him but he fast draws the pistol in hand and shoots the guard in the foot he stands on after attacking. He falls to the ground screaming in agony.

    A trooper with a collapsable club tries to bring his weapon down upon the Jumpers skull but North uses his gun to pistol whip the guards visor. It shatters sending tiny shards into one of his eyes, blinding him. Another shield armed guard lunged towards Knowledge but he deftly manages to flip the blinded guard behind him to his front, using him as a shield for the duration of his throw. North follows up by flawlessly drawing and shooting the shielded target through the eye!

    The remaining TRIADE defenders ceased the assault and tried to re-establish their circle around the Jumper. He had been fortunate so far but now the security team had their remaining shooters on the front line. As good as Mee-Chan is, it's unlikely he can outshoot all four of them even at close range.

    "ODD!!! IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS!!!"

    They all took aim at the Jumper and Tsugi Lin-Keui was force to make a choice. Honor demanded she take Knowledge's life to save remaining face. She would never be able to accomplish that if some "minimum wager" gave North lead poisoning. Mee-Chan was staring down 3 TAZERs and 4 Ki-rin Caseless Medium Pistols. No matter WHAT he did...ONE of them would get him.

    The electronic, insect sounding whine of a sonic shuriken filled the air. Mee-Chan was just as suprised as the remaining guards when all seven of their shooters "lost their heads"....literally.

    Odd Kat became concerned for his safety and ordered the Tower be sealed. The massive sirens blanketed out the normal Poseidon citysounds.

    The shock of the noise spurred the Jumper into action and using the last of his pistols ammo, he sprang to his feet, charging towards the sealing entrance of the tower, dropping any sentry who stood in his path. The last of the guards chased after the Jumper but in the final moments, he was able to slide under the massive blast doors before they sealed, effectively terminating any chance of being followed.

    Phil: "D@mn I'm good."
    Greg: "...."

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    The Jumper slid to a stop just inside the massive main chambre, bathed in red emergency lighting, carrying an empty pistol to a chorus of priming weaponry. Mee-Chan had unwittingly slid into a chambre housing 96 TRIADE Sentries "dressed to kill".

    Phil: "...."
    Greg: "Heheheheheh."

    Knowledge spun the empty pistol around grip-first before handing it over:

    North: "I was JUST getting it for ya-"

    As easy as it would have been to just dispose of North once and for all, Odd Kat's curiosity had been piqued by the show North had put on.
    How had he survived the Lin-Keui?
    Was he truely that formidable?
    Had he returned to claim his Bowie & Tomahawk?
    Could Hoo's apparent faith in the jumper have been justified?
    But most importantly, would Odd Kat be able to use it to his advantage?

    After a thorough search of his person-

    Phil: "Is this REALLY necessary?"
    Greg: "Lift your nutsack...stand on one foot...and now the other. Okay now, I want you to turn around, bend over, grab your butt cheeks and give me two good coughs."
    Mike: "Is it making you homesick, Greg?"
    Greg: "Don't laugh b1tch...I'm comin' after Portney NEXT!"
    GM: "You're such an evil pr1ck."

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    It took 16 days for Rebecca to become anxious enough to begin making inquiries into Knowledge's whereabouts. She tried the hotel he claimed he would be staying at but was informed by the desk clerk that he had never arrived. She became worried once her queries to TRIADE Air were returned claiming Knowledge had returned 2 weeks ago from Poseidon. After making contact, all subsequent calls to TRIADE from her number were put on auto-hold. The worry gave way to panic once her encrypted "GIANT BOOMER EATING CITY, WHERE'S NIMBUS?" message to Vivian didn't recieve a reply. She decided to take matters into her own hands.

    The first familiar face Mee-Chan saw was Yorobazu Hime. The major-domo nodded his head in approval at the Jumper as he was lead into the room. Flanking Hime was a pair of of really large looking sorts in black three-piece suits wearing sunglasses while in a dark room.

    Hime: "You certainly know how to make an entrance."
    North: "Do I make you nervous?"
    Hime: "Why would yu say that?"

    Mee-Chan: casts a glance at the pair of bodyguards who stand at attention behind Yorobazu.

    North: "They must have cost you a fortune. What are they...BU-52's?"
    Hime: "BU-55's"
    North: "Ooooh, should I be honored?"
    Hime: "They will not go on sale till the fall armaments show in Las Vegas."
    North: "So, I imagine they're supposed to be tough?"

    Yorobazu barked a command in Chinese.
    One of the suit clad goons drew its 15mm caseless heavy pistol, inserted it orally, and fired six rounds straight down its own throat, withdrew it and rehosltered it's sidearm...all done with military levels of speed, efficiency and enthusiam. The sudden self-inflicted "wound" has no observable effect upon the bodyguard. As it retakes it position behind Yorobazu, it starts to chew on the pistol slugs like North chews bubblegum.

    Phil: "Whoa."
    Greg: "SWEEEEEET!!!"

    North: "Awe, f'k me."
    Hime: "What was that?"
    North: "I said: I see you've put on some weight."

    Yorobazu looked down to the ridiculous bulge from the shoulder holder he currently wore. He smiled at the Jumper and opened his jacket to reveal "Samantha's" grip.

    Hime: "I-LOVE-this-gun."
    North: "So do I...fight ya for it?"

    Yorobazu began to laugh at North.

    Hime: "I already have it."
    North: "Yeah, but you didn't EARN it."

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Yorobazu's smile disappeared. He immediately grabbed for a wakizashi that lay on a nearby table and acted as though he would draw it and strike the westerner down...but North didn't flinch. Yorobazu has personally watched hundreds of people die, and the one thing he has learned is that Gaijins ALWAYS flinch. This unnerved the major-domo who quickly put some distance between himself and the Jumper.

    Odd Kat: "He HAS a point. You have NOT earned it.*" (*= Spoken in Chinese)

    The porcine gangster kingpin entered the board room flanked by TRIADE enforcers.

    (They look similar to House Kurita infantry from the early Battletech tactical rpg)

    The pair of Boomers parted to allow Odd Kat to approach his henchman.

    North: "What's the matter, Hime? Chicken?"

    Yorobazu takes off his jacket and rolls up his sleeves before drawing his wakizashi.

    North looks at Odd Kat who gives him the slightest of nods after the Jumper glanced to his wall mounted tomahawk & knife.

    (Cue opening tense, low-end bass Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon "Yeoh vs Ziyi with Green Destiny" duel music!)

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    NEEM-BIS vs YOROBAZU:

    Phil: "....."

    The Jumper has barely finshed taking his weapons from an obediant Enforcer and is in the middle of twirling them (feeling good to have them in his grip again) when Hime lunges upon him (with Greg going for blood with "all-out attack"). North avoids the powerful strike by the barest of margins but the enforcer behind him is not so fortunate and becomes impaled.

    North tries to land a telegraphed reverse spinning axe swing at Yorobazu's throat but the TRIADE Captain uses the impaled enforcer as a shield and North decapitates the lackey instead.

    (Odd Kat is excited by the spirited display)

    Yorobazu's wipes the blood his face in the nick of time to avoid being stuck by Mee-Chan who lunged at his face with "David Bowie". He easily knocks the large knife aside with his sword but leaves himself open to North's tomahawk. Knowledge has the strike denied when Hime uses his forearm to successfully unarmed parry an armed strike in close combat.

    Phil: "B@stard!"
    Greg: "Keep trying Monkey Boy, you're MINE!!"

    The TRIADE Captain swings wild as he attempts to put some distance between the two of them. Owing solely to the size of a Wakizashi, close-range combat puts Knowledge at an distinct advantage against him. The attack fails and the opponents use the pause in the fighting for posturing & pointless katas.

    Neither combatant speaks but the room is filled with screams and cheers...from everyone that is but Odd Kat.

    Yorobazu launches into a blistering four-swing wakizashi attack combo but a frantic, retreating dodge on North's part is enough to spare him from injury.

    Greg: "Y'feel that dude? Ya FEEL it? That's what "The End" feels like...an' it's COMIN' for ya, baby!"
    Phil: "Since when could he do that?"
    Mike: "Actually since always...anyone can use rapid strike. It just costs fatigue points..."
    GM: "And THAT'S where the wrench gets thrown into paradise Phil...because you don't have many left."
    Phil: "These ninjas are really starting to cheese me off!"
    Greg: "It's the MSG."
    GM: "Technically, Yorobazu is more of a samurai than a ninja."
    Phil: "Well, whoop-ti-friggin'-do for Yorobazu."
    Greg: "U mad, bro?"

    North tries to move into close range with Hime but the Captain gives ground once more and remains a sword-length away.

    Phil: "STAND STLL D@MNIT!!!"

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Hime performs a leg sweep on Knowledge which takes him off his feet. As he falls, he smacks his elbow on the board room table and, in the process, knocks the the Bowie from his grasp. Before Yorobazu can capitalize on his good fortune, North rolls under the table and emerges on the other side, prompting both fighters to use the boardroom seats to jump up onto the table top.

    Yorobazu (being faster) executed a shoulder roll with a strong swing at the Jumper's legs which he nimbly (for a change) dove over. Rolling to his knees in the nick of time, he uses his tomahawk to prevent Yorobazu from cutting into his shoulder & collar bone with a rear "blind" parry.

    (VERY ballsy!)

    As North rolled forward to escape his foe, the wakizashi's tip traced down his back, cutting his tunic and causing the most superficial of cuts close to his spine.

    Hime kicks a tabletop intercom unit at North who shields his face with his arms in the nick of time to prevent being struck but has obscured his vision of his opponent in the process. Hime counters by push kicking the "blinded" Jumper from the boardroom table top, flying two yards to the floor beneath.

    Phil: "Motherf'ker!!"

    Yorobazu gave Mee-chan no respite and vaulted at him from the table top, only missing a powerful springing stamp kick to the Jumper's face by a hair. North continued to roll away from Yorobazu as the TRIADE Captain thrust his sword at the Knowledge's heart but struck nothing but floor.

    North countered by kicking Yorobazu's ankle as hard as he could manage.

    (Phil has now elected to burn hit points for exhaustion rather than fatigue points...reason being...he simply has more of them left.)

    Knowledge moves beyond the normal limits of his endurance and is now overexherting himself to death in his bid to defeat Hime.

    (Few people EVER push themselves this hard)

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Yorobazu's wakizashi becomes stuck in the wooden floor and as he struggles to free it, Mee-Chan rises to his feet and charges at the TRIADE Captain believing he finally has an opening to exploit.

    Hime is still unable to free the swords tip from the floor but fore stalls North's attack by executing a flawless "stop-thrust kick" that nearly winds the Jumper. Giving a last desperate twist (AND CRITICALLY FAILING!), Yorobazu feels the blade come free of the floor and raises it to block Knowledge's incoming attack after he flawlessly re-readied his axe-

    Phil: "HEY!?! WAIT, WTF?! HE FAILED!?!"
    GM: "Hold on, hold on..."

    Knowledge's swing continues UNOPPOSED when, to Hime's horror, he discovers too late that the has blade snapped off in the floor (at the hilt) and nothing remains to parry the Jumpers attack.

    Mike: "OMFUG!!"
    Greg: "WHAT!?!"
    Phil: "YESSSS!"

    It ends as North sinks the reverse end of his tomahawk (a triangular wedge-shaped blade) into Yorobazu's cheek bone.

    The cheering, excitement & shouts of encouragement from the room came to an abrupt stop.

    Hime stood with his eyes rolled back into to head and opened his mouth to gasp. A deluge of blood spilled forth from his lips and after a moment, Knowledge could see the tomahawk had also split Hime's tongue.

    Phil: "OHHHHH, OOOHHHHHHH!!!"
    Mike: "THE COMEBACK KID DOES IT AGAIN!"
    Greg: "I'd have HAD him if I hadn't lost my sword!"
    Phil: "Sorry Charlie, only GOOD tasting tuna gets to be Starkist."

    Knowledge released his grip on the axe after 2-3 seconds, when it appeared Yorobazu wouldn't collapse. To his shock, Hime opened his eyes and looked at the Jumper in a daze.

    "FINISH HIM!!!"

    North stepped up to Hime and helped him to sit back into a nearby chair as the rest of the assembled henchmen watched in silence. Yorobazu had an axe sticking in his face but he doesn't pass out or do so much as scream...he simply teeters in his seat.

    "FRIENDSHIP?!"

    Odd Kat was completely speechless. It was the best combat he'd been witness to since the banquet.

    Hime was immediately taken from the room to recieve prompt medical attention. He would survive the injury and have barely a mark to show for it in the end, but after the surgeries, whenever he would get REALLY tired, he would develop a bit of a lisp.

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    As a side note to any out there ACTUALLY reading this...(as long winded and convoluted as it is)...how does this campaign sound so far?
    Does anyone out there feel this would be the type of game they'd like to join?
    Does anyone have any critisism as to my style of running a game?
    Do any of you have any suggestions they feel would have made the game better?
    Do any of you have a favorite in the storyline?
    Who do you think I SHOULD have added to the cast?

    I shall be lurking.

    -Peace-

    P.S.: TO BE CONTINUED...
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Knowledge's behavior during the banquet had been inexcusable.

    It was only the fact that he'd acted to save Odd Kat's niece which prevented his immediate execution by the TRIADE. He had already traded the Jumper's life for that of his niece so North's return both unnerved and intrigued the gangster kingpin. Despite his open admiration for Knowledge's skills, he was still just a presumptious & unruly westerner in the eyes of the TRIADE. The fact that he'd bested two Tsurimatsuo elites (that he KNEW of) and his OWN right hand, not to mention his display in the parking lot revealed to Odd that North had true potential. Despite his misgivings about westerners and his anger towards Hoo, Odd Kat wondered if North had what it took to become one of the Shaolin order...

    Phil: "YES!!! YES!!! YESSSSS!!!"
    Mike: "Whoa...hey, hold on now. Why can't PORTNEY have that sorta power?"
    Phil: "Ninja-Cop, this fall on SCTV."
    GM: "Power? Dude, Portney can give random civilians cavity searches on a public street."
    Mike: "Grrrmble....only in Waycross. Isn't there an advantage for that or something?"
    GM: "For what? For fisting?"
    Mike: "NO! I mean why can't Portney find a Shaolin Master to teach him secret arts?"
    Greg: "What? You mean down in "Dog Patch" Georgia?"
    Mike: "What's wrong with it?"
    Greg: "Dude, Waycross is like the one of the only places on Earth where Tibetans see them and think: Glad my teeth aren't THAT bad!"
    GM: "OMG, that is TERRIBLE!!!"
    Phil: "Point?"
    GM: "Well, yes but Waycross isn't like THAT at all. It's not frikkin' MORDOR...it's a REAL city...not a bunch of outhouses with curtains and a shotgun. But wouldn't ya know it, FRESH outta Shaolin...Sorry."

    Throughout his conversation with Odd, he isn't once refered to as Nimbus, leading North to believe that only Lin-Keui knew his secret. Tsugi had never mentioned the names of anyone else in Stormfront but was certain that if she didn't already know, she soon would. He was also sure that if she couldn't get at him, she'd make them suffer in his place. He hadn't the resources or means to run from Lin-Keui for the rest of his life and believed he needed to up the ante if he was going to make any progress.

    North: "I have information vital to your research."
    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord says: He finds that diffiult to believe."
    North: "Tell Odd that Akira Lin-Keui has sent me here to steal "looking glass" from him."

    The translator informed his the TRIADE Overboss of what Knowledge had said and the words "looking glass" being spoken aloud wiped the grin from his pudgy face. He shouted viciously at the assembled group of hoods in the chambre causing them all to flee...all but the translator. This didn't concern the Jumper as much as the pair of BU-55's who both simultaneously locked eyes upon him, pulsing crimson beneath black sunglasses.

    North: "Tell him I have no intention of going through with it...Akira's insane. I want no part of it but he's trying to force me, and I fear he holds the upper hand. He wants what you have and he'll stop at nothing to get it. Since it won't be me, he'll just send someone else. I've got no choice but to kill him...but I'll need your help to do that."

    The translator had difficulty keeping up (being as scared as he was) but managed to convey the Jumpers words correctly...

    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord says: TRIADE & Lin-Keui have a contract...they would never dishonor it."

    The Boomer guards began to advance upon Knowledge who slowly began to back away as he slide his hand to his .660NE.

    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord says: He could have you killed simply for uttering the name: "Looking Glass"."

    He drew upon the pair of guards but still they advanced without hesitation or fear and would be on him any second.

    North: "I'M FROM THE OTHERSIDE OF THE MIRROR!!"

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Odd called off his artificial goons at the last second. The closest Boomer stood a mere six inches from the tip of "Samantha's" barrel as North aimed for it's eye. Exhausted and without his reinforced arm brace, his hand trembled as he tried to keep the sidearm steady and on target. The Boomer cocked its head and bore a sarcastic expression as if to say:

    "Really, you're ACTUALLY going to try and shoot me with that?"

    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord says: What you tell him is "amusing" but he is still waiting for the "useful" information."
    North: "Akira Lin-Keui is ALSO from the otherside of the Mirror...it's why he wants Looking Glass so badly...he wants to return home and he KNOWS you have it."

    Odd Kat called off his Boomer henchmen much to Knowledge's relief.

    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord asks: If he is from your "pane of existance"?"
    North: "He didn't say...but I think so."
    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord asks: What makes you say this? How can you be sure?"
    North: "I "felt" it....dunno how else to describe it. We seem to "attract" people. I never really pieced it together until I saw Akira. You don't actively see it with the naked eye but it registers on in the brain just like a flame to a moth."
    Hoo: "See what?"

    Knowledge was relieved to hear the good doctor's voice but it was obvious by the look she wore that she'd been under tremendous stress.

    North: "That we're different....that we don't belong."

    Greg: "Soooo, THAT'S what it is!!"
    Mike: "Makes sence now."
    Phil: "I don't care....I'm STILL f'kin' a blind-ninja-boomer!"
    Greg: "Who happens to be a lesbian-"
    Phil: "WHAT!?!"
    GM: "Weren't you paying attention?"
    Phil: "WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S A LESBIAN!?!"
    GM: "Sorry dude, she's a rug muncher."
    Phil: "AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!"
    GM: "Dude, you have a common-law girlfriend anyways and even she's gonna dump your ass if she finds out about Erica!"
    Phil: "Meh...do-not-want gorilla-woman."
    GM: "THAT'S the spirit!"
    Greg: "You'd do a klingon but you wouldn't do Raye hollitt?"
    GM: "I don't even think Raye hollitt's husband wants to do Raye Hollitt."
    Greg: "John Ritter did her in Skin Deep-"
    GM: "And it KILLED him!"
    (Mike shoots cola out his nose)

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    North: "Good to see you, Doc."

    (She nods meekly.)

    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord asks: Why he should trust you?"
    North: "Because he has nothing to lose. He can't break the corperate truce but no such truce exists for me...I'm the perfect choice."
    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord asks: Why were you not decapitated by shuriken?"
    North: "I've been wondering about that one myself. Akira wants me to jack Looking Glass and snatch Hoo...but Tsugi just wants me dead. Wanted it bad enough to reveal themselves in an open marketplace. I think she was taking liberties with the one imperial guard...dunno who...someone I f'ked up. Tsugi doesn't give a rat's @$$ about legacy or tradition...she hates her father."
    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord says: THIS is not a secret."
    North: "SHE'S the true leader of the Tsurimatsuo Clan. Scorpion or Sub-Zero would NEVER betray the true Clanlords command and Akira wanted me alive."
    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord says: Killing one of the imperial guard...even a concubine...would not be enough for Tsugi to defy her father."
    North: "I made her look weak."
    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord asks: How you accomplished that?"
    North: "I broke her face and humiliated her in front of daddy."

    Vivian examined the cut down the Jumper's back. He shrugged off the gesture but flashed her international sign language (taught to him by Stone) for:

    "Tsugi knows I am Nimbus, you must warn the others"

    Vivian acknowledges his request.

    Nameless TRIADE Translator #1: "My lord asks: if you are hungry?"

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...


    Akira (nor by extension Tsugi) had heard from Knowledge since the day he was released. The Lin-Keui patriarch, reknown for his patience, was starting to believe Odd Kat had killed North the day he returned to the TRIADE Tower. Still he was prepared to carry out his threats and stood poised to unleash his Samurai-Punks & Yakuza from their companies holdings in the Federalist Americas. His first target would be Calaveri Concepts and its CEO.

    Catherine had been "calling in sick" a lot since North dropped his bombshell on her about disbanding the group. "Pops" paid her a housecall (something he NEVER does) once he realized she was "ill". Catherine is normally the type of person who goes in sick anyway and has to be sent home over her own protests, the type who feels everything falls apart without her. She had been absent for almost a month.

    (Of course being the workaholic HE is, it took HIM a month to even notice she wasn't around!)

    She answered the door dressed in dirty pj's, a nasty case of "bed head" showing signs she had been recently crying while carrying a tub of half-melted neopolitan algae-cream with a wooden spoon sticking out of it, a can of whipped cream under one arm and candy sprinkles under the other. Gi-San had seen his daughter heartbroken before and simply held out his arms to hug her. Catherine stuck the can of topping in her pocket and let the sprinkles fall to the floor while she moped into his arms.

    Pops: "Ya just broke up didn't ya."

    Catherine simply nodded her head, trying her best to prevent herself from sobbing openly.

    Pops: "Awe, baby...I'm so sorry to hear that...ya seemed so happy."

    Catherine looked up at her father with puppy dog eyes and nodded rapidly, as if to imply: "YEAH, can you BELIEVE that sh1t!?!"

    Pops: "Is there anything I can do?"

    Torrent shook her head as he escorted her back into her house, burying herself in his shoulder as they went, and took her to sit for a spell. He'd intitally thought to use the living room but the mess in there prompted him to shift their conversation to the kitchen. The old man figured it couldn't possibly be worse than the rest of the house. He was wrong. Catherine had been ordering out food for weeks but had not been taking out the garbage nor doing dishes.

    Pops: "OMG...has there been a break in?! Were you robbed!?!"
    Cathy: "No."
    Pops: "What happened here?!"
    Cathy: "Sorry about the mess...North usually did all the cleaning."
    Pops: "Baby, there's BULLET HOLES in the wall!"
    Cathy starts to cackle to herself: "Yeah, I've been shooting him out of all the photographs he's in."
    Pops: "I've never seen you THIS bad before...you feel to discuss it?"
    Cathy: "What is there to talk about...it's done, OVER...that insensitive pr1ck!"
    Pops: "I dunno what to say honey except...there'll be other men. One day you'll find a nice one an-"
    Cathy: "What are you talking about?"
    Pops: "You just split with Knowledge didn't you?"
    Cathy: "NO!!"
    Pops: "But you just said you broke up?"
    Cathy: "YES...HE BROKE UP STROMFRONT!!"

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Gi-San (token representation: Barry Corbin) had just taken out a small flask of single malt he carried around with him but nearly dropped it upon hearing her startling revelation. Although overjoyed (having forbid her from becoming Torrent in the first place) he does his best to appear as if he still sympathizes with his daughter's plight. He had understood her need to accompany the team when saving his youngest daughter (Kirstie) from the clutches of Gary Stevenson in KC-1 but couldn't recall how he'd been talked into allowing her to become a full-time participant in the groups exploits. It had become a sensitive matter for Gi-San as the more he tried to discourage Catherine from participating in the teams operations, the more a active role she would seek in their exploits. Her armor was consistantly the most damaged of the whole team (owing to her weak combat ability) on their missions which filled him with dread at the thought of her safety. Gi-San had struck up a bargain with Erica and told her IF she could keep Catherine's suit from getting banged up on missions, that he would subsidize her NUMEROUS mounting repair bills not only to her Hard Suit and Motoslave (which she was libel for) but also for her chopper or whatever else she chose to drive. He had many little ploys, behind the scenes, to ensure his eldest daughters well-being. For a while, he was spending more time trying to keep his activities hidden from his daughter than he spent running Calaveri Concepts and his creativity began to suffer for it. It almost seemed as if Stormfront were providing a sizable portion of Calaveri's "off-the-books" business. Repairs and upkeep on 14.4 billion dollars worth of Hard Suits & Motoslaves isn't chump change with a previous sortie rate of 2-3 times a month! Despite this, hearing that Stormfront was no more lifted a great burden from his shoulders.

    Pops: "Where's North? I didn't see his bike on the way in...did he move out over this?"
    Cathy: "Maim's got his bike and as for North, he never came home."
    Pops: "When was the last time you saw him?"
    Cathy: "Medina...disappearing into my rear view mirror."
    Pops: "You just LEFT him there?"
    Cathy: "Maim saw him last so I'm SURE he's just fine."
    Pops: "Where's Erica?"

    The sound of a superbike coming up the drive indicated that father-daughter time had ended. The growl from the pipes on Rebecca's custom monowheel deuler were unmistakable. She NEVER dropped by unannounced.

    Cathy: "I'll get rid of her."
    Pops: "You sure thats the right thing to do?"
    Cathy: "This is Bec's...not Maim...at least SHE can take a hint."
    Pops: "Maybe she knows where Knowledge is."
    Cathy: "I-don't-CARE where Knowledge is."

    Her father looks around at the disaster zone in her home.

    Pops: "If you SAY so..."

    Rebecca hasn't even reached the door when the entry vidcom flashed to life.

    Cathy: "Hey Bec's...listen, this is a real bad time-"
    Rebecca: "You look like sh1t...open up."
    Cathy: "What is it THIS time?"
    Rebecca: "North is in trouble."
    Cathy: "Thanks for dropping by Bec's, we REALLY should do this again..."

    The mechanic turned off the vidcom and moped back to the kitchen.

    Rebecca: "Fine...the "hard way" it is."

    Miss Calaveri had just cleared the entry way when the paladin shot out the door lock with her Custom .454 Caskull.

    Cathy: "YOU CRAZY B1TCH, YOU COULDA KILLED ME!?!"
    Pops: "What's the meaning of this?!"

    Rebecca shrugged at Pops: "She wouldn't open the door."

    Gi-San stepped out onto her porch and assured the neighbors that there was no cause for alarm and ONLY in Texas could this take place without an eyelash being batted.

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Cathy: "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?!"
    Rebecca: "Warm up the Hard Suits...we're on the clock."
    Cathy: "THERE-IS-NO-STORMFRONT...not anymore."
    Rebecca: "North hasn't DISBANDED Stormfront Catherine..."
    Cathy: "What other reason would he have for changing the security codes to "Storm's Eye"?"
    Rebecca: "He didn't change the security codes...I DID."
    Cathy: "?!?!?"
    Rebecca: "He handed control of Stormfront over to me before he left...and you'd have KNOWN that if you'd CHECKED-YOUR-MESSAGES or ANSWERED-YOUR-LINK!!!"
    Pops: "What's going on?"
    Rebecca: "I'm not sure but it involves Hoo and the TRIADE...he KNEW something was going to happen but I just didn't listen-"
    Pops: "Where is he?"
    Rebecca: "NT-1...I think."
    Cathy: "What do you mean?"
    Rebecca: "First the hotel said he never showed up. Then the airline said he returned the day after he arrived and now I've been on auto-hold for five days. He told me he'd be gone three weeks tops and if I didn't hear from him that we should consider a rescue...its been 19 days. Then I recieved an encrypted message from Hoo that says we're ALL in danger."
    Cathy: "No, I mean: What do you mean HE gave YOU control of Stormfront?!"
    Rebecca: "We haven't got TIME for this...a corperation called the Lin-Keui KNOWS he's Nimbus. They MAY already know who we all are but it gets worse...they KNOW about Calaveri & Halpern Security Concepts."

    Gi-San couldn't mask his dismay at the Rebecca's news. He had seen Bec's the least out of all Stormfront members (her armor was rarely damaged and she trained in unorthodox ways that didn't involve the simulator) but knew she was never one to tell tall tales. Catherine could only shake her head as she forced a laugh:

    Pops: "How?"
    Rebecca: "Hoo didn't elaborate."
    Cathy: "THAT is JUST like him...y'know he never COULD keep his mouth shut about those suits."
    Rebecca: "That's not all...Hoo also gave me three sets of coordinates. One of them's in Poseidon, Neo-Tokyo to be exact..."
    Pops: "And the others?"
    Rebecca: "Ones right HERE...or at least a few miles outside the city limits...and the third I can't identify...maybe they've been garbled. Hoo's gone dark so I can't confirm this last part."
    Cathy: "They're not coordinates...it's a security code...why didn't you say something about this sooner?"
    Rebecca: "We're REALLY gonna go back to the message/link thing again?"
    Cathy: "Have you spoke to the others?"
    Rebecca: "You bring Lise up to speed...I'll find Erica. Any idea where I should start looking?"
    Pops: "Skankies."
    Cathy: "She has North's chopper."

    Cyclone looks around the interior of her house and her normally serious demeanor softens briefly as she gazes at the degree of neglect.

    Rebecca: "Y'know...for a second I almost thought Lin-Keui had beaten me here...."
    Pops: "What should I do?"
    Rebecca: "Pack light and bring only what you need, do it now. We'll rendezvous at Storm's Eye with the others, check your messages for the temporary password. Once you've both left here DO NOT return under ANY circumstances. Do not goto work, do not call anyone, do not do anything...from here on in we move as a group, understood?"
    Pops: "What about Kirstie?"
    Cathy: "What about her?"
    Pops: "Becca's right...you really SHOULD check your messages more often. She was to stay with YOU while I found her a place...she arrives in a couple of days...comin' in to San Antonio on th' mag-lev."

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Torrent's eyes go wide followed by a facepalm.

    Rebecca: "That's a complication we don't need right now."
    Pops: "I'm open to suggestions."
    Rebecca: "Her rehabillitation from Religex didn't take the first few times. I'm not convinced she can be trusted."
    Cathy: "She's family...like Brewster."
    Rebecca: "She might be family but he ain't no Brewster. Beulla was only exposed for a very brief period and took years of detox and therapy for her to find her back to us. She ONLY recovered because she's a natural born fighter but your sisters exposure was nearly at terminal levels. There's a good chance she will NEVER fully recover...there's a good chance she could STILL be a threat."
    Pops: "I'll assume full responsibility for her...you've my word on that."
    Rebecca: "I'm sorry Avery...but this is one instance where "your word" just isn't going to be enough."

    Torrent looked horrified. She wasn't looking forward to living with her little sister but that didn't mean she was willing to sacrifice her either.

    Cathy: "Knowledge would NEVER turn his back on family!"
    Rebecca: "I'm not Knowledge...and you'd best get used to that."
    Pops: "If you want the continued cooperation of Calaveri Concepts you will allow me this ONE indulgence...have I ever asked you for ANYTHING? Think of it as a "routine exec protect"...you'll hardly even know she's there."
    Rebecca: "....."
    Pops: "Thank You."

    The Paladin shook her head as she left the residence.

    Cathy: "What if we get to Storm's Eye and the temporary code doesn't WORK!?!"
    Rebecca: "Then you'll know for certain you've walked into an ambush."
    Pops: "If'd I'd known it was THIS exciting over here I'd have dropped by more often."
    Rebecca: "Dump all links...your Identchip...datapads...portables...anything that can be traced...flash it all. I'll see you in Op's once I've found Erica."

    Wednesday used to be "The Night of the Fireflies" at Skankies. Early in the bars history, a core of diehard groupies who were regulars of the establishment had arrived to see their favorite coverband, Serenity. For costumes, they wore only strategically placed photo-reactive white tape into the clubs black light ambiance. The elaborate glowing designs on the groupies bodies when moving to the sound of their favorite bands music reminded the owner of a swarm of fireflies. Eventually they changed the name to ladies night when the costumes became less "firefly" and more "Rocky Horror Picture Show".

    The doorman barred Bec's from entry. He told her than there was no cover charge and a two drink minimum but only IF she would give him her link code. She smiled for a moment, prompting the arrogant bouncer to unzip her jacket, revealing her .454 Caskull. The moment he laid a finger upon it's grip, in an attempt to sieze it, she has fingerlocked the doorman, who instead of losing the digit, drops to on knee and has his wrist bent back behind his ear as she whispers:

    Rebecca: "What did your momma tell you 'bout playin' with things that don't belong to you?"
    Suprised as f'k Doorman: "A-appologies, ma'am-"
    Rebecca: "Thought maybe you could help me..." (Becca slides some F.O.S. script into the doorman's pocket but maintains a solid grip on his finger) "...looking for a biker named Erica Gunn, you seen her?"
    Suprised as f'k Doorman: "She's in the back RIGHT now...hustling truckers...DON'T tell her I told you!!"

    The paladin twists the trapped digit ever so slightly and paralyzes the doorman in pain.

    Suprised as f'k Doorman: "ARM WRESTLING-ARM WRESTLING...GO CHECK FOR YOUSELF!!!"

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Becca releases the bouncer and he flops to the pavement cradling his hand leaving the paladin to step over the brute and enter the club unmolested.
    The interior ressembles "Chalmun's Cantina" meets "Terminator IV" but the smell is closer to the Death Star's "trash compactor" (to be fair, it's MOSTLY from the patrons). Skanky has even managed to find some GENUINE "fireflies" and talked them into being shooter-girls for the night. He sells them a tray of 20 shooters for $40 and the girls sell them for whatever they can get. In a good night, a girl can double her initial investment every hour, averaging $320 for 5 hours of hustling on the floor. In a future as cash-strapped at Autodeul, that's nothing to sneeze at! A good Firefly need only work 8 nights a month to cover rent, food and expenses. I say this so you'll understand why Miss Ayers jaw nearly dropped off when she caught a glimpse of the "herculean-sized" Maim, shucking truckers of cash...dressed as a Firefly!

    Erica was toying with the driver opposite her, taunting him as he tried to budge her arm. The trucker, was himself, of massive proportions as well but even his greater size was of no advantage to him against Erica. She'd just been asking the crowd if she should put him out of his misery when Bec's finally spoke up:

    Rebecca: "What the f'k are you DOING?!"

    The Paladin was the LAST person Erica expected to see in a place like Skankies and she froze like a deer in headlights. The momentary lapse of concentration was all the trucker needed to put Maim down. In a single moment, not only had Erica lost her nights wages ($220) but her arm wrestling profits as well (now at about $1100). She was not pleased but seemed more concerned with being seen by the Paladin in her current state of "undress".

    Maim: "YOU just cost me $1300."
    Rebecca: "Why don't you answer your link?"
    Maim: "I lost it."
    Rebecca: "You LOST a STORMFRONT link?!"
    Maim: "I had another accident..."
    Rebecca: "Why are you in a place like THIS doing...d-doing...WHATEVER it is you're doing?!"
    Maim: "HEY...I'm hustlin' drinks and truckers FAIR-AND-SQUARE...NO flesh favors!"
    Rebecca: "Are you broke already?!"
    Maim: "I had a few "set backs"...made some bad bets...a few bad investments...we haven't had a paying job in over a YEAR. A girls gotta pay the bills y'know?"
    Rebecca: "Why didn't you say something to-"
    Maim: "BREATH A WORD OF THIS TO ANYONE AND I'LL-"
    Rebecca: "That's NOT what I meant!" (she paused and took a shooter from her tray) "I MEANT I HAVE money...you COULD'VE asked!"
    Maim: "That's not my way (and that'll be $5 bucks, please)."

    The Paladin sighed.

    Rebecca: "What do you need the money for ANYWAYS?"
    Maim: "I told you already...I crashed another bike."
    Rebecca: "You ALWAYS crash bikes! I'm suprised you can even keep your @$$ in the saddle long enough to finish a missio-"

    Miss Ayers stopped in mid-word at the realization of her friend's predicament.

    Rebecca: "Oooooooohhhhh, you didn't crash YOUR bike...you crashed NORTH'S chopper?!"

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Erica hangs her head with a sigh and nods.

    Rebecca: "Is it bad?"
    Maim: "It exploded."
    Rebecca: "The Easy Rider "American Dream" is a piece of NATIONAL HISTORY...it was the LAST of it's kind and you BLEW-IT-UP!?!"

    Erica sinks her head even lower and facepalms.

    Maim: "I DIDN'T BLOW IT UP...IT EXPLODED."
    Rebecca: "Erica...OMFUG."
    Maim: "PLEASE...I feel BAD enough as it IS and thanks to YOU, I'm RIGHT back at square ONE!"
    Rebecca: "Did you at least get a quote?"

    Erica's head finally sinks so low her skull makes contact with the table.

    Maim: "110K."

    Erica then lifts up long enough to down a B-17. A B-17 is like a B-52 except there's no dairy or irish in the "irish cream", there's no cocoa in the kahlua, it doesn't layer well at all and it's bound together with something best described in taste & color as "anti-freeze"...but OTHER than that it's EXACTLY like a B-52!

    Maim: "WHY are you HERE?"
    Rebecca: "Well, looking on the brightside of things, North is likely dead by NOW...so I've probably just saved you 100 grand."

    The Electric Mayhem had been transmitting out of Live Oak for the past month. Jeremiah would rebroadcast out over a private sat-channel he purchased from Jack Halpern after the FLA-500 and it was that channel Catherine used to locate Lisa. She was looking forward to seeing the Swords of Texas again and had heard news of a reunion taking place in McMullen county. The trip by Pantera converti-car takes her an hour but instead of a group of families having picnics, the sight from overhead more ressembles a military encampment with the Mayhem at centre-wheel.

    Assembled are the final surviving 76 Swords (with the exception of Stormfront, Portney & Stone) and there isn't one among them who isn't pleased to see Miss Calaveri. The number one question she is asked by the others is how is Knowledge and why didn't he accompany her. She would always quickly change the subject.

    Catherine: "Auclair, what's with all the beefed-up security?"

    Greg does his best Eric Cartman impersonation: "BEEFCAKE!!!"
    GM: "Hyuk-yuk...do I even have to say it?"
    Greg: "BEEFCAKE!!!"
    GM: "Dude, you got the point...calm down."

    Jeremiah was conducting an interview with front-running Texas presidential candidate Rory Paul (great grandson of Ron Paul). The broadcast was being beamed live to affiliates across the Southern Protectorate/Free Oil States area and at 32, he was the youngest candidate ever to run for the Texas legislature since the formation of the F.O.S. The extra ECM/ECCM trailers were to ensure an anonymous transmission and prevent location by "Killer Doll" or similar Kill-Sat system from tracking the pirate broadcast.

    Catherine hadn't seen the Mayhem in the shop for a while but aside from a little dust, she looked in perfect condition with hardly a scratch on her. Hammerdown had been playing it safe. The command trailer was nestled in the centre of camp and was itself surrounded by a dozen "Sabres".

    Sabres weren't the typical breed of Sword mercenary that many of their adventures highlighted. They were all in their 50-60's and some of them had even served in the military as far back as Desert Shield. They were the most experienced soldiers the Swords had while they didn't spend as much time in the field as their younger brethren, there wasn't a single Sword Op they hadn't scrutinized under a microscope. It had been Knowledge's loyalty to the Sabres that proved the deciding factor in his rescue from The Alamo. Sabres make up 33% of the last 76 Swords but unlike the remaining 66%, most of them do not have families. Most of the Sabres who survived were C-130 crews who ferried wounded and equipment out of the Alamo before the "Killer Doll" strike that leveled the Mobius Complexe. The Swords of Texas used to be Calaveri's best customers before diversifying into civilian landmates but after the Alamo, their visits became few and far in between. Sabres didn't stay in the life because they liked it...they stayed because they didn't know how to do anything else. All of them know the Mechanic by name. None of them suspect SHE is Torrent but a handful of Sabres suspect Mee-Chan is somehow involved in Stormfront. She is allowed to pass without scrutiny.

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    "The Spirit of 76" was the name of Jeremiah's new politically-conscious podcast and it focused mainly on relations between the Free and Federalist Americas. No politician would go on the record but it's widely known that the departure of Florida from the Republic sounded the death knell of the Federalist Union. Rory was discussing recent headlines on the possible inclusion of the Dakota's and Mississippi into the Southern Protectorate when Catherine entered the trailer. Lisa was working the A/V panel but wasn't so busy she didn't notice Catherine walking into the sound booth.

    Lisa: "I do declare, look what the cat dragged in. How you been cherie?"
    Cathy: "I've been better..."
    Lisa: "Spill it."
    Cathy: "North went to NT-1...now he and Hoo are missing. We need our "Black Magic" back...we need Vortex."
    Lisa: "There's no way we are going to get the Skycarrier all the way to Poseidon."
    Cathy: "Let our new "fearless leader" worry about that part."
    Lisa: "What do you mean?"
    Cathy: "North signed over all control of the gear & leadership of Stormfront to Rebecca."

    Lise sat back in her seat as if a low blow had been struck.

    Lisa: "I always thought he was gonna pick ME?! Never trust a d@mn Yankee."
    Cathy: "You haven't heard the best part. Lin-Keui knows North is Nimbus. They know of the connection between Calaveri & Halpern Security Concepts with the Front. Hoo says they are coming after us and I believe her."
    Lisa: "Whatever you need...you just ask."
    Cathy: "I'm here to bring you back to Storm's Eye. Before we can mobilize, there's a matter of a set of mystery coordinates that need to be checked out."
    Lisa: "Jeremiah is done broadcasting in 30 minutes...we'll leave then."
    Cathy: "Lin-Keui has no knowledge about The Swords of Texas...but that may not always be the case. Be sure to warn the others."
    Lisa: "I haven't seen you in six monthes and THIS is the news you bring?"
    Cathy: "We have to run "dark" on this one...I have a feeling we're going to open the yellow cases tonight."

    If I may...

    Following the team's first paid job in LA-1 for Harrison Mondelli, Knowledge realized (after revealing himself to Riva Cruzado) that eventually SOMEONE might figure out the team's identities. With the help of some Halpern Security Concepts personal, he prepared 3 color coded cases for each team & support member within the Stormfront organization. From their "frontline morale destroyer" Maim down to the Intern who fetched Gi-San his coffee. It was why he made more cash out of his investments than any other Sword but was consistantly broke. He had set up multiple safehouses. He had accumulated numerous uncoded hardware and vehicles. He had purchased a vertitable armory. Equipment and supplies for almost every contingency and then he hid them all over the North American continent including Federalist held America. Each member had three color coded cases assigned to them, each one personally tailored to the individual in question. The day they enter Stormfront's employ, the green case is delivered with instructions to be opened only in a secure area. Within lay a pair of advanced encryted Communication links, a smart-pass for Storm's Eye, a pair of "hierloom" identchips (flawless false i.d.), a pair of credchips for recieving pay and a personal miniature Cyberdeck with peripherals. No one knew what the yellow or red cases held but they would soon enough. Yellow was to be opened only if their identities became known and red was to be opened in the case of his demise.

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
  • Adenides
    Adenides
    Posts: 416 edited August 2013
    Greetings,

    CONTINUATION...

    Storm's Eye was a converted fortified missile complexe that'd been officially classified as "sterilized" (destroyed by explosives). The surface above it appears to be just another neglected construction effort in progress (which Texas has hundreds if not thousands of) but its underside (thanks to exclusively owned Mobius technology) houses one of the most advanced Command & Control centres in North America. To reach it, one has to drive to a series of deactivated oil rigs ten miles distant first. After sterilizing the area with nanotech "scrubbers", a hidden underground personal mag-lev system was built to connect Storm's Eye to its sole point of entry. The trip takes about a minute during which the transport car manages to top out at 585 mph...so wear your safety harness. It could have been designed to take as little as 20 seconds but the decision was made to keep it under the sound barrier to avoid detection. The main complexe was so large it could easily house hundreds of people and was appropriately stocked for just such a contingency. It was a complete living environment unto itself, straight down to the organic garden for food and O2. The Haplern air recyclers eliminated the need for on-site ventilation. The Halpern micro-cold fusion reactor provided all the clean power needed to run the installation and still remain hidden. The Halpern holographic array kept the Skycarrier's launchpad hidden from prying eyes...even during a blackout. All "heirloom" in nature.

    Note to Reader: "Heirloom" refers to the name of the Project which reverse-engineered the technology inherent in the GUNHED. An heirloom holograph is indestinguishable to the naked eye from its conventional counterpart. Heirloom cloaking technology can not be detected by even the most sophisticated sensors employed by mankind. An Heirloom computer system can not be disabled by EMP and is several generations beyond even the most powerful system devised with respect to processing power, data storage and operator interface...an heirloom hacker can easily gain access to a non-heirloom system and run software remotely but the lower tech systems find an heirloom O.S. to be incompatible. An Heirloom laser weapon has double to quadruple the energy output or range of mankinds best analog in a package half to one quarter the size. Heirloom power cells are nearly "zero-point" in nature and can be as small as a watch battery. Why would Halpern EVER share such technology with Stormfront in the first place? They are the PERFECT unofficial platform to beta test potentially dangerous technology in a wide-range of extreme combat conditions. The data Gi-San & Cathy submit from the Hard Suit & Motoslave "black boxes" is crucial to H.S.C. expiramental research efforts. Commercial "Heirloom" systems are still considered to be unworkable since their cost is twenty to fifty times the price of the best circa-2041 analog.

    (High-end TL11 advancements in an almost retrograde TL9/low-end 10 world. So, essentially "untouchable" technologically speaking.)

    The bases five "Minute Man" silos each held a different section of the complexe: Ops, Training, Skunkworks, The Shop and finally Organics & Habitat...all connected by miles of tunnels. When the team was present, they each haunted a silo based on their preferences. The Mechanic could always be found in The Shop. The Jumper would usually be in The Skunkworks, the only silo in the base that was kept locked at all times. The Trucker preferred the luxury of The Habitat and could rarely be found anywhere else when present at all. The Paladin was a veritable combat machine and even when exhausted after a mission, would often wind down with a rigorous training session in the Storm's Eye facilities. The Wardog however was likely to be found with her feet up on the expensive consoles of the Eye's Command & Control centre...keeping tabs on everyone and everything going on in the complexe. In Stormfront's heyday, the team would spend upwards of 2 weeks a month on base at a time. On occasion, work was so heavy they remained at the facility for two monthes. Aside from Stormfront, only a handful of people were entrusted with "on-site" passes. Among them were:

    TO BE CONTINUED...

    -Peace-
    Post edited by Adenides on
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