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Post by Marcel Lestrange on Jan 10, 2017 11:21:34 GMT
Marcel Lestrange made some quick calculations, analysed proportions of both parts of the possible conflict and his mind made couple of suggestions. Results of his meticulous mind work made devilish grin to reappear to his face when he said: "Mon ami. I think that people expect a decent fistfight right now and they should get one. We can not let their expectations down. But...Since you do not seem to respect our females enough, I will step aside and give my place to Mademoiselle Belle. Unlike me, Mademoiselle Belle is a fair fighter too, so she will not cheat. Besides - today I have decided to be modest and let someone else to be the Champion or the Patron of the event....as long as I can be the Treasurer. Mademoiselle Belle can prove that women are not so called weaker gender and can offer quite exciting fistfight and eventually beat down your Champion while the rest of us place ourselves into the B category this time. Comprenez?" Using the moment when all eyes were centred to Belle and her opponent, Marcel moved himself carefully towards the Roofians vehicle which reminded him a monster truck with it's huge wheels and had two manned machine guns. He leant against it for awhile, enjoying the fight but he also observed the crowd. Satisfied with results, he moved himself behind the vehicle, climbed silently on it's far side and appeared behind the Roofian machine gunners who also was staring the match. Few quick manipulations with his hands (like banging gunners heads together as they were couple of coconuts) and machine gunners were unconscious, thus fulfilling the victory condition...sort of...because at least someone from Roofian side was knocked out now.  Marcel assumed now available position behind the machine gun and announced through EGO link: "Winning the fight is utmost important. But that one who sits behind the machine gun and controls the crowd is equally important. The one with the rightfully placed rocket launcher is important as well. And rest of us who hopefully going to occupy the rest of the key positions, like shooting the other machine gun by my side, are important too. No matter what kind results this fistfight will have, we have be ones who gain from this situation and go on with our task. With or without these locals." |
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Post by Atticus Batman on Jan 10, 2017 12:22:17 GMT
When I asked my wife, Lady Christianna whether she would be willing to haunt Boris' submarine, she shook her head with an emphatic "Yes," but then she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, and the blue gem on her pendant flared brightly as she began to appear, albeit it translucently. As soon as she did, I felt intense pain in my abdomen so much so that I fell to my knees. Lady's small mouth made a perfect "o' before she disappeared from normal sight again, and my pain almost immediately disappeared as well.
As everybody looked at me I stated mater-of-fact, "My fault when I thought Lady dead by my hands, I started refusing to make us of any of my unique grid-oriented gifts. So that means I also quit absorbing as much or more energy than I need because I have not had the drive to care about my health or well-being. What energy I have been absorbing I have been transferring to Lady's locket in hopes of proving that she was still alive somewhere. So since Lady is back, I will use my Grid re-energizer to recharge my energies. Lady do not worry, I will also start using my Grid abilities again, including my grid-enhanced healing. Once I am fully charged and once again actively absorbing excess energies from my surroundings, then Lady, you should be to do that thing you just did. Only this time I will be healed and have excess energy so it shouldn't hurt this time, and if it does it won't be any more than a minor headache, like when Kakusi manifests himself."
Then I turned to Taffer and said, "Taffer, Lady said she will do it. I just need to actually care about my health and fully recharge first. So as the sonar is working fine and you have command, I will do so now. Since I relented to Erika's demands and requests and allowed Dinara to start healing me before Erika left the Vigilant I am more than half way to where I should be, so it shouldn't take more than 15 to 20 minutes if I also use the specialized Electrolyte IVs that Doctor Orion came up with for me. If you need me or Lady before I am recharged, you can find us in our little infirmary where I will be making use of a cot and yes this time I will let Medic Jameson help me, provided she is willing to come near me after our last encounter."
I then turned and walked out, heading to the small infirmary in the Riot's cargo hold, and knowing without having to look that Lady was indeed by my side. When we got there, I gestured for Medic Jameson to follow me. Then I went into a medical cubicle with Medic Joy Jameson cautiously following. Once in there I opened my Powertech armor and, this time willingly accepted Jameson's help when it was offered. So she helped me out of it and then I laid on the cot in the cubicle. I told her I needed one of my 'special' electrolyte treatments, so she started getting the proper IV read, as I absorbed the left sleeve from the Grid-cloth jumpsuit that I am wearing, that way she can hook the IV to my arm without any trouble.
Once that was done I dismissed her, and after she was sure everything was indeed set up for me, she left the cubicle happy that I was finally getting the much needed medical aid. Once she left the cubicle, I pulled out my Grid Re-energizer device. Then I placed it over my right finger.
Next I said to Lady, "I love you and am sorry for everything including not caring about my health recently. Don't worry. I will be back in peak condition soon enough and then we will have more than enough built up energy to do whatever either of us need with our powers. Perhaps then I will also be able to finally hug and kiss you again as well."
Then as I smiled lovingly at the chair next to my cot, that I was certain Lady was sitting in, I activated the re-energizer and started restoring my power reserves while also finally using my Grid abilities to help my EGO completely heal me physically. I winced from the momentary headache and slight bodily discomfort that it still always causes when first turned on. However after a few seconds the headache and added pain dissipated as usual and I just relaxed on the cot knowing that Lady was once again by my side and didn't hate me; her violent, sometimes overly protective, and most likely always pig-headed (at least according to Dinara, Jameson and Erika) husband; for anything that I had done to her, Sandy, or even myself because of Boris's neuro-toxins.
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Post by Belle Starr on Jan 10, 2017 19:10:42 GMT
Taking her weapons off and leaving them in the front seat of the strike team's Raptor, the beautiful Belle Starr jumped out, smiling confidently as she sashayed to face the huge Roofian, remarking in her charming Southern accent as she raised her hands in a Boxer's pose, "It's only fair that we get a champion if y'all get a champion!"
Bob, the leader of the Black Adder gang of Roofians grinned like the cat that ate the canary as he stood on the roof of a rusty Challenger, declaring, "Ace! Your bloody funeral Shelia! Too right, old Liam here will tenderize you right proper, but not so much that you kick the bucket! You might as well give it away now and save yourself a heap of hurting! Strewth, sweet as you are, I'll treat you ripper! Spunk as you are, you'll be my chief cook! Just wear some togs, give me a bash and the occasional root, and she'll be great! Take care of me old fella and give me the Aussie salute, and she'll be apples! Promise, fair dinkum!"
Belle frowned as her diamond blue eyes narrowed as she circled her large opponent, who merely followed her movements as he hopped in place, answering, "Haven't a clue what you just said, but from your tone I don't think I'd like the deal you're offering!"
Bob merely nodded his head once at Liam, and the large Roofian kicked her with both powerful legs, careening Belle into one of the Roofian's cars, putting a huge dent into it and bending it's rim making it inoperable. Belle stood up, dusting herself off, a red glare in her eyes as she exclaimed, "Soooooo...it's going to be this way, is it! Fine! Two can play the surprise game!"
Belle used her EGO power of blur, then danced around the huge Roofian, kicking and punched at his vital areas using her ballet technique. Belle performed a perfect pirouette, that ended with a powerful arabesque kick to Liam's chin. The huge Roofian teetered for a moment, then fell like a huge redwood tree cut down at it's roots.
"Bugger me! Fuck me dead! Nobody said nothing about using an EGO device! Fair suck of the sav!" Exclaimed Bob as he swung himself back into the car whose roof he was standing on top of, yelling once he had cover, "Get them me lovely bastards!"
Belle leaped into her front seat in the Raptor, grabbing her Dancing Lady SMG and readying it for battle as she communicated to the team through her EGO, "Plan B y'all!"
As Belle took the front seat of the Raptor, Lena Marr left the rear, her EGO sending out a confusing decoy as she ran forwards as she shot the machine gunner near Marcel's gunner perch on a big blue monster truck, then leaping on the huge wheel on the driver's side, pulling the Roofian driver our and unceremoniously dumping him on the ground below while she took his place, revving the engine into action to follow the Raptor wherever it may go. Vo and Lu Kshaa sprung into action, as a small red trickle of blood exited Belle's right nostril down to her pale chin, then dripping on her red, white, and blue Liberty Trooper armor. Belle's blue diamond eyes then fluttered closed as she slumped unconscious in the front seat of the Raptor.
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Post by Vo Kshaa on Jan 10, 2017 22:33:57 GMT
"Be ready with Plan B y'all! We are not leaving any of our people behind with these yahoots!" "You can count on us," Vo replied to Belle via his EGO, "We're ready to break us out. Just be careful, they are not going to give away the victory that easy." He used the moment before the fight to examine the vehicles surrounding them with his eye of an experienced machinist. A lopsided grin briefly appeared on his face as he realized only a few of the rollers could give a good and sustained chase to their Raptor. Being crudely assembled, most of the cars and trucks around them had various problems which would definitely manifest themselves when stressed. Smoke coming out of the exhaust — oil-scraper rings are in bad condition, the engine will choke at high speed. Oil stains on shocks meant a high chance of rollover in a sharp turn on a rough terrain. Wheels are much bigger than the running gear was designed for — will likely stall or break on a steep climb. "Marcel the roller you're in is in good condition. It can follow our Raptor just fine if you take it," Vo sent is conclusion to Marcel. "Okay, the plan is simple," he said through his ego to the group, "If shtako hits the fan, Lu blasts a way out for us, then Lena covers Marcel and Lu covers Belle while I'm picking them up. If Marcel takes the truck, then Lena will take the place with him. I'll raise a cloud of dust around us, so rely on your radar to see where our team mates are." There was one roller that caught Vo's attention. At first glance it was just a 1973 Plymouth Road Runner but there was something that made it outstanding. It was almost perfectly clean especially when it came to its mechanisms. Not a single oil stain on them. Not even a trace of sooth anywhere. A smooth sound of a powerful engine. Intact windshield and a high-range antenna. Did Shirra hear a radar pulse from it? The vehicle was definitely more powerful than how it looked like and it was in a perfect condition.  "If we were in Bay Area, I'd challenge them to a race against Taffer's silver Challenger," Vo thought to himself, "Guess it can still happen here in a less civil manner though.""Should I mark it as my primary target?", Lu sent to Vo with her EGO as she traced his glance. "Your primary target is our way out," Vo replied calmly. "Then it's Belle's safety. We'll deal with the pursuers after we break through." As the fight began, Vo was watching the surroundings, ready to send Belle a warning if there was a sign of any trap or anything else the Roofians might be going to use to help their compatriot to win. The fight ended much faster than anyone expected, albeit the Roofians clearly didn't like the outcome, so Belle had to call for a plan B. As Vo made Raptor's engine roar and drew a donut inside the circle, raising a cloud of dust like he announced to the team, Lu fired three sequential rockets into what her EGO calculated as the weakest point of the iron circle. As Raptor jumped over the debris, Vo watched the monster truck with Lena and Marcel closely following. Vo noticed Lena was at the wheel which he wasn't expecting to happen but concluded that combination could work just as fine as the other one. He was about to floor the Raptor and get away when he noticed Belle slumped unconscious in the front seat. Vo quickly reached the button on her armor which made the helmet appearing around her head. No matter how he was eager to perform a scan to know what was going on with her, they needed to get away from the pursuit first, and the firm collar and a helmet would protect her neck and her head as they were going to cross a rough terrain. With Belle safely fastened to her seat and her SMG secured behind the back of her seat, Vo floored the Raptor just in time when the initial chaos among the Roofians subside and they charged their vehicles after the team. The post-apocalyptic version Olives Road made a good racing track by itself, being pretty worn-down and having sharp turns at which Lu could send rockets at bottlenecked enemies without risking of Lena's truck being hit with friendly fire. Vo knew that in the worst case, which Vo feared the most, they didn't have time for a long pursuit, so once he saw the course of Etna Creek coming close to the road, he boosted the Raptor's engine making the heavy vehicle hit the stream bank and jump over the creek. The monster truck quickly followed as the pursuing Roofians did as well, but the engine of the first pursuing roller died right as the driver floored it for the jump, so the vehicle stopped dead as it hit the bank, forming a blockade which other vehicles crashed into. "Can we contact Taffer?" Vo asked his EGO unit. "Negative," Shirra replied, "Since those bandits surrounded us, I cannot contact anyone outside a direct line of sight. Must be someone's jamming…"A loud roaring of the engine interrupted their mental dialogue as they saw the Plymouth flying right over the blockade of smashed vehicles. Suddenly an explosion erupted right at the spot where the muscle car was about to land, digging a crater which the car's nose stuck into. Four cluster bomblets exploded at its sides, making the car's shield break and forcing it deeper into the ground. Vo heard Lu whistling at her good shot. "I've got signals!" Shirra reported, "I think the jammer was destroyed!""Contact Taffer and tell him we might need to get Belle to the medical. And fast," Vo commanded to his EGO as he floored the Raptor again to move out of the Roofians' line of sight. As he was sure they fell behind, he finally stopped the roller and jumped off the driver's seat and immediately, put his hands on belle's shoulders, performing a quick scan for of her vitals and health, fearing the worst that the virus managed to bypass the human vaccine and attacked Belle's Volge part. "I got a reply from Taffer," Shirra said as she performed a scan, "He's sending coordinates of a settlement called New Brisbane where he says we can find a portal connected to the Vigilant's medical bay. He says he'll ask the locals' permission to use it to transport the wounded after they finish transferring the vaccine through it." |
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Post by Archer, Frankie J. on Jan 11, 2017 5:10:32 GMT
Frankie's head still wasn't right. In other words, she'd self-diagnosed herself unfit for duty. The psychological distress was catching up with her. She was undergoing metamorphosis so to speak, a transition in her life. She didn't know how hard she was taking the loss of her former squad until she faced that envelope closed with a wax seal stamped in some fancy emblem. She half blamed herself for what had happened to them. The pain was becoming a huge problem. Frankie'd already passed on one mission over it. She'd be damned if she was going to let it continue.
"Archer, if you want to participate in our next operation, you have 9 mi-" She switched off the device on the front of her vest then finished packing all of her gear. After she made her way to the hangar bay, she prepared to jump. Sliding open the port side hatch, and smelling the wind outside she made final equipment check. Her large backpack was secured between her legs as her mission bag was front loaded. The main and reserve that she packed moments ago was strapped tightly to her back. As she lowered her goggles thinking about a drop zone she was reminded, 'It doesn't matter.' Both hands on either side of the door Archer threw herself from the airship.
While falling to the planet she admired how quiet it was.
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Post by Kaj Oenfer on Jan 11, 2017 12:07:49 GMT
After the away team had left Kaj in the Mess, he finished his current mug of tea. Then he got a refill. Once that was done he went to the infirmary where he personally checked the status of his injured crewmen and spent a few minutes with each of the conscious ones. Once that was done he headed back to the Bridge.
As he entered the bridge he heard the Security Officer on Bridge duty say, "Captain Yar, the flight deck reports that they just discovered that one of the port side hatches has been left unlatched at some point. So I had Lexy check her footage of that area since the Riot disembarked. Lexy is reporting that, after viewing external cameras, one of the port side hatches was opened and somebody jumped out. Apperently it happened while the cameras were offline in that area for a routine maintenance check. However Lexy is sorry she didn't notice it earlier."
Tasha Yar responded with, "Who was it and did they have a chute on?"
The Officer came back with, "I am reviewing the external cameras and enhancing the image for a better view as we speak....It is Miss Archer and yes she had a chute on, as well as all of her combat gear."
Tasha muttered, "what was she thinking?"
Just then they heard the deep but calm Voice of their commanding Officer say, "I do not think even she was sure of what she was thinking at that time, if she chuted down to hostile territory with out getting clearance or a designated LZ first. Comm.s contact the Riot and apprise Commander Taffer of the incident right a way."
Then Kaj took his seat, as the Comm.s officer did as ordered.
Meanwhile on the Riot's bridge Taffer had received Vo's message and asked Atika to contact Lt. Col Akhurst and request permission for our landing party to not only enter New Brisbane but also to be allowed into the AD facility so they could sent an injured team mate back to the Vigilant through the ADF's Votan portal, where a medical team would be waiting for her arrival. So while Taffer was telling Vo where to take Belle, Atika contacted Akhurst and managed to get their team clearance on the caveat that they be escorted by armed security the whole time that they are in the ADF facility, as protocol dictates. Atika told him that was understandable and accepted.
Then she informed Taffer of the news and the only condition that was set by Lt. Col. Akhurst. Just then her headset beeped informing her that she had an incoming communication. She answered the hail and discovered that it was from the Vigilant. She was informed of Archer's abrupt departure from the Vigilant, and once that was done, she informed them that a Medical team would be needed at the portal as Belle Starr had been wounded and would be sent through from New Brisbane just as soon as her team could get her there.
Then once she disconnected she relayed the newest development back to Taffer. "Commander Taffer! That was the Vigilant. I informed them to have a medical team on standby at the Dark Matter Portal as Belle was wounded and may need to be sent through just as soon as her team gets her to New Brisbane. However they hailed us to inform you of an unexpected issue of their own....It seems Miss Archer took a chute and jumped from the Vigilant without informing anybody first. So they do not know what her intentions or exact destination may be. However they are sending us the estimated co-ordinates that Lexy has plotted for the area where Archer should land based on the Vigilant's location, speed and altitude, as well as the weather conditions of the area, at the time of her jump." |
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Post by Belle Starr on Jan 11, 2017 14:33:52 GMT
When her subconscious felt the Raptor suddenly change course, Belle Starr's diamond blue eyes opened with a start, as she reprimanded her lover with a drawl, "Vo, what in tarnation are y'all doing!?!? I'm fine! We gotta save Erika! I'm the here Marshal leading this posse, and I'm ordering y'all to get back on mission!" Vo Kshaa EGO psyche, Shirra, had just finished performing a medical scan on Belle and reported, "There is no trace of the virus in Belle, but she does have severe internal injuries, which must have occurred when the huge Roofian kicked her into the car, destroying it. Her armor and shield protected her bones and exterior from harm, but the soft tissue of her internal organs were shaken up drastically. Good news is it seems to be healing at an amazing rate, much faster than with just an EGO's help." Shirra hesitated before reporting further through the telepathic link they shared, "However, I discovered something else - something Alfred tried blocking me from seeing." Alfred was Belle Starr's EGO psyche, patterned on the brain waves of her long dead father who was the mad scientist that spliced Belle's DNA with that of the Volge while Belle was still in her mother's womb in an effort to create for humanity a super soldier for the next Pale Wars. Unlike most other EGO psyches, Alfred had proven in the past to have his own agenda, which didn't always coincide with Belle's. Even though the other Protectors had tried to convince Belle to expel the Alfred EGO psyche, Belle refused, stating that Alfred was the only blood family she had left, and that she would cope with his machinations. Vo knew Alfred was trouble, but also knew Belle loved Alfred as only a daughter can love a father, willing to overlook the father's shortcomings even if the father was despicable in character. "Give me the bad news," Vo thought with a sigh. "I don't know if it IS bad news or not, but it is... interesting," Shirra began. "Belle's Cerebellum and spinal cord have been dramatically changed. "The cerebellum in Belle's brain has been drastically restructured in ways I can't fathom. As you know, the cerebellum does not initiate movement, but contributes to coordination, precision, and accurate timing. It receives input from sensory systems of the spinal cord and from other parts of the brain, and integrates these inputs to fine-tune motor activity.* In Belle, the cerebellum now is composed of more Volge cells than human cells, and normally they would be incompatible, but not so for Belle because of her unique DNA. There also now is the Volge equivalent of human nerve clusters all along Belle's spinal cord, and particularly around her EGO device that is located in the base of her neck. What all this means, I just don't know at this time. I know the E-Rep have been researching the Volge for years, so maybe if I had access to their research base, I might be able to figure it out, but without additional information, I don't have a clue as to what this all means. I DO know that Alfred tried to keep me from discovering these facts, and that sends up a red flag for me." Vo thanked his EGO psyche for the information, then pondered as to what his next move should be.  *Thank you Wikpedeia! |
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Post by Marcel Lestrange on Jan 11, 2017 19:48:42 GMT
When the plan B was initiated, Marcel Lestrange did not waste any of the precious time and put the machine gun into work, dividing the crowd in two - the upper part and the lower one because he was aiming somewhere in the middle of their body length. He showered Ruffians with hot lead for awhile, making quite a bloody mess of those who were in his firing sector and was satisfied with the results of his work. Fortunately for remaining Ruffians, his lover Lena Marr commandeered the vehicle he was sitting on and drove after escaping Raptor. Fortunately indeed, because whoever designed that vehicle had only one purpose in his mind - chasing after caravans and shooting them. Lack of the rotating turret which, if it would have been present, could have been making 360 degrees shooting possible, meant that Marcel could shoot only the Raptor of their allies, not those Ruffians who begun to follow them. And Ruffians were not only riding after them, but also opened fire at them.
The second flaw of the car mounted machine guns actually worked on the side of Lena and Marcel. Although Ruffians could shoot after them, and so they did, their fire was quite inaccurate because they had to shoot from their speeding, turning, swinging, jumping and bumping vehicles. That reduced chances to hit their target. So no wonder that they used mounted machine guns. It allowed at least few bullets not to miss. These machine guns were probably used more for their demoralizing effect during the off road caravan chases than their efficiency.
Despite of that knowledge Marcel craunched himself to reduce chances of getting hit by a stray bullet...and hold himself on the seat since their car went on like a hurricane. The old saying that you never hear the bullet that kills you was not quite adequate, because due to the roaring engine and the sound of the car springs he was not able to hear the whistle of passing bullets anyway so he was not able to decide how good the Ruffians were when they shot moving targets from moving vehicles, so he turned to look over his shoulder from time to time only to see that Ruffians who managed to avoid the major crash, were still on their tail and they were getting closer because their cars were smaller and faster than their monster truck. They became disturbingly closer until they reached to the the "Let us ram them off the road" distance. Now Lena and Marcel had Ruffian vehicles on the both side of theirs and Ruffians begun to drive closer to them, probably hoping to capture their car between theirs and force it to stop with couple of short distance shots to their tires or something similar.
The day was saved thanks to Lena who hit the breaks making their car to stop suddenly and rise a huge cloud of brown dust which embraced their vehicle. That sudden stop caused Marcel to jerk forward (and thus hit his nose against the plastic facial cover of his hazmat suit). But that stop also let Ruffian cars to pass them by and since Ruffians were getting close to their vehicle from both of it's sides, they ended up colliding each other. Now the machine gun proved to be useful again, because Marcel could whip crashed cars, which were now in front of theirs, with couple of well aimed bullet bursts before Lena get them on the move again. Their monster truck climbed slowly over the cars, crushing them into two pile of junk metal. After wrecking Ruffians Lena sped it up again to catch up with the Raptor...
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Post by Taffer on Jan 11, 2017 22:13:17 GMT
"Great, now I'll have to apologize to those people for all the buzz we caused," Taffer said with a feigned discontent after Vo contacted him again, but the corners of his mouth formed a smile as he sat next to Atika and added, "Give me please Akhurst on the line. I'd better tell him that myself." "Lieutenant Colonel Akhurst?" he said after the connection was established, "This is Sub-Commander Taffer of the Protectors team. Good news that the information about our badly wounded team mate was a false alarm. It means you don't need to fragment your forces on escorting anyone of us around your territory. But I thank you again for your willingness to help us. We really appreciate it, especially when things start getting hectic. Speaking of hectic things, I'm afraid I have another request. One of our team mates, named Frankie Archer, is drop landing somewhere around the road from Rockhampton to the mining facility. I'm sending the coordinates of her landing, so if you're going to send any patrols to investigate the situation around the mines, please check that area and give her a lift if you find her there. I promise she won't be a dead weight if your squad meets any resistance. Thanks again Lieutenant Colonel." As the connection ended, Taffer opened another one, this time to Archer's hailer, sending a voice message as his EGO converted it to text in case the connection was poor, "I'm trying to arrange a squad of locals to give you a lift to the zone of our operation. The locals who will likely meet you look like human-like creatures with a dog's head and call themselves Dingorigines. So keep an eye out for their patrol.  On the other hand, there's another race which looked more like mutated Kangaroos — those are not friendly and better be avoided."  After the transmission was over, Taffer took his place at the screen with the sonar output. "Keep the course upstream along Fitzroy," he said to the pilot, "With the city on high alert, they will likely notice any activity near it, so we'll move closer to the caves with our scan." "Come on," he muttered quietly to himself, "If I would an old and rusty submarine filled with all kinds of deadly viruses on board, where would I be?" |
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Post by Archer, Frankie J. on Jan 11, 2017 23:51:20 GMT
Frances opened her chute almost immediately and took a very long time, at least three hours, to descend while being carried by currents and wind across hundreds of miles. Once she'd touched down Frances rearranged her gear so that her bag was inside her backpack along with the repacked parachute. After roasting and eating a few small birds she killed, the power girl took this time to make contact with the Vigilant and offer the most detailed explaination necessary. Dailing in a connection the best she could, she stated, "Vigilant, Archer. This is my request for an extended medical leave of absence. Will contact once resolved." Shutting off the hailer now, Frankie doused the fire and loaded her backpack. She stepped out marching in the direction of her instinct. Her pace was fast and covered a lot of ground rather quickly for being on foot. Her goal right now was to find a vehicle, either along the ground or in the air. She knew where she wanted to go and how to get there. He focus was clear. Her mission was classified above top secret. This Came Directly From The Top, From her god. These kinds of orders were unmistakable. They can't be misunderstood nor disobeyed nor could she possible deviate from such holy plans. |
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Post by Atika Constantine on Jan 12, 2017 12:05:30 GMT
"Great, now I'll have to apologize to those people for all the buzz we caused," Taffer said with feigned discontent after Vo contacted him again, but the corners of his mouth formed a smile as he sat next to Atika and added, "Give me please Akhurst on the line. I'd better tell him that myself."
Atika contacted the ADF facility in New Brisbane as ordered and immediately asked to be patched through to Lt. Col. Akhurst. As soon as he answered she said, "G'day again Lieutenant Colonel, this is Atika Constantine of the Paradise Protectors again. One of my Commanders would like to talk to you personally. So I am patching him in now."
Atika then plugged in the second headset and handed it to Taffer, as she said, "Alright Commander I have him patched into this headset so I can continue monitoring and communicating on our other channels while you are on the line with New Brisbane."
Some time after Taffer had disconnected with Lieutenant Colonel Tavish Akhurst, the Vigilant had gotten Archer's message. So Kaj had it relayed to the Riot. When Atika got the incoming message from the Vigilant with an attached audio file containing Archer's exact message, she said, "Commander Taffer, the Vigilant has received word from Archer and sent us an audio file containing her exact message. Captain Oenfer thought you would want to hear it yourself."
Atika then played the audio message for Taffer to hear.
Meanwhile in the Riot's little infirmary, Atticus's Grid-Re-energizer had fully charged him and shut itself off. So feeling the slight discomfort that came with the sudden energy stop of the device, Atticus who had fallen into an uneasy sleep of sorts, sat up straight and his eyes snapped open. He disconnected the device. Then he called Medic Jameson back in to check his IV and so she could visually confirm what Dinara is already telling him about his injuries being healed, although his nerves were still very sensitive in those areas due to all the recent traumas they had endured. As Medic Jameson had examined Atticus as thoroughly as he would allow, she also had her EGO contact his EGO, Dinara that way Jameson would an even more thorough medical report on her patient than she was able to get on her own due to how stubborn and secretive her current patient always is.
Once Medic Jameson and Dinara were sure of Atticus' current medical status, Jameson slipped back out of his cubicle so he would once again have his privacy, this time while he got himself ready to leave the cubicle as his treatments were finished. As she left Atticus's medical cubicle she sent Taffer an EGO message saying, "Sub-Commander Taffer, I am happy to report that I can finally deem Commander Batman PHYSICALLY fit for duty.......However forgive me if I am out of line here Commander, but I still have my doubts about Commander Batman's mental state given what's documented of his past and more importantly the traumatic events he has endured more recently, although he has been a lot more civil to me during the last half hour than he was any other time today. So I suppose that's a good start."
Back in Atticus's cubicle, he put his Powertech armor back on, as it was the only armor he had on the Riot not to mention he still felt it's added benefits would still be very useful on the current mission. Then he once again smiled in the direction he was sure Lady was in, so she could see he was feeling better, as he put his helmet back on so he could once again see her. Next he said, "Alright, Snow Angel. Dinara and the daking Medic both agree that my wounds are healed and thanks to the re-energizer in combination with the Electrolyte treatments I can feel the power once again coursing through my body. I can also see the sparkling in your pendant from it once again being energized. So hopefully you can do your trick successfully this time." |
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Post by Erika Widowmaker on Jan 12, 2017 20:23:38 GMT
Erika Widowmaker felt like she had been wandering the gulanite caves in the dark for hours, but knew it was for a shorter time than that. Finally she saw a light in the distance, so she approached until she could see that it was a well lit cavern, guarded by two well armed humans. She cloaked, sneaked past the guards, then found refuge behind a pile of lumber just inside the cavern's entryway.
Erik readied her Magnum pistol, then peeked over the lumber pile, seeing a sight that made her big jade eyes get even bigger. Have the cavern was filled with water, and she could see in the distance a pinpoint of light that probably led to the sea. Closer to her was a huge dock, littered with boxes, barrels, and pole lights. It was clearly a place to dock a huge boat, or a very large submarine. There were numerous humans walking about he dick, busy preparing for something, but Erika could not tell what. Erika tried to reach the other Protectors by both EGO and hailer, but to no avail.
"I hope they find me soon," Thought Erika to herself, "As Boris' men are up to something, and it's going to happen soon. I'd hate to try to handle all these humans on my own, although if it takes my life to stop the distribution of the Votan Killing Virus, so be it!
*****
Driving the monster truck only somewhat recklessly, Lena Marr saw the Raptor turn away from the Angel Arc mining facility, muttering to no one in particular, "Now where in hell are they going now?"
*****
In the Raptor ahead of Lena and Marcel's monster truck, Belle Starr once again asserted to her lover, "Really Vo, I'm fine! I don't know why, but I feel that Erika is in extreme danger, so y'all, let's get turned around and save her like we planned to!"
The red pupils of Belle's blue diamond eyes began to strobe, and everyone in the Raptor was beginning to feel that Belle's suggestion was a WONDERFUL one.
*****
In the Riot, Lady Christianna became visible but not corporeal, saying to her husband, Atticus Batman, in a ghostly voice, "Save the rest for Boris! Will become corporeal for the homecoming, promise. Hugs and kisses then!"
Lady smiled enigmatically then blew him a kiss, sealing her promise.
*****
Sandy Bell continued to dutifully feed Volodja Uljanov like a zombie, and an untrained observer would have had a hard time deciding which of the two was in worse shape.
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Post by Archer, Frankie J. on Jan 12, 2017 20:35:04 GMT
Student left behind her a foot trail of surprisingly long strides. It'd seem Frances knew very well how to utilize her body's size, shape, skeleton, musculature, as well as the finite and abstract. Carried by the energies of the mind/spirit her will to press was invisible. Nobody could guess what was motivating her forward. The warrior's quest was locked down tight. So during the travel all she needed to do was move her legs as if an automated function. Without using excess brainpower to move the legs she could allow her thoughts to wander almost daydreaming. This helped pass the time as there wasn't much else to do but either think or try to stop thinking. As the power girl fought through a small dust storm being pushed against by the wind and the dirt, she detected what could only be described as thunder. It rolled on and on and on, however. Looking north there was a dust cloud rising from the tabletop horizon. In front of Frances was a sea of desert, stone, sand, ground, and earth. What she couldn't see from her short hilltop location was the "Freeway."    Using her monocle to inspect the front tip of the dust cloud she realized what she was hearing was the throttling engine of a powerful automobile. Now scanning to the left, in front of the roller's travel she saw what appeared to be the pipes, stacks, towers, and spires of a chemical plant or, some sort of crude refinery due to the rising harsh smoke or lowhanging blackened cloud above the structures. Flames rose from the tall exhaust towers. Looking to the right, behind the roller, just down of the horizon she saw earthly risings that seemed more natural topped of green with faint mist of some kind of moisture over there.  Frankie decided how much more she needed that car than water. The Archer moved on in the direction of the pipes and smog. She passed by the stripped guts and frame of a roller that had outlived its use. Not used to ignoring any chance to salvage and scavenge she took a few minutes to look through the scrap. Despite it's worthless appearance, Frankie managed to find some junk among the pile that looked valuable to somebody she imagined. She didn't know what it was or how it was used, but it looked like a shiny and carefully machined puzzle piece of something, a gear actually, paired around a spiral spring with a threaded bolt through the center of the gear and spring. It seemed like a macgyver-rigged thing rather than a factory part. After collecting that scrap the soldier continued toward the refinery. |
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Post by Vo Kshaa on Jan 12, 2017 22:27:52 GMT
"You got me worried Belle," Vo said as he turned the raptor around and set it on the course to the mining facility and Lu waved to their team mates in the monster truck, pointing the new-old direction. "You were fighting with your helmet off, and I thought the virus could crawl in and attack your Volge part. We already have seen it mutating on hybrids, making itself even more dangerous this time so I thought we'd better catch this strain and isolate it before it could spread. I also was planning to tell Lu to move into Lena's truck and continue on our mission while I'd be transporting you to the lab, but I'm really relieved now as I see it all is not needed. So you're right Belle, let’s move and find Erika." There was a nagging feeling that he was thinking about something really important, but the thought about continuing on the mission has occupied Vo's mind so deeply that he pushed all doubts away, thinking that if it's important, he will return to it later once the mission was over.  "Okay, now I see the Stasis net," Lu said as she looked ahead through the scope of her Mass Cannon. "It seems to protect a pass between two humps. They use them to reduce the area covered with the net to save energy, which is a clever move but at the same time we can use it against them. Our vehicles are powerful enough to climb on one of the humps, so we can pass the energy fence this way. I'm sharing the optimal climbing route with the group now. I'd expect it to be mine-studded though, so I'd rather have my Decoy running ahead of our trucks with its sweep scan on just to be safe." "The entrance is surely guarded," Vo noted, "I doubt they won't notice two big vehicles crawling uphill. Someone will have to cover us with gunfire if we're going to force our way through. Belle, you're in command, so it's up to you to decide. Are we forcing our way or negotiating, or trying to find a back door?" |
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Post by Marcel Lestrange on Jan 13, 2017 18:01:55 GMT
"Sir!?"
Boris lifted his head. He just had a small nap by the table in his private cabin, one of his large hands leaning on the table surface so his cheek could rest in his palm like an egg in the nest. He stared the walrus like Captain of their submarine and his glance was heavy as boxful of lead. His eyelids went shut for a second. Blink meant that the Captain was allowed to continue.
"May I express my concerns about our present position?" he asked diplomatically.
"Yes you may," replied Boris. "I know that we have to hide in the riverbed until we are ready to move on, and despite of our efforts to lose our stalkers they are still on our tail, but let me assure you, Captain, that we are quite safe here." Boris wiped the Captain to come closer and pointed his forefinger to the monitoring screen which had an image of Paradise Protecors ship on it.
"They are looking for us right now but haven't found us yet. There is a chance that they will spot our ship one moment, but every passing minute means that we are getting closer to be fully refuelled and can leave this place after that. All we have to do is reach to the ocean again and then they have a lot of searching to do. Besides - I don't see much opportunities to stop us. They can't hit us directly because of our contagious load which could spread as a consequence. They can't block our way to the ocean. The river is way too wide and deep for that." Boris rubbed his hands together and went on:
"The best way to get us right now would be a descente (Boris used the French word, which meant landing in military terminology), but then they have to chew themselves through our ground security and deal with our personnel and hired help. That gives us plenty of time to leave. At the cost of lives of our fellow men. Unfortunately... But one must accept smaller sacrifices for a greater good. Besides - our so called "security" consist mainly on local mercenaries who are...expandable. It will only clean the local gene pool when they fall. You see, my good Captain. Your main worry is this ship. I have to operate in much larger scale, so I have to be prepared for any kind of interventions, including this one. You may return to your post, my good Captain, and make sure that refuelling goes smoothly. And just in case...Order our anti aircraft crew to be ready."
The Captain saluted, turned around on his heel and marched out. Boris stared after him until the Captain was out of the sight and putting his fingertips together, begun to think about the next step of his plan...
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