Post by Belle Starr on Oct 26, 2016 12:27:11 GMT
"Scary is in the Eye of the Beholder" - From the Early Diaries of Belle Starr
Belle Starr, VBI Associate and fairly newbie ark hunter, was eighteen, blond, beautiful, and intrepid, which was a very good thing for an ark hunter to be. Her clan had taken a contract from Varus Solepter to clear out Soleptor Excavation of raiders that had taken it over, and although the short Liberata was a hairy little sexist, he paid well and she needed the experience to gain another EGO power. Her one EGO power, Blur, was great for running away from trouble, and sometimes running into it, but she was intrigued with the possibilities of the other EGO powers of Decoy, Overcharge, and Cloak, so she was anxious to obtain them.
Still Soleptor Excavation was dark and foreboding, with dangerous traps and Raiders around every corner seeking to take Belle's naturally blond scalp, and her three companions, senior members of her clan, had left her far behind as she sought the ever elusive data recorders. They had given her a laundry list of things to accomplish as well as ravaging Ridgecrest, promising her an awesome Anarchist outfit and to grant her the title of "Anarchist" if she was successful in the hazardous scavenger hunt.
Belle wasn't sure she wanted to be known as an anarchist, liking her current title, but the anarchist outfit was awesome, so she was highly motivated to do a good job. She thought the gas mask was probably a bit much, and would ruin her make-up and hairdo, but she knew she probably could just leave it off and all would be good. So, Belle readied her VBI-SMG as she searched the dark tunnels, shooting dead the occasional Raider that was not chasing her compatriots as they raced to the end of their quest, trying in vain to find the data recorders and hoping her clan mates would leave her enough time to actually listen to them before hailing her to the final battle with the big boss, who it was rumored was a Hulker.
Belle smiled as she searched the shadows with blue diamond eyes, for she didn't fear either Raiders or Hulkers, having successfully beaten both in roadside conflicts as she patrolled the highways and byways of the Bay Area in her white Challenger. What made Belle uneasy was the unknown, and she hadn't done many co-ops with either her friends or her clan mates, and around every corner was the fresh thrill of both exploration and unknown danger - and in Soleptor Excavation, the incessant chattering of... something!?!?
"What is that sound? Or more importantly, what the heck is making it?", Thought Belle to her EGO psyche, but got no answer as it seemed to only want to tell her things that were obvious.
Belle's blue diamond eyes narrowed as a pretty pout crossed her pale freckled face as she searched the shadows yet again, then spotted some movement among some crates. She saturated the area with lead until her SMG was empty, but when she examined the area she found nothing. As Belle reloaded, she suddenly heard the incessant chattering again, but this time behind her, and she turned around doing the same thing as before - with the same results!
"Okay, the bull in the china shop approach is not working," Belle advised herself, "Got to play this smarter. Got to SEE what I'm firing at BEFORE I fire."
Belle heard heard the spooky sounds further down the tunnel, and this time approached it slowly. As she cautiously peeked around the crates from where the sound was emanating, and to her horror first saw the small pink and green monstrosity uttering the mysterious noise. She had heard that such creatures existed from her clan mates, but had never actually seen one, and hoped she never would, for she hated vermin in all forms. But there it was scurrying around, twitching it garish nose and glaring at her with menace - the legendary Votan Rat!
Belle did the only thing she could think to do under the circumstances: She jumped up on a crate, took out a frag grenade, and tossed it at the disgusting rodent. After the deafening explosion, Belle picked herself off the ground, giving herself a healing stim since she had almost killed herself with the grenade, then looked around hopefully to see if her actions had killed her furry adversary.
"Got to get that perk that saves you from your own explosions," Muttered Belle to herself as she cautiously looked on the other side of the crates where the Votan Rat had been hiding, then smiled when she saw that she had killed the small oddly colored creature.
"Nailed you critter!" Exclaimed Belle happily as she did her victory dance, then thought to herself, "Hey, I think killing a Votan Rat was on my to-do list to get my outfit," But when Belle checked her list, her smile quickly turned upside down as she wailed, "Aw, MAN, I've got to kill fourteen more of those suckers!!!"
***** THE END*****
* First submitted to the official Defiance Forums as part of a contest entitled "Defiance Diaries: Share your Scariest Stories from the New Frontier" on 10/26/2016. It subsequently won first prize of four named weapons.
Belle Starr, VBI Associate and fairly newbie ark hunter, was eighteen, blond, beautiful, and intrepid, which was a very good thing for an ark hunter to be. Her clan had taken a contract from Varus Solepter to clear out Soleptor Excavation of raiders that had taken it over, and although the short Liberata was a hairy little sexist, he paid well and she needed the experience to gain another EGO power. Her one EGO power, Blur, was great for running away from trouble, and sometimes running into it, but she was intrigued with the possibilities of the other EGO powers of Decoy, Overcharge, and Cloak, so she was anxious to obtain them.
Still Soleptor Excavation was dark and foreboding, with dangerous traps and Raiders around every corner seeking to take Belle's naturally blond scalp, and her three companions, senior members of her clan, had left her far behind as she sought the ever elusive data recorders. They had given her a laundry list of things to accomplish as well as ravaging Ridgecrest, promising her an awesome Anarchist outfit and to grant her the title of "Anarchist" if she was successful in the hazardous scavenger hunt.
Belle wasn't sure she wanted to be known as an anarchist, liking her current title, but the anarchist outfit was awesome, so she was highly motivated to do a good job. She thought the gas mask was probably a bit much, and would ruin her make-up and hairdo, but she knew she probably could just leave it off and all would be good. So, Belle readied her VBI-SMG as she searched the dark tunnels, shooting dead the occasional Raider that was not chasing her compatriots as they raced to the end of their quest, trying in vain to find the data recorders and hoping her clan mates would leave her enough time to actually listen to them before hailing her to the final battle with the big boss, who it was rumored was a Hulker.
Belle smiled as she searched the shadows with blue diamond eyes, for she didn't fear either Raiders or Hulkers, having successfully beaten both in roadside conflicts as she patrolled the highways and byways of the Bay Area in her white Challenger. What made Belle uneasy was the unknown, and she hadn't done many co-ops with either her friends or her clan mates, and around every corner was the fresh thrill of both exploration and unknown danger - and in Soleptor Excavation, the incessant chattering of... something!?!?
"What is that sound? Or more importantly, what the heck is making it?", Thought Belle to her EGO psyche, but got no answer as it seemed to only want to tell her things that were obvious.
Belle's blue diamond eyes narrowed as a pretty pout crossed her pale freckled face as she searched the shadows yet again, then spotted some movement among some crates. She saturated the area with lead until her SMG was empty, but when she examined the area she found nothing. As Belle reloaded, she suddenly heard the incessant chattering again, but this time behind her, and she turned around doing the same thing as before - with the same results!
"Okay, the bull in the china shop approach is not working," Belle advised herself, "Got to play this smarter. Got to SEE what I'm firing at BEFORE I fire."
Belle heard heard the spooky sounds further down the tunnel, and this time approached it slowly. As she cautiously peeked around the crates from where the sound was emanating, and to her horror first saw the small pink and green monstrosity uttering the mysterious noise. She had heard that such creatures existed from her clan mates, but had never actually seen one, and hoped she never would, for she hated vermin in all forms. But there it was scurrying around, twitching it garish nose and glaring at her with menace - the legendary Votan Rat!
Belle did the only thing she could think to do under the circumstances: She jumped up on a crate, took out a frag grenade, and tossed it at the disgusting rodent. After the deafening explosion, Belle picked herself off the ground, giving herself a healing stim since she had almost killed herself with the grenade, then looked around hopefully to see if her actions had killed her furry adversary.
"Got to get that perk that saves you from your own explosions," Muttered Belle to herself as she cautiously looked on the other side of the crates where the Votan Rat had been hiding, then smiled when she saw that she had killed the small oddly colored creature.
"Nailed you critter!" Exclaimed Belle happily as she did her victory dance, then thought to herself, "Hey, I think killing a Votan Rat was on my to-do list to get my outfit," But when Belle checked her list, her smile quickly turned upside down as she wailed, "Aw, MAN, I've got to kill fourteen more of those suckers!!!"
***** THE END*****
* First submitted to the official Defiance Forums as part of a contest entitled "Defiance Diaries: Share your Scariest Stories from the New Frontier" on 10/26/2016. It subsequently won first prize of four named weapons.