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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/Casino_zps5glrca7l.jpg)
The Dandy Desperado & Crew (Orbiting Mars)
Captain Montoya was on the bridge of the Dandy Desperado, when a distress signal briefly flashed over his screen. The signal was very weak and intermittent and lasted only a second. Checking the computer, Captain Montoya saw that the ship’s sensors caught only enough of it to place it somewhere Sol-wise of Mars (meaning the space between Mars and Earth) – way too vast a field to even consider searching without more data.
Perhaps Montoya could fine-tune the sensors, to try to pick the signal back up and narrow the field a bit.
Toying with it, he noted the signal corresponded with a recent solar flare. That wasn’t good. It meant the signal could have been caught up and carried along the edge of the flare like a twig in a wave. It meant the signal could have originated from anywhere between Mars and the Sun itself. No help there.
His thoughts were then interrupted by an incoming message popping up on his screen. Someone had sent an email to one of his honeypot accounts (all part of the master plan to root out and expose the Secret Society!).
>>Captain Montoya, Dandy Desperado.
>>Our records show that you are a registered Bounty Hunter in Good Standing with the SSPB. As such, you have been selected to participate in a Private Brokered Bounty, Posted By The Onasis Naturals Corporation of Europa and Officially Sanctioned by the CPWR (Callisto Planetary Wildlife Refuge).
>>We are offering 600,000w on one Jeremiah Jackson; wanted for Sabotage and Poaching.
>>If you are interested, please let me know ASAP, and I can personally arrange to expedite your Application to Hunt Bounty within the Jovian Confederacy, which I’m sure you know is quite a lucrative business opportunity.
>>Please note that your timely response is required to secure this Private Brokered Bounty.
>>Thank you for your time and consideration; Mr. Ray. Office of the CPWR, Europa.
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Meanwhile, in the Ship’s Lounge, the rest of the crew relax, after a day spent watching Simon and Gilbert blow their collective life savings at the slots in the various floating resorts orbiting Mars.
That’s when the new bounty hunting show, ‘The Solar System’s Most Wanted’ comes on.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BigShots_zpsh9oqyw9y.jpg)
Clyde – “Hello to all 350,000 bounty hunters in the system. This is ‘The Solar System’s Most Wanted and the Bounty hunters That Catch ‘Em’ with your favorite hosts, Bonnie and Clyde!”
Bonnie – “Today we have footage of the capture of Evil Ned by the ever-popular Cold Rock Johnson” (swoon).
Clyde – “But first, let’s see who’s new” (reviews a list in hand). “Bushwa Bonnie, pickins are slim today – just one cake-eater: Genny Putkoff.”
Bonnie – “You mean the one wanted for stealing Milk Homogenization Equipment Clyde?”
Clyde – “The very same. The Bounty on him is 450,000w.”
Bonnie – “Small Fry huh?”
Clyde – “Yes, well I guess you could do worse. And remember fly-boys, if you get footage of your capture, send it in and we’ll show it on the air!”
Bonnie – “You could win a dream vacation to the Floating Vegas on Venus.”
Clyde – “Thank you Bonnie. And now, let’s watch Cold Rock Johnson do his thing!”
Bonnie – “Oh Cold Rock!” (Swoon).
What follows is a series of ‘Cops’ style clips, featuring documentary-like interviews with Cold Rock Johnson – it’s all very riveting.
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Something about the name rings a bell with Ethel.
Yes, Genny Putkoff.
He won some kind of Science Award for his work in a Venus-based company called LifeCyclon. Maybe an after school science program or something?
Ethel remembers, because one of the companies she interned with (Umbra TeQ) was trying to establish a partnership with LifeCyclon; and the Company PR guys made a big deal about helping the community or some-such.
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"450 thousand for stealing some Milk thing? Seems kinda rough." Butch mutters, as he twidles an unlit smoke between his fingers.
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"You were right! So far bounty hunting is AMAIZING!" Simon playfully pokes Gilbert's well-protected ribs. "You should've seen the look on your face when that last machine almost hit the triple seven! Hahaha! So close, buddy! Maybe next time! Ahahahahaha!"
The broadcast manages to briefly capture his attention.
"Perfect! I've got video equipment around here somewhere, we can win that vacation! Have you been to Floating Vegas? I think I got kicked out of there once, for putting a robot zebra-- no maybe that was Flying Vegas. Is there a casino named that? Ah, never mind, I'm gonna go look for that recorder."
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Jacob swears mentally. How he could allow these some of these nutcases to join the crew is beyond him. Maybe it was Captain Montaya's nagging about it, maybe it was their weird luck altering powers. He decided it was a bit of A, and a bit of B. And what's with Butch's insane bounty? Eh it didn't matter. He's part of the crew and Jacob took a instant like to the man.
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"Perfect! I've got video equipment around here somewhere, we can win that vacation! Have you been to Floating Vegas? I think I got kicked out of there once, for putting a robot zebra-- no maybe that was Flying Vegas. Is there a casino named that? Ah, never mind, I'm gonna go look for that recorder."
"Wait up Simon. Dunno if we even want to do the bounty yet, right? I mean, the extra cash would be nice, but it seems kinda silly, no?" Butch asks.
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Capt. Montoya hops on his comes, the wierd signal is still bugging him but he can look into it more later, for now there is space piracy and heroics to be had.
"We just received a job everyone! Our heroics... And some hacking.... Has our reputation growing! let's meet up to make arrangements."
He then immediately sets about trying to trace back all information he can on the transmission his account received as well as the ones who supposedly posted the bounty , can't be too careful with the secret society!
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Computers 17+2X (MTN 10) 1d20 : 8, total 8
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"That's odd," Ethel wonders aloud, swinging her legs off the lounge table. "I remember hearing about Putkoff. He's an award winning scientist, doesn't make much sense that he'd steal dairy equipment."
"Wait up Simon. Dunno if we even want to do the bounty yet, right? I mean, the extra cash would be nice, but it seems kinda silly, no?" Butch asks.
"We should totally do it!" Ethel gets up, excited, "it's like a mystery. Plus, it can't be that hard, right? A fun little job can't hurt, and of course, that free vacation..."
Capt. Montoya hops on his comes, the wierd signal is still bugging him but he can look into it more later, for now there is space piracy and heroics to be had.
"We just received a job everyone! Our heroics... And some hacking.... Has our reputation growing! let's meet up to make arrangements."
He then immediately sets about trying to trace back all information he can on the transmission his account received as well as the ones who supposedly posted the bounty , can't be too careful with the secret society!
"Heya Cap'n!" Ethel calls out, getting up to communicate through the Comms, "That makes two bounties for us to do! When are you coming down?"
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"Wait up Simon. Dunno if we even want to do the bounty yet, right? I mean, the extra cash would be nice, but it seems kinda silly, no?" Butch asks.
Simon slides to a halt, pivots and marches back to Butch. "What do you mean 'if?'" Are you not Bounty Hunters? Is this not a bounty to hunt?!" He punctuates his words with dramatic sweeping gestures, just barely avoiding smacking Butch as he continues.
"And what's 'silly' about a dream vacation to Venus?! What's wrong with 'silly' in the first place? Glass houses, body horror robot grandpa!"
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He then immediately sets about trying to trace back all information he can on the transmission his account received as well as the ones who supposedly posted the bounty , can't be too careful with the secret society!
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Computers 17+2X (MTN 10) 1d20 : 8, total 8+2 = 10 (Extra Success!)
Captain Montoya traces the email back to the site of origin; and finds that it really does come from an office of the Callisto Planetary Wildlife Refuge, located in Capitol City, on Europa.
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Natalia stays put, normally she carries allot of social weight, but she hasn't felt like she fits in at all in this crowd. She doesn't look uncomfortable, just quiet.
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Crystal looks pensive sometime after the broadcast. She sits around in the (lounge? Wherever we are?) in her casual wear, cleaning her old military pistol.
"Don't think me or butch should go after the small fry if you guys want to hunt him down. Other bounty hunters will be there, no chance they don't recognize him, especially if you videotape the whole thing."
She grins then,
"I'd be more than happy to go to Vegas on Venus if you win though, of course."
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Capt. Montoya leaves his Com full open for the crew. "ok comes are fully open so I can hear everyone without leaving the bridge. My bounty seems legit, you guys have a second one to chase too? We do have the scout ship of we wanted both?"
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Simon slides to a halt, pivots and marches back to Butch. "What do you mean 'if?'" Are you not Bounty Hunters? Is this not a bounty to hunt?!" He punctuates his words with dramatic sweeping gestures, just barely avoiding smacking Butch as he continues.
"And what's 'silly' about a dream vacation to Venus?! What's wrong with 'silly' in the first place? Glass houses, body horror robot grandpa!"
"But the poor guy just stole some milking thing. Which is just silly, no?" Butch replies, looking around distractedly.
"And hey, I'm no grandpa yet. Still got some time till I go white."
"Anyone got a light?"Capt. Montoya leaves his Com full open for the crew. "ok comes are fully open so I can hear everyone without leaving the bridge. My bounty seems legit, you guys have a second one to chase too? We do have the scout ship of we wanted both?"
"What's the bounty?"
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"But the poor guy just stole some milking thing. Which is just silly, no?" Butch replies, looking around distractedly.
Crystal shrugs,
"Silly's fine as long as we get payed. Besides, Vegas on Venus!"
Capt. Montoya leaves his Com full open for the crew. "ok comes are fully open so I can hear everyone without leaving the bridge. My bounty seems legit, you guys have a second one to chase too? We do have the scout ship of we wanted both?"
"Yeah, what do you have cap?"
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Natalia saunters over to where the others have begun to migrate, distancing herself as a bystander. She watches everyone intently, trying to come to grips with their expressions and gestures.
It's all very interesting, exciting, but a bit out of her department.
She'll happily take mental notes for if - when - she gets to take on another role one day.
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Crystal shrugs,
"Silly's fine as long as we get payed. Besides, Vegas on Venus!"
"Doubt I should go anywhere like that with moonkit." Butch says with a chuckle.
Natalia saunters over to where the others have begun to migrate, distancing herself as a bystander. She watches everyone intently, trying to come to grips with their expressions and gestures.
It's all very interesting, exciting, but a bit out of her department.
She'll happily take mental notes for if - when - she gets to take on another role one day.
"Got any thoughts, Alishire?"
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"Doubt I should go anywhere like that with moonkit." Butch says with a chuckle.
"Brad, you're like, the worst parent ever. Moonkit never gets to do anything fun!" Simon offers Moonkit a stick of Jupiter Gloss.
""Got any thoughts, Alishire?"
"Oh, don't bother her," Simon waves dismissively towards Natalia. "She's doing her 'Mysterious Enigmatic Aren't I Just So Interesting! Movie Star' thing!"
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The psychic waves her hand dismissively.
"What do you think the money we get from the small fry's for? You don't have to spend every moment with the little squirt. Hire a babysitter for once!"
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"Brad, you're like, the worst parent ever. Moonkit never gets to do anything fun!" Simon offers Moonkit a stick of Jupiter Gloss.
Butch shakes his head.
"She gets plenty of fun, don't you Moonkit? Nice, clean, fun. Pretty sure montoya's installed some fun stuff for her on a Computer, right Montoya?"
"Oh, don't bother her," Simon waves dismissively towards Natalia. "She's doing her 'Mysterious Enigmatic Aren't I Just So Interesting! Movie Star' thing!"
Butch shrugs.
"If you say so."
The psychic waves her hand dismissively.
"What do you think the money we get from the small fry's for? You don't have to spend every moment with the little squirt. Hire a babysitter for once!"
Butch shakes his head.
"Babysitters are notoriously lazy. They just don't got that same commitment, you know?"
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"C'mon, Butch!" Ethel pumps a fist, "you could even leave her with me and Nat, uh, oh! And Crystal! I doubt we'll be gambling anyway. There's a lot of safer, cooler things to do on Vegas than gambling. We'll be careful!"
The girl proceeds to yawn, stretching her arms behind her neck. "Might be a moot point though. Cap'n's got that crazy conspiracy theory so I dunno if he'll even allows us to send a video. Gonna be tricky considering, uh," her eyes dart around the room as she tries to remember who's in danger or not. "Yep."
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Butch chuckles.
"No hard feelings Ethel, but I don't think I'd feel safe in that cae either."
"As long as the video is cool, I'd be shocked if Montoya rejected it."
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"I agree with Butch in this case. The girl takes precedence over one small-time bounty. I'll be staying on the ship aswell. "
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"Got any thoughts, Alishire?"
"Oh, don't bother her," Simon waves dismissively towards Natalia. "She's doing her 'Mysterious Enigmatic Aren't I Just So Interesting! Movie Star' thing!"
Natalia looks like a trapped rabbit for a moment, but quickly and totally changes her composure, calm, with smile most becoming,
"No, well, really you all have specialized skills for this line of work, and I'm more of an entertainer. If you all wanted to make a dance routine, I'm your girl."
She allows a very pretty, arguably practiced, laugh before continuing,
"Tell you what though! I'm an A-grade babysitter."
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"You were right! So far bounty hunting is AMAIZING!" Simon playfully pokes Gilbert's well-protected ribs. "You should've seen the look on your face when that last machine almost hit the triple seven! Hahaha! So close, buddy! Maybe next time! Ahahahahaha!"
Gilbert lets out a nervous laugh, then sighs and turns his head in annoyance when Simon looks away. If only he had a backbone; he wouldn't have to deal with Simon and his obnoxious behaviour. It was bad enough that the flamboyant playboy had decided that Gilbert was his gambling buddy, but now he had to suffer working along side him.
Capt. Montoya leaves his Com full open for the crew. "ok comes are fully open so I can hear everyone without leaving the bridge. My bounty seems legit, you guys have a second one to chase too? We do have the scout ship of we wanted both?"
"What bounty?" Gilbert asks, shifting his heavy weight slightly.
"I need to get some of that money back... bad..."
As he laments on this fact, Gilbert tries to remember if he's heard about Genny Putkoff, and more importantly, if he's dangerous.
(General knowledge roll I suppose?)
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General Know 15 1d20 : 18, total 18
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"I agree with Butch in this case. The girl takes precedence over one small-time bounty. I'll be staying on the ship aswell. "
Simon points left: "Brendan won't let Moonkit have any fun," makes a sweeping gesture front and center: "therefore. . ." ends up pointing right. " Jethro's not going to Vegas with us?"
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The Capt. Let's them discuss things more before reading out the transmission in full
er in Good Standing with the SSPB. As such, you have been selected to participate in a Private Brokered Bounty, Posted By The Onasis Naturals Corporation of Europa and Officially Sanctioned by the CPWR (Callisto Planetary Wildlife Refuge).
>>We are offering 600,000w on one Jeremiah Jackson; wanted for Sabotage and Poaching.
>>If you are interested, please let me know ASAP, and I can personally arrange to expedite your Application to Hunt Bounty within the Jovian Confederacy, which I’m sure you know is quite a lucrative business opportunity.
>>Please note that your timely response is required to secure this Private Brokered Bounty.
>>Thank you for your time and consideration; Mr. Ray. Office of the CPWR, Europa.
"That's all of it, sounds interesting, like a secret mission!"
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"Sabotage and Poaching? That shouldn't be too dangerous..."
Gilbert replies, looking on the net for information concerning Jeremiah Jackson.
"Can never be too prepared. Did I ever tell you about the time I blew up Jackson Jeremiah? Pretty big coincidence with this guy's name. Yeah, that was one of the guys that got a bit too close, that's for sure. I remember he actually managed to find where I was hiding out at the time. Pretty impressive really. I was behind seven proxies and everything; I can't believe he managed to back trace me. Well, it wasn't actually him. He had some hacker friend with some code name I can't even remember; something to do with llamas. Anyway, he managed to find my place, but I managed to find him first. Redirected him to my decoy location after I noticed he found me, filled it to the rim with explosives. Yeah, I can remember that explosion pretty well. I was all the way on the outskirts of the town, but I could still see clear as day, even though it was night. It was like fireworks in the sky, if the sky was on the moon we were on. Was there a sky? I don't remember, can you consider a planet to have a sky if it doesn't have an ozone? I mean, you could still look up and see other planets and stars, so I suppose you could consider it had a sky from that perspective. Then again, you can do all that from a spaceship, and no one would say that there's a sky in space, right? Right, space is just space, ain't no sky there. I wonder if you could consider the surface of the sun to have a sky. Not that you could survive there. That baby has a surface temperature of 5,505 °C. Did you guys know that? Of course you didn't, my mistake, but I'm sure you already knew the sun was way too hot to stand on, so the point is moot I suppose. I think the sun has a sky. I'd like to think so at least. If I ever get the chance to stand on the sun, assuming I could do so without dying, I think I'd enjoy looking at the night sky. Oh wait, it's the sun, there wouldn't be a night. I wonder if you could even see the other planets from the surface of the sun. Putting aside their distance, it'd be like looking outside into the darkness from a lit room, right? Can't see out there. So I wonder if it would even be a sky worth looking at. You know what? On second thought, I don't think I'd ever bother trying to look up from the surface of the sun into its sky. Too much chance of death for what would likely amount to you just staring up into space. And let's face it, if I want to stare into the dark, cruel, abyss known as space, I can do so from the safety of my quarters window from this ship. Yeah, I gotta remember to do that before I go to sleep tonight. I get the feeling it's a sight that could be really intriguing if you're looking at it while pretending you're on the sun. Assuming you ignore the whole potential bursting into flames part, not that that could happen from the comfort of your own quarters on a star ship, am I right? Well, actually, I guess if you were plummeting towards the sun while staring out into space the potential would be there. Then again, if you're moments away from crashing in a fiery inferno with our great star of the solar system as your target, I don't think you'll be spending much time looking out into space."
Gilbert rambles while furiously smashing his keyboard.
"But yeah. Big explosion. Guy died, I lived. Bit too close for comfort though."
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Natalia raises her left hand, her right arm resting over her stomach, and lifts her pointer finger,
"The temperature achieved by a lightning strike is greater than that of the surface temperature of the sun."
She looks around the room for a moment,
"I...I just thought that was interesting."
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Inigo pauses "yes, well said there! We will strike like lighting from the sun!" He pauses for them to soak up his dramatic lines.
Well while we travel I'll try and put a missile on the scout ship or somthing, it already has space mines which should help but I'll be staying on the dandy, They invited me personally afterall, well one of my various proxies with my name linked to it at least."
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Simon points left: "Brendan won't let Moonkit have any fun," makes a sweeping gesture front and center: "therefore. . ." ends up pointing right. " Jethro's not going to Vegas with us?"
"Gotta agree with Simon here. I can take care of Moonkit just fine, ha ha." Butch says with a laugh.
"No, well, really you all have specialized skills for this line of work, and I'm more of an entertainer. If you all wanted to make a dance routine, I'm your girl."
She allows a very pretty, arguably practiced, laugh before continuing,
"Tell you what though! I'm an A-grade babysitter!"
"I'm sure you are." Butch says, trying to hold back from saying she's a terrible rolemodel.Inigo pauses "yes, well said there! We will strike like lighting from the sun!" He pauses for them to soak up his dramatic lines.
Well while we travel I'll try and put a missile on the scout ship or somthing, it already has space mines which should help but I'll be staying on the dandy, They invited me personally afterall, well one of my various proxies with my name linked to it at least."
"I can fly the second ship. I've got a pretty good handle on these kind of things." :)
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"... Okeydokey then," Ethel declares, a bit offset by Gilbert's wall of speech. "Both these bounties seem kinda peculiar, what with one with a scientist who stole some milking equipment and the other that actually contacted us. Very weird, huh."
She pauses before addressing the room, "So we're doing both bounties, right? I wanna take down Putkoff, seems like an interesting guy to meet. Who's with me?"
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"I don't need a baby sitter!" Moonkit replies, opening the Jupiter Gloss Simon gave her - "Ooh! Watermelon, my favorite!"
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As he laments on this fact, Gilbert tries to remember if he's heard about Genny Putkoff, and more importantly, if he's dangerous.
(General knowledge roll I suppose?)
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General Know 15 1d20 : 18, total 18
While Gilbert has never heard of Genny Putkoff personally, he knows it only takes a few keystrokes to pull up the history of anyone (or anything) on the net...
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"... Okeydokey then," Ethel declares, a bit offset by Gilbert's wall of speech. "Both these bounties seem kinda peculiar, what with one with a scientist who stole some milking equipment and the other that actually contacted us. Very weird, huh."
She pauses before addressing the room, "So we're doing both bounties, right? I wanna take down Putkoff, seems like an interesting guy to meet. Who's with me?"
"I think I'll end up flying you guys there. Can't go anywhere without a pilot, right?""I don't need a baby sitter!" Moonkit replies, opening the Jupiter Gloss Simon gave her - "Ooh! Watermelon, my favorite!"
"Ohhh yes you do, Moony. Can't take my eyes off you."
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"Hmf!" ;)
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While Gilbert has never heard of Genny Putkoff personally, he knows it only takes a few keystrokes to pull up the history of anyone (or anything) on the net...
Which he does of course.
(Fark my luck)
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Natalia's eyes shift up and to the left, trying to remember if she's heard of this Genny Putkoff somewhere along the way.
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Capt. Montoya also searches up about this second bounty and the supposed crime
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"This is boring!" Simon flops dramatically onto the couch like a swooning damsel.
"I thought bounty hunting would be all laser spaceship death rays and cool explosions and the tragic death of the least useful member of the crew. Probably Gilbert."
He leans over and ruffles Gilbert's hair playfully. "Sorry buddy. I'll think of you every time there's a full moon."
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Which he does of course.
Capt. Montoya also searches up about this second bounty and the supposed crime
(No Luck Points to Bump with haha!)
Gilbert Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 15, total 15
Montoya Gilbert Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 6, total 6
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Gilbert Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 15, (Extra Success)
Montoya Gilbert Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 6, total 6 (Success)
---
Captain Montoya brings Genny Putkoff up on the net. He sees that Genny is wanted for stealing Milk Homogenization Equipment from the Venus-based LifeCyclon Corporation in Guiliairmo City, Venus.
Genny lived in Guiliairmo City, working as a fast-food cook for a local diner called 'Soy Boy Quick Bites.' He has no living relatives, but there is a picture in the records of him standing with a large balding man in thick black-rimmed glasses and a tweed suit. The information along with the picture indicates the man as Genny's 'Life Partner' Carlton Jenkins.
Gilbert also sees this in his search, but notices that the above info has been altered recently; and there's no telling if any of it is actually true.
Digging a little deeper, Gilbert uncovers a very small and obscure site with the same picture of the balding black man. It appears to be for a Community Outreach Center in Guiliairmo City, Venus. The caption with the picture reads: "Henry Croy honors local science whiz Genny Putkoff for after school programs."
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"This is boring!" Simon flops dramatically onto the couch like a swooning damsel.
"I thought bounty hunting would be all laser spaceship death rays and cool explosions and the tragic death of the least useful member of the crew. Probably Gilbert."
He leans over and ruffles Gilbert's hair playfully. "Sorry buddy. I'll think of you every time there's a full moon."
"Yeah! When do we get to shoot stuff?" Moonkit enquires - then laughing out loud as Simon teases Gilbert.
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" Ah, Moonkit , remind me to train you on the ships guns! Bruce can help you learn too then you can man the bridge with me during battles!"
Capt. Montoya adds
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"Hurray!!!" Moonkit shouts, pumping her fist in the air.
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Digging a little deeper, Gilbert uncovers a very small and obscure site with the same picture of the balding black man. It appears to be for a Community Outreach Center in Guiliairmo City, Venus. The caption with the picture reads: "Henry Croy honors local science whiz Genny Putkoff for after school programs."
"Well, if they're making him out to be a gay fast food cook when he's really a local science whiz, he must have pissed off the wrong people."
Gilbert says out loud to no one in particular.
"I'll be staying on the ship so... I don't care who we go after, as long as I get paid. And stay on the ship."
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"Gay fast food cook?" Ethel shakes her head, "That's so wacked. I know he got an award for his work at LifeCyclon, so he's not just some loser, but man, something is really off with that mission. Only more of a reason for us to check it out, I guess."
With that thought, she glares at the ever-bizarre Simon Mayhem, "Wait, what do you do on the ship anyway?"
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"Well, if they're making him out to be a gay fast food cook when he's really a local science whiz, he must have pissed off the wrong people."
Gilbert says out loud to no one in particular.
"I'll be staying on the ship so... I don't care who we go after, as long as I get paid. And stay on the ship."
"Gideon! " Simon clutches his heart and staggers backward. "You can't stay on the ship! Who will I hide behind when we get shot at? I mean, who will I definitely be able to outrun if. . . " He trails off, then inspiration strikes.
"You know what, Gaston? The important thing is, I thought we were friends! And friends accompany each other into mortal peril!"
He snaps his fingers and points at Gilbert. "Think of it as gambling! You love gambling! This is just gambling with your life! What could possibly be more exciting than---"
With that thought, she glares at the ever-bizarre Simon Mayhem, "Wait, what do you do on the ship anyway?"
"Excuse me?" He whirls around to confront Ethel.
"You're talking to me? You want to know what I do on this ship?"
He tosses his head back and strikes a particularly dramatic pose.
"I'm Simon Mayhem! Galaxy-renowned rock star and Master of the Dark Arts!"
After a short pause for (probably nonexistent) approbation, he continues in a more conversational tone. "Who are you, anyway? I don't remember you being part of the crew when Gargamel gave me the tour."
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"It's not like gambling, and I can help better on the ship then in the field."
Gilbert replies, nervously shifting his weight.
"And stop calling me made up names. Unlike you, I only have one. And it's Gilbert. Well, actually it could be another name depending on where we are, but that's besides the point. The point is I only want you to use one name for me: Gilbert."
He continues, gaining a bit of confidence the more he speaks.
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Simon's whole body goes perfectly still. Still looking at Ethel, he mutters through clenched teeth, "What was that, Gil-bert?"
Slowly, deliberately, he turns and glares at the bigger man. Never breaking eye contact, he stalks towards the hacker.
"I don't know, Gil-bert. That almost sounded like you didn't like me. Like you didn't think we were friends." The last word trails off into almost a hiss. "I would hate to think we weren't friends, Gil-bert."
He's standing directly in front of Gilbert at this point. He has to tilt his head back to maintain eye contact, as the tech expert towers over the diminutive musician. Simon reaches up and grabs Gilbert's collar, intending to drag him down to his level.
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Capt. Montoya is a Heroic swashbuckler, and Heroic swashbucklers kept their crews and ships in order so he cuts in.
"Gilbert, can you just sit on the boy for a few minutes till he calms down, we are trying to plan our heroic adventures here! So who is going after which bounty?"
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Gilbert averts his eyes and turns his head away from Simon.
"S-sorry..."
He mutters.
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Simon holds Gilbert's collar for a split second longer, before dissolving into helpless laughter. "Ahahaha!" He lets go and raises both hands, taking a step back.
"Hahaha! You're the greatest, Gibson--Gilbert!" He playfully punches Gilbert's shoulder.
"That was, ahahaha, that was fantastic! And the way, haha, the way you were like 'S-s-sorry!'" He mimics Gilbert's voice. "As if, hahaha, as if you were actually s-s-s-ahahaha, s-s- scared of me!" Simon flops back down on the couch and tries to catch his breath.
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Natalia laughs happily,
"Oh, don't mind Simon much Gilbert; he's barely changed since we were children."
She smiles genuinely at the enormous man.
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Crystal scoffs,
"You're being a dick Simon. Hey cap, where'd you say that other bounty was again?"
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"Posted on Europa so Jovian space, it's that or Venus!"
The crew suddenly hears some movement followed by a faint but rather distinctive 'Pirate battle music' being picked up over the com channel
-
Europa?
"Ah... ha. Yeah, guess i'm going with you guys after the small fry." Crystal says, abruptly changing her mind.
"Just keep me out of whatever video you make."
-
" Ah, Moonkit , remind me to train you on the ships guns! Bruce can help you learn too then you can man the bridge with me during battles!"
Capt. Montoya adds
"That is never happening." Butch remarks.
-
"Excuse me?" He whirls around to confront Ethel.
"You're talking to me? You want to know what I do on this ship?"
He tosses his head back and strikes a particularly dramatic pose.
"I'm Simon Mayhem! Galaxy-renowned rock star and Master of the Dark Arts!"
After a short pause for (probably nonexistent) approbation, he continues in a more conversational tone. "Who are you, anyway? I don't remember you being part of the crew when Gargamel gave me the tour."
"That's not a job... Is it?"
She shakes her head, "Ethel, Simon. My name is Ethel. I'm new," the girl forces a smile, "... If you consider being here nearly a month 'new'."
Facing away from the rockstar she speaks into wherever the Comms are, "Cap'n, I wanna go to catch Genny Putkoff!.. Unless you want me elsewhere, I guess."
-
With the attention no longer on him, Gilbert attempts to find information on the latest whereabouts of their two bounties.
---
Jeramiah Jackson; Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 12, total 12
Genny Putkoff; Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 4, total 4
-
Crystal puts her fingers to her lips and whistles, calling Fluffy the Destroyer to her.
-
Capt. Montoya's dog Vizini appears at the sound of the whistle to try and lick everyone's faces.
-
With the attention no longer on him, Gilbert attempts to find information on the latest whereabouts of their two bounties.
---
Jeramiah Jackson; Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 12 (Extra Success)
Genny Putkoff; Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 4 (Success)
Checking out Jeremiah Jackson reveals that he is a physically huge man, who is somewhat socially inept, with a number of chips on his shoulder against the Jovian Government. A self-proclaimed anarchist, his younger days were spent as a protester and troublemaker for pretty much any anti-government cause he could find. Later, he disappeared off the radar until recently, where it was clear he had somehow gotten on Callisto and joined the Callisto Mountain Men in causing as much hurt as they could to the superrich and powerful aristocrats who claimed the wilderness moon as their own.
Apparently his current activities have been successful enough to get a bounty posted on him.
A deeper search reveals an interesting scrap of information. It seems that over the past year and a half, Jeremiah Jackson has been processed three times by the CPWR (Callisto Planetary Wildlife Refuge) – which means he had to have been brought in on some charge. How he could have been legally processed and then end back up on Callisto – let alone three times in a row – doesn’t make sense. Further investigation over the Net along these lines however, comes up blank…
---
Genny Putkoff was last seen working at the Soy Boy Quick Bites in Guiliairmo City, Venus, shortly before the theft.
-
"That is never happening." Butch remarks.
"Bogus." :(
-
Not wanting to draw too much attention to himself, Gilbert emails everyone the information he has learned, so they have access to it without him having to say anything.
-
Fluffy the Destroyer pads up to Crystal from her room down the hall and settles his head into her lap.
Crystal briefly ruffles his ears for a second, "Who's the cutest little death beast in the world? You are, yes you are!"
Then, pausing for a second, she looks over to Gilbert, a sly smile across her face.
"Hey, Gilbert, if the cap is headed off to the confederacy we could sure use your help."
-
Jacob makes sure to avoid the dog. He never did like dogs.
-
"Hey, Gilbert, if the cap is headed off to the confederacy we could sure use your help."
Gilbert averts his eyes from the woman and shakes his head.
"I need to stay on the ship. I'm more useful here."
-
"But we'd love to have your company Gilbert!", the psychic exclaims. She whispers something into Fluffy's ear and then gets up, moving closer to Gilbert.
In a low voice - she then says, "also, if Simon's mean to you during the trip I'll sick Fluffy on him! C'mon, live a little! You'll even get to go to Vegas after, just think of everything you could do there instead of chasing after milk thieves while locked up in the ship."
Fluffy meanwhile trots on over to Gilbert and looks up at him mournfully, his eyes seeming to say "please let me maul Simon for you?"
-
Gilbert's sense of self-preservation is strong, but the thought of witnessing Simon (inevitably) attacked by a dog is too good to pass up. That, and he could always double the bounty money while there...
"Alright. I guess I can come too. You'll probably need me after all."
-
Simon, unaware of his impending mauling, is showing Moonkit how to do a card trick.
-
"That's right", Crystal says, giving Gilbert a friendly punch to the arm.
"It'll be great having you there."
-
"Sure seems like a lot of people are coming to catch Genny," Ethel frowns, "I hope the cap'n can handle it."
She looks around the room, "Should someone wake Ezekiel? He's missing all the fun. He should probably go after the Jackson guy..."
Looking at her phone, she remarks, "Huh, I guess we're gonna be getting a bite to eat first thing when we get to Venus. Neatos."
-
"Don't worry about him, we can wake him as we deploy. More importantly you are doubting the abilities of your swashbuckling space captain? Unrivalled in shooting, sword fighting or un-armed combat! The man who's name is feared across the galaxy as the hero of justice, fighting those who would lead humanity down the path of evil!"
Capt. Montoya announces in his best 'rousing speech voice'
-
"Of course not, that guy'll do fine, it's you we're worried about captain." Crystal says in reply.
-
Splitting Up
With the prospect of landing two bounties, the crew decided to split up – Captain Montoya taking the Dandy Desperado after the Europa bid for Jeramiah Jackson; while Butch took Plan B and headed after Genny Putkoff on Venus.
Montoya seemed to get the short end of the crew list though – only Natalia and Ezekiel opting to go with him; while Moonkit was also left aboard under the Captain’s care.
The Scout Ship on the other hand, was at full capacity, with Butch, Crystal, Ethel, Jacob, Simon, and Gilbert all aboard.
The two vessels then separated and headed into the Hypergates orbiting Mars. The Dandy Desperado taking the Jupiter Gate and Plan B going into the Venus Gate.
It would take Plan B only 9 Hours to arrive at Venus, while the Dandy Desperado was looking at a 30 hour trip.
---
Dandy Desperado (Mountain Man) Continue HERE (http://www.bountyheadbebop.com/forum/index.php?topic=1744.0)
Plan B (Small Fry) Continue in this Thread Below…
-
♠ Genny Putkoff ♠
Bounty: 450,000w
Wanted For: Stealing “Milk Homogenization Equipment”
Posted By: The LifeCyclon Corporation, Guiliairmo City, Venus
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BountyHeadBebop/Venus_zpszx7td5zk.jpg)
Small Fry
Nine hours later, the Scout Ship ‘Plan B’ exited the Hypergate over Venus and began its descent though the yellow helium heavy atmosphere toward the non-floating ground city of Guiliairmo City.
From above, the city could be seen as large modern metropolis; clearly a center of technology, with massive glass and steel archologies of the various megacorps crowding the center and a smattering of ultra-clean industrial complexes along the fringe.
-
"Montoya better be taking care of Moonkit.." Butch grumbles, as he pilots the ship.
"Any specific port I should land at, Simon?"
-
"Huh?" Simon was apparently sleeping. "Why are you asking me?" he waves one hand in what he assumes is Ethel's direction. "Ask Ermentrude. She's the one that knows the guy. . ."
-
"Your voices are funny," Ethel remarks, the helium starting to get to her as well. She doesn't even bother correcting Simon, taking solace in the fact that he's wasting an entire syllable.
"Uh, whichever one is closest to our destination right? We're heading off to the Soy Boy Bean restaurant, so wherever the GPS says that is we go to the one nearest to it."
-
"So, wait a second", Crystal says, looking over to Butch.
"You won't let us take Moonkit to Vegas, but you trust Montoya to take care of her?"
-
"She should be safe so long as she stays on the ship", Gilbert points out, re-positioning his fat on the chair.
"I would have been safer on the ship.... I miss my chair."
-
"Don't worry, buddy!" Simon squeezes Gilbert's adipose shoulder. "There's like, a million ways they might die horribly before we see them again! And then wouldn't you feel lucky you went with us?"
-
"Don't worry, buddy!" Simon squeezes Gilbert's adipose shoulder. "There's like, a million ways they might die horribly before we see them again! And then wouldn't you feel lucky you went with us?"
"I'm not sure I could consider any moment spent with you as 'lucky'..."
Gilbert thinks to himself while rubbing his shoulder.
"I'm sure Inigo will take care of them... And if they all die, we'd lose the ship and couldn't be bounty hunters anymore. So that way isn't good either."
Gilbert replies, his mind fading away to the card tables as the notion of luck is brought up.
-
"So, wait a second", Crystal says, looking over to Butch.
"You won't let us take Moonkit to Vegas, but you trust Montoya to take care of her?"
"She's just gonna be on the ship while Montoya and crew'll capture the Mountain Man. Montoya may be crazy, but his ship is pretty safe." Butch says.
"And vegas is not a place for kids, ha ha." He then adds.
"Don't worry, buddy!" Simon squeezes Gilbert's adipose shoulder. "There's like, a million ways they might die horribly before we see them again! And then wouldn't you feel lucky you went with us?"
"Goddammit Simon, don't say that. Now you're getting me worried."
"Your voices are funny," Ethel remarks, the helium starting to get to her as well. She doesn't even bother correcting Simon, taking solace in the fact that he's wasting an entire syllable.
"Uh, whichever one is closest to our destination right? We're heading off to the Soy Boy Bean restaurant, so wherever the GPS says that is we go to the one nearest to it."
"Good enough for me, I guess." Butch says, preparing to land.
-
Butch has no problem putting the scout ship down at an LZ near the Soy Boy Quick Bites in question.
It crosses Gilbert's mind, that while staying onboard to "guard" the craft is probably a good idea, he's also hungry - and the Soy Boy has a rep for its super greasy, artery-clogging, heart-palpitating goodness. And it's only a two blocks to the Soy Boy from the ship. He's sure he could hail a cab though, if the walk proved too much for him ...
-
"So.. where are we going first?" Jacob asks as he decides if its a good idea to take his sniper. Probarly not. He just takes some eenie weeny C-4 and the militairy sidearm.
-
"We're just getting a bite to eat and asking some questions so we should probably just bring what's legal..." with that said, she makes it a mental note to pocket some poison powder, her twin Deck Pistols, the tasing gun and her spray mace. "And Gilbert, you should totally come with! The sunlight's probably good for you."
Ethel then visibly recoils as Gilbert adjusts his very large self in his chair, "Though we should probably just get you a wheelchair or something... Or just get takeout instead."
-
"Pretty much. We'll try and follow Genny's trail." Butch says, taking his sawwed off and hiding it in his overcoat.
"I'm gonna turn off the AC in the Ship, so don't think you got much of a choice Gil."
-
Simon actually growls under his breath, unable & unwilling to conceal his displeasure at Ethel's obvious revulsion.
"Gilbert doesn't need a wheelchair! If anything, we should get him one of those scooters. Haha, yeah." He laughs, anger toward Ethel completely displaced by amusement at the thought of Gilbert on a Vespa.
Simon, lacking armor, is wearing a fairly subdued outfit by his standards, a black gakuran accessorized with a fuschia & black striped scarf. Of course, it's missing the left sleeve entirely, and the right leg from the knee down appears to have been shredded by a large predatory animal. Left shoe is a standard issue black patent leather loafer, right is a hot pink girls rain boot.
(He actually does unobtrusively modify the shoes to make sure his outfits don't throw him off-balance.)
He doesn't really have a weapon he feels comfortable using, but supposes he might as well take the spray mace. He also brings handcuffs, the video camera, and his lopan. And a few sticks of Jupiter Gloss: green tea, lavender, and dragon fruit.
-
Crystal discards her Police armour, never more certain that taking it out would be a bad idea. She gages the temperature outside and dresses appropriately (casual or cold wear).
She pops her audio recorder into a pocket along with her cellphone, pulls out her back of medical/emergency equipment, and hides her Deck pistol, Stun Baton and her military sidearm on her person, opting to leave the rest of her equipment aboard the ship due it being too, well, obvious.
Before joining the others, she whistles and calls Fluffy over to her. She starts talking, while scratching the guard dog behind the ear.
"Okay Fluffy, normally i'd ask you to stay here and guard all our stuff, but I need you along in case Simon starts bullying Gilbert again so you can maul him, okay?"
Fluffy barks in response. Crystal ruffles the hair on his head,
"Aww, who's a good boy! Okay, let's go."
She goes back to join the group.
"So, we're grabbing lunch at Soy-Boy's before we question the staff right? I get the feeling after we're done asking questions they just won't feel particularly hospitable."
-
Gilbert slides himself off of his chair and steps off of the ship. With him he brings his mace and R/C link.
Ignoring all of the abuse he hears (but dying a little on the inside because of it), Gilbert stubbornly begins to walk towards the Soy Boy. As he steps, his fat sways back and forth, almost pushing him forward once he reaches his stride.
-
Soy Boy Quick Bites
The team enters the Guilliairmo City Soy Boy Quick Bites.
It looks (and smells) like your typical fast food eatery, complete with teen employees manning the counter and a twenty something manager in the back, lamenting his career choice.
-
Soy Boy Quick Bites
The team enters the Guilliairmo City Soy Boy Quick Bites.
It looks (and smells) like your typical fast food eatery, complete with teen employees manning the counter and a twenty something manager in the back, lamenting his career choice.
Gilbert waddles into the eatery, then takes a minute to catch his breath on a nearby seat.
Assuming the seat doesn't malfunction, he'll then stand and walk over to the counter.
"I'll take one of everything. Extra Mayo. No lettuce, tomatoes, or onions."
-
Simon, like a hummingbird, doesn't eat solid food. He dashes up to the counter beside Gilbert and orders the largest size of the most caffeinated sugary beverage they've got.
"You're buying, right?" he says, nudging Gilbert's side.
-
"Actually, I was thinking of letting out bounty pay the tab", Gilbert replies, eyeing those at the register.
"What do you guys know about Genny Putkoff?"
-
"Gilbert, you can't just take one of everything and let it cut into the payoff," Ethel whispers with a frown, "Some of us want as much as we can get..." She grabs a menu and points to the fried bean-curd, showing it to one of the teens and nodding, only then content to wait for their reaction to Gilbert's blunt questioning.
-
"Uuhhhmmm, who? Jenny? Uhhh... ?" the cashier replies with a glassy stare, looking like he couldn't think his way out of a wet paper bag.
"Do you want fries with that?"
-
Butch rolls his eyes.
"And you guys wonder why I worry about Moonkit all the time. Can't let her end up like that." Butch says.
"Can we talk to the manager?"
-
"Uhhhmm... Yeah, I guess so..." he replies.
"So, uh... May I take you order?"
-
"Uuhhhmmm, who? Jenny? Uhhh... ?" the cashier replies with a glassy stare, looking like he couldn't think his way out of a wet paper bag.
"Do you want fries with that?"
"I'd like to replace the fries with milkshakes", Gilbert replies.
-
Having patiently awaited his beverage for at least 15 seconds, Simon is officially bored. He gives the restaurant a quick once-over. The place is full of teenagers, surely at least one of them must be a fan?
[use spot? XD ]
-
As if on cue, a passel of teens crowd in around the team -
"OMG! R U Simon Mayhem?!?"
"Can you sign my backpack?"
"Whoa, dude! Nice entourage!"
"You doing a show in town?"
"Can we have backstage passes?""
"I can't believe Simon Mayhem eats at Soy Boy's! Soooo cooool!!!"
"Squee!"
-
Simon basks in well-deserved adoration, signing autographs and allowing selfies to be taken with him, before informing the teens that sadly, he's not in town for a show, just here to look up one of his entourage's old high school friends, and perchance have any of the teens seen him? He waves at Ethel to like, show them a picture or something.
-
While not exactly keen on getting close to anybody who might be part of Simon's fanbase, Ethel loads up a picture on her phone of Genny Putkoff. "This guy seem familiar to any of you?"
-
"Hey, that's the science guy that did those science club visits when I was in middle school," one of the teen's replies.
"Totally wouldn't let us blow stuff up with chemicals or anything. Lame."
"Hey, yeah, I remember that guy," another confirms. "He did blow some stuff up with dry ice or something though. That was cool."
"Oh yeah! Remember when the fire alarm went off haha! Now that's what I call 'science'!"
-
"Kay then, guess that he probably never ended up working here. Weird." Ethel shrugs, asking the group, "So where to next? Lifecyclon?"
-
Having spent enough time examining the menu, Crystal decides - "I'll have the House special, and a pound of raw burger meat."
She keeps her attention on the teenagers behind the group, wanting to stay as far in the know as she can, of course.
She also keeps an eye out for anyone interesting around the soy-boy's
-
The manager meanwhile, is still unaware that anyone wants to speak to him and continues to rue his life choices alone in the back office.
-
"Kay then, guess that he probably never ended up working here. Weird." Ethel shrugs, asking the group, "So where to next? Lifecyclon?"
"Wouldnt be so sure, Ethel. Teachers get paid nothing anywhere, even on Venus. Could be he worked here too." Butch says, motioning to the Manager.
"Hey Manager! Get over here for a second!" He then shouts over
-
"Yes? May I help you?" The manager asks with a smile that seems to convey, 'somebody please shoot me now...'.
-
"You ever heard of a Genny Putkoff? Or anyone who's been looking for him?"
-
"Ugh," the Manager sighs, "No, in spite of what you may have heard, that person has never worked at this location or any other Soy Boy Quick Bites Franchise that we are aware of."
"The Corporate Employment Record, erroneously showing that he did, was placed on our servers without our consent by an unknown hacker. We reported this to the SSPB already, but you bounty hunter types still keep showing up looking for him here anyway."
"Please don't bust up the joint like the last bunch did. I have the SSPB on speed-dial..."
-
"We'll need access to your employment records" Crystal mentions offhandedly, intending for Gilbert to get an opportunity to find who out made the breach.
"And whatever information you have on the other bunch. Rough-houses usually have bounties on their own heads, didn't ya know?"
-
"I have as much information about them as I have about you," the manager replies dryly.
"And I can't simply allow you to access our computer system," he explains, "You'll have to go to our corporate website and look there for yourselves."
-
"We haven't threatened you yet, I think that's point in our Favor. How about you Simon, you agree?" She says, turning her attention to the more social man in the group, hoping he takes the hint to take lead here.
-
"How many hunters showed up, if you don't mind me asking? And how'd they look like?"
-
"Wait." Simon locks eyes with the manager. "I know that look."
He parts the crowd of teens and vaults onto the counter. Perching atop it like the world's most fabulous gargoyle, he stares into the managers soul.
"That look in your eyes, the wordless screaming of a spirit shackled by regret, the lifeless resignation to a world of beige and boredom as your spirit is inexorably crushed by the weight of the mundane, that beautiful despair!"
With those last two words he leaps to his feet. Standing on the counter he extends one hand towards the
Manager. "Come with me! Ascend from this bitter, broken hell!"
He turns slightly, including his fans in his speechifying.
"Your friends, your family, this pathetic world you see around us, they all conspire to convince you you are trapped! That you must go on with your mundane life, that you have no choice, you cannot be free!
I am here to tell you, it's all a lie!
You can leave your life behind, defy society's expectations! You can discard the paper doll world you've been forced into; you can be real."
He looks again to the manager, still reaching out to him.
"There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. Come with me if you want to live."
-
"Or die." Jacob mutters under his breath.
-
Annoyed that everyone is now paying attention to Simon rather than giving him food, Gilbert angrily (attempts to) flip the table he's sitting at.
"WHERE THE HELL IS MY FOOD?! I'M STARVING HERE!"
-
"Do you think you can get down from the counter now?" the manager asks Simon, backing away slowly.
Then keying a pager-like device on his belt, he speaks into his headset - "Yeah, it's happening again. Just like last time. Please hurry. I think they're all on drugs."
The fans meanwhile, cheer and hoot at Simon's antics.
When Gilbert demands his food, one of the teen girls points to the counter Simon is trampling. Trays of food are being knocked to the floor - sacrificed upon the altar of Simon's dramatic ... whatever it is.
-
Gilbert's jaw hangs open for a moment while he comes to term with his great loss. Deeply offended by Simon's actions, but too much of a coward to go against him, Gilbert
waddles runs out of the fast food place and back to the ship as fast as he can, holding one arm around his face to prevent others from seeing his tears.
-
"That's just perfect."
Crystal scoops up Fluffy and runs out the door.
"Now we have to live off ship rations. Hey, Butch!" She calls out to the cyber jockey once he gets out, "come on, we shouldn't stay too close to the others, when they get caught on Plan B if we're with them they're all screwed."
As she moves Crystal begins to try and form a makeshift disguise, playing around with her hear, affecting a limp, putting on a thin sweater with a hood - whatever she can manage on the spot that'll make her more likely to get the hell away from here.
All the time she keeps a careful eye out for SSPD officers.
-
Simon points at the manager like a wrathful God. "Failure is going to saturate your life, just like the scent of fry grease permeates your every pore.
"Tear it all down!" he shouts to his fans, before hopping off the counter and scooping up as much of the intact food as he can before running after Gilbert.
-
Jacob discreetly makes his way out of the place back to the ship.
-
I think Simon is on drugs, Ethel sighs, annoyed that she won't get her bean curd and even more annoyed that something that should have been over a whole speech ago escalated so quickly.
"I'm sooooo sorry about that," Ethel tries to explain, slowly realizing that nothing she could say could tone down the situation as well as that Simon's not going to apologize, she flees out of the restaurant with her head down, aiming to go over to the LifeCyclon building-- that is their next-best lead besides hacking things, after all.
-
"That's just perfect."
Crystal scoops up Fluffy and runs out the door.
"Now we have to live off ship rations. Hey, Butch!" She calls out to the cyber jockey once he gets out, "come on, we shouldn't stay too close to the others, when they get caught on Plan B if we're with them they're all screwed."
As she moves Crystal begins to try and form a makeshift disguise, playing around with her hear, affecting a limp, putting on a thin sweater with a hood - whatever she can manage on the spot that'll make her more likely to get the hell away from here.
All the time she keeps a careful eye out for SSPD officers.
"Yeah, I guess I'll talk to you guys later." Butch says, tapping his ears. "Lets get out of here."
He'll then quickly leave the Soy Boys, with hopefully Crystal behind him, and hide away in one of the alleys, moving further and further from the fast food joint.
-
The team is able to get back to the ship with no trouble and sees a pair of SSPB street cops riding scooters up the avenue towards the Soy Boy - though they don't appear to be in any real hurry, and do not have sirens or lights on or anything.
-
"Just like last time?!" Simon shouts indignantly at no one in particular as he boards the ship. "Like hell anyone else even begins to approach my style and flair! I should have cursed his mediocre carcass."
Once aboard, he immediately approaches Gilbert and says in a much softer tone, "Hey, pal, are you okay?"
"You ran outta there like a -- " he tips his head to the side and think for a second. "Well, I don't know, I never saw anything that big run that fast. Point is, you ran off so quick you didn't even get any food."
He leans forward, purple-streaked bangs falling in his eyes as he proffers whatever he managed to salvage from Soy Boy's.
-
Just a little embarrassed at the overreaction, Crystal looks over to Gilbert.
"Hey Gil, you think you can find out who changed the employee records?"
-
"Just like last time?!" Simon shouts indignantly at no one in particular as he boards the ship. "Like hell anyone else even begins to approach my style and flair! I should have cursed his mediocre carcass."
Once aboard, he immediately approaches Gilbert and says in a much softer tone, "Hey, pal, are you okay?"
"You ran outta there like a -- " he tips his head to the side and think for a second. "Well, I don't know, I never saw anything that big run that fast. Point is, you ran off so quick you didn't even get any food."
He leans forward, purple-streaked bangs falling in his eyes as he proffers whatever he managed to salvage from Soy Boy's.
Gilbert leans back as Simon leans forward. Seeing the food, he then scoffs.
"I'm not going to forgive you just for giving me food, old buddy."
He declares, as he quickly begins to shovel it into his mouth. Gilbert then attempts to (while still eating), find out who changed the employee records.
---
Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 7, total 7
-
Looking at the Soy Boy's corporate website, Gilbert sees that it is currently down for 'Administrative Maintenance'.
'Going around back', he sees that the site has had a number of admin edits over the past few days (about half of them locally and half from a remote source).
-
Feeling like he's headed to a dead end, Gilbert decides to look up info on Henry Croy.
---
Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 18, total 18
-
Gilbert leans back as Simon leans forward. Seeing the food, he then scoffs.
"I'm not going to forgive you just for giving me food, old buddy."
He declares, as he quickly begins to shovel it into his mouth. Gilbert then attempts to (while still eating), find out who changed the employee records.
Feeling like he's headed to a dead end, Gilbert decides to look up info on Henry Croy.
Simon drapes himself across Gilbert's back in order to look over his shoulder.
Very softly, he whispers in the hacker's ear "Forgive me for what, Gil-bert?" then laughs and continues as if nothing had happened.
"Hey, you should look up that stuff he stole, too. Milk equipment?"
-
Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 18, total 18
Gilbert is about to look up Henry Croy, when his software alerts him to someone trying to ping his current location through his connection. It might be related to some of his hacking attempts recently and he has to shut his computer down to avoid letting them get a lock.
(At least long enough to change some of his hardware out to throw then off again).
-
"Jacob, you think you could manage something while Gilbert's secures himself?"
(assuming Gilbert tells everyone he can't quite get to hacking anything at the moment)
-
The team is able to get back to the ship with no trouble and sees a pair of SSPB street cops riding scooters up the avenue towards the Soy Boy - though they don't appear to be in any real hurry, and do not have sirens or lights on or anything.
"Ha ha, just a bit of an over reaction." Butch says, shrugging and then heading back to the ship.
"So, while Gil tries to hack in, shoud we head to Life Cyclon for a bit?" Butch asks. "Maybe Ethel can get us a meeting with some of the guys there."
-
"Jacob, you think you could manage something while Gilbert's secures himself?"
(assuming Gilbert tells everyone he can't quite get to hacking anything at the moment)
(assuming he did)
"I can always try. Though dont blame me if something goes south."
---
Computers 12 1d20 : 19, total 19
-
Jacob checks out the LifeCyclon website.
The company's databases are in French but a push of a button runs a translation program if necessary - The LifeCyclon Corporation designs and manufactures sterilization equipment and centrifuges for medical and industrial purposes.
Delving into the company's databases shows no record of Genny Putkoff having ever worked there, only that The LifeCyclon Corporation has put the bounty out on Genny for stealing Milk Homogenization Equipment.
-
Simon drapes himself across Gilbert's back in order to look over his shoulder.
Very softly, he whispers in the hacker's ear "Forgive me for what, Gil-bert?" then laughs and continues as if nothing had happened.
"Hey, you should look up that stuff he stole, too. Milk equipment?"
Gilbert turns and glares at Simon as he is forced to shut down his system. Nothing ever seems to go his way when Simon is around. It makes him almost certain Simon is a walking curse that will inevitably get everyone killed.
"Nothing... Give me a minute, I need to fix this."
He meekly replies, getting to work on fixing his system (the electronics roll). Once everything is up and running again, he'll try and get in contact with his information broker, to see if there's any information there they can get concerning the bounty (and other possible bounties).
---
Computers 17+2 1d20 : 11, total 11
-
Currently away from the group and a bit wary about going off alone, she sends off a text to all her colleagues.
"R we goin 2 LifeCyclon o not? I cn prolly TLK 2 a hed honcho ther w/ my father's connections."
-
"I was wondering where she was." Butch says with a shrug. "Guess we should text Ethel that she should head back to Plan B?" Butch asks.
-
Gilbert expertly swaps out a few components, making his computer invisible on the web again. As he is doing this, he contacts his Information Broker, the mysterious "Fixer".
"Ah, Mr. Stevenson," Fixer says, "In need of a little 'in the know'?"
-
Gilbert expertly swaps out a few components, making his computer invisible on the web again. As he is doing this, he contacts his Information Broker, they mysterious "Fixer".
"Ah, Mr. Stevenson," Fixer says, "In need of a little 'in the know'?"
"Yeah. What do you know about the Genny Putkoff bounty? Every time I try and find him myself, everything goes to hell!"
Gilbert replies, shovelling the last of whatever food Simon gave him into his mouth.
-
Crystal looks for the team cyborg - "Hey, Butch - you want to wait out at the fast food place till the manager's shift is done in disguises, grab him and then scare the hell out of him until he tells us stuff about the other bounty team?"
After saying this, she checks her phone - "Oh, guys Ethel's asking if we're headed to LifeCyclon."
-
"Seems kinda mean, ha ha." Butch says. "I mean, his life already sucks, we probably shouldn't make it much worse."
"But Gil or Jacob could probably hack into their security cameras, right? That'll work better."
-
"Don't think of it that way, think of it as us giving him literally the most exciting moment of his life! I bet he's never even had a gun pointed at his face before, what stories will he tell his boring children when he eventually maybe has them?"
She bends down to mess with Fluffy's hair a bit more before continuing.
"Besides, security cameras are good and all, but they don't have any audio. He might have heard their names. Though I guess Jacob and Gil could try and run a facial recognition program if they get video." She pauses a second.
"How about this: Jacob and Gil try their best to find the video tapes, then when they horribly fail we hang around in the back alley until the manager leaves."
-
"Fine." Butch says.
"Tell Ethel to arrange the meeting, and that we'll hopefully meet her at Lifecyclon."
-
"Yeah. What do you know about the Genny Putkoff bounty? Every time I try and find him myself, everything goes to hell!"
Gilbert replies, shovelling the last of whatever food Simon gave him into his mouth.
"OK Mr. Stevenson," Fixer replies, the sound of keyboarding rattling off in the background, "This first bit is free, but anything else is the usual fee."
"All right. The Genny Putkoff bounty placed by LifeCyclon. Soy Boy's etc. Yada yada yada. Ah, here's something interesting..."
"There is trace evidence that the company records have recently been scrubbed. No big surprise there. Also seams to correlate to recent complaints of hacking against the Soy Boy's corporate computers too."
"Hmm... A corollary search of local websites reveals the same thing. Someone, and my guess is LifeCyclon, is trying awfully hard to erase any connection between LifeCyclon and Genny Putkoff."
"It's like they erased his entire life and tried to pass off this Soy Boy story without even bothering to fill all the holes it has in it."
-
"Life Cyclone. Great." Simon is already halfway out the door. "Why are you all still just sitting around?!"
-
"OK Mr. Stevenson," Fixer replies, the sound of keyboarding rattling off in the background, "This first bit is free, but anything else is the usual fee."
"Good information as always", Gilbert nods, following along.
"Can you find out where Genny, or his associate Henry Croy, is?"
-
"If I knew where Genny Putkoff was, I'd sell that info to you for half the bounty haha!" Fixer laughs.
"Anyway," he continues, "Henri Croy is a Guiliairmo City social worker... who is somewhat well known (locally)... for his anti-gang stance and the after school programs that he runs at the Community Outreach Center."
"Here's a link to the website for the Community Outreach Center. You can see that it provides Henri Croy's contact information, so I suggest you go in that direction."
-
"Thanks, Fixer", Gilbert replies, bringing up the website to find the contact information.
"You can check my blog later if you want to know how us catching this guy ends."
He adds, hanging up.
-
"Well, Jacob, can you try hacking into the SOy-Boy's cameras to see what's happening with that other team of bounty hunters?"
-
"I can always try." Jacobs says and tries
---
Computers 12 1d20 : 19, total 19
-
Jacob spends some time trying to find where he could access the Soy Boy's camera systems, but isn't able to. Whether due to the Soy Boy's corporate database being down, or maybe the cameras aren't even on the web, he's not sure.
-
Gilbert sees where the Community Outreach Center is located (on the southern outskirts of the city) - and that he can contact Henri Croy directly, through face-to-face transmission, if he likes.
LifeCyclon meanwhile, is located in the inner circle of super high-tech arcologies in the research and development belt to the north.
-
Simon, having dismally realized that everyone else is still Farking around in the dog-damned ship resigns himself to going to the science hut alone.
Actually . . . He texts Ethel, "meet u there?
-
Assuming that Simon speaks forthe group, Ethel texts back, "kk".
Using her phone as a GPS, she begins her (probably) short journey to the LifeCyclon building. Lots of questions to be asked here, she thinks, readying herself to invoke her hated father's name for her benefit.
-
"Okay, Butch, grab a voice mask and a real maak and meet me outside the ship. Put on some different clothes too, and maybe put together a disguise while you're at it."
Crystal then proceeds to do basically exactly what she tells Butch to do, grabbing her own stuff and putting together some sort of disguise to fool the manager.
-
Butch sighs.
"Didn't bring a voice mask, but I guess I could make a good enough disguise. Won't really matter, I doubt he has any audio recorders around. Nor could my bounty get much higher."
-
"Just stay behind me and look intimidating then. Don't want him to recognize you... Unless, well, he didn't hear you the first time did he?"
-
Liking the option of talking to someone without having to move and meet them in person, Gilbert phones up Henri Croy.
-
"Just stay behind me and look intimidating then. Don't want him to recognize you... Unless, well, he didn't hear you the first time did he?"
"Kinda doubt I was heard well, yeah." Butch says with a shrug.
"I'll just back you up." butch says, as he finishes up his quick disguise.
-
Gilbert dials up Henri Croy.
Once the connection is made, the large balding man in thick black-rimmed glasses and a tweed suit comes into view. He appears to be in some sort of faculty office.
"This is Henri Croy, what can I do for you?"
-
As this goes on, Simon and Ethel, take a cab over to the LifeCyclon Corp Headquarters. The place is a vast glass-and-steel mega facility with super high tech security. Guards and cameras are everywhere, including some R/C drones and the like.
The cab comes to a stop outside what looks more like an air terminal than a front office.
Once inside, Simon and Ethel see a security counter in the center of a wide concourse full of employees, busily walking to and fro. A set of metal detectors separate the concourse from a bank of elevators and escalators that lead deeper into the heart of the facility.
The place is bright and clean and sterile, but feels super oppressive - especially to Simon - seeing all these poor wage slaves trapped here like rats in a maze. If the manager of the Soy Boy had a dismal existence, then these poor shlubs were utterly cast down into the very fires of hell itself...
-
Butch, Crystal, and Jacob meanwhile, stage an ambush out behind the Soy Boy's and wait for the Manager to lock up.
They luck out however, when he comes out back early to smoke - lighting up and not paring attention to his surroundings.
He doesn't even have his headset on...
-
"Nobody else is coming," Simon informs Ethel. "Gilbert figured out that fast food mediocrity really didn't know anything; our bounty had absolutely nothing to do with that place.
Dog-brain instantly reached the conclusion that everyone with a gun should come help her kidnap the guy we just figured out didn't know anything, so she can interrogate him for his non-existent knowledge." He shrugs. "So it's just me. Gilbert's calling that Herby Crown guy."
He folds his arms across his chest and glares disdainfully at the wasteland, heroically resisting the urge to liberate its prisoners (for now.)
"This place is nothing like a Life Cyclone."
-
Crystal takes the time to slip on a voice mask and a normal mask to hide her face (unless her disguise already does that.
Once she's sure that the other three won't give their provenance away, she pulls out her pistol and tried to get as close as possible to the manager without been seen. When she's either seen or when she's close enough to press the gun against the manager's head, she raises the gun idly, points it at him and says very quietly - her voice distorted by her mask - "Evening sir, would you give me and my two companions here the courtesy of calmly answering some questions?"
-
"AAAH! HOLY SHIT!" The manager cries in alarm when Crystal sneaks up on him.
Seeing the gun, he breaks down crying - "Oh god! Don't shoot! Take the safe! I don't have the key! They only keep 5000 writ out! God! PLEEEEeeeeessssssse Don't Shoot!"
-
Gilbert dials up Henri Croy.
Once the connection is made, the large balding man in thick black-rimmed glasses and a tweed suit comes into view. He appears to be in some sort of faculty office.
"This is Henri Croy, what can I do for you?"
"Me and my associates are looking for a friend of yours - Genny Putkoff. It seems he's being framed for stealing some milk homogenization equipment, and we'd like to get to the bottom of it. Do you know where he is?"
Then after a short pause, Gilbert whispers.
"Over."
---
Diplomacy 13 1d20 : 1, total 1
-
"AAAH! HOLY SHIT!" The manager cries in alarm when Crystal sneaks up on him.
Seeing the gun, he breaks down crying - "Oh god! Don't shoot! Take the safe! I don't have the key! They only keep 5000 writ out! God! PLEEEEeeeeessssssse Don't Shoot!"
Crystal sighs and kicks him a little bit. Not too much, just enough to scare him a little more.
"Stop screaming, I said calmly. Several bounty hunting squads have come here recently, one has even come today. I want all the information you can remember on each of them - members, names, appearances - anything you can remember. Do you understand? Whimper once for yes."
As she speaks Crystal turns on her audio recorder so that she can play the information back for her teammates when they're back together (or through the comlinks).
-
"Fine," Ethel quietly pouts, "just don't embarrass me or anything. Just help me when I need it."
"You know," she remarks mid-step, "I've always wanted to work in a place like this. Refined, efficient, yet huge in scale. Ahh, researching here must be so interesting!.. Desk jobs gotta suck though."
Ethel attempts to walk through the metal detectors, obviously showing her permits for the assemblage of firearms she regularly carries ("Can't ever be too careful!"), leaving them if necessary, and then to one of the clerks at the desk. Proceeding to show her ID, she says with a cheerful smile, "Hi there! Two things; one, do you know who of the senior management I can talk to about the after school programs this company is involved in? My father, Tobias Clarke-- you may have heard of him? Was saying that it could be a cool thing to look into."
-
"Me and my associates are looking for a friend of yours - Genny Putkoff. It seems he's being framed for stealing some milk homogenization equipment, and we'd like to get to the bottom of it. Do you know where he is?"
Then after a short pause, Gilbert whispers.
"Over."
"You believe he was framed?" the man replies to Gilbert.
"Well, I suppose I could meet with you in person. Come to the Guiliairmo City Community Outreach Center. We can talk in my office."
-
Crystal sighs and kicks him a little bit. Not too much, just enough to scare him a little more.
"Stop screaming, I said calmly. Several bounty hunting squads have come here recently, one has even come today. I want all the information you can remember on each of them - members, names, appearances - anything you can remember. Do you understand? Whimper once for yes."
As she speaks Crystal turns on her audio recorder so that she can play the information back for her teammates when they're back together (or through the comlinks).
"Oh! Uh, OK, don't hurt me! I'm cooperating! Er, I mean 'yes'!"
"Names? No, they don't leave their names. But one group forced its way into the office and stole our computer. The SSPB is still investigating."
"Uhm, another group had their big guy pull me up over the counter. The SSPB is still investigating."
"Some crazy maniac doused me and the crew with mace and lit the counter on fire. The SSPB is still investigating."
"This circus troupe comes in and their midget or dwarf or whatever it was, gets up on the counter and pees in the fryer. Disgusting! The SSPB is still investigating."
"Then today, a large group of goons bust in, rough everyone up, and yet another circus freak (that's like five this week!) gets up on the counter and starts doing Shakespeare or something?!?"
"Yeah, I don't really believe the SSPB is really investigating anything anymore."
"Hey... wait a minute... why do you even care?!?"
"You guys are just another bunch of bounty hunters aren't you?!?"
The manager's face turns red with rage and he loses it. Froth flying from his mouth as he screams - "THAT GUY NEVER FARKING WORKED HERE YOU FARKING LOWLIFE DUMB SHITS! FARK YOU AND FARK THAT GUY AND FARK THE SSPB!"
---
Unarmed 6 1d20 : 16, total 16
-
The manager flails ineffectively, trying to knock the gun away and makes a run for the door back into the Soy Boy's.
-
Ethel attempts to walk through the metal detectors, obviously showing her permits for the assemblage of firearms she regularly carries ("Can't ever be too careful!"), leaving them if necessary, and then to one of the clerks at the desk. Proceeding to show her ID, she says with a cheerful smile, "Hi there! Two things; one, do you know who of the senior management I can talk to about the after school programs this company is involved in? My father, Tobias Clarke-- you may have heard of him? Was saying that it could be a cool thing to look into."
Things go south so quickly...
Walking to the metal detectors and announcing that she is armed (permit or no), triggers a quick response and instantly summons over two dozen security guards. They swarm Ethel and Simon and bum rush them into a security office off to the side, ignoring their objections or attempts to 'explain themselves'.
Ethel and Simon are forcefully relieved of their weapons and/or permits, all personal possessions, are then handcuffed, and locked in separate holding cells (unless they want to resist, get tazed, and have the shit beaten out of them first).
Three hours later, someone comes to take their statements.
It is a hard-faced Security Chief with two assistants, who speak to Ethel and Simon through the bars.
Regarding Simon, he says, "I'm surprised you don't have multiple bounties on yourself by now 'Mr. Archer' - if that is indeed your real name."
Then to Ethel, he gives a sadistic smirk - "Ms. Etheryn Clarke. Care to explain why you thought entering the LifeCyclon Arcology with weapons (for any reason) was a good idea?"
-
Simon mayhem does not do well in captivity.
The musician has spent the past two hours and fifty-five minutes pacing around the cell, kicking the walls, reciting the plot lines of various horror manga. When the security chief arrives, he is lying on the cell floor, staring up at the ceiling and singing "Nobody likes a lonely only, everybody join hands now, everybody join hearts now."
Regarding Simon, he says, "I'm surprised you don't have multiple bounties on yourself by now 'Mr. Archer' - if that is indeed your real name."
Still lying on the floor, he arches his back to look upside down through the bars at the security chief. "Nope. don't know who that is. Can I go now?"
-
"You believe he was framed?" the man replies to Gilbert.
"Well, I suppose I could meet with you in person. Come to the Guiliairmo City Community Outreach Center. We can talk in my office."
"I, um, yeah okay", Gilbert says, submitting to the unfortunate truth that he will have to leave the ship, alone.
"Over and out", he adds in a whisper, hanging up.
Gilbert will then make his way to the outreach center, flying the ship there if needbe.
-
It really is much easier to fly the ship there; and the others are all busy. They won't miss Gilbert. They never do.
Flying the scout ship to the outskirts of the city, Gilbert lands on a street in a rundown-looking neighborhood. It doesn't look like a bad neighborhood, but it looks tired and depressed, like it was once a nice place to live, but since declined for some reason.
Across from where he lands, Gilbert sees a fenced-in basketball court and small playground, next to what was once an old church of some kind. The building, now the Guiliairmo City Community Outreach Center, has been refurbished an cleaned up, but still looks old and tired like the rest of the community.
A number of youth are outside playing basketball, but only offer passing interest at the scout ship's landing.
-
Still lying on the floor, he arches his back to look upside down through the bars at the security chief. "Nope. don't know who that is. Can I go now?"
"That largely depends on what Ms. Clarke has to say," the Security Chief replies.
-
Gilbert makes sure to take his mace spray and r/c link before entering the building. He'll try his best to avoid the kids that he's sure could kick the crap out of him.
-
The kids hardly glance at Gilbert, as he walks across the street from the ship.
Inside, the Community Center is colorful and well kept, with some classrooms and offices along the halls. At one end is an open auditorium with a stage and at the other is Director Henri Croy's Office.
As Gilbert walks down the hall, the man he had spoke to earlier, comes out of the office and smiles, shaking Gilbet's hand.
"Come on in," he says, "I just don't understand it, why LifeCyclon would try to frame Genny like that!"
-
The manager flails ineffectively, trying to knock the gun away and makes a run for the door back into the Soy Boy's.
Crystal ever so briefly considers shooting the manager (she'd totally heal him later).
She gives him a chance, however - speaking up again:
"We're after the bounty hunters, not their bounty. You want a chance to get back at them?"
If he ignores this then she'll whip out her stun baton and attack him, using luck/surge if she has to in order to calm him down.
-
Butch shrugs. Everytime the idiot calls the cops, they do nothing. Won't be a problem.
"We should look up his descriptions." Butch says, mostly just to himself as he uses his Super Computer to search up bountyhunter teams under the following descriptions; pyromaniac bountyhunters, clown-like bountyhunters, and bountyhunters with big men.
-
The kids hardly glance at Gilbert, as he walks across the street from the ship.
Inside, the Community Center is colorful and well kept, with some classrooms and offices along the halls. At one end is an open auditorium with a stage and at the other is Director Henri Croy's Office.
As Gilbert walks down the hall, the man he had spoke to earlier, comes out of the office and smiles, shaking Gilbet's hand.
"Come on in," he says, "I just don't understand it, why LifeCyclon would try to frame Genny like that!"
"We don't know either, but there's enough evidence of sabotage to support that someone is framing him", Gilbert replies, weakly shaking back.
"What was he actually doing at LifeCylon? He won an award for his work, didn't he?"
-
With 350,000 registered Bounty Hunters in the system, Butch gets approximately buku potential matches for each category. Searching the term "bountyhunters with big men" brings up an eye-burning number of gay porn sites that Butch will have a hard time un-seeing. When he searches for Bounty Hunters with 'Big' members of the team, Gilbert's pic (a rather unflattering one of him eating a sandwich) pops right to the top.
The manager unfortunately, is beyond any rational cooperation.
A long loud zorching sound is heard, and light dances off everyone's face, as Crystal empties the batteries of her stun baton (don't worry, they recharge) on the hapless mook.
He now lies unconscious (and smoking) on the back doorstep of the Soy Boy Quick Bites restaurant.
-
"We don't know either, but there's enough evidence of sabotage to support that someone is framing him", Gilbert replies, weakly shaking back.
"What was he actually doing at LifeCylon? He won an award for his work, didn't he?"
“Oh, yes,” Henri Croy answers, “Genny worked for the LifeCyclon Corporation up until his recent disappearance three weeks ago. I have seen the false reports and don't know why LifeCyclon would try to hide, or cover up, his past employment with them.”
“Before he disappeared, Genny was actively involved with our afterschool programs, running a science club at the local middle school. That's what he won the award for.”
“He once told me that he gave to the community, because he hated what gangs had done to his younger brother Tesla.”
“Tesla was Genny's younger brother by fourteen years; but Tesla ran away when he turned fifteen and joined a gang. That would have been nine years ago.”
“I believe Genny found Tesla some years later, but the gang had changed Tesla too much and there was no going back to the way things were. That’s why Genny wants to encourage other children to avoid gangs by getting involved with other more wholesome activities, like science.”
-
"G-gangs... huh..." Gilbert replies with a nervous laugh, not enjoying the prospect of having to approach a gang alone.
"But yeah, science rules. I'm more into computer science myself, but I can respect the time and effort that must have gone into his work at LifeCylon. What branch of science was he into anyway? With the milk machine mentioned I would assume chemistry , but given that it's what they're using to frame him, it could be completely off. If he's helping middle schools then he's probably doing things involving potatoes and volcanoes, but neither of those are really high level fields of work - just entry points to get people interested. He could be more into biology of course, but I rather doubt that's the case. No one in biology is respectable after all... Of course if he really was in the biology field I take that back, as we already know Genny was, I mean is, a respectable man. Despite possibly working in a field no one respects. Then again, at least it's not like he works in geology, right? He'd be known as that creepy rock guy. Though I can relate to that a bit. Not the rock part, I wouldn't be seen within a mile of a geology center, I mean the creepy part. Spending all your days hacking int- I mean using computers for science stuff kind of makes people look down on you, you know? My uncle always thought I was gifted, so he kind of forced me into even, which is how I got to this size. Speaking of which, I can relate to the gang part as well. I... actually no, I probably shouldn't say. Uncle really wouldn't approve of something like that. I should just count my lucky stars they don't bother me as much as they used to, haha...ha...ha...yeah..."
Gilbert says, rambling on.
"Anyway, happen to know where his younger brother is? He may know what happened to Genny."
-
"No, I don't," Henri answers, "but I can tell you where Genny was staying before he disappeared."
Henri Croy then hands Gilbert an address on a piece of paper.
-
"Ah, that's even better", Gilbert replies, relieved he probably won't have to deal with any hooligans.
"Thanks."
He'll then take the piece of paper and mosey on out of there (unless Henri has something else to say).
Once back on the ship, he'll look up the brother (hacking roll) to see if there's any lead there first.
---
Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 15, total 15
-
Looking up Tesla Putkoff, Gilbert finds him right away (Extra Success). He sees that Tesla goes by the name 'Wingman', and runs with a gang called the Redjacks in the Mars city of Little Jersey.
He has quite a police record too, filled with a plethora of arrests and some jail time. He is currently under investigation by Mars SSPD for his suspected involvement with a local weapons smuggling ring.
-
Gilbert takes a look at the paper to see if the location is one he's familiar with.
Then he sends an email telling everyone to get back to the ship (which he will then bring back to the original spot).
-
"What do you guys say, we raid the store for security footage and give you two a look into their systems to maybe track whoever hacked them - or we leave the manager here where he'll probably get fired for sleeping on the job?"
-
Things go south so quickly...
Walking to the metal detectors and announcing that she is armed (permit or no), triggers a quick response and instantly summons over two dozen security guards. They swarm Ethel and Simon and bum rush them into a security office off to the side, ignoring their objections or attempts to 'explain themselves'.
Ethel and Simon are forcefully relieved of their weapons and/or permits, all personal possessions, are then handcuffed, and locked in separate holding cells (unless they want to resist, get tazed, and have the shit beaten out of them first).
Three hours later, someone comes to take their statements.
It is a hard-faced Security Chief with two assistants, who speak to Ethel and Simon through the bars.
Regarding Simon, he says, "I'm surprised you don't have multiple bounties on yourself by now 'Mr. Archer' - if that is indeed your real name."
Then to Ethel, he gives a sadistic smirk - "Ms. Etheryn Clarke. Care to explain why you thought entering the LifeCyclon Arcology with weapons (for any reason) was a good idea?"
"Oh bugger."
Ethel rolls her eyes as all the commotion happens, evidently not very experienced with bureaucracy and its red tape. She doesn't really bother resisting and is content with just waiting on whatever seat is in the cell and staying there, thinking about the situation and occasionally about what the others might be doing.
Replying to the mean Security Agent, she off-handedly seethes, "I thought that people who might do something harmful don't usually say, 'disclaimer; I'm armed' and prepare to give their arms over-- ugh," she waves her hands, "but whatever. Works out though, cuz you're good to talk to as well. Got some questions, you know. But that can wait if, you know, want, I guess. What now?"
-
Butch shudders. Not the smartest of google searches.
"So, no go here?"
-
Replying to the mean Security Agent, she off-handedly seethes, "I thought that people who might do something harmful don't usually say, 'disclaimer; I'm armed' and prepare to give their arms over-- ugh," she waves her hands, "but whatever. Works out though, cuz you're good to talk to as well. Got some questions, you know. But that can wait if, you know, want, I guess. What now?"
"OK, first off, no. One never tries to enter a secure facility, where weapons are prohibited, with weapons. It is a very good way to get shot."
"So, you're here to ask question?"
"I'm all ears, ask away."
-
Ethel sighs. "Well, of the things you could answer, can you tell me anything about the milk homogenization tool-heist that happened recently?"
-
"Why Ms. Clarke!" the Security Chief gasps in mock surprise, holding up Simon's Permit to Hunt Bounty.
"Don't tell me you have been roped into bounty hunting with this little hooligan," he says dismissively of Simon.
"Does your father know that you keep such colorful company? Does he approve?"
The Security Chief smiles at his own dickishness. Damn he loves his job.
He then stands before Ethel can answer his rhetorical questions and speaks over his shoulder as he goes - "The Genny Putkoff bounty is your problem, not ours."
"You and Mr. Archer are banned from the premise. I suggest you leave and don't come back, unless you are successful in your hunt that is..."
With that, he leaves.
After a few minutes, Ethel and Simon are released from the holding cells, escorted outside to the street, and handed vacuum-packed plasti-seal containers with all of their possessions (including the firearms and permits) inside.
Damn, it's going to take forever to get these things open without a blowtorch...
-
"I'll take that protracted silence as a definite yes." Crystal says, searching the manager's body for store keys.
"Hey Jacib, can you take a look inside and tell me if the place is crowded?"
-
The manager does indeed have a set of keys.
When the back door is opened, it reveals a back storage room, next to a walk-in freezer. Beyond that is and empty manager's office and a small kitchen with some cooks busy prepping orders. Beyond the kitchen is the order counter itself and the seating area on the other side.
It would be an easy thing to just walk right in and to the manager's office without being seen, as everyone is currently on the other side of the kitchen and looking out into the dining area.
-
Crystal does exactly that, motioning for Butch/Jacob to follow in after her so they can start looking through the computers. She, meanwhile, spends her time searching for any surveillance records Gilbert can use to identify any of their competition - and whether or not that competition would be a problem.
If possible, she'll take all surveillance records for the past few weeks, intending to get info on both other bounty hunters and get rid of any evidence they were ever here in case one of the many bounty hunters after her and Butch's head comes searching around the Soy Boy's
-
Where the manager's computer would be, under the desk, is a dusty empty hole - but there is a laptop currently on top of the desk next to some paper legers.
There are zero security tapes (the cameras may simply dump their data to the net).
-
Simon lightly clonks Ethel in the head with his plastic box before walking away.
He's heading into Guiliarmo City to spend a surge point and incite a mob to attack the soulless, life-ruining, kitten-eating hellhole that is LifeCyclon.
-
"Butch, Jacob - you're up."
-
He's heading into Guiliarmo City to spend a surge point and incite a mob to attack the soulless, life-ruining, kitten-eating hellhole that is LifeCyclon.
Outside the LifeCyclon building, Simon boldly stops traffic, by abruptly stepping out into it, and nearly causes a pile up. Angry people get out of their vehicles to see what the hell is going on, only to fall victim to Simon's pied piping of social discord!
In a matter of minutes, a large mob of people are yelling and cursing at 'big business' out in front of LifeCyclon, chanting "Down with corporate corruption!" and "Up with free thinking!" and "Free Genny Putkoff!"
-
"What a dick!" Ethel groans, preparing to get back to the ship, only to notice Simom's mob. She wouldn't participate of course, but she'a more or less okay atu it after how that Secrity chief acted.
Still, she's bit confused. "Wait, Simon," she asks him, "What's your plan?"
-
"Butch, Jacob - you're up."
Butch nods.
"Alright, let's see here..." Butch mutters, as he begins to tap on the computer.
---
Computers 10+2X 1d20 : 17, total 17
-
Damn password...
-
"What a dick!" Ethel groans, preparing to get back to the ship, only to notice Simom's mob. She wouldn't participate of course, but she'a more or less okay atu it after how that Secrity chief acted.
Still, she's bit confused. "Wait, Simon," she asks him, "What's your plan?"
Simon jumps down from atop the vehicle serving as his soapbox. "Plan?" he shouts over the crowd. "What do you mean?"
-
"..." Ethel bites her lip, realizing that Simon's just doing what he does. "Just, err, don't get arrested!" Ethel yells, meanwhile turning on her com-link to the rest of the group.
"We got nothing. LifeCyclon is operated by a bunch of fascist turds, so Simon is inciting a crowd against them. Anything on your end? Over?"
-
Crystal sighs disappointedly.
"Okay, Jacob, you're up. If you fail too then we should just get out of here, I guess. The others will have probably found something by now."
-
"...Anytime Jacob"
-
Jacob grumpily does whatever the annoying brat wanted this time.
---
Computers 12 1d20 : 8, total 8
-
Jacob thinks that he could crack the password with a few more keystrokes (Spend Luck?) ...
-
And he's feeling lucky! (yes.)
-
Determined not to get shown up by a Kiwi Notebook Computer, Jacob takes a few more jabs at the password and finally breaks in.
Scanning the files, the team sees that the notebook contains the manager's accounting programs, training manuals, and employee schedule and files.
There is absolutely nothing at all, in any way shape or form, to suggest that Genny Putkoff works for the Soy Boy's in any capacity, or ever has.
There are also no security camera files on the laptop, though there is a link to them, but that link errors out with a message that the corporate database is currently unavailable.
Jacob notes that the poor manager does not get paid nearly enough for this shit...
-
Out front of LifeCyclon meanwhile, the crowd has started to cause gridlock. SSPB sirens can be heard in the distance and a news helicopter flies in overhead...
-
"Got it" he smirks. "Nothing of any real importance though. Nothing that suggests Genny have ever worked for Soy Boy. There are links to camera survaillence aswell, but that link shorts itself out so we got squat."
Jacob tries to hack into the unavailable page, barring that he copies all personel files and emails them to himself (or if a USB disk or the future equivalent is available that is prefered.
"Its likely that the cameras have their own network not connected to other servers to prevent remote hacking, but if thats the case i need to acces the mainframe on spot." He sighs. "Either way, we aint got much time."
-
Oh, and he'll also double the managers pay, because noone should endure that shit with a paygrade like tjat ha-ha!
-
Jacob has no problem spiking the manager's pay, but the corporate computers are offline, so he'll have to try to hack into them at a later time.
-
"Well, maybe that'll be enough for beating him with an electric stick. Okay boys, clean up, Gilbert's found something", she says, looking through her emails.
Outside she urges the two men to make their way back to the ship's landing zone while she took a second to heal the manager (using restore vitality), to make up for the small beating he'd been given. Once she does so she'll run away after them.
---
Will 14 1d20 : 13, total 13
Psychosis 8 1d20 : 4, total 4
-
Crystal heals the manager and everyone hightails it back to the ship, before the manager comes to his senses.
Back aboard the Plan B, everyone gathers with Gilbert - apparently he has some new leads.
Simon and Ethel aren't there yet, but may be en-route (unless they got caught up in the riot that's apparently on the news feed as everyone walks in - something about an incident at LifeCyclon or something)...
-
Out front of LifeCyclon meanwhile, the crowd has started to cause gridlock. SSPB sirens can be heard in the distance and a news helicopter flies in overhead...
The sight of the news chopper reminds Simon that he was supposed to be filming this for the vacation contest. After a brief, futile struggle with his vacuum-sealed box of possessions, Simon realizes that this is the last straw. LifeCyclon has thwarted him at every turn- their grim, sterile edifice cannot be allowed to stand one moment more! It's time to take this mob from obstructive to destructive!
-
Jacob, feeling some sort of pressure at the time goes to the toilet.
If you hafto go, you hafto go!
-
The mob out front of LifeCyclon goes nuts - flipping over a meter maid trike and pounding futilely against the now closed glass doors of the arcology.
One group works to rip up a postal box and hurls it at the windows - only to have it bounce off and nail one of their own in the face - knocking him out cold.
Some woman has started a pile of briefcases and ties on fire at the steps.
It's madness!
The cops swarm in and start dispersing the crowd - thwacking people in the arms and legs with nightsticks.
All the while the helicopter circles - filming the action.
At this point, if Simon and Ethel stay where they are, they will be overrun by the line of cops and bludgeoned with everyone else...
-
Gilbert glances over at the chaos on the screen before addressing the others.
"I found out where our guy used to live. W- I mean, you guys should go check it out."
He says, showing them the small piece of paper with the location.
-
Butch nods.
"Sounds good, Gil." Butch says with a nod. "You think it hasnt been ransacked yet?"
-
"Simon let's go!" Ethel shouts through the crowd, not wasting any time in fleeing the site, keeping her head down as she goes in the direction of the ship.
-
Genny's House
Later that evening, Butch puts the Plan B down in a parking lot behind some upscale two-story townhouses in a suburb east of Guiliairmo City.
The end house belongs to Genny Putkoff and (like all the other units) has a high wooden fence surrounding the narrow back yard. The wooden door through the fence to Genny's yard is ajar however.
Gilbert also notes a security camera on a poll over-watching the parking lot.
---
Gilbert Computers 17+2X MTN 10 1d20 : 14, total 14
-
"Everyone ready to move?" Butch asks. "Hopefully this one isn't a loose end."
-
"Try not to hurt him too bad," Ethel states in a clear voice, "I got some things I wanna ask him. Somebody framed him, probably. Maybe. Guess we'll see if it's worth going into."
With a short chuckle, she continues. "But, uh, what's the plan? We could probably just, ya know, tranq him, but I figure we should surround the building and block off all the exits. I'm thinkin' like, Simon annoys slash scares him away by the front door while the rest of us minus Gilbert flush him out by going in through other entries... If there are any?" Ending with a preposition, Ethel examines the house for doors, windows and the like.
-
"I kinda doubt a bountyhead would be staying in his house, Ethel." Butch says with a chuckle. "We're here to try and find clues about his whereabouts."
-
"I kinda doubt a bountyhead would be staying in his house, Ethel." Butch says with a chuckle. "We're here to try and find clues about his whereabouts."
"... Oh." Ethel frowns, disappointed. Bounty-hunting was supposed to be a whole lot more exciting...
-
"Yup." Butch says. "Just be prepared for someone to be in the house. Other bountyhunters are bound to go here as well."
-
Gilbert Computers 17+2X MTN 10 1d20 : 14 (Extra Success)
Gilbert is able to hack into the local camera system. He now sees through all the housing complex cameras (all of which focus on the various parking areas). He is also able to look back through what they have recorded.
-
Gilbert does a quick search through the files (since the bounty was announced) to see how many unusual people have showed up.
He also tries to find out when was the last time Genny was actually here.
-
"Seems someone might already be here", Crystal says, looking at the open wooden door leading to Genny's backyard.
"Gil, mind looping the cameras so they don't record us going in?"
-
It is a simple matter for Gilbert to loop the cameras.
Looking through old footage, Gilbert sees a number of interesting visits to the premise.
A few Bounty Hunters go in and out, some SSBP, some corporate suit-looking goons, more bounty hunters, then back far enough (about three weeks), Genny himself is seen pulling a moving van up to the place and loading a large crate (about the size of a washing machine). Once the crate is loaded, Genny leaves and doesn't return.
Running background checks on the few faces that were captured by the camera reveal a few low profile bounty hunters. But there is nothing outstanding or special about any of them. One of the corporate suits pops up however, as a Security Contractor for LifeCyclon, named Jonathan Ruste.
No real surprise that they would have sent a team to investigate the premise after discovery of the theft.
-
It then occurs to Gilbert to try going back far enough to see when Genny may have brought the crate-thing in to his house in the first place - but the tapes overwrite themselves before that point for some reason.
-
Naturally, Gilbert looks up Jonathan Ruste. While he's doing that, addresses the crew.
"Looks like Genny hasn't been around in a while. Don't worry about the cameras, just get in, find anything you can, then I'll blow this place and we can go."
-
"Sounds good. Lets go." Butch says, heading out of Plan B.
-
Crystal follows - this time fully armed and armoured (because she doesn't trust this place one bit).
She's careful to look for any traps that may have been placed by either Genny or the Lifecyclon employee while they move.
Before she leaves though, she asks Gilbert again - "Hey, try and pull the license plates, maybe we can track the van to its last known location."
-
"Blowing stuff up is fun, but why'd you wanna destroy the house? It do something to you?"
Ethel lets out a yawn and stretches her arms out while waiting for Gilbert to answer.
-
"Get rid of any future competition." Crystal says, answering for Gilbert.
"Also, explosions are awesome."
-
Naturally, Gilbert looks up Jonathan Ruste.
Hmm... Jonathan Ruste: Security Contractor for LifeCyclon, comes up squeaky clean. Imagine that...
-
Going in the house, the team finds it completely ransacked and possibly looted.
Probably torn apart by everyone looking for clues to Genny's whereabouts.
---
Crystal Search 13 1d20 : 12, total 12
Butch Search 10 1d20 : 17, total 17
Jacob Search 11 1d20 : 5, total 5
-
Searching the house reveals nothing, except a broken picture frame that Crystal finds, with a photo of Genny receiving some sort of Science award.
It has a picture tucked back behind the current picture however - one depicting two boys and their mother. One of the boys must be Genny (being much older than the little one that the mother if holding).
The picture looks old.
If that is Genny and his mother, then the little boy in it must be Tesla...
---
Gilbert Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 3, total 3
-
As this goes on, Gilbert tries to trace the license number of the van Genny used, but can't get through the security on the SSPB's database to do so.
-
Jacob also tries to track down the van, using his ties to do so.
---
Diplomacy 11 1d20 : 1, total 1
-
Simon, meanwhile, is busy attempting to write a song about his heroic stand against the evil LifeCyclon.
---
Artistry 12 1d20 : 18, total 18
-
Simon is having a really hard time coming up with rhymes for 'Antidisestablishmentarianism'...
-
Jacob's SSPB Contact agrees to trace the license for Jacob, but only if Jacob agrees to "dispose of" some inconvenient little piece of "evidence" that has "regrettably" fallen into his Precinct's lap lately...
-
Jacob grudgingly agrees to it, as long as there are no children involved.
-
Simon is having a really hard time coming up with rhymes for 'Antidisestablishmentarianism'...
It's okay, he's got time. . .
Vegetarianism?
Egalitarianism?
Dandy Piranha-Shark Space Prison?
-
"Genny's probably hiding out with his little bro, Tesla. We have anything on him? If not we should find the mom, they probably would've hide anything from her."
She takes a quick picture of the photo using her phone and emails it to everyone, before slipping it away into one of her back pockets.
-
Jacob grudgingly agrees to it, as long as there are no children involved.
"Great!" Jacob's contact smiles, "just go to Frank's Bar on Simms Avenue and tell Pinky that Ralph sent you for the escargot."
"They'll hand you a package. You just dump it out in space (preferably where it will burn up reentering the atmosphere). It's, ahh... best if you don't look inside."
"Anyway," he continues, tapping away at his codex - "That plate is from a rental van... Looks like Genny Putkoff rented it in his own name... took it from the rental place to a private charter service - yeah, 'Have Ship, Will Travel' off the Guiliairmo City Air Strip."
-
"Gilbert, can you "look" up "habe ship, will travel?"
" he appearently took the van which he rented in his own name to that charter firm." He says on the comlink. "Lets get out of here. We aint goikg to find him here."
-
Gilbert pounds away at his keyboard for information about "have ship, will travel", specifically about Genny's rental.
---
Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 12, total 12
-
Gilbert is able to access the information, seeing that Genny chartered a one way Scout Ship from Guiliairmo City Venus to Little Jersey Mars. He had a hundred and twenty pound crate with him.
-
"Gilbert, can you "look" up "habe ship, will travel?"
" he appearently took the van which he rented in his own name to that charter firm." He says on the comlink. "Lets get out of here. We aint goikg to find him here."
Gilbert takes a moment to double check his findings, then he alerts the rest of the gang.
"Guys. Genny is currently on Mars. He also brought something with him for the journey. Maybe he really did steal something from them."
-
"Huh. So what are we doing? Hunting down Tesla or Mars?"
-
"Seems so," Crystal states, standing up and dusting off her pants.
"Let's ride boys."
Crystal heads back to the ship.
-
"Think we can stop off at a casino first? I got a real good feeling about my luck right now", Gilbert remarks, preparing to go.
Before they leave, Gilbert will set some explosives to go off in Genny's apartment. Enough to destroy most of it, allowing the resulting fire to take care of the rest.
He'll then send an anonymous tip to the local fire station that the building is on fire...
---
Demolitions 14 1d20 : 12, total 12
-
"Sounds great! Hey, let's call Montana and see if we can bring Moonkit!"
-
Simon perks up at the mention of "stop off at a casino."
"I vote for that one!"
"Sounds great! Hey, let's call Montana and see if we can bring Moonkit!"
"That too!"
-
Sounding a bit annoyed, Ethel shrugs, "Neat deets, I guess. Dunno, shouldn't we wait until after the mission until Gilbert blows his savings? There could be people after Genny as we speak."
She giggles lightly as Gilbert waddles over to blow up Genny's house, but doesn't waste time watching as she heads back to the ship.
-
The Plan B takes off and flies away, followed by a large explosion that miraculously blows Genny's end unit house right off the row, without shattering the adjacent home. Even so, a fire is started and a number of people swarm out of the row houses to see what the hell happened.
-
"Come on, the faster we act, the more likely you guys can go to the Flying Venus. Let's make due haste." Butch says.
"And moonkit isnt ever, and I repeat, ever going to a casino with you guys. Ever."
-
"Wait until after the bounty's done? Okay, got it Butch!"
Crystal settles in for the flight back to Mars
-
Gilbert looks out longingly at the potential casinos in the distance.
"Okay..." He mumbles, too afraid to go against Butch's suggestion.
-
"Hurray!" Ethel fists pumps in the air, happy that Butch is taking charge. Laying down her plastic baggies, she begins to do the delicate work of opening them up while they make their way to Mars.
-
"I need to stop by franks bar on Simms avenue." Jacob says with a sigh. "Appearently some evidence needs to disappear."
-
A quick stop on Simms Ave, and Jacob has his package of "escargots"...
---
As Butch lifts the Plan B off into orbit over Venus and towards the Hypergate, The Solar System’s Most Wanted comes on again…
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BigShots_zpsh9oqyw9y.jpg)
Clyde – “Hey Fly boys! Have we got news for you! Our small fry of the day, Genny Putkoff, has gone bigtime! His bounty is now 5,000,000!”
Bonnie – “Ooh La La! That’s a lot of honey!”
Clyde – “That's right, 5,000,000w! So get off yer butts and get on the trail - And remember to get it on tape!”
Bonnie – “Go get that palooka, yous guys!"
(The camera then pans to a background link window, where a charismatic body builder/surfer dude smiles at the camera - It's Cold Rock Johnston.)
Cold Rock – “This is Cold Rock Johnston. I'm giving all you bounty hunters out there a heads up; this one's mine. Try if ya like, but I always get my man!”
Bonnie – “Ooh, he gives me goosebumps when he talks like that!”
Clyde – “Oh brother.”
-
"Damn. That's a good bounty." Butch says. "Glad we started this early, Cold Rock'll be behind."
"Jacob, I'm gonna stop off near the gate for you to drop your package. Should be the best place for it to burn up."
-
"Come on, the faster we act, the more likely you guys can go to the Flying Venus. Let's make due haste." Butch says.
"And moonkit isnt ever, and I repeat, ever going to a casino with you guys. Ever."
Simon tries to write a protest song about why Moonkit should be allowed to go to the casino with him & Gilbert.
---
Artistry 12 1d20 : 5, total 5
-
Simon's song isn't bad; just catchy enough to get stuck in everyone's head; but nowhere near a chart-topper.
Moonkit will love it though...
-
"Hey, what do you think we could sell Cold Rock for? I mean like, into slavery as some rich guy's trophy, or to any criminal who hates him, not as a bounty."
Crystal asks absent-mindedly.
"Also - anyone wondering what extra charges they added to this poor innocent soul to get his bounty so high?"
-
"Musta done something with whatever he stole, I'd bet. Probably making them scared. We really need to get someone on the inside of Life Cyclon. Damn shame Ethel and Simon got kicked out."
-
"I didn't get kicked out! I was falsely imprisoned, my persona maligned! A tragic tale of corporate greed and the peoples' rebellion! It's going to be an epic song- as soon as I can figure out a good rhyme for 'LifeCyclon.'
But, since I have your attention. . ."
Simon performs his catchy jingle expressing the many reasons Butch should lighten up and let Moonkit come to the casino.
-
Butch groans.
-
"Ooh, do it again, I'll record it and send it to moonkit," Crystal says, pulling out her cellphone to videotape Simon's little song.
"Oh, by the way - how about "Frown on" or "Bear down on", those rhyme with Lifecyclon right?"
-
Jacob facepalms.
-
Jacob's package is vented out the airlock and the Plan B enters the Hypergate back to Mars.
Everyone begins to settle down for the nine hour trip.
---
Crystal Will 14 1d20 : 1, total 1
-
Crystal is starting to feel the claustrophobic effects of being crammed together with everyone in such a small confining place - knowing that an airless vacuum of instant death lurks just beyond the tinfoil-like hull...
She's unable to keep the thought out of her head, but she knows that she's tough enough to ride it out.
Only nine more hours to go . . .
-
"Ooh, do it again, I'll record it and send it to moonkit," Crystal says, pulling out her cellphone to videotape Simon's little song.
"Oh, by the way - how about "Frown on" or "Bear down on", those rhyme with Lifecyclon right?"
Simon is surprised by how friendly Crystal is being, but he never passes up a chance to be the centerof attention.
After he's done performing, he asks her, "What language are you speaking where 'cyclon' rhymes with 'frown on?' I mean, it would have to be 'cyclown' for that to make sense. 'LifeCyclon' rhymes with, like, 'Genghis Khan' or 'Azerbaijan' or 'Life's a con.' Hmm, that ones not too bad?"
Butch groans.
"Is that 'creepy robot man' for 'wow, your song has opened my eyes and I agree with you now?' If it isn't, I'll keep singing."
-
"In what world does frown on not right with Azerbaijan?", Crystal scoffs.
"That's cool, just ignore my sick rhymes about
"The evils caused by LifeCyclon,
So great that their motto, is to "Frown on!"
Crystal attempts sings this last part dramatically, no doubt doing a terrible, terrible job of it.
-
Butch groans again.
"This is going to be a very long nine hours." He says dejectedly.
-
"Hey, what do you think we could sell Cold Rock for? I mean like, into slavery as some rich guy's trophy, or to any criminal who hates him, not as a bounty."
Crystal asks absent-mindedly.
"Why would we ever do that?!?" Ethel exclaims, alarmed, "We'd keep him..." an awkward pause, "then, you know... Let him go and stuff." Wacky psychic.
"Also - anyone wondering what extra charges they added to this poor innocent soul to get his bounty so high?"
"Uh, LifeCyclon wasn't very helpful when we were there. Got to talk to some fascist security guard that was a real blowhard. Something's seriously wiggy about this case. Maybe we can get Nat to get back in there once she comes back. Will probably do better than us..." As Ethel murmurs this, she hits up her phone to search up any news regarding fires and houses on Venus. "You know, I thought Gilbert blowin' up the house was funny, but it just might slow Cold Rock down enough that we can meet him! Wouldn't that be so cool?"
Just thinking of Cold Rock makes Ethel forget about opening Jacob's secret package, and she simply slumps into one of the Scoutship's chairs instead, her head off in space. This is probably a good thing, considering Crystal's trying to sing...
-
"Let him go? Ethel, you have any idea how much i'm worth? How much Butch is worth? We ever let him go he's coming after us next..."
-
"Let him go? Ethel, you have any idea how much i'm worth? How much Butch is worth? We ever let him go he's coming after us next..."
"Butch is Butch!" Ethel whines, shaking her head from side to side. "But Cold Rock Johnson is amaaaaaaaaaaazing!"
The girl sighs, finally tilting her head to face Crystal, "But I smell ya. Maybe we could like, make a deal or something. He'd totally understand. We'd like, help him understand, ya know?"
-
"I'm sure he would understand why we'd be selling him to a rich man collecting trophy boys!"
-
"... You're weird, Crystal," Ethel replies with a giggle, but let's it go. Curious, she then searches up Cold Rock Johnson on her phone's internet.
-
"Cold Rock Johnson..." Gilbert mumbles to himself, getting really nervous about the prospect of going against such a well known bounty hunter. To curb his anxiety, he does some research on the kind of bounty hunter Cold Rock is (hacking). Surely he's not nearly as bad as Gilbert is thinking...
---
Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 19, total 19
-
Info on Cold Rock Johnson is abundant - both over the web and through various media outlets.
The man is completely cheesy and has no major skeletons in his closet, but has been accused by many of being a giant dick. Most love him or hate him, sort of like a pro wrestler. There's no middle ground.
In fact, Cold Rock was a professional wrestler early in his carrier (the Big Kahoona; a surfer dude based character) turned bounty hunter for his reality show - From The Waves To The Rings To The Cuffs; The Cold Rock Johnson Story (only on Lifetime Channel)!
-
Looking to see if the explosion and fire at Genny's townhouse has made the news, Ethel finds no mention of it at all, even in the local rag of the very town it occurred in.
Maybe it will make the morning edition?
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BountyHeadBebop/Sprawl_zpslsrjtmop.jpg)
Little Jersey, Mars
Nine hours later, Butch maneuvers the Plan B out the Mars Hypergate and brings the scout ship down to the planet's surface to a city called 'Little Jersey'.
The place is a massive urban sprawl, where shantytowns, ghettos, and rundown industrial complexes mix together in a vast crater - the rust of their decay perfectly matching the dismal rust-colored terrain of the crater walls.
Somewhere down in all of this mess is Genny Putkoff.
Butch lands the ship in an abandoned sewage treatment plant on the outskirts of the city. The place and surrounding area look completely deserted - flanked on all sides by derelict buildings and broken pothole-strewn streets that haven't seen a road crew in twenty years.
When the doors to the ship finally open, the crew is assaulted with the rank stench of sunbaked cesspool...
-
"Ugh." Butch says, shuddering, as he quickly has his chem plant remove his need for oxygen. Farking smelly New Jersey.
"Alright, first step is to find Tesla's gang, right?"
-
"Be back. Gotta grab a hazmat suit."
Crystal rushes back into the ship but reconsiders the hazmat suit, thinking it would make her stand out too much.
A gas mask should be enough.
She also wears her voice mask under the gas mask, knowing it would conceal the normally highly visible thing.
I mean, it's jersey after all. She can't be the only one wearing a mask right?
-
"Ugh." Butch says, shuddering, as he quickly has his chem plant remove his need for oxygen. Farking smelly New Jersey.
"Alright, first step is to find Tesla's gang, right?"
"The Redjacks", Gilbert replies, stepping out of the ship. He doesn't want to come along with the group, but he's more afraid of being left alone in an expensive aircraft surrounded by people that will likely take it apart with him inside of it.
"Tesla goes by the nickname 'Wingman', so that's probably who we should be asking for."
"Also, if things get bad I'm taking the ship and leaving you all behind", Gilbert thinks to himself as he makes sure he has the usual mace, R/C Link, and his explosives for good measure.
-
"Eeeeewww." Ethel pinches her nose as she exits the ship, pistols holstered and hand-crossbow loaded with tranqs. "This is worse than those sulfur-baths fogies go into. Ugh."
Sighing, she continues, "So we're bound to find either Genny or Tesla in this dump, huh. So where would the redjacks be?"
-
Crystal reaches into one of the holsters at her armoured hip and lays a hand across the grip of one of her pistols. She has the voice mask switch over to a rough male voice.
"I'm sure we could ask around."
-
New Jersey doesn't seem like the sort of place likely to be populated with fans of Simon. Still, you never know. . .
-
"The Redjacks", Gilbert replies, stepping out of the ship. He doesn't want to come along with the group, but he's more afraid of being left alone in an expensive aircraft surrounded by people that will likely take it apart with him inside of it.
"Tesla goes by the nickname 'Wingman', so that's probably who we should be asking for."
"Also, if things get bad I'm taking the ship and leaving you all behind", Gilbert thinks to himself as he makes sure he has the usual mace, R/C Link, and his explosives for good measure.
"Wish I brought my bike." Butch mutters, and then looks at Gil.
"Can you look up their main gangway? Simon should probably ask around, maybe his fans know."
"Probably a good idea to send the scout back up for the time being, maybe." Butch then adds.
-
Gilbert diligently looks up where the gang might be hiding, along with info on any nearby underground casinos.
---
Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 18, total 18
-
All Gilbert finds is that the Redjacks can be identified by a red heart tattoo under their left eye.
That, and there's zero anything worthwhile in Little Jersey - let alone an actual casino.
-
As this goes on, Butch, Crystal, and Jacob notice some hobos lounging on the steps of an abandoned building about two blocks away.
There are three of them, and they seem to watch the team with interest - though to be fair, a ship landing here is probably the most interesting thing in a long time...
-
"Looks like a start." Butch says, when he notices the hobos.
"Gonna try and get them talking." He says, and heads over to the filthy dregs.
"You seen any Redjacks around here?" He asks.
-
"Eh?" one of the hobos answers Butch, smiling with toothless grin. "No Redjacks out here."
"Yeah, *hic," another adds, "You want Redjacks, go to Redmond Downs. That's... North side. You're... South."
"Yup. Go Red for Red!" The first says with a laugh. "This here is Industry Row. Ain't nobody got time for Industry no mo no how!"
The third hobo says nothing - apparently passed out in a circle of empty tequila bottles.
-
Crystal tries to evaluate the truthfulness of their words (or if they might know anything else).
---
Sense Motive 12 1d20 : 16, total 16
-
It doesn't appear that the hobos are trying to be evasive, but they are clearly plastered...
-
Ethel turns her face away from the hobos in disgust, but rings up a map on her phone, looking for Redmond Downs.
"Uh, you guys," she motions to the hobos, "You hear something about Genny Putkoff? Or a Tesla?"
-
Gilbert watches everyone attempt to communicate with the obviously wasted hobos before turning to Simon.
"Hey Simon, how about you try and infiltrate the Redjacks?" He asks, half joking and half hoping Simon will agree and get killed by them.
-
Simon stares intently at Gilbert. "Oh. My. God. That is the best idea!"
-
"Jenny? No, don't know her," one of the winos replies to Ethel.
-
Gilbert takes a moment to realize Simon might actually be serious before pulling out his phone and finding a picture of one of the Redjacks to show to him.
-
Etheryn sighs. "Don't think that's necessary. Could just like, grab one and have Crystal sing to him until he talks."
-
"I am a pretty good singer," Crystal says, her voice mask still distorting her voice into that of a rough young man's.
"No doubt they'd be persuaded by my fine voice as to the intelligence of giving up everything they know. Anyway, we should get a move on. These sorry saps don't know anything."
-
"Hey guys, you want to rent a ride or-" she puts her hand to her gun, "rent a ride?"
-
Gilbert takes a moment to realize Simon might actually be serious before pulling out his phone and finding a picture of one of the Redjacks to show to him.
"Hmm. I'll think about it."
"Hey guys, you want to rent a ride or-" she puts her hand to her gun, "rent a ride?"
Simon looks at Gilbert.
"It'd have to be a pretty big car. Maybe a pickup truck?"
-
"And ride in the back? With one of you guys driving? Hell no, we should just get two."
-
"Doubt we'll have much options in this shithole, but yeah, we should try and get a car." Butch says, looking to the streets.
"Wonder who could even afford a car here..."
-
"I could just drop you guys off with the ship then keep it in the air until you're ready to go", Gilbert suggests, hoping to find a way out of having to meet the Redjacks.
-
"That's prolly not necessary Gilbert. Bet there's plenty of people who'd be willing to lend their car to us."
"Hey guys," Ethel says, waving to the hobos, "Where's the nearest dude with a car 'round here?"
-
"Actually, I think I like Gilbert's idea. A lot more convenient if we need a fast getaway."
-
"Sounds better to me." Butch says with a nod. "Best not piss off anyone here, even if it's a slum."
-
Ethel shrugs, obviously intrigued a the prospect of hijacking a car, but not so much that she cares how the group continues on.
-
"I could just drop you guys off with the ship then keep it in the air until you're ready to go", Gilbert suggests, hoping to find a way out of having to meet the Redjacks.
"You're just full of awesome plans today, Gil!" Simon enthusiastically slaps Gilbert on the back. "Maybe that should be my next song." He folds his arms and tries to compose a song about how awesome Gilbert is.
---
Artistry 12 1d20 : 1, total 1
-
Gilbert glares for a brief moment at Simon before letting out a weak sigh of relief.
"Alright, let's head over there before it gets dark or something", he says, heading back to the ship.
-
Everyone piles back into the Plan be and Gilbert lifts off, intending to cross the city to the Redmond Hills district.
As the Plan B get up in the air however, the team spots a black sedan with dark tinted window slowly driving down the alleyways towards were the ship had been set down.
The shiny new vehicle stands out in stark contrast against the rust and ruin of the surrounding sprawl...
-
"Hey guys, check this out!" Ethel taps at the glasses and stares at the sedan. "Should we, like, blow it up? Or ignore it?"
-
"Hey guys, check this out!" Ethel taps at the glasses and stares at the sedan. "Should we, like, blow it up? Or ignore it?"
"Blow it up? What the hell would we blow it up with? Stupid bitch."
Gilbert thinks to himself. Out loud he merely says: "I think it's best if we just leave it alone."
-
Gilbert ignores the car and flies the ship across the city, setting down in the parking lot of an abandoned bowling alley in the Redmond Hills district.
As the door opens, the team is greeted with unfriendly stares from the local residents, that suddenly hurry to be somewhere else.
A group of about eleven or so teens on the corner, doesn't bother to go anywhere however, and the gang markings of a red heart under the left eye adorn at least two or three of them...
-
Dressed and armed for heavy combat, Crystal keeps her hands at her weapons, her gas and voice mask on, and speaks again in a distorted fashion.
"Okay Simon, your time to shine.''
Then, into the micro comlink - ''Hey Gil, when you pull back up try to keep an eye out for that sedan why don't you?''
-
Butch nods.
"Good Luck Simon." Butch says, eyeing the teens.
-
Gilbert lifts off after all of those that want to get off, making sure to avoid eye contact with any of the gang members.
"Sure", he replies.
-
"Hopefully it turns out to be nothing. Worst case though, it's the Spbd. That would suck though."
-
Simon heads over to the teens.
-
"What are you? The new pimp in town?" one of the teens laughs at Simon as he approaches, mocking his attire.
-
"Yeah, if you be da new pimp," another joins in, "Where be all yo bitches? Haha!"
-
Ethel bites her lip, deciding it's best to just let Simon do his thing.
-
Simon belatedly realizes he doesn't remember exactly *why* he's supposed to be talking to these teenagers. Something about Genny's brother? What was his name, Tesla, maybe?
He stalks for time.
"Guys with hearts tattooed on their faces think my fashion sense is too much?
Are you like, a gang or something? Did you ever think maybe permanent identifying marks right on your faces was a poor strategic choice?
Also- hearts? That is literally the least threatening suit you could possibly have chosen. Are the other three already taken?
Do you want to see a card trick?"
-
The teens are taken aback by Simon's answer - not sure how to process it.
One teen finally answers, throwing his hands around as he speaks - "Yo, yo, show us a card trick yeah! I wana see dis card trick."
The other teens look on expectantly...
-
Simon takes out the deck of cards (that I'm almost 98% sure I said he had)
shuffles it, and Tells the lead thug to pick a card.
-
"Agh, no card tricks Simon!" Ethel raises her hands, trying to gain the attention of some of the gang members. "Just tell us where we can find a certain Tesla Putkoff so we can get outta this dump!"
-
"Wait, hold up," one of the teens with the gang markings says, waving Simon off.
"You want to see the Boss? I can set you up with the Boss."
He takes a cell phone out and asks, "What do you guys need?"
-
"Uh, we need to talk about the thing. You probably know what that thing is, right? It's, ahem, uh, very important!"
She looks around at the others, who probably have a better idea on how to convince the guy to set up a mee woth Tesla.
-
"Just tell him we need to speak with Wingman in person", Gilbert whispers through his com.
"That's the idiotic nickname Genny's brother goes by... And by 'we' I mean you guys."
-
The kid with the phone hits a number a talks into it - "Yeah, got some guys that need to see Wingman about the thing."
After a moment listening to the other side, he hangs up and replies to the group - "Wingman agrees to meet with you. Says it will be under the Long Avenue and 113th Street overpass, sometime after 10:00pm tonight."
-
"Sweet." Butch says with a shrug.
"You heard that Gil? Set her down, I guess. Anything else we need doing?" Butch then asks the group.
-
Simon shrugs and goes back to the ship.
-
"Don't think so, let's get going guys." Crystal says through the mask, following simon back to the ship once Gilbert sets down.
-
Hearing everything over the com, Gilbert lands the ship.
"I hope there's somewhere to park the ship this time..."
-
"Okay! See ya guys later!" Waving goodbye to the dopey teens, Ethel Clarke marches her way back to the ship.
On the way and out of the Reds earshot, she says to he comlink, "So what are we gonna do? Trap 'em? Tesla ain't gonna give over his brother without a good reason y'know."
-
"If we actually manage to get to Tesla?" Crystal says, questioningly.
"Seems simple enough. Beat his ass till he tells us where his brother is. If he gets too close to dying I fix him up and we go for another round till he gives it up."
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BountyHeadBebop/Underpass.png)
113th Street Underpass (from left to right, 5ft scale per square)
Gilbert flies the Plan B to what looks like a completely abandoned neighborhood, where 113th Street passes under the Long Avenue Highway. The area is completely devoid of life, except on the busy raised thoroughfare - its four lanes zooming with traffic - bypassing the sprawl high above the decay. With no direct access points into the neighborhood from the highway, its commuters are insulated and oblivious to anything going on below.
Some gutted row houses and an abandoned elementary school sit on the west side of the twenty-four foot high concrete wall of the overpass, while a grassy knoll and a burned out residence are on the east side. The knoll climbs up toward the highway, but falls short of the top by ten feet; while the entire roof of the burned out residence has collapsed into the building itself - leaving a hollow two-story shell.
It occurs to Gilbert that some skillful flying could set the scout ship down through the open roof - allowing it to land onsite, but still be hidden from view off the street...
-
Gilbert tests his luck an attempts to skillfully land the craft in the safe hiding spot.
---
Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 16, total 16
-
Gilbert punches a landing algorithm into the ship's computer and the Plan B slowly maneuvers itself down through the hole in the roof of the burned out residence.
Things go smoothly, and the ship settles evenly atop the debris piled inside the house, where everything had fallen in on itself.
-
"Smooth landing Gil", Crystal says into the micro-coms while exiting the ship. She's going to examine the burned out residence to make sure there's nothing suspicious going on around here, using her bug detector just to make sure nothing's off.
-
The burned out residence is nothing more then the four outer walls with the roof and floors all fallen into the basement - filling the basement completely and creating the pile of debris the ship is currently set down own. Walking around inside is hazardous, as the debris shift around a lot under foot, but the Plan B itself seems to have pressed everything down far enough to be stable. The Plan B also takes up almost the entirety of the inside space, so there's not much room to walk around inside anyway.
All of the windows in the walls are broken out and only the front door remains intact. Crystal finds no bugs or evidence that anyone has been inside for a quite some time.
-
"Sweet landing Gil." Butch says, as he steps out, wearing his armor and keeping his sawwed off hidden in his coat.
"We got three hours to burn, I guess. Anyone worried this might turn sour?"
-
Jacob exits the ship to stand next to Butch.
"Might be able to set up a sniping position on top of that abandoned elementary school."
-
Simon waits on the ship.
-
Gilbert exits the aircraft and waddles over to the bridge. He'll scope it out to determine the best locations to place charges in order for it to collapse smoothly.
After he's done, he'll inform the group that he thinks they should set up the explosives, and what that will entail (based on what he scoped out before).
---
Demolitions 14 1d20 : 13, total 13
-
Walking into the underpass, Gilbert see that the concrete and steel structure is far too durable to collapse with the team's meager stash of dynamite and 'discount' C4. At best, Gilbert could probably rig one of the massive steel 'I' beams to drop out from under the road above - the thirty-five foot long, three foot tall, foot and a half wide, beam would do a number on anyone unlucky to be beneath it.
Alternately, explosives could simply be set along the walls of the underpass and hidden with debris. The enclosed space would amplify the blast, plus any shrapnel the debris would cause...
-
"Uh, why?" Crystal asks.
-
Gilbert considers setting the explosives, but decides that unless the entire bridge will be going down, it's not
cool enough worth the effort.
"I'm going to just stay on the ship when they come... So yeah, good luck." Gilbert announces, playing a (gambling) game on his phone.
-
Crystal tries to figure out which positions hostiles would be most likely to run to in a firefight for cover - and will ask Gilbert to set up small explosives in the various areas, leaving a select few clear for her and the others' use. If it came down to a fight such measures could save them a lot of effort.
-
Ethel gets out of the ship with a yawn. "You go do that Jacob, but don't get too happy with the trigger. We don't wanna kill anybody. I think."
Hands in pockets she sets up her own in remote-controlled explosives hidden inside the various clusters of debris in the area, presumably where Tesla and his crew would be appearing from. "If it gets gnarly out there," she calls, "stay away from these. If there's like, 20 reds out there this could help clear the field. Or not. It'll be fun though. Can always pick 'em up later if this somehow works out."
-
"Alrighty. With Jacob up sniping, we got coverage, we got explosives. I think talking should be Simon and Me. Crystal and Ethel find some place to hide and jump out if needs be, yeah?"
"Gil, can you watch for their arrival? It'd be helpful to know how many they be bringing. Could tell us what they plan on doing."
-
Jacob heads over to the abandoned elementary school to set up, as Crystal and Ethel get busy hiding a few claymores and other nasty surprises.
A few minutes later, Jacob comes over the comlink - "Heads up folks, we got visitors. Don't think they're Redjacks. I got your backs if things get funny."
Nine ninja-like figures suddenly rappel down from the top of the overpass on either side; trapping Ethel and Crystal in the underpass.
The faux-ninja are armed with an assortment of katanas and small pistols, but are not currently brandishing any of them. Their leader, a leather catsuit wearing Goth guy with super-long black hair, has a pair of SMGs holstered across his chest.
"The name's Black Ace ladies." he says to Ethel and Crystal (apparently unaware of the ship hidden in the burned out residence with the rest of the team).
"We're members of the 'community watch' and are a little concerned for your personal safety."
"You realize that standing under a bridge in this neighborhood is just asking for trouble, especially when those dirty dealing Redjacks are involved."
---
OOC: Ethel and Crystal are in the underpass with Steel Rats on either side; Jacob is set up on the elementary school; Butch, Simon, and Gilbert are in the burned out residence and/or ship, but can see the situation out through the windows.
-
Ethel stares the man uo and down, confused by his attire, name, and goofy entourage. Staring him in the eye while holding back laughter, she responds, "We can take care of ourselves, thank you."
It appears like she wants to add to that, but failing to come up with some sort of witty burn, Ethel merely continues, a bit confused. "Wait, so you're like, Black-Jacks? And they're the Redjacks... When'd you two set that up?"
-
"Blackjacks?" What? No!" Black Ace scoffs - "We're the Steel Rats. We hate those stupid cavemen!"
"You know," he continues, "some 'suits' came around a few days ago. Met with the Redjacks right under this bridge. I guess things didn't go quite like they planned, cause the suits lost all their money and their skins."
"Now the Redjacks got more Writ than any other gang, which is bad for everyone."
"You weren't planning on meeting them here tonight were you?"
"We'd hate to see the Redjacks take advantage of you and get even more than they have now."
-
Crystal takes her hand off her weapon, where it had been ever since the ninjas had dropped.
"Maybe we can help each other out then. You can get some blood and we can get what we came here for."
-
“So, you are meeting with them,” Black Ace replies with a nod.
“You must be after whatever it is that they’re hiding. It’s what the suits came out to negotiate a buy for. Something worth quite a bit of writ I’d imagine.”
“Yeah, if that’s what you’re after, then the Redjacks plan to off ya for sure. This underpass is one of their favorite spots for wet-work.”
“Any deal you think you have with them is just a lie to get you here.”
Black Ace shakes his head, as if at the sad image of Ethel and Crystal being done in by the Redjacks.
“What time is your meet?” he then asks.
“If you give us money – weapons – or money for weapons, we’ll watch your back.”
“See, we’ll hide up under the bridge beams and when the Redjacks try to jump you, we’ll come down and help you put the hurt on them. We’ll even help you beat any info you need out of Wingman – free of charge.”
-
Crystal Evaluate 12 1d20 : 13, total 13
Ethel Evaluate 7 1d20 : 19, total 19
-
Black Ace seems sincere in his hate of the Redjacks and his offer to help...
-
Gilbert decides to see if he can find any information on Black Ace.
---
Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 8, total 8
-
Gilbert quickly finds that the Steel Rats are just another rival gang competing for turf in Little Jersey.
They are relatively smalltime, compared to the other major gangs, and are known for their love of ninjas, spelunking, and parkour.
Black Ace, the leader, is wanted locally for breaking and entering, theft, and running an illegal street fighting ring.
-
"I don't think we should trust them", Gilbert whispers through the com, lowering his head from the window slightly.
"See if you can get more information from them. Like how they knew we would be here, or how they knew what happened to the previous deal."
Gilbert says.
"...Also tell them real ninjas don't use guns."
-
Maybe the redjacks payed the aces to help with the first group, then took all the money and weapons for themselves. I bet the aces want vengeance now. If they help us with the jacks, they might damn well turn on us after.
Crystal puts her hand to her ear, as if turning on the coms (despite them already working).
"You hear that gang? Good, talk it over."
Putting her hand back down, she continues:
"Sounds good to me, the team's talking it over. Hey, how'd you know what happened to the last deal anyway? Or how we'd be here, for that matter?" Crystal asks.
-
"I dunno, if they were working with Red, then theyd have waited for the Redjacks to attack and then take us out quick. Doesnt make sense otherwise." Butch says.
"We should pay them a bit, and see where that takes us."
-
"... Hey, how'd you know what happened to the last deal anyway? Or how we'd be here, for that matter?" Crystal asks.
"Suits started showing up a week ago; so it was in everyone's best interest to keep tabs on them. They arranged a meet with Wingman and our guy saw it go down. Not that we wouldn't have known anyway - the Redjacks like to brag about their scores."
"As for you guys? Well, we don't get ships landing around here, unless something big is going down. We saw your ship coming in, and since this is Redjack territory, and you just happened to be here at 'deadman's underpass', we were able to put two and two together."
-
Crystal takes a second to lean against something, pressing her tongue against her teeth, holding her hand up to her chin, playing at appearing pensive.
"How much are you looking to get paid for this?"
-
"100,000 writ should cover our expenses," Black Ace replies to Crystal.
"Though, if that's too steep, we'll do it for half price, if you give us dibs on the Redjacks' firepower afterwards."
-
Crystal pretends to consider the secondary offer.
He did say the Redjacks got some pretty good stuff from the "suits", so to speak. Corporate goodies probably worth a hell of a lot more than 50,000 Writ.
"How much help would we be getting from you in exchange?"
-
"Dunno why you want money from us at all," Ethel states, turning her head. "We're helping you as much as you are, us. A big blow on the Reds is totally radical for you guys, and you have us helping you in that. Mutualism in our symbiosis, right? We both win."
-
Crystal scoffs internally.
The money isn't for their help, it's to give us a chance to make sure they help before the Redjacks kill us. If we don't pay they'll wait for us to duke it out then kill whoever's left standing.
She keeps her mouth shut though, interested in what Black Ace has to say.
What's with the pilot-themed nicknames anyway? Black Ace, Wingman... ridiculous.
-
"We'd be putting a Hit on the Redjacks," Black Ace replies, "Around here, a Hit is going to cost you 100 large; so you're getting your money's worth."
"Like I said, the fact that the Redjacks want to meet you here, is proof they're just going to rub you out."
"We'd like to turn the tables on them though. Use the element of surprise. Get them into the underpass and we'll drop down on them from above."
It occurs to Crystal and Ethel, from Black Ace's apparent willingness to drop down into the underpass, that the Steel Rats don't know about the claymores and explosives Crystal and Ethal just placed. Whether that could be used to the team's advantage remains to be seen.
-
Crystal pretends that she's listening into the coms. Then she speaks, a regretful tone in her voice.
"I'm sorry, the team's a little too unsure about the circumstances around this arrangement..."
She purses her lip, as if she's about to refuse - just to see whether or not the Ace has any sweeter deal to offer.
If he doesn't interrupt with something of his own then Crystal will make her own offer.
"30,000 writ now, triple that when the job's done."
She shrugs,
"Just can't really trust you not to run off with the money if we give it all at once. You understand, right?"
-
Black Ace tilts his head, puts a hand on his chin, and breathes in deeply, as it seems Crystal is about to refuse, but then perks up and grins happily at her offer.
"30,000 up front, the rest (90,000) after the cleanup - sounds fair enough. You can tell your team that you have a deal!" he says, offering a hand to shake on it.
-
Crystal puts out her own hand.
"Sounds good then."
After shaking, she speaks into the coms - "Gil, you get that? Pull the money together while the rest of us all set up."
Then, in a lower voice if she thinks she can get away with it, "Also, keep an eye out in case the Steel Rats are hanging around the ship."
-
Once the Steel Rats move into position, Butch quietly moves over to the wrecked house, hiding. If the redjackets attack, he'll hopefully be able to move in fast enough.
-
Simon is bored with waiting in the ship. At least outside has a potential explosion. And highly visible ninjas. Might as well go with the girls.
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BountyHeadBebop/Underpass%20Tactical%202_zpsgdpgrctq.png)
Enter Wingman
Black Ace takes the money, while his 'ninjas' pull their ropes down from the overpass. Then they all toss grapple-hooks into the underside of the bridge and scuttle up into the darkness between the beams like spiders on a web line. There they stay hidden, waiting for things to turn ugly.
Everyone else takes their position.
Time passes, the sun sets, and darkness falls - the zooming lights of the cars on the highway above creating dim streaks of illumination as they go by. The underpass itself is pitch black, until the Steel Rats drop down some battery lanterns for Simon and the girls.
When the Redjacks finally show up, they arrive on both sides of the underpass at once. From the west, Wingman and two Gang Lieutenants ride up on motorcycles; each armed with a holstered pistol and police riot guns resting across their laps. Wingman (a large bleach-white haired Russian) also wears a police armored vest and has a string of four military hand grenades hanging from a bandolier across his chest.
From the east, two pickup trucks race up and screech to a stop blocking the road. Six gang members emerge from each, toting pistols and baseball bats.
Lights, from the motorcycles and trucks, beaming into Simon, Crystal, and Ethel's eyes make it hard to see the Redjacks.
Wingman stops about thirty feet from Simon and calls out – “Well? What do you want?”
-
"I'm in position." Butch says as the Redjacks set up.
"Try and draw out the gangsters into the streetrats, yeah?"
-
"No need" Crystal says quietly into her coms, leaning against a wall, her head down, eyes darting from side to side.
"We can kill them all where they stand, it's Tesla we have to worry about. Jacob, you have a bead on his lieutenants?"
-
Wingman stops about thirty feet from Simon and calls out – “Well? What do you want?”
Simon strikes a dramatic pose, only very slightly undermined by his diminutive stature and eclectic wardrobe.
"Revenge! We seek vengeance against the nefarious forces of LifeCyclon!
We heard they were trying to unjustly imprison your brother, just like they did to us."
---
Bluff 7 1d20 : 10, total 10
-
"... Jacob, you have a bead on his lieutenants?"
"Yeah, got them lined up," Jacob replies over the comlink.
-
"Yeah," Ethel pipes up, "Life Cyclon is filled with fascist-corporate pigs! We need to talk to your brother about it and protect him from their clutches!"
---
Bluff -3 1d20 : 9, total 9
vs.
Sense Motive 11 1d20 : 6, total 6
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BountyHeadBebop/Underpass%20Tactical%203_zps4qg8tnc4.png)
The Redjacks at the trucks advance to the edge of the underpass and stop there, grinning wickedly and brandishing their weapons with unabated anticipation. It's obvious that they mean to jump the team, which is somewhat unnerving.
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 3, total 3
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 17, total 17
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 16, total 16
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 7, total 7
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 19, total 19
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 3, total 3
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 12, total 12
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 6, total 6
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 11, total 11
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 16, total 16
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 6, total 6
Intimidate 9 MTN 10 1d20 : 3, total 3
Vs.
Simon Will Save 10 1d20 : 5, total 5
Crystal Will Save 14 1d20 : 10, total 10
Ethel Will Save 9 1d20 : 6, total 6
-
Gilbert continues to hide, not liking the recent turn of events.
-
"You're looking for Genny," Tesla states coldly; "Doesn't matter why. That's a problem."
The hardened Russian biker then flicks the high beams of his motorcycle on at the team - completely glaring himself and the two Lieutenants out momentarily.
Simon, Crystal, and Ethel do not see him pop two military hand grenades off his vest and ready to throw them into the underpass with them.
Jacob and Butch do notice however - and Jacob hisses over the comlink - "Grenades!"
---
Initiative
Tesla 9 1d20 : 6, total 6
Redjack LTs 11 1d20 : 7, total 7
Redjacks 11 1d20 : 3, total 3
Black Ace 13 1d20 : 7, total 7
Steel Rats 11 1d20 : 18, total 18
Jacob 14 1d20 : 13, total 13
Butch 13 1d20 : 13, total 13
Simon 13 1d20 : 19, total 19
Crystal 11 1d20 : 14, total 14
Ethel 14 1d20 : 2, total 2
Gilbert 10 1d20 : 17, total 17
-
Combat Round 1 - Post intentions irrespective of your Initiative roll - I will try to hash things out in that order, but may adjust as logic dictates.
---
Wave 1
Crystal 14 Surged
Butch 13 (Crit +1 Action)
Jacob 13
Black Ace 7
Ethel 7 Surged
Redjack LTs 7
Tesla 6
Redjacks 3
Wave 2
Simon 19
Steel Rats 18
Gilbert 14
-
"Goddamit" Crystal hisses under her breath, fumbling for the right detonator.
She sets off the lower right c4 charge first, and then the lower left one, hoping the sudden explosion will stun Tesla quickly enough for the others to stop him from letting the grenades loose.
She burns a surge point so that she can set off her explosives before anyone else moves into the blast radius.
-
OOC - Unless anyone wants to go before Crystal, she will set off the claymores before anyone else, so post accordingly (presuming there will be some survivors after the explosions).
-
Gilbert hides ever harder, but makes sure that the ship is prepared if they have to leave in a hurry.
-
Gilbert can take comfort knowing that he is behind a moderately armored hull.
-
Ethel lets out a light yelp as he action begins, adrenaline pumping as she participates in an experience mostly foreign to her. She will almost immediately set off whichever explosives she personally set (if Crystal hadn't done so already) and surge to tranquilize Tesla before he can release his grenades, shooting at him with her special-edition Ninja-handcrossbow, hoping that he'll fall over and they won't accidentally kill him.
She will then hunker down in a defense action, trying to figure out if it's necessary to take out her pistols.
-
Butch, now with 4 actions, quickly firing his sawwed off shutgun at Tesla, filled with thumper rounds.
-
Simon tries very hard not to be killed by any of the explosions.
If he lives, he does his best to curse Wingman (killjoy.)
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BountyHeadBebop/Underpass%20Tactical%204_zpslm8cyvv4.png)
Round 1
Crystal’s two claymores go off with a thunderous boom – catching all but one very lucky Redjack in their blast; completely trashing the motorcycles and chewing up front of both pickup trucks.
All of the Redjacks hit take 16 Damage and are seriously wounded – Crying out in both shock and pain.
Tesla Reaction Save 8 1d20 : 19, total 19
LT1 Reaction Save 8 1d20 : 19, total 19
LT2 Reaction Save 8 1d20 : 13, total 13
---
Butch Meanwhile, fires both barrels of his sawed-off at Tesla from the gutted rowhouse – loaded with thumper rounds.
Butch Ranged 12 1d20 : 13, total 13
---
Almost Simultaneously, a crack rings out from off the roof of the abandoned elementary school – Jacob’s aimed shot at one of the LT’s head.
Jacob Ranged 18+2X MTN 10 1d20 : 6, total 6
---
With explosions going off underneath him, Black Ace drops down on a line with a submachine gun in each hand and unloads on the other Lieutenant.
Black Ace Ranged 12 1d20 : 10, total 10
---
The one Redjack outside the blasts, drops the bat he was holding and flees through the blasted section of the eight foot high wooden wall this side of the grassy knoll.
The rest of the Redjacks try to recover their wits and will either ‘fight or flight’ the next round (unless blowed up the rest of the way first).
-
Tesla and the two Lieutenants also take 16 Damage each from the claymores.
With a Luck Point, Butch hits Tesla with the thumper rounds for 20 Damage. It almost KO’s the Russian biker, but Tesla Surges to resist.
Jacob also burns a Luck Point to raise his die-roll by 4. His shot slams into the LT’s skull for 26 Damage straight to wounds – blowing the man’s head into unrecognizable chunks.
Black Ace does 18 Damage, as his bursts thud into the second Lieutenant, seriously wounding him and bringing him to 1 Wound Point left.
The Lieutenant brings up his riotgun, as Tesla makes to throw the grenades he miraculously still has in hand – but then Ethel’s pipe bombs all detonate with loud thuds and metallic pings.
All but one of the remaining Redjacks drops to the ground - dead from additional 10 Damage each.
Tesla Reaction Save 8 2d20 : 8, 14, total 22
-
The second Lieutenant is miraculously unharmed by Ethel’s pipe bombs, while Tesla’s armored vest soaks all of both blasts.
Tesla’s grenades are tossed at Simon, Ethel, and Crystal and the second Lieutenant fires his riot gun at Crystal.
Tesla Ranged 12 2d20 : 1, 19, total 20
Simon Dodge 6 1d20 : 20, total 20
Ethel Dodge 11 1d20 : 17, total 17
Crystal Dodge 11 1d20 : 2, total 2
Simon Reaction Save 8 1d20 : 17, total 17
Ethel Reaction Save 9 1d20 : 14, total 14
Crystal Reaction Save 8 1d20 : 5, total 5
Second LT Ranged 12 1d20 : 12, total 12
Crystal Dodge 11 1d20 : 3, total 3
-
Tesla’s first grenade bounces off Simon’s shoe and rolls to a stop right by Crystal. Crystal dives down before the thing goes off and is unharmed, except for a loud ringing in her ears. Simon and Ether each try to hit the deck, but are both shredded with shrapnel for 17 Damage.
Both Simon and Ethel burn Luck for half damage.
The second grenade goes long and explodes just outside of Simon’s range. Crystal is hit by this one for 20 Damage, while Ethel takes 25.
Crystal burns Luck for half damage, while Ethel saves her luck, but is Disabled by the blast.
Crystal is then nailed in the chest with buckshot for a 20 Damage Crit! She burns two more Luck to counter the Crit and halve damage – letting her armor save her life.
Simon manages to get Killjoy off, negatively altering Tesla’s flow of chi, while the rest of the Steel Rats zip down to join the fray.
---
In the ship meanwhile, Gilbert feels the thudding blasts of the explosives as they go off. Yep... probably a good thing he isn’t out there.
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BountyHeadBebop/Underpass%20Tactical%205_zpsiltruyuz.png)
Combat Round 2 - Post intentions irrespective of your Initiative roll - Good Luck!
---
Wave 1
Crystal 17
Butch 17
Jacob 16
Tesla 15
Redjack LT 14
Black Ace 7
Ethel 7
Redjack 3
Wave 2
Simon 19
Steel Rats 18
Gilbert 14
-
"Simon!"
Crystal exclaims, struggling to her feet, ears ringing from the blast.
"Get Ethel out of here! Now, GO!"
She looks menacingly at Tesla and his remaining lieutenant, holding out both her hands as if to display their contents. One holds a detonator. The other holds her worn military issue sidearm.
"I have two more bombs set to blow, there are dozens of us all around you, your men are all dead, our sniper has a bead on your man over there" She jerks her head towards the lieutenant, "and our gunner in the house has his sights set on you."
She holds up the detonator threateningly.
"Put your Farking weapons down. Now."
Then, quietly, almost as if an afterthought, she says "no one else has to die today."
If Tesla and the lieutenant even look like they're about to attack anyway, Crystal will run for cover and let the steel rats, butch and jacob handle the rest of the fighting.
No way she's staying out here to die pointlessly, after all.
-
"Holy Fark you guys are brutal!" Black Ace shouts - aiming to take down that pesky lieutenant if he moves. The rest of the Steel Rats gape in awe, before half of them start running after the escaping Redjack.
"There he goes! Get him!"
-
"Farking might have made a deal with you if you hadn't brought the street rats!" Tesla growls - his eyes glittering with rage - "I'd rather die a man on my feet than a pussy on my knees!"
With that he pull his last two grenades off his bandolier and Surges to throw them first - it is clear he intended to take as many of the team with him as he can.
-
"HELL YEAH!!!" the 1 hit point lieutenant screams, Surging as well, to fire another shot with his riot gun before anyone can take him down.
-
Jacob Surges to shoot at Tesla before he can drop the hammer on his teammates.
---
Jacob Ranged 18+2X MTN 10 1d20 : 8, total 8
-
Crystal surges to get out of the blast area of the grenades/line of sight of the lieutenant.
Not going to die today.
-
Butch Surges to intereupt Jacob and Tesla, with another thumper blast at the gangster.
"Gonna take Tesla out!" He shouts into hiss comlink.
---
Butch Ranged 12 1d20 : 8, total 8
-
Simon jinxes Tesla's grenade throwing. If he tries to use luck to counter, Simon will surge to jinx him again.
Meanwhile, He tries to get Ethel to safety. She did get him locked up at LifeCyclon, but that's not really a reason to let her die.
-
Dammit, owch... Damn ringing in my ears.... Hurts to move... Best to just...
(OOC: Escape Death Luck Option is still a thing, right? Right? XD)
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BountyHeadBebop/Underpass%20Tactical%206_zpsmh3c7vzx.png)
Crystal, in a remarkable show of speed for such a petite woman, sprints out from the underpass and ducks out of sight – as Simon ties to drag Ethel after.
Butch, having reloaded his sawed-off, blasts Tesla in the chest with two more thumper rounds for 38 Damage – though only 9 points get through, due to armor and 1/2 Damage to wound points.
It’s not enough to drop him – but Jacob’s head shot is… putting Tesla’s lights out for good, with 22 Damage straight to wounds.
As Tesla falls over dead, the two grenades he was holding clatter to the ground.
“Damn, that sucks…” the Redjack Lieutenant says, before two explosions end him with shrapnel.
When it’s all over, Black Ace hoots in victory.
“Asshole got what was coming to him! Yeah!!!”
A few moments later, the Steel Rats that had gone after the Rejack who fled, return with him in-tow.
Apparently someone shot him in the leg.
---
Combat is over. Ethel needs Healed or Stabilized.
-
Crystal curses under her breath at the loss of Tesla but runs over to Ethel regardless, pulling out her medical tools as she does so.
She takes out a dose of super-coag and carefully injects ethel with it - no need to rush, she's not quite dying at the moment.
Confident that the drug'll stop the blood loss, Crystal asks Simon to help carry Ethel into the ship - where she can work on her without the watching eyes of the Steel Rats.
Should he do so, Crystal will lay Ethel out on one of the beds and begin concentrating on her wounds, fusing the broken flesh and bone back together through the power of her gift. (Close Wounds).
She spends luck as necessary to avoid a psychotic break or increased psychosis.
She also speaks over the comlink as she works on the injured scientist - "Anyone else badly hurt by the fighting?"
She winces as she kneels on an injured knee - that'll bruise. Not too bad though, given how close she'd been to getting killed out there.
---
Willpower 14 1d20 : 13, total 13
Psychosis 10 1d20 : 5, total 5
-
"Fark." Butch mutters, looking at Tesla's splattered brains.
"Prolly didn't deserve this." He says, reloading his gun.
"Someone gather up the equip. We need to get the redjacket talkin'." Butch says, looking around at the sweet shit (especially the motorcycles).
"The best workin' bike is mine." He then adds.
-
"seriously? Out of everyone here, you pick the one guy shorter than you to carry someone?" Simon grumbles. He does help Ethel into the ship, though, and watches Crystal's work with interest.
"How are you doing that?"
-
Taking a quick look, butch sees that the motorcycles are completely farked. One of the trucks looks like it might still run with a little repair work, but all the tires are flat.
The Steel Rats keep their prisoner in line, while Black Ace collects the riot guns and a few pistols for his team.
Telsla's armored vest might be worth salvaging if someone want to remove it from the bloody corpse.
-
With the Super-Coag and Crystal's psychic healing, Ethel feels her wounds close and bits of shrapnel literally oozing out from her body to drop to the floor. She feels alarmingly better, yet winded, and only has superficial scrapes and cuts left.
-
"How are you doing that?"
Relieved that she didn't suffer a psychotic attack, Crystal slumps her shoulders and smiles at Ethel.
"You good Ethel?"
Looking towards Simon she shrugs.
"Don't know, really. Just have to picture the wounds disappearing and then -" she puts her hands into the air and moves them, as if a wind was blowing them away.
"They just do. There's a little strain, a little push. Then I feel something, - I don't know what, give. Then whoever i'm trying to help is better."
She puts her hands back down to the floor and pushes herself up.
"Sometimes it doesn't work though. Things go wrong. A lot of people aren't strong enough to keep on using their powers. They go insane."
She shrugs again, almost as if out of habit.
"I haven't done so yet, so here's to that, huh?"
Crystal begins putting away her medical supplies.
-
Taking a quick look, butch sees that the motorcycles are completely farked. One of the trucks looks like it might still run with a little repair work, but all the tires are flat.
The Steel Rats keep their prisoner in line, while Black Ace collects the riot guns and a few pistols for his team.
Telsla's armored vest might be worth salvaging if someone want to remove it from the bloody corpse.
"Damn shame." Butch mutters with a shakibg of his head.
"Woulda loved a ride." He mutters.
-
"Hey, you can get another bike man," Black Ace says to Butch; "The rest of the gang holds up at a strip club about two miles from here."
"So, uhm... where's that military chick with the rest of our payment?"
-
"Not interested in shitty bikes small timers have. Tesla had a sweet ride." Butch says, shaking his head. "Real sweet."
"As for 'millitary chick," butch says with a chuckle, "you'll probably want to drop those guns before she shows up with the cash. Brutal bitch, if I can say so outta earshot." He then adds.
-
"Oh yeah, no problem," Black Ace replies to Butch, handing over the three riot guns.
Then motioning to the Redjack, he asks, "What ya want to do with him?"
-
Butch nods, as he takes the guns.
"Yeah, we need to see if he knows anything about Tesla's brother. Need to catch him." Butch says with a shrug.
"You guys any good at interrogating?"
-
"Of course," the Steel Rats smile, cracking their knuckles and loosening up like they're going to start karate fighting or something...
"Hey, now wait a minute!" The lone Redjack yells - "No need for that shit! I'll tell you anything you want! Fark those Redjacks man! I want out of it! You got to take me with you - get me off this rock. Do that and I'll sing like a farking canary."
"Damn man..." Black Ace frowns, "I ain't never seen such a pitiful snitch."
-
"Yeah?" the Redjack scoffs back, "You think I can go back with Wingman and the LTs dead? Go back as the only one who survived the ambush? They'll farking kill me for not fighting to the death alongside the rest."
Then to Butch he pleads, "What do you say man? You know how it is, right? Get me out of this, I'm beggin ya!"
-
Butch nods.
"We'll see. Depends on what you know." Butch says.
"Speak first, fly later."
-
"Yeah, OK,” The Redjack replies, “The name’s ‘Tubbs’ by the way.”
“Wingman is, er… was, hiding his brother in the basement of The Friendly Kitty. That’s the strip club where the gang hangs out.”
“His brother had this large washing machine, or something, and was lugging it around. That’s what the suits were after. Offered a lot of green for it too. Wingman decided to take the green and keep the machine. Planned on milking that scam as long as he could. Hell, we figured you for an easy mark haha!”
“Man, you farked that all to hell. Damn.”
“Anyway, I don't know why, but Wingman recently called in an order for thirty ounces of C-4 for his bro.”
“What is that guy anyway? Some kind of terrorist? You don't think he's got a nuke do ya? Would that much C-4 set one off? Damn! We need to get out of this town ..."
“Is that good enough for a ticket? I mean, come on man, you can’t leave me here! I played the game, now it’s your turn to deliver.”
-
"Tubbs?" Butch asks with a chuckle. "No wonder you want out."
"Anyways, I dont see why not, but Ill have to check with the group." Butch says.
He then looks at Black Ace.
"Looks like we'll be heading to the strip club anyways." Butch says, shrugging. He then uses his internal comlink to send to the group, "think we'll need to take out black ace?"
-
"Huh?"
Crystal says over the coms,
"Why would we take out Black Ace?"
Assuming Butch fills them in on the situation, she responds - "Ah. Tell Black Ace that his hit on the Redjacks isn't done until we wipe out the gang. He won't be paid in full until the gang is wiped in full, especially considering how... Lacking his aid has been in the recent fight."
As for Tubbs, i don't mind if we bring him. Hell, if Montoya likes the guy then he can join the crew. His choice after all, he's captain."
Finishin with packing up her stuff, Crystal heads out and eyes all the dead Redjacks bodies.
"Hey Tubbs, you think the guys at the strip club'll put up a fight?"
-
"Alright, I guess. You sure you want them close to the prize?" Butch vibrates over.
-
Crystal nods to Butch, unable to send back a telepathic response the way he is.
We can just kill them all afterwards. Besides, if what i'm considering works out, they'll be too afraid of us to attack anyway.
-
"Hey, Black Ace. Think you can muster up a bit of force for the remainder of them Redjacks?" Butch asks.
"You get the rival gang dead, and we dont get pissed for paying you to look pretty."
-
Black Ace looks at the slaughtered Redjacks and grins.
"Oh yeah, give us thirty minutes and we'll meet you at the Friendly Kitty."
-
"Hey Tubbs, you think the guys at the strip club'll put up a fight?"
Tubbs meanwhile, answers Butch as well.
"Of course they'll put up a fight - but there's a back entrance into the basement, under the Friendly Kitty. If you're after Wingman's brother, maybe you can snatch him outa the basement without having to tangle with the rest of the gang."
-
Gilbert Computers 15+2X MTN 10 1d20 : 10, total 10
-
In the Plan B meanwhile, one of Gilbert's computers alerts him to an aircraft hovering over the area - out of sight against the black night sky and far enough away not to be heard by those on the ground ...
-
Safe and sound now that most of the enemies are dead, Gilbert checks to see if he can find the schematics for the strip club. He'll then address the crew on his com:
"Guys, we're still being followed. There's an aircraft high above us right now."
He'll then check to see if it is a hackable target (though he won't try to hack into it yet).
-
All Gilbert finds for The Friendly Kitty is a local advert - describing it simply as a triple X strip bar in Little Jersey’s red light district, not too far from the overpass.
As for the aircraft overhead, Gilbert finds that it doesn't have an active ship's computer - which means that it's most likely a helicopter (and not currently hackable).
-
"Probably the feds." Butch sends.
-
Shifting back to consciousness, Ethel gasps as she sits up. Flexing her fingers and turning her neck every which way, she smiles at the notion of staying alive. She struggles to say anything at first, studying Crystal very carefully, silent. She rolls off the bed and begins to casually stretch, eyes still fixated on Crystal.
"That was... Amazing. I feel really great!" She grins, "That was a close one... man, I gotta be more careful. Would hate to have to depend on you like that again... But it's great you're in such control on those, uh, abilities of yours. Thank you so much, Crystal." The girl contemplates hugging her savior, but decides against it with a nervous laugh.
"So uh, what now? Catch Genny from under the strip-club, right? I don't wanna get into another firefight, hehe..."
-
Crystal thinks back to some of the fights on Titan.
The natives would sometimes engage in acts of terrifying brutality when the fighting got really bad. Meant to demoralize them and make them want to leave the moon - as if anyone had ever wanted to stay.
It never stopped them from fighting, since giving in usually just meant the same fate they were trying to avoid. Scared the shit out of them though.
The natives did win that war.
Maybe they were onto something.
"Black Ace, I want you to cut off the heads of every single dead redjack here except for Tesla and his lieutenants. Bring them with you to the stripclub in an hour.
Everyone else, help me pull Tesla and the lieutenants onto our ship."
She narrows her eyes at the news about the ship/helicopter following them.
"Gilbert, you think you can ram the helicopter or would that be stupid?"
-
Butch looks at Crystal, eyebrow raised.
"I dont think I'm gonna like this." He mutters.
-
"Ram it? With what?" Gilbert asks with a distinct tone of skepticism.
-
"What else would you ram it with? The scout ship. Does it look sturdy enough that it could withstand a hit or do you think you could destroy the blades by letting them break themselves on Plan B?"
-
"Black Ace, I want you to cut off the heads of every single dead redjack here except for Tesla and his lieutenants. Bring them with you to the stripclub in an hour.
"You're joking?!?" Black Ace replies appalled, but looking into Crystal's deadpan face, he gulps - "You're not joking..."
Throwing up his hands he sighs and then directs his men to drag the dead Redjacks over to the grassy knoll, where the Steel Rats can practice a little 'swordplay' without damaging their blades on the pavement.
"All right, he agrees, eleven heads in a duffle (or two) - yeah, whatever it takes."
-
Tubbs meanwhile, rubs his hand across his own neck, looking a little pale.
-
"This is getting ridiculous." Simon states flatly. "I thought we were supposed to be bounty hunters. You're worse than the people we're supposed to be catching."
-
"Don't be ridiculous, they're dead!" Crystal snaps.
"If we scare the others badly enough we might not have to kill anyone else. Do you think i'm telling you to do this for shits and giggles? Man the Fark up you goddamn pussies. There's nothing you can do to these poor idiots anymore that's worse than what we've already done."
-
"Not everyone is as pragmatic as you, Crys. I'd much rather be left to rot then sliced up fer parts." Butch says with a grimace.
"Hopefully they surrender from this, but I don't like it."
-
"What else would you ram it with? The scout ship. Does it look sturdy enough that it could withstand a hit or do you think you could destroy the blades by letting them break themselves on Plan B?"
Gilbert ponders over the possibility of being stranded on this planet in this dirt poor neighbourhood surrounded by gang members, versus how awesome it would be to ram the ship into a helicopter.
He then exits the ship, not wanting to risk himself.
"Alright... let's try it out", he says, trying to contain his excitement as he attempts to remote fly it into the helicopter.
-
"Uh..."
Ethel brings a finger to her cheek as she considers the situation. She's witnessed autopsies and dissections before, and they served a purpose, similar to this. But what if they don't surrender..?
"You know, scaring a bunch of low-lifes is something I've always supported, but can we just... Avoid this? Sneak in, grab Genny and leave? It's much more efficient. Cleaner too."
-
Crystal rolls her eyes.
"If Genny is anything like his brother taking him quietly is not an option. Too risky."
-
Ethel frowns, crossing her arms. "If Genny is anything like his brother he'll blow the place to kingdom-come before we get him. It's safer and smarter this way."
-
Crystal frowns.
"Then feel free to take three Steel rats and Butch and go through the back yourself while we do things the other way around."
-
"... Um, okay," Ethel shrugs, scratching her head. "That might work out better anyway."
-
"You don't mind do you Butch? It's just that you have the thumper rounds."
She pauses.
"Depending on how things go we might not have to stir up the redjacks. So... don't Fark up."
And when you do, we can pull your asses out of the fire.
"Now - I do believe Gilbert is about to ram that helicopter out of the sky with Plan B. Everyone enjoy the fireworks. Maybe take some cover."
Crystal pulls out her cellphone to immortalize the moment in digital glory.
-
Gilbert will attempt to have the on board camera of the ship (which is totally has, right?) record the footage as well. For science purposes, of course.
---
Gilbert Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 16, total 16
Pilot 13 1d20 : 9, total 9
Goons x3 12 3d20 : 12, 2, 8, total 22
-
Butch shrugs.
"Sounds good."
-
Gilbert launches the Plan B up out of its hiding place, causing the burned-out residence to cave-in on itself afterwards.
Montoya's scout ship streaks into the night sky and out of sight from those on the ground.
From the ship camera however, those watching, see the ship quickly approach a black helicopter, hovering in place.
Three burst of automatic gunfire are directed at the Plan B from some goons in an open hatch on the side of the helicopter - as the pilot tries to dodge the incoming scout ship.
The Plan B is hit by automatic gunfire for 16 AP Damage, 16 Damage, and 22 Damage - though the Ship's armor soaks 30 of it.
The black helicopter doesn't get out of the way in time and is clipped by the Plan B - both ships taking 26 AP Damage!
---
Gilbert Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 14, total 14
Pilot 13 1d20 : 3, total 3
Goons 12 4d20 : 2, 19, 3, 12, total 36
-
The black helicopter tries to separate and opens up at the Plan B again, this time with four goons at the hatch. The Plan B is riddled with more bullets, taking 16, 17, and 26 AP Damage!
Before Gilbert can ram the helicopter again, control of the Plan B is lost and a fiery spiral is seen plummeting from the night sky, to explode in a ball of flames a mile or so away in some poor slum neighborhood.
The helicopter, still unseen by those on the ground, limps away with considerable damage ...
-
"Uh, shit." Butch mutters.
"Anyone good at fixing cars?"
-
Jacob meanwhile, comes down from the roof of the abandoned elementary school to meet with the rest in the underpass.
Watching the fiery trail drop from the sky, he looks at Gilbert and says flatly, "Tell me that wasn't our ride, falling out of the air just now."
As this goes on, Black Ace says, "It's only an hour's walk from here. Four blocks down this road, turn left on Carlson Ave, then stay right when it runs into Vice Street. You'll see it on the left side of the road about a mile and a half down - big sign - 'Friendly Kitty' out front."
"See you there in say... and hour and fifteen."
Black Ace then joins his men on the grassy knoll, where a few of the Steel Rats have tried out various sword draws on the dead Redjacks. The messy display is proving more difficult to pull off that the Samurai movies make it out to be - with a broken katana or two and more than one pile of vomit, where someone lost their lunch during the proceedings ...
-
Simon watches with an unusual lack of emotion as their ship is destroyed by the helicopter.
"Huh. I guess that's what you get for being a ghoul."
-
Crystal calls out, almost frantically - "Fluffy? Fluffy, where are you! Fluffy!"
(Luck point spent on plot twist)
-
Fluffy barks and comes padding out from the grassy knoll where he had wandered over to watch the Steel Rats.
He must have inadvertently followed Crystal, when she left the ship the last time.
-
Ethel Mechanics 11 1d20 : 14, total 14
-
With a Luck point, Ethel is able to cannibalize some components and tires from one of the blasted trucks to make the other drivable - albeit with two regular tires on the front and a spare tire and a flat tire on the back.
By the time she is done, Black Ace and the Steel Rats have left, to go get duffle bags and an axe or a chainsaw; having decided that snicking off heads with their swords just ain't cutting it.
-
Crystal sighs in relief and picks up Fluffy, burying her head in the destroyer's fur.
"Oh, I was so worried about you."
Done caring over her guard dog, the psychic sets her down and addresses Ethel.
"Okay. Ethel, you want Tesla's armour? Don't need you getting hurt too badly again. I can't heal the dead you know."
-
"Nice." Butch says with a nod. "Lets head to the club."
He then gets into the drivers seat.
-
"Y-yea." Ethel states, shuddering at the thought of being incapacitated again. Taking the armor and smiling at her craftsmanship, she gets in the car.
"Let's get going then." She grins, "Gonna need that money or Montoya's gonna freak."
-
"You, uh, you sure you don't want to wash it off or something?" Crystal suggests.
-
"Why?" Ethel looks at her quizzicaly. "It looks totally radical like this. I'm never washing this memento!"
-
"It's covered in bits and pieces of Tesla".
After all, his head was exploded while he was wearing it... Among other things.
-
Gilbert stares into the distance, wonder just what went wrong in his calculations for the ramming plan to not work.
"Damn... I, uh, really thought that would work. That was a terrible suggestion, Crystal."
He says, trying to deflect blame away from himself.
-
Crystal shrugs,
"Hey, you didn't have to fly it in for a second run"
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BountyHeadBebop/FreindlyKitty1_zpsd1to7uza.png)
The Friendly Kitty
After piling into the dilapidated truck and driving down the directions given by Black Ace, the team arrives at the Friendly Kitty in a rundown section of Little Jersey’s red light district.
A large neon sign, out front of a one-story strip club, depicts a white moon silhouetting a sleek pussycat. The parking lot is full of motorcycles and a few white vans with a distinct 'rape vibe' going for them. Loud club music thumps out from the windowless building, which at this hour of the night, is probably in full swing.
On the west side of The Friendly Kitty is the burned-out shell of an old warehouse, while on the east is a fenced off self-storage facility. South, behind The Friendly Kitty sits a large auto junkyard, accessible from a side street. The main entrance into the parking lot is off Vice Street, which is on the north side of the building.
No one is currently out on the street, or in the parking lot, and the team sees no signs of Black Ace or any Steel Rats...
-
"Basement door is around back," Tubbs whispers - even though there's no way anyone inside would hear anyone outside with all that loud music blaring.
Tubbs lays extra low in the truck bed as well, praying to the 'good lord' that no one sees him in here with the team.
-
Crystal leans against the truck.
"Let's all wait another 10 minutes for Black Ace to show up. If he's not here we'll have to make some serious changes to the plan."
She also tries to look for anything "off" in the surrounding area.
---
Perception 13 1d20 : 17, total 17
-
Gilbert attempts to hack into the strip club's security system feed, to see what the cameras can currently see.
---
Computers 17+2X 1d20 : 8, total 8
-
"Black Ace said he'd be here in an hour." Butch says. "Saved a lot of time by driving."
"And, Tubbs, where is Tesla's brother held? And his 'washing machine?"
-
"He's not being held," Tubbs replies, "He's hiding out in the basement."
"Uhm... Maybe we shouldn't be parked out front in plain sight though, right?" he adds nervously.
"Could go park on that side street, down there on the other side of the junkyard..." he suggests hopefully.
-
Gilbert meanwhile, finds no web presence for the Friendly Kitty at all, save for the one page he had seen already, which simply had an address and basic info on it.
-
As Crystal scans the surroundings, she notes a security camera on The Friendly Kitty, overlooking the front entrance and parking lot...
-
Whilst waiting, Ethel tries to see if she can patch herself up any-more. "So, uh, 'Tubbs', who's gonna be in the back with Genny?"
---
First Aid 11 1d20 : 1, total 1
-
Crystal leans against the truck.
"Let's all wait another 10 minutes for Black Ace to show up. If he's not here we'll have to make some serious changes to the plan."
"What exactly was the plan again? We ram the truck into the strip club?"
-
"He's not being held," Tubbs replies, "He's hiding out in the basement."
"Uhm... Maybe we shouldn't be parked out front in plain sight though, right?" he adds nervously.
"Could go park on that side street, down there on the other side of the junkyard..." he suggests hopefully.
Butch nods.
"Can't hurt, I guess." He says, driving over to the side street.
"What exactly was the plan again? We ram the truck into the strip club?"
"Me an' Ethel are heading into the basement to grab Genny. You guys' job is to make sure we don't get caught. Cause a ruckus, I guess."
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BountyHeadBebop/FreindlyKitty1_zpsd1to7uza.png)
"We should probably move out of here." Crystal says, in agreement with Tubbs.
"They've for a security camera on us right now. Must be old school, since Gilbert can't find any trace of it."
-
Whilst waiting, Ethel tries to see if she can patch herself up any-more. "So, uh, 'Tubbs', who's gonna be in the back with Genny?"
"Oh, nobody goes down there," Tubbs answers, "He has the whole basement to himself."
-
Butch drives the beat-up truck over to the side road that leads into the auto salvage yard and parks it - which now offers plenty of cover for the team to approach The Friendly Kitty from the south.
There doesn't seem to be any cameras out back either.
Still no sign of the Steel Rats...
-
"That's it. I'm tired of waiting." Simon gets out of the truck and heads for the Kitty.
-
Crystal purses her lips angrily.
"Seems they're not coming. Okay, new plan - we all go in through the back."
She tries to think for a second as to whether or not the firearms would be too loud to use in the club.
"Simon, you wanna go in and rile up the Redjacks? Gilbert, you can stay out here and keep an eye for the rats or whoever those Farkers on the helicopter were to come by. I'll join Ethel and Butch going in. Jacob, you think you should stay out here and help keep Gil safe or you coming in with us?"
-
"Oh, nobody goes down there," Tubbs answers, "He has the whole basement to himself."
"Wait, so what does he do down there?" Ethel raises an eyebrow.
-
Butch nods.
"Lets go." Butch says. "If those steelrats are screwing us, I'm gonna rip them apart." He then mutters.
-
"Wait, so what does he do down there?" Ethel raises an eyebrow.
"I guess he's just hiding from the suits," Tubbs speculates.
"... Jacob, you think you should stay out here and help keep Gil safe or you coming in with us?"
Jacob meanwhile, hops out of the truck.
"Gilbert will be fine. He's got Tubbs to watch his back. I'm going in."
-
The team makes it to the backside of the Friendly Kitty with no problem.
On this side of the building is a back door, a closed scrolling metal door, and a stairwell dropping down ten feet to a basement door.
Club music continues to thump and blare loudly from within. It wouldn't be enough to completely muffle gunfire, but the team does need to raise their voices to hear each other speaking (even over the comlinks).
As everyone takes this in, they suddenly realize that Tubbs isn't with them anymore ...
-
Butch heads down, and examines the basement door, making sure it isn't boobytrapped.
"Anyone got any specific plans, or just you guys followin' my lead?"
-
Crystal shrugs.
"You're the quiet one."
She pulls out her stun baton and tosses Ethel her sap.
She then motions for Butch to "Lead the way".
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BountyHeadBebop/FreindlyKitty3_zpsqktm0mfr.png)
Opening the basement door (which scraps the floor as it swings), Butch, Crystal, Ethel, and Jacob see a storage room, used by the club to store supplies.
Genny Putkoff is holed-up in the basement on the other side of the storage room, where a cot and table have been set up, near a large washing machine-shaped device.
Genny is just finishing up some work on the device, which, when he steps away, reveals a red digital timer counting down from 60.
Genny hasn't looked in the team's direction yet, but immediately bolts over to the side of the basement. Apparently, he's trying to escape out one of the windows under the ventilation grates.
---
Initiative
Genny 12 1d20 : 12, total 12
Butch 13 1d20 : 8, total 8
Jacob 14 1d20 : 4, total 4
Simon 13 1d20 : 10, total 10
Crystal 11 1d20 : 9, total 9
Ethel 12 1d20 : 17, total 17
Gilbert 10 1d20 : 17, total 17
-
Combat Round 1 - Post intentions irrespective of your Initiative roll - I will try to hash things out in that order, but may adjust as logic dictates.
---
Wave 1
Genny 12 (Crit, Extra Action)
Simon 10
Crystal 9
Butch 8
Jacob 4
Wave 2
Ethel 17
Gilbert 17
-
Crystal calls out - "Genny, Tesla let us in! We're here to help you, we know you were framed!"
If this fails, she'll try to chase after him with the stun baton or, if she thinks she won't be able to catch up to him, pull out her gun and threaten to shoot if he doesn't stop (and if he doesn't stop, of course, she'll shoot).
Hopefully I can buy enough time for Butch to shoot...
-
Butch nods, (and if Genny doesnt stop running out) he quickly charges foward, surges, and fires a thumper round. Genny needs to go down.
"Gil! Drive the car to block the grate!" He shouts
-
Ethel takes a second to examine the device. Is it a bomb?
Assuming it isn't, she'll run out the back and try to catch Genny that way, but if it is some sort of bomb she'd have to rush in and try to disable it.
-
Outside, Simon hears the screech of a metal grate being opened, and looking, sees Genny Putkoff, trying to climb up out of it from below!
At the same time, Simon also sees a long, white armored, limo screech to a stop out in front of The Friendly Kitty; while a camera drone suddenly flies in from overhead.
The immediately recognizable Cold Rock Johnson jumps out of the limo, in a loud Hawaiian shirt, and begins sprinting toward the side of the building where Genny is emerging!
A six man security team in riot gear with assault rifles also pulls up in a white SUV and fans out - covering Cold Rock and the parking lot.
Two more camera drones whiz by; and a cameraman in a flak jacket emerges from the limo to start filming.
Down in the basement meanwhile, Butch surges across the room and grabs Genny's legs as he tries to escape. Genny is no match for Butch and is easily pulled back down.
"No! There's a bomb! We have to get out of here!" Genny cries in alarm!
As this goes on, Ethel confirms that there is in fact a rather huge bomb set to go off if 54 seconds. With this much C-4, it will level the entire building!
---
Ethel Disable Device 15 MTN 15 1d20 : 7, total 7
-
Attempting to disarm the bomb, Ethel realizes how incredibly complex the system is. It's almost like it was intentionally designed so that it couldn't be shut down.
In fact, as Ethel explores the various wires and circuitry, trying to figure it out, she watches in horror as her efforts cause the timer to skip ahead a full 10 seconds!
Now the red countdown reads "44 Seconds" and counting down . . .
-
Combat Round 2 - Post intentions irrespective of your Initiative roll - I will try to hash things out in that order, but may adjust as logic dictates.
---
Wave 1
Cold Rock Johnson & Team 15
Butch 13
Genny 12
Simon 10
Crystal 9
Jacob 4
Wave 2
Ethel 17
Gilbert 17
-
(After Gilbert informs them of the coming threat).
"How big is the blast radius!" Crystal yell into Genny's face
-
Panicking, Genny starts to ramble mathematical calculations a moment - then blurts out, "two hundred and five foot diameter!"
---
OOC - 44 Lethal Damage
-
"....Holy shit." Butch mutters.
"We need to get the Fark outta here." Butch says, worriedly.
-
Simon decides to dramatically obstacle Cold Rock's approach, blocking his access to the Kitty while warning the legendary Hunter to flee the imminent explosion. (Maybe if Cold Rock doesn't go in, the team can sneak Genny out the back?)
Odds are, the massive sports-entertainer will just trample the diminutive rock star, but perhaps either his flashy clothing or the word "bomb" will cause a momentary hesitation.
-
As Cold Rock Johnson approaches, Simon steps up to him.
Cold Rock slows and smiles, reaching to pat Simon on the shoulder and exclaiming loudly, "Ya did good! Got him trapped like rat! I had no doubt!"
When Simon mentions the bomb, Cold Rock replies without backing away - "A bomb? That's unexpected; the desperate fiend! Come tell Julian all about it?"
A reporter of sorts trots over to Cold Rock and Simon, while the cameraman zooms in on Simon's face.
"Hot Damn!" the reporter says - "you're Simon Mayham haha!"
"The 'old mayhem' can't stay out of mayhem!" Cold Rock laughs, "am I right or what?"
"You say he's got a bomb?" the reporter interrupts, everyone still well in the blast radius (if the info Simon heard over the comlick is to be believed) . . .
-
Crystal hisses under her breath.
"Come on, we have to run out the back. We need to try and keep cold rock and the others in the blast radius while we escape it. We can fix up the cameramen, kill Cold Rock and those other guys and destroy the footage afterwards. Simon, you getting this?"
-
Ethel bites her lip, engaged in disarming the bomb. Dammit, this bomb is beyond me-- why the heck was Genny making a bomb? The chances of me getting this right gotta be really low... But existent, right?
(2 luck points to raise Ethel's 7-roll by 8 to 15, critting it to disable the bomb)
-
you want me to wait here in the bomb radius and stall him?
Simon preens just a little for the camera. "It's a plot to assassinate Cold Rock! The bomb has a 200 ft blast radius, they're counting on murdering us all!"
-
From under the safety of his tarp, Gilbert will attempt to gain control of the three remote cameras (with a surge for the third), but will do nothing to make the people suspect they have lost control of the cameras yet.
---
Computers 17+2X MTN 15 3d20 : 13, 2, 15, total 30
-
"Two hundred feet?!? Got Damn!" Cold Rock exclaims, "we better back up a bit!"
Everyone starts moving back, expecting Simon to follow of course.
"Where's your team? Are they still in there? Are there other people in the club?" Julian asks with great concern, looking at all the motorcycles and vans out front.
-
Gilbert meanwhile, manages to hack covert control over two of Cold Rock's camera drones.
-
Moving out of range with the group, Simon replies. "Ethel's downstairs trying to disarm the bomb." He looks at the Kitty and adds, "There's an entire biker gang upstairs inside."
-
Cold Rock moves into the camera with Simon, their backs to the Friendly Kitty now - the cameraman still rolling.
"Will Ethel be able to deactivate the bomb in time?" he asks the camera dramatically - "Or does the whole place go up in flames?"
Turning to Simon, he asks, "So Simon, can you tell the wanabe cowboys out there, how you manage to juggle rock star fame with all the dangerous perils you've learned from hunting?"
-
"Well, Cold Rock, as I'm sure you know, it's not always easy. . ." Assuming nothing is currently exploding, Simon begins the tale of the group's trip to Soy Boy, with some minor stylistic alterations.
(Ethel is Velma from Scooby-Doo, Gilbert is a cross between Nero Wolfe and Yokozuna, and the whole thing ends with Simon rallying the patrons to defeat the evil manager, who shoots laser beam eyebolts.)
-
"Let's move to te truck!" Butch shouts, as he grabs genny amd rushes out the back, jacket covering his head.
-
Crystal puts on her gasmask and her voice mask (if she wasn't already wearing them combo) and gets outside as well.
-
While Simon expertly distracts Cold Rock, the rest of the team hustles Genny out back – as Gilbert makes sure that the camera drones are conveniently looking the wrong way at the time.
As this goes on, Ethel picks away at the design of the bomb in the strange washing machine-like device.
She realizes that the timing and wiring mechanism is way too complex for her; and is about to book it with only 20 seconds left on the clock – when she suddenly notices a huge flaw in the whole thing!
The blasting caps themselves – four of them – are simply pushed into the blocks of C-4 – meaning all Ethel has to do, is pull them out and snip them free of the detonation wires.
Not thinking about the seconds counting down, Ethel does just that, and hears aloud ‘beep’ a fraction of a second after she snips the last wire.
After swallowing her heart back down, Ethel looks and sees that the counter has run down to zero and stopped. She was that close to being blown sky high.
Outside meanwhile, Butch, Crystal, and Jacob, have gotten Genny to the pickup truck.
Cold Rock turns to look back at the Friendly Kitty.
“I think our little hero has done it? Don’t you?”
“Yes, any report from your teammate?” Julian the reporter asks Simon with baited breath.
“What do they say? Has the bomb been deactivated?”
-
"Hey, what the heck is that thing?" Tubbs asks from the back of the pickup with Gilbert - looking out from under the tarp as the team approaches.
Anyone looking, sees the third (uncontrolled by Gilbert) camera drone swoop in from over the Friendly Kitty to scope everyone out . . .
-
"Gilbert" Crystal says into the comlink, letting the voice mask distort her voice.
"Is that drone one of yours?"
-
Butch quickly hops into the driver's seat, letting Jacob drop Genny into the back seat.
"Let's book it. Ethel and Simon can stick with the hero while we hide Genny. We're stuck here until Montoya gets back." He says, as he prepares to ride away as fast as possible.
He tries to make sure his face is unseen by the camera as they drive away.
-
Crystal puts her hand on Butch, as if to stop him.
"Wait. Genny was trying to blow up something, I don't think he was doing it for fun."
She lowers her voice and leans in, "Genny's clearly not a bad guy here Butch. We're turning him in for the bounty but maybe we can make sure that whatever he was trying to do gets done."
Then, back in her normal tone, "Gilbert, if you can deactivate that camera so we can ask Genny some questions in private?"
-
Butch shakes his head.
"I know. Ethel is more then enough capable of blowing stuff up though. And the longer we stay here, the more likely we won't be able to blow it up. Lets roll." Butch says, and then hits the gas anyways.
-
(Assuming Gilbert has by now disabled the camera drone or that they've driven away from it, Crystal angrily flops back into her seat behind Genny.
"Why were you trying to blow that thing up Genny? What were you framed for?"
-
ethel hasn't said anything, but it sounds like butch & crystal are leaving. . .
Simon smiles. "All clear, folks!"
He stands back to allow Cold Rock the glory of entering first. (Just in case that silence means Ethel blew it.)
-
The young chemist breaths out, surprised at how close she was to dying yet again. She examines the area, tryig to fijrs out what Genny was blowing up. If it's small enough maybe she could pocket it...
-
It seems that Genny was trying to blow up the washing-machine device, which to Ethel, looks like an overly-complex centrifuge of some sort. No way in hell she's going to be able to move it by herself.
Cold Rock and his team then move in at Simon's 'All Clear' - heading around back.
They look for a moment in the direction of the team fleeing the scene in the truck, but then turn and head down into the basement.
The camera drone that had followed to the truck, breaks off and returns to the Friendly Kitty, while Gilbert watches through the two cameras that he had hacked control into.
He sees Cold Rock and his team go into the basement to encounter Ethel and the machine.
"Oh, this is bad, this is bad!" Genny wails, seeing that his bomb failed to go off.
In answer to Crystal, he then says, "that's 'Project Re-Write' - that's what they were after. And now they have it..."
Genny gets a strange look in his eyes and starts punching himself in the face repeatedly, busting his nose and knocking himself into a daze - mumbling "all my fault... all my fault.... all my fault..."
-
Down in the basement, Cold Rock and his security team surround Ethel.
Two of the security guys pick up the machine and start walking out with it, while Cold Rock says, "Great job Ethel! I knew you had it in you!"
Ethel sees that she is being filmed by a cameraman and a flying camera drone, while a reporter of some sort holds out a mike and asks - "Tell us Ethel; what was it like disarming the bomb?"
-
Simon meanwhile, sees that a camera drone is still watching him; while some extras in the white limo and SUV wait on the scene nervously.
Music still pumps obscenely loud out of the unwitting night club.
-
"What'd he say?" Butch asks, speeding ahead, as he tries to locate a different truck vehicle?
"Ethel, whats statues with the washer?"
-
Curious as to what has Genny so concerned, Gilbert tries to find information on Project Re-Write.
---
Computers 13+2X MTN 15 1d20 : 8, total 8
-
"Genny's, keep talking, we might be able to help you destroy it but only if you keep calm..."
Then "Butch, stop the car."
Assuming he does so, and that she gets a reasonable answer from Genny's, she says "Gilbert, get off with Genny's and Tubbs and find somewhere safe. Keep an eye on us through the camera drons. And get rid of this thing following is already."
Then to Butch - "Let's get back and fix this..."
The hell'd we have to disable the bomb anyway?
-
Gilbert finds nothing on the net under that particular moniker.
-
"Genny's, keep talking, we might be able to help you destroy it but only if you keep calm..."
Then "Butch, stop the car."
Assuming he does so, and that she gets a reasonable answer from Genny's, she says "Gilbert, get off with Genny's and Tubbs and find somewhere safe. Keep an eye on us through the camera drons. And get rid of this thing following is already."
Then to Butch - "Let's get back and fix this..."
The hell'd we have to disable the bomb anyway?
Butch mutters, and turns the car around.
"Fine. We'll blow up the machine if you want."
"Ethel, how did you disable it? Is there still c4 on the centirfuge?"
-
That definitely ain't dairy equipment.
Ethel smiles at the camera with two thumbs up, meanwhile pondering whether saving the strip club was a good idea. "It was, uh, nerve-racking Cold Rock. But what do you want with the washing machine? Don't you want Genny?"
-
"You guys got him. I knew you would haha!" Cold Rock laughs as he and his team exit the basement.
His men load the machine in the armored white limo and prepare to leave.
"Hey - " Cold Rock asks Simon and Ethel, "You guys need a lift? We can take you to the spaceport if you like."
-
Butch meanwhile, drives back toward the Friendly Kitty as fast as the blown-to-hell two-and-a-half-tired pickup truck will go...
-
Crystal just looks on frustratedly.
"Just... follow him I guess. We'll have to pick up Simon and Ethel when they leave."
-
Butch looks at Crystal.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we could figure out something to do." Butch says.
"Think Gil could manage a distraction? "
-
That should be my washing-thing... I saw it first! I saved it!
"A lift and an autograph!" Ethel exclaims, with mixed feelings. She then coughs into the comms, "Still*cough*explodable, lots of C4.*cough*Needs detonator. Why?"
She looks for anything on her that can be autographed by the great Cold Rock Johnson.
-
"We need it 'sploded Ethel. Think you could manage it with a distraction?"
-
Cold Rock signs an autograph, as everyone gets in, and the limo and SUV drive away from The Friendly Kitty.
"Something to drink?" Cold rock offers Simon and Ethel, the two of them seated opposite Cold Rock and the reporter Julian in the expansive limo - with the centrifuge machine sitting in the space between them.
Ethel realizes that a really subtle action on her part, could allow her to drop one of her remote detonators into the machine. Then at a later time, she could set it off over the Net. With any luck, it would set off the C-4 and destroy the machine.
But is she really willing to risk killing innocent bystanders? Is she ready to become a terrorist? Maybe she could somehow use it as a hostage situation? Threaten to blow it up if Cold Rock didn't willingly hand it over or something?
Simon meanwhile, just kicks his feet up, happily accepts a drink, and engages Cold Rock in idle chit-chat.
-
"Gee whiz, thanks Cold Rock!" She smiles, pocketing the autograph.
She coughs again. "Yeah. But why?"
-
Gilbert meanwhile, loses all connection to the camera drones as they are called back and shut off.
-
With his drones offline, Genny a mess, and the internet not giving him answers, Gilbert is content to just hang back and wait everything out. He briefly considers asking fixer, but decides that if Genny is freaking out this much over it, it's probably better if their knowledge on the matter stays within their group.
(OCC: And yes, there's no way he would have stayed on the truck. He would have demanded/begged to be put somewhere safe along with the other non-combatants and Jacob)
-
"Gee whiz, thanks Cold Rock!" She smiles, pocketing the autograph.
She coughs again. "Yeah. But why?"
"Some terrible shit. Dunno details, just know it needs to explode." Butch sends over.
-
"Uh, alright," she says to both Cold Rock and Butch. "What do you got? Applejuice?"
---
Sleight of Hand 13 1d20 : 9, total 9
vs.
Cold Rock Spot 11 1d20 : 13, total 13
Julian Spot 11 1d20 : 13, total 13
-
As they ride along, Ethel manages to slip one of her remote detonators into the centrifuge device unseen.
Afterwards, the limo pulls up to the spaceport and Cold Rock’s driver gets out and opens the doors.
As Ethel and Simon step out, Cold Rock calls to Simon – “Hey Simon buddy,” he says, “step back in here a moment.”
Simon complies and the driver shuts the door; leaving Ethel standing alone with the driver on the sidewalk.
After a minute or two, the tinted window rolls down.
Simon pops his head out and says to Ethel, “Hey Ethel – Cold Rock just offered me a position on his team! Think I’m going to have to take him up on the offer. You know – better dental plan and all that.”
He then hands Ethel her detonation device and grins, “Cold Rock says he’ll give you twenty four hours to cash Genny in, before he puts the centrifuge up for bid.”
“And don’t worry, that evil LifeCyclon isn’t going to get it back. They should have thought of that before they threw us in lockup!”
The window rolls up and the driver gets back in.
As the limo and SUV drive away, Ethel hears Simon one last time on her comlink – “Watch out for that psycho bitch Crystal and tell the others, ‘thanks for the laughs!’”
-
Epilog
The following morning, the team meets at the spaceport with reps from the LifeCyclon Corporation to trade Genny in for the 5,000,000 writ bounty.
The handoff goes without a hitch – Genny having suffered a mental breakdown and proving completely useless in explaining anything about ‘Project Re-Write’ or what the centrifuge machine (he was trying to blow up) was for.
The suits ask if Genny had anything with him when he was captured; and are disgruntled over shelling out the bounty for Genny alone – even though that was the standing deal.
Afterwards, the team heads to the Space Bar to await the arrival of Captain Montoya and the Dandy Desperado – just now docking at the spaceport (after a mostly successful mission to apprehend Jerimiah Jackson).
As they sit at their table sipping drinks (and perhaps wondering how they are going to break the loss of the Plan B to Montoya), ‘The System’s Most Wanted’ comes on:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v651/BerkaZerka/BigShots_zpsh9oqyw9y.jpg)
Clyde – “Howdy to all 350,000 bounty hunters in the system. This is ‘The System’s Most Wanted and the Bounty Hunters That Catch ‘Em’ with your favorite hosts, Bonnie and Clyde!”
Bonnie – “Today we have footage of the capture of Genny Putkoff by the ever-popular Cold Rock Johnston” (swoon).
Clyde – “Shore shooting Bonnie, that’s right, let’s watch.”
What follows, is Cold Rock Johnston’s documentary-style footage beginning with a shot of himself mugging the camera.
Cold Rock – “As I have started to hit the peak of what just one man can do in his pursuit of justice and decency for a cold and thankless world, I have decided to take in a few poor slobs and turn them into successful cowboys such as myself.”
The scene changes to a boot camp-like training session with what look like actors, poorly dressed up to look like Ethel and the rest of the team.
Cold Rock introduces Simon Mayhem into the camera, as his “Special Guest Star Instructor” and the two of them yell the recruits down, like a pair of drill sergeants; while the recruits kiss-up to them in a manner that would make any professional bootlicker proud.
Cold Rock walks into the camera again, mugging like a ham at some second grade talent show.
Cold Rock – “It was hard, but we finally managed to instill our new trainees with what makes me the master cowboy I am; dedication, motivation, and integrity!”
Again the scene switches; this time to Cold Rock in a limo.
Cold Rock – “Well, we’ve had the chopper drop them off. They were feeling a little gun-shy, so ol’ Simon Mayhem volunteered to go with them to boost their resolve.”
“Let’s see how they do with their first assignment – Going after the desperate and dangerous Genny Putkoff!”
The scene then changes to an aerial view of The Friendly Kitty.
The team sees themselves caught on tape hustling Genny out the back, which thankfully, fails to capture any of their faces.
Then the part where Cold Rock ‘interviews’ Simon about the bomb, followed with Ethel’s ‘interview’ in the basement, and lastly Ethel and Simon climbing into Cold Rock’s limo.
There, another faked scene shows Cold Rock congratulating the team over a face-to-face link for a successful first mission under his protective wing – where they all suck up to Cold Rock and Simon like witless roadies in the presence of their rock and roll idols.
---
When the show ends, the team notices a small crowd of teenage schoolgirls gathered around the entrance to the Space Bar.
“Hey aren’t you Cold Rock Johnston’s new trainees? (Swoon) Can we have your autographs?”
END
-
And in walks Montoya ...
-
Crystal doesn't look at Montoya.
I'm not going to be the one to break the news...
-
Ethel almost immediately gets up to greet the captain. "Mission accomplished, sir!" She salutes the captain akwardly before breaking down, her eyes concentrated on the floor.
"But, we... Uh, well, it didn't work out. We ain't going to Vegas, captain. I'm really sorry..."
-
Seeing his captain arrive, Gilbert hurriedly waddles over to him.
"Hey, Inigo. That crazy bitch Crystal... she uh, ordered me to slam the Plan B into a helicopter that was following us..."
He whispers, throwing a quick glance at her.
"So the ship isn't here anymore. Cause, you know, it sort of blew up. We almost destroyed the helicopter too! But they had military men armed with guns, and well, the poor Plan B never really stood a chance. She could have won if we had gotten a better first hit I suppose; almost ran right through that helicopter the first try! Haha... ha... ha... So yeah, we sort of, kind of, maybe don't have that secondary ship anymore. I wouldn't bring it up to Crystal though. I mean, she actually wanted to chop the heads off of these Red jacket guys and put them on spikes, then throw the spikes into a strip club! Crazy right? Cutting off of their heads was disturbing to begin with, but putting them on spikes makes me thinks she wants people to worship her like some pagan god of death or something. So I think it's in the best interests of everyone if we just, you know, let it go and never ever mention it again. Right? That sounds good, right? On the plus side we saw some ninjas. I mean, not real ninjas, cause they used guns rather than superior Japanese katanas, but we saw some. Of course, Crystal scared them off though. They were the poor bastards that she ordered cut the heads off. The ninjas and red guys were enemies to begin with, they even offered to help us off them, but I guess there are limits that ever fake ninjas won't cross. Those limits namely being cutting heads off and putting them on spikes. On the plus side we were able to kill the red guys without much issue. We planted bombs and blew them up without much effort. Crystal idea again, as you might have guessed. We even killed the brother of Genny, before he could give us information. I guess since we were able to find Genny anyway we didn't really need him alive, but it sort of felt cruel and unfair to just slaughter all of them like that. I mean, we're bounty hunters sure, but we ain't hired hit men... I mean, we're not right? I didn't sign up to kill people. Well, I sort of did. Only in situations and scenarios where we absolutely have to, or if it's safer to do so. We have to prioritize ourselves over others, right? Yeah, that's what I thought too. We're supposed to be swashbuckling bounty hunters, not murderous bastards. I mean sure, we handed off what was probably an innocent person trying to make a difference in this lawless galaxy to a large, evil corporation that was probably behind some massive sinister plot, but is that really so wrong? Especially if we get paid? I don't think so, not really. Well, okay, maybe a little bit, but is it really so wrong to do something wrong every once in a while if it means getting paid? Who knows, maybe this Genny fellow is fine? Maybe he's getting the proper treatment now that he's back at LifeCyclon Corporation in order to get him heathy again? They'd likely only do that in order to get more information out of him before they kill him for his betrayal, but him getting help is still an upside, right? Oh! We saw Cold Rock as well. I'm sure you've already seen his bastardized version of our adventure on tv, but it was still pretty cool to see him, and be on tv. Even if it wasn't really me. Did you think the TV me was skinnier than the real me? I'd like to think that he was, and that is was Cold Rock doing me a solid by representing the real me rather than the physical me, you know what I mean? The me that he saw me as, even though he never really saw me, since I was hiding under a tarp the whole time. Speaking of tarps have you met Tubbs yet? He's a pretty cool guy, I think. He's with us because we slaughtered his buddies. Yeah, he was a Red Jacket before, but I think he could be a pretty useful servant around here. Plus, he's used to shitty conditions, so we don't even really need to treat him all that well. We should, of course. He's human too and should be treated with a bit of respect, like everyone else. I'm just saying that if we have to make the tough choice between us eating and him eating, I think he'd be okay with us eating instead. He's probably used to going hungry, so he's more well suited for the task. He could be like, the red shirt for the team. Doesn't that sound like a good idea?"
Gilbert will then take a moment to catch his breath, before adding:
"So how did your adventure go?"
-
Montoya stares vary carefully the entire time Gilbert is speaking but fades out after the first few sentences and concentrates only on plan B and thr reward.
"Thankyou for thr explanation!" he announces while patting Gil on the shoulder "So where is my plan B and what were our actual takings? We of course collected the full bounty, stopped an evil dower and destroyed the ship of an evil tyrant!" he flourishes to make his point seem dramatic
-
Butch grunts.
"Plan B blew up. Got a negative bounty this time around. Not our best showing." Butch says simply.
"Where's Moonkit?" Butch then quickly adds, looking around.
-
"Holding down the fort with Vicini." He replies "I should head back too, if Plan B blew up then we need a new ship quickly!"
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"Yup." Butch nods, agreeing.