@Dealdric Yeah, everything's fine, just slow going due to me being really busy irl. Apologies for that (and that goes out to everyone)! I'm gonna try and make time for a post this evening!
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That Hockey Guy
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Simple Unicycle
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"Well, I guess I'll start." Trip said, leaning over to grab his gym bag and making his way inside the bathroom to get outfitted. His 'costume' was pretty simplistic: an all-black ensemble of a compression shirt and matching pants, lightweight boots, and a band of fabric fashioned into a bandanna with two barely noticeable eye-slits. His arm was still wrapped up in bandages from the cut he'd sustained in the fight the other night, and it still burned in pain, so to keep his arms safe, he'd bought a pair of hexpad sleeves and elbow pads. His hands were the only complex bit of the outfit. He wore simple black gloves, to prevent fingerprints, underneath hand wraps and 4oz MMA gloves with the logos and brand name scraped away. Once he was all ready, he pulled the 'mask' down over his eyes into place and stepped out of the bathroom.
"So is this anything like what you had in mind?" he asked Ally.
@1Hawkeyes
"So is this anything like what you had in mind?" he asked Ally.
@1Hawkeyes
@TJByrum Sending you a PM!
"Don't worry about it Tobi. SAL got in just fine, and no one's taken more than a second glance at you. Not uncommon for people of our caliber to have 'security robots' escorting them around public spaces. As far as anyone's concerned, that's all you are."
Stryker turned back to his drinking mates apologetically "Sorry about that, you were saying?"
"Right well, for us to truly know this position, if we are going to be staging the attack here, and take away Sol's home field advantage then we need to see everything, particularly in the back." Carver said without missing a beat "Now, I don't know about you, but I find it doubtful he lets anyone poke around his secret HQ, that's where the plan comes in..."
They were interrupted by a commotion on the other end of the bar. Tibulus was involved, but it ended as quickly as it began. Stryker's hand sunk into his jacket, reaching for his pistol in case it escalated.
"Hold on" Kira said, noticing his movement "It's fine, they're calm, now sit down before someone notices."
She was right. It was lucky enough that the natural din of the bar was enough to hide their already hushed voices. If anyone heard them talking, the plan would be fucked before it ever began.
"So what we need is a diversion. Distract everyone out front while a group pokes around back" Carver resumed "Say, two guys from each of our crews 'have a little too much' and get rowdy, an extra person gets involved and suddenly we have ourselves a nice big spectacle, lots of eyes on it, but no one's gonna get involved or do anything stupid, especially once the third pair enter the brawl and they realize its a crew thing. The guards might step in if it gets out of hand, but by that point, we step in ourselves to break it up. Meanwhile, everyone else sitting around can carry on with the analytics of it all. Once everything's clear and we 'calm down our guys' we leave separately, get off the station and rendezvous elsewhere to plan it all out with the intel we've gathered."
@Simple Unicycle@Banana@Silver Carrot
"Just crazy enough to work" Kira remarked "I'll lead the recon group, take Seth and Ace. Brought a couple photosonic scanners along. The data from those alone will be useful enough intel to build a 3D model of the area."
"Take a few of mine" Stryker volunteered, discretely pointing them out "Taleste is our infiltration specialist, could be useful if you come across any locked doors. And Tibulus there should get out of here for a little, lest the big guy wake up and want to make another run at him."
"Sounds good to me" Carver said "As for the diversion, Marcus and Ian are good candidates from our side. They've both been known to drink on occasion" he said the last bit with a knowing smile to his wife, Stryker clearly wasn't in on the joke"
@BKburke@baranica
"Grayson and Joe" Stryker said "They'll be our guys. And Tobi'll jump in after, when the time comes to escalate"
"Ranks are already gettin' a little thin, I suppose Raisin will help drive things up a level. She's got a mean right hook."
"I'll tell them to keep an eye on it."
@Dark Light@Xandrya@Dealdric[@Azereiah@Tickout
"So that leaves everybody else to make up our last two units, the peacemakers and analytics." Carver said before draining his drink "As captains, we'll have to jump in, help break it up, my quartermaster too."
"I've got a couple could help. The Dalentian over there, one of the most powerful psionics I've ever seen. As for analytics, my doctor's always shown himself to be observant. Couple of cybers too, SAL and Rento, they'll have this place completely mapped out with a single glance."
"So that's it then, that's our plan. Get the word out."
Stryker whispered the details of the plan to the team over their encrypted comms channel. Everyone was asked to pass along the intel to anyone who forgot to slip in their earpiece before leaving the ship. As he spoke, he set up a new encrypted comms network with his datapad, so both crews could be in full communication on the mission. With everyone now in the loop, Stryker put the datapad away and sat back, watching and waiting out the time before Grayson made his move."
[OOC: Weird place to stop I know, but I was under a bit of a time constraint, so continue to mingle in the bar until it's appropriate for me to post again. Also, apologies if I forgot to tag anyone, yell at me in the OOC if I did]
Stryker turned back to his drinking mates apologetically "Sorry about that, you were saying?"
"Right well, for us to truly know this position, if we are going to be staging the attack here, and take away Sol's home field advantage then we need to see everything, particularly in the back." Carver said without missing a beat "Now, I don't know about you, but I find it doubtful he lets anyone poke around his secret HQ, that's where the plan comes in..."
They were interrupted by a commotion on the other end of the bar. Tibulus was involved, but it ended as quickly as it began. Stryker's hand sunk into his jacket, reaching for his pistol in case it escalated.
"Hold on" Kira said, noticing his movement "It's fine, they're calm, now sit down before someone notices."
She was right. It was lucky enough that the natural din of the bar was enough to hide their already hushed voices. If anyone heard them talking, the plan would be fucked before it ever began.
"So what we need is a diversion. Distract everyone out front while a group pokes around back" Carver resumed "Say, two guys from each of our crews 'have a little too much' and get rowdy, an extra person gets involved and suddenly we have ourselves a nice big spectacle, lots of eyes on it, but no one's gonna get involved or do anything stupid, especially once the third pair enter the brawl and they realize its a crew thing. The guards might step in if it gets out of hand, but by that point, we step in ourselves to break it up. Meanwhile, everyone else sitting around can carry on with the analytics of it all. Once everything's clear and we 'calm down our guys' we leave separately, get off the station and rendezvous elsewhere to plan it all out with the intel we've gathered."
@Simple Unicycle@Banana@Silver Carrot
"Just crazy enough to work" Kira remarked "I'll lead the recon group, take Seth and Ace. Brought a couple photosonic scanners along. The data from those alone will be useful enough intel to build a 3D model of the area."
"Take a few of mine" Stryker volunteered, discretely pointing them out "Taleste is our infiltration specialist, could be useful if you come across any locked doors. And Tibulus there should get out of here for a little, lest the big guy wake up and want to make another run at him."
"Sounds good to me" Carver said "As for the diversion, Marcus and Ian are good candidates from our side. They've both been known to drink on occasion" he said the last bit with a knowing smile to his wife, Stryker clearly wasn't in on the joke"
@BKburke@baranica
"Grayson and Joe" Stryker said "They'll be our guys. And Tobi'll jump in after, when the time comes to escalate"
"Ranks are already gettin' a little thin, I suppose Raisin will help drive things up a level. She's got a mean right hook."
"I'll tell them to keep an eye on it."
@Dark Light@Xandrya@Dealdric[@Azereiah@Tickout
"So that leaves everybody else to make up our last two units, the peacemakers and analytics." Carver said before draining his drink "As captains, we'll have to jump in, help break it up, my quartermaster too."
"I've got a couple could help. The Dalentian over there, one of the most powerful psionics I've ever seen. As for analytics, my doctor's always shown himself to be observant. Couple of cybers too, SAL and Rento, they'll have this place completely mapped out with a single glance."
"So that's it then, that's our plan. Get the word out."
Stryker whispered the details of the plan to the team over their encrypted comms channel. Everyone was asked to pass along the intel to anyone who forgot to slip in their earpiece before leaving the ship. As he spoke, he set up a new encrypted comms network with his datapad, so both crews could be in full communication on the mission. With everyone now in the loop, Stryker put the datapad away and sat back, watching and waiting out the time before Grayson made his move."
[OOC: Weird place to stop I know, but I was under a bit of a time constraint, so continue to mingle in the bar until it's appropriate for me to post again. Also, apologies if I forgot to tag anyone, yell at me in the OOC if I did]
First Taste
A Collab Between @1Hawkeyes & Crossfire
----------------------------
2 Days Ago
8:00 P.M.
Navy St. Boxing & Fitness Gym
Long Beach
-----------------------------
For being 'part-time', Trip's trainer job sure took up a lot of time. Since he arrived a few hours ago, he'd taught 2 group sessions and 4 one-on-one sessions. It was almost a relief when Carly, the beautiful young woman who worked the front desk, came over to tell him that someone had called to postpone their lesson. The only problem? His last lesson was almost two hours away. With that in mind, he wandered into the locker room to text Ally.
Hey he wrote Someone cancelled their lesson and I've got 2 hours to kill, wanna come by and get some work in?
To kick your butt? You don't even have to ask, was Ally's reply. At the moment, she was getting in her car after, ready to go home from work. Usually she kept a duffle bag in the trunk in case she ever needed extra work out clothes or to spend the night somewhere. Now she could go to the gym and fight off any stress from her day.
It took the woman about twenty minutes to get there, and when she did, she greeted the beautiful Carly and Trip. It only took her a couple minutes to change, so she popped out of the bathroom within seconds, tying up her hair.
"Better watch out, Trip," Ally chuckled, tightening her ponytail, "I've been working a lot on my legs recently."
Though she knew their sparring wasn't usually too rough, she loved to joke and tease the man. She greatly appreciated him inviting her to his gym. It made her feel special that he cared for her enough to squeeze her into his schedule when others canceled. "What are we starting with?"
"Yeah I'll keep an eye on them" Trip said, pulling on a pair of focus mitts "As long as you been drilling your footwork too, cuz I want to see if you remember the combinations we were working on. We'll do that for a warmup. In the ring."
Trip slipped in between the ropes and took his position at the center of the mat.
"You remember how it goes right? Dodge and reset after each combo. I'm only going through the order once. Mistime a shot, break sequence, or cross your feet and we take it right from the top. Ready? 1-1-2, 1-2-1, 1-3-2, 1-4-5, 1-3-b4, 2-1-1, 1-4-1-2, 1-6-2-5. Now show me what ya got kiddo!"
"Alright," Ally said, shaking out her shoulders. She climbed into the ring with Trip, excited for their session. They rarely got to do this anymore considering how busy they both were, so it was refreshing to partake in their training again.
She listened to the line carefully. The warm up wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary, and definitely not the hardest drill he had given her before. She tapped the mitts, testing to make sure she was standing at a good distance before getting into her stance. When he gave the okay, fists began flying. Jab, jab, cross, duck. Jab, cross, jab, dodge. Jab, left hook, cross, parry. This went on for only a minute before the warm up was done.
"I know you got more for me," Ally said, a bit of sweat forming on her forhead. She was glad he started her off easy, as she needed to loosen up more from work. "What's next?"
"Ok, that was good. Speed was up from last time, accuracy pretty damn pinpoint. You're telegraphing your hooks a little bit, so let's work on that before we spar."
He took a few minutes to walk Ally through the motions, demonstrating a smoother technique, then stood across from her again.
"Alright, let's drill it. Jab into hook, cross into hook, then reverse it. Mix it up a little, keep me guessing. And for an added challenge, we're gonna do it distracted, just to test muscle memory. So, how was your day?"
Ally listened carefully to each and every word Trip said, taking it into consideration. He demonstrated his technique and Ally copied, smoothing out her hooks. Of course she didn't master the technique perfectly, but she put a mental note to keep practicing it on her own with each training session.
He went over the new training and Ally nodded, "Alright."
"My day was pretty good," she answered, getting through the first combo forward and beginning backward.
"That's it, keep it going. Just keep throwing shots and I'll try to keep up. Don't stop talking, even if you got nothing to say. Turn the fight into an unconscious task. For example, I came in here today and found myself saddled with the full load of lessons to teach because Martin's sick and Bud's still out of town cornering a student of his who just went pro. Let's see, first up was back to back group lessons, the first was a bunch of kids just starting out, barely 10 if I had to guess average age. Ran them through basic combinations and paired them off on the heavy bags to practice. Right after, the second group was ready to start, they were older, high school aged probably, figured they had enough grasp of things to set them up in sparring gear and watch them work, making corrections where needed. Now you go."
Trip threw a lazy right hook with the flat edge of the focus mitt up over Ally's head, their signal for her to reset position and roll through the drill again.
"Alright," Ally said, easily dodging the lazy hook. "Okay, so my day wasn't so bad. I had a lot of cleaning to do, lot of chocolate dried up on the floor I had to clean, so that sucked. No rude customers, um, that was good. Uh, needed to make a lot of cones in a short time so I burned my hands a lot. You know we make them fresh every, um, day. My favorite is the one with almonds and dark chocolate. I'll bring you one next time. Plus, uh, some kid came in earlier with her mom. Really cute kid, almost kidnapped her. Uh, that's about it for my day, it was good," she said, finishing up the last combo.
"Alright, great job! Hooks looked a lot crisper that time, so, ready to move on to the main event? I'll get my gloves. Oh, and we're not risking another incident like last month, headgear on and mouth guard in."
Trip walked out of the ring and over to where he and Ally's bags sat. He dropped the focus mitts alongside his bag and fished out his gloves, mouth guard and headgear. His hands were already wrapped, so he only had to pop in the mouth guard and strap his headgear in place before walking back to the ring.
"Really appreciate you coming by the way" his words slightly slurred by the mouth guard "Would've been a boring couple of hours waiting on that last client, so thanks. Ok, same as before, talk through the sparring session. Let your mind wander away from your actions. Let's say 5 minutes at about 50%. You start us off when you're ready."
Ally hopped out of the ring and fished out her own mouth guard, head gear, and switched her 14 oz. gloves for 16 oz. as a better strength training and as a safety precaution. "Yeah, you know I love training with you," Ally said sincerely just before popping her mouthpiece in.
He explained the conditions and she nodded, happy to be getting to the actual sparring. "Alright," Ally said, putting her hands up protectively. She began to move in her stance, not too fast of course, and tested her distance. "So, the past couple days have felt kind of hectic," Ally said, now jabbing. "Everyone wants to do this vigilante thing, but," she threw a cross to a left hook, finding a nice pace, "not everyone knows how to fight. They could get in a lot of danger," she said, throwing a side kick to Trip's head, "if they can't defend themselves. I know a lot of them know some," she threw a jab, right uppercut, and a push kick, "self defense, but is it enough? I know vigilantism, "she threw a jab, right hook, then a left, "wasn't my idea but..." she trailed off, sending another side kick to his body and a cross, "Somehow I feel responsible for everyone," she threw a jab, cross, jab, cross, "You know?"
"I get it" Trip said between breaths, Ally was smaller and faster, he always had a bit of trouble keeping up with her shots. "I've been thinking about it all week, like I said I would" A few jabs to get things going "And I just can't get comfortable with the truth of it all." Left hook, right cross, hands up to block a retaliation "I made my case about the dangers the other day, no need to rehash it, we both know the risks of going through with it. Especially with a group who have very little training." right hook to the body, he completely missed the follow-up uppercut.
"There's no other way to say it, I'm conflicted. I teach 'em to fight and any of you get hurt, it's on me. I don't teach and any of you get hurt, well that's on me too."
At his final sentence, Ally backed up and put her guard down, clearly showing their spar was over, at least momentarily. "Yeah, I understand. Now that this idea has turned into something more tangible... The bottom line is you and I are the most experienced fighters of the group. I know some of them have a bit of self defense knowledge but not many of them have ever sparred or been in a real fight. That's what worries me. Having the knowledge isn't the same as being able to properly apply it and fight. You and me know that's a totally different ball game."
Ally's mind drifted back to a couple street fights she got in. Some were from crime, some were from high tensions with the person. She wondered if any of the others had ever been in these kind of situations, besides her and Trip. She couldn't think of any specific instances they spoke of, and that caused more worries for her.
"Come on, let's do another session, we've got time" Trip said, resetting at the center of the ring. This time, he started the conversation.
"Pretty strange about Aimee huh? She was all for the whole vigilante thing, and then she just up and disappears. I went by their place the other day, and her brother's gone too."
Ally sighed, slightly making her breathing pattern off. "Yeah, it's odd, maybe it's a witness protection thing. Whatever the case," she said, tossing a kick, "I know she'll be okay."
"I thought the same thing. She's strong though, she'll get through it"
The duo continued sparring for a while, idly talking about nothing as they did so. The specter of the earlier discussion hung over Trip's head the whole time. Finally, he called for a break and walked off to the side, first removing his gloves, and then his headgear and mouth guard.
"You know, you don't have to be a vigilante. I understand why you don't want to do it." Ally let out a long sigh, leaning on the ropes, "If one of them gets hurt, then the responsibility falls on my shoulders. At least I feel like it does. Trip, I would really love it if you helped to teach them beyond what they know." Ally looked at a clock mounted on the wall. They had spent about an hour training together. "I should start heading home now," she said solemnly as she unstrapped the head gear. She ducked between the ropes and stepped out to get her stuff. As the woman walked out the door, she turned to Trip and gave some parting words. "I want you to think about what I said- You don't have to be a vigilante, but without more training they won't make it." With that, the woman exited the gym and returned home, leaving Trip alone with his thoughts.
---
It was nearly midnight when Trip left the gym. After his last client had left, he stayed back to clean up a little and make sure the place was locked up tight. He had walked about 3 blocks when a noise from the next alley froze him in place. Sounds of a struggle. He rounded the corner and took in the scene. A raggedy-dressed, greasy-haired tanned man, standing over a cowering young woman, who looked like she was trying to melt into the side of the dumpster. She was holding on to the straps of her handbag for dear life.
"Please" she squealed "it's all I have!"
"Let go you bitch" he grunted as he reached into his pocket to retrieve a rusty switchblade. As soon as the glint of the cold steel caught Trip's eye, he dropped his bag and bellowed out.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!"
It worked. The punk let go of the bag to face him, and the woman coiled it up underneath her arm, too petrified to run. He chuckled as he stepped towards Trip, twirling his knife menacingly.
"Little fuckin' hero huh? Why don't ya mind your own business?"
"Walk away man. I don't wanna do this" 'I can't do this. I won't' he thought as his fists came up into stance 'I can't fight back. It'd break everything I believe in about fighters being better than thugs. The fighter's oath: To always use my skills responsibly"
The punk was within range. It was do or die. Fight or flight.
As the crusty, chipped blade soared towards his chest, time seemed to slow down, his innate boxer's instincts taking over. He barely had time to process his actions before his body performed them.
'Sharp pivot. Avoid the blade. Not entirely though' He knew the back of his forearm was cut, not deep, but long. Left wrist to just shy of the elbow. He didn't feel it. Too much adrenaline.
'Grab his hand. Grip tight. Disarming strike.' His right fist collided with the punk's wrist. The force of the strike triggered a pain reflex, and the knife fell to the ground with a dull clatter.
Wide open. Back elbow to chin. Release hand. Step back. Reset stance. The punk was on the ground now, spitting up blood and a dislodged tooth. He wasn't done though. He pulled himself back up and with a harsh yell, began to charge.
Feint left into right hook. He's winded. Finish it. Trip threw a right cross, aimed square at the assailant's face. He felt the bridge of the nose begin to give way and then the punk fell to the ground. Out cold.
"You ok?" Trip asked between breaths as he regained his senses and turned to face the woman. A sudden movement caught his eye as a pair of men came rushing out of the darkness.
"No time! Run!" Trip shouted at her, startling her into action. He stood his ground, wanting to stall them as long as he could. He rolled his shoulders to avoid the first punch that came at him, retaliated with a straight left that went a little wide. A fist collided with his ribs, he reached out and grabbed onto the closer man, pulling him into a clinch so he could bring his knee sharply up into the body. The first man collapsed, but the second was right in there, not giving Trip a moment to take a rest. He ducked a few incoming strikes. Hook into left cross, and immediately followed by an uppercut that took the guy off his feet. He looked like he was out, but the other guy recovered, and was bull-rushing Trip again. He decided to meet him halfway, and broke into a quick stride. At the last minute, Trip leaped sideways and spring boarded himself off the alley wall into a punishing flying punch that sent both men sprawling to the ground. Trip recovered quickly, and got to his feet, hackles still raised, but it was over. All three of his would-be assailants were lying unconscious on the ground. He finally started to catch his breath. And all at once, felt the pain of the last few minutes. His arm was throbbing and burning, covered in a splatter of red so thick you'd think he dipped his arm into a bucket of paint. His ribs ached, and his knuckles were bruised and bleeding. He still hadn't come down from the adrenaline rush, his heart racing, and eyes wide like he was seeing everything for the first time. It started to abate just before the first responders arrived at the scene, right around the time Trip fished out his phone and texted Ally before his judgment got the better of him.
I'm in.
---------------------
Now.
---------------------
The night had come. Even now, Trip couldn't believe he was doing this. It went against all of his better judgment, but yet he was strangely excited about it. He'd gathered up a few things to use as a disguise and packed them securely inside his gym bag. He saw a couple of familiar cars already there when he parked. Fashionably late as always. He grabbed his bag and proceeded to the door.
@Banana@Dealdric
"Err, right. Pirates is one way to put it" Stryker said as the agent uncuffed Lexi "We'll fill you in a little later, right now we're all headed in for a drink, come on"
Stryker led the way back to the group. Tibulus met him halfway and slipped him a note.
"Connections gave me this. Should have a vent map, where money is kept, and the easiest escape route."
"Well done" Stryker said, sliding the intel into a pocket to review with the other captain. He made his way over to Carver and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Lead the way"
A few minutes later, the group had arrived at the Sundowner Saloon. Both crews knew the score, get in, keep a low profile, and wait for further instructions. Carver swaggered up to the bar and within 30 seconds, he, Stryker, and Kira were sitting at a private booth, with a nice cold pint each.
"This is my wife, Kira. Kira, Stryker. She's the real brains in all this, so I wanted her to sit in."
"That's fine with me" Stryker said as he took her extended hand in greeting "From the intel we have, it definitely seems like this is a two-ship job, and your crew comes highly recommended, so I'm glad to have you aboard."
"We don't know anything about you guys, but from the look of your ship, I'd say the feeling is mutual" Carver replied before taking a large gulp of his beer. He discreetly slid a memory card across the table "This is what we were given when the Alliance transferred the advance, told me to hand it off to you when we met"
"That'll be the other half of the briefing then" Stryker said as he reached for his datapad. "Here's what we know..."
@Simple Unicycle
Grayson kept an eye on things as the captains spoke. Literally. The moment he entered the bar, he'd engaged his eye implant and began scanning the room for anything useful. He fetched himself a drink and decided to make nice with the mercenaries. He walked over to the nearest of them and nodded in greeting.
"How're ya?"
"...and aside from this new recruit the Alliance just dumped on us who may have some important intel, that's about it" Stryker finished.
"Well, I knew there was a reason we had to get here early. Let's see if I can't fill in the blanks for you. Sol's group, the Solengrad, they're more fanatical militia than pirates. They muscled in here and completely overthrew the old regime a year or two ago. I knew the guy that used to be king, and if Sol managed to take him out, then he's definitely no pushover in a fight. Take your first look at the man himself" Carver nodded upwards, Stryker followed his eyeline up to a balcony where several people of various species gathered. Ne'ero Sol jumped out immediately from the crowd. Bald head, reddish-purple skin, fairly hefty. Dressed in his finest suit. He looked more like an obvious crime boss gone to seed than the fearsome ex-general turned pirate king.
"He doesn't look so tough" Stryker said.
"Don't be fooled. Trakerians are slippery bastards. Besides, even if Sol is a little past his prime, he's surrounded himself with very dangerous allies. The Havarn standing off to his side? You can't miss him: eight feet tall, four arms, wide as a truck? That's Kovitar Qresh, one of Sol's top lieutenants. Word is the guy was spec. ops in the Federation army, followed Sol when he left the service. And he's just the tip of the iceberg, but let's get another round before we continue."
Carver slipped out of the booth to fetch the drinks, Kira took command of the situation.
"Your crew have comms active?"
"What?" Stryker was caught off-guard by the question and took a second to realize what he was asking "Oh, yeah, they should all be patched in to our network"
"Good, we'll let them be for a few more minutes, but as soon as we're finished here, I'm going to need a few of them to do something stupid and dangerous"
"Err, right. Pirates is one way to put it" Stryker said as the agent uncuffed Lexi "We'll fill you in a little later, right now we're all headed in for a drink, come on"
Stryker led the way back to the group. Tibulus met him halfway and slipped him a note.
"Connections gave me this. Should have a vent map, where money is kept, and the easiest escape route."
"Well done" Stryker said, sliding the intel into a pocket to review with the other captain. He made his way over to Carver and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Lead the way"
A few minutes later, the group had arrived at the Sundowner Saloon. Both crews knew the score, get in, keep a low profile, and wait for further instructions. Carver swaggered up to the bar and within 30 seconds, he, Stryker, and Kira were sitting at a private booth, with a nice cold pint each.
"This is my wife, Kira. Kira, Stryker. She's the real brains in all this, so I wanted her to sit in."
"That's fine with me" Stryker said as he took her extended hand in greeting "From the intel we have, it definitely seems like this is a two-ship job, and your crew comes highly recommended, so I'm glad to have you aboard."
"We don't know anything about you guys, but from the look of your ship, I'd say the feeling is mutual" Carver replied before taking a large gulp of his beer. He discreetly slid a memory card across the table "This is what we were given when the Alliance transferred the advance, told me to hand it off to you when we met"
"That'll be the other half of the briefing then" Stryker said as he reached for his datapad. "Here's what we know..."
@Simple Unicycle
Grayson kept an eye on things as the captains spoke. Literally. The moment he entered the bar, he'd engaged his eye implant and began scanning the room for anything useful. He fetched himself a drink and decided to make nice with the mercenaries. He walked over to the nearest of them and nodded in greeting.
"How're ya?"
"...and aside from this new recruit the Alliance just dumped on us who may have some important intel, that's about it" Stryker finished.
"Well, I knew there was a reason we had to get here early. Let's see if I can't fill in the blanks for you. Sol's group, the Solengrad, they're more fanatical militia than pirates. They muscled in here and completely overthrew the old regime a year or two ago. I knew the guy that used to be king, and if Sol managed to take him out, then he's definitely no pushover in a fight. Take your first look at the man himself" Carver nodded upwards, Stryker followed his eyeline up to a balcony where several people of various species gathered. Ne'ero Sol jumped out immediately from the crowd. Bald head, reddish-purple skin, fairly hefty. Dressed in his finest suit. He looked more like an obvious crime boss gone to seed than the fearsome ex-general turned pirate king.
"He doesn't look so tough" Stryker said.
"Don't be fooled. Trakerians are slippery bastards. Besides, even if Sol is a little past his prime, he's surrounded himself with very dangerous allies. The Havarn standing off to his side? You can't miss him: eight feet tall, four arms, wide as a truck? That's Kovitar Qresh, one of Sol's top lieutenants. Word is the guy was spec. ops in the Federation army, followed Sol when he left the service. And he's just the tip of the iceberg, but let's get another round before we continue."
Carver slipped out of the booth to fetch the drinks, Kira took command of the situation.
"Your crew have comms active?"
"What?" Stryker was caught off-guard by the question and took a second to realize what he was asking "Oh, yeah, they should all be patched in to our network"
"Good, we'll let them be for a few more minutes, but as soon as we're finished here, I'm going to need a few of them to do something stupid and dangerous"
@Xandrya@Tickout@Azereiah
"I'll consider it when I'm making the plans Rento, which I've got to get a start on now. I'll see you guys later."
Stryker exited the med bay and moved with a purpose. He had a funny feeling when he noticed Grayson and Amy walk by the med bay door. A funny feeling that he knew exactly where they were headed, and Stryker didn't need another all-out brawl among his crew. Not now.
"Grayson!" Stryker called out when he caught sight of them in the Crew Quarters hallway. They stopped and waited for him.
"Don't" he said simply "Not now." He truly hoped they understood his meaning. Grayson blinked in confusion, then it dawned on him and he nodded.
"Fine"
@Dealdric@baranica@Silver Carrot@Banana@Simple Unicycle@Dark Light@BKburke@Turbowraith
2 Days Later.....
The Revenant shuddered as it entered the artificial atmosphere around Serros Station. The behemoth ship glided easily between the clumps of debris as it secured a docking berth. Inside, Stryker had gathered the crew in the War Room for a short briefing of their first objective.
"Phase one of five, intelligence gathering" he read off the orders as efficiently as he could, while cutting most of the Alliance's pompous bullshit "Ok, we're all gonna leave the ship once we dock. We've got a pair of contacts to meet up with, the first is an undercover Alliance operative, he's waiting with a new recruit who command says might have some pertinent intel for the job at hand. The second contact is Alessio Carver, he's the head of the mercs that've been hired to assist on the job. they've been here for a few days now, so we'll be doing a little exchange of information at a local watering hole. Oh, I should probably mention that this bar is one of the primary bases of operation for the target, Ne'ero Sol. So once we're inside, break off into small groups, grab a drink, and start taking in every detail you can. Rens, SAL, Tobi, I want you all to be recording everything: how many patrons, guards, and employees. How many guns in the building, entrances and exits. Everything. Any further orders will be distributed on the fly. Don't take any of your gear except maybe an easily concealed sidearm. To the public eyes, we're just a crew stopping off for a rest, got it? Alright, let's do this."
Stryker led the way off the ship and into the crowded docks of the station. Within a few minutes, he spotted an all-human group who definitely looked like they were waiting for someone. He made his way over to them.
"Carver?" Stryker said to one of them.
"You must be Stryker" said the tall, tanned man "Call me Alessio if you want. Shall we?
"Just a moment, I've got another contact to see before we head in. I think that's him now."
Indeed, Stryker had spotted a heavyset human dockhand who was looking at him a bit too obviously. He left everyone and walked over.
"Your disguise needs work, I saw right through you" he said under his breath.
"It's good enough for the cretins" he huffed as he turned his attention to the young Nekross who sat on the floor nearby, her hands still in shackles.
"Hey, wake up" he wheezed as he roughly shoved her with his foot.
"I'll consider it when I'm making the plans Rento, which I've got to get a start on now. I'll see you guys later."
Stryker exited the med bay and moved with a purpose. He had a funny feeling when he noticed Grayson and Amy walk by the med bay door. A funny feeling that he knew exactly where they were headed, and Stryker didn't need another all-out brawl among his crew. Not now.
"Grayson!" Stryker called out when he caught sight of them in the Crew Quarters hallway. They stopped and waited for him.
"Don't" he said simply "Not now." He truly hoped they understood his meaning. Grayson blinked in confusion, then it dawned on him and he nodded.
"Fine"
@Dealdric@baranica@Silver Carrot@Banana@Simple Unicycle@Dark Light@BKburke@Turbowraith
2 Days Later.....
The Revenant shuddered as it entered the artificial atmosphere around Serros Station. The behemoth ship glided easily between the clumps of debris as it secured a docking berth. Inside, Stryker had gathered the crew in the War Room for a short briefing of their first objective.
"Phase one of five, intelligence gathering" he read off the orders as efficiently as he could, while cutting most of the Alliance's pompous bullshit "Ok, we're all gonna leave the ship once we dock. We've got a pair of contacts to meet up with, the first is an undercover Alliance operative, he's waiting with a new recruit who command says might have some pertinent intel for the job at hand. The second contact is Alessio Carver, he's the head of the mercs that've been hired to assist on the job. they've been here for a few days now, so we'll be doing a little exchange of information at a local watering hole. Oh, I should probably mention that this bar is one of the primary bases of operation for the target, Ne'ero Sol. So once we're inside, break off into small groups, grab a drink, and start taking in every detail you can. Rens, SAL, Tobi, I want you all to be recording everything: how many patrons, guards, and employees. How many guns in the building, entrances and exits. Everything. Any further orders will be distributed on the fly. Don't take any of your gear except maybe an easily concealed sidearm. To the public eyes, we're just a crew stopping off for a rest, got it? Alright, let's do this."
Stryker led the way off the ship and into the crowded docks of the station. Within a few minutes, he spotted an all-human group who definitely looked like they were waiting for someone. He made his way over to them.
"Carver?" Stryker said to one of them.
"You must be Stryker" said the tall, tanned man "Call me Alessio if you want. Shall we?
"Just a moment, I've got another contact to see before we head in. I think that's him now."
Indeed, Stryker had spotted a heavyset human dockhand who was looking at him a bit too obviously. He left everyone and walked over.
"Your disguise needs work, I saw right through you" he said under his breath.
"It's good enough for the cretins" he huffed as he turned his attention to the young Nekross who sat on the floor nearby, her hands still in shackles.
"Hey, wake up" he wheezed as he roughly shoved her with his foot.
@Poi@Fury Panda@Conscripts@candlelitcraft@Slingshot
Sorry guys, been waiting for the go-ahead from @1Hawkeyes to post our collab. It takes place a few hours after the current point in the rp, so I was waiting for you guys to close out the scene. If you're all done, I could go ahead and drop it, if not, just let me know when!
Sorry guys, been waiting for the go-ahead from @1Hawkeyes to post our collab. It takes place a few hours after the current point in the rp, so I was waiting for you guys to close out the scene. If you're all done, I could go ahead and drop it, if not, just let me know when!
@baranica@Silver Carrot@Tickout@Azereiah@Banana@Simple Unicycle@Dark Light@BKburke@Turbowraith@Xandrya
Alright ladies and gents. I've just finished writing up 8 pages worth of broadstroke plans for the mission. I'd say that's a pretty productive day at work wouldn't you? Now it's 8 pages of a fairly small legal pad, but still, it's gonna be a long one, I've got a couple of pm's to send, particularly to our new members, before I finalize things, so if you have something in particular you want your character to do, or any other sort of suggestions/ideas, nows your chance to pm me with them! With any luck I'll get the initial post up after work tonight, if not I'm off tomorrow and I'll have the full day to freely rp!
Alright ladies and gents. I've just finished writing up 8 pages worth of broadstroke plans for the mission. I'd say that's a pretty productive day at work wouldn't you? Now it's 8 pages of a fairly small legal pad, but still, it's gonna be a long one, I've got a couple of pm's to send, particularly to our new members, before I finalize things, so if you have something in particular you want your character to do, or any other sort of suggestions/ideas, nows your chance to pm me with them! With any luck I'll get the initial post up after work tonight, if not I'm off tomorrow and I'll have the full day to freely rp!
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