Character Frontier

Rail Siding - Jeanette and crew, Chisa

Chisa tried hard not to completely freak out at the storm and the oncoming attack of Stalker and concentrate on giving Jeanette more information. "H-he is fast enough to not be seen easily and can teleport in short distances." she said, still nervous. Maybe since it she was surrounded by an entire crew with weapons and tanks, Stalker would fail and flee. That is, if their weapons could even penetrate the exo-armor. "W-we shouldn't have to worry about him until the sandstorm passes. Stalker is smart, a sandstorm both gives him an advantage as well as a disadvantage." she added.

"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"

[Grand Hotel (Lobby)]

Scents was really confused now. Considering what John's (James's partner?) reaction had been like, she thought maybe that their universe had never had first contact. They didn't look that advanced. But then how come they had an alien son, or at least an alien pretending to be their son?

Maybe they were just unfamiliar with her species. But she had never thought vayen looked all that frightening to humans, not compared to gluvpaki or racnizeroth anyway.

She glanced back and forth, trying to fix all of her eyes on all three of them at once, then shook her head. "Nah. Just confusing me a little. He's not really your son, is he?"

She bent down to the point where she was almost on all fours (which was much more natural for a vayen than it would be for a human) and cocked her head at Pancake. "Hey there, little guy, sorry if I scared you. You haven't seen many vayen, have you?"

Iraal, (the green one) finished renting a room, came over to join them, but just stared at her assistant talking to the animal.

edited 15th Nov '15 1:15:37 PM by nrjxll

Northwestern Desert - The Fort

Rin motioned towards the captured invader. "Anyway, who were they? Anyone you know?"

Gwion looked at the dejected-looking figure being led away. "No fucking idea. They have a military or paramilitary look about them but the ski masks and the fact they opened fire on a group of unarmed men suggest they're not exactly legit forces. I look forward to finding out who the fuck they are and what that was all about." He looked about at the dead bodies littered about. "But that can wait. It looks like we've got a bit of a clean-up on our hands."

He set about helping the fort's soldiers with the tasks of cleaning up and Sophia, Kaitlyn and Finn joined in. Kaitlyn, for all she looked - quite literally - like a delicate "elf", displayed no signs of squeamishness when handling bloodied and mutilated dead bodies.

There were the fort's fallen soldiers to move to a place for proper burial, dead invaders to move somewhere for later disposal and fallen weapons to gather up.

It rapidly got darker. Lamps were lit and brought out to assist with the clean up and it was just after eight o'clock when they managed to get indoors, just as the sand-storm hit the walls of the fort with full force.

Finn looked towards the door at the sound of the storm. "We timed that nicely, that's for sure."

Rin can join in the clean-up and stick around to chat with the others and find out about the invaders or make a dash back to her group and take the risk outrunning the storm. But anyhoo: Time Skip - it's now finally after 8pm at the Fort.

Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite

Peggy was somewhat reassured by what Vic had to say about his reasons for joining the cultists and his realisation that his "captors" were not the "enemy" he had thought them to be. She rather doubted he would make moves to escape and return to the cultists or seek to harm anyone here - which was good: she had had more than enough combat, conflict and killing for one day.

She remembered the anger she had felt at seeing Todd trussed and kneeling on the ground surrounded by his captors and how easy it had been to pull the trigger. If someone had asked her the previous day if she felt she was capable of killing another human being, she would have had her doubts. Like the others, she seldom went unarmed but it was one thing to carry a pistol on the off-chance that you might have to use it to defend your own life and another to have the resolve to do so if the situation arose.

Well now she knew: she definitely had what it took to take a life - but she certainly wasn't in a hurry to do so again. She stubbed out her cigarette in a nearby ashtray and placed her hand on top of Karl's hand that was resting on her thigh.

Karl gave her a smile and flipped his hand over so he could close his fingers gently around her hand, palm to palm. His thumb gently stroked the back of her hand.

Samuel had barely made his quip about butchering and cooking the cows - plural - when there was a knock at the door.

Kris went and opened the door to reveal a waiter pushing a heavily laden trolley and another waiter in tow. If either waiter was surprised to see a young woman prominently wearing a pistol on her waist, they didn't show it.

Kris stood aside as the waiters entered and set about laying the table with fluid teamwork.

Wolfe looked up. "Choice! Tucker time."

Teri grinned and launched herself from the sofa towards the table. "Wicked!"

One of the waiters quickly matched diners with meals and removed the lids from steaming platters of food while the other laid out the glasses and dealt to the pouring of the wine - not even batting an eyelid when Wolfe insisted on the white rather than the red.

Once the meal and drinks were served, the waiters retired discreetly, taking the trolley with them and closing the door silently.

Teri, Peggy, James and Wolfe all instantly picked up their utensils and set about eating but Kris and Karl both paused a while in solemn contemplation and thanksgiving before commencing.

[Fort]

As Henry was sneaking around he heard the gunfire stopping. He looked around to see a couple soldiers leading one of the intruders away to prison cells.

"Is the fight over?" He asked the one of the soldiers.

"Yes sir it is. I believe the Lieutenant is in his quarters looking for you." The soldier replied.

"Well then.uh carry on." Henry said as he started to go back outside.

edited 15th Nov '15 9:07:31 PM by Mrship21

[Town ~ Railway Street (Bed and Breakfast ~ Shared Room)](Connie, Davey, Irina)

"Well, I assure you, they'll be waiting." Margaret nodded, "With eager open arms, mmmhmm."

She paused, then smiled and waved the back of he hand at them. "Now go on and get yourselves comfortable. Your room is up the stairs and to the left. The bathroom is downstairs. If you need anything, I'll be around. Might do to tidy this place up a bit."

Connie smiled and gave the woman a nod, before turning and climbing the stairs with Irina. They weren't particularly tall, and the upstairs area wasn't particularly far above that which was downstairs. The bag Irina had entrusted Connie with wasn't particularly heavy, so the climb wasn't particularly difficult.

When they neared the top, she said, "I think Davey already went in. He and Rip were going to have a talk about something or other, but uh..." she clicked her teeth and shrugged, "that didn't last very long. Anyway..."

The doors to both rooms weren't very far from the top of the stairs, allowing only enough room for two small, symmetrical balconies that wrapped around the upper edges of the main hall, meeting together at a pair of windowed double doors at the other end of the room, which lead to an outside balcony. A modest but well-lit chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, doing a serviceable job of replacing the dimming light from the windows.

Connie gave the the upper floor only a brief glance before heading over to the door that lead to their room, and pulling it open.

The room was actually fairly spacious. The two beds were of decent size, each potentially fit for two people without too much unwanted cuddling. They were positioned side-by-side against the wall, with a fairly large gap in between them, a long bedside table occupying part of that gap, and a padded—though currently barren—bedroll occupying the rest. At the other end of the room was a small closet with a sliding door, with a few empty hangers dangling from a wooden bar. There were a few other hangers, but they were currently occupied by some curiously small sets of clothing. Next to the closet was a wall unit that seemed to have been made out of a wooden dresser and a set of similarly-colored but not entirely matching shelves. A small, chunky-looking cube of a TV set—fully equipped with dials and rabbit ears—sat at the center of the unit. Another set of windowed doors sat at a wall that was otherwise unoccupied, aside from a few framed scenic paintings. They too lead to an outdoor balcony, though at the back end of the building, without as much of a view. Between all this, there was still a decent bit of walking space, a nice colorful red rug, and two comfortable-looking cushioned chairs situated in the corners not occupied by a door or a closet.

Davey was next to the bed farthest from the door, stooped over one of their bags and hurriedly digging through it. Some of his clothes on hangers were draped over the corner of the bed. Another few hangers were strewn across the floor next to him. Far be it for him to wear one or two sets of clothes; the little ferret-like creature had brought along enough to occupy several hangers, and he was still digging through the bag for more.

When Connie and Irina stepped in, Davey stopped what he was doing for a moment to look up and beam.

"Bonswar ladies." he said, severely maiming a French greeting in the process. "Nice to see you again Connie, and especially nice to see you Irina. I'm glad that neither Rip, nor Connie, nor Margaret managed to scare you off. Not to mention that other guy." His whiskers twitched slightly as he smiled again. "Sorry that arrangements couldn't be more tuned to our own personal comforts, but..." he glanced around the room, "well, this isn't too terrible, is it?"




[Town ~ Grand Hotel (Lobby)](Joseph, Iraal, James, John, Pancake, Scents)

Joe was both relieved an a little nervous to be given the go ahead to drop the disguise. On the one hand, it would be nice not to feel so skittish every time anyone got close, and his neck felt like it was was developing a serious crink with all the arching and bending at all angles, to say nothing of his tail. On the other hand, he still felt awkward and uncomfortable watching the immediate reactions of those around him. The words that were seen, but left unspoken. And the words he could only imagine were being thought by others. But it would pass. It always... sort of... passed.

"Well... all right..." Joseph murmured, before removing his hat and raising his very much exposed lizardy head. He also let his clawed hands slide further out of the jacket's sleeves, and let his tail hover below the jacket's bottom, allowing it more room to move "So how did you know that I..." he began to ask, before he actually caught sight of who he assumed was Scents, now stooping to look at Pancake. "-Oh! Uh..." he glanced around, trying hard not to stare, and suddenly feeling unsure of what to say again.

"...hello." was what he finally came up with, though even he wasn't sure whether he was speaking to the three-eyed canine lady talking to the cat, or her 'green hairless biped' friend who had come over also seemed to be staring at the three-eyed canine lady talking to the cat. Maybe it was just up for grabs.

Nice day to feel like a hypocrite.

this place needs me here

[Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite]

Todd, thanks to his choice of seat, was first to be served. Unlike the others, he was served seared salmon with a side of chopped potatoes. Some sauce was upon it. He muttered a thank you to the waiters as they departed.

Samuel licked his lips and he sat down. "Well, that was... Punctual."

Vic at first was frozen at the sight of his own meal. He stared at it in wonder. The savory smell and warmth that came after the chrome lids were lifted were enough to entice him. After snuffing out his smoke, he sat next to Samuel's seat. He eyed his utensils strangely. He looked around to see the ease of usage. There was a tinge of embarrassment in his gut. He asked meekly, "How do you uh... Do it?"

Todd at first glared, but passed as he remembered Vic's upbringing. Poor kid.

Samuel reached over and took the knife and fork. "It's like this." He stabbed the meat with a fork, and began to slice with the knife. The meat gave quickly, as it was tender. "Mm. Looks good." He gave the fork with the stabbed section of meat to the boy. Vic took a bite, and his eyes grew wide. "Good, is it?" The boy nodded.

The colonel himself began to cut up his meal. "I don't think I've had one of these for a while. All the have is... Lamb and chicken. Gets old after a while. I love this."

Todd commented, "I like the sauce better in Serenica, but the chef could never make a good salmon."

Vic was just silent as he devoured his meat. He took to cutting quickly. He was already skilled with a knife, it seems. Samuel just chuckled. "He has nothing to say."

---

[Town ~ Railway Street (Bed and Breakfast ~ Shared Room)](Connie, Davey, Irina)

Irina only gave the upstairs a quick glance as well. It was nicer than some homes she bunked at, for sure. It was too unlike the places she mostly stayed at— usually street under-hangs or abandoned housing destroyed by war. She was used to it. Is this what home feels like? Too comfortable, then. Good enough for a couple nights, though. She hid her inherent disgust as she was grateful for the stay— she would never be in a sandstorm.

She sighed a bit, in relief there wouldn't have to be much of a hassle over bedding. She looked around as she dropped her stuff off near the door. "Yeah, not too bad. Also, I've dealt with worse people. Usually I do so at gunpoint."

Irina dusted herself off a bit before saying, "I know it's a bit sudden, but, I'm up for sharing a bed if either of you want your own. I just— need to rest. I've had a long day." She knelt down and dug out her canteen. She flicked the lid open and took a swig of water. She grimaced a bit. It was fairly warm.

Life is hard, that's why no one survives.

[Rail Siding - 61A3 Knight One-One]

"Well, I'm going to guess he doesn't like bits of metal moving a couple thousand meters a second, at least on raw physics if nothing else." A canister round was a couple of hundred tungsten flechettes packed into a shot cup, basically a 150mm shotgun shell full of tiny daggers rather than pellets. "They never do show superheroes falling over because the bullets have kinetic energy, though."

Ritchie chuckled in the gunner's seat. "I thought I was the only one that was bothered by that sort of thing. But hey, this is a sixty-ton slab of armor and engine. Unless he's secretly Superman, that hitting him should cause him problems."

edited 16th Nov '15 9:51:25 AM by Night

Nous restons ici.

[Hotel-Lobby]

John scratched his head. "No, he's not our son. We met in a desert and I decided to have him tag along with us. We only did the disguise because he and James were nervous about how others would react." He smiled, "I knew things wouldn't be so bad! Now, we can all get along, right?"

James blinked at green women that came over, before clearing his throat. "The only thing that's true is that me and John are going to be married next year. Other than that, Joseph's just someone we found."

Pancake was just a normal kitten, and therefore she could not talk to Scents. All she did was swish her tail and take a step back, still hissing. Scents's friend was not making things easier for her.

John gently picked up Pancake and rubbed her chin, which seemed to instantly calm her down. "It's alright; you're ok, Pancake."

"How did you know who he was before, though?" James asked, "Was the disguise that obvious?"

edited 16th Nov '15 5:39:03 PM by Masterofchaos

[Grand Hotel (Lobby)]

Scents twitched her ears in Pancake's direction. Then rising up, she mimicked a human shrug as best as she was able to. "Sort of - sorry, zer. Might not be that obvious to most people what was under the disguise, but it's... kind of obviously a disguise for something. Like I said, it's my job to look closer at things like that. I'm professional security, and accordingly I've got your basic vision augs. Also," she tapped her snout just below the nostrils, "when I got close enough, he smelled different from a human."

Iraal looked more closely at Joseph. She didn't recognize his species, but her social interaction software, recognizing his slight awkwardness in this situation, warned her against saying as much, or at least saying it bluntly right now. Instead, she nodded politely in memorized greeting. "Hello to you as well. I'm Doctor Iraal voSotin, junior chair of xenoarchaeology at the University of Lesser Sorkral." A pause while she read more text projected onto her field of vision. "And I'm an orl. This is my assistant Follows-Many-Scents; she's a vayen."

"Said as much already, doc," Scents interjected.

"Ah," Iraal said. She was silent for a moment, then turned to James and nodded again. "Congratulations. I am sure the two of you will be very happy."

Scents looked upward. "Oh, brother."

Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite

Wolfe nodded at Samuel's comment. "Our meat is usually small to medium game with the occasional bit of venison and our vegetables are whatever we can forage depending on the season. We seldom get the opportunity to eat beef or mutton and cultivated vegetables, so this makes a nice change. Don't get me wrong; what we usually eat is tasty and it's frequently varied so it seldom gets boring, but you get to miss the "traditional" meals after a while."

Teri grinned. "And while there's a great satisfaction in knowing that you killed it yourself, it still tastes better if somebody else did all the work of cooking it and you don't even have to wash up afterwards."

James nodded. "And it tastes especially good if the person who did the cooking is an exceptional chef. I must pass on my compliments."

"I'm enjoying the fact that, for the first time in ages, I didn't walk miles to get the ingredients," said Peggy.

will wait for Blackfire667 before posting in for the crowd at the Fort

edited 17th Nov '15 12:53:28 AM by Wolf1066

[THE FORT]

At the open gate, the APC halted just short of entering. Both driver and passenger looked around, greatly confused at the carnage.

"This..." Chris began. "... Does not line up with the definition of 'deserted'."

Tana however, spotted Kaitlyn and Finn, prompting her to take action. sticking half her body outfoxed the now opened window, the old hag gave a whistle not unlike the one Finn gave, then throwing up her arm that, to the acquaintances, would hopefully come across as 'Mind if we come in?'

edited 17th Nov '15 2:44:21 PM by TroPartner

[Over The Mountains]

Morag seemed to grin as he let loose another round of magic missiles and waited. Still, he was as far as he wanted to be — too close, and he'd have to deal with things that made Tuchanka look like Eden Prime.

From here could be seen, sitting in the center of a valley, a half-buried spiral shell the size of a small city made of what appeared to be stained glass, pulsing violet, magenta, and red to a steady rhythm. The Dead God, though it seemed more lively than the title would suggest.

[Forest]

Brin had to admit Miyuki had a point. The most clearly dangerous enemy was occupied. She didn't like breaking her word, but... bandits. She looked at the rest of the group, trying to gauge how they felt. She wouldn't start the fight, but she was ready to join in if it happened.

Maude, her senses (among other things) honed to superhuman edge by the insanity she had survived in her home universe, at least overheard Miyuki and grinned at her, an expression that said "bring it". She'd seen what Hoshi was capable of — and frankly, she at least wasn't impressed. Maude tended to avoid combat, but after defying the might of Moloch and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, there were few things that truly scared her.

edited 18th Nov '15 3:43:26 PM by KillerClowns

Northwestern Desert - The Fort

Christopher and Tana

Everyone looked up at the sound of the whistle and Finn and Kaitlyn recognised the vehicle and the woman hanging out the window, waving. They waved acknowledgement.

One of the Corporals saw the vehicle and motioned to Tana with his hand that she should get it inside the fort promptly.

Once the vehicle was inside, the Corporal ordered that the outer doors be closed and bolted against the coming storm.

since the post references scenes of carnage and it wouldn't have taken more than a few minutes for Tana to get to the fort, we'll assume this happened sometime between everyone commencing the clean-up and everyone heading into the fort's buildings. Assume introductions have been made all round during the cleaning.

edited 18th Nov '15 7:13:18 PM by Wolf1066

[Fort]

Henry walked outside to see all the carnage left over from the battle with the soldiers and his new friends cleaning it up. "Jesus Christ, What the Fuck." He said to himself as he walked through the area with the dead bodies. The soldiers didn't really look like any form of military he's seen in his own world but they might be from another world though. All he really knew is that he wanted to watch the interrogation.

As the storm got closer all the others were standing by the open front gate letting in an APC. One that looked a little more high tech than the ones he's familiar with. He walked up next to Gwion taking his aviator shades off. "Sorry I disappeared like that. I was tring to get them from behind but wound up getting lost in the fort." He said turning his attention to the APC. "Do you know who these people are?"

[Town ~ Railway Street (Bed and Breakfast ~ Shared Room)](Connie, Davey, Irina)

"Out for the count so soon?" Davey asked, looking back up from his bag.

Connie—who had set down Irina's bag near the door and was now looking out through the windowed double doors that opened to the balcony—shrugged, "It's not as if there's much else to do. It's late and I don't know if you've noticed, but we're kind of stuck in a storm."

"Nah-ah-ah," Davey shook his head, "there's no 'stuck' about it. We've been- eh... we'll say highly-discouraged from going outside because of that storm, sure, I agree, but that doesn't mean that someone with a sophisticated storm-braving outfit can't go out there and, well, brave the storm."

Reaching back into his bag, he pulled out and held up a thick-looking, heavy-hooded parka; another garment not meant for the heat of the desert.

"Is that-" Connie began, looking away from the door windows for a moment.

"Exactly what I'm doing now?" Davey interrupted, glancing at Connie from the side of the parka. He smiled, "Yes, you nailed it. If the storm gets any worse, I'd like to be shut in somewhere with a steady supply of drinks and folks who'd like to hear the ol' road tales." His smile widened into a small grin as he set the parka onto the bed, as though he were picturing himself living it up at that very moment.

"Dave, it's late and, uh, again," Connie thumbed back at the door, "there's a sandstorm. Don't you think that any bars or whatever have closed for the night?"

Davey shrugged and returned to digging through his bag for more clothes. "Maybe the ones without strong doors—or without doors at all, if they exist. But, come on, a desert town like this must be used to getting sandstorms all the time. And with the town so active, I don't think they'd want to miss out on the potential business. Think about it: if someone is stuck in a place that sells you food and drinks for time and money, where do you think that person is going to spend all their time and money? Do you really think these businessers are going to turn all those customers away because of a natural—if a little obtrusive—weather occurence?" he shook his head, "Mmm-mn. It's kindergarten economics."

Connie sighed, rolling her eyes slightly, then—as if out of obligation—asked, "And they're going to open the doors for you... why?"

"Money!" came his exuberant reply.

Connie passed a glance at Irina, her eyebrows knitting slightly in a show of either confusion or deep concern. "Dave, are you sure you're talking about bar owners and not, like... cartoons here?"

Davey pulled his head out of the bag and sighed. "Connie, if you're done trying to poke holes in everything I say... well, you're invited to come too, if you'd like. You too Irina, unless you're dead-set on hitting the sack. In which case, the bed is all yours. Connie, you get the other bed, and I'll be resting easy on the pad, whenever I return."

"Pass." Connie said, trying to hide a skeptical smile. "And I expect to see you back in 20 minutes tops. Maybe 30 if it helps your dignity."




[Town ~ Grand Hotel (Lobby)](Joseph, Iraal, James, John, Pancake, Scents)

Joseph couldn't help but feel just a little deflated at being demoted from 'fake son' to 'just someone we found'. It was stupid, because it was all for show, but the little bits and pieces of parental affection felt just a little nice. Stop getting attached. Stop feeling attached. You can't get attached, so just stop.

After hearing about how very disguise-like his disguise had been, and how he apparently smelled different from an ordinary human, Joe found himself almost tempted to get a whiff then and there, but he didn't feel like looking like a doofus. Besides, whatever the difference was, he'd probably grown so used to it that he wouldn't detect anything out of the ordinary at all. Who knew, maybe it was just the smell of the muddy river soaked into his clothes. Probably soaked into him too. Eugh. He'd be taking a proper shower—or a bath, if possible—at his first opportunity.

Now that his disguise had been done away with and his identity made clear, for whatever it was worth, he wasn't entirely sure where he fit into the conversation anymore. Even worse, he couldn't stop himself from staring at the two aliens, no matter how hard or how actively he tried to keep himself from doing so. In the end, his eyes just made jittery jumps from one to the other.

When it seemed opportune, he responded, "Right- yeah, I'm Joseph, and I'm... uh... kinda in-between at the moment." He leveraged his words with a toothy grin and knit his fingers together, unsure of what else to do.

this place needs me here

[Hotel-Lobby]

John's eyes widened, and he blinked.

"Oh! t-thank you!" he said, smiling, "That's so nice of you!"

James chuckled, then cleared his throat. "Anyway, nice to meet you Scents and Iraal. Sorry for the trouble. We honestly had no idea that everything was going to be fine."

He looked back at the elevators and rubbed the back of his head. "But we really, honestly, should be going to our rooms. Our 'son' here needs to freshen up."

John sniffed himself, then reeled back. "Oh Christ, so do I. God knows how long we've been out there."

On one hand, John felt glad that nothing happened. But part of him felt disappointed that the charade ended so early. He thought his cosplaying story was going to be flawless. If only Scents didn't have a strong...well, scent.

Pancake booped Joseph's nose.

Rail Siding - Jeanette and crew, Chisa

Chisa found herself smiling at Jeanette's and Ritchie's words. She felt safe with them and even almost wished Stalker would try something. They could take him, just let him try and capture her! A sudden thump on the tank made her thought bubble pop and if she had a heart, it would stop. Her breaths became slow and deep and she started shaking again. "No, he would even try to get us in a sandstorm!?!" she cried out, alert and worried now.

A figure in black would appear on the top of the tank, at first meditating but if anyone shot at it, it would move incredibly fast and look like black smoke.

"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"

Kaito had been stationed in the town for the past few days. He had been given intel that a certain AI had evaded capture from the Corpus and had made it out as far as the Frontier. At least he wouldn't have to wait much longer before making his move. He had kept an eye on her from a distance, staying in a building a street or two down from where the rail cars that carried the massive tanks had stopped to weather out the sandstorm.

From the window, he looked through a set of hi-tech optics directly at the tank that he had seen the AI take shelter in with the soldiers. Despite having cybernetics in his lightning blue eyes, he tended to use equipment in adverse weather conditions instead. Of course nothing was really going on now that the storm was nearly on top of the town, but he had been informed of possible Corpus operatives still being in pursuit of the AI. One in particular by the code name "Stalker". Kaito had to be on the lookout for him as well and was ordered only to approach him if the AI was being targeted.

Then at the edge of the optic's peripheral, Kaito spotted what looked to be a wisp of blackness, to the likeness of smoke. It was then that he saw it, Stalker had come out of hiding and was now on top of the tank that housed the AI—he had to act NOW!

Jumping to his feet, he tapped the communication headset in his ear and spoke hurriedly. "Control! This is Raiden—Corpus hostile has made contact with the AI! Engaging hostile now!" In another swift movement, Kaito activated a high-tech scanning visor over his eyes and leaped from the window, shattering the glass as he went.

Landing in the street along the tracks, Kaito broke out into a run towards the flat cars and Stalker who stood steadily on the tank's turret amidst the whipping wind. He drew forth his pistol as he ran, the AI that was housed within the weapon authenticated him in a calm tone as he ran. Authentication confirmed—Agent Kaito "Raiden" Sumeragi, United Guardian Network Special Forces—you are a valid wielder. Raising the weapon, Kaito sent two shots toward Stalker, one meant as a warning shot, the other intending to wound. He would not allow the Corpus to get their hands on the AI, and certainly not without a fight.

edited 19th Nov '15 12:26:36 PM by Gold_Paladin

[Rail Siding - 61A3 Knight One-One]

"Christ." Jeanette muttered. That thump wasn't nearly as loud as some of the times she'd heard rockets explode or cannon shells deflect off the tank, but you didn't hear much noise if somebody just jumped on it. Either he was pretty heavy or he was trying to get in. She checked her hatch was locked.

Ritchie threw the combat lock on his hatch and checked it. "Cap, do we-"

"If we uncover one of the optics the sand will just wreck it. Mikey, how's the engine?"

"Spinning up to full idle." The gas turbine engine of the tank would stay clear in a sandstorm simply because at full idle power the exhaust would clear off the air intakes. And also probably give anyone without protection standing on the back deck painful burns. The tank had to be specially designed so that infantry hiding behind or next to it wouldn't get hurt by the engine exhaust. "Ready to run."

Jeanette grabbed her headset. "One-Two, backscratch." Then she flipped the intercom switch again. "Mikey! Rider scenario on my mark."

"Copy!" Knight One-Two, the second tank on the train, swung its turret towards them and opened fire directly at their tank with its coaxial machine gun: 'scratching their back' to try and clear off any unwelcome riders, with a weapon not powerful enough to penetrate the tank's armor. The tanks could "see" each other, sort of, with their radios. Not quite ideal, but good enough for this.

Nous restons ici.

Rail Siding - Stalker, Jeanette and Crew, Chisa, Kaito

Chisa covered her face and went into fetal position and squeaked when Jeanette started giving out orders and shots were fired. She could hear fighting outside and wondered if it was Jeanette's men...or possibly someone else.

Outside, Stalker moved quick to dodge both the bullets the new boy shot at him. He drew a short scythe from his back and was about to charge forth when the tanks behind the one he was standing on shot some rounds towards the two. He jumped back while sheathing the scythe once more and pulled out his bow, firing arrows at the blonde and the tanks as well to his the ones operating the guns.

"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"

[Grand Hotel (Lobby)]

Iraal smiled broadly and offered the humans a thumbs-up. She'd learned the latter gesture from one of her neighbors growing up who had had an interest in humans. The smile looked much more natural on her than some of her expressions usually did; she was relieved that the conversation had gone off without a hitch.

"Very well, then," she said. "I'll let you go. I am given to understand that I should say 'see you around', but I actually plan to be heading out tomorrow."

Scents, who had started to drift away to observe the others present in the lobby once more, made a quick slashing gesture across the front of her mouth at hearing this.

Iraal looked contemplative for a moment, then made up her mind: whatever her social interaction software said, she had to ask this while she had the chance: "By the way... what species are you, Joseph? I've never seen any one quite like it."

Scents began moving over towards their robot, which had been sitting motionless to one side of the lobby. As she went, she glanced around at the others present, assessing. The uniformed woman from the street appeared to be checking in, still trailed by her muscle. If 'muscle' was actually the right word - 'servant' might maybe be better, she thought.

She walked over towards them. "Hello again, zers. Looks like we're all stuck here for the moment."

Sorry I didn't post until now.

Rail Siding - Stalker, Kaito, Chisa, Jeanette and Crew

While still running forward, Kaito watched as Stalker dodged his shots and switch momentarily between the trademark scythe that he had been informed about to his secondary weapon, a wicked looking bow. So he was gonna try and keep the agent from getting too close, was he? Fat chance of that.

Rolling to the side to dodge one of the oncoming projectiles, Kaito raised his pistol again and shot at the second arrow that had been loosed in his direction, making it disintegrate upon contact. He had been told that Stalker could play the distance game rather well, as could Kaito. But for all intents and purposes, he had to make this a matter of close combat and he had to make it count.

With all the other distractions that surrounded the assassin, Kaito quickly closed the gap between him and the flat cars, switching up his arsenal for a more personal means of combat. Holstering the pistol, he drew out a tactical blade from a hidden space underneath his coattail and brought it to bare. With a kick off the ground, he vaulted towards Stalker, his teeth gritted as a growl sounded from deep in his throat. Now this battle was about to get personal.

edited 19th Nov '15 11:04:37 PM by Gold_Paladin

[Town ~ Railway Street (Bed and Breakfast ~ Shared Room)](Connie, Davey, Irina)

Irina was about to strip down before she listened to the current conversation. She stood up. "I really advise you to not go out. It's too dangerous."

She continued, "Sometimes, something lurks there. Something I can't explain. But, people sometimes like to attack those still out there. Trust me, I know."

She then approached him. "Davey, if you are adamant, then... I should accompany you." Irina picked up her satchel, and pulled something out of it. It was a pistol- a worn one, at that. It was large compared to her hand but she held it comfortably. She put it into a holster underneath her cloak. "I suppose I could use some food myself anyways."

---

[Western Desert]

The inky black monster walked, and carried the sandstorm with it. It usually stayed away from the town, but some action had drawn it there. As long as someone was out in the open, it had a chance to feed.

It considered a moment in returning to the desert, to see if the scouts were still there. But its first bite was too crunchy. It moaned before carrying on.

---

[Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite]

"I can't imagine that. Like, eating stuff you find. I suppose it explains your skill in hiding out there," Todd said. "Sam, I wonder if we should've used guerrilla tactics."

Samuel took a sip of the wine. As he set it down, he frowned. "Hell no. They had— killer robot men and artillery. They would've blown us up real quick." He made a glare at his friend. "I hate waiting around too, like, damn Todd. You should know that."

Todd laughed. "They always said Airborne men hate waiting around."

"Uh-huh. You're one of them, Commander." He elbowed the blond man.

Vic replied to Peggy, "Or digging through trash for some shitty food. I can't believe this what it's supposed to be like." From a glance at his plate, he was almost done with his meal.

Samuel joked, "Hey, watch your mouth kid. Right here's the Commander of the Royal Guard of Serenica. Show some respect." Todd couldn't help but chuckle. "See, now he's choking." The blond man threw his head back in laughter. "Goddamn. He's dying now. That's a federal charge."

Vic couldn't understand the humor in it. He just shrugged. "Sorry, Colonel."

Todd's laughter gave Sam some chuckles. "Oh yeah, you'll be sorry."

Life is hard, that's why no one survives.

Rail Siding - Chisa, Jeanette and crew, Stalker, Kaito

Stalker jumped back once more and shot a few more arrows aimed directly at Kaito. When the boy charged, Stalker seemed prepared, switching weapons once more in a fast motion like he had done this a million times. His small scythe was back in his hands. He positioned himself ready to counteract attacks but also swung his weapon forward in a strong quick move.

   "You are no Tenno."    he hissed. To anyone that could hear him, the voice sounded raspy and strangely distorted.    "But you will pay regardless for getting in my way!"    Anyone who sided with Tenno, who sided with the one he sought to destroy hiding inside the tank, he would eliminate. When Kaito would strike, Stalker would strike back, blocking, slicing, striking wherever he could.

edited 20th Nov '15 8:59:31 AM by Sphinxyness

"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"

[Rail Siding - 61A3 Knight One-One]

Jeanette heard the noise stop. The coax fire sounded like very heavy rain against the side armor of their tank. "One-Two, report."

"He busted our unitary sight. No other damage we're aware." There were nearly three inches of composite steel-depleted uraninum-ceramic-titanium armor on the front of the turret. The arrows had embedded in that, which was an impressive testament to Tenno-style weaponry, but actually going through wasn't in the cards.

"Copy." She flipped to intercom again. "Mikey?" She looked down at Chisa. "Hold on tight, kid, this is gonna be rough." She braced herself against the hatch ring and saw Ritchie do the same. "Advance. And heaven help whoever gets in our way."

The tank lurched forward and down, driving off the transporter. The tracks caught for a moment and strained, but didn't break, and then with an impossibly loud slam the tank was on level ground and accelerating smoothly. The big gas turbine engine was surprisingly quiet, and the tank gathered speed far faster than a sixty-ton slab of metal seemed to have any right to, reaching twenty kilometers an hour in about as many meters.

Nous restons ici.