Futuristic Horseshoes & Ion Grenades

[Dragongal]

Everett rejoined the group at the gate right before it opened. He was pretty sure that wasn't due to any of them, which... could mean a couple of things. Once again, they didn't have enough information. Infiltration plans never went this well, and Everett does his best not to think back on some poorly planned raids he'd been part of.

The new faces were a relief. Especially the one who had gathered up the horses. So far they seemed like a practical addition, and that would be very handy indeed. The sharpshooter seemed... Excitable. His reliability would be seen in time. Now the young one with the back full of dynamite, that was a pleasant surprise. He seemed nervous, but he would be stupid to not be.

The gate rattled and creaked open, not quite large enough for more than one person to get through yet. While Salvo opened fire, Everett called, "Sliver, clear the way!" as he ducked behind the protection of the wall opposite Salvo.

The metal dog in question barked and ran forward, knocking down the man who hadn't been shot by Salvo. Everett heard the crunch of bone and shout of pain as Sliver bit into the man's arm to disarm him. A slight wince crossed his face behind the one-way glass on his helmet.

Everett looked to Del and said, "The dog will keep them occupied while the others shoot and force them into cover. You should be clear to set up in this section of the wall," with a gesture to the section of wall near Everett, further from the gate.

 

[Oceanic Mind]

Ah! Not as late as she assumed, the fighting had started again. Wonderful.

Breq had been put a little at ease when the bot returned her wave, but the ease wasn't long-lasting as said bot nearly had its head blasted off and the horse she'd wrangled tried to make another break for it. Her slightly off-key song was interrupted by a grunt as she tried to keep her place on Toren while the stray tried its damndest to jerk the leads out of her hand.

"Hush, now!" her voice was firm enough to make the horse huff at her in agitation, but she still managed to calm it in a much more timely manner than the first time. She still dismounted Toren--while her own horse was perfectly well behaved in comparison to this one, Breq didn't want to test the limits of her tolerance for... horseplay. Pun appreciated, but not intended. Still, she would have to do something about these horses. While she mused over this problem, she started to hum to herself and picked a random outcropping to lead the horses toward, keeping a brisk pace since the fight was picking up again.

At Del's sudden (to her) appearance, she startled minutely but offered him a perfectly polite smile. She would have to pay more attention to her surroundings, it would do no good to get lost in her thoughts like that. as she spoke, she was careful to enunciate her words like they did closer to earth, using a bit of that high-class accent. Accents like that tended to get people places, and once she'd started using it in conversation, it was a hard habit to drop. "It's a pleasure, Del. Breq Minae, field medic, at your service." Her smile turned a tad more genuine at his parting comment. "Seeing as it's my job to keep you all alive..." She trailed off and raised an eyebrow pointedly, but didn't stop him from getting closer to the action. He left her with another horse.

"Now this here is just getting a li'l ridiculous innit, Toren?" Toren, not recognizing a vocal command, only shook her mane out. "Four horses..." she placed her hands on her hips, examining her charges with a critical eye. One large horse that seemed to be perfectly willing to stand right where Del had left it, her own horse who had a similar personality, the wildcard and the dependant of the wildcard. Breq made eye-contact with the stray. The stray (predictably) spooked when (presumably) another member of the posse ran in from the dunes with a wild shout.

Breq was becoming an old hand at calming this horse down, but she couldn't stay out here the whole time to baby the poor thing. It took some effort, and she had to arrange everyone around Del's horse (since it refused to move) but she got the wildcard in a position where Del's horse and Toren were acting as a buffer between it and the compound. the dependant refused to be parted more than a foot from the wildcard, so Breq left it to its own devices. With luck, this would be enough to keep it from spooking too terribly.

With that done, Breq quickly grabbed her supplies from Toren and ran over to join the posse before the gates were opened. She stayed on the fringes of the group, far out of anyone's way. She wasn't a very proficient fighter, so she planned on hanging back and, for the most part, being as unobtrusive as possible until she was needed. She considered smiling for the posse, but decided that this perhaps wasn't a smiling moment, and so didn't bother. (It was, however, a moment for an off-key rendition of I Fall to Peices. 1,800 years dead and you still just can't beat Pasty Cline.)

 

[0stinato]

Both CORE and Salvo had given him locations and orders, and with a bit of thought and planning, he could work with it. His mouth was pulled into a grin by the anxiety of it all, knowing he was on a live battlefield and about to make it more explosive and dangerous with his planting and detonating of explosives. Everett’s declaration that he would not be the centre of attention was calming in some capacity though. After all, logic dictated as much: who would you shoot at, the person aiming directly at you, the juggernaut of a canine construct, or some squirt throwing himself behind any cover in his journey to the walls?

“Okay, I’ll git to it, sir. Do you two wanna come with me?” Del looked at both CORE and A.J. with an eyebrow raised in meek hope. “You seem to know where the choke points would be, and you’re eager to shoot so, seems like a fair suggestion. Any backup y’all can provide would be great.”

The gate was open, but Del agreed with Salvo and CORE: another entrance was important to waylay any attempts for a choke point. And it seemed the gang was in someone’s good graces at least, since those beyond the gate seemed surprised that they were on display.

Even abstract, mental confusion served as cover.

Del nodded at A.J. and CORE, remembering CORE’s proposed blast points, along with Everett’s suggestion. As long as he could find a fortification along the bit of wall Everett gestured to, he could get to work. That way, he could control the blast and be sure the entire wall wouldn’t come down on them due to the fortification.

In theory.

That was the big problem Del knew about himself: he preferred to learn practically, but with explosives, you never truly knew how things were going to go in the field. He’d trained on old buildings that were on towns tear-down lists, but no one was shooting at him then. Speed was optional. Now, it was necessary.

Still, if he just trusted himself, remembered his abilities and followed the movements his body wanted to make, he’d get them through. And, if not, there was always the light-the-fuse-and-bolt technique.

He began moving, trying to build up the courage within himself to cross exposed areas, and while he did so, recalled the gang’s target. Baker and the Red Canyon Posse. The bounty was for Baker, alive, and so the posse was marked as expendable by extension. Guess the System didn’t mind how many skulls had to be smashed, as long as Baker was caught.

Del made a mental note to himself to observe the capture of Baker. If he was determined to be a sleek and efficient bounty hunter with this crew, he wanted to make sure he could do a bit of everything. Being an engineer, he had some experience with knots, but his unhoned bodily strength probably wouldn’t go far against a big-time crim with a heavy bounty over their head. Hell, a month ago he’d abjectly failed an arm-wrestle against a bartender called Penny, despite his arms being thicker than hers. Still, he probably should have known. She’d been the one to bet him she could win, after all.

What he was trying to say to himself was, he’d have to learn the techniques of the trade quickly, and put them into practice his own way. Some of the people around him now, or back shooting at the door, were huge. CORE was in a completely different ball park to any of the others, and Salvo himself was very intimidating close up. Even Everett, clean-shaven and well-groomed, fit right in here. Del could easily picture him delivering a sneaky, dirty kick to the kneecap of an enemy to incapacitate them for a moment.

But, could any of them blow a hole in a wall like Del could?

Well, probably with enough notice to learn, yes, but that wasn’t the point. He was here, he had an area in mind, and he had the dynamite.

How many bounty hunters went through such insecurity? Was it just him? Well, CORE seemed nervous too. But A.J., Billiam and Breq were all in their element apparently.

He snorted, pushed his chin out and set his features into a determined glare. All he was doing was rigging up some incredibly dangerous – though stable, dry and predictable – explosives against an unknown fort to make a hole in it and, hopefully, not kill anyone. That was it. Easy. Simple.

Real.

 

[Kabboom]

Billiam had sidled up to the wall after the first shotgun round almost took Salvo's head off (again). A few bullets also flew through the wall near his position, but his instincts told him they wouldn't hit him, and that was good enough. Although the wall's unstable construction did bring a devilish idea to him, a good way to make a big hole to shoot through and run through; taking a knee as a few more flew past at around shoulder-height, Billy pointed his Big Iron at a chunk of wall further away, intent on blasting a plasma hole through it. At least, he would've, if it weren't for the main door jutting open and catching his attention. His posse friends were quick to exploit it, sending rounds through the breach and hiding on the sides, narrowly avoiding return fire from these no-good Baker slickers.

Topping up his Big Iron, Billy prepared to cross the perilous open gate right after Everett's pet death machine ran inside - he'd heard the city slicker talk to someone else about 'setting up on this section of the wall', and Billy's not the type of man to ignore an opportunity like that. Of course, being the simple-minded creature he was, he simply forgot to notice the newer faces coming for the fight. Rushing across the open door and having a few rounds tear into his coattails as he went past, Billy fanned off a few rounds barely nicking another gang member in the toe. Passing by Everett and slamming his cybernetic arm into the wall to brace himself, Billy absentmindedly turned to Del. "Set it up!"

As his hands moved to reload the Big Iron yet again, Billy snapped out of his little combat stupor and acknowledged that Del was, in fact, a person who was there. "Oh hey, howdy!"

 

[fickleglory]

Looks like they’re moving forward. Cas felt a pang of success and looked to her small companion. “Well done,” she smiled. She placed the weasel on her shoulder who then nuzzled her cheek. Their tender moment was cut short by another loud bang. A glance to the metal door revealed a big new hole near the lock. The rusted entrance swung open with Jen standing in the frame.
“You harlett! I told you ’bout my mama!” his gun rose towards before firing off.
“Yeah, and it was one of the most pathetic sob stories I’ve had the displeasure of hearing a grown man weep to.” she ducked down knocking a card to its side for cover. It’s usefulness would be more akin to using a strainer in the rain to stay dry, but she tried anyway. Another blast and she felt the splintered wood scatter across her cheek. Just needed to hold out. Bang. Too high. Bang. Too far to the left. She could sense him caving in. Finally, she heard the clatter of shells behind the table. Cass held her shotgun close. Only one chance. She swung over the table. Aim. Cass inhaled and helped it in her chest for balance. Fire. Her finger then triggered the bullet and it flew true. Well, kinda, it hit him in the shoulder. It was enough, he dropped his gun. Cas leapt over the table, when she passed Jeb, turned her gun and jabbed his face with the butt of the gun. He shuffled to stay up and landed hard against the wall next to him for support. Cas made her way down the stairs and to the slowly opening gate.

 

[Solar Daddy]

Salvo, at this point, had too many damn things to keep track of. Despite being a robot, his computing capabilities were... rather shoddy. He knew he had new members showing up to aid him, while also knowing the gate was opening up for his group despite being unsure why. Still, he wasn't one to waste an opportunity, and given that he was made of metal, decided to tank a few hits to both buy time for his companions, and see just how much firepower they had trained on the front gate. Salvo made sure he had all weapons reloaded before speaking out to his crew. "Keep settin' up those charges, I'm goin' in!" With his six shooter in his dominant hand and the repeater held by the barrel in his other, Salvo stepped out from behind the relative safety of the wall and into the narrow opening of the main gate. As he turned the corner, he fired at just about anything that moved - he had six shots to keep himself covered before he needed to switch off to the repeater in his hands, which he was less confident in his abilities with. Right now he needed speed to take down whoever he could in the moment, and resetting the lever on his repeater wasn't something he wanted to do every shot. But that's what he had to work with.

Movement to the left earned a shot from Salvo's six gun, and another up high dead ahead found itself to be the owner of another chunk of lead. Salvo had stepped a few feet into the compound now, and it was going well so far. It was when he really stepped into the open that bullets started whizzing past and even clanking off his chassis. Some ricocheted into the ground beneath him, while others punched clean holes in his rusted frame. Luckily he was still functional for now, so he assumed nothing vital was hit. Of course, at this point, he hoped Del's explosives would be going off soon. He needed the distraction to make it out of the situation he admittedly got himself into; however, he must've killed a few bandits in his time charging up the main gate. He hoped the others would filter in through whatever holes were made with the explosives, giving a large front for the enemy posse to defend against. Salvo could deal with tanking a few more shots, but not many. He didn't think much of his own life at the moment; they couldn't wait much longer to storm the compound. Every second lost was another moment Baker could be getting away. If Salvo could so much as wound the bounty, his posse would get a big payout and save a lot of future trouble trying to track him down. If Baker made it out of this incursion alive, there's no telling where - or how long - he'd hide. It'd end up being just another bounty on the wall, waiting to be claimed as Baker's Gang continued working remotely without him.

 

[Dragongal]

Everett was more focused on not getting shot to hell. Unlike Salvo, Everett still had all his human limbs - something he was a little proud of, especially when one looked at others in his line of work who had lost arms and legs in fights or assassination attempts. He kept an eye on the dynamite kid and the newcomer hanging off to the side. Looked like a medic based on thhe gear she was wearing. Hopefully her skills wouldn't be needed.

Given that Salvo and Sliver were currently doing the most damage - and could take the most damage - there was no point in Everett sticking himself out there. Especially not after seeing some bullets nearly hit Bill. Seemed like there were a lot of them, all focused on one spot. Everett looked over at the watch tower, then at Del. He patted Billiam on the shoulder and said, "Don't let any of them get past the gates," as he moved past him to Del's ( 0stinato ) side. He didn't want to be too loud after all. "Hey, kid! Think you can get that tower to fall in a *convenient* direction while you're at it? I'm wonderin' if we could use the distraction, and it's not tall enough to hit Salvo, at least not where I think he's standing now."



Sliver was having an awfully fun time disarming people and snapping their rifles in half in his jaws. Sliver was preset to non-lethal attacks unless directed otherwise, and he had currently seen fit to collect everyone's guns like a golden retriever gathering sticks. He even started dropping some of the bent or shattered guns at Salvo's feet as he ran by to go for the next shiny weapon that caught his attention. Of course, in stealing the guns, he was breaking some arms and wrists and even some ribs as he slammed into chests to knock people down, but he seemed to be having a grand old time of it.

 

[0stinato]

Despite the friendly, if sudden, “Hey, kid,” from Everett, Del still jumped when he realised the taller man had arrived beside him. He was getting more familiar with the crack of gunfire, and provided he didn’t hear that prophesising whistling past his ear, he was able to keep focused on the job at hand. But how easy would it be for a sneakin’ bastard to come up behind him and slit his throat? That exact fate had befallen Darla Vaughn’s brother in his favourite romance Iron Dust, where the killer had used the clunking of machinery to mask his footsteps.

But to think a man as big as Everett could sneak up on someone as paranoid and panicked as him… the man was either very good at it, or Del was nowhere near as in the zone as he needed to be.

He decided not to dwell on either thought too long, lest either one of them knock his already wobbly confidence.

“The uh… the tower? I can certainly try? A lot of planning usually goes into an operation like that, not to mention some failsafes…” he trailed off, narrowing his eyes as his brain formulated a plan to ensure utmost safety and success. The only issue was time. “It’s doable… although…”

Knocking down a tower, demolishing it, was something he’d practiced a few times before. However, he’d only done such on old silos on his family’s land, and silos required very different sets of knowledge than a stone tower. Plus, he had the benefit of time and preplanning, involving rigging up chains to ensure the silo could not begin to fall towards the corrals when he let a few charges go. The other main bit of planning was donning protective gear and sawing through selected wooden struts that provided the skeleton of the silos.

“A tower’s going to require several blasts with what I have to fell due to its construction, ‘cause of the foundations and all.” Del smiled, “It’s a fair idea but the more I think about it, perhaps I could be better utilised in other ways? Still, maybe I could rig something up – uh, if I survive – that could speed up the process for any future structure-felling needs. Problem is, I could still be planning on where to lay charges by the time the rest of y’all’ve caught Baker. Let me get the wall open, then we can work on my next move.”

The more he thought, the more his lifetime’s experience of engineering was informing him he was thinking all the right things. Though, there was a part of him that just didn’t want to go near the tower. What if there was an overwatch there, ready to pick off anyone who wanted to use it to access the fort aerially?

“If you’re going through the front though, I might be able to lend a hand there. Hang on,” Del swiped his toolbox onto his front and deftly sorted through it, within a few seconds bringing out a small, scratched chrome case. “There’re two rounds of, I like to call it Mutlishot ammo, that I put together. The idea is, when it begins slowing down after it’s been fired, it’ll split into several bullets, and thus create multiple wounds. I noticed you have a handgun, and they should be compatible. If they’re not, give ‘em to someone else you think needs ‘em.”

He smiled again, slinging his rifle down off his shoulder in preparation for the final dash to the fort wall. “Uh, good luck? I guess? I’ll see you inside.”

With a final nod, Del took his opportunity and leaped from the cover a few rocks had provided and sprinted at his top speed – which was hampered a bit by the fortified case of explosives slamming into his hip every stride – towards the wall. It was impossible to tell how thick it was based on anything out here, but that was something to be expected with buildings. At the moment, he was busy trying to work out whether the wall's materials - mostly scrap with some metal fortification by the looks of it - would be as malleable as stone with a blast. Well, the best he could hope for was the metal was so brittle it would fly to pieces in a cloud of rust and shards. Sticking the dynamite in the right places would be simple, as would finding a decent place to hide where he wouldn't be impaled by metal debris... he hoped. After that, it would be only a matter of taking cover, detonating the explosives, either by the use of a fuse, a radio frequency attached to an igniter, or even shooting it, and hoping he did a good job.

He set to work, hoping he wouldn’t be murdered during his set-up.

 

[Oceanic Mind]

The chaos wasn’t a surprise, nor was the Sheriff charging into the base. Quietly, Breq noted that she would have to be prepared for the worst with this group, it didn’t look like a quiet in-and-out was much their style; That wouldn’t bode well for her supplies. Luckily, she didn’t spend much money on luxury items so the rest of her funds could go toward frantic restocking.

She’d already chosen to go in with Del by the time he lept from cover and ran for the wall, so the medic wasted no time in following him, still humming under her breath (although the gunfire drowned her out). Breq was used to running with her bags, so it was no trouble to stay balanced when she skid to a stop beside him, although; the contents rattled a little and she swayed precariously, sacrificing her balance to unholster her pistol and point it at the ground. She set her back to Del and put her head on a swivel while he worked.

Breq had no place working with explosives, but she could handle herself just that much better in a firefight. There had been several times in her travels when she had to cover for teammates while they worked and at least one event had been more harrowing than this. (Not that she was lacking in adrenaline just now, thank you. She would prefer for the situation to at least remain at this level of frightening if it wasn’t going to de-escalate.) True to assumption, most of the gang was paying attention to those of the posse who had thrown themselves into the fight with guns a-blazing. One or two folks glanced Del’s way but seemed more interested in the immediate threats of a silver dog, mechanical man, and those likely to follow in their footsteps. The two crouching by a wall in a corner? Nothing to worry about… yet.

She sang to alleviate some of her nervous energy (still drowned out by the firefight but it wasn’t like she minded) and kept an eye out for anything heading their way.

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

Core
interaction:​

While core was easily able to process the whole situation of an intensive shootout it just seemed as if everyone else had it perfectly handled and that in all honesty they probably didn’t need much of the old Ai’s help and they just felt a little superficial however this wasn’t really the right time for an crisis of though about ones self Core being the largest target would probably take the most fire Core systems already reading a integrity of about 70% due to the shear age of the big irons frame contributing to the bots frailty, without much thought CORE followed Del Acting as a screen to keep the poor demolitionist alive hopefully that would pay off and they‘d be doing something useful.

 

[Dragongal]

Everett looked down at the case of specialty bullets in his hand. The tower not being able to come down wasn't a big surprise. This kid ( 0stinato ) being able to create an ammunition equivalent of a Geneva convention violation? Bit more surprising. Thankfully the Geneva convention wasn't exactly considered important this far from Earth. Still, Everett was glad that CORE and the new medic were following Del. The kid seemed spooked, and someone would have to watch his back while he set up the charges - and if they were covering him, that meant it didn't have to be Everett.

He gave a wave to Breq ( Oceanic Mind ) to show he acknowledged her assistance in the fight (and would absolutely not try to shoot her). Her lips were moving, and from what Everett could tell past the gunshots, she was singing. If his lip reading was still any good, and his knowledge of old music any better, it was I Fall to Pieces, probably the Patty Cline rendition because to be honest it was still the best one. And with CORE ( Huntertabbysandshark3 ) now going over there to cover those two, Everett turned his attention back to the gate and the infiltration.

It was just a quick sprint over to stand beside Billiam ( Kabboom ) again. In all of the mess that was this firefight, Everett still wondered how the damn gate opened ( fickleglory ). He didn't see any of his comrades get in close enough to mess with the wiring, and he didn't really put his faith in miracles. Could this be a trap? Unlikely, given how shocked the men were when the gate opened. Someone mutinying, perhaps? Waiting for them to kill off the majority of the crew before switching sides? Maybe they had an agent on the inside that Salvo hadn't mentioned, but that was also unlikely. As far as Everett knew, nobody here was enough of a tech expert to hack something like a simple gate from a distance. Nobody had a drone that could have gotten in there, so maybe -

Everett stood against the wall beside Billiam again. "I think they're good over there, and sounds like the bastards inside the walls are occupied. How're you doin' here by the gate?" He checked what type of gun Billiam had. Plasma. No special bullets for him. Everett loaded the two specialty bullets into his gun while waiting for Bill's response.

 

[fickleglory]

Keep going. Focus on your breathing. Wait. While rounding the corner she saw two figures at the base of the tower. A spiky haired blonde ( 0stinato ) and another, whose skin was golden with a shaved head, covered his back ( Oceanic Mind ). Cass' boots stopped dead in her tracks, dust trailed beneath her skirt. Quick draws weren’t her forte and it seemed like the one with the buzz cut was already prepared. She felt her heart leap from the left side of her chest to the right. It was a shame if this was how she went. Under the alias of "Hannah Anne Orphaned Bar Wench".

“Don’t shoot!” she said her wide eyes jumped between the barrel and the wielder. “I’m just a floozy,” it’s awkward to say these words while holding her own weapon. The shotgun was heavy and the end was still warm from the last time she fired it. Doesn’t hurt to try though. She panted standing in front of the other, a mist began to fog her mask. For a moment, everything was quite. No gunfire and no shouting. In that time she absorbed the scene before her. This shooter wasn't facing the invaders. They were the invaders. "Salvo's boys?" she held her breathe for confirmation.

 

[Oceanic Mind]

Breq didn't have the focus to do more than offer the flat smile and squinting eyes of a medical professional trying to smile behind a mask in response to Everett's wave of acknowledgement. She was relieved to note that the man with the silver hound wasn't looking to shoot her himself (at the moment, at least. Though, really, she doubted she had to worry too much about back-stabbing with this group.)

Primarily, she was keeping an eye on the ebb and flow of the firefight, keeping track of her team but still completely lost on what Del was doing to the tower behind her. Although, this didn't help her to see the woman ( fickleglory ) barreling around the blind corner. The dull shine of a shotgun barrel was all it took for Breq to raise her pistol in a reflexive flinch. Stupid mistake, She chided herself, even as the followed through with the motion, aiming around the woman's mid-section. One day you'll shoot someone you don't intend to.

Luckily Breq held her fire long enough to register the dress, the wide eyes, and finally the panicked 'Don't shoot!'. She lowered her barrel to point at the dusty ground again, quickly glancing around to take stock of the firefight, noting the lull in activity, before returning her attention to the—the 'floozy'. The medic raised one eyebrow, glanced at the shotgun, then met the woman's eyes with a skeptical hum, bringing her song to an abrupt stop. Then—ah. An inside agent.

"Yes!" Breq raised her voice over the renewed gunfire, nodding to be sure she was understood. Then, making a snap decision. "Stay with us! This tower is going to come down." The medic assumed that Del knew that a safe distance, or angle, would be once he set the charge and planned to follow him once he gave the say-so; it was best if she advised the woman to do the same.

 

[Solar Daddy]

Salvo's camera receptacle in his head was adjusting after taking a glance of lead against his dome. He banged his hand against the side of his head a few times, which fixed the problem in his sight. the glitch was dealt with, though he may need to see a mechanic if the problem arises again in the future. Salvo Loaded his six gun once again. Salvo was on his eighth reload, which was becoming a more arduous task each time. A bullet must have hit him in the hand at some point, as he was missing right ring finger. Salvo only noticed when he was loading his revolver and only possesses four digits on his hand. Salvo was thankful he was a robot, otherwise he'd no doubt he out of commission for the rest of the fight. However, since he wasn't a real person, he barely felt any of it; sure, he felt pain, but it was muted compared to humans. At least, he thought so; whenever he shot a human, they'd howl out in pain or topple over. Salvo, or other robots, would merely respond to the gunshot with a slight jolt before returning fire. His chassis was built to eat a few bullets, though at this point in his life, his chassis was less than pristine. He'd need to think about purchasing a new carapace as his current one was practically falling apart. Of course, there's no way he'd find a good chassis anywhere on Ganymede, and most out here wouldn't want to serve a robot anyway.

Salvo readied his weapons once more, and peeked out from cover to fire on the gang. He kept most of his body hidden behind cover, with just his hand and a portion of his head peeking out. It didn't take long for Salvo to once again run through all six bullets in his revolver. Salvo was running out of ammunition, but he wasn't about to shout that out for the gang to hear him. He needed them to think he could keep up the fight all day. He found that humans often got rather scared when dealing with a seemingly indestructible bot, and Salvo loved to play that angle. He'd managed to win many engagements that were hopeless by just pretending he was unkillable. Those less educated out past Mars seldom waited around to see if it was true. Once he was out of his six gun, he switched back to the repeater on his back. He made sure to take calculated shots to make every bullet count. He didn't have the ammo to take potshots and anyone. He peeked over once or twice at his teammates, who seemed to be ganging together to set up an explosive at a tower. Salvo thought it was a clever idea, and tried his best to keep up cover fire for them. Although he didn't have much to shoot, he did what he could to keep attention on him.

 

[0stinato]

Due to the materials of the wall, it would be prudent to have something very solid to cower behind, Del considered as he worked. He was quickly embedding various explosive charges into cracks in the wall of salvaged materials, or securing the charges in place with a resin-based adhesive. Normally, the adhesive saw its use in long-term projects, where Del would set something up and leave it to dry, but alas, he didn’t have much choice here.

He had decided to keep his head down and eyes focused, and not worry too much about the shooting. All that was happening either within the fort or around the main gates. Still, when someone burst out of the doors, and a mean-looking barrel entered his peripheral vision, he couldn’t ignore that ( fickleglory ).

“Don’t shoot!”

The voice was feminine, though Del wasn’t surprised he noticed the barrel before the woman as he looked up at her. In a few moments, he would reckon the only reason he didn’t immediately panic was because he was holding his case, and to drop it would have injured the only organic foot he had left. How he lost his left leg was embarrassing enough; he didn't want to repeat it with an even weaker story.

Breq ( Oceanic Mind ) was fielding the woman though, and given she knew the name of their leader, she probably wasn’t a threat. Though it wasn't up to Del to imagine who Salvo fraternised with, and who he may have pissed off in the past. She could be anything from a spurned ex to a double-agent, and so far Del had no information which answer it was. But for now, she wasn't showing that much murderous intent. She hadn't fired the shotgun, right? And, even if she was going to, surely Del would be the last person she’d aim at: he wasn’t holding a ranged weapon, and C.O.R.E. ( Huntertabbysandshark3 ) was much more intimidating than himself and Breq could ever be.

Whatever! The awkward self-survivor logic could be thought through later. And by 'later' it meant when the back rooms of his brain had a decision worth churning out in a moment of tranquillity or distraction.

He offered the new woman a weak smile, and spoke to those around him, “We’ll bust through the wall. I advise all of you to take cover now, since this could result in shards of metal flying everywhere. I’ll join you in just a moment.”

He attached a fuse to the centre explosive, and ran it back to the little foxhole-esque indent they were going to take cover in, and lit it, exhaling quietly with a twinge of anxiety as he did so. In the next few moments, he threw down his case and whipped his poncho off with one hand. With the other, he was rooting through a pocket in his case, finding an assortment of earplugs which he offered to the humanoid looking ones, with a glance at C.O.R.E. as if to say, “I assume you don’t need some?”

“And here,” he held up his poncho. “Take a corner each, and hold it tight over us. It’s bulletproof, and should protect us from flying shards of metal. Get you earplugs in, and wait for my all-clear to move. Now, uh…” he swallowed, suddenly aware of his own anxiety, then feeling embarrassed that he couldn’t provide a macho and confident guise as he lit the fuse, “… bombs away.”

 

[Dragongal]

To say that that Del's efforts worked would be an understatement. The ramshackle wood and metal paneling gave way easily, sending shards and debris bouncing off of Del's poncho. The ground shook with the force of the blast, setting many of the already confused enemies to stumbling about. Everett and Billiam would also feel a bit of heat and a breeze from the explosion being so close to them. A bit of the wall shook around them, but luckily no large pieces of debris rattled down on them.

The bandits were taken completely off guard. Only about 7 of them remained (with both their bodies and guns in functioning condition). Two stared at the new, smoking hole in the wall before turning and running for the main building. Three turned their attention to attacking whatever came through the new hole in the wall, and the last 2 remained focused on Salvo.

Everett called into his mic, "Sliver, cover the explosives team," then looked to Billiam and said, "We better go now while they're distracted."

Sliver picked up the command broadcasted from Everett, and trotted over through the smoking metal and wood. He stood beside the poncho-shield beside Del and Breq, growling at anything that came toward them through the broken wall.

 

[Kabboom]

Collab with Dragongal

Billiam was having a great day, pumping dog-gone no-gooders full of lead with his Big Iron. The only downsides were the parts where he had to reload - that and the parts where the enemy bullets cut through the flimsy wall material and scratch the paint off his body armor as he reloads. Every time a shotgun rang out, Billy leaned backwards to avoid the multitude of fragments from peppering his exposed arms and shoulders - or heaven forbid, destroy his air filter. From his perspective, the gate had gotten bigger, what with all the lead tearing away the seams.

Loading up more lead into his chunky revolver, Billy didn't spare much thought, or eye contact, with the Earth-slicker agent type Everett sprinting over to his side of the gate. Hearing Everett, Billiam only absent-mindedly replied as he focused on flipping the revolver cylinder shut without getting his fingers caught this time. "Ah, well, nothin' special. They got us locked tight, can't get a good shot!" As if to demonstrate his point, his Big Iron was transferred to his robotic arm, and blindly reached into the open gate to fire off six rapid shots - they probably hit nothing, and a few bullets plinked off the robotic appendage with no permanent effect. Pulling his arm back to reload again, Billy finally turned his attention to Everett. "How are ya doin' then, partner?"

"So far I'm doin' fine," Everett said while pressing the last of the specialty bullets into his clip before slapping it back into his gun. He never really was a fan of six shooters, semi-automatic guns appealed more to him. His current gun was a standard issue from the police force on the Moon. For some reason, they always had the nicer-looking guns. "You seem to be doin' a good job of not getting a bullet in ya!" Hopefully Everett could have the same luck - the majority of his armor was on his left side, and in order for him to see the gate, the wall had to be on his right side. He'd take his chances, but he also was more of a target than the rest of the team. "Hopefully Salvo is having the same luck."

"Ehh, he's a robot. He'll be fine!" Bill quipped, before doing the same maneuver - this time, he's peeking his eye through one of the bullet holes to try and aim. Six shots spent, no luck as the enemies have this pesky thing called 'self-preservation instinct' and like to take cover from his bullets. Withdrawing as a bullet nearly takes away his eye, Billy loaded more rounds into his six-shooter from his belt bandolier. "We're gonna need somethin' big to get through 'em! You got any ideas?"

Everett shrugged and did the exact same maneuver as Billiam to get a look at the battlefield before leaning away from the wall. He was getting annoyed at the sound of shrapnel bouncing off his helmet, but it was better than landing in his hair or on his face. Supposedly his helmet could protect him from a bullet as long as it wasn't a point-blank shot or from a high-caliber rifle. Supposedly. Everett had absolute "I don't know, that kid is settin' up the explosives, but he said he can't take down the tower. I don't have a grenade, you got anything? A flashbang or somethin' like that? Fuckin' - wish we had a car to just drive on through 'em."

Billy would've replied, but as he looked back at Everett, he saw the 'kid' setting up the charges and hiding behind some sorta weird blanket with two other fellas (C.O.R.E. included), and figured it was blastin' time. "Yeah well, I can't drive. Heads down pardner!" Billy tucked himself into the crouching position, putting his robot hand up to protect the back of his neck. As the deafening explosion rang out, Billiam tried to shake off the heat that he felt from the blast (as if that would work), and could barely hear Everett's call to 'go now while they're distracted.' Billy nodded, and chucked his Big Iron over to his flesh arm - it was time for good aim to take the stage.

Walkin' tall and proud, Billiam rounded the lead-blasted corner of the gate with Everett in tow. Six rounds in the chamber, make 'em count. First one goes into a no-good bandit's skull, his twitchy trigger finger sending one last round up to the heavens. His second shot flew past some opposing bullets, taking a second life out of the equation as his body armor took the impacts with sheer thickness of metal. His Big Iron was supplemented by the new-age bark of Everett's pistol, braced on his more-armored left shoulder as he angled his body to the right. Strutting forward with conviction, the two valiant gunslingers cut down the five banditos like... well, Billy would've said 'like grass under a scythe', but he hasn't seen grass before.

As the dust settled, five enemies lay dead, with two smoking barrels scanning the perimeter and new marks adorning Billy's chest armor. "We got 'em all!" The man exclaimed, reloading his Big Iron for the nth time.

 

[fickleglory]

Cas nodded at her new ally and tucked the butt of the gun into her shoulder. She looked down to the other who was well focused in his work.

Her nose wrinkled at the explosives. she was being reminded of her own excursion being interrupted. “You know how to make an enterance…” she said while pulling a corner over herself. She tucked herself in with the rest she squeezed her eyes shut while covering her ears.

A moment passed and then a shuddering of the earth quaked under her. She felt the explosion vibriate through the dust. But this didn’t phase the crew of trigger happy-gun slingers. She kept her gun in hand in case she was needed, but there was a reason she picked a shot gun. No need to aim, just point and they’re blown to bits. Now the drawback here is that anyone could be that target and she wasn’t going to get “repeat friendly fire” noted in her file. So she kept along side the canine. With the bulletproof poncho still over her she watched the gun show unfold before her…Seeing the wild being wild was always so surreal.

Sprawled in front of her were the dead bodies of what was Baker’s big, bad posse. Now, they were pockets ready for looting.
She looked to the ones that remain , “Salutations, fellow deputies.” she smiled and pulled the blond bob off and let her black hair fall.

 

[Dragongal]

Sliver stood patiently beside the poncho-shield, cable tail wagging slightly while he waited for the explosion. Cassie wasn't part of the calculations, however, she definitely didn't register as an enemy. She smelled like gunpowder. Looked unarmored. Seemed friendly. Nothing about her registered as hostile toward Sliver's charges, so he allowed her to hide beside him.

Being the mechanical dog he was, Sliver wasn't bothered by the explosion, nor by the men who were rushing toward them getting shot. The only reason he cared is because all the enemies have been neutralized. He yawned, titanium teeth glittering in the sunlight, and hints of red tinting the inside of his mouth from where he bit a few enemies. His tail wagged more quickly as he sat down between Del and Breq, looking between them for a command - or pets - while he waited for Everett's return.

 

[Solar Daddy]

Salvo did little to prepare for the blast. He was far off from where their posse had set the charges, and other than a glance or two at the explosion, Salvo paid little mind to it. His focus was on gunning down anyone that came into his view, or providing suppressive fire for anyone who needed a moment to recuperate. Once more, he emptied the long gun he possessed, and narrowly avoided a stray bullet ricocheting off the rock he was behind. He sat back and loaded up once more; this time though he only had four shots left, not even enough to fill out the rifle. He'd need to steal a weapon from one of the dead as soon as possible to keep the fight going, which meant he was probably about to get riddled with bullets. Salvo could survive a hardy amount of lead before dropping, lest a lucky shot hit something integral to his processing ability. Most of it was protected behind his heaviest armor in his chassis, either in his chest or his head. With a sigh, ready to have to take some serious damage to keep the fight going, Salvo raised his gun over the rock again, finger on the trigger, ready to drop some of Baker's lackeys.

But they'd all dropped by the time he surfaced again. He checked around, not hearing any more gunfire from either side. He was rather impressed; had his shanty crew really just wiped out Baker's men? At least, the ones they could see from the exterior of the compound. Salvo wasn't about to stick his head out to check, he still intended on surviving the day. Maybe he wasn't dealing with nothing but amateurs after all. Salvo didn't want to get his hopes up, but their ability to sling lead and improvise plans was... intriguing to him, to say the least. "Sound off," Salvo shouted from his isolated position. "Deputies, all good? No one missing a head?" He asked with a blip in his voice, similar to a hiccup or a voice crack. Damn, someone probably got a good hit on his voice modulator. That'd be expensive.

Salvo reached over, still scanning for targets, and grabbed the body of a fallen Baker man, dragging him further behind the rock. He wasted no time looting him not for valuables or possessions, but just ammunition. He found a few rounds for his revolver, but nothing for his long gun, damn. He shouldered his lever action and produced his six gun, loading it up and stowing the few spare he had left. He then peeked out from his hiding spot, and half-jogged over to the safety of the wall where Everett and Bill were. He checked his gear and chassis over to inspect any chance he got critically hit, but it seemed he was fine. "You boys look like you're having the time of your lives. Let's get ready to storm the compound."

 

[Huntertabbysandshark3]

C.O.R.E
Interaction: the gang?​

C.O.R.E had managed to successfully shield there demolition expert form the possible incoming fire presented by the bandits and well the old bot couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride it actually managing to help put without messing anything up or at least nothing to badly. "I'll be fine don't need earplugs" C.O.R.E shook there frame refusing the offer as the explosive went off signalling even more gunfire and fighting by both sides. And then another calm. "Ok um I'll go ahead and you guys follow behind I'm a bigger target so I should err draw more fire" C.O.R.E would explain to the others before turning and being ready to move through the breach in the wall once everyone else was ready.

 

[0stinato]

'Let’s get ready to storm the compound.'

Those were the orders given by Salvo and they didn’t fill Del’s heart with joy. He peeked over the small ridge as he pulled on his poncho once again, and slung the case over his shoulder, noticing with a half-laugh of relief how Salvo was moving. Although he was moving quickly, he felt comfortable with the surroundings enough to retrieve a body and drag it back to rifle through the pockets.

Ah, but you’re forgetting some Very Important Things, Del’s mind reminded him. First of all, Salvo is the most tanky individual among the group, considering what he’s made of and how he can be repaired in quick time rather than healed over months; second of all, that’s a body he’s manhandling; third of all, how do you know your little explosion didn’t kill some people too?

A splash of nausea filled Del’s stomach. This shit never gets easier, did it? What was happening looked real, smelled real, was real. There was the tinge of gunpowder filtering into the air, dust and rust being carried off in higher winds. It was rough. Real rough.

He needed a shot.

He forced himself back to position, right here, right now. There was CORE, a terrifying, huge ally. On their side. And there was this shotgun lady, who had apparently been wearing a wig so convincing Del almost freaked the second time he saw her, thinking some armed, dark-haired imposter had suddenly descended upon them. But no, she was also an ally, and seemingly very capable, since she’d burst out of the compound without getting shot inside. ( fickleglory )

'Nice to know someone so… uh, armed is on our side… I’m Del, by the way, and I’m not a great shot, I’m more of a thinker rather than a fighter, you know, I’m better at the engineering stuff or, at least, setting up charges and all,' he rambled, flustered by the entire situation. 'Uh, ah, sorry. I think I have some shotgun rounds of some type somewhere, maybe they could help? I don’t have a shotgun. Obviously, I’m sure you could tell, sorry.'

His dizzied brain was not progressing what he needed to say very effectively, so he decided to let his items do the talking. Just as he had done with Everett, he produced a handful of rounds, this time shotgun shells, and offered them to Cas. 'They’re… well they haven’t got a name, but they’re reinforced, so they’re really good for breaching. Just aim at the lock and boom, door’s open, probably with a massive hole in it. Or you can aim at someone’s chest and… uh, remove their organs I bet.'

What a thought. Made him feel sick yet again. He turned his head to look at CORE, relieved the huge construct was speaking to take the attention away from what a balls-up he was making of this social interaction. ( Huntertabbysandshark3 )

'Um… yes please, do go first. I’ll try my best to spot any threats.'

Slinging his rifle from his shoulder and letting its heavy, cold form settle into his palms, Del rose and slunk quickly across the ground, heading to the still-standing corner of the compound. He immediately dropped down low again, realising his squatting position wasn’t at all suited for actually firing the rifle at a threat.

That being said, what was the likelihood he would actually hit?

And what was the degree to which he actually wanted to hit? Shooting and taking a life… apparently he was more morally accepting of making the ammo that would rob someone’s breath than actually firing that ammo.

Perhaps it wasn’t worth thinking about.

Damn. He was thirsty.

 

[Dragongal]

To say Everett let Billiam go first would imply that he'd had a choice in the matter. Billiam seemed happy to strut on out and start shooting with little prompting other than Everett calling out that the bandits would be distracted. The bandits were, thankfully, very distracted, and between Billiam's revolver and Everet''s pistol, specifically loaded with Del's multishot ammo, they didn't have to worry about paying attention for much longer. None of them even pretended to be interested in surrendering, either. It was guns blazing 'til their last, and Everett wasn't sure if that was out of devotion and faith to Baker, or just downright foolishness. He'd seen it a hundred times before, and that was usually what it came down to. Misplaced faith whether in others or their own abilities.

Everett looked over the corpses as he took his clip out of his pistol and pressed in some new bullets. He looked at the towers the snipers had been in, the stables, the shacks in the back, the tops of the walls, the bases of the walls, the main building itself, the roof, the doors, the windows -

"Open land's clear for the moment, just keep an eye on the compound."

Click. He pressed his clip back into the gun, regretting having used all Del's multishot ammo on that first encounter. It definitely helped with dealing with the quick takedown of those bandits, but now they were going to be running into closer quarters, where that kind of ammo would be even more effective. Maybe he could ask Del for some more? The kid was a good engineer for certain. Maybe a bit nervous, but he'd be stupid if he wasn't.

Salvo wasn't looking to be in great condition, not by a long shot. Everett shrugged at Salvo's comment about Everett having the time of his life. "Can't say that I enjoy the whole killin' part, Salvo, but gotta say the adrenaline's a good high," Everett chuckled as he holstered his pistol. "Nobody's injured from what I can see, and Sliver hasn't reported an injury on his charges, so we should be good."

Everett looked at the woman who took off a blonde wig and squinted. Sliver hadn't attacked her, and neither had Del nor Breq. The woman had a gun out but she clearly didn't plan on using it at the moment. In fact, she didn't seem to have anything aggressive in her body language. She even seemed to be smiling. He looked over his shoulder at Salvo and said, "Hey, I think we got another late-comer. You know about her?"



Sliver looked up at Breq, then at Cassie, then trotted over to follow Del and plopped down to sit beside him, metal tail still wagging happily. He seemed content to either guard Del or just keep him company.

 

[fickleglory]

Cass tossed the wig to the side to let the sweat from under it evaporate from her forehead. She looked to her new found team. Buncha misfits it looked like. Except you, her head turned to the dog. Her hand ran over his scuffed spine and patted his head then grinned. Sweet pup.

She turned to the blonde boy in his poncho ( 0stinato ) and saw himself choking up. With that kind of color, it must’ve been his first rodeo.

After his introduction she smiled at him. “Cassie Nova,” Her shirt shuffled and a small, mechanical weasel scurried up her collar and around her neck. “I’m a tinker,” she placed her hand into Del’s for the shells, “Sometimes a courtesan” she leaned in and whispered. The corner of her lip pulled and her eyes furrowed to an expression of mischief. If Del is close enough, at least within a foot of her face, he might see a difference between her eyes dilation. One pupil gave off the fluctuations of a tiny camera.

She snapped around to ( Solar Daddy ) who was giving instructions on their next course of action. Pocketing the new ammunition Cas stood up, “I hate to break it to you boys, but your grand entrance scared off Baker.” She sheathed the gun under her skirt and looked to ( Huntertabbysandshark3 ), a hunk of metal offering to be their shield. “There won’t be any need for your chivalry because he slipped through the back during our little shootout,” Cas began approaching Salvo with a dirty, lace gloved hand. “Cassie Nova, got on the first shuttle I could when my sector asked for a volunteer.” Her eyes batted.

 

[Kabboom]

Putting his Big Iron back into its rightful holster, Billiam inhaled sharply. It didn't do much considering he had his rebreather on, but he'd gotten used to taking a whiff of the still air following a gunfight - old Martian habits die hard. The man then looked down at his armor and apparel, making double-sure that he wasn't hit in the squishy bits. He wasn't. His clothing caught a few holes though, and his chestplate got a few more dents to buff out. He sounded off with a weak "Yup" to Salvo's hails, before proceeding to give each of the freshly-killed banditos a good poke with his foot. Confident that they were all dead, Billiam looked up to the rest of the team, checking the rest of the gang out. Looks like they have a newcomer.

Billiam's eyes locked on Del - though he didn't catch the dude's name yet. He did know that Del was the one who blew up the part of the wall, allowing Billy and the Earth-slicker Everett to give the Baker boys a one-two. That deserved congratulatin'. Walking over to the man, his organic arm slammed against his back in a gung-ho congratulating manner. "Great job, pardner! Nice bombs ya got there! How ya holdin' up?" Billiam's grin was visible even under his air filter.

The newcomer girl said something that caught Billy's attention though. Baker's fled the scene. No Baker, no money. Business is business - he needs money to live, after all. "Then seems ta' me we got a Baker to catch!" Billy turned immediately back to his robo-horse and hollered its name, Mule. Or was it Horse? Whatever, he tried both.

0stinato Solar Daddy fickleglory