On the Road

"Sounds like there is going to be mighty fine shindig in the near future." He tips his hat to the young woman who approached him earlier, "I'm sorry I didn't get to have a taste of yer grub. Put me down for a rain check."

Dimitri will start checking his guns, and follow the group out when we are ready.
 
As Alley goes into detail on how she is working on the Zone Ranger's engines to make a magic EMP burst, Grond is listening with interest. "I have to admit, I only caught a part of what you said, but if you can pull this off the way you say, it would be awesome. To be able to disable, or at least, disrupt the magic powers of the Slavers could be a real game changer for us. Is there anything I can do to help?"
 
Alley Orzech

"Unless you're an electrician or a mechanic, not especially." Alley looks up from a pile of parts and gives Grond an appraising look. "Though if you're around and on hand, this could go a lot faster if you can help me with some of the lifting. This generator's heavier than guilt. There might be some cases where you can, uh, coax repurposed frame into a more useful shape with your hands too. Faster than I can anyway."

"...Oh, and Grond? When I'm ready to actually turn this thing on? You don't want to be anywhere in front of it." She pauses and adds, "Come to think of it, at least a hundred yards out in any direction would be safer. For everyone. Including me. Hey, maybe I can rig a remote so no one's nearby..."

It's now abundantly plain that Alley's already stopped paying attention to the conversation as her brain's cycled up to solve the next permutation she just raised.
 
Liza Kreuzer

The second woman, clothed in an old, grey hoody and, by the looks of it, less of a fighter than her companions, musters the newly-arrived friend of Underdog with interest - her expression, however, seems slightly absent, as if her thoughts were somewhere else. And so does her entire appearance, wild and somehow out of place. "Glad to meet a friend of his - it seems as if you arrived just in time. Good to have another brave soul on our side - though I would certainly prefer a peaceful solution over what I saw ahead of us."

It seems as if she wanted to add something - but instead she grabs the ancient-looking communicator as those who keep watch ask for her attention. And so it begins. Too early as always - but if you are truly prepared for slaughter and bloodshed, does that not mean that you already lost? We are just not meant to be creatures of war - and one day, we all will remember that. One hand grabs the staff on her back, hesitantly as if she'd prefer to never use its power - the other hand, after putting away the communicator, picks up the silver cross that hangs from a cord around her neck. "May He protect all those brave souls who stand between chaos and peace today - and may He grant reason to those in need of it." After this short prayer, she raises her eyes from the cold metal, calm and collected, the incarnate calm before the storm. "I would assume there is a better place to await them than in the midst of town - we know the direction from where they will likely arrive, and I would prefer the inevitable fight to happen outside of the residential districts." She points at the tavern's door as well, ready to leave as soon as Sir Talbert has found those he wanted to speak to - at least, if it still makes a difference by now. However, she turns around once more, towards the new companion amongst them. "Perhaps, I should warn you ahead of time - some people do mind the gifts I received, and call them unnatural, or worse. Even some of my closest companions turn away at some point or another - just be assured that all I seek is peace - against all odds, and despite moments like these."
 
Grond looks at the work that Alley is doing and shakes his head. "What you are doing is way over my head. My only question is, how do we deploy this ATV for best effect on the Slavers? Can it still drive? If so, we can drive it up towards the ship and KABOOM! Send it up in pure light and fry some Splurgoth asses. Either way, if you need a driver, I can do it and get far enough away from the Zone Ranger to be safe when it goes up."
 
Alley Orzech

As the ex-Coalition scientist actually lives up to the appellation, she pauses in the midst of a diagnostic test of a ground and blinks at Grond. "...Oh."

She sits back and frowns seriously. "...Okay, I didn't think about that. If the ATV can drive without its PPE generator, we're great. I hadn't actually planned for it to move at all, though I guess there's no reason it couldn't. We're going to need to run a power cable to it either way so it can't go very far. The PPE batteries should work on the theoretical ley line emulation effect but I actually need to generate an electromagnetic pulse for this to work. On the scale I'm aiming for, that takes a lot of power. Like, I'd planned on using the town's turbines plus their batteries. I guess if we drove the Badger with it and powered the new rig down once we got there, I could channel all the Badger's nuclear reactor output into the amplified magnetic pulse projector..."

Suddenly Alley blinks. "Oh, you thought I was going to, like, make this into a bomb or something. No, no, I mean I'd love to but there's no way I have the time for that. If I had a few weeks, I could reassemble the Zone Ranger's PPE Generator with a slew of PPE batteries into an assembly with the magnetic pulse generator and stick the whole thing into a machined casing with a nuclear reactor, probably borrowed from one of those downed Coalition transports they left behind way back there. But that'd take weeks."

"The problem is, an EMP strong enough to knock out a ship's systems by itself is typically generated with an outright nuclear bomb. Any explosion large enough to cause an EMP big enough to be useful will also blow up any ley line projector I can rig up. I mean, it'd almost be easier to..."

Alley pauses again. Frowns. Then sighs. "I mean, I suppose if I just took the nuclear reactor out of the Badger or maybe used one of those Coalition transports, I could just turn them into a nuclear bomb. It'd mean bypassing the ten million safeties they have in place to prevent exactly that from happening but I could do it. Be easier than this ley line projector for that matter. But then you'll have radioactive fallout to deal with..."

"...Tell you what, Grond. If we can get someone to drive the Badger and if you're strong enough to just push this Zone Ranger to a good spot, that should be good enough. The projector should have about a 2 mile range so it's not like we really have to drive right up to the ship. I just need to point it in their path and turn everything in a two mile straight line into half a second of ley line and that should do it."
 
From their spot in town, O-Ren waits for Sir Talbert to finish telling the townspeople about the incoming ship. She looks to the older Cyber Knight and says, "Our friends are at the edge of town in their Badger, and are on their way in. I would suggest that we wait for the attack to start and let the Coalition engage first. Then, when their focus is on the Splurgoth, we make a quick raid on the jail to free your friends and really tear into the Slavers as hard as we can. Then, once we have taken care of the bad guys, we should have earned some good karma with this Coalition Lieutenant and we won't have her try to arrest you and the rest of the folks on her wanted posters."

She then turns to look at Liza. "My friend, I will happily take any blessing you care to give out, and I can promise you that I won't ever turn away from you as long as you are on the same righteous path that you are on now. We all make mistakes, even me. But it is how you deal with those mistakes, and if you can learn from them, that matters. Lets do what we can to save the town of Haven from being ravaged."
 
Dimitri listens intently to O-Ren's plan. "Well well, a prison break to start it all off? And ya haven't even bought me a drink. Long as we can avoid any unnecessary harm to the folks protecting the prison, I'm all in for that plan."

He nods to Liza. "Arriving just in time is a trick o' mine I still have yet to figure out Miss Liza. If ya can find a peaceful solution, then that would make this whole situation mighty fine."

As he is checking his weapons, he listens to the prayer. It reminds him of a time when life was quiet and serene. A time when he wasn't on the path he has been treading for the past ten years. Then it reminds him of something else, and his features show a flash of pain. "Miss O-Ren is right that any blessings are welcome in this trying time. Thank you Miss Liza. It would be the best bet to keep this tussle on the outskirts if we can."

He then grows quiet. His voice loses its emotion as he speaks to Liza. "Peace is an ideal many hope for Miss. Someday we'll have it. I see yer one of the movers for it, and that fills my heart with hope.

I've found that a lot of folk'll take advantage of movers like yerself, usually with deadly results. That's why I'm here. To stop 'em fore they get to those grisly ends or to settle accounts.

What I'm trying to get at is yer part of the process that'll bring peace to this world. Ya have a higher calling. I'm one of the folks that makes sure ya can follow that calling on a fair playing field. As long as ya stay on yer path and do yer best to not harm innocents or destroy what peace there is in this world, then yer powers are welcome in my book.

If'n ya stray from yer path however, I'll be there to settle the account."

No menace comes from him in that last remark. The only feeling is an absolute certainty in what he has promised.

Then a spark grows in his dark brown eyes as he thinks to himself. "Damn, it'll be one hell of a good day when my kind won't be needed anymore."

He looks at the group. "Time to be big damn heroes everyone."
 
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Liza Kreuzer

The mystic's lips show a thoughtful smile, somewhere between gratitude and sadness - while the upcoming fight points out so many flaws of the status quo, caused by fanatism and blindness, there are somehow good people around to calm the waves of violence and hatred that are about to hit the town of Haven. "Thank you, O-Ren - your trust means more than you possibly can imagine. It was a cast of fortune that we all met - and I hope that there will never be a reason for me to think differently. And thank you, Dimitri, for your kind words. In moments like these, peace seems further away than ever before, to be honest - and yet, it is on us to turn the tides and allow another future to slowly take over. For now, I can promise that I will always be amonst the first ones to act - trying to change things for the better. Maybe one day, I will misstep, and my gifts will bring death and misery instead of peace and hope. And when that day comes, I would be thankful to have someone nearby to stop me before it is too late."

Once more, Liza musters those assembled - before she does her best to remind everyone of what is at stake. "Everyone, keep in mind that the coalition is not our enemy if we can avoid it - that includes those men and women who guard the prison. We all have the chance to turn things around and show them that there are better ways than to hunt each other down; in fact, there is even a common enemy on its way to remind ourselves that there might be more similarities than differences."
 
With everyone back together in the town, it is clear that the presence of the slavers has been noticed by the Coalition troops. At the same time, Grond is telling everyone what he can see on the Badger's radar. "It looks like three of the classic Slaver Barges being supported by some powered armor. I'm seeing ten suits of some kind of powered armor, all moving fast from the ship on the coast. If the Slaver Barges are equipped as standard, they will each have five of the Altarian Warrior Women like our friend Atlanta. Not what I was hoping to run into when I got up this morning."

Atlanta suddenly speaks up. "I think that at least one of the powered armor signatures is a Overlord. They are frequently used as field commanders, and they are quite loyal to their masters and will not be easily put down. We must be careful when dealing with it."

As the alert is going up, you can see the Coalition troops loading up into their APCs and are moving out to intercept the Splurgoth forces, leaving a skeleton force left behind at the jail to guard the prisoners. If there is a time to act to try and save the two Borgs and the Wizard, it is now.

How do you proceed?

Psychie Psychie Gregam Gregam Epiphany Epiphany Vaneheart Vaneheart Esbilon Esbilon Silanon Silanon
 
O-Ren lets a low whistle out. "Damn. That's a lot of firepower. Ok. We need to get our friends out of lock-up, and we need to delay the incoming enemy, all without having the Coalition freak out at our presence and attack us. Liza, come with me to the jail. With luck, we can talk to the remaining guards and have them stand down instead of having to take lethal action against them. Everyone else, buy us some time to get the townspeople armed and out in the streets to provide us some fire support, and make sure you stay away from the Coalition! We cannot afford to have to fight them at the same time as the Slavers. Atlanta, you are an ace in our sleeves as a source of intel on these guys. Keep your comms open and let us know as much as you can about what we are facing to know what should be our primary targets. Lets move, people!"
 
Dimitri grimaces. "We'll have to do a flankin' action I reckon. I'll head out with the folks that'll be buying you two some time."

He turns to Atlanta. "Ya mentioned an Overlord? What would happen if that person was taken out first? Would someone else take their place?"
 
Liza Kreuzer

The mystic slowly shakes her head - although her vision was clear enough to foretell the attack, part of her hoped for better news. "One barge too much, at the very least - and additional support as well. We saw how much damage they can cause; and, given their numbers, they will be able to outmaneuver the coalition if they deem it necessary. Everyone, be careful out there - hundreds of lives are at stake today, and we will be right between them and the attackers. As O-Ren said, look out for the coalition soldiers that might cross your way - help them if possible, they stand against the very same foes as we are; but never give them a reason to believe that we are a danger to them." With that, she turns towards the door, waiting for O-Ren to lead the way. "If all goes well, we will be with you shortly, as well as those who are locked away right now. Until then, may He watch over you - and over every soul that will be endangered."
 
Alley Orzech

The ex-Coalition scientist finishes wiring up a remote (in case the whole Zone Walker explodes when she turns on the ley line projector). Then she toggles on her squad radio. "I think we're in position. I didn't exactly expect three incoming ships so...uhhh...I know the effect should travel a few miles but I don't know how wide it will be. I'll aim for the middle ship and hope it's big enough to get the other two. Looks like the Coalition's going to tussle with them in the meantime. Do what you're going to do, just tell me when to throw the switch and we'll see what happens."
 
Gregam said:
Dimitri grimaces. "We'll have to do a flankin' action I reckon. I'll head out with the folks that'll be buying you two some time."

He turns to Atlanta. "Ya mentioned an Overlord? What would happen if that person was taken out first? Would someone else take their place?"
Click to expand...
Atlanta frowns, rubbing her chin. "The Overlord will be the one giving the orders, coordinating the Slavers and the Kitani in their powered armor to work together. Without him, the Slavers will act more savage, and attack anything that moves against them with no organization. The Kitani are more martial in nature, and they will be less effected by the loss of the battlefield leader. Still, that Overlord is a real threat even without being in charge. But, don't discount my clone-sisters on the Slaver ships. They will serve their Slaver. Individually, they are not as tough, but they will work together to eliminate the worst opponents against them." She looks grim, obviously not happy with having to face off against her old allies.


At this point, Liza and O-Ren have made their way through town to be near the jail. You can see that the external guards are now gone, having gotten back into their APCs to move out to face the Splurgoth. There might be one or two guards left inside to watch the prisoners. No real threat to the two of you if you decide to use force to eliminate them, or you can try to talk them down and let you get Sir Talbert's friends out of lock-up. What do yo do?


With the Zone Ranger located at the edge of the town, Alley now has it lined up and ready to go to do . . . whatever it will do to the Slavers as they come tearing into Haven. It might just explode, it might do something truly catastrophic to the Slavers, then again, it may do very little. It is a gamble to see what happens.

As you ponder the Zone Ranger, you are joined by nearly twenty townspeople wearing light MDC armor and packing rifles, along with a robot vehicle that must have come from the Stonewell's bunker. They may not be well trained in combat, but every hand counts in a fight like this one. Sir Talbert immediately takes charge and begins to give orders to deploy the militia behind cover as he and Underdog prepare to try to call the Coalition Lieutenant in charge to try and lure the enemy to the waiting ambush.

What is the rest of you doing during this time?
 
Liza Kreuzer

The jail - even though the fighting will likely take place far away from the solid building, the actions here might be equally important for Haven's future. It does not take much imagination to understand how easily it would be to free the captives with brute force - the staff in Liza's hand reminds her of that more than any other thing she has ever possessed. But what would be gained by slaughtering even more brave souls if there is another way? As always, the less bloody way is the one that leads to a brighter future; or at least opens up the possibilities for peace with the coalition. All it takes are convincing words and the courage to speak them.

Her companion, O-Ren Ichi, has both: the right attitude to change things for the better, and more authority than the mystic. Thus, Liza stops her for a moment, her hand on the cyber knight's shoulder as she concentrates. Should a single movement of the hand grant someone more power to convince others of their goals? Let someone appear more beautiful than most humans, and their words truer than those of others? Certainly not in the eyes of the coalition, or their servants - and even the mystic herself has her doubts. But the spell will only last for a moment - and it is better to use the gifts to support the others than to use them on herself; as Dimitri just reminded her, the line between helping and misuse is hard to see, and you better stay away from it whenever you can. "Let us change things here and now - a peaceful solution between both our groups, an example for further things to come. I am right behind you, friend, time to make a difference."

OOC: Casting Charismatic Aura on O-Ren, granting +8 PB and additional charisma; hopefully helping her out in the upcoming conversation.
 
O-Ren makes no effort to sneak into the courthouse building; instead, she openly walks in, hands free of weapons, hoping to be able to negotiate with the jailers to free the prisoners needed to face the Splurgoth. In a calm voice, she calls out, "I am O-Ren, a Cyber Knight and friend to the people of Haven. I bear you no ill will, and I would like to approach to talk. Just talk, mind you. If you would permit me, I hope to try to convince you to free my friends in order to help defend this town from the monsters that threaten it and the good people here. Can I approach?"
 
A pair of muted voices can be heard, discussing the offer of the Cyber Knight calling out to them. Finally, one shouts back, "Approach to the end of the hall but no farther! We will open fire on anyone that comes too close." Assuming that O-Ren does as she is instructed, you come to the point that the guard has indicated, and from there, you can see two guards in MDC body armor. One appears to be a normal human, and the second is a Dog Boy, a German Sheppard to be precise. They are kneeling down behind a makeshift barricade that they have made from furniture inside the building. The barricade is not an MDC one, but it does provide some concealment for the two guards and will slow anyone down that tries to make a run down the hallway to the cells.

The human yells out, "That's far enough! Speak your piece; we're listening."
 
Dimitri will pull out his twin laser pistols to have them in hand when the militia makes it to the Zone Ranger. He'll begin looking around the area to identify any good hiding spots that won't be occupied with militia.
 
Nasoth, still in her human and mostly normal-looking form, is sitting on the grass with her back to the zone ranger looking exceedingly bored. "Why do we have to wait? Can't we just go to them and kick their asses? How tough are these people anyway?"
 
O-Ren uses her most calm voice, making sure to keep from making any sudden moves. "We are faced with a deadly threat that threatens to destroy us all unless we work together. The Splurgoth have come, with a small army of soldiers in powered armor and three Slavers. If we don't cooperate, we will all fall. That means that if we don't free the prisoners to have them take to the field with us, we may not prevail. Even your help is needed to face the threat against us. I beseech you, please join us."
 
The guards are visibly conflicted. You can see that in their faces as they trade a look with one another, gripping their weapons in anxious hands. They begin to talk between themselves rapidly, keeping their voices low to avoid being overheard. It is clear that the magic spell to increase you appearance is having an effect, along with your own charisma. You can hear a snippet conversation as the Dog Boy says, "I've heard stories of how tough Cyber Knights are. If she wanted, she could probably take us both on and win, and that doesn't count if she has anyone else with her! Besides, the Knights are supposed to be honest, so we can probably trust her word that she speaks the truth."

The human slowly nods as he considers his options. "I . . . guess so. But what about the LT? She will have us both skinned alive if this goes south."

"That assumes she makes it through this fight. Remember our briefings on the DeeBees out there? Those Slavers are a major menace, and every hand against them counts. We're supposed to be protecting these people from the monsters from the Rifts, so this is exactly what our mission orders are. Lets help them."

The Dog Boy's words along with O-Ren's plea for help seem to finally break the dam inside the man, and he slowly stands up. "Alright, you can come and let them out. I hope I won't be regretting this decision, but somehow I think that this is not going to go well for us, no matter what I do."

They let you advance, and as you do so, you can see that there are several explosives rigged along either side of the hallway. Probably rigged to go off if the two guards fell that they are under attack and it gives them a bargaining chip to threaten the lives of the prisoners. The bombs were more than enough to take out the entire side of the building. Good thing you didn't just attack them.

The prisoners are being kept in separate cells to keep them secure. Both the Borgs are restrained in heavy duty chains with restraining bolts to keep them from using their built-in weapons and advanced strength to break free. The Ley Line Walker is also chained up with his hands restrained and a gag in his mouth to keep him from being able to cast spells. His eyes light up at the sight of you, even more so as the guards begin to unlock the cells and start to unchain the three of them.

When he is finally able to speak, he manages to croak out, "Water. I need water, please." The human guard gives Marcos a canteen and the wizard drinks greedily. As he is doing that, the Dog Boy is finishing his task of unlocking Tony and Tia. Tony growls out, "Why shouldn't I snap your skinny necks like a toothpick for locking us up?" His sister seems to be more calm. "Take it easy. They didn't have to let us go. O-Ren, what is going on out there? The other guards that were here bugged out fast a little bit ago, and now you are here. Something has to be happening out there. Is Sir Talbert ok?"
 
Liza Kreuzer

The mystic silently enters behind the cyber knight as soon as O-Ren has convinced the guards to do the right thing. Staff on her back to not cause any tension, her movements almost as if she would dance, happy that things went well for pretty much the first time since the coalition arrived. "The Splurgoth attack Haven, likely outnumbering the Coalition and threatening hundreds and hundreds of lives. We tried to reach some kind of agreement with their Lieutenant in time - but all she was interested in at that point were other names on her very long list of people who apparently threaten their existence. I am glad to see that others are willing to make brave decisions, now that we are on the verge of a bloody battle." She gives a thankful nod to the remaining two guards, a smile on her lips.

"Sir Talbert should be fine for now, I believe - he seemingly took a lighter wound, but it is more of an embarrassment than any kind of restraint. That said, he will likely be in the midst of the battle, and we are less prepared than we could have been - it would be a relief to know that three of his most trustworthy companions are with him to cover his back." She then turns to Tony in particular, and for just a few moments, there is sadness in her eyes. "I do not know what you endured, friend - it took us too long to finally be here, and I am truly sorry for that. However, in moments like these we have to think larger, for the sake of all those who rely on us. When you are out there, do your best to not judge them by how they treated you - in this fight, they are on our side, and they probably like that as much as you do."

The mystic turns around to face the other two companions. "Tia - watch your brother's back out there, and make sure that all of you stay safe. Marcos, your guidance might be needed more than ever before - how are you feeling, is everything alright? If you need any kind of help, let me know and I will see what I can do." She moves forward, not dreamily for once, instead eyeing the man for any kind of injuries from the captivity. Without looking to the guards, she addresses them with another few words. "Both of you, you are likely unsure whether you made the right decision or not. As always, only time will tell - and I will not make you any false promises. The whole situation is confusing at best, and things might end in various ways. All I can propose is that we all meet again when the fighting has ended - maybe your lieutenant is willing to join us, and we can find a permanent solution that gets her approval as well. None of us can be happy with the status quo - but there is no time for lengthly discussions."

A small pause, as if the mystic would carefully think about the upcoming words. "There is one more thing I can potentially offer - if you are comfortable with that. You already decided to free a spellcaster, and there is one more in the room, as you might have already guessed. You will likely want to join your comrades in the fight - if you wish, I can accompany you. As a hostage, if you want to think about it that way, but mostly to protect your friends against the horrors they are facing. All I would ask for is that we leave as soon as I am convinced that Marcos will be fine; I do intend to play a role during this defense."
 
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Esbilon said:
Nasoth, still in her human and mostly normal-looking form, is sitting on the grass with her back to the zone ranger looking exceedingly bored. "Why do we have to wait? Can't we just go to them and kick their asses? How tough are these people anyway?"
Click to expand...
Atlanta looks over to Nasoth and shakes her head. "I have seen how powerful dragons can be, and let me assure you, even an adult dragon would have a hard time dealing with the combined firepower out there. In order for us to win this fight, we will have to work together, all of us. I don't expect much from the townspeople, so the true burden of this fight will be on us, the Coalition, and Sir Talbert's people. So long as we are careful, we should get through this."

Speaking of Sir Talbert's people, Underdog comes bounding over with a grin on his face. "Good news. First, your friends O-Ren and Liza have gotten our buddies out of jail without having to fire a shot. They are on their way over now. Second, the Coalition lieutenant is apparently smart enough to realize that she will get her ass spanked by the enemy, and has agreed to pull back and draw the Slavers into our trap. They will be here soon! Lets get ready to RUMBLE!"


At the jail, Tia joins in with Liza trying to calm her brother down as O-Ren tends to the immediate needs of Marcos. Tony seems to accept the soothing words, and finally steps away from the soldiers. Using his radio, he calls out to his friends, and gives them a status report. Turning back to the group, he says, "Sir Talbert has managed to get an ambush set up, and somehow has gotten the Coalition to play ball with him and they are leading the enemy to the guns of the townspeople. They will need us, though. Lets grab up our gear and get moving."
 
O-Ren gives the Borg a thumbs-up as she helps the mage to his feet. "Agreed. As soon as Marcos is able to move, we will." She looks at the wobbly man as he struggles to regain his composure. "Are you going to be ok? Is there anything I can to to help?" O-Ren slips her arm under Marcos' armpits and uses her own strength to support him, helping him to walk to the door.
 
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