Blayze

[center][b][u][size=2]Firespark: Virgil[/size][/u][/b] [/center] [size=1] [/size][center][size=1][color=Red][b]*WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS TO THE OB FANFIC "FIRESPARK." DO NOT READ ON IF YOU WISH THE ENDING TO REMAIN A SECRET!*[/b][/color][/size] [/center] [size=1] In the early 32nd Century, the planet Earth, mother planet to the human race, had become overcrowded. The population from the 21st Century had almost tripled over 100 years, meaning that there were something in the region of 18 billion people living on Earth. Thus, living standards became much poorer than they had been. Extra cities were built on the ocean beds, as well as on the Moon's surface. But it still wasn't enough. The Exodus began, and over four million Earth ships left their home planet, in search of a new homeworld. The search took over two hundred years, and by the time they had found our new galaxy, the original crew members were long dead, replaced by later generations of their own families. But the long search was over. A new galaxy was found, with over fourteen different inhabitable planets, as well as many terraformed moons, where the human race planted their feet and began to build civilisations. But anarchy soon gained control over most of the planets, so it was decided that, instead of a single government for each planet, one government would rule all the planets. Thus, the Theocracy of Planets was formed, with fourteen members, one from each of the inhabitable planets in the new Solar System making up the council of leaders. But there were some moons on the edges of the galaxy that did not agree with the Theocracy, and refused to join. They broke off and became a force known as the Separatists, who began to wage war on the Theocracy. The war which broke out was bloody, but the Separatists were driven back. The Theocracy ruled once more. But they did terrible things. They released a specially-formulated gas on many Separatist planets and moons, in an attempt to create armies of powerful super-soldiers. But their experiments went terribly wrong. In their attempt to create a peacekeeping force that would protect the galaxy for years to come, they created a monstrous force of evil that would plague the galaxy. The Marauders. These creatures had been reverted to primal, feral states, who hunted humans down and ripped them apart for food, and often simply for pleasure. This awful truth was discovered almost six months ago by a group of space pirates, lead by the now-infamous Captain Philip "Blayze" Stark, and it was broadcast to the entire galaxy. Unfortunately, all but Blayze paid the ultimate price for this act of heroism, giving their lives to destroy the Theocracy. But now Blayze has gone into hiding, and he hasn't been seen for half a year. The Theocracy manhunt has given in, and the government has put all its resources into rebuilding itself after Blayze's destructive attack. But it's not easy. Chinks have appeared in the Theocracy's armour, and many low-level terrorists have seen this as a time to attack, while the government is weak. Bombings, assassinations, crime in general are now rampant. Society is crumbling. The few remaining Separatist planets are becoming more aggressive in their rebellion, taking up arms against the corrupt government, trying to win their freedom, spurred on by the victory of Captain Blayze. So one option remains open to the Theocracy. They must crush this rebellion, and win back the respect of the public. The crew of the new flagship cruiser Iliad has chosen its new target: the Separatist planet called Virgil. They have occupied the space around the planet, and have begun the invasion, setting down ground troops to divide and conquer the major cities of the planet. But the people of Virgil are not going down so easily. They have taken up arms against the invading Theocracy troops, and hope to, at least, take as many Theocracy troops down with them as possible, if not win the fight. But it looks unlikely that they are going to win, until a crew of bounty hunters arrives on the planet, planning only to make a standard refuelling stop. But who knows how they are oing to get caught up in the battle? ---- There are two options as to who you can play. Number one, there is the Theocracy. I already have one person who has shown interest in signing up as a Theocracy Agent. This would mean that you would be the ones attacking the planet, trying to quash the Separatist rebellion. Number two, you can play as one of the bounty hunters who have stopped on the planet. These bounty hunters, through their travels and a new job, have far superior arms to the Separatists, but are usually interested only in doing something for the right price. The crew, altogether, would be about 5-6 members, each with a different role on board the ship, and a different method of bounty hunting. Examples of these roles would be medic, gunner, soldier, pilot etc. Here is the information you need: [b]Name:[/b] [b]Age:[/b] nothing below 16 [b]Gender:[/b] [b]Rank:[/b] only if you are Theocracy, and they go up in standard rank order ie Private, Sergeant, Lieutenant etc [b]Position:[/b] only if you are a member of the crew, ie gunner, soldier, hand-to-hand expert, medic etc [b]Appearance:[/b] Picture or detailed description would be good, both would be even better [b]Personality:[/b] a couple of paragraphs at least here [b]Short Bio:[/b] a brief history of your character's life, try not to make it too long or too short, but include all the main points in your character's life [b]Weapons:[/b] Theocracy Guard would mostly have automatic rifles, pistols etc., the crew will have more varied weaponry, but of a lower quality, possibly even manufactured themselves You may also want to read up on the fanfic Firespark, click [b][url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=51536"]here[/url][/b] if you want to read it over. I will be playing the captain of the bounty hunters, and my sign-up will be up as soon as I have gotten a couple more from other people. Happy creating, and stick any questions in the Underground thread, which can be found [b][url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=52207"]here.[/url][/b] Enjoy![/size]

[size=1]Grae sensed a gathering of energy, and knew that other Titans had met up with each other. But he needed to find out where, otherwise he would not be able to get across the ocean to get to the Azores. He sat down, and closed his eyes. Perhaps a little meditation would help him concentrate. He began to pass slowly into a trance-like state, and found his mind wandering a map of the world. He followed the gathering power, and it was heading to Europe...the Bay of Biscay! He opened his eyes and smiled, knowing that he was going to see his friends again soon enough. But he would have a job getting there from here. How to get there? Suddenly, a flash of yellow appeared, and stopped in front of him. Grae immediately knew who it was, from the voice. [b]"You always had to go to the hot places, didn't you, Grae?" [/b]asked Rikudim, Titan of Lightning. [b]"Hello, Rikudim," [/b]said Grae with a smile. He got to his feet, and the two Titans embraced like brothers. [b]"It's been a long time," [/b]said Rikudim, [b]"I guess now we've got to head over to the Azores. I have to take you, as not many people can get there themselves. Dogarta and Malchias are almost there, they're just waiting for some others to turn up. And I think I saw Taura as I was leaving." "Ah, it will be good to see them again. I've missed them all while I've been asleep," [/b]said the Fire Titan, unable to wipe the smile from his face. He was finally going to see his friends again! [b]"Well, I guess we should get going. Dogarta didn't reckon you'd learnt how to fly while you've been asleep, so it looks like I'm taking you across the water." "Dogarta shouldn't assume so much," [/b]said Grae with a devilish grin. He closed his eyes, and tried a little trick he had thought up in his sleep. He gathered flames in his hands, literally pulling them from thin air, wrapping them all together in a huge sphere of flame, and then, when it was a decent size, he dropped it, allowing it to engulf his feet and the lower parts of his legs. The flame gathered, and Rikudim watched on in awe as the flames swelled into a mushroom, and then exploded outwards, giving Grae enough upward thrust to send him flying into the air, a trail of brownish-red smoke following him closely. [b]"That's a new trick," [/b]said Rikudim, and followed the trail, leading him a good distance across the desert before he found Grae again, standing on the floor, his feet smoking. [b]"It takes a lot of concentration to keep me in the air for a long period of time. And it wears me out pretty damn quick. So I guess you'll have to take me the rest of the way," [/b]said Grae, slightly sheepishly. [b]"Your wish is my command," [/b]replied Rikudim, grabbing the Fire Titan and speeding up, heading towards the Bay of Biscay once more. Grae relaxed and let his friend carry him in the slipstream, safe in the knowledge that he would soon be with his friends once more... [/size]

[size=1]Ok, how about this for an idea? The Theocracy is trying to return to full power after Captain Blayze's crushing attack, doing so by entering into so-called "aggressive negotiation" with once of the main remaining Separatist planets. The threat of the Marauders has been all but wiped out in the assault on Nova, so all that remains is to merge the remaining Separatists into the Theocracy. So the Theocracy have begun attacking this Separatist planet, but the planet's occupants are beginning to fight back, urged on by Captain Blayze's victory. They have taken up arms and are now fighting the Theocracy troops that are invading their homeworld. But there is a small group of bounty hunters caught in the middle. During a routine refuelling stop on the planet, they have been caught in the Theocracy invasion of the planet. At first they were disinclined to join either side of the fighting, but they have since decided to follow the lead of Captain Blayze, and give their aid to the Separatists, as well as their vastly superior weaponry. Only time will tell how the fight will turn out. That's the basic idea I'm thinking of at the moment, but it is subject to change if people think it needs it. This is very much going to be your RP, just set in a universe of my creation. So, feedback is necessary, especially negative feedback. But please, if you don't like it, tell me where I went wrong so I can modify the idea, or change it completely. Oh, and as for the sequel, I've already started writing it, and I have a storyline mapped out, so I don't need any ideas for that. Thank you [/size]

[size=1]The Sahara Desert. A barren wasteland, home to some of the most deadly creatures alive. Snakes, scorpions, spiders, they all lived here, but none were more deadly than the desert itself. It had claimed many lives, and buried the bones that reminded of those lives, bleaching them white with sand and age. But something was happening. A great gout of flame shot from the sand, throwing clouds of dust up with it. It spiralled high into the air, superheating it, but also sending something with it. A small sarcophagus made from dark grey stone. As the pyre reached its pinnacle, the sarcophagus broke open, revealing the creature that had lain inside. He looked like an average human, but for the messy crop of red hair atop his head. He opened his eyes and called into the sky for the first time in many years. The brown rags he wore as a cloak flapped in the air, and he laughed, breathing clean, fresh air into his lungs. And as this figure stood atop the great pillar of fire that now reached skywards like a finger reaching for the sky, he smiled. The pillar began to shrink, and he was eventually returned to the ground, where he placed his foot experimentally on the sand. It shifted, and he let his foot sink into the sand. He had been asleep for a long time, so long that he had forgotten what it was like to feel the sand between his toes, or the wind on his face. But this wind was harsh, hot and unwelcoming. He threw a rag around his face, and began to walk. He didn't know where he was walking to, but he knew one thing. He had to get to the Azores. The reason escaped him, but he continued to walk, slowly and purposefully. He stopped, and realised that he had not spoken in many years. But what to say first? His name. That would be the best place to start. [b]"I am..." [/b]his voice cracked, so he tried again, [b]"I am Grae Alun-Ishmar, Titan of the Flame!" [/b]He laughed, and called to the sky. [b]"I am Grae Alun-Ishmar, Titan of the Flame!" [/b]He took a deep breath and continued walking, repeating this phrase to himself over and over again, under his breath, occasionally punctuating this with a small burst of hushed laughter. Then he stopped again. He had almost forgotten how to use his power. He lifted his hand and concentrated, hard. He strained, and, finally, his hand burst into flame. But it didn't hurt, it wasn't hot, at least not to him. He smiled, and did the same with his other hand, merging the two together into a fireball, which he hurled into the sky. It soared upwards into the blue, and then burst in a shower of orange-red sparks. He could still do it. He put his head down and continued walking, occasionally lifting his hand to wreathe it in flame, before extinguishing it once more. He needed to get to the Azores. The time of the Titans was here once more... [/size]

[size=1]Would anybody be interested in this? I know my OB Fanfic "Firespark" was a big hit (if I do say so myself) and I was wondering about maybe expanding it into an RP, maybe try and make the whole Firespark Universe a little bigger. As for storyline, I was thinking that it would be set after Firespark but before the sequel (yes, folks, there is a sequel currently in development), to do with the Theocracy trying to rebuild itself after Blayze's crushing attack, focused around a different group of space pirates, maybe ones who used to know Blayze. I'm a little sketchy on the details of the plot, a little help would be welcome here also. If you haven't read the fanfic but perhaps you want to get into it, the link is [b][url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=51536"][here][/url] [/b]So, any feedback on the idea as well as ideas you have had yourselves would be welcome. And no, it can't be set with Black Ops, as that is an integral part of the sequel. Bounty Hunters might be cool, though. But anyway, give me ideas and opinions. Thank you. [/size]

[color=Black][size=1][b]1. Pick a Band or Artist:[/b] Pink Floyd [b]2. Are you male or female[/b]: King Bee (Slim Harpo 1957) [b]3. Describe yourself:[/b] Comfortably Numb [b]4. How do some people feel about you[/b]: What Do You Want From Me [b]5. Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend:[/b] Wish You Were Here [b]6. Describe your current boyfriend/girlfriend:[/b] Young Lust [b]7. Describe where you want to be:[/b] In The Flesh [b]8. Describe how you love:[/b] Echoes [b]9. What would you ask if you had just one wish:[/b] Money [b]10. Share a few words of wisdom:[/b] Shine On You Crazy Diamond [b]11. Now say goodbye:[/b] Goodbye Blue Sky [b][i]Alternatively: [/i][/b][/size][/color][color=DarkOrange][size=1] [color=Black][b]1. Pick a Band or Artist:[/b] The Who [b]2. Are you male or female[/b]: Whiskey Man [b]3. Describe yourself:[/b] Instant Party (Circles) [b]4. How do some people feel about you[/b]: Who Are You? [b]5. Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend:[/b] Love Ain't For Keeping [b]6. Describe your current boyfriend/girlfriend:[/b] A Quick One While He's Away [b]7. Describe where you want to be:[/b] Sea And Sand [b]8. Describe how you love:[/b] However Much I Booze [b]9. What would you ask if you had just one wish:[/b] Heat Wave (what? I live in England!) [b]10. Share a few words of wisdom:[/b] Go To The Mirror Boy [b]11. Now say goodbye:[/b] The Song Is Over[/color] [/size][/color] [size=1]I thought that went well.[/size]

[size=1]The blood came off the short blade easily, with a few swift wipes from a white cloth, now stained red. Murphy placed it down and picked up another blade, this one slightly longer, and serrated. It was odd how objects of medicine, of healing, curing, could be mistaken for tools of war. He wiped this blade, and set it down with the others. He had finally managed to clean all of his surgical equipment. He turned to his cabin and found himself faced with a wall-covering bookshelf, covered in dog-eared volumes concerning new medical techniques, and bottles of remedies and anti-toxins he had acquired throughout his travels. These bottles were his most prized possessions, and the only ones he had brought with him from Captain Kane's ship. [i]Captain Kane...[/i]he thought. The one constant on this journey, this voyage. The memory of his once-great captain, his captain's downfall and the mutiny and betrayal of those that Murphy had almost trusted before. This voyage was not a happy one, by any means. But he needed a breath of fresh sea air, so he threw his coat on and stepped out of his office onto the deck. A deep lungful of clean, salty air met him, and he closed his eyes and smiled. This was his place. [b]"You always did enjoy the sea air, Murphy," [/b]said a voice from behind him. He opened his eyes and turned around, recognising the voice instantly. [b]"As you always enjoyed the thrill of the chase, captain," [/b]replied Murphy. [b]"I've told you a thousand times, Alexander, call me Kura. We are all friends on this ship. We don't need formal titles." "Once again, my apologies, cap...Kura," [/b]the doctor said with a grin, [b]"It's a force of habit, you know how things get when you serve on a ship for as long as I have." "I know, Murphy, but we've all served on many ships together. I think we an just about dispense with the formalities." "Apologies once again, Kura. I'm just a humble ship's doctor, not one to cross the captain," [/b]replied Alexander, with just a touch of sarcasm creeping into his voice, [b]"So where are we headed now?" "We need to get onto the Grand Line, so you know what that means." "We have to pass Reverse Mountain, amI correct?" [/b]groaned Murphy. Reverse Mountain was treacherous ground to pass, but they had done it before. Once they had passed it, though, it was onto the Grand Line, and from there they had a much greater chance of catching Zerus. [b]"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's catch that scurvy traitor!" [/b]---- OOC: Authentic Pirate Lexicon courtesy of watching too many pirate movies [/size]

[center][size=1][b]Name: [/b]Grae (pronounced "grey") Alun-Ishmar [b]Origin: [/b]Greece [b]Country: [/b]Saharan Africa [b]Element: [/b]Fire [b]Powers: [/b] [u]Heat Manipulation [/u]Grae is able to manipulate the heat of the air around him, as well as that of any objects he is in contact with. This means that any object he touches, he can increase the temperature to massive degrees. He can make the temperature of an object go from room temperature to over 4000 degrees in under 10 seconds, thus usually causing the object to burst into flames, or to incinerate completely. [u]Pyrokinesis [/u]This power allows Grae to create and control huge amounts of flame. He can summon great beasts created from flame, or simply a sheet or wall of fire to burn his enemies. He can create anything from a simple fireball, to an all-consuming blaze around his body. This power also allows Grae to cover his forearms in flame and use them as effective weapons. It also gives him a resistance to extremely high temperatures, allowing him to walk through a blaze calmly and slowly without getting harmed. [b]Weapons: [/b]He needs none [b]Appearance: [/b][url="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/Blayze54/Dark.jpg"]here[/url] except forget the wings [b]Personality: [/b]Grae is a strange, slightly mad Titan. He has been wandering the Earth alone for so long, he has forgotten what it is like to be in anyone's company but his own. He has taken to talking to himself, and because of this he has developed multiple personalities. He has huge mood swings, from cool and calm to violently angry, but he still manages to retain some sanity in his thoughts. He can think things through more logically than most people, and since he has awoken once more, he has been managing to repress the mood swings to a minimum, staying as calm as he possibly can throughout most situations. In terms of fighting, he refuses to let innocent life be lost, and will do anything to protect it. He has even almost given his own life in the past, just to save the lives of innocent men and women on this planet. He loves the human race, but should another personality arise, he may end up hating them. It is difficult to predict his actions, or to foresee how he is going to fight, but his strength lies in his flame manipulation. [b]Biography: [/b]Grae appeared on this Earth in Greece, a place of great myth and legend, and for a while he stayed and fought here, becoming irreversibly lodged in the local area's folklore. He was a Titan, a great protector of Earth, who fought against demons and other-worldly beings that sought to take over this planet. But the people of Greece knew too much. They had seen him use his powers, and he had become recognised within the community. So Grae moved to Saharan Africa, where he wandered the desert alone for many years. This is thought to be where he developed his mental disorders, as the time alone could well have driven him to the brink of his sanity. Another theory was that he once fought a powerful Cosmorian, who, by showing Grae his insignificance in the whole universe, broke his mind and drove him near to insanity. He sometimes fought alongside the other Titans, but he never truly found that he belonged. He was nicknamed, within the Titans, as "The Wanderer," the single Titan who never truly found his place in life. During the Middle Ages, Grae retreated back to Africa, and witnessed the sheer brutality of the Crusades. He watched as bloodthirsty Christian zealots and Muslim "barbarians" murdered each other in their thousands, and yet he was not permitted to interfere. He fought off various demons and other beasts, such as one known as a "Land-Worm," a great worm, over thirty metres long, that dwells beneath the shifting sands of the desert. He triumphed, and enjoyed his role as a protector of the human race. Finally, as the attacks died down, he realised that there was no place for him on Earth, at least for a while, and took his resting place, in a sealed cavern deep beneath the Sahara desert. He chose this place because he enjoyed the heat, and it was where he felt most comfortable. But it is time for the Titans to reawaken... [/size][/center]

[b][size=1]"I'm ready to go, Kalei," [/size][/b][size=1]replied Talyn, swinging his swords onto his back and buckling the sheaths on, [b]"Just say the word." [/b]Talyn watched as Ena went slowly away from the group to dress her wounds, although he suspected she was heading to see Father Alba. He sighed. So many of the Wakanda were turning now, there were barely any pure-bloods left. Kalei, Thayne, Jade, and that seemed to be it. Sin, and even Katima and Tegan were half-breeds, and himself and Ena were...well, he didn't even know what to call them. They weren't true Wakanda, and yet they had not reached the level that they could call themselves vampires either. Times were changing. Perhaps Tegan had been right so long ago. Maybe Malik was right. Maybe the days of the Wakanda were coming to an end, not through war, but simply through evolution. It was said that every few millennia evolution takes a mighty leap, introducing something altogether new. Perhaps the world no longer had a place for the Wakanda. [b]"Talyn," [/b]said Kalei comfortingly, placing a hand on his shoulder, [b]"I understand that you are anxious. We have all had fears realised recently. But now is not the time. I do not normally promote this, but please keep your feelings down to a minimum for this fight. Malik can sense when something is wrong, and he can play on those feelings. You cannot afford to show any weakness." "I'm sorry, Kalei. I just...fear for the Wakanda. I feel that our...their days on this earth are numbered. They have no place anymore." "That is just the vampire blood in you talking. You do not truly believe that the days of the Wakanda are coming to a close, do you?" "You talk of my vampire blood, Kalei, and yet your own children carry vampire blood. They are more vampire than me, Kalei, and yet you do not criticise them for speaking their minds," [/b]replied Talyn, his temper rising. [b]"Be calm, Talyn," [/b]she said soothingly, [b]"Do not let your anger take over at a time like this. You must agree that this is not the time!" "Perhaps not. But I fear this to be my last battle." "You are not going to die, Talyn," [/b]replied Kalei. [b]"Oh, I do not fear that. I fear that by the time this battle is over, I will not have any fight left in me. My days with you are almost over, Kalei. But I will stay with you wherever you go, I owe you that much. But after this, you cannot ask me to fight any more! Those days are over! Promise me that once this is resolved, there will be no more fighting for me! Promise me, Kalei!" "I...I can't promise you, Talyn...I never know when I could need you again..." "Then let us pray that my life is taken this battle," [/b]replied Talyn coldly, turning away from Kalei, just in time to see Ena come carefully down the stairs, her clothes changed. [b]"I think it is time for us to leave," [/b]said Kalei, wiping a tear from her eye. The group of Wakanda, and vampire, and half-breed followed her closely. [i]My time is almost up...[/i]thought Talyn. [i]Yes. You are not long for this world...[/i]came a soft reply that only he could hear... --- OOC: I apologise for my absence, I just haven't been with the story for a while. Now I am caught up, I'm back on track. [/size]

[center][size=1][b]Name: [/b]Abaddon (meaning "Destroyer" in Hebrew) [b]Gender: [/b]Appears male [b]Side: [/b]Risen [b]Appearance: [/b]Abaddon appears to be a perfectly healthy male in his mid-twenties. His skin is pale, but not in a pallid, unhealthy way, his black hair is full and thick, falling just down into his eyes, and his dark eyes gleam like dying embers, but he often covers them with dark glasses. His favoured clothing is a stylish black suit, with a white shirt underneath, but no tie, not unless he's doing something particularly special. His feet are clad in shiny, pointed black shoes. But he can also, at will, sprout a huge pair of glossy black wings from his back, but whenever he does this, his hair turns bright red, and his hands turn into talon-like claws. [b]Fighting Style: [/b]Abaddon is a cool, calm fighter, never letting his emotions show in a battle, making it harder for his opponent to foresee his attacks. Dodges and ducks are dominant in his fighting style, and he uses punches and kicks to great effect. But, when the going gets tough, he draws a short sword [[url="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/Blayze54/g2_0262b.jpg"][b]click[/b][/url]] , which he is especially skilled in the use of. [b]Personality: [/b]Abaddon is known as the cool, calm one, always sitting back, never getting too involved with anyone. He is usually found sitting quietly at the bar of the Leather Angel with a glass in his hand, and a tiny smile on his face. Very rarely do you see him getting angry, and when he does, not many are left to see what happens afterwards. [b]Writing Sample: [/b]Abaddon had taken his usual vantage point, a high chair right at the bar. This way, he could keep himself to himself, and keep the drinks flowing all night. A glass stood, full to the brim with acrid-smelling liquor, on the bar in front of him. Behind, a glass was broken, angry words were exchanged, and a fight broke out. Someone was getting angry again. Leviathan had seen someone with a new girlfriend, clearly. Envy did funny things to people. A chair was hurled towards the bar, but Abaddon kept his head down, staring intently into his glass. He pushed his dark glasses back up his nose, and flicked his hair over them. By this time, Leviathan had slammed his opponent against the bar, and had drawn his fist back. A brutal beating followed, fists and feet flying, smashing into soft flesh and bone alike. Blood ran from the bar. A young waitress came running down from the stage. She grabbed the two fighting customers, and hauled them apart. Abaddon guessed she was giving them [i]quite [/i]the telling off. Words were exchanged, and the waitress dragged the two demons to the door, kicked it open, and hurled them out. Fighting had its place in the Leather Angel, but it was never taken lightly by a certain member of staff. Abaddon threw back the glass of liquor, having let it stay for long enough, then got to his feet, threw his coat on, and said simply to the barhand: [b]"Check, please."[/b] [/size][/center]

[center][b][u]Alternates[/u][/b] [/center] [size=1] It was not long ago that the human race was content with its own existence, happy to live out its life peacefully. It was truly a Utopian society. Solar energy had cleaned up the skies, freed humanity from the coming onslaught of global warming. War was a thing of the past, ended by the signing of the Universal Peace Treaty, not long after the Third World War. Diseases, cancers had been wiped out by huge advancements in medical technology. Truly, it was Paradise. But peace is a fragile thing, and it was not long before it was shattered. But not by an army, not by terrorists, but by the government. They saw the peace that had settled, and mistook it for weakness in their people. They took over, introducing a fascist, totalitarian regime. They took complete control of the world, clenching an iron fist around it. In an attempt to create a race of super-soldiers, a powerful Master Race, in the mould of Adolf Hitler himself, the scientists now enslaved to work for the government were forced to develop and release a virus, one which would endow the population with enhanced speed, strength, agility and stamina. But, there was a flaw, possibly worked in by the scientists as a way to end the government's plans. Less than half of the world's population had the receptor gene for this virus, meaning that only they gained the special abilities. The other portion of the population were unaffected. In the beginning, the government was happy with this smaller amount of super-soldiers. They did their job, hunting down wanted criminals and dealing with them in the government's own way. But soon they became feared. These super-soldiers were becoming cockier, more arrogant, yet more powerful. They reclassified themselves as post-humans, and named themselves "The Alternates." The government was afraid of them, and turned on them at the last minute. Now the hunters had become the hunted, and they were being tracked down and slaughtered. Pretty soon the government had destroyed almost every single one of the Alternates. But those who survived wanted to fight back. They started the Resistance, an underground movement devoted to bringing down the corrupt government that rules this earth. I am a member of that Resistance. My name is Jackson. I have a first name, but it is too dangerous out there for me to reveal it to you. I, as with all Alternates, am being hunted by government assassins, wanting to kill me for what they turned me into. But little by little we are fighting back, attacking the chinks in the government's armour. And soon will come the time when we can end this war... Now, as you can probably tell if you have read that backstory, this little tale is a little like Equilibrium, or the upcoming movie UltraViolet. It tells of a Utopian society brought to ruin by a corrupt government, and of those who wish to fight back. It is set in the not too-distant future, where all diseases have been cured, global warming is no longer an issue, but the government has taken over. For an idea of what the cities look like, think of Libria [[b][url="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/Blayze54/Libria.jpg"]click[/url][/b]] from Equilibrium. Pretty bland, but kinda futuristic also. Weapons are more high-tech versions of modern weapons. Guns feature heavily, handguns, rifles, uzis etc., but so do bladed weapons: swords, throwing stars, knives etc. You will be playing my fellow Alternates, some on the side of the Resistance, some on the side of the Government, hunting the rest of us down. Because, oh yes, there are some that we would call "Gene Traitors," Alternates that choose to side with the Normals, whether it is for money or other such personal gain. I will be playing Jackson, of course. Let the games begin! First up I'm gonna need a sign-up sheet from you. But this is the thing. I'm getting kinda bored of the old-style sign-up sheets, where everything is written out for you. Instead, I'm gonna take a leaf out of some other people's book, and say that I want a short written piece about your character, including in it:[/size] [list] [*][size=1]Name[/size] [*][size=1]Gender[/size] [*][size=1]Appearance (if this is too difficult to work in to your written piece, just attach a picture or written description)[/size] [*][size=1]Personality[/size] [*][size=1]A little history, you don't have to reveal too much, leave some for the RP[/size] [*][size=1]Weapons[/size] [*][size=1]The Side you are fighting for (Resistance or Government)[/size] [/list][size=1] Remember, you are all super-humans, so you will have better fighting skills than your average. Again, if you have seen Equilibrium, think of that, if not, I guess the Matrix is as good as, but possibly not as over-the-top as that. Hope you have fun creating. My sign-up will be posted in a few short days. Peace Out.[/size]

[center][b][u][size=1]Chapter XV: Nova (part II) aka Finale[/size][/u][/b] [/center] [size=1] Blayze watched as the tower nearest his exploded, and he knew that Ezekiel was now gone. He smiled, thinking that there was no better tribute to his friend's life than the way she had died. He climbed the last few steps of the tower, and placed his weapon down, opening the slot on the communications array to allow the disc to be inserted. Marauders and Theocracy alike were heading up the tower, apparently having driven White and Ikillion back. Blayze hoped against hope that his two friends were alive, and he hoped that he wouldn't be leaving this tower alone. But he shook these thoughts from his head, and concentrated on formatting the disc drive to broadcast this disc. [b]"You really don't give up, do you, Blayze?"[/b] asked a slightly manic-sounding voice from behind him. The captain turned around, and saw Xion standing behind him, sword drawn, his clothes ripped and his skin charred. Various wounds covered his body, and blood ran down his hand onto his sword hilt. [b]"I could say the same for you. How did you get here from the other tower?"[/b] asked the captain, standing to face his nemesis. [b] "Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?"[/b] hissed the assassin, [b]"It was awfully clever of you to send Ezekiel in as a decoy, wasn't it? Send her up the other tower, and let all the Guards go after her and not notice you. Devious. But she never had the real disc, did she?" "Oh, yeah, that was the real thing alright. I had a copy made, just so we had twice the chance of broadcasting the signal. That disc Ezekiel was using was just as genuine as this one I'm holding."[/b] The captain dangled the disc in front of Xion, taunting him. [b]"Give it to me and I will kill you quickly,"[/b] said Xion, his breathing heavy, [b]"If you choose not to give it to me, I will make your death as long and drawn-out as possible." [/b] [b]"You've used that threat before, and I'm gonna say this to it this time." [/b] He took the disc and inserted it into the disc drive, pressing the broadcast button. The contents of the disc were now playing on television screens all over the universe, essentially destroying the government. "No!" shouted Xion, leaping towards Blayze. The captain, drew his knife and blocked the assassin's blade, and, with an incredible twist, he threw Xion's blade to the ground. It skittered across the platform and fell over the edge, quite possibly removing the limbs of any Marauders underneath. Blayze drew his pistol and aimed it at Xion. He fired three times, into the assassin's chest. The plate of armour that covered it protected him, but the shots drove him back. [b]"You can't kill me, Blayze. Many have tried, and none have succeeded,"[/b] gloated the assassin. But then, a tremendous shotgun blast smashed into his chest, and he was thrown backwards over the railing. He fell, grabbing onto another ledge. But as he looked up, a Marauder looked down, and stamped on the assassin's hand. For the first time in a long time, Xion felt fear course through his body. The bones in his hand were crushed, and he fell once more, landing on a small communications spike that was set on the ground. It drove itself through his sternum, blood spurting everywhere. The assassin spasmed, and finally, he died. Blayze sighed as he saw Xion fall to his death, and then turned around to see who had saved him. Ikillion stood at the top of the stairs that led up to the top of the tower, a smoking shotgun in his hands. He was bloodied and beaten, with cuts all over his body, blood running down his hands, [b]"Ikillion!" [/b]gasped Blayze, struggling to stand up, [b]"Where's White?" [/b] [b]"I...had to kill him. He turned on me, tried shooting me in the back before leaving me to the Marauders. But I had my armour on, so I was ok. I...I shot him, and I had to let the Marauders take his body,"[/b] the young mechanic gasped, sobbing. [b]"White turned on you? Why?"[/b] [b] "Who knows? He just tried to shoot me..." "It's ok, Ikillion...you did the right thing."[/b] Blayze watched as the Marauders came charging up the staircase, now with nothing standing between them and Blayze. The captain and the mechanic drew their weapons and readied themselves to die. But, as the Marauders reached the very top platform, Ikillion stopped, lowered his shotgun and drew a small object from his jacket, about the same size and shape as a pen. [b] "What are you doing, Ikillion?"[/b] asked Blayze, [b]"They'll kill you!" "I think not, captain,"[/b] replied the mechanic, pressing a button on the end of the device he held. His voice was different, more confident somehow. As he pressed the button in, the Marauders stopped. They didn't just stop charging, they stopped moving altogether. They had frozen completely. [b]"What did you do?"[/b] asked Blayze, dumbfounded, [b]"How did you stop them all?" "This is a neural controller,"[/b] said Ikillion, turning to Blayze and showing him the object, [b]"It allows me to control the movements of the Marauders, to some extent." "You can control those things?" "To a certain extent. I can either push their minds into overdrive, turning them into rampant killing machines, or I can shut down all neural functions, essentially paralysing them." "Why didn't you use that thing before?"[/b] exclaimed Blayze. [b]"Because I wanted to see you suffer before I kill you." "What?!" "That's right, captain. I am the one the government sent to kill you, not Xion. He was merely a pawn, a distraction, something you would know all about, wouldn't you? I was planted as a mechanic on the Grandice to make sure you noticed me, and I was ordered to knock out Raiyuu the moment before he killed you. That way I could gain your trust, and infiltrate the crew of the Firespark. How did you think Xion knew your every movement? Why did you think the Marauders were attacking this planet the moment you arrived here? I have been manipulating your every move since I joined your crew, captain, and now is the time you will die,"[/b] snarled the traitor, [b]"But, before I do, there is one thing that has puzzled me for a long time. How did you rob the bullion ship? It was an almost impossible task without more powerful weapons than the Firespark has at its disposal." "Not impossible. Just difficult,"[/b] replied Blayze, now being held at gunpoint by this traitor, [b]"Joko was aboard the ship the whole time. He had been undercover as a bank guard for a long time, and finally he managed to get the bullion ship run. He was on the ship, so as soon as the Firespark turned up, he stopped the ship, set off a stun grenade in the cockpit, disabling the pilot, and let us in himself. Then he got off the ship and came home with us. The pilot did wake up halfway through the robbery, and he managed to shoot Joko, but Ezekiel knocked him out again, and we managed to patch Joko up before the damage was serious. That's how we managed to nail the government. Simple but effective, wouldn't you agree?" [/b] [b]"Ingenious,"[/b] said Ikillion, [b]"You got away with two hundred and fifty million credits that day. And now the time has come for you to pay it back with your life."[/b] Ikillion cocked the shotgun, giving Blayze just enough time to kick his legs out from under him. Both of the men fell to the floor, and Blayze grabbed his pistol and rammed it into Ikillion's face. [b]"You betrayed me. You know, the deepest circle of Hell is reserved for traitors to benefactors. When you die, you are most certainly going to that circle of Hell." "Then why don't you kill me and seal the deal?" "I'm not that kind of person." "You killed the entire crew of a Theocracy flagship cruiser! And you say I'm a monster! There were men, women and children on board that cruiser and you killed them all! Or was it easy when you couldn't look them in the eye? You are a coward, Blayze, and nothing more!" [/b] Blayze stood up, and fired a shot into each of Ikillion's limbs. Then he reached down and ripped off the mechanical hands that Citrus had grafted onto his arms. [b]"You don't deserve these,"[/b] he walked to the edge of the platform, feeling a cool breeze rush through his hair, leaving Ikillion gasping and howling in pain on the floor. [b]"Very good, captain,"[/b] said a cool, calm voice, [b]"Very good indeed." [/b] Blayze whirled around, and saw a man and a woman, both dressed in black suits, standing over Ikillion, who squirmed on the floor, writhing in pain. [b] "Who are you? How did you get up here?"[/b] asked Blayze, confused. [b]"We are the ones who want you dead, captain,"[/b] replied the woman, her voice cold and lifeless, [b]"We are the ones who sent two of the universe's finest assassins after you, only for you to dispatch both of them. And now we want you."[/b] [b] "You want me? You tried to kill me!" "Yes, but that was before we realised your potential,"[/b] said the man,[b] "We do not work for the government, captain. We want to see them gone as much as you do. We work only for ourselves. That is what you have wanted for so many years, isn't it? You wish to work only for yourself. Then work with us. You can be so much more than what you are now." "You...don't work for the government?" "We are what the government would call...terrorists. As are you, I believe, captain. It seems fitting for us to work together. Together, we can follow up what you have done here today, and we can bring this government down. Isn't that what you have wanted for so long? Isn't that what your crew lived...and died for? Think of Joko, Ezekiel, Citrus. Think of White, your oldest friend. If not for yourself, do it to honour their memories. Join us, Captain, and we can bring a brighter tomorrow." "If I am to accept your offer, I need to know your names," he said, becoming increasingly interested in this offer. "I am JJ,"[/b] said the man, [b]"And this is Revelation. We are collectively known as the Black Cell. We run Black-Ops. It really is very simple, captain. You will effectively continue your work as you have done these past few years, but you will be working alongside us instead. We have great funding, and we can supply you with a new ship. So what do you say, captain? Do you accept our offer?"[/b] The man extended his hand. Blayze looked at the sky. He thought of Joko, Ezekiel, Citrus giving their lives to let him do this, and of White, so cruelly cut down by a traitor. He knew what must be done. He reached out and shook the man's hand. [b]"Welcome to Black Ops, Mr Stark. Please head down to ground level, where a ship will pick you up."[/b] Blayze nodded, and headed down the stairs, down towards the ground, as well as his new life. Agent JJ made sure he was out of sight, then knelt down over Ikillion, drawing a small metal item from his inside pocket. He pressed a button, and a spike shot out of either end. It began to emit a high-pitched frequency of noise, and Ikillion clutched his ears to try and block the sound out. [b]"Now, Ikillion, you failed us, but we can't let you go. You know too many Black Ops secrets. Goodbye, Agent Ikillion,"[/b] he snarled into Ikillion's ear. The frequency became higher and higher, and Revelation and JJ placed small earplugs into their ears. Ikillion screamed, and blood began to trickle out of his ears... ----- Blayze's foot hit the dusty ground, a cloud of red sand rising up as he placed his heavy boot down. He clutched his stomach and staggered over to the handrail, holding on. He was injured, quite badly. He coughed, only just realising the full extent of his injuries. The smell from a pile of bodies, both Marauder and human, was only making him more nauseous. Something stirred in one of the piles, so Blayze went over to check it out. He found a hand moving right at the bottom of the pile, and dragged the rest of the body after it. [b]"Giving up so easily, captain?"[/b] asked White, a spattering of shotgun shells across his chest. Blood was leaking from the wounds, and it was obvious that he wasn't going to survive for long. [b] "Only...only if you give up, preacher,"[/b] replied Blayze with a weak smile, [b]"I ain't goin' nowhere without you..." "Oh come on, Phil...an old man like me...or a young guy like you...which one is more likely to survive?" "I ain't so young any more, White...and it looks like we're both in pretty bad shape as it is,"[/b] replied Blayze, hauling his friend up to sit up against the very bottom of the communications tower. [b] "Well...I guess we're goin' out together, old friend..."[/b] gasped the priest, and he breathed heavily, his every breath rattling as he drew lungfuls of air in. He probably had a whole load of shotgun pellets in his lungs. [b]"I guess you're right..." [/b]the captain coughed. He closed his eyes. He was so tired...he needed to sleep. [b] "Goodnight, captain,"[/b] said White with a smile, and then he exhaled his last lungful of air, and passed, looking forward to the peace he had missed out on in life. Blayze stirred, and saw as his old friend died. Tears ran out of the corners of his eyes, and he began to shake with huge, wracking sobs. Everyone he had known and loved had been killed in the last few hours. Vicky. TechHead. Joko. Citrus. Ezekiel. And now his best friend, White. He had been having a tough week. [b]"Are you prepared, Agent Blayze?"[/b] asked JJ, coming down from the top of the tower, followed closely by Revelation. Blayze nodded weakly and hauled himself to his feet. A ship waited for the three of them close by. [b] "Can we...take him with us?"[/b] asked Blayze, indicating his old friend's body. JJ nodded, and Blayze walked over and picked the priest up in his arms. They took their place on the ship, and it took off, leaving this dead planet behind. It was time for a new beginning... ----- The end of Firespark. Perhaps it will begin again one day, under a different name, in a different guise, but for now, it is over. I truly hope you have enjoyed this series, as much as I have enjoyed writing it. So, for the last time, here are this chapter's cameos: JJ - Agent JJ, Black Ops Revelation - Agent Revelation, Black Ops And, as a little extra, here is a complete cast list: Blayze - Captain Philip "Blayze" Stark Ezekiel - Ezekiel, soldier White - Father White, priest/weapons expert Citrus - Citrus McCarthy, medic Jokopoko - Joko, pilot James - Police chief H. James Shinmaru - Agent Shinmaru Lady Asphyxia - Agent Asphyxia Shinji - Shinji, Owner of Shinji's Restaurant Vicky - Vicky, Joko's wife Gavin - Gavin, bartender Corey - Corey, bar hand Retribution - Retribution, bounty hunter Raiyuu - Lieutenant Raiyuu Ikillion - Ikillion, ship's mechanic Ozymandius Jones - Ozy Jones, bounty hunter Sakura - Sakura, bounty hunter Kitty - Kitty, bounty hunter ULX - Xion, government assassin Manic Webb - Manic/TechHead JJ - Agent JJ, Black Ops Revelation - Agent Revelation, Black Ops Thank you very much for your continued support.[/size]

[center][b][u][size=1]Chapter XIV: Nova (part I)[/size][/u][/b] [/center] [size=1] [b]"Take her down, Joko,"[/b] said the captain, and Joko pushed the Firespark into a deep dive, sending her into the atmosphere. [b]"We're not fast enough, captain,"[/b] said Joko, beginning to panic, [b]"The Marauders are catching up!"[/b] [b]"Then you get to pull the lever!"[/b] [b] "You mean the lever you told me on my first day that I was never allowed to pull? That lever?" "Yes, that lever! Pull it now!"[/b] Joko grabbed the bright red lever, and pulled it, sliding it down with a satisfying clunk. Something happened to the outside of the ship. Parts of the ship, certain plates and pieces of engine began to fall off. The ship was shedding layers, firing thrusters off into the atmosphere. The ship turned from a bulky Lugger-class ship to a sleek rocket as more and more sections of it were shedded. The Firespark began to increase its speed, the nose turning red-hot as it forced itself through the atmosphere. Inside, Joko was grabbing onto the controls, forcing them forward, his face locked into a grimace. The ship kept speeding up, the ground coming up quicker and quicker. The rest of the crew were grabbing hold of various parts of the cockpit. Nails bit into rubber and fingers clenched around steel as they struggled to keep their grip. [b]"Does this mean we're not getting back on the ship?"[/b] asked Ikillion through clenched teeth. Blayze ignored him, not out of spite, but out of concentration and a sense of loss. This ship had been with him for a long time, and she had seen him through many hard times. And now he was about to kill her, to watch her die as he had so many others in the past few days. [b]"We're almost there!"[/b] shouted Joko, forcing the controls back upwards, sending the Firespark into a clumsy but effective crash-landing. The ship bucked and skidded across desert, through the heavy wire fence that surrounded the Communications centre, which shredded more parts off the ship. Eventually it came to a stop, just on the outskirts of the Communications complex. Blayze got to his feet and walked over to the pilot's chair. [b] "Good work, Joko,"[/b] he said, [b]"I knew I hired you for a reason...Joko?!"[/b] He saw his pilot. He was slumped over the controls, his body shaking with tears. [b]"Are you ok?"[/b] [b]"I think everything's just catching up with me at the moment, captain,"[/b] he said breathlessly, [b]"I'm just gonna..."[/b] But he didn't finish his sentence. Blayze looked around for the reason he stopped, and saw something red under the control desk. He shoved his hand under, and his fingers closed around a metal pole. He took them away, and they came away red, and sticky. [b]"I guess I'm gonna see Vicky sooner than I thought...captain...take care of my kids for me...make sure they get good homes..." [/b] Joko whispered, [b]"Captain...it's been an honour..." [/b] The metal pole Blayze had felt had come directly from the steering column. As they had crashed, it must have dislodged and broken through the metal panels. It had now impaled Joko, pinning him to his chair. Shards of glass from the viewscreen had also been flung into the pilot's body, and they had cut him up pretty bad. He wasn't long for this world. [b] "The honour was all mine, Joko,"[/b] said the captain, forcing a smile as his old friend looked to the rest of the crew, smiling, and then he stopped moving. A trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and Blayze closed his friend's eyes. He knew that all he could do for him now was make sure his last wish was fulfilled. He had to make sure Joko's kids were alright. But first he had to get this job done. He surpressed his need to mourn, at least for a little while, and checked around, making sure everyone else was alright. There were some bruises and a little bleeding, but nothing more serious than that. He took them to the cargo hold, and leant against the wall. [b]"This is it. We have Marauders on one side, Theocracy Guard on the other. We're caught in the middle of a war, and both sides are out to get us. We've gotta get in, do the job, and get out quick. And we're gonna need to be well equipped. So this is the only time we get to use my own personal store."[/b] He flicked a switch on the wall, and the entire wall rotated, revealing a massive stash of weapons of all shapes and sizes. Rifles, pistols, revolvers, knives, automatic weapons, there were all sorts on this wall. Blayze himself took an automatic rifle, and slung it onto his back, as well as one more pistol to go with his usual, and strapped two knives to either hip. He also grabbed a pack and filled it with ammo. The rest of the crew followed his lead, grabbing any weapons they could, taking Blayze's along with their own. Soon, the entire crew were kitted out ready to do what they needed to do. Blayze checked that he had the disc in his back pocket, and opened the carog bay door. Everyone knew what they were supposed to do. The crew ran out into the warzone. The orange-coloured earth was littered with bodies of Marauders and Theocracy Guard alike. The crew split, Ezekiel and Citrus heading towards one communications tower, Blayze, White and Ikillion heading towards the other. They fought their way through the tangled mass of Theocracy and Marauders towards their respective destinations. Blayze reached the bottom of the tower. It was easily 70 metres high, with thin metal staircases leading up to the top. They were only wide enough for one to go up. [b]"Get ready for any kind of trouble, and make sure you don't let them up here,"[/b] Blayze ordered White and Ikillion, and he began to climb the tower. [b] "You seen combat before, boy?"[/b] asked White, loading the weapons on his wheelchair up. Ikillion looked nervously around, loading his rifle. He shook his head. [b]"I've never been in this kind of situation before. I've trained on simulators, though,"[/b] he said. [b]"Simulators are no good. You gotta be prepared for real life. Aim for headshots only. Anything below the neck is no good. You've got to try and conserve your ammo, so try and kill with every shot. Make sure you reload quickly, and that you're never reloading at the same time as me. That way we can keep a pretty much constant rate of fire between the two of us. Got it?"[/b] asked White. Ikillion nodded, and White saw the first wave of Theocracy Guards coming round the corner, armed with automatic weapons, and heavily armoured. [b]"Here we go..."[/b] whispered the mechanic, squeezing the trigger... ------ Ezekiel climbed the tower, Citrus right behind her. This way, if anyone attacked, they could both defend each other. [b] "Here come the Marauders!"[/b] shouted Citrus, arming her weapon and aiming down towards the ground, where Marauders began to climb up the tower after the pair. She squeezed the trigger, and let off a volley of fire which threw the first Marauder down, sending him flying into the rest, who fell after him. Then the pair continued climbing. They reached the top fairly quickly, and without too much trouble from the Marauders. Ezekiel slung her pack off, kneeling next to the communications spike. She took a disc from her pack, and set about trying to insert the disc into the communications feed. [b]"Not so fast,"[/b] came a voice, and Ezekiel looked up. Xion stood above her, his sword at her throat. Citrus was standing behind him, helpless to stop him. [b] "I don't think I can let you do that, love,"[/b] he said smugly, [b]"You'd be destroying something I've worked hard for." "But it's not right, what they've done!"[/b] she exclaimed, [b]"They've tortured thousands of people, just to try and make new soldiers! They created the Marauders! You can't possibly support them!"[/b] [b]"But they're all I have left. You don't understand what it's like to lose everything!"[/b] shouted Xion, and with this temporary lapse in concentration, Citrus lunged at him with her knife. He twisted out of the way, and punched her in the chest. The force of the blow cracked a rib, and forced the air out of Citrus' lungs. She gasped to get it back. [b]"You are just a stupid child, Citrus, nothing more,"[/b] snarled Xion, twisting her hand in his, feeling her fingers snap under the pressure. The medic screamed, and dropped to the floor. [b]"Get up, Citrus,"[/b] whispered Xion coldly. The medic did as she was told, and then lunged again with the knife. [b]"You never learn, do you?"[/b] he shouted, dodging once more and landing a powerful uppercut squarely on her chin. She groaned, and the power of the punch threw her into the air. Her back arched in the air, and Ezekiel saw the whole thing as if it was in slow motion. Citrus flew into the air, and the force of the blow sent her hurtling backwards, and she was sent flying over the edge of the platform. An ear-piercing scream cut through the air, and Citrus fell out of sight, down towards the frenzied battle between the Theocracy and the Marauders. She wouldn't stand a chance. She would be ripped apart, if the fall hadn't killed her. [b]"No!"[/b] shouted Ezekiel, [b]"She was just a child! You killed her! You're a monster!"[/b] She lunged at Xion, and he slammed her to the floor. The disc fell out of her hands and skittered across the platform, before tipping over the edge, and falling after Citrus, straight into the hands of the Marauders. [b] "It looks like your little plan has failed, Ezekiel,"[/b] sneered Xion, raising his sword, [b]"And there's only one thing left to do!"[/b] He brought the sword down towards Ezekiel's throat, but she rolled out of the way, and slammed her boot into Xion's leg. He fell to the floor, and Ezekiel jumped to her feet. She picked up her shotgun, and aimed it at her former lover. She looked down through the middle of the spiral staircase, and saw hundreds of Marauders all the way up the tower. She had two choices. She could take out Xion and be overwhelmed by Marauders. Or she could take out the bigger threat. She lowered the shotgun, and drew something from her pocket. A detonator. She flicked the cap open, and placed her thumb on the red button. [b]"This ends here, Xion,"[/b] she said, perfectly calm, [b]"You can decide how. Do you want to be rippedapart by the Marauder hordes, or do you want to take them with us?"[/b] [b] "What are you going to do, Ezekiel? Blow yourself up?"[/b] the assassin snarled. [b]"Goodbye, Xion,"[/b] she said with a grin, and pressed her thumb down onto the red button. Explosives they had planted all the way up the tower detonated, a thunderous explosion blasting through the air, engulfing the tower in an orange mushroom cloud of smoke and flame, toppling the Comms tower, killing hundreds of Marauders, as well as Ezekiel. She laughed as she was immolated, dying exactly as she would have wanted to... -------- Wow, the deaths of no less than THREE principal characters! How mental do you think I am? Find out exactly how mental I actually am next time, in THE FINALE![/size]

[size=1]Seraph led the Guardians of Light along, and up the spiral staircase. They were near ground level, and it was probably night-time above ground. Seraph led them to a huge pair of iron gates, with no visible way of opening them. [b]"Stand back," [/b]said Seraph, and he drew his sword, the Blade of Light. It glowed with unearthly light, and the twin gates seemed to melt out of existence. Seraph walked slowly and calmly through the gate, and the other followed him, into the darkness. [b]"Welcome to Ground Level," [/b]said Seraph, knowing that not many of these recruits would have ventured above ground before, [b]"The Temple of Darkness is not too far now that we are above ground. It shouldn't take us more than a couple of hours to get there on foot." [/b]He strode into the darkness, and the Guardians followed him, but they felt cold without light, felt themselves weakening. Seraph slowed, and turned around, seeing the recruits almost physically dragging themselves along the ground. [b]"Ah, of course," [/b]he said, [b]"I forget how long it takes to get used to the Darkness." [/b]He drew the Blade of Light once more, and it began to glow again. The recruits drew some comfort from this, as well as a certain amount of strength, and they continued on. [i]Dark Shadows followed them, watching their every move... [/i][b]"Careful," [/b]warned Seraph, [b]"We don't want to move too slowly. There are things here that don't want us above ground." "Like what?" [/b]asked Phailin. [b]"Like that," [/b]replied Seraph, pointing behind her. A human figure dropped down on them from the Darkness, drawing a weapon. Several more attacked with the first. [b]"Traitors!" [/b]shouted Seraph, swinging his Blade into battle, [b]"Ambush!" [/b]The others heard this, and drew their weapons, launching into the fight. Seraph clashed blades with a Traitor, who wielded a great axe. Seraph could feel the Darkness within it. [b]"This axe...is no normal axe, is it, Traitor?" [/b]asked the Guardian, [b]"It was used by another...Abaddon, am I correct?" "You are correct, Seraph, and that means you will know the true power of Zerstorer!" [/b]shouted the Traitor in reply. [b]"Abigor, isn't it?" [/b]asked Seraph, pushing down on his blade, forcing the Traitor to the ground. [b]"Correct once again, Seraph," [/b]snarled the Traitor, [b]"But less talk, more fight!" ---- OOC: Everyone continue with the fight...Guardians of Darkness, you are still preparing for our arrival...Wyatt and Mirichai...you are watching the ambush... [/b][/size]

[center][size=1][b]Name: [/b]Phil Boothman [Blayze] [b]Gender: [/b]Male [b]Age: [/b]16 [b]Appearance: [/b][url="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/Blayze54/nanami-02.jpg"][click][/url] Phil has a very lean build, but he is fairly strong physically. He works out, so his body is well-toned, and he generally wears (instead of what is in the picture) a pair of faded blue jeans and a white shirt, with a white t-shirt underneath. [b]Country: [/b]United Kingdom [b]Personality: [/b]Phil is usually pretty easy-going, enjoying nothing more than spending time with his friends, having fun, making jokes, and generally having a good time. He is well-liked by his group of friends, and he has great respect and love for them in return. While hardly ever being the centre of attention in his group, Phil always likes to add his opinion, as he listens to other people's. However, there is a dark side to Phil. When he gets angry or frustrated, he become violent and aggressive, often breaking things in a rage. He has even gone so far as to hit people he has known and loved all his life. He has been seeing a therapist about this problem, and so far has had no luck with it. [b]Sphere: [/b]Magma Sphere [b]Powers: [/b]Phil can, at the moment, create limited amounts of flame, which he can store in his body and release it at will. He can manipulate it to a certain extent, but has not mastered this skill. He can also absorb flames that he is hit with, using them to raise his strength, before releasing the flame back at his enemy. His other ability is to release a small amount of this flame from his skin, and essentially cover his body in flame. But doing this takes a lot out of Phil, so he usually just sticks to engulfing his hands or an arm at the most in flame. [b]Weapon: [/b]Phil wields a flaming sword with great skill. Normally, the weapon looks like this [[url="http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/Blayze54/g2_0262b.jpg"]click[/url]], but when he wants to, Phil can engulf this in flame. It has its own source of fire, so Phil does not have to use his own energy to wreathe it in flame. [b]Bio/Snippet: [/b]Born to a normal, upper-middle class family in London, Phil had a pretty normal childhood. He was happy, played with his friends, and was loved by his parents and his older brother. But, when he was twelve years old, he came home from school to find his home had been broken into. Flames licked from the smashed windows, the door was smashed in, and almost everything in the house was destroyed. Then he walked into the living room, and saw his parents and his older brother laid out on the floor, white outlines around them. The police never did find out who killed them, but it affected Phil in a deep psychological way. He was taken in by his best friend's family, and they treated him as one of their own. But he was never the same again. Not even after he found a small red sphere in his friend's back garden... [b][Finished][/b] [/size][/center]

[center][b][u][size=1]Chapter XIII: Secrets and Goodbyes[/size][/u][/b] [/center] [size=1] The captain woke up in his bed, his temples pounding. In the last four hours he had witnessed the death of a close friend, and a very dear friend's wife, followed by the death of his brother, and then the death of another good friend. Death was becoming a repeated pattern in his life. Death and pain, they both seemed to be a constant in Blayze's life, as well as loneliness. He had been alone for so many years now, he had immersed himself in taking care of his ship and crew, not caring about his own wellbeing. He had almost died trying to protect a bounty hunter he didn't even know. There must have been something wrong with him. He got to his feet slowly, and walked down to the cargo bay, where the rest of the crew had congregated. They had gathered around a crudely-built coffin, which contained the body of Joko's wife, Vicky. Joko and Ezekiel were suiting up, ready to release the coffin into space. [b]"Wait!"[/b] shouted Blazye, [b]"Ezekiel, let me go in your place. I knew Vicky better than you. I want a chance to say goodbye before we get on with this."[/b] The soldier nodded, and took the suit off, handing it to Blayze as he walked down the stairs. The captain suited up, and followed Joko and the coffin into the airlock. The door behind them closed, and the door in front of them opened. They took the coffin out into space, and let it go. The others watched through the viewscreen, tears coming to the eyes of a few. [b]"Goodbye..."[/b] whispered Joko, a tear dropping from his eye. The pair headed back into the ship, and they took their suits off as soon as they were re-pressurized. [b]"We need to watch the disc. We need to find out what's on it before we broadcast it,"[/b] said White, holding out the disc, [b]"Fetch the projector." [/b] Soon enough, Blayze had set up the projector, and White slotted the disc in, pressing the play button. An image, shaky at first, but then becoming clearer and more solid, projected onto the air. A man stood, arms folded behind his back, apparently giving an official report. [b]"James,"[/b] hissed White, recognising the figure. [b] "Sirs, we have a situation,"[/b] the figure said, addressing some unseen superior, [b]"The Ares Corporation has told me to inform you of the situation with their testing for super-soldiers. They have informed me that the experiments...have not gone entirely as planned. There have been drawbacks with the serums they have been using. Some of the super-soldiers have been exhibiting signs of insanity, as well as reverting to less evolved forms. They have been turning feral, to put it simply. Ares has tried many different approaches to this, the most obvious being to simply put these failed experiments down, to put them to death, but this is not cost-effective. As you can see, the only way to destroy these...things...is to shoot them directly through the head."[/b] At this, the image changed to a recording of a group of these "feral" super-soldiers, each in turn being thrown to the ground and shot through the head, in graphic detail. Ikillion looked as though he was going to be sick. [b]"The only way to eliminate them effectively is a bullet directly fired into the brain. But this means we have to use a new bullet for each super-soldier. This is highly expensive, and requires us to buy huge amounts of ammunition, something which is, as you know, not cheap to do. The large numbers of people being experimented on requires us to purchase something like four hundred thousand new rounds of ammunition every month."[/b] The focus of the recording changed to a ghastly image of hundreds of thousands of these "feral" super-soldiers, men, women and children, all cramped together in a single small warehouse, killing each other for food. [b]"So the Ares Corporation have come up with a new way round. They are not eliminating the super-soldiers, but instead they are dumping them on the Outer Planets, near the Separatists. This means that hopefully, the Separatists and the ferals will wipe each other out, killing two birds with one stone. We are awaiting a progress report on this new development as we speak."[/b] [b]"Also, there was one other problem. We were running out of slaves from the Pit to use as guinea-pigs. We had bought them in their thousands, but we had used almost all of them up reasonably quickly." [/b] The image changed once again to a recording of thousands of slaves from The Pit being experimented on as a group, needles and gases being used to allow dangerous chemicals to enter their bloodstreams. [b]"So we have developed a new plan. It once again involves the Separatist planets. This time, we take the gases, the chemicals, the genetic modifiers, and implant them in the food and water sources of many of the Outer Planets. The enhancers will seep into the bloodstreams of the Separatists, and it will turn them into a whole army of super-soldiers. We will have millions of these super-soldiers just waiting to be used. End report."[/b] The disc stopped, and the image disappeared. Blayze turned to the crew, feeling sick at what he had just watched. [b]"The government has done terrible things to their own people. With this information, we can bring down the entire Theocracy. No-one in the galaxy could stand for this kind of behaviour from their leaders. We just broadcast this information, and enough of the universe will see it to allow the rest to rise up and bring down the Theocracy themselves. That is all we are required to do,"[/b] he said. [b] "So all we need to do is board the Satellite and then we can broadcast the information to the whole universe,"[/b] said White. [b] "Actually, it's not as simple as that,"[/b] said Blayze. The crew turned back to him, and he continued: [b]"The Satellite only holds the functions to record broadcasts, it can't make it's own. To broadcast this information, we're going to have to hijack a Theocracy communications tower, and the only way to do that is go down onto Nova."[/b] [b]"And get to a Communications Tower surrounded by Theocracy Guard? There's going to be almost an entire army of Theocracy Guards down on Nova, you realise that? We're going to have to fight our way through thousands of Theocracy Guards to get to the Communications Tower,"[/b] said Ezekiel, putting a damper on everyone's good spirits. [b]"Well, we're gonna have to fight through an army of Theocracy Guard. You saw the recording, Zeke, and you know we can't let this stand. We can't allow the government to get away with this. We have to at least try to get it out to the rest of the universe, or what are we going to do? The Theocracy created Marauders, don't you see, Ezekiel? They created the very thing that is threatening to destroy this universe! We can't stand by and let all this happen!"[/b] cried Blayze. [b]"Then let's get kitted out and head down to Nova,"[/b] said Ezekiel, a devilish glint appearing in her eye. [b]"Um, guys,"[/b] said Joko nervously, [b]"We may have a problem." "What? What's showing up on the sensor...oh..."[/b] said Blayze, his face falling. [b]"What is it?"[/b] asked Ikillion. [b]"Marauders."[/b] [b]"How many?"[/b] [b]"Lots."[/b] Blayze opened the viewscreen, to reveal an armada of Marauders, their ships flying steadily towards Nova. There easily a thousand ships, each probably with a thousand Marauders on board. That was a big number of Marauders. [b]"Well, this should just make things a little more interesting..."[/b] ------ AAAAAHHHH! Things seem to only get worse for the crew of Firespark as we head towards the climax. The next two parts are going to be essentially the same chapter, but I just wanted to break it up a little, because otherwise it would be one hell of an epic chapter. Stay tuned...[/size]

[size=1]Thank you kindly, Doukeshi. Starwind, your shot was pretty good, but I'm gonna go ahead and stick with Doukeshi's for now. Thanks to both of you! [/size]

[center][b][u][size=1]Chapter XII: TechHead[/size][/u][/b] [/center] [size=1] The ship broke atmosphere, on the other side of the planet to originally planned, but away from the Marauders. Joko flicked a switch, turning on autopilot, and sat back in his seat, the tears streaming down his face. He couldn't believe it. His wife was dead. He went, silently, with no-one wanting to make eye contact with him, down to the medical bay, where Ezekiel had told him that Vicky was. He found her, pale now but just as beautiful as she had been in life. He had asked Citrus to remove the arrow, and she had, and now a clean white sheet lay draped over her body. Joko took the seat that had previously been occupied by the captain, and his head slumped over his wife's body, his whole body shaking with tears. Ikillion had been woken and informed of the situation, and he now stood by, watching the scene, tears beginning to well up in his eyes, his new mechanical hands covered by black leather gloves. The whole crew had mourned, but Blayze had forced Joko to allow them to break atmosphere before he could break down. But now the ship was piloting itself towards a man-made satellite, in orbit above Nova, a planet that the Theocracy broadcast all its communications from. The occupant of the satellite illegally intercepted all Theocracy broadcasts, and recorded each and every one of them, apparently because he had nothing better to do. His real name was known to a few close friends, Blayze included, but most knew him as TechHead. He was a whiz with technology, and had supposedly built the entire satellite himself, making sure that it was invisible to radar, and completely undetectable. This was where the crew would pick up its ammunition against the Theocracy, and where they would bring down the empire. If TechHead could be persuaded, that is. Soon enough, the ship docked with the satellite, and Blayze boarded alone, and unarmed. He pressed a red button at the door, and an intercom buzzed. [b]"Who is it?"[/b] came a wildly cheerful voice. [b]"It's an old friend,"[/b] replied Blayze. [b] "Theocracy or otherwise?"[/b] [b]"Otherwise."[/b] [b]"Come on in!"[/b] The door buzzed, and Blayze pushed it open. A huge room filled with acres of technology, wires, circuit boards, cables and all sorts littered the floor, but in the centre of it all lay a circular set-up of plasma screens, over one thousand of them, in the middle of which was a small leather swivel chair, with a single occupant. [b]"Blayze!"[/b] exclaimed the occupant, revealing himself to be a small, tousle-haired man, with thick-rimmed glasses and a scruffy black suit on, [b]"What a pleasant surprise!"[/b] [b] "Isn't it just, Manic?"[/b] replied the captain, addressing TechHead by his real name. [b]"Please, Blayze, call me TechHead,"[/b] hissed Manic, [b]"You never know who's listening! So, what do you want?" "Is that it? No small talk?" "I'm a busy man, Blayze, you know that." "So I've heard. I need a recording from you. A single recording that can harm the Theocracy more than any weapon. I need a Theocracy secret, one that was never supposed to get out." "Oh, you need a secret, do you?"[/b] asked Manic, [b]"Well, I've got a lot of them."[/b] He bustled over to a drawer, marked "Theocracy Secrets," and pulled it open. It was full of laser discs, each of which could store over 24 hours of footage. He fumbled around, looking, apparently, for a particular disc. Finally, he produced it. [b]"The biggest, best-kept secret in Theocracy history,"[/b] he whispered, [b]"A secret so powerful it could destroy the government as we know it." "That sounds like what I need. How much?"[/b] asked the captain. [b] "Four million credits, and even then you're robbing me blind,"[/b] replied TechHead, [b]"I could sell this on the black market, and easily fetch over ten million. But, as you're an old friend."[/b] He held out his hand, waiting for Blayze's money transfer chip. The captain drew the chip from his pocket and handed it to Manic, who placed it in a disc drive. The computer started up, and a bank account appeared on-screen. Manic used this computer for his own personal accounts, and nothing else. He programmed in a transfer from the chip of four million credits, and, once the transfer was done, he handed Blayze his chip back, as well as the disc. [b]"Pleasure doing business with you,"[/b] said Manic cheerfully. [b]"I'm sure you won't find it so pleasurable in a moment,"[/b] said a cold voice, and something gleaming silver forced its way through Manic's stomach, accompanied by a torrent of crimson. The computer genius gurgled, and then dropped to the floor. Xion stood behind him, his sword newly bloodied. [b]"I thought I might see you again soon,"[/b] snarled Blayze, his hand dropping to his pistol, his other stuffing the disc into a pouch on his belt. [b]"Hand me the disc and I can make your passing as swift and bearable as possible,"[/b] growled Xion, holding his hand out. [b]"You're not getting this disc while I'm still alive to protect it,"[/b] replied Blayze. [b]"Very well,"[/b] grinned Xion, leaping towards the captain, his sword flashing. Blayze drew his pistol and fired, but he was too slow. The place he had aimed at had been vacated by Xion seconds before, and now the assassin stood behind Blayze, the sword ready to run the captain through. But he ducked, and the sword was thrust over his head. He grabbed the arm that followed it, and hurled the assassin over his head into the far corner of the room. The sword clattered across the floor. Xion leapt to his feet and drew a curved, wicked-looking knife, and lunged at Blayze. Suddenly, a shot fired, and Xion was thrown to the floor, his chest armour smoking. [b]"Oh no you don't,"[/b] said a familiar voice from behind Blayze, [b]"He's mine."[/b] Blayze turned around and saw someone he wasn't expecting to see. [b]"Oh, hi,"[/b] he said to his brother, who had now dropped his rifle. Raiyuu had a mass of scars lining his face now, and his Theocracy tunic was replaced by an all-black jumpsuit. He looked angry. [b]"How the hell did you get off that ship?"[/b] asked Blayze. [b]"Personal shuttle pods are a nice thing. It's always a pity if you have to kill a few people to get on one, but you get by,"[/b] snarled the former Theocracy Lieutenant, drawing a new weapon. It seemed to be a large fan, but instead of paper, it was formed of steel blades. It looked pretty lethal. [b] "Now this is just unfair!"[/b] cried Blayze, [b]"Everyone has fancy weapons except me!" [/b] But then his brother lunged, the razor-fan slicing through the air towards his head, clashing against the assassin's steel blade. [b]"You will not kill him while I am here,"[/b] snarled Xion, throwing Raiyuu backwards. He lunged at the Lieutenant, his sword getting caught in the blades of the fan. Raiyuu grabbed Xion's throat and began to squeeze his fingers around it, slowly but surely choking the life out of Xion. [b] "My brother, my kill,"[/b] taunted Raiyuu, raising his fan for one final strike, but then he felt something slide between his ribs. Xion's blade had slipped from between the fan-blades, and he had pushed it into the Lieutenant's chest. The blade searched through major organs, piercing the lungs, and finally reaching the Lieutenant's heart, which it sliced clean through. Raiyuu fell to the ground, his face frozen in an expression of shock and pain, his last breath rattling harshly from his lungs. Xion gasped as he struggled to get air back into his lungs, and Blayze took this moment to run over to Manic's body. [b]"Manic,"[/b] he said, [b]"Can I broadcast the recording from here?" [/b] TechHead gasped as he pressed his hands down on his stomach wound, temporarily stopping the blood flow. [b]"No...you can't broadcast from here...you'll have to reach the main...broadcast tower down on...Nova...but...risky...need whole crew..."[/b] and then Manic passed as well. Blayze got to his feet and walked over to Xion, who still lay gasping on the floor. [b] "You're not going anywhere, friend,"[/b] he said coldly, drawing a grenade from his belt, taking out the pin and dropping it next to the assassin, before walking calmly over to the airlock and letting himself back onto his ship. The grenade exploded, and Xion was obscured in a cloud of smoke and flame. As Blayze boarded the ship, he dropped to the floor, exhausted. [b]"Did you get it?"[/b] asked White, rolling over to where Blayze lay. The captain nodded, and took the disc from his pouch, handing it to the priest, before passing out... ------- A nice little set-piece there involving the return (and demise) of Sergeant Raiyuu, as well as an extra cameo: Manic Webb-Manic/TechHead Only three left... And, the thing about me churning these out quickly is that I have had the whole series written for about a week now, so I just need to post one whenever I get the chance. Stay tuned... [/size]

[center][size=1][b]Name: [/b]Alexander Murphy [b]Nicknames: [/b]Once known as "Bloodbathy" Murphy, he is mostly known only as Murphy to the rest of the crew [b]Age: [/b]32 [b]Gender: [/b]Male [b]Appearance: [/b]Murphy is a tall, lean figure, with not much muscle to show. But he is strong, with sinewy muscles that disguise strength with thin body shape. He has a thick mop of black hair, which falls into his eyes, and a small black goatee beard. He wears a white shirt, with his chest open to the elements, and a par of black breeches with brown leather boots. When he is outside, he wears a black travelling coat over his shirt. [b]Short Bio: [/b]Murphy has never known anything other than the life of a pirate. His father served under the Pirate King, as the ship's doctor, and as the boy was growing up, he learnt the ways of medicine from his father. Although Alexander never spoke to the Pirate King, he was sure that he remembered him. However, when the Pirate King was arrested and executed, so was Murphy's father. He was one of the first of Roger's crew to be executed, and as such, no-one paid much attention. Except Alexander. As soon as he was able, he joined the crew of Cross-Scar Kane, becoming the Ship's Doctor at an early age. He was also trained to be a good fighter, and often assisted in any battles that happened to occur. He was asked, one day, by Zerus, to join him in the mutiny. Murphy, intensely loyal to Captain Kane, declined, and warned Zerus off the idea. But he dismissed the information as nothing, and didn't inform anyone. But when the mutiny did come about, he abandoned ship with a few others, and now they search for Zerus and hope to ge tto One Piece before him. [b]Personality: [/b]Murphy has always been calm under pressure, even managing to stay calm and crack a few jokes under heavy fire. He was well-liked by the crew, and that was why Zerus asked him to join the mutiny. However, Murphy is unwaveringly loyal to anyone who he trusts, and he trusted Kane. He has been troubled, recently, though, by thoughts that maybe he was, in part, responsible for the death of Captain Kane. [b]Position on Ship: [/b]Ship's Doctor, although he can be fairly handy in a firefight, or close-quarters combat for that matter. [b]Weapons: [/b]see attachments [b]Dream: [/b]Murphy doesn't truly have a dream. He has everything he wishes for, a career he enjoys, good friends, but the one thing he does hope for nowadays is that the traitor Zerus will get what is coming to him. [/size][/center]

[center][b][u][size=1]Chapter XI: Return[/size][/u][/b] [/center] [size=1] [b]"Hand me those gauze pads. I think if I can stop the bleeding we may be able to do something about his hands. I don't know what, but we can manage something,"[/b] said Citrus, and Blayze handed her the gauze pads that lay slightly out of her reach. She packed Ikillion's wounds, trying to stem the flow of blood that was issuing from the broken flesh. The mechanic himself had been heavily sedated, and he was out like a light. [b]"Joko!"[/b] yelled Ezekiel into the intercom, [b]"Take off! Marauders are coming!"[/b] The pilot didn't even bother to waste time with a reply, and the ship began to take off. As soon as they were in the air, Blayze ran from the medical bay to the cockpit, where Joko was navigating a small asteroid belt. [b]"Where are we going, captain? What's happened?"[/b] asked the pilot, whilst still concentrating on flying the ship. [b]"It seems that Ezekiel knows our little assassin, but that didn't stop him cutting Ikillion's hands off. We need to go back to Fyria, I know of someone who can help us there,"[/b] said the captain. [b]"Ok, that shouldn't be too hard. Fyria isn't too far away, we should be able to get there in less than an hour,"[/b] replied the pilot, pushing the controller inwards, switching the ship to autopilot, and plotting a course on the ship's computer. Blayze picked up the intercom mic and flicked a switch, turning it on so the whole ship could hear his message. [b]"We need to get ourselves together. A lot of things have happened, but we can't let it get to us. We need to plan what our next move is, and we need to be prepared. So I'm calling a meeting in the cargo hold in ten. I expect all of you, except Ikillion, to be there. Blayze out."[/b] He hung up the microphone and headed down to the cargo bay, where he sat himself on a crate, waiting for the others to arrive, composing his thoughts. As soon as the rest of them had arrived, Blayze began speaking. [b]"Our situation has changed somewhat. The Theocracy is coming down on us in a big way. We have Theocracy-controlled space on one side, and Marauder space on the other. We can either stand and fight, and be destroyed, or we can run, and be hunted down endlessly by Marauders, Theocracy and any bounty hunters after the price on our heads. I don't know this assassin, but from what I've seen, my bet is that he's not going to leave us alone any time soon. So that's another problem." "I say we fight the Theocracy. Take as many of 'em down with us as possible,"[/b] suggested Ezekiel, [b]"We're gonna die either way, so we may as well do it for a cause." "But there are other ways of hurting the Theocracy. We don't need to hurt them physically in order to disable them, stop them coming after us. We can hurt them with secrets. We need to find something that the Theocracy don't want anyone to find out, and then they'll leave us alone,"[/b] said White. [b]"I'm feelin' you have an idea, White,"[/b] replied Blayze, a grin beginning to creep onto his face. White's plans were always fun. [b]"We need to find someone with records of every broadcast made by the Theocracy. Someone who would be willing to give this information up for the right price. Someone who hates the Theocracy as much as we do. And more importantly, someone close by."[/b] Blayze thought for a moment, and then the penny dropped. [b] "You can't be serious...we need that guy?"[/b] he asked, laughing. [b]"Oh yes. We need TechHead."[/b] ------ Fyria Touchdown. The ship landed, and Blayze hurried out to the town centre. He knew someone who could help them, or help Ikillion at least. He needed to find the mayor. He burst into city hall, but no-one was there. However, he saw what he needed straight away. The mayor's hands. The mayor of Fyria had been involved in an accident a long time ago, and he had lost both his hands, as well as one leg. He had since had mechanical replacements for all the limbs built specially, and there, just behind the desk, lay his spare pair of hands. Blayze picked them up, shoved them in his bag, using them to replace a large wad of money that he dropped on the mayor's desk. He hurriedly scribbled a note explaining what he had done, but the mayor should be alright. He owed Blayze a favour anyway. Sprinting back to the ship, Blayze noticed that there was no-one around at all. No townspeople, nothing. The place was deserted. But there was time to worry about that later. Now he had a mechanic who needed two new hands. He dashed into the medical bay, and threw the pair of hands to Citrus. [b]"Will these do?"[/b] he asked breathlessly. [b] "That's an amazing find, captain. Ikillion needed a miracle, and I think you just handed it to him. No pun intended,"[/b] replied the medic,[b] "It'll only take a few minutes to implant these." [/b] Blayze nodded and walked over to where Ezekiel stood. Her head was hung, and she seemed to be attempting to concentrate on polishing her gun, but failing. [b] "It's not your fault, Zeke,"[/b] said Blayze comfortingly, [b]"You couldn't have known this was going to happen." "I'm not worrying about that," [/b]she replied, [b]"I'm worrying about them." [/b] She pointed out of the viewscreen to a horde of dark figures that were speeding towards the town. [b] "What the hell?!"[/b] exclaimed Blayze, [b]"Marauders? Here? But we're close to the Central system here! How did they get into Theocracy space?" "That's not important right now. We need to evacuate the town." "It's been done. There's nobody around. But how did Marauders get here? And where are the townspeople?" "They're probably in the bunker,"[/b] said Joko, jogging down the steps. [b]"What bunker?" "The one that's pretty much a replica of the entire town, just built underground, with three sheets of half-metre thick steel separating them and the real world, with enough oxygen re-cyc to last them half a century." "Why the hell didn't I know this?" "You haven't been living in the town as long as me. You get to learn these things after a while." "Well, what are we going to do?"[/b] asked Ezekiel, [b]"I mean, we can't get off the ship and fight them. But can we really leave the rest of the town here, at the mercy of the Marauders?" "They're not exactly at their mercy. There is a hell of a lot of security between the Marauders and the townspeople." "Then I say we get the hell out of here, make sure people are alright when we're done with TechHead." "No can do, captain,"[/b] said White, appearing from around a corner, [b]"There are Marauder ships in orbit around the planet. We're pretty much stuck here, unless we travel round to the other side of the planet in atmo, then break out over there. We'd be pointing in the wrong direction, but at least we'd be clear of Marauders." "Good plan. Do that, and we'll be straight back here after we...destroy the government. Joko, set a course for the Tech Satellite. We need to pay TechHead a visit." "Wait a second, captain, I think I see someone out of the bunker," [/b] said Joko, straining to get a better look, [b]"Holy Shit! It's Alpha!"[/b] [b]"Who?"[/b] [b] "One of my kids! I have to save him!"[/b] shouted the pilot, grabbing a rifle from the rack and leaping out of the back doors of the ship, running towards his child. As he did, a door opened, painted exactly the same colour as the earth surrounding it, and Joko's wife emerged from the bunker. [b]"Vicky! Get back inside, and take Alpha,"[/b] urged Joko, handing his wife their child. She took the child and ran to the bunker, but something stopped her, and she fell to the ground. [b]"Go, Vicky!"[/b] shouted Joko, running back towards the ship, but there came no reply. He stopped in his tracks and ran back to his wife, who lay face-down on the ground. He rolled her over, and tears welled up in his eyes. [b]"No, Vicky..."[/b] he sobbed as he saw his wife's dead eyes. A Marauder arrow had pierced her side, and must have hit some vital organ, killing her instantly. Blood seeped slowly from the wound, mixing with the dust into a fine paste. [b]"Joko, come on,"[/b] urged the captain from the ship, [b]"I'm sorry, but you can mourn later. Right now, we have to get away from the Marauders! They're coming in!"[/b] The captain saw that the pilot wasn't going to move, and leapt off the ship, grabbing him and his wife's body, seeing that Alpha was dragged into the bunker by a mass of hands, and hauled them back to the ship. [b]"Joko,"[/b] he said, as they boarded, closing the cargo bay doors, [b]"We need you to be strong right now. There's time for mourning once we break atmo, but right now we need to get away. Can you do that for us?"[/b] Joko wiped away the tears, and stumbled up to the cockpit. [b]"Zeke, make sure he's alright,"[/b] ordered Blayze. He took Vicky's body into the medical bay, making sure that she could be laid in a more dignified position, and finally, as he sat down between Vicky's lifeless body and Ikillion's sleeping form, now with two new mechanical hands, he felt the tears come on himself... ----- Well, not much to say at this point except this: Firespark is coming to a close. There are four more chapters, and then that is it. For now... No new cameos this time, so there'll be a few next time. Stay tuned...[/size]

[size=1]Hello there. I was wondering if one of you art-type people here on OB could possibly make me a nice banner and avatar set, using the attached picture. Could you have the avatar as just Mal's face, and then use a similar image on the banner. Try and use the colour scheme shown in the picture, as it would be nice to keep that feeling. Also, on the banner, could you put the phrase: [b]I aim to misbehave [/b]In kind of digital-looking writing, if that makes sense. Thank you in advance, please just say if there are any problems and I will attempt to fix them. [/size]

[center][size=1][b]Screenname: [/b]Blayze [b]Appearance: [/b][u][url="http://photobucket.com/albums/b16/Blayze54/?action=view¤t=nanami-02.jpg"]Blayze[/url][/u] - just forget the giant sword [b]Personality: [/b]Blayze is fun-loving, but he has a darker side. He has an innate hatred for the people at GameFaqs, and he has, on more than one occasion, wished destruction would rain down upon them. Now that they have almost completely destroyed Blayze's home, he feels the need for retribution. However, he has some mental problems. Multiple Personality Disorder, for one. He has believed that he is many different people in the past year, from Anarchy, Fallen and Wraith, but in the past he has always managed to come back to being Blayze. But since the destruction of his home, he has felt himself slipping again... [b]Weapons: [/b]Blayze carries nothing but a Bowie knife that he had slipped into his boot. He carried them at all time, in case of attack. And now they could come in useful. He is also pretty handy with handguns, in case he happened to pick any up on his travels. [b]Writing Piece: [/b]The time had come. For millennia it had been in the making, but now it was finally time for the End. The End of the World. The Sun, that central part of the Solar System, the part that everything revolved around, was dying. It was only moment away from its death now, and people on the Central planets, Mercury, Venus and Earth, all prepared themselves for the cataclysmic end of the giver of their life. The government of Earth had tried to stop it, of course, but all their attempts proved ultimately fruitless, a futile attempt to cheat death for just a few more centuries. Finally, they resigned themselves to their fate. Mercury and Venus knew they would be the first to be destroyed, but they had come to terms with that long ago, and as such, had attempted to live out their lives to the fullest. Not like Earth. And it began. The Sun cooled, the massive heat ebbing away slowly, until the once mighty, white-hot star turned to a Red Giant, that massive solid star. The gravitational energy that held the Sun in balance failed, and the outer layers blasted off, passing straight through Mercury, Venus and Earth. Down on the planets, destruction reigned. Oceans boiled, the land was scorched, and people died in their millions, killed instantly by the intense heat that had once sustained them, kept them alive. The people of Mercury and Venus accepted this, and stood, calm as ever, as the Sun wiped their planet out of the Solar System. But Earth. On Earth, there was panic, there were riots, people fought and died to try and escape the inescapable fact that their own lives were over. Their last moments were spent in futile despair. And finally, the Sun shrank, and became a White Dwarf, a massively compacted star, extremely dense. This destruction had wiped the slate clean, given the Universe a fresh start, a chance to redeem itself for Earth's mistakes. And one being sat and watched this spectacle, not through the viewscreen of a ship, but on the videoscreen. He laughed as he saw the humans on Earth panic and struggle to escape the oncoming inferno. To him, the destruction of all humans knew was a mere spectator event. The universe laughed as the world ended. [b][Finished][/b] [/size][/center]

[center][b][u][size=1]Chapter X: Marauders[/size][/u][/b] [/center] [size=1] The ship touched down gently on Hades, in Styx, the main spaceport and town in the area. It was a grimy, grungy place, seedy in its way, full of criminals, brothels, drug dens and other such illegal establishments. But here, outside Theocracy control, there was nothing anybody could do about it. Blayze and the crew stepped off the ship, the captain buttoning a clean black shirt up. [b]"Ok, we only want to be here as long as necessary. Do everything as quickly and efficiently as possible. We don't want to be here too long,"[/b] said the captain, striding swiftly towards the nearest general store to pick up supplies. The owner seemed to be packing his stuff away, all of it, every single item in the shop. He was doing it hurriedly as well, stuffing objects into cardboard boxes, over-filling them almost to the point of bursting. [b]"What's the hurry, stranger?"[/b] asked Blayze, [b]"You'd think the Marauders are comin'!"[/b] The shop owner looked at him, then asked aggressively: [b] "What do you want?!" "I just need a few general supplies. I just need food and water for my crew. I can pay good money." "Just take what you want,"[/b] said the store owner, still shoving things into packages,[b] "I don't need money. I just need to get out of here as soon as possible."[/b] Blayze gave an odd look at this remark, but then took advantage of the generosity, and began gathering food and water for the crew, enough to keep them going for a few weeks. He packed it all into a single box and carried it back to the ship. Looking over his shoulder, he saw all the stores seemed to be acting in the same way, packing up their wares, trying to get away from this place. [b]"What's going on?"[/b] asked Blayze, looking from his crew to the townspeople.[b] "I don't know, but we got the fuel for free, so I'm not complaining,"[/b] said Joko, disconnecting the fuel line and closing the hatch. [b]"Well, I got the supplies, so let's get out of here ASAP,"[/b] said Blayze. [b]"Wait,"[/b] said Citrus, [b]"I need to head into town quickly to get a couple of canisters of anaesthetic jelly. We're almost out."[/b] [b]"Ok, but be quick. And take Ezekiel with you. You may need protection,"[/b] replied the captain with a sigh, and the medic headed off with the soldier into town. [b]"Do you really think that's wise?"[/b] asked White, rolling up to Blayze, [b]"Sending them off into town, just the two of them?" "I don't see a problem. Ezekiel can take care of them both, as long as she's armed,"[/b] replied Blayze. ------- [b]"Well this is nice,"[/b] said Citrus, wandering into the deserted medical centre, [b]"I guess this means that the supplies are free as well." "I guess it does. We may as well take as much as we can while we're here," [/b]said Ezekiel, filling her arms with bottles of pills and medicines, and indicating for Citrus to do the same. There was a sudden snarling, shuffling noise outside. Ezekiel dropped her bottles into the crate they had found, and drew her pistol, creeping to the door, gesturing for Citrus to stay quiet. The female soldier looked out of the door, and saw something she wished she hadn't. She turned back to the medic and told her quietly: [b]"Forget the supplies. We can get them somewhere else. Grab your weapon and follow me."[/b] The medic nodded, and drew her own pistol, following Ezekiel down a dark corridor. Ezekiel drew a flashlight from her pocket, and lit up the hallway, to find they were staring directly into a knarled, ragged, only partly-human face, which snarled at them. [b]"Marauder!"[/b] screamed Citrus, firing her pistol wildly in the direction of the Marauder, who drew a particularly wicked-looking blade and lurched towards the two women. A flash of steel, and the Marauder fell to the floor, a gleaming piece of metal shining from it's chest. There was a figure behind it, dressed all in black, but with... [b]"Oh my God!"[/b] shouted Ezekiel, [b]"It's you!"[/b] The man stood and faced them. He had glowing yellow eyes, and silver hair. It was the mystery assassin. [b]"Yes,"[/b] he replied in a deep, hoarse voice, that sounded as though it had not been used in a long time. He cleaned his blade on the Marauder's rags, and then faced the two women. [b]"Who are you? Why did you save us?"[/b] asked Ezekiel. [b] "I have a special interest in you, Ezekiel,"[/b] the figure replied, [b]"I do not care about the rest of your crew, but you...you I have wish to save." "Why me?" "Because you know me, Ezekiel, and I know you. Look deep into your memory, and you will remember me..." [/b] Ezekiel listened to the voice, and did as he asked, looking deep into her memory. Then the thought arose... [b]"You! It's you...I never thought..."[/b] the words were caught in her throat. [b] "That's right, Ezekiel,"[/b] said the man, stepping from the darkness into a thin shaft of sunlight, [b]"It is I."[/b] This man was pale, scarred, with silver hair, although his eyes did not seem to glow in the light. You could tell, though, that he had once been extremely handsome. [b]"Who is it, Ezekiel?"[/b] asked Citrus, revealing her presence to the assassin, who had otherwise neglected to notice her. His eyes immediately snapped to the young medic, and his hand dropped to his sword once more. [b]"He is someone I once knew...his name is..."[/b] she struggled, [b]"His name is...Xion."[/b] [b] "Xion? I've heard you say that name before..." "Yes, Citrus,"[/b] hissed Xion, drawing his blade once more, and walking towards her, [b]"I am Xion. Once Ezekiel here and I were lovers, once long ago, when we were both part of the Theocracy." "But I thought you died...that explosion on Prometheus..." "It almost killed me, yes, but I was found by the rest of the Theocracy Guard, those that you had left behind, and they took me and I was given new life by the Theocracy." "They experimented on you, didn't they? They did things to you, improved you...and now they send you after Blayze. It doesn't surprise me much..." "Well, my duty is clear here. I need to kill Blayze and his crew. But I asked my employers not to make me eliminate you, Ezekiel. I have special interest in you."[/b] He lifted his blade, ready to bring it down on Citrus, when something blasted into his chest, sending him flying backwards to the ground. [b]"You may be good, but you're not good enough,"[/b] said Blayze, lowering his smoking pistol. [b] "Captain...you heard all that..?"[/b] asked Ezekiel, thoroughly shaken by this whole experience. [b] "I heard. Come on, Zeke. Come back to the ship. We need to get out of here, the Marauders are coming,"[/b] said the captain. [b] "Oh, no you don't,"[/b] snarled Xion, leaping to his feet and checking the damage to the armour plate he wore under his cloak. He dashed towards Blayze, moving faster than any human was supposed to, his sword flashing. [b]"No!"[/b] shouted Ikillion, diving towards the assassin, his knife drawn. It clashed with the assassin's blade, and stopped it before it reached the captain. [b]"Silly little boy,"[/b] said Xion, pushing the mechanic down, lifting his sword from the knife-blade, and slashing downwards. The boy screamed, and Blayze looked down, fearing the worst. [b]"You...bastard..."[/b] gasped Ikillion, blood gushing from his wounds, [b]"You took them..."[/b] [b]"You took his hands, you asshole!"[/b] shouted Blayze, seeing the mechanic's hands lying on the grimy floor underneath them. There would be no chance of re-attaching them without causing an infection. [b] "Be glad that's all I took,"[/b] said Xion, before leaping into the darkness between the crew and the ceiling, escaping from them. [b] "Get them back to the ship,"[/b] Blayze ordered White, laying Ikillion down over White's lap, the boy slowly passing out from the loss of blood. The priest took Ikillion and Citrus back to the ship, and Blayze walked over to Ezekiel, who was kneeling on the floor, tears dripping from her face. [b] "He...he was the only one I've ever...loved..."[/b] she gasped between sobs, [b]"I loved him...and I thought he was dead...but now he wants to take my friends away..." [/b] [b]"Come on, Ezekiel,"[/b] said the captain, [b]"You need to get back to the ship."[/b] He stood her up and began walking her back to the ship... ----- From the darkness, Xion laughed. [i]Soon,[/i] he thought, [i]Soon enough will come the day when I will take you back, Ezekiel. But for now... [/i] He drew his sword and leapt into the oncoming hordes of Marauders. A little practice... ----- Shock horror! Xion is the one trying to kill the crew! So only one cameo this time, then: Unborn Lord Xion-Xion, government assassin Stay tuned...[/size]

[size=1]This is where any questions, comments, or anything else relating to the game thread can be posted. It can also be used for OOC discussions, which, my first aside, often clutter up game threads. I will also post any extra little bits of information here for you to view whenever you feel like. Thank you all for your interest, I hope this is going to be a good one. [/size]

[center][size=1]Very good sign-ups. Here is my character, and a list of who is accepted. [b]Name:[/b] Seraph, second-in-command of the Guardians of Light [b]Age:[/b] appears to be in his mid-twenties [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Race:[/b] Guardian of Light [b]Position:[/b] Guardian of Light [b]Appearance:[/b] Seraph stands at 6'4", a powerful and commanding figure. His muscle structure is lean but powerful, with tightly coiled muscles which give him extra strength at less size and weight. His skin is pale, and his hair is short and black, both unusual features for Guardians of Light, and his eyes glow with a gold shine that is a feature of only the most powerful Guardians of Light. He is usually clad in a pair of black trousers with black boots, and a black shirt with a crucifix on the back. Over all this he has a long black trenchcoat, and black gloves adorn his hands. He has chosen this outfit to stand out as the leader of the Guardians of Light, who are mostly seen wearing very light-coloured clothes. [b]Personality:[/b] Seraph is the antithesis of everything a Guardian of Light is supposed to be. He is aggressive, violent, and is a cold-blooded killer. He is fiercely protective of his own kind, and will wipe out anyone who stands in the way of the progression of the Armies of Light. He is by no means a hero, but he is not a villain either. He is simply there to do his job. He was chosen to be heir to the throne of the Guardians of Light for his fiery nature, and is currently the leader of the Armies of Light. [b]Weapons:[/b] The Blade of Light, a weapon handed down to Seraph by the Queen of the Guardians of Light, a woman named June, who gave her name to one of the lightest months. The weapon is formed of the very first ray of sunlight that beamed down upon the Earth, captured in a crystal by the first Guardian. The light gives the weapon unnatural strength, and it is almost impossible to shatter it. When it is dark, the weapon gives off sunlight, which allows Seraph to be almost as strong in the Darkness as he is in the Light. [see attachment] [b]Powers:[/b] Seraph, being one of the most powerful Guardians of Light, wields the power of flame like no other. He can create almost any shape or amount of flame, and control the temperature and brightness of the blaze. He also wields the power of light, and although he is not as strong with this as he is with fire, he is still one of the most formidable users of this power. Also, unusually for a Guardian of Light, Seraph is strong as well as fast, and he is, without exception, one of the most skilled swordsmen on the planet, be it Guardian, Traitor or Human. [b]Character Snippet:[/b] The Darkness came. Seraph despised it, but he knew that it had its place. It could cover up what had been done in the day.He smelt the air, a dusty smell rising as the first drops of rain splashed onto the dry concrete. The temperature dropped, bringing with it an icy wind. He smiled, even though his time was over. The Guardians of Darkness would be here soon. There had been a shaky alliance called between the Guardians of Light and Darkness, only until the Traitors had been dealt with. Seraph, unlike many of the Guardians of Light, relished this opportunity to fight alongside beings almost as powerful as he. He wanted to know the Guardians of Darkness, so that when war came once more, he knew how to destroy them. He had been gathering the Armies of Light, preparing himself for the oncoming war. It was not here yet, but the storm was gathering, slowly but surely. And now that the Traitors had in their possession the Twilight Spear, things could only get worse for the Guardians... [b]Notes:[/b] Seraph is likely to take the throne of the Guardians of Light soon. They need a leader who is as much a fighter as a negotiator, and Seraph seems to obvious choice to take the throne if the Queen abdicates. --- Now here's the hard part. [u][b]Accepted [/b][/u][b]Guardians of Darkness: [/b]Julosophia - Ecstasy Nox - DeathKnight Cephus Starkeeper - Linkk Kate O'Neill (human) - Illusion Umbradeus - Ikillion Perish - Raquel [b]Guardians of Light: [/b]Ileus Solaros - thezerosystem Kira - Rurouni922 Phailin - Sinistra Seraph - Blayze [b]Traitors: [/b]Wyatt - Revelation (providing sign-up is finished) Mirichai - Sakura Hyperion - Endymion Abigor - Sin Aldian - Crucifix And that's probably the largest cast I've ever had in an RP before. I'm sorry to anyone who didn't get in, try a little harder next time. As for the rest of you, if you haven't already done so, please finish off your sign-ups, and we can be off! The thread is up in Adventure Square now so go and check it out! I will also be making an Underground thread sometime today. Thank you very much for your interest. [/size][/center]