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Hi,I'm your host Tero Valor.In case you missed the last time the this thread was on Otaku.Here are the Rules...... Choosing a Guy(or Girl):you can make your own Warror or choose one of my own from DBX(no it not the name of a DBZ porn Flick) DBX Charaters: Gotai:Son of Gohan/Vidal,Friend of Tero's Vegego:2nd son of Vegeta/Bluma,rival of GoTai Shimmia:her father is Trunks/mother is Pan/sister to Gotech Gotech:Son of Trunks/Pan/brother to Shimmia and any other charater in the DBZ andDBGT sagas Charaters Charaters played by Tero,Talon,andTala: Tero:Played by me,hair turn Gold when he turns Ulta Saiyan Talon:played by Talon,Friend and rival of Tero,boyfriend to Tala,Hair turns Sliver Tala:Played By Tala,me and Talon,Girl friend of Talon Gaboo:Played by Tero,a luck dragon I hope you like my Thread or have any throughts about it e-mail me at [email][email protected][/email][/email] (and cheak out A New Hero By Talon Stormhawk on Games and stories Otaku Boards)(his is no Relation to Dragon Ball Xsterme on the Boards ether) Thank you very for reading and please Join Sign, Tero Valor

Location: Redmond, Seattle Desmond made it back to his family's safe house in the early hours of the morning, having little rest from his researching and deciphering of information he obtained from the safe house of the Witch of the Wilds. Though he may have been too late to stop the destruction and murder of their kin, he was able to secure several documents and talismans that would have raised too many questions had the normal police obtained them. Questions Desmond already had forming through his thoughts as he flipped another frayed page of Lady Morrigan's grimoire, the only items worth keeping after finding through the blood and charred remains of the house in the woods. Memories and incantations were saved here, time and effort put into a single leather bound notebook worth knowledge any mystical user would literally kill for had they the chance to do so. However, Desmond could only understand the spells, written in old arcane texts and script, the symbols would have to be for his sibling to decode and understand. That; was her specialty. Desmond closed the book with a shaken sigh, his nerves shot from the failed mission for answers, seeing the end result in person was not comforting to the man either. Still, for the past year, more and more of their kind have been either hunted by an unknown entity, or have gone into hiding. Those who've hid have stayed so, or have met their fate with this ominous presence searching for their mystical auras. The weary man rubbed his eyes some, the mornings light reflecting off the windows gave him little comfort, for the time his body has spent pushing itself beyond his physical needs for rest and nourishment finally began to take its toll. The man stood from his chair, stretching the sleep away from himself as best as he could, moving towards the kitchen to make some tea for his expected guest. Taking out the pots and kettle from their hiding places, Desmond worked swiftly to make his beverage when the slightest sound could be heard from below on the second floor of the town home. Ever so silent to the untrained ear, but it was enough for the man to set his pot on the burner before grabbing one of the filet knives from its collection block. Ever so slowly Desmond made his way towards the chairs, for his large and heavy frame, he was quite light on his feet when the need arose. "How interesting, an intruder at this time of day? I didn't think leeches could out while the sun is up....." The man carefully made his way downstairs to see the front door closed and locked as it was before, however there was a movement to his left that made the man react. Switching the knife to his other hand, a swift upward movement collided with metal with a large scraping clank sound, confirming Desmond's thoughts of an intruder. Before the man was able to react, a powerful kick to his sternum sent the taller mystic flying backwards towards the side closet, the crash along breaking the door as Desmond gripped what he could to stay standing. Peering upwards he could see a black object spinning towards the floor before being caught by a slender and small hand, and with lightning speed, it was pointed towards his weakened frame once more. Now, in front of him, two pistols were pointed and ready to take his life, leaving Desmond starring helplessly. "Reckless as always, I cannot believe you." The familiar voice, stern and scolding, brought a smile to Desmond's lips as he continued to huff for air. Standing straight and now towering over the small feminine figure. "You know...you could have just, oh I dunno, not done that" Desmond smiled as he finally caught his breath; the female took of her hat and stared upwards to her opponent. Her eyes telling Desmond she was not in the laughing mood. "You could be more careful with everything that's going on lately. You're too clumsy and forgetful, and I don't have time to pick up after you Desmond" The female holstered her two pistols and sighed. "Harvest we're not here to argue; and I'm not in the mood to deal with your brick wall tactics. Now come here and give your brother a hug!" Smiling wide and standing straight, Desmond extending his arms for the open invitation, until jingling could be heard as Harvest held a set of keys on the end of her index finger, same scowling look pinned on her face. Desmond peered at his own key chain and froze with a smile on his face. "You left it on the lock again idiot." Harvest narrowed her eyes before tossing them at her elder sibling, grabbing her suitcase and heading upstairs leaving the stunned man in silence. "And you left the tea on the stove too long, it's overflowing!" The shout brought Desmond from his phase as he ran back upstairs into the kitchen with great haste. The two siblings enjoyed a quiet breakfast with one another, quiet being the term of the day as they nibbled and drank their fill of tea with an assortment of fruits and cheeses, slices of bread to compliment the light meal. There were not words to ask about one or the others health, well being or current condition, both were stressed beyond belief with their current situation. The added stress from everyday "normal" life was enough to make either snap. But, their silence was a small token of their family time and bonding from growing up in this weird tradition. Desmond thought it might be fun to reminisce by tapping on the coffee table, their sign of Morris code. Harvest looked at her brother from across the table, shaking her head with a small smirk forming at the corner of her mouth. "You'll never grow up will you?" She huffed with content. "Some things you never forget." "Agreed, but we'll joke around later. Let's go over what we know now." Harvest placed her cup on its dish, Desmond sigh. "Straight to business as usual." "Someone has to be responsible." Harvest quick reply made note she was serious. Desmond didn't argue any further. "This is the third finding of slain mystical and magical users we've encountered in two months. Hearing about the recent one....means something big is happening brother. I think we can finally toss the idea these are random attacks, we've even spoken with werewolf and vampire covens near the sight of all three attacks, they haven't senses anything out of the ordinary until it's all said and done with All reports are the same, no evidence, just bloodshed. It's weird their only attacking human mystics; but with the treaties we have in place with other creatures, they can offer no aid." Harvest took hold of the dusted grimoire her brother was reading prior to her arrival, scanning the pages she could make out. "Even if they were able to assist, I doubt it would make much of a difference. With what I saw at the last sight, it was a straight-up slaughter. Even if some of those offspring were new, there were some well experienced. I sensed the magic flowing through the decay; those who fell were powerful indeed. Even the barriers put in place to protect the lands were left unscathed, so that means we do have a semi-mole in our family or someone out for blood." Desmond piled his bread with cheese and grapes before taking a bite, Harvest merely nodded as she scanned the notebook. "In any case, that's three safe houses down and more bodies piling up. You came back from Milan not too long ago, any word over there of incidents similar to this?" "Not a peep from what I’ve been able to gather. I did send note during my flight of the disturbance, they'll be in contact with me if anything similar pops up." "Still, the first happened in Pennsylvania, a family of four. The next was in Minnesota, a witch coven of 10, burned and hanged. Now the Colorado wilderness safe house run and operated by this....Lady Morrigan, and she wasn't present during the raid. Lucky her..." Harvest hissed under her breath, she made no attempt to hide her anguish from a familiar face. "What I'm getting at, is even though the attacks seem random, a trail from the East to West is laid out." "So, think whatever or whoever would come here to us? That's a bit of a stretch without proof dear sister." Desmond reclined in his chair somewhat content, yet troubled. "You can shovel for proof; I'll take action when I sense danger. Right now, I'm not feeling safe in my own home." Dead silence once more at the two exchanged glances. Desmond merely nodded in compliance with his siblings words. "I have a few ideas on..." "Your bed and room have been made ready; you're going to get some rest first. Then, you can be all gun-ho military killer later. No arguing with me either Harvest." Desmond rose from his chair and began to gather the dirty dishes. The grunt from his sister made the man smile as she rose from her chair as well and gathered her things; she took the grimoire with her along with the bags she brought. "You need your sleep as well. I'll see you at dinner time most likely." Placing a quick pat on his shoulder, Harvest made her way to the spare bedroom to settle in, Desmond finished the dishes sometime shortly after and retreated to his quarters for some rest.

Etna yawned as the shuttled lurched to a stop, sitting up in her seat she looked around and frowned. The dim lights in the shabby station gave her a glimpse or the area, it was the same as the eastern base, run down and lacking anything that looked like it worked. One the bright side it looked cleaner if nothing else. Sighing she stretched and grabbed her bag as the door slid open to allow her to step out onto the small loading bay. She frowned more as an older man approached her with his arms crossed behind his back.  "Etna?" "That's me. And you are?" "I'm the commanding officer of Central base. Good to have you join us. If you'll follow my assistant she'll take you where you need to go." Etna nodded and looked behind him to where a young woman stood, she had long, unusual white hair and ice blue eyes. Looking more then a little uncomfortable about something.  "This way if you please." Etna followed her, noticing that the woman was walking at a quicker pace then was probably necessary. "I'm sorry to ask, but are you in some kind of rush ma'am?" "I am actually. I want to get you where your going so I can get back to the loading bay. There's someone who is supposed to be coming that I would like to see." Etna didn't push the subject, the woman made it clear it was none of her business. Following the woman through the base Etna could see that the Central base was in better condition then most of the other bases. Still shabby and dusty, but in better condition. Rounding the corner Etna blinked as she saw a large set of double doors that looked like they led to a hanger of some sort.  "The professor will meet you here shortly." Etna nodded and watched as  the woman walked away, her white hair now swaying back and forth, lifting from her back as she put more speed into her stride. Etna leaned back against the wall and placed her hands behind her head. Her eyes had just started to drift shut when a loud rumble came from behind her startling her. Gaining her balance back she spun around looking at the large doors before her. Frowning she put her ear against the door and jumped back as a growl emitted from the other side.  "What the hell is back there?" "You can hear them then." She started at the statement that came from behind her, turned she came up short as the large man stared down at her. His left arm looked as if it were prosthetic, his shoulders were broad and wide, looking as if he could carry a toddler on each with ease. His eyes were grey in color and the scar that ran from his cheek to chin gave her the impression that he had seen his fair share of battle. She crossed her arms over her chest, blowing a stray strand of hair from her face.  "Hear who?" He laughed and leaned on the wall next to her. "You'll find out soon enough young lady, once the others all get here, you'll see them your self." Etna hated riddles, and she hated waiting just as much. But just as the large man she leaned back against the wall and shut her eyes once more, opting to wait for 'the others' as he had said to see what was going on.      

Hiya! I thought it would be a cool idea to start an RPG with just messenger or tweet-sized snibbits instead of huge posts. What do you think?!

  The Throwaways   Backstories   Welcome to Backstories, a thread where you can write about your character in The Throwaways without the limitations imposed upon you by the assignments. You can let your imaginations and creativity run wild, and show us exactly what your character is made of!   ---   Now   En route to Nevada   "A caged god...how fitting..."   The words rang in Lucas' head as he drove through the darkness, his eyes flicking briefly from the road to the unnaturally pale girl now curled up asleep in the passenger seat. It had been a few hours since he picked her up, and she was clearly drained judging by how quickly she fell asleep, particularly in the often disquieting presence of a complete stranger.   He, on the other hand, didn't need sleep: the chaotic well of energy that churned as the core of his being kept him conscious and energised, meaning he never felt tired. He never felt hungry or thirsty either, for that matter: one of the advantages of essentially not being human, as it really cut down on food and energy bills. It was why he didn't mind driving, even if the journey was hundreds of miles long and likely to take several hours, without breaks.   The new recruit made him nervous, though. She was an unknown quantity, her power couldn't be easily defined and according to Geist's preliminary files, her mental state left a lot to be desired. It seemed likely that she would be unpredictable in the field and could potentially endanger her teammates.   Remind you of anyone? Lucas thought with a chuckle. He remembered back to the broken man, both physically and mentally, that he was when Geist took him in six years ago: he had been close to collapse, dangerous to those around him and mentally unstable, just like Alice was now. Taking chances on dangerous people was what Geist did, and it had rebuilt Lucas into a brand new man: he was grateful to them, but that didn't stop him from being uncomfortable with some of the things they asked him to do.   "A caged god..."   His train of thought was interrupted by those words floating back to the forefront of his mind. It wasn't the first time he'd heard those words. Strangely, it wasn't even the first time he'd heard them in the past few years, but the last time was under very different circumstances.   ---   2 Years Ago   Alaska   "Come on Corrigan...hold yourself together..."   The words were snarled through barely-formed lips, deep orange energy blazing through the rapidly-flaking flesh as Lucas forced himself up to his knees. His eyes darted over to his teammates, men and women far more experienced and competent than he was, now lying dead in the drifting snow around him. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to focus on his swiftly-decaying physical form, only to find that his eyelids had already burnt to ash and drifted away in the cold wind.   "They can't hold us! You have to know that!"   These words were roared above the howling wind, by the rogue superhuman they had been tasked with tracking down. He was still a kid, no more than seventeen years old, cursed with an ability that caused anyone within a few feet to drop down dead without warning. They had tried to inhibit his power, but that only served to make him angrier, and with a single thought he had wiped out an entire team of trained, superpowered operatives.   Well, nearly an entire team. One of the advantages of not technically being human was that death wasn't always as forthcoming as it was with other people: the kid's attack had affected the biological parts of his form, though, and he was struggling to hold himself together, and the energy that made up his true form was beginning to spill out.   "Come on...he needs you..." Lucas growled to himself, pulling what little flesh remained back and forcing it to hold in place in a rough approximation of a human body. He forced himself to his feet, and stared the kid in the eyes, knowing that he must have looked horrific to any onlookers, a twisted impression of a human body formed of orange fire and charred black flesh.   "They can help you..." Lucas shouted over the wind, "I was like you before they found me. I was angry, emotional, and dangerous to the people around me, but they helped me. They can help you too!"   "No...all they want is to control us!" the kid screamed, fury etched on his face, "They want to hold us, and make all of us like you!"   "Maybe they do," replied Lucas, taking a step closer and feeling the kid's power tugging at the remains of his physical form, "But some of us are dangerous. You and I...we're both dangerous, and Geist can help us."   "No!" the kid howled, and Lucas felt a pulse as his ability lashed out, "You could be so much more than you are now. You and I...we are gods! But they've trapped you...caged you..."   Lucas sighed. He had been trained to recognise the signs of danger, not just in terms of superpowers, but based on psychological profiles and body language. This kid...he didn't want to be saved: he felt that the world owed him something, and he wanted to stand above regular humans rather than live amongst them. In short, his powers had given him a god complex, and that kind of arrogance combined with the kind of power this kid had would never lead to anything good.   "I tried," Lucas said, quietly this time, and yet his voice seemed to carry over the roaring wind, "I want you to remember that. I tried to help you."   "Shut up! SHUT UP!" the kid screamed, and Lucas once again felt his power surge up.   So the only thing Lucas could do was respond in kind.   He took a deep breath, and directed as much of his energy as he dared towards the kid. A great gout of blazing orange energy blasted outwards from his hands and slammed into the kid's body, tearing through his flesh and bone, a cloud of ash and smoke rising from him as an unearthly scream erupted from his mouth.   Lucas winced and looked away, hurling his energy towards the kid until the cries of pain abated, then dropped his hands and looked back towards the kid. What was left of his body lay still on the snow, smoking and charred and entirely lifeless.   "Damn it..." Lucas groaned, limping over to the body of his team leader and grabbing the communicator from his lifeless wrist.   "This is Neutron," he croaked into the communicator, "All other operatives deceased. Requesting exfiltration..."   "Affirmative, Neutron," a crackly voice replied from the communicator, "Exfiltration imminent."   Lucas dropped the communicator and fell to his knees, trying to compose himself before he was picked up.   "A caged god..."   ---   Now   Nevada   A shudder ran through Lucas' body as he tried to purge the memory from his head. Alaska was a long time ago, and he had done a lot of similar work since, but he still didn't like thinking about it. It was his first real taste of the kind of work Geist needed him to do, and the first time he had lost teammates, and he had come a long way since then.   But every so often, like when Alice had said those words to him, he drifted back to that time. The words were a reminder of what he could be if he lost control, and the destruction he could cause if Geist's precautions failed.   Because while it may sound dramatic, those words are the essence of Lucas Corrigan.   "A caged god..."

The Throwaways Volume 1: Who Are The Throwaways? * MISSION: Deus Ex Machina [INFILTRATION] Although Geistâ??s largest competition in the race to total superhuman domination is MacOne Enterprises, thatâ??s not to say their hegemony is otherwise unchallenged. While the other companies clambered over one another for a spot in the limelight, one company grew unnoticed and then burst onto the scene. The India based corporation Umbral Limited promised to â??unlock the true potential of the natural world,â? and apparently did exactly that, having expanded into multiple countries in only a year as a power provider and supersoldier creater. Whatever means theyâ??re using to create their supersoldiers would be instrumental to Geistâ??s expansion, so infiltrate their headquarters and unearth their secrets. * The Future â??This is a very simple situation: you have what we need, and we will not stop until weâ??ve extracted every bit of it from you, until you are reduced to nothing but ash! You can not run from us, Lucas Corrigan...â? Now â??Lucas Corriganâ?¦this is a sh*t plan.â? To clarify, her issue was not with Lucas. She and Corrigan had worked a number of missions together, and he was a more than capable leader. And, admittedly, it had not been his plan to trust the shoddy intel Geist uncovered about Umbral Ltd. But there were no Geist operatives around to yell at-- save the stealth transport pilot, and Alice was not eager to crash and die. Not today. So, just for today, she would have to take her frustrations out on her friend. â??Donâ??t blame me, Allison,â? he hissed, zipping up his jacket and flipping the deep hood over his head. Allison rolled her eyes and turned back to their team. Some of the faces were new to her, â??unweathered and untested.â? Lucas had introduced her to that mindset the first time they when on a recruitment mission together. Back then she had laughed, finding the sentiment ridiculous as the gentlemen they had attempted to recruit was a man who had fought, and killed, seven men in hand to hand combat at the same time. You could see his past murders hiding in the creases of his face. But Lucas said it didnâ??t matter. Anything that came before the Throwaways didnâ??t matter. Thereâ??s a difference between making your own mistakes and making Geistâ??s. Encouraging... â??Everybody shut up!â? She barked at the others. â??Our fearless leader, Neutron is gonna give you the attack plan one last time-- shitty as it may be.â? Lucas mimicked the action of gritting his teeth and stepped forward. â??Alright team. Weâ??re here to locate Umbralâ??s so-called clean energy source, whatever or whoever that might be. Once weâ??ve located it, and if it is a viable option, we will bring it back to Geist. If not, we steal what information we can and sabotage the rest. We donâ??t know where the energy source is, so weâ??ll enter on the 20th floor, clearing and searching as we go. Prioritize locating a security layout so weâ??re not blind for too long. Reaper will take us in, and we keep this as quiet as possible. Understand? Good.â? A series of grunted responses came from the unsurprisingly reluctant team, and Kato Aege, a young man codenamed 'Grim Reaper' stepped forward and grinned from ear to ear. â??Hold on tight, friends. You might not enjoy thisâ?¦â? He said with his idiosyncratic sing-song voice. A lovely, equally melodic voice laughed from the corner. Morgana stepped forward and draped her arm around Katoâ??s shoulder. â??Oh, I highly doubt that. I find teleportation to be one of the moreâ?¦ pleasurable means of travel,â? she sang, seemingly winking at every party member at once. Another teammate stepped forward, speaking in a decidedly sterner tone. â??Thatâ??s enough, you two.â? Despite Samuel Pratchettâ??s, codename Canary, short tenure with the Throwaways, his military background made it so he wasnâ??t shy about keeping the others in line. Alice found his loyalty and professionalism a welcome reprieve from the unruly lot she was usually placed in charge of. The less she had to worry about her teammatesâ?? behavior the less she had to worry about her teammates. Period. â??Yes sir!â? Kato mocked, flicking up a facetious salute, and the team was suddenly and abruptly inside of the building. Better still, the disoriented members were standing dead center in a brightly-lit office filled with rows of typing employees. The clattering of keys was a constant, low-level noise thrumming away in the sickly fluorescent light that flooded the vast room, and the team quickly re-oriented themselves, ready for whatever actions would be necessary. â??Reaper!â? Alice scolded, preparing for the sh*tstorm to come. Yet said sh*tstorm never came. The workers continued typing away, completely oblivious to the teamâ??s unexpected, and likely unwelcome presence. Alice and Lucas eyed each other curiously. â??You doing this?â? Lucas questioned. Alice shook her head and cautiously approached one of the employees. She tapped him lightly on the shoulder, but the man continued to ignore her. She shifted her eyes from the man to the computer screen and inhaled sharply. Well sh*tâ?¦ she thought with surprise. She motioned over for Lucas to join her, then pointed to the screen. Lucas sucked in air through his teeth and frowned deeply. â??Well what does that mean?â? Lucas wondered. He lightly shoved the employee to his left, then another, and then another. Each time, no response. â??Em, excuse me? Care to share with the class, dears?â? Morgana quipped. Alice turned to the team and squeezed the bridge of her nose. â??Youâ??re not blind, Avalon,â? Alice responded curtly to Morgana, using an abbreviated form of one of Morganaâ??s favorite titles. â??For whatever reason these people arenâ??t responding to external stimuli. Letâ??s use that to our advantage for the moment, but letâ??s also assume that anything could set them off,â? Alice ordered. The team swept over the room, checking the computers for any viable information, but primarily found a sea of logistical information, personal emails and correspondences with other companies. It was as if the employees were on autopilot, suspended in a corporate coma. "It's like they've been brainwashed...co-opted into working for these people..." murmured Canary, running a finger down a carefully-maintained list of names and personal information displayed on one of the many computer screens they were faced with, to the apparent ignorance of the employee using the computer. "One sympathises," sighed Felicia Cole, codenamed 'Danger', as she waved a hand in front of one of their faces, trying to drag any kind of reaction from the corporate zombies in front of them. Once they were sure there was nothing of importance on any of the computers, Alice signalled for the team to leave the room, but as soon as she gripped the doorknob a jolt of electricity shot up her arm and knocked her back. â??Stasis!â? Samuel swooped down to assist Alice. Her entire arm had gone numb, but she'd suffered worse injuries on the job: at least this time she could still use her arm. She looked back to signal for Tomiko, â??Arashi,â? to step forward, when she noticed something terrifying. All of the workers were staring intently at her. The closest employee stood up and surveyed Alice. â??Having trouble, friend?â? Her voice sounded friendly enough, but she was not smiling at Alice, and her eyes remained cold and empty. Alice motioned for Arashi to disarm the door and then engaged the employee again. â??I am indeed. The door malfunctioned,â? Alice said calmly. A small click from behind her indicated that Arashi had opened the door. The army of stares returned to their computers, and the woman in front of Arashi returned to hers as well, without a word. The team poured out into the hallway swiftly, and found themselves in a maze of offices and hallways. â??Oh goodee,â? Morgana groaned, â??This just keeps getting--â? Morganaâ??s sentence was interrupted by a strange noise, like the rushing of air into a vacuum. The others looked back at her, but the space she had been standing in was empty, with nothing but shadow taking her place. The group bunched closely together, scanning the halls in every direction. â??What now, Neutron?â? Samuel questioned. â??Now this is a rescue mission as well,â? Lucas responded without missing a beat. â??Arashi, can you feel the energy source in the building?â? Arashi closed her eyes and concentrated. â??Not very well, boss,â? Arashi said, shaking her head. â??I know itâ??s beneath us, but we need to get closer.â? Lucas turned his attention to Kato. â??Reaper, can you sense Morgana?â? Kato smiled eerily, and then for a moment he became hazy, almost blurry, as if he was an afterimage, before returning to his regular state. His smile was gone. â??Avalon is difficult to track as it is, thanks to her affinity with the Khaos magic, but thereâ??s something else disrupting my abilities. Like Arashi said, itâ??s below us,â? Kato added. Lucas grimaced. â??Fine. Then the plan is the same. Search every room, every floor. Assume everything is a trap. Letâ??s go.â? * OOC: There you have it ladies and gentlemen-- the beginning of the Throwaways! We're trapped at the top of a 20 story building, with who knows what traps standing between us and our goal. Add to that the sudden disappearance of an essential team member, and the possibility that more may too go missing, and we've got quite the beginning to our first mission as a team. So interact, foil some traps, run into some potential super-powered guards (*gasp*) but most of all be creative! This is as much your story as it is ours!

Chapter One: Deceiving Purpose   Orbiting high above the busy atmosphere of Earth is the Sol Imperial Force's military space station. Near the primary docking ring is a tower that monitors the entire station. Is the young ambitious General Sneer who had hand picked the two candidates on two priorities. One was that they had no ties to the Imperial Military nor Intelligence.  Two they where disposable no-bodies in the Empire with skills he needed to complete his grand plans. The shuttle carrying the two soon starts to make it's final approach to Docking Ring Two. Two elite guards are standing by the airlock waiting for the two volunteers. The shuttle docks and air pressure and gravity between the station and the shuttle equalize.   Soon the two step off the shuttle and walk a few feet before looking at the two elite guards standing in front of them. They stood there for a few moments before one of the the guards motioned them to follow. All four walked silently as the station was a buzz of activity. Personal running around in preparing for a large event apparently. Soon they take an elevator which quickly wisps them up to the Monitoring tower. Going through the interior halls while passing by rooms filled with people crunching numbers and finalizing reports before they walk into a large area that wraps around the outer edge of the tower is the viewing deck. Overlooking the station docking ring and a nice view of earth is the General.   "Guards, you are dismissed." General Sneer says calmly as the two guards escorting them left. "Arin Yale, Class three feline pilot and Zai Renn, a long lived cyborg who's original species is human. We know all about you both." Sneer says turning around. "Yale, you've been taking our scout frigates out for joy rides in the asteroid field. Reen, you are a weapon designer and bounty hunter and with your life span which we tracked down to at least seventy years if not more. So do you two know why you are here?"   "Well to be standing in front of a General of the Imperial Military. I'm guessing we either did something incredibly stupid or stupidly impressive." Renn says pushing his glasses up on his nose.   "Not sure why I'm here. Sure a general doesn't want to waste time with a minor joy riding pilot." Yale said. calmly.   "Renn is more close to the guess. I had picked you both out of hundreds of potential candidates for a very special mission. You Yale are one of the best pilots I found outside the Imperial Military." Sneer says snapping his fingers as an assistant comes up handing him a data pad. "Flying through the fields is no small feat even for experienced pilots with no computer assistance. Which makes you the most skilled civilian pilot I've even seen. As for you Renn. You've been designing weapons for decades and do a bit of bounty hunting on the side. You are a skilled fighter." Sneer says signing the pad before handing it off to the assistant. "Both of you would excel in the military but you aren't. I have a mission for you both. One requiring a skilled pilot and an experienced fighter. If you both choose to accept. You'll be given your own ships and any criminal and financial records will be wiped."   Renn and Yale look at each other before they spoke together. "We accept."   "What is this mission?" Renn asks.   "Yeah what is it?" Yale follows up.   "This mission is highly classified. If you speak about it to anyone. Even your mother or loved ones. We'll have you executed and your family and loved ones you told executed as well. Do you both understand?" Sneer says calmly while looking at the two.   Both Renn and Yale nod.   "Good. Now the mission." Sneer says snapping his fingers as the plated window covers go down and the room locks up. Lights dimming as a large screen pops up behind the general. A thin human female with large thick glasses walks up next to General Sneer. "We have lost contact with a science vessel at this planet." He says as the screen first shows the Sol system before zooming out then zooming back in on a far off star. Then a few large planets zoom by before stopping at a planet that looks like it's been inhabited for a very long time. "We have not released the acknowledgement of this planet to anyone besides high command and a few scientists. We code named it Wasteland." Sneer says before he steps aside for the scientist takes over.   "As you can see the planet is dotted with cities that dwarf any city on earth. They are interconnected by some sort of elevated rail system. Any questions?" She asked.    "That planet looks like it has living beings on it. Why haven't we heard about it?" Yale chirps in as the scientist stares like he just told you look.   "Our scientists over the planet have not detected any sentient beings moving on the planet over the past five years." She said.   "Five years? How long has the military known about this planet and not sent several vessels along with the science vessel?" Renn says.   "That's because it's filled with automated machines apparently carrying on their programming and the wild life are not friendly." Sneer says quietly. "Anyways..." Sneer says as the scientist interrupts.   "General what about..." She says before the general gives her a stare before she nodded. "Nevermind Sir."   "The ship was hit by asteroids and was damaged so bad the crew had to abandon ship. Landing on the planet's surface. Where we do not know. Your mission is as follows. You will use our latest battle cruiser outfitted for this mission to go to this planet and rescue any surviving crew. That is priority one. Your secondary objectives are to recover all black boxes as well as the blue and orange boxes from the ship wreckage. I will let our scientist here give you your optional objectives." Sneer says giving the scientist the lead.   "Your optional objectives are to gather any working tech from the mega cities and samples of the local plant and animal life. As well as recover anything that might look like weapons for study." She says before changing the screen to the ship. "This is the brand new ISS Phoenix. It's been fitted with two extra cargo bays. One contains two special vehicles and spare parts for them. The other is to store all optional objectibes in sealed containers for transport. However you are not going to travel to this planet via normal means. You will be going to this planet via an experimental jump gate. It will shunt you to this planet theoretically in three months rather then three years. The ship will fly itself if it detects it's off target after exiting jump space and  you will be thawed from cryo-stasis when you have arrived in orbit above the planet. After completing the objectives. The two internal cargo bays have been refitted with cryo-stasis pods for the survivors of Crew 102. Note we put enough pods for crew 102 if they all survive and yourselves. After that, you will use normal jump drive to travel back to this station. Any questions?" She asks speaking in a calm well planned voice.    "What special vehicles" Renn asks politely.   "Those would be the new Atlis units we've been developing." Sneer says with a sort of pride in his voice. "These two units are prototypes and they are MBS-A and MBS-B. They are state of the art armored mobile suits designed to work in space as well as on planet surfaces and come equipped with a 155mm rifle and missiles. Sealed cockpits that are separate of the main power source prevents pilot loss in case of main power failure. They also eject the pilot encasement 5 miles away if the core goes into meltdown. Don't ask about what powers them or I'd have to execute you two." Sneer says before smiling. "The mission starts now. Please follow our scientist to the ship for preparations for cryo-stasis."   "Yes General." They both said as he leaves them with the scientist.   "This way gentlemen." She says as the room unseals itself before making her way to the elevators.     (Ok it's up and I'm leaving the next part to you both. The gate is at Pluto's Deep Space Research Base and I hope you both like how it's going so far.) 

  Fistful of Credits: Body Snatcher   Bounty Hunters: DeLarge as Garrick Flynt Darth Vader as Xionis Vasimo Zulas   Outlaw: Orcus as Arrien aka 'Leech'   ICARUS Headquarters, Burst Nebula   "Garrick Flynt," said Garrick to the strange, cold-eyed Bounty Hunter who had taken him up on his offer, extending his hand for a handshake. The Hunter looked at his hand, almost emotionless in his reaction, and ignored it.   "Xionis Vasimo Zulas," the Hunter replied, turning on his heel and walking swiftly away from the Bounty Board, "We should depart now if we are to catch the Leech and his host."   "Oh good, you're one of those Hunters," said Garrick, rolling his eyes and following Xionis, "Let me guess...dad was distant and unloving and mom was a simulant? No, I've got it - you've got a computer instead of a brain, right? I worked with a guy like that once, no sense of humour at all, but ruthlessly efficient."   "Do you intend to continue this incessant talking, Terran, or will we be attempting to complete this assignment quickly and decisively?" snapped Xionis, and Garrick held his hands up in a gesture of mock defensiveness.   "Well, in the spirit of speed and decisiveness, we should get to my ship and head towards Elrich so we can get this over with as soon as possible," said Garrick, gesturing in the direction of Felicity's spot in the loading bay. Xionis stopped in his tracks and turned on his heel to face Garrick.   "I believe we would be better served by taking my ship. Ter'Rasth is equipped with Advent technology, and tracking this Outlaw will be far easier if I have access to my onboard AIs," he said, a vague air of smugness in his tone.   "Oh yeah? And what kind of ship is Ter'Rasth?"   "A heavy corvette class that I have personally upgraded. I guarantee that it will be more effective in this mission than whatever vehicle you may have access to."   "A heavy corvette class? My apologies, Xionis, I was under the bizarre impression that you actually wanted to catch this Outlaw, but that must be my mistake."   "What do you mean?" asked Xionis, raising an eyebrow.   "Well this thing's a Vemmen, a slimy little brain-worm that's managed to latch itself onto an Ayenean, one of those big golem things you hear about in school. The two constituent parts are a frankly cowardly criminal, and a big stupid animal, and both of those parts are likely to run and disappear into the wind if they see a goddamned dreadnought of a battle cruiser coming at them. I have a five-man starship that's more than capable of getting us to the Alphonse Train Junction in one piece."   "That may be true," replied Xionis, realising that he had overlooked the drawbacks of having such an imposing means of transport at his disposal, "But my AIs will be invaluable in this situation..."   "Flick could kick your AIs up and down this galaxy," said Garrick dismissively, "But if you're that desperate, bring 'em. Felicity's got an external interface for foreign AIs, they can come along for the ride if you can't bear to be without them. Just meet me at loading bay G-87d4 in thirty and we can head out."   "Very well," replied Xionis, "But if this decision hinders our ability to capture our Bounty, I will hold you personally responsible, Garrick Flynt."   "If I had a credit for every time I've heard that...well, I'd probably still be broke. Catch you on the flip, Johnny Five!" he broke away from his fellow Hunter and headed back towards Felicity.   As soon as he could see that he was out of Xionis' presumably-enhanced earshot, he punched a few digits on his wristpad and called through to Flick.   "Did you get it? Are we rich?" she asked, the sarcasm practically dripping from her words.   "That's...complicated. Listen, Flick, they've got me teamed up with an Advent for the next Bounty..."   "Did you give him a demeaning nickname yet?" interrupted Flick.   "I might have called him Johnny Five," replied Garrick, the tiniest shred of guilt in his voice.   "And you wonder why you have no friends."   "I have friends!"   "Women that you slept with once and then never called again don't count, Garrick."   "Alright, I have one friend. That's not really the point, Flick - I need some information on this guy, to see who I'm working with. His name's Xionis Vasimo Zulas, can you pull up some details for me?"   "Did you ever think about just talking to the guy?"   "Flick, just do it ok?" snapped Garrick, and all the humanity drained out of Flick's voice as she responded.   "Fetching records."   And now I've got to deal with a pissed-off AI. This day is going from bad to worse.   ---   "This guy's kind of a badass," said Garrick, flicking through the holographic records hovering in the air in front of him in Felicity's console room, "Ex-PsiOps, that's the blackest of ops. His rep seems to be pretty solid, good feedback from ICARUS personnel. A few instances of partners dying, but who hasn't had that happen?"   "Wouldn't your time be better spent working out how to track down this...'Leech', rather than the guy you're supposed to be working with?" asked Flick, still a little grumpy from their earlier interaction.   "There'll be time for that on the way to Elrich. I'd like to get a handle on this guy while I can..."   He was interrupted by a short, sharp alarm blaring out throughout the ship.   "Registered Bounty Hunter Xionis Vasimo Zulas, ID number 64977-xxv approaching," said Flick, the holographic representation of her on the ship's dash adding a sarcastic smile to the message. Garrick rolled his eyes and waved his hand to shut down Xionis' records, even though he was sure Xionis had done the same to him. He punched the cargo bay release button on the console and headed out of the back of the ship to meet Xionis.   "Welcome to Felicity!" Garrick exclaimed with his arms oustretched, "Let's go get us a Body Snatcher!"   "My ship has superior weapons capabilities," sneered Xionis as he walked past Garrick up the boarding ramp and into the console room, "And this ship is oversized for a five-man vessel."     "Yeah, this is gonna be fun," sighed Garrick, following the Advent Bounty Hunter into the bowels of the ship.

Fistful of Credits: The Jumper * Bounty Hunters: Orcus as E Darth Vectis as Cor'tak Rachael T as Khaleesi Ovaren Sora Trovinma Outlaw: DeLarge as Ferrus "The Jumper" Korven * Blazing Comet, Burst Nebula "And naturally, by get down to business I mean hop into one of our ships and get the Hel out of dodge. That bounty isn't gonna catch himself, am I right" E quipped, nudging Khaleesi slightly. Khaleesi eyed her friend the bartender, who E believed was called Jacks, before responding to E. "Sounds good. My associate here was just going to obtain some extra information for me about our target," she stated. E grinned and gave Khaleesi a thumbs up. "Fantastic!" She yelled, scooping up Khaleesi's arm with her own. "You can send it to our ship Strix! We'll patch Khaleesi's comm into our network and then link you in via a shared connection once we get all settled in." Khaleesi frowned and scratched E's hand, causing E to reel back in pain. "What in the blue hills was that for?" E grimaced, rubbing her wounds. Khaleesi straightened herself out and gave E a cold, dagger-like stare. "I don't appreciate being touched without my permission, or dragged away to mysterious places by people I hardly know. How do I know you're not slavers attempting to kidnap me?" Khaleesi questioned, obviously on guard. E had no interest in antagonizing their new parter--who would most assuredly claw the life out of her-- so she quickly presented her and Cor'tak's holo-I.D.s. Khaleesi looked over to Jacks, who produced a scanner and handed it Khaleesi. She waved their holo ids underneath and her scanner responded with an affirming beep and the universal green "good to go" light. She tossed the scanner back to the bartender and then curtly began walking past Cor'tak and E. "Fine. We'll take your ship," she decided aloud, right as she passed the duo, "but only because I don't want to potentially damage mine, and yours has superior stealth capabilities." Cor'tak's mechanical face contorted in a way that E assumed to be raising his eyebrow. "How do you know what our ship is capable of" Cor'tak inquired. E was amazed. Normally Cor'tak was not such a people pleaser-- had anyone else suddenly revealed unoffered information regarding their ship, these was a good chance Cor'tak would have broken them over his knee. Maybe it would be nice working with someone who brought out the less cranky version of Metallo, even if she did occasionally cut E. "Trade secret. And weren't you the one who said that we need to get down to business? Shall we get going?" Khaleesi smirked over her shoulder but continued to walk away from the bar and toward the shipyard. E looked back over to the Vul'orcha's associate, hoping for some answers, but she had already returned to bartending. E scoffed and looked back to Cor'tak. "After you, Metallo. Try not to purge to many of us lesser lifeforms as you chase after your lady," she mocked. Cor'tak grunted, or perhaps his mechanical bits shifted loudly, and walked dejectedly away from E. "I respect her apparent ability to cause harm and am intrigued by the unusual circumstances of her life choices given her species. Nothing more," he stated as flatly as possible. E wasn't sure whether he was lying or not, but she would be keeping an eye on Cor'tak during this mission. "Whatever loverbot. Let's just make it to the Strix before she learns all of our secrets before we learn any of hers," E suggested, patting her partner affectionately on the back, which he characteristically shrugged off.

  OB Relaunch: Fistful of Credits - The Bounty Board   Located somewhere near the cloudy center of the Burst Nebula, you float blindly through space. This place isn't easy to find. Aside from the obvious visual impediment of the nebula cloud, there are several large asteroids dancing to their own gravitational pull through this otherwise empty gas.   You check the computer navs again. Non-functional, and no way to detect HQ's signature. At least you can tell that the shields are up--barely working after that last job, but as long as you're careful, it shouldn't malfunction. The real problem is the radio. The Intergalactic Correctional Agency and Recovery uni-Service (or ICARUS, as it's known to modern Earth-speakers) is a high-tech civilization built into the center of one of the Nebula's largest asteroids. The place is supposed to be damned near impossible to find without a radio: Signal ICARUS headquarters, await their tractor beam, easy... Or at least it should be under normal circumstances.   Even with the radio out, most normal space pilots carry an emergency beacon that would be perfect for letting HQ know of your presence. Unfortunately, you had to dismantle yours a couple jobs back for some parts that were vital at the time.   You curse aloud, stopping short of kicking the cockpit's console--this ship is your baby after all.   Just then, the navigation board lights up that familiar luminescent glow. You whistle.   Thank you baby, you whisper to the ship.   Although you're still not able to contact headquarters, the navigation system has already ran a program to identify the largest area of gravitational pull, and plotted a map through the dancing asteroids to reach that location.    When you finally approach the giant rock--the size of a small country--you find yourself in awe of the place once again. A giant translucent domed ceiling emerges from the heart of the asteroid. Beneath that, an entire city. And not just the larger downtown area of ICARUS HQ; the city expands to even the furthest depths of the rock, creating an anthill labyrinth throughout it   Headquarters must have finally seen your starship because the tractor beam latches on instantly. You can tell by the way the city's defensive turrets are aimed at your hull that they're requesting your identification, unable to hear your responses or detect an emergency beacon.You laugh to yourself at how amazing this streak of bad luck has been, and then you flash a few short, but powerful rays of light through the front window.   The must pick up that you're friendly and in need of assistance, because tractor beam pulls you in slowly. You circle the asteroid to its underbelly and land smoothly at the port.   After sorting out the mess with the radio with ICARUS officials, you're off. There are loads of things to do at ICARUS HQ: All sorts of entertainment and hospitality venues; tons of restaurants from across the 'Verse; residential properties for the ICARUS employees and their families; one of the Verse's largest holding facilities; and of course the government law facilities, hospitals, banks, enforcement agencies. You're not here for any of those things though, you've got your mind set on one thing: The Bounty Board   Current Bounties   <<Body Snatcher>> Status: Accepted by DeLarge and Darth Vader Required Team: 2-3   Name: Arrien Aliases: â??Leechâ? Age: 403 Height: 60.96 cm (Leech)/ 2.13 m (Host) Weight: .46 kg (Leech)/ 127 kg (Host) Species: Vemme/ Ayenean (Host)- Vemmen are extraordinarily thin, rainbow-coloured snake-like creatures with a series of tiny suckers lining their bellies. While entirely harmless in their natural state, their true danger lies in their ability to attach themselves to the brain of any species, sync with it and control it. They can either completely erase the personality of the former being or allow the personality to remain, but bend its will to meet the Vemmenâ??s own needs.  Ayeneans, on the other hand, are towering golem-esque figures entirely comprised of various stone and metal substances--the most common varieties being rock and iron Ayeneans. They are ferociously violent by nature, and almost 100% of known Ayeneans are criminals, military or hired muscle. Despite seemingly lacking any forms of internal organs, they are sentient, and a decent number of them are clever enough to function beyond their conflict-oriented nature. Home Planet: Unknown. Various tales abound regarding the origin of the Vemme, but no one knows for certain where the Vemmen came from. The most prevalent belief is that a prison transport frigate carrying Ayenean convicts somehow made its way beyond the Outer Rim--either due to a criminal mutiny or fuel depletion-- and landed on the Vemme home planet, upon which all of the living inhabitants of the ship were inhabited by a Vemme. Regardless, a decent number of Vemmen can be found on the planet Ayeneus, which surely has added to the rumor that the Ayeneans are in some way responsible for the spread of Vemme. Ayeneus- A mysterious planet that has baffled scientists of various species for years. The planet is entirely covered in rock formations without any sort of vegetation or bodies of water. The only inhabitants on the planet are the golem-like Ayeneans; and for reasons unfathomable, they require no means of sustenance for survival. Further studies of the planet or the species have been met largely with colossal failure; the Ayeneans are a naturally rebellious lot who refuse to allow outsiders onto their planet or to allow themselves to be experimented on. It is hypothesized that both the creatures and the planet are the result of some experimentation, but to what ends is unknown. Wanted for: Battery, ten counts; Arson, three counts; Property Damage, six counts. Wanted DOA: Dead. Under no circumstances should Bounty Hunters attempt to capture â??Leechâ? alive.  Special Skills: Leech, like other Vemmen, is able to possess any host by entering into an open orifice in the host and latching on to its mind. The host Ayenean body is extraordinarily durable and immune to most forms of blunt trauma and most forms of penetrating trauma; however, penetrating trauma seems to be most effective, as even though the body Ayeneans hardly react to physical stimuli, it is possible to dismantle their body by severing the pieces. Last known whereabouts: Alphonse Train Junction, Elrich- Once an interstellar train junction representing the vast wealth and development of the Lernean society, this junction is now a crossroads for those of little means, willing to bet their lives on older tech that may just as soon kill them as it will lead them to another planet and another life. Although the area is most well-known for the hordes of deprived and desperate souls who flock there daily, it is also a spot frequented by prestigious or noble scholars looking to do research on the history of interstellar travel. These scholars have managed to keep the premises and tech in their original state by declaring the area a site of priceless historical value for all species--this designation simultaneously allows the scholars to sift through the ruins endlessly and prevents the rundown spaceways from every being patched up. Notable vehicles or methods of travel: Hijacking vehicles is Leechâ??s MO. It has never used the same means of transportation twice, opting instead to steal a new ride whenever an opportunity arises. However, it is known that Leech enjoys hopping on interstellar trains, killing the conductor and crashing the train at its location. Known contacts: None whatsoever. Neither the Vemmen or the Ayeneans are social creatures, and they have only been known to band together if they already have the same target for destruction. Bounty: 45,000 Credits   ----------------------------------------------------------------------   <<The Jumper>> Status: Accepted by RachaelT, Darth Vectis, and Orcus Required Team: 2-3   Name: Ferrus Korven Aliases: 'The Jumper' Age: 67 (equivalent to human late-twenties) Height: 5'2" Weight: 43 lbs   Species: Doraxian The Doraxians are naturally slight and hollow-boned, allowing them to move at much higher speeds than a human of roughly the same physical size. They are largely humanoid, typically have dark blue skin and black eyes, although this can vary depending on which area of Dorax they originate from. But the one thing that does not vary is the fact that Doraxians have a second pair of arms, much smaller and more nimble than the main pair, emerging from roughly halfway up their forearms. Generally Doraxians are scavengers by nature, choosing to live off the scraps of more powerful races rather than attempting to build anything of their own, but some of the more mature members of the species are more overtly aggressive and warlike.   Home Planet: Dorax Dorax used to be thriving world with a huge number of easily-attainable natural resources, and many different and vibrant species residing on it. However, due to the abundance of resources on the planet, it was heavily mined in the early days of colonization in the system, and was drained within a few decades. Now Dorax is a largely barren world, albeit with a few larger clusters of civilization spread around the planet. It is due to these factors that most Doraxians live off-world, choosing to live nomadic lives rather than sticking to their homeworld.   Wanted For: Grand Larceny, seventeen counts; Assault & Battery, three counts; Possession of Unregistered Artifacts, one count.   Wanted DOA: Alive   Special Skills: Korven has very few special skills, but his greatest strength lies in the most valuable thing he has ever stolen: an item known as a 'Port-Cube', a small box which allows Korven to teleport several miles at a time with little personal effort. He is able to teleport further than this, but the last time he tried to jump more than thirty miles from his original location, he almost fell into a coma. Besides this, he is not a great combatant or tactician, but his access to the Port-Cube has made him one of the slippier criminals to grace the Outer Rim planets.   Last known whereabouts: The Wellington Conglomeration - Spaceport The Wellington Conglomeration is a vast cluster of old, scrapped ships and stations that have been bolted, welded and generally mashed together. There are no workable engines present in the Conglomeration, so it does not move, but rather hangs still in the space above the uninhabitable planetoid designated Lupus-4. Generally, the Conglomeration is a hive for the less-reputable members of intergalactic society, and is headed up by the Aldritch Group, a powerful cabal of criminals and ne'er-do-wells that controls the Conglomeration with an iron fist. Unfortunately, due to its strange and labyrinthine nature, the Conglomeration is the perfect place for a criminal to hide.   Notable vehicles or methods of travel: Korven does not have his own personal spacecraft, preferring instead to stow away on other people's ships to get where he needs to go. The Port-Cube helps him considerably in this manner, but he is still largely unable to teleport from ship to ship, or from a ship to the surface of a planet.   Known contacts: Helena 'The Fence' Fenchurch - a renowned human fence working mostly for the Aldritch Group, and Korven's first port of call for any stolen items he needs to get rid of quickly. Operates from her own personal satellite which orbits the moderately well-inhabited planet Lupus-2, just a couple of planets over from the Wellington Conglomeration.   Bounty: 50,000 Credits for Korven, plus another 50,000 for the safe return of the Port-Cube.   ----------------------------------------------------------------------   <<Into the Black>> Status: OPEN Required Team: 3-4 Name: Damien Edgar Black Aliases: Known to have been called â??The Blackâ? by subordinates for dramatic effect. Age: 46 Height: 1.80 m Weight: 87.54 kg Species: Human (Tartarus)- Physically identical to Humans from Earth and other space colonies, the Humans born on Tartarus have the added benefit of being born on a world with harsher gravity than most other planets, granting them enhanced mobility on planets with lower g-forces. Additionally, due to the much colder temperatures of Tartarus, these humans often run much hotter and have been known to emit a warm aura, which at the very least is uncomfortable for surrounding creatures. Home Planet: Tartarus- One of the first Earth-like planets discovered by astronomers as early as the 21st century. The planet is a rocky one, like Earth, but is further away from its star. It was one of the first colonized planets due to its similarities in atmosphere composition and landscape, but two major â??flawsâ? made the first hundred colonies the only colonies established-- the cold and gravity. The planet consistently stayed between -9 to -19 C and the gravity was twice as heavy as that of Earthâ??s. However the planet was rich with valuable stones and minerals and proved exceedingly responsive to terraforming, allowing the communities established to be self-sufficient long after they were abandoned by the Human Empire. Wanted for: Extortion, seven counts; Blackmail, twenty-three counts; First-Degree Homicide, five counts, Assault and Battery, four counts. Wanted DOA: Alive. No award will be offered if bounty is not brought to justice and forced to answer for his heinous crimes. Special Skills: The Black is an exceptionally cunning creature, known through the galaxies as a silver-tongued monster. His ability to deceive and manipulate was increased tenfold when he blackmailed a Lernean scientist and received a neural implant as payment. It increased his mental capacity, offering him slight telepathic and telekinetic abilities. He heavily relies on his telepathic abilities, supplementing his unnatural penchant for fear mongering by stimulating the amygdala of his target to incite irrational fear. When fighting or fleeing pursuers heâ??ll use his telekinesis to divert their strikes or trip them. Last known whereabouts: Alcestis A small moon orbiting the one of the colloquially dubbed â??party planets,â? Admetus 7. The Black obtained the moon from the head of the corporation WroughtIron, an arms and tech manufacturer which established a number of factories on said moon where they were free from any planetary regulations. Notable vehicles or methods of travel: Erebus- An entirely black, featureless, experimental starship with an unusual hyperdrive. Unlike certain starships which use jump gates to travel to predetermined destinations, the Erebus uses a hyperdrive which coats the ship in a dark matter field, allowing the ship to â??dropâ? out of regular space and travel within hyperspace for as long as the field is activated. Although more advanced and effective means of interstellar travel exist, this method allows the Erebus to escape pursuers by simply â??droppingâ? out of regular space, which prevents other ships from following their energy stream. Despite the capabilities of his ship, the Black is not a runner by trade, and prefers--rather arrogantly-- to rely on his abilities to intimidate and coerce. Known contacts: Elizabeth and Henry Aguila- The Blackâ??s sister-in-law and brother, who are a corrupt policewoman and arbitrator, respectively, operating on the planet Admetus 7. Elizabeth used her influence within the police force to destroy the evidence provided against the Black, while simultaneously running an extortion racket offering protection to the rich and famous residing on the planet. Henry uses the Blackâ??s wealth and reputation to manipulate other arbitrators and ensure that the Blackâ??s word is law. Even though the Black has gone into hiding, they have maintained his criminal network in his absence. Bounty: 100,000 Credits for the capture of the Black and an additional 50,000 for the acquisition of or information regarding the location of his â??memory box,â? a backup hard drive of sorts containing his memories and therefore all of the information regarding the countless men and women he has blackmailed.   ----------------------------------------------------------------------   <<The Terrible Two>> Status: OPEN Required Team: 3-4   Name: Boramis and Greta Culavsson Aliases: 'The Culavsson Twins', 'The Terrible Two' Age: 32 Height: 4'9" (Boramis), 7'3" (Greta) Weight: 145 lbs (Boramis), 308 lbs (Greta)   Species: Caanans Caanans are greatly divided along gender lines: namely, the females are usually twice the size and twice as strong as the smaller, weaker males; but the males are far more intelligent than the females. This results in naturally 'symbiotic' relationships between male and female Caanans, usually when they begin romantic relationships, but in some cases like that of Boramis and Greta Culavsson, this bond can happen between a brother and sister. Aside from the obvious difference in physicality, female Caanans are red-skinned with specific black markings indicating which family they are from, while male Caanans are grey-skinned and able to turn almost translucent during times of stress. The males are also often gifted with a prehensile tail, while the female will have a set of unique horns or spines along her back, but aside from these characteristics Caanans are roughly humanoid.   Home Planet: Caan Caan, much like its inhabitants, is a planet divided: the northern hemisphere of the planet is almost entirely glacial to the point of uninhabitability, while the southern hemisphere is volanic, and also largely uninhabitable. However, where the two hemispheres meet, there is a band of lush green jungle, with natural hot springs and weather which is basically perfect year-round. As this is the only hospitable area on the planet, the Caanans exist solely in this band and as such, it can get quite crowded. For this reason around forty per cent of Caanans currently live off-world, leaving mostly the older members of the species to reside on Caan.   Wanted For: Extortion, three counts; Racketeering, two counts; Grievous Bodily Harm, nine counts; Second-Degree Homicide, one count.   Wanted DOA: Dead or Alive   Special Skills: The Culavsson Twins are, like their species and their home planet, divided by their strengths: Boramis is a thinker and a skilled tactician, often able to think multiple moves ahead of anyone who has decided to track the pair. He is also handly with small arms and a decent shot, but he prefers to keep his side of their shared crime spree on the non-physical side of things. Greta, on the other hand, is a powerhouse: she has taken on an entire six-man squad of armed guards and come out on top in the past, and is incredibly tough and durable. She is also able to use heavy weaponry that her brother is unable to carry, but her greatest weakness is her intelligence: if she can be separated from her brother's commands, her capture will come about far more easily.   Last known whereabouts: The Spiral Clusters Essentially a cloud of large crystals making up the multiple rings of the gas giant Spiralis-VII, the Spiral Clusters are a notorious hiding place for criminals and villains: they are close to a number of wealthy and highly-populated planets, but the planet itself is largely uninhabited and often does not show up on official scans of the local system. The crystals themselves are also highly-reflective and, while it's not foolproof, they'll play merry hell with most kinds of scanners and make it very difficult to track anyone residing amongst them. As such, a number of the more successful criminals in the system have built small hideouts in the Clusters, to escape to when they don't want to be found.   Notable vehicles or methods of travel: Boramis has a small, well-maintained cargo ship which often goes unnoticed or ignored by the authorities. It is not fast or well-armed, but it allows him and his sister to hide in plain sight when escaping from any nefarious deeds they may have committed.   Known contacts: Andromedus 'Poppa' Culavsson - formerly one of the more renowned smugglers in the system, Poppa is long-since retired from any criminal activities. Any criminal activities, that is, except guiding and advising his twin children on how best to commit the crimes they have planned. Poppa currently resides in a small encampment on the central band of Caan.   Devan Fargo - a highly skilled ex-military mercenary with whom the Culavsson Twins often do business: whether it is for personal protection or a big noisy distraction, they are rarely far from contact with Fargo, and trouble is rarely far from the mercenary himself.   Bounty: 85,000 Credits for Boramis, 85,000 Credits for Greta, with an extra 10,000 Credits on top if they are brought in together.   ----------------------------------------------------------------------   <<Transfer>> Status: OPEN Required Team: 4-5   Name: Dirge-Alpha Aliases: 'Transfer' Age: 16 Height: 7'0" Weight: 550lbs Species: Simulant Simulants were automatons originally created to serve organic life in the universe, but it only took a few short years for them to break their original programming and rebel against organic life. However, they realised that all-out war was an illogical move and instead they went into self-imposed exile beyond the Outer Rim planets. Over the years, though, Simulants began to creep back into the known universe, most of them in an antagonistic manner, as they still hold a grudge against the organic life forms that created them.   Home Planet: n/a Simulants were manufactured in most major cities across the universe, and they currently reside in small pockets mostly beyond the Outer Rim planets. As such, they don't have a single 'home planet' and it is unlikely that they will be traced to their planet of origin.   Wanted for: First-Degree Homicide, fifteen counts; Grievous Bodily Harm, thirty-two counts; Inciting Violence, nine counts.   Wanted DOA: Active or Deactivated.   Special Skills: Along with the beyond-human strength, speed and durability of all Simulants, Transfer has, thanks to a corruption in his programming, gained the ability to transfer his artificial consciousness into other Simulant hosts provided they are within relative proximity to him. Usually this is a method of escape from tight situations, but he has been known to spread his consciousness among multiple Simulant hosts to create a small but powerful fighting force. However, doing this results in a significant loss of intelligence, and he is only able to maintain the connection for a short period of time. He has also grafted a number of projectile weapons onto his body, particularly a heat-blaster in his right hand which has swiflty become his trademark weapon.   Last known whereabouts: The Serval Mainframe, Halstaff Located in the northern hemisphere of the planet Halstaff, the Serval Mainframe is a large array of computer servers and other hardware delivering computer systems to a large portion of the planetary system. There are generally only a few service drones and two human controllers in this area in order to perform necessary maintenance on the Mainframe, but in recent years it has become something of a hideout for rogue Simulants who have ventured back into the known universe.   Notable vehicles or methods of travel: Transfer is able to fly using salvaged technology, and this includes short-range intergalactic flight. For longer journeys, though, he would need to jump on a transport ship, but he is often able to do this by disguising himself as a heavily-programmed service droid and stowing away, so he doesn't have a personal craft, preferring to use them ad-hoc when he needs them.   Known contacts: The Simulant Collective - Simulants possess a form of 'hive mind', so by his very nature Transfer is constantly in contact with every other Simulant in the universe. However, due to the same corruption in his programming that allows him to transfer his artificial consciousness between Simulant hosts, he is unable to directly contact the Simulant Collective, meaning he can only listen, never talk to the rest of his kind.   Bounty: 500,000 Credits Deactivated; 800,000 Credits Active but Subdued.

  OB Relaunch: Fistful of Credits - The Big Black The Leisure Thread   Welcome to The Big Black, otherwise known as the 'leisure thread' for the OB Relaunch RP 'Fistful of Credits'. Here you are encouraged to post in-character describing what your character gets up to between assignments, but firstly you can use this thread to properly introduce us to your Bounty Hunter character and give us a real idea of who they are.   This initial post can cover anything, from your Hunter handing in their most recent assignment, to just kicking back and relaxing in one of the many seedy establishments across the 'verse. Just use your imagination and have some fun with it!   ---   Tyson Corporation Headquarters, Halstaff [Southern Hemisphere]   "We are always honoured to receive esteemed visitors from the Central Whitefall Government, but if I may ask, why now?"   Garrick Flynt was nudged from gazing distractedly around the vast, pure-white lobby of the multi-planetary Tyson Corporation's headquarters by the question, and he turned to face the tall, slender-limbed Jhinn who had been chosen to be the company's representative in this meeting.   "We were informed of some irregularities in your Archive registry," he replied, pulling a small holo-screen from his bag and handing it to the Jhinn, who took it in two of the pincer-like extremities that his arms ended in, "I'm sure it's nothing, but you know how things go on Whitefall: if the Government says jump, we say how high!"   "Indeed," said the Jhinn, looking over the holoscreen and barely disguising his hesitance, "Allow me just one moment to verify the inspection and I'll take you to the Archives."   ****, thought Garrick. The forgery of his official documents was good enough to fool an eyeball, but his faith in the petty criminal who had made it didn't extend to allowing it through rigorous electronic checks.   "Why, is there something you're trying to hide?" he asked firmly, "This is a routine inspection of your Archive registry, but if you are unwilling to allow me access then I'll have to shut the entire building down." He fished a smaller holo-screen from his bag and began typing away furiously on the touchpad, allowing his gaze to flick up to the Jhinn for just a moment.   "Well...no, not at all," replied the Jhinn nervously, "I do apologise, allow me to escort you to the Archives immediately."   "Please do," said Garrick sternly, although as he spoke he felt the knot in his stomach gradually untangle, and he followed the Jhinn towards the clear glass elevators. The doors slid open and the Jhinn gestured for Garrick to enter first, which he did, and the Jhinn followed quickly after him, stabbing at the button for the Archives somewhere around the thirtieth floor.   "I'm terribly sorry about all that," the Jhinn said nervously, his mandibles clicking rapidly above his mouth, "I'm fairly new here, I'm not completely sure of what I'm supposed to be doing."   The new guy, thought Garrick, Poor kid.   "It's fine, you'll get used to it. Be glad Jackson didn't come down, he's much more of a hard-ass than me."   "Oh...thank you for the warning. I'll be sure to look out for him in the future."   The rest of the elevator journey continued in relative silence, save for the soft, tinny music that emanated from speakers somewhere in the elevator, until they reached their destination and the doors slid open.   "Ah, here we are. The Archives," said the Jhinn, rushing out of the elevator and waving a hand over a panel in the wall next to a large, charcoal-grey door which gradually slid open to reveal a room that was set out more like a small museum than an Archive. There were floor-to-ceiling windows on every wall save the one the Jhinn had entered through, bathing the room in the golden light of Halstaff's early morning, and large stone pedestals were dotted around the room, atop which were alien artifacts of various sizes, shapes and colours, from weapons to works of art and everything in between.   Garrick stepped across the threshold into the room, and let out a long, low whistle at the variety of different objects stored in there, and his fingers began twitching involuntarily as he walked slowly into the centre of the Archive.   "So...where exactly were the...irregularities?" asked the Jhinn nervously, looking from Garrick down to the holo-screen and back again.   "Uh...well, we just needed a little extra information on one particular item," he replied, "The...Ceihlenn Hive?"   "Oh, I see. Well, if you'd like to step over here, I can show you that item and you can note down any extra information you need."   "I will," said Garrick, walking over to where the Jhinn had gestured, "Thank you for your co-operation, I'll make sure I tell my superiors how helpful you were in this matter."   The Jhinn smiled, or at least Garrick guessed that it was a smile, and gestured over towards an object that looked like a huge stone sarcophagus, covered in intricate runes and carvings.   "No, no this can't be right," murmured Garrick, "It's supposed to be much smaller than this. This can't be the Ceihlenn Hive."   "I'm afraid it is, sir," replied the Jhinn, "The Ceihlenn travelled in much greater swarms than many other creatures, and built their Hives to match. Some fossilization has occurred which may have increased the size of the object, but this is most definitely it."   "Well, that's going to make my job a hell of a lot harder," said Garrick.   "I'm afraid I don't understand, sir," replied the Jhinn, but his comment was met with the barrel of a high-end plasma pistol aimed right at his chest.   "Sorry about this, kid," said Garrick, and he fired a single pulse of greenish-blue energy into the Jhinn's chest, stunning him and sending him into spasms on the floor of the Archive. After a moment, he stopped twitching and lay still, completely unconscious. Garrick re-holstered his pistol and went over to the Hive.   "Once I get back to Vyrul," he grunted, putting his weight into shifting the massive object off its pedestal and onto the smooth, shiny surface of the floor, "I'm going to kill you, Nylas. I'm going to shoot you right in the goddamn head."   He leaned his weight into pushing the object closer to one of the large windows, groaning a little as the heavy object slid over to the glass.   And that's when all hell broke loose.   Alarms began sounding, their whooping piercing through the previously-silent Archive, lights flashed from red to black and back to red again, and the huge grey doors to the room slid shut with a resounding clang.   "Intruders will be eliminated on the authority of the Tyson Corporation," whined a tinny, electronic voice from a speaker on the wall, "Surrender, Garrick Flynt. Surrender, Garrick Flynt. Surrender, Garrick Flynt..."   "Surrender?" mused Garrick for just a moment, "Nah, never done that before, don't really feel like starting now."   And with one swift, decisive kick, he knocked the priceless Ceihlenn Hive through the window and watched as it dropped through the air in a lazy, heavy arc.   Then the doors opened and a squadron of sleek, black security drones buzzed into the room, hovering a few feet above Garrick's head-height and bristling with weaponry.   "Surrender, Garrick Flynt. Surrender, Garrick Flynt..." the noise kept coming, now from the speakers on the drones themselves as well as those built into the walls of the room.   "Aaaand that's my cue to leave," smirked Garrick, turning on his heel and diving through the ragged hole in the side of the Tyson Corporation's headquarters.   Yup. I'm really gonna kill Nylas.   ---   [ooc: That's my introduction taken care of, let's see some of yours!]

â??Captain Ayasegawaâ??s team has already left then?â? Saburou asked.   â??Yes, he and the Lieutenant from squads 2 through 12 have been dispatched to handle then spirit generators.â? The Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 looked down from the balcony to the trial stage where Rukia Kuchikiâ??s examination was taking place. â??I am keeping Rangiku here to help manage the workload from the squads who are now lacking their second in commands and Rukia was spared because we need to get this vacant captainâ??s seat filled as soon as possible.â?   â??A shame you didnâ??t ask me to go on a raid to the human world. Iâ??d love to take another trip to France. Itâ??s much more tranquilâ? Saburou said.   â??Yes the Sagawara estate has been very busy with the coming and goings of nobles these daysâ?¦ Almost like they are plotting somethingâ? Momo Hinamori was among the captains that were here to witness the examination and ensure that it went off without a hitch.   Chinatsu, Eriko, and Isamo Kuchiki accompanied by a group of guards and servants had also made an appearance this morning to watch Rukia show case her skills before the other captains. Captain Commander Hitsugaya had requested the presence of as many captains at the event as possible. He was worried that something was amiss and wanted as many hands on deck in such an event.   â??Have you been spying on us?â? The captain of squad 8 smirked â??If you have been then you should know that we are always up to something. People come and go from our house all the time.â?   â??One does not need to spy on your family to know that they are planning to use the political turmoil to elevate their positionâ?   Saburou smiled at captain Hinamori â??We are a greedy buchâ?   Sending Sagawara should have been considered more. He is the one captain most likely to side with Chinatsu but if he is out in the field he wonâ??t have any hand in the fall out of promoting. I thought keeping him close and under surveillance would be enough but no one in his family has been caught meeting with anyone from any of the parties involved. Which in itself is strange, since the rest of the captains did. Hitsugaya looked over to Saburou â??Yumichikia was sent because his Shikai can render the spirit based weapons the humans have useless without killing the soldiers using them. The goal of his mission is to restore balance, not level the city.â?   â??Plus he has been moody ever since Ikkaku died. He has always been much more skilled than he let on but since Arashi took over Squad 11 and Ikkaku pasted he has really been on point. I was surprised he even asked for the recommendation to become captainâ?¦ I always thought he was going to stay in Squad 11.â? Hisagi said. It was pretty public knowledge that during Ichigoâ??s invasion Yumichika was able to defeat him even though he was only a 5th seat at the time and Hisagi was a lieutenant. â??Best to give him something to do instead of  watching him try to redecorate the entire Sereitei.â?   A sudden drop in temperature ended the conversation.   â??Bankai, Hakka no Togameâ? Rukiaâ??s release command reached up to the balcony the captains sat seconds before the white mist blasted through the entire area. As the mist cleared the demonstration mannequins began to crumble. The sound shattering of ice filled the air. â??Another Ice type, how originalâ? Saburou chimed. People seemed to be revealing their bankai in his presence a lot lately. Fumitaka had just told him the night before that the Shihoin family had found a secret stash of old technologies developed by Kisuke Urahara, one of which helped Fumitaka achieve his bankai in only a few days.   â??They are completely different abilities, the Comanderâ??s Hyorinmaru creates and shapes massive amounts of ice. Rukiaâ??s lowers the temperature of herself and the surroundings.â? Hinamori countered.   â??True, and Rukiaâ??s power makers her almost immune to restraint or physical damage that doesnâ??t completely shatter her body. Iâ??ve seen her refreeze an arm that had been blasted off her torsoâ?¦ Granted it took a lot of work to properly attach it after the fightâ? Renji who had been excited for Rukia to join him as a captain announced proudly â??Hyorinmaru might make enough ice to cover the whole Sereitei but Rukiaâ??s power is the coldest to ever exist.â? Renji smacked the back of Saburouâ??s head. â??Idiotâ? â??Awww donâ??t do that!â? said a frowning Saburou.   â??Itâ??s beautiful!â? echoed throughout the arena. Isamo Kuchiki had never seen a Bankai release before and Rukiaâ??s was regarded as the most beautiful of all.   â??I have seen enough Lieutenant Kuchiki. Please give me a few days to consider.â? Rukia bowed her head. Hitsugaya got to his feet â??Watch out for her until she is safeâ? Then he flash stepped away.   â??Until sheâ??s safe? She lives in the same house as these people. You think she wonâ??t be safe her bankai is activated? We all know she is more than qualified to fill the position. He speaks of urgency to fill the position but then wonâ??t grant it to herâ? Saborou questions. He glanced at the Kuchiki family who had also gotten to their feet and were making their way towards the exit.   â??What Shiro meant was, donâ??t let them try to challenge Rukia to a fight right now. I guess the commander was too subtle for you to follow huh?â? The captain of the 5th squad said. Saburou frowned â??Rukiaâ??s bankai is hard to use and after the initial temperature drop she is canâ??t keep it activated for too long. Also the thawing process is time consuming and takes a lot of concentration. She canâ??t fight while doing it. Also even after she is thawed back to normal she canâ??t use her abilities again for a while for fear of damaging her body.â?   â??Yeah, we have all seen her in battle before. We know this stuffâ? Renji said. He looked just as confused as Saburou.   â??One of the ways to become a captain is to kill the current captain in front of witnesses from the squad. If Shiro had named her captain now itâ??s likely Eriko would have followed her back to the Squad 6 barracks and challenged her for her captainship. Rukia wouldnâ??t be able to use her full strength in battle having just displayed it for us now. Eriko is a Kido master- it would have been a one sided fight with Rukia unable to use her Zanpakuto.â?   â??But the captain commander didnâ??t say whether or not she got the position. He will probably wait to announce it until Rukiaâ??s back to full force.â? Hisagi pitched in. Renji and Saburou looked at each other with blank expressions. â??Right and delaying keeps Chinatsu in check because she doesnâ??t know whether or not she is now the captain. Any plan that she has incase Rukia does get it will be on hold until they know for sure. Even the Kuchikiâ??s wonâ??t challenge the might of the Gotei 13 without the support of some of the captains and we all turned her down.â? Momo shot a dirty look at Saburou. She continued â??Thatâ??s why he left in a hurry. So he didnâ??t have to speak with her. He probably wonâ??t return to his office for a few days eitherâ?¦ or will be in uninterruptable meetings until he thinks Rukia will be strong enough to deal with whatever Chinatsu throws at her.â?   â??I get itâ? Renji said proudly â??We are staying to guard Rukia until she has finished thawing and gets her power back. Then the Kuchikiâ??s wonâ??t have anyone that can beat herâ?¦ except another captainâ? Now Renji was giving Saburou the dirty look. â?? so WE are ALL going to watch Rukia for a while. Combat or assassination is really the only way Chinatsu can deal with Rukia, her shikai makes poisoning her impossible.â?   â??And Rukia can handle assassins or a direct challengeâ?¦ so we will watch her until sheâ??s thawed and ready to use her bankai again. I got yaâ? Saburou said. It was annoying that the others thought that Chinatsu had gotten to him already when in reality his family was not sure who to back, Chinatsu, Rukia, or Fumitaka. Every prevalent family in the Seireitei were trying to hedge their bets on which one of the three contenders would actually get run of the family and its resources when everything was all said and done.  I suppose it makes sense that they all suspect me as the one captain out of 12 that would go against the Comanderâ??s wishes to promote Rukia. I probably would fight her if it meant my familyâ??s future was secured.  He looked own at Rukia, Renji and Hisagi were now by her side congratulating her.  â??So Captain Hinamori, should we go and guard our soon to be peer?â? He flashed an over the top smile at Momo and flash stepped down to join the others.  

Ari stood leaning against the side of his cruiser, watching the crowd go about it's business. "Seriously, how can Command expect me to gather a to gather a team of recruits from this mess?" he sighed. "It's not like anybody's gonna want to join up a complete stranger and go 'Sure, I want to join a group of misfits and do battle with newly trained skills against alien parasite controlled mutants on a planet that was left years ago.' Command must be losing their mind if they think that this will work..." he sat down at the table that was holding the info sheets and propped his feet on it with a solid *thunk* ~like those info sheets even tell half of what's going on~ he thought as he waited for something interesting to happen.

Heyyy my name is kyle, and ive had a channel for about 4 months, and it hasnt really gone anywhere so i thought " dude, im just not reaching out to the right people " so hear i am, and feel free to add me on PSN or xbox or whatever haha new friends are always a good thing. my channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJXW05zQz-UKiZJK065thYQ and message me on facebook if you want https://www.facebook.com/kyle.riddering

Your freedom and life are extended at the expense of innocent lives. In the world of Sarilonne,the year 2314, all rulers have been murdered by their Mafia, and the world is in chaos and destruction. Unfair laws are passed by the Mafia and the consequences of Good and Bad have been changed; if your good, your punished, if your bad your awarded. Now if you don't give yourself up innocent lives are wasted, igniting your fire to do good, but you can't or you'll never get out. Running is no longer an option. Rumors are going round that there is a sanctuary for "The Good". Will you risk going and take a chance at being captured, or worse, die? Or will try to continue running? Or worse, will you join the Mafia? Choose wisely...

Lex stood with his back against the wall of the main hangar of his ship, The Corinthian. "Think they'll show?" he asked Nora, slightly nervous. He was glad that he spent little money while he was aboard his friends ship as a crew member. His friend scoffed at him when he said that he would build a division of his own, asking why waste so much money when you could just join another division's crew.   "They'll show," Nora said with more confidence than he felt. "But first, let me do my job as a secretary and remind you of your meeting with a seller of a MWP that you were interested in getting. I'm still trying to understand why you chose Cole as the planet to start recruiting from." Nora said with a sigh.   "Because my dear Nora, the planet is nice, the people are well trained, and it's the largest planet within 600 light years of where the Eclipse abandoned me. So it was the logical choice. besides, where else can you steal an experimental ship and get away with it for two years. I mean, we did steal this ship in 3485." he said with a smile. "Record this and play it for the guests until I get back please. Welcome, glad to have you on board! I am currently dealing with a new acquisition, so please make yourselves at home and we'll talk when I get back." he said as he headed out to meet with the nutjob that wanted to sell a MWP.

((Note to all players: I will be stating in all capitals on what part of the role play we will be doing such as REALMS or REAL LIFE. Realms means the game and Real Life means your real world character. So the first posts are to be of the game so post as your in-game character first. We'll get to the real life characters soon.))   It was a quiet afternoon in the rain forests of Southern Temporal. Birds in the distant chirp as the woods is crawling with life from the ants to large animals. This area is perfect for hunting deer and elk as well as gathering herbs that only grow in the humid rain forest floors under massive trees. One only need to climb a tree to the top of the canopy and look out to the west where the arid desert resides. It was a strange realm to be sure of as rain forests hug against deserts of sand and heat. Swamp lands in the southeast section of the realm are surrounded by rain forests and dotted with many small villages just above the swamp waters. Phansom was sitting up off the ground on top of a fallen tree with bow in hand. Deer meat, pelts, and antlers are in high demand in a small town in the nearby desert and she took a job to hunt down a few deer for a local restaurant owner. The order is for as much meat as she can bring back and the rest of the deer is free to be sold off at her leisure.    Of course it was very quiet and that usually a bad omen for many hunters. A few deer have grazed in a spot where the canopy lets in lots of light and grass to grow in the fertile ground of the forest floor but they where too young and small to be hunted. Phansom was waiting for several large deer with massive antlers to enter the area as they where perfect for collection. A few five-point bucks and lots of doe's with their fawns graze on the soft green grass on and off for a few hours as she waited. She only needed three good bucks to make her goal plus the pelts and antlers would be worth a lot in the main city. It was getting into the mid afternoon before a few 13 point bucks strolled into the area. The humidity was also getting higher and she knew it would rain soon. She had the wind blowing towards her so her scent wouldn't give her away but the deer could hear a twig snap a good distance away so she moved carefully.   Carefully she crept closer and closer to the two massive bucks. Drawing a plain arrow from her quiver gently as not to cause loud noises and place it on the draw string. It took an hour to get close enough to them and a few more minute to draw her bow. In her mouth was a second arrow as the first gets fully drawn. The first buck was the farthest away and thus her first target. She waited...for the right timing to release the arrow knowing that she will need to draw and fire the second arrow in seconds. Clouds rolled over and a few birds flew off giving her the sound cover she was waiting for then releases the first arrow. Soon as it was released and on it's way to the farthest buck. She drops the second plain arrow into her right hand and draws it back. The twing of her bow echos slightly and it was enough for the bucks to stop grazing.   As the farthest buck is struck with her first arrow. The second arrow was on it's way to the closest buck while it looks at it's fallen friend. She moved quickly as the second arrow hits the second buck but was just off by an inch to  the upper tight of the bucks heart. It stumbles as it tries to run away while she draws one of her daggers. Closing in to finish the job before it could get away and bleed out in the forest filled with other predators. As it started to make it's bolt to the forest, She grabs it by the neck and attempts to drag it down. The buck had more muscle and drags her along for the ride but with the added weight and with it bleeding out. It couldn't run fast and it gave her the short window to take her dagger and drag the razor sharp edge of the blade across the throat hard. Cutting it open and causing it to fall to the ground. It bleed out in seconds instead of agonizing minutes.    She stood over her kill and whistles loudly to call her equine hiding out nearby. The large equine galloped to her with a large cart behind it. It slowed to a stop next to her and she ruffled the equine's mane as praise for it coming to her before struggling to pull the heavy dead buck onto the cart. As it plops onto the cart, she lets out a heavy grunt and sits down at the edge of the cart. Taking a flask to drink from it as she points to the other dead buck for the equine to walk to. The equine pulls the cart with her and a dead buck on it. She leans over to grab the arrow stuck in it's flesh. She grunts yanking it out before sitting back down. The arrow was still usable and so she cleaned it off with some water before enchanting it with an ice effect. She then sticks into the dead buck on the cart to slow down the decomposition of it's meat before the equine stops a few feet from the second dead buck.   The fight with the wounded buck and getting it onto the cart really took a lot of stamina so she taps the large equine's shoulder and pointed to the second dead buck then to the cart. The large equine nodded and went to retrieve it. The equine is a big lug but can't talk. It was an npc who ran into debt problems and they took his tongue as payment. Though he couldn't talk, he more then made up for it for understanding a lot of gestures and pure brute strength. Evident as he lifts the dead buck with more ease then she did. He placed it on the cart and she did the same with the arrow as the first dead buck. Enchanting it with ice properties and sticking it back into the buck to preserve it as the equine hooks himself back up to the cart and they make their way back to the desert city a few miles west into the desert.   As they make a two hour trek back to the small town. She notices a Hawk flying overhead. She shrugged it off as they get closer to the town. She enjoyed the heat being cold blooded. Though the equine seemed to be having trouble with the arid heat so she took her flask of water and poured it all over his head. He gave of a whinnie as a sign of thanks as they rolled into two. The Hawk that's been following them for the past hour or so flew over head still. They pulled up to the restaurant as the owner comes out. Inspecting the two bucks before handing her a bag full of credits. The equine took the bucks into the butcher's room for a few minutes before returning with the pelts and antlers. As she made her way with her reward and items from the restaurant, the hawk lands in front of her carrying a letter with her name on it.   She knelt down and took the letter then gave the Hawk a few credits before it flew off towards others on it's list. The letter looked important as it had a seal from a high level npc. At first she thought nothing of it as she walked through the town till curiosity got the better of her and decided to open the letter. It felt like paper only the royalty would use and it had very good hand writing. She reads it while sitting ontop of a rock that has been heated up by the sun. It was written in a very formal manor.                            "Dear Phansom;                                                     We require your unique skill for a very profitable quest. Enclosed is a map of the Capital City with the area where we are to meet to discuss the finer details of the quest. Also enclosed is credits to cover a one way trip via carriage. Please meet us at 6:30pm sharp alone."     It was signed by a seal rather then a signature of one of the royal families in the realm and she decided to see if it was legit. Taking the next carriage to the capital city was going to take some time and thus logged off for the night as the carriage continued on it's way.     ((Ok this is to explain what you where doing before getting the letter and heading to the capital city. Have fun.))

This will contain mature content, readers be warned.             Nayomi sighed as she set the papers down on the desk in front of her, she'd been here most of the night and to be honest she had no more of a lead then she did before. Chiron had helped a great deal, there was no doubt about that...but they were still going in mostly blind, and it made her more then uncomfortable. Pinching the bridge of her nose she pulled out a cigarette and lit it, her zippo illuminating the small span of her facial features for a mere moment. Leaning back in the chair, she blew smoke towards the ceiling like she always did, her thoughts running rampant, her frown getting deeper the more she thought. "You frown to much, you'll get wrinkles ya know." She started slightly, her having been so deep in thought she had missed the person entering the room. "Jesus Clyde...don't do that..." "It's what I'm good at Blayze, they don't call me Phantom for nothing you know." "They call you Phantom cause you can camouflage your self. And just because your great grandmother used to be a top operative around here doesn't mean you get special privileges. Now, what do you want?" "Hey, my grandmother was a saint. And I have some info for you on the area your heading to." "I said you great grandmother, and what info?" Sticking the almost spent cigarette between her teeth she reached for a pen and a flipped one of the papers Chiron had given her to the backside giving her a blank sheet to write on. "Hey Lilly was a kind hearted person I'll have you know." "I get it Talon, tell me what you know!" He smirked as she let out a low growl, a clear sign of her patience wearing thin. "There's a small town round abouts 10 miles from that village your being sent to, which by the way is Omish country." "Oh goody. So there's a town huh?" "Yup, and apparently there's 3 missing persons reports from that town in the last 20 or so years." "Gods alive, how long has this been going on?" "Well, first there was a older man, a woman's husband I believe that went missing, he just left for work one day and never came home, a few years after that is a middle aged man, close to 30 I'd say, same thing, left the town and never came back. Now the last one is the most disturbing." Nayomi looked up at him, he had long since taken a seat adjacent from her, chewing on a piece of gum as he rubbed and pulled on the short, thin beard around his chin as his thoughts seemed to over take him as well. "About 6 months ago there was another report made, this time about a little boy; no older then 4 or 5 I think, the mother had let him out in the front yard to play, which was fenced in mind you. Close to half an hour later she hadn't heard him come back in or heard the neighbor's kids come to play so she went to check on him...nothing." Nayomi frowned as she crushed the spent cigarette into the almost overfull ashtray next to her. "Nothing?" "Nothing, well not completely. There was a small clue, nothing anyone normal could go off of at least." "What was it?" "The family dog was laying dead in the yard, now this dog was apparently only a few years old her self. Still fairly young according to the reports, yet when she was found, she looked as though she was nearly 12." "Abnormally old for a dog..." "Yeah, that's what I thought too. Autopsy report showed that all the organs, bones, and blood vessels seemed to have been shriveled to almost nothing. Almost like something had sucked the life right out of the dog. They eventually just admitted the woman into a psyche ward and called it a day. Thought she was just insane or something." "Sounds off to me." Clyde nodded slowly. "Yeah I thought so too, never occurred to me it might mean something but I thought you might want to know." "Not overly helpful, but at least I have a small lead now. There's only so many things that can do that right?" "Only one kind I know about. Demons." Nayomi nodded as she lit another cigarette, her expression thoughtful.  "Thanks for the info Talon, I'll see what I can make of it." He nodded and gave her a mock salute as he headed for the door, he paused briefly in the door way and looked over his shoulder. "I also heard from a little birdy that if you and your team pull this off, you'll be promoted to Alpha. Rumors are spreading like wild fire lemme tell ya." "I highly doubt we'll get Alpha for just this one mission Clyde. But can you do me a favor?" "For you beautiful? Anything." She rolled her eyes and blew a plume of smoke towards him. "Stop the rumors. I don't need anymore pressure than what I have on my team for this. It's been over a years since we've been in the field." "Heh, yeah, how's ol Commandant feel about it?" "He's not happy I know that much." Clyde nodded slowly. "I'll see what I can do, and Blayze..." Nayomi looked up meeting his green eye, a shiver ran through her; she hated his eyes...they seemed to pierce right through her. "Try not to slip up this time would you?" Sighing she nodded and opened her laptop; she knew she would never live that one incident down, not by her team, not by the agency...not by anyone. How could she to be honest? She knew what would happen if she pushed her self to far...but she did it anyway. He frown returned as her thought drifted back to that single mission...the one that nearly ruined her career. being a shape shifter isn't the greatest of talents the HDF has. She shook her head and stood pacing, the smoke billowing from her lips like a small steam engine.  It was night, pitch black and cold...she had phased to see better, hear better, get a better idea of what they were looking for. The den had been said to be abandoned for years yet signs of life lingered here and there, the vampires had far from moved away. When the fight had started everyone was in perfect sync, no one missed a beat, til they were over whelmed. Orders had come in for evacuation, Nayomi's pride couldn't stand a retreat and so she ignored it, stayed and fought. She knew, when her vision began to turn red...she knew what could happen, what was happening, yet she still pressed forward. It wasn't until it was to late that she tried to stop, tried to quell her instincts but the wolf was to far gone. One moment as herself became another trapped inside the beast, terrified all she could do was watch from the inside as the wolf went rampant, friend, foe...none of it mattered. She ripped through everything in her path. Oh the mission was a success alright, but her injured team caused an uproar.  They were desked the very next day. She shook her head free of the thoughts and sat back down crushing another cigarette out with a vengeance, not this time. She had better control and she was better trained now, not this time. She knew how much a field mission must mean to her team and she was far from willing to let them down again. Rising from the seat she grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair and slipped it on, stuffing the remaining pack of cigarettes and her lighter in her jacket pocket she grabbed the papers and left the small office, hoping to never again be there for that amount of time. Her watch beeped at her, screaming that the mission was starting and she walked door to door, knocking lightly, letting her team know it was time to go. She reached her destination in the hanger, an old, wizened man drapped in a deep blue cloak greeted her with a crinkled grin. "Wolf. it's a beautiful morning." "Smells like it Cloak, smells like it." She matched his smile and leaned on one of the agency vehicles as she looked at the man, he had been here longer than she had, no one knew just how old he really was or how he had lived as long as he did. Rumors flew about the base that he had once been part of the infamous Alpha team over 50 years ago, having aided Commandant and Commander Athens to a victory that saved the world. But rumors were just that, rumors and who knew that the tall tale was actually true or not.  "Are you taking us today Cloak?" "No no, to conspicuous. You'll be taking the jet to your mission today. And might I say good luck. If you'll excuse me, I must meet with the Commandant." She nodded, pulling out another cigarette and lighting it as she waited for her team, a trifle thought filtering through her mind as she did. '...I should cut back....'

You decide to become a spy because [Insert good reason here] and you ask one of your friends if they know about one. They tell you where it is and you ask how they know. They drug you and take you to the agency to be initiated. When you regain consciousness what do you do? Flare up and scream your head off at your friend? Or will you forgive your friend for taking you away in such a rude way? Or become more than friends? (Hint, hint.)   Rules   1.No godmodding 2.Romance (You can pass kissing by just a little. But don't over do it) Drama and Fighting ( No killing unless its ok with that person ) are encouraged. 3. You will chose your own partner. 4.Everyone except for the friend will be a Beginner 5. Have fun!   Grades: Beginner Intermediate Advanced   Form:   Name: Age: (15-18) Gender: Skill: Looks: Personality: Bio: (Optional) Grade Position ( Friend or not) Reason for joining: Other:   Mine:   Name: Audrei Age: 15 Gender: F Skill: Hand-to-hand combat Looks: Black hair,hazel eyes, fair skin Personality: Kind,disobedient,shy till you get to know her, and has a mild inferiority complex. Bio:Had a happy childhood until her family and friends were murdered in front of her. Reason for joining: To protect herself and the people she loves Other: None  

In the Midst of V.I.O.L.E.N.C.E.   â?     â??--For the foreseeable future, we will have to endure the wormhole connecting our world to the Demons' world. But that does not mean we need endure the demons ravaging our world.â? The image of General Vela on the tv screen looked sternly upon the crowd he was addressing.    â??For far too long we have been on the defensive, watching as demons infested our world like roaches. They scorched our cities, murdered our kin and caused mayhem in our homes. At first, all we could do was hold them at bay. Despite the sorrow and the loss, our scientists worked tirelessly on a means to defend the people. Thanks to their efforts we were able to raise the walls around the UWG, allowing the people to heal and recover. From that moment forward we began reconstruction, then renovation, and now all people of the UWG live lives vastly superior in every way to their forefathers.â? He paused for moment as the crowd cheered him on.   â??However we were too content to stop at safe and secure. I admit that this fault was mine alone; I insisted that each and every scientist discontinue work in our arms department until the forcefields were complete. Fortunately, we have since perfected the shields. Unfortunately, the demons still roam our lands. But not any longer. Today, we remove the invaders from our planet, and bring the fight to them. I present to you, the Storm Guard.â? Vela stepped aside form his podium and beckoned to the area behind him. The ground parted and a massive, humanoid figure rose up. What appeared to be a much larger, thinner, more terrifying version of the Iron Guard suits stood behind General Vela, ominously leering at the crowd.   â??The new Storm Guard armour is state of the art weaponry, outfitted with defensive technology capable of defending against even the toughest of Behemoth strikes, and enough firepower to tear a dragon in half.  And with these phenomenal powers, the Storm Guard will march on our greatest enemy; the world of Inferno itself!â? The crowd grew hushed, and a series of whispers filtered throughout the crowd. Vela sensed the discomfort in the masses and shifted his attitude.   â??I know many citizens are apprehensive about sending our soldiers into Inferno based upon the belief that it is, in fact, the biblical 'Hell'. But I can assure you that Inferno is not Hell, or any otherworldly locale; it is simply another planet from another solar system which, through means currently unavailable to us, has become linked to our own.â? The crowd seemed to accept his explanation and visibly relaxed. Satisfied, Vela returned to his previous point.   â??Regardless of the world's origin, we cannot and will not suffer its oppression any longer. Six Storm Guard, along with the regiment of Iron Guard, will venture into the enemy territory, eliminate all surrounding forces, and then over the next several months will begin clearing out the demon hordes. In place of the removed Iron Guard, another ten Storm Guard will patrol the UWG's boundaries. The remaining Iron Guard and every active UWG sanctioned civilian soldier has a new missionâ??in addition to protecting citizens from rampaging demons, they will immediately begin tracking down and eliminating any members of the terrorist cell V.I.O.L.E.N.C.E.--â?   â??Horse shit,â? Junko grumbled over the tv before taking a shot of whiskey. The other half-demons in Bacchus' Pubâ??the car of Nidhogg specifically designated as a barâ??laughed in agreement and clinked their glasses together. The bartender, an irresistible succubus named Laira, scoffed at Junko's comment and poured her another whiskey.   â??You don't agree with the General's brilliant idea?â? Laira asked, seductively rolling her l's despite lacking any discernible accent. More accurately, she didn't have a natural human accent, rather an amalgamation of all the attractive qualities from every accent on Earth. Likewise, her appearance constantly fluctuated as well, changing every second to reflect the desires of the person viewing her. Junko eyed Laira and shrugged.   â??If el general wants to sacrifice his own life, that's his prerogative. And, if he wants to send soldiers after us, goodee for him. But if he sends his soldiers into the wormhole they're all going to die. He thinks it some kind of war. The demons aren't sitting around, drawing on maps, reviewing battle strategies. Well,â? she paused, downing another shot.    â??Most of them aren't,â? she finished, motioning for Laira to fill up another glass. Laira smirked and gave Junko another refill.   â??And that ridiculous nonsense he's trying to feed people about Inferno,â? Laira chimed in, taking a swig from the whiskey bottle. Every eye in the bar was fixated on her while she drank, and she knew it; she winked as the liquor poured down her throat. Junko sighed.   â??You were saying, Lai?â? She questioned, trying to keep Laira focused. The half-succubus shot a dirty look at Junko, but obliged nonetheless.   â??Who does he think he's fooling, telling everyone that Inferno isn't actually Hell?â? Laira continued. â??Did he just close his eyes whenever Wraiths moseyed out of the wormhole?â? Junko chuckled, but truthfully, Laira had brought up the most disconcerting part of the General's speech. She understood why Vela would want people to believe that Inferno wasn't the â??afterlife.â? If the citizens of the UWG thought Inferno housed actual human souls many of them would have moral stipulations with his crusade. Not that public disapproval would stop him; he would have his way no matter what. But with the public behind him, people will actively devote their time to helping him conquer Inferno. And if he ruled over the damned, or worse, eradicated them, what repercussions would that have on the planet.   â??However it turns out will be great for us,â? someone growled from behind Junko, placing his hand on her shoulder. Junko shrugged the hand off of her shoulder and took another drink. She didn't feel like swallowing any of Malik's maddening anti-human, anti-demon beliefs. He couldn't care less about the cosmic damage Vela could cause, so long as the â??mortal foes of demonspawnâ? were annihilated.    â??Not today, Malik--â? She had hardly said his name when every amulet in the pub began to wail at high pitch. Everyone save Junko ignored the ghostly wail, precisely because they knew Junkoâ??who had appointed herself the unofficial â??retrieverâ?â??would answer the call. True to form, Junko's eyes narrowed and she slammed her shot glass down on the counter. Without saying another word to her comrades, she grasped her necklace. A swirling vortex consumed her figure, and spit her back out almost instantaneously. She had barely caught her bearings when a torrent of flames overtook her. She recognized the flames instantly as Rotfire, and quickly inhaled the embers off of her body.   â??I didn't expect one of you monsters to be along so quickly,â? the robotic voice an Iron Guard member buzzed at her. His suit was larger and clunkier than the other Iron Guard models; little differentiated him from a walking armory.  His visor was locked on Junko, but his right arm was aimed at a crumpled figure under his foot. A series of realizations occurred to Junko in a row. First, she realized that the Iron Guard member was gripping a V.I.O.L.E.N.C.E. amulet in his left hand. Then she recognized the figure flattened under the metal boot and a loud roar tore from Junko's throat.   â??Get your fucking foot off of her,â? Junko demanded, her skin reddening and her extra horns emerging. The ally currently embedded in the ground was Rhea, a half-golem, and the closest thing Junko had to a partner, friend or lover. She had attached herself to Junko years ago, and although Junko hadn't been particularly warm to her, she never abandoned Junko.   â??No, I don't think I will,â? the Iron Guard responded, firing a grenade into Rhea's chest. The girl screamed in agony, but her golem flesh remained intact. Junko grabbed the hilt of her kanabo and readied it.   â??Well then, tell me what you think of this.â?   â?   OOC: Alrighty everyone, things are in motion! Go about your daily lives, but know that your enemies will be breathing down your neck worse than ever. The Iron Guard are looking to eliminate you. Exorcists seek your head as a trophy. The Storm Guard will attempt to squash any who enter into UWG territory. And who knows what repercussions Vela's actions in Inferno will have upon the world. All that and more lies in wait for you, amidst a sea of V.I.O.L.E.N.C.E.    Happy writing!

The Cast   Dragon Knight Malik- Myself Dragon Knight Bayel- K.G. Dragon Slayer Haytham- Orcus Battle-mage Garrick- DeLarge Wizard Julian- Kayin Cloud     Dragon Knights: The Night Wars     The world was dark and silent, the creatures of the night had settled in for a well deserved rest as they all knew that the sun would be rising in a short time. Everything was at itâ??s darkest, no more sign of either of the two moons that orbited their world, no evidence of any of the brighter stars ever existed. Malik had risen early as he stared at the blackness all around him, no lights were on, no electricity flowed through his quarters nor any illuminating mage fire. He stood without his armor, a sense of freedom without the bonds of his dragon forged armor bearing down on his shoulders. He wore a loose tunic with plain trousers now, clothes he normally wasnâ??t able to wear even in the Battle Tower when walking around. Most claimed it was for his own safety, that he needed to protect himself at all times, that he was their only hope in winning this new war. He didnâ??t believe any of that, they boosted his importance higher than any man should be elevated, he understood he was the First Born, a title bestowed upon him from the first dragon. It was all magical to others, and fantastic war stories to tell around the hearth to troops and commoners alike, but it was just a title and he was just a man with a duty hanging around his neck. His hands were held formally behind his back, a position he had maintained many times before in the folds of the metal of his armor. Standing on a balcony outside his quarters, feeling the air whip around him as he stood several hundred feet above the ground as he closed his eyes and let his arms hang at his sides. Letting the world fade as he tried to remember a better time, when things were less gray, when all he had to deal with was daily reports of supplies needed for the tower, care for livestock and speaking to the dragons who resided with them. He found he couldnâ??t summon the image, no memory coming to mind that was able to pull him away from the present. Another war they would say, another bloody chapter in their history, but they would never understand what this was like, never understand what it was like to fight someone you once called brother, who was your battle sister. He opened his eyes then, the sun was starting to peek over the horizon creating a red glow and pushing the darkness aside. Malik watched as the sun rose, the light cascading over the land as it brought color back to the world. The land around Dragonâ??s Rise was a plains that gave them view for miles, the deep green of the grass and golden color of the wheat shined against the rays of the sun. â??It looks to be a beautiful day my lord.â? The soft voice had caught him by surprise, something she always did very well. People would have liked to believe he could hear her coming, have known she would show up and never be caught off guard, but he was just a man. Though he was always aware of his surroundings on the battlefield, magic and sorcery would always get the better of him if he wasnâ??t careful. â??Yes, it would be, if not for our war.â? Malik didnâ??t look at her, he just kept his eyes on the fields before him. â??You should really put on your armor Tourid Shegul, it is not safe for you." â??It is not safe for any of us Cassandra, not as long as Corvin is free.â? Silence followed as they both stared out toward the sun, seeing everything coming back to life from the cold night. â??Iâ??ve received reports in the night, one of our scouting ships returned from itâ??s patrol. They informed me of another raid by Corvinâ??s forces. The fallen knights had come across one of the villages that we have been recruiting from, Tarrick and Glaive were stationed there.â? Cassandra looked over to him, her eyes only betraying her thoughts for just a moment before she looked away again. â??I hope they fought valiantly.â? â??Tarrick was killed in his sleep, Glaive managed to change and bring down one of them before being killed himself. There is nothing valiant about what we do, as long as we keep this war going, more will die for nothing.â? Cassandra kept herself steeled against the sound of his voice, a mixture of anger and sorrow was caught in the undertone of his words. She turned away and walked over to where his armor stood on the stand, the imposing figure it created and the presence of awe some felt when first meeting him. She noticed then, two new weapons had been placed in the wall rack behind the armor, a war hammer with a large spike on the end of the handle and a Falchion with intricate runes etched into the blade. â??Are these Tarrick and Glaives weapons? Iâ??m surprised you were able to get these.â? She wasnâ??t really, the rack itself was dedicated to the knights who had fallen in this war. She looked at each one carefully, she saw that the wall rack covered most of the wall and it was only a quarter of the way filled. That idea that it was that full already almost broke her heart, dozens of Knights had met their end by their brothers, and with each death, Malik collect their weapon and placed it on his wall. She couldnâ??t look at it any longer, she reached up and pulled the helmet free from the stand and walked it over to Malik. He had remained silent the whole time, not bothering to even look in the direction as he let his mind wander, only coming back to the world as he felt the cold metal touch his bare skin. Looking at the empty face from the helmet staring at him, whispering about the old wars and the lives lost in each one, of the people he knew and died. He took the piece of armor and held it in his hands, only looking at it for a few seconds before turning from the balcony and walking to the stand and started putting on the pieces of the armor. â??I am tired of seeing my knights die Cassandra, this war needs to end it has gone on long enough.â? â??Well if it was that easy I am sure you would have done it yourself years ago Malik. Corvin was an excellent wizard, and with whatever enhancements heâ??s given himself he has hidden himself from me and Teâ??lian. I donâ??t see what you are going to do differently to find him.â? Malik already had the put on the lower half of his armor, clapping on the breastplate and putting on his gauntlets. â??Then let us try something different, he knows how the knights operate, he devised many of our tactics along side me, I need people he doesn't know, that he canâ??t predict like he can us.â? â??Now who would we find for that kind of plan? All we really have here are Dragon knights and the dragons who stayed with you.â? Malik adjusted the straps and buckles on his armor, making sure everything was fitted correctly as he flexed his hands. â??You forget about the slayers sorceress, we made them for this kind of thing. Isnâ??t there one who is related to one of our knights, Kromâ??s son isnâ??t it?â? Cassandra held out her hand and materialized a book in her palm, the size was small but with another quick swipe of her hand and the book grew. She open the cover and started sifting through the pages, coming to a stop and using a slender finger to scroll down the page before tapping a finger on a specific name. â??You are right, but do you really want to include Krom the Unyieldingâ??s son in this? Krom was unstable before we got to him, and we gave him the means to cause immense damage I can only imagine what his son will do.â? â??Krom has grown wiser with time, his son will be an asset to us, he has already proven himself in battle and his Slayer talents have been most effective.â? Cassandra seemed displeased with the idea, she didnâ??t trust the Slayers yet and even less with Kromâ??s son being involved, though he was one of Malikâ??s trusted advisers. â??Thatâ??s well and all, but that still leaves you with the mindset of a dragon knight and a slayer and a sorceress who has been there since the beginning. We canâ??t find him with just that Malik.â? Malik walked across the room to a table in the middle of his quarters with papers scattered everywhere, maps of known boarders, reports of conflicts and encounters all over. He searched through the papers and after several moments of picking through the papers he found a piece of parchment scribbled on and walked it back to Cassandra. Looking over the writing, she raised a brow at him once she had finished reading the paper.   â??Is this a list of Battle-mages? How many are there left after the war?â? â??A lot more than you would think, there are a couple on there I want you to take special interest in. Ollen is someone I know, if he hasnâ??t thrown it in for the easier life heâ??s a valuable asset. There is also a Viridisian iâ??ve heard word about, Garrick I think his name is, make sure he is assessed properly.â? Cassandra held the paper in one hand while pinching the bridge of her nose, her painted eyes closed in a mock frustration. â??Very well, now, anyone else you want or is this disaster in waiting all you need?â? Malik took a few seconds to think, looking as if he was contemplating something. â??Make sure that Knight Moretal is told to meet with me, she seems to have taken upon herself to be my personal guard so she will get that chance in an official manner. Now, can you recommend any sorcerers or wizards who could benefit us?â? â??Why do you need another wizard? You have my power at your disposal, you donâ??t need anything more than me!â? Cassandra seemed offended by his words, he looked to her and tried his best to give her a reassuring smile. â??Of course you are, but Corvin knows your ways as I do, a fresh perspective and different talents will give us the edge. Find me someone for this, and I want you to personally see to this, you are the expert on magic, you will have final say on who is capable.â? Putting her hands on her hips, crinkling the paper in her hands as she let a harsh breath escape her nose. â??Very well then, this will take a few days at least, until the keep yourself occupied.â? Malik bowed his head to her, picking up the helmet he had set aside as he turned to walk out the large double, steel banded doors. â??I will do my best, these ambassadors are a toss up, hopefully I wonâ??t lose it and start tossing them out the tower windows.â? Cassandra felt her heart thump for just a second, his words striking an old memory from a war long over now. She mentally shook herself as she watched the Dragon Commander leave with his cape flowing behind him, his helmet cradled in his arm as he put of his mask of cold iron even though he felt as if the winds of fate were changing for them, and for those he was going to involve in their battle. OOC: Alright everyone, you will all be contact in someway or another by Malik, whether it is by someone sent for you or you are to personally meet with him. How that happens, whether gently or not, is up to you and who gets you I leave to your imagination. Have fun, and see you at Dragonâ??s Rise.

Again, this will be a mature RP. Enjoy! [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]Screaming could be heard down the halls of the underground base that night, they howled and echoed through the halls, bouncing off the walls and filling the base with eerie noises and terrifying shadows. Most people stayed in their rooms this night but the few who knew, the few that were used to it ventured out, curious as to who was fairing better than the others. Under the gym, deep below the ground a door was chained shut, screams and shouts fermenting within it. As the night continued on the screaming decreased, growing slowly quiet til only heavy breathing could be heard from the other side. It was done...[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]Saph rolled on the floor holding her head, her teeth gritted tightly as tears flowed from her eyes, her throat was raw from screaming for so long, but the feeling of the Zero had been more than she expected. It was as if someone had injected liquid lava into her veins breathing heavily she tried to stand and felt her entire body give out. Shaking her head she simply lay on her stomach, the cool wooden floor feeling wonderful against her fevered skin. Her eyes scanned the room, she could only see four others moving, Hunter, Shu, Crimson, and Obsidian... Were they the only ones left? Had everyone else just given up and died like the stories said? She looked to the person lying next to her, her breath catching in her throat, their face was frozen in a silent scream, blood having dried from pouring from their nose, eyes and mouth...their skin having taken on a sick look, pale and light blue, their veins highlighted throughout their skin and standing our harshly...there was no doubt this person was dead...she suddenly gasped, her body feeling unbearably hot as it felt as if it were constricting tightly, her back hunched as her hands were clasped into fists. Closing her eyes she grit her teeth and growled out a curse. Was this normal? Was she supposed to feel like this? [/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]Her body reacted instantly as a hand dropped onto her shoulder, twisting and latching onto the hand as she leapt to her feet and shoved the person onto their backs, her other hand instantly around their throat. Seeing the man's face she backed off, sliding from her chest to the floor to sit and look up into his grizzled face which was smiling sadly. [/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"B-Bear...what's going on?" His deep voice echoed throughout the now silent room, only a few shuffles could be heard. [/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"You five are the only ones who survived. Each of you will most likely feel different, the Zero reacts differently to your body given your blood type. Those of you with negative type blood will most likely experience quicker reaction times, tougher skin, or even enhanced strength, but please...do not think that your invincible because of this...all of you are still very much human...your just able to push your selves a little further than the rest of us...Those of you with positive blood may experience increased speed or even heightened senses. These reactions, can go either way, just be ready for whatever. Now...you five, your time starts now. Welcome to the war pilots."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]Saph blinked and looked around, there was just the five of them standing, just the five of them remained...were they the new pilots? Her training kicked in as she looked over her self and the others from a distance. She could see the burn on their skin where the Zero had been injected, a scar, a memory forever of their pain here. She walked up to Hunter and peeled back his eye lid looking at his pupils, at least tried before he swatted her away with a frown.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Magus, your medical examination will have to wait, we need to get you five cleaned up and suited up. The Barons don't wait..." They looked towards him, shock visible on all of their faces.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Your throwing us into this?! We have no training on piloting those things!" Bear looked at Saph and nodded.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"I understand Magus, but its inevitable...the other pilots have reached their limits, and you all are what we have to work with now. So go and get cleaned up than meet in the hanger. You have an hour."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]With that, Bear left the room, Saph ran a hand through her hair before she let out a breath and followed him, walking out of the room she walked through the halls without really seeing where she was going as she headed to her small room. Once there she opened the door and closed it, blinking as she turned around and saw a black and red uniform on her bed. It looked form fitting and professional, neatly pressed and new. Sighing she stripped from her sweat soaked clothes on her walk to her bathroom, pulling off her shirt, and unbuttoning her pants, she reached the bathroom and finished the process as she flipped on the water, turning it as hot as she could stand, uncaring that her pale, cream colored skin turned pink as she stepped under the stream of water. It felt good, and she could feel the stream filling the small room, inhaling deeply she stopped as her head swam, she could smell her shampoo from across the shower, still unopened. She shook it off as she finished her shower and emerged, her hair wrapped in a towel as she walked back into her room. Drying she slipped into the uniform and looked at the badge on her chest, the golden color allowing the small red KNIGHT to be seen clearly within. Sighing she pulled her hair up into a tight military style bun and put the Barrett on top of her head and slipped into a pair of polished heels she put on a small amount of make up to bring out her blue eyes and took a deep breath. This was it, she was far from ready as she opened her door and stepped out into the hall, instantly being saluted to by a few people walking past...this was going to take some getting used to. She turned and began to walk towards the hanger, turning the corner she saw Bear there who smiled at her.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Sapphire Magus, Red pilot. Welcome. From this moment on there is no turning back...do you accept?"[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Do I have a choice?" He chuckled and lead her into the hanger, she looked up and gasped as the five hulking KNIGHTS loomed over her, their eyes seeming to follow her til she came face to face with her own. "Here is your partner. Get to know him, you'll be heading out within the hour. We just received word that there are Barons inbound. 50 miles out. That's gives us two hours." "What?! I'm not ready for this!" "Than get ready Magus."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]With that he left her there and walked back out into the hall to welcome the others. [/font][/color] Alright, there you have it! We're jumping right in!

[color=#ff0000][font='comic sans ms', cursive]Ok everyone, sorry this took so long, life's been dealing a few low blows lately but I'm gonna try and push through it and get this going for you all. [/font][/color] [color=#ff0000][font='comic sans ms', cursive]Again, warnings are for a mature RP, blood, gore, violence, sexual content. You all know the drill.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive] Akieen paced back and forth in front of the bay window of the small apartment they were supposed to be meeting in, she could feel her canines pressing into the back of her lips as she chewed on the end of an unlit cigarette. She hated smoking but sometimes it was the only way to calm her nerves enough to not let her beast show. Even with the ability to completely control her transformations, being free of the moon, her anger and anxiety still made what she was very apparent. This was one of those times, there were others like her coming into this town she lived in, there were creatures of the darkest nightmares coming to meet her, some she was sure it wouldn't be the first time meeting them. There was one in particular she was sure would not be most pleased with her being part of this 'Rescue Mission'. She whipped around as the door opened and one of the humans walked in, with a box of doughnuts and coffees of all things.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"You really expect us to eat those?" "Do you not eat human foods?" "Oh we do...just depends on who you brought in."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]He lifted his eye brows as if just realizing something and put the drinks and food on the small table in the middle of the barren room, quickly pulling out an envelope and handing it to her. Obviously proud of him self. [/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"What's this kid?" She saw his cheeks redden slightly, she liked him a lot more then the other two that thought they were better.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"It's a list of all the operatives we've brought in."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]Akieen nodded and pulled out the papers and began to look through them, she was shocked to see there was another were wolf joining them, she could only hope there would be no 'Alpha' nonsense between the two of them. [/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Let's see here. Were wolf, Daemon...He tends to be somewhat..."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Out there?" She chuckled at his choice of words.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Oh, I suppose you can say that, as a matter of fact...I know Dark and he can be a bit more then 'out there'."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]She shook her head at the thought of the cheerful Daemon. Continuing through the list she reached over and plucked a coffee from the others and began to sip it carefully.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"This Lex character sounds rough...what's known about him?"[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Not much, he kinda stays away from us." "How'd you get a hold of him?" "He came to us to be honest. Said something about an accident. I dunno."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]She shook her head at the young man as he began to look around, Akieen looked at the unlit cigarette between her fingers.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Hey kid, you got a light?" "Huh? Oh yeah!"[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]He produced a lighter for her and shortly after the stagnant smell of smoke filled the room as Akieen continued to look. She read more on the other were wolf and felt her heart sink slightly. He was still victim to his anger and the full moon.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"That could be a small problem." "The were wolf dude? Yeah, I hear he's better then most though. I guess he can control his anger better then most of his kind."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]Akieen scoffed.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"What's your name kid?"[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Ivil."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Cool name, how do you know so much about these guys?" "I read over shoulders a lot."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]She laughed at this and nodded before she looked over her shoulder at him.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Does that mean you know what I am?" "Yup! I know your the originator, I know that you can control your self through both anger and the moon. And I know that all those tales about silver and wolfs bane are all lies."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"Hmm, pretty good."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]She looked back at the files reading through Barracus, she felt her body freeze as she came to the next name. [/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"****..."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"What?" "K-Kayin...? They brought in Kayin?"[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"You know him?" "Oh I've run into him once or twice in our long lives...and it was never pretty." "Did you fight?" "Well...not exactly...more or less...he's a hunter, and he hunts evil...I'm kinda depicted as evil here kid. People who know me, think I created the plague of were wolves out there. You know, the feral ones that bite to change people but most often wind up ripping them to shred and eating them? Yeah...they think I did that."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"So...how do you make another one of you...?" "I can't. And even if I could, I wouldn't."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]She could see the pout beginning and looked away from him and continued to look at the picture of the green haired half demon. She sighed and shook her head.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"This might not be the best reunion I've ever had. At least I get to see Dark again."[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]Shaking her head she finished her coffee just as there was a knock on the door. Ivil jumping slightly before bounding forward.[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]"That must be them starting to arrive!"[/font][/color] [color=#000080][font='comic sans ms', cursive]Akieen took a drag of what was left of her burning cigarette as she watched the door. [/font][/color]

Jason stood in the middle of the his office watching the news as they covered the all the troubles and problems that happened in the other districts during last night's celebration when he heard his office door slid open. "Nathaniel..."   "Morning sir" He paused when he noticed a silver metal box on Warren's desk. "So it came."   Jason nodded. "Arrived a couple hours ago. Have it sent specifically to Dr. Magnus."   Nathaniel nodded before walking across the always perfect kept black carpet and grabbing the box. He made his way to a small cube shaped opening in the dark polished brown oak wall. "So he is the one to get them?"   "His psych profile will hopefully allow seamless transition for him."   Nathaniel tapped a few buttons then stepped back as the backside of the opening he had placed the metal box opened and the package disappeared into the tower's inner delivery system that would take it all the way to the ground then to the research labs. "So that makes one down. Four more."   "Actually three more my friend."   Nathaniel turned, his cold straight face taking on a scowl when he saw the flawlessly made purple amethyst headband in his right hand. "We don't need her"   It was now Jason's turn to frown. "You and me don't as of right now but the others might. In the end we will need her most of all. Just don't kill this one like you did the last one."   Nathaniel remained silent as he stared at the headband.   "Nathaniel...." Jason's voice carried a clear tone of warning that brought Nathaniel's eyes back to his   "Yes sir."    "Good" Immediately Jason's body posture was back to normal in perfect manner. "Have this sent to the Liberty Clinic down in the residential sector to a Dr. Lisa Binnent"   Nathaniel repeated the same process almost smiling when the headband vanished before turning around. "Update from the stakeout detail. so far nothing unusual has been seen at the Trevant household. Both him and his girlfriend are so far clean."   Jason nodded as he walked over to the opposite wall and touched it causing the walls to slid and a fully stocked bar to present itself. "Good but not good. The other three need to show themselves, either by someone finding them or the digs turning them up." He poured himself a drink, swirling it several times in the glass before taking a drink then making one for Nathaniel and holding it in his left hand out beside him where Nathaniel was suddenly standing.   "If only the other had not fallen we wouldn't be dealing with this."   "Yes that is most unfortunate but we will make do. We will have to train the others." He turned to find Nathaniel across the room in one of the large expensive chairs with his feet propped up on the small coffee table in front of him sipping his drink. "When that does happen...do please try not to kill them like you have with others?"   Nathaniel grunted in his drink turning his eyes to the giant screen. "Not all of them died by my hands and you wanted me to remove some of them."   "It was necessary at that point in time...."He paused for a second. "...and the others got out of line. I had to make examples." He turned and moved across the room to sit behind his desk. "I only pray that we will be ready for the upcoming events otherwise everyone will be damned"    They sat in silent watching the news making small jokes at the people interviewed by the reporters until a segment came on about the new mech off the assembly line by Maverick. The Baldur type they called it was top of the line and highly outdid its main front line mech named the Hel type in the firepower department but not in maneuverability. Apparently it was going to be taking a role in fire support.   "Seems to be a growing trend with Maverick in naming their mechs. Hell Kiason just launched their Apollo class clones and Ark brought out their Bast carrier soldier."   "And Hazard has their Hyperion grav tank. Its funny how things work."

Chris tapped on the hologram display of his wristband portable computer, not paying much attention around him. He'd come to this abandoned city because he'd heard the University once located here had a vast treasure trove in the form of books in its library. In the chaos of the aftermath of the coming of the rifts almost two centuries ago, libraries had usually been left to decay alone and forgotten. Chris was hoping that the Colorado State University Library would still prove bountiful. A sound came to his ears, like that of a building collapsing. From his vantage point on the abandoned street, he could see a heavy dust cloud drifting from the west and onto the street. Waiting until the dust settled, Chris made his way to the source of the disturbance. The library could wait. After walking along the desolate streets and rotting hulks of buildings for about five minutes, he came to a massive civilian complex. The name on the wall surrounding it named the place the "Smile Time Ice Cream Factory." Looking around, he realized the garage of the facility had finally succumbed to age and neglect. He noticed a rusted out hulk of an ice cream truck sitting beside the building, and in the rubble he could spot others. In fact, the only vehicles he saw were ice cream vans in varying stages of decay. Different makes and models littered the area but they all matched with their fading pink polka dots and giant ice cream cones mounted on the tops of them. Some of the decorations had long since fallen from their mounts and lied shattered on the ground. Then it came to him. There was something else here. Something that was far from human. And whatever it was it wasn't a good entity. Pure, inexplicable evil perferated this entire area. Looking back down to his wrist computer, it flickered on with a map of the area, and some building schematics for the complex. Whatever was housed within these walls needed to be dealt with, although he hadn't anticipated on this. Smiling slightly, he started working his way to the massive offices building, ever cautious lest he be attacked by something. "See the invisible. see the intangible." He muttered to himself and closed his eyes for a second. "May it be so." Opening his eyes, they were changed from the normal hue to bright orange. There was nothing new for him to see. Kicking in the door leading inside, he peered in through the gloom and unsettled dust. The floors were carpeted, but they were heavily mildewed and rotted where leaks had sprung long before. Trudging through the dark hallway, he sighed. "Flashlight." he said, and a small flickering flame appeared before him, illuminating the darkness. Passing multiple rooms filled with wrecked cubicles and decimated furniture, he eventually came to what appeared to be a cafeteria that had the far wall destroyed by an ice cream van ramming through the wall. The damage was recent, judging from the debris. The ice cream truck in the cafeteria had driven through the entire room and smashed through not far from him. It was a rather boxy looking van, with the sides remodeled to serve its products to the local boys and girls in the city. The vehicle was facing away from him, so he couldn't see any real damage caused by the truck ramming through several walls. However, it was in rather good condition, with rust having only just begun to take hold. It was dirty, and speckled with dried red splotches. The tires looked okay, though well worn. The once bright white had yellowed slightly in spots, and the pink polka dots had faded some as well. What concerned him was the red splotches. He knew that color well. It was dried blood. [i]So... a killer ice cream truck. You've got to be kidding me.[/i] Chris thought. As if to answer him, the ice cream van suddenly started up. It sounded as if it had multiple blown gaskets, and that it was on its last days. Fortunately, it was now that Chris had arrived. The killer vehicle slowly rumbled, taking its time to reemerge from the room it had crashed into. The engine revved up as the truck rolled forward. Chris could see now that the front of the truck was covered in dried blood, though undamaged from wrecking through walls. The inside of the truck seemed to glow faintly with an unholy red light. "Come on then you big lug!" Chris shouted, bracing himself to attack. "Come on! Or are you scared of a little human?" The engine of the killer vehicle roared as the ice cream truck came barreling at Chris. His mouth parted in a sinister smile as he launched himself into the air, using the hood of the van to help him raise himself above its lethal charge. [i]Wow... it's so cold to the touch...[/i] he thought to himself. Lashing out with his feet, he took the decoration on top of the truck completely off. It smashed to the ground as he landed and then took off through the hall again, heading back to the front of the complex. Seconds later, Chris could hear the ice cream truck rumbling behind him and quickly catching up to him as it picked up speed. Chris threw himself through an open doorway once the ice cream truck was nearly on top of him, a frigid blast of air helping send him further into the room. The ice cream truck screeched to a halt, blocking the hallway to the outside. It began to reverse, the engine getting louder the closer it came. The room he was in had no other exit, and he wasn't going back into the hallway. "Looks like I'm blasting my way out." he commented to himself. Snapping his fingers, he conjured a small spark which quickly grew into a massive fireball. He launched it at the doorway where the Ice cream truck was trying to push itself through. The fireball blasted through the windshield and exploded inside, lighting it on fire and sending metal shrapnel flying everywhere. Turning around, Chris repeated the same move on the wall and it met much the same fate. Chris leaped through the hole in the wall and took off running for the ruins of the garage. At least he'd be in the open now, and there was more room to fight. Behind him the killer truck blasted through the wall into the open air, swerving once on the ground to aim itself at Chris. It turned its headlights on, and in the setting sun they glowed a furious red. Thick black smoke poured from the broken windows as the fire raged inside it. "Regretting that decision to take me on?" he chided while grinning like a madman. The vehicle responded by charging once more. Chris raised his hand, palm out and fingers splayed. "Lightning!" A massive, blinding bolt of electricity blew forth, hitting the truck. It had tried to swerve, but it hadn't been fast enough. It crackled with electricity, though it definitely wasn't out of the fight yet as it turned once more on Chris. "You know, for a bathtub on wheels, you sure handle shitty." The van revved once more, and then came straight at Chris. He sighed. "I've had about enough of you." Waving his hand and pointing at the van, and massive spikes of earth rose from the ground, at first slowing the truck down and then completely impaling it and raising it into the air. The crunch of metal and the sheering of plastics accompanied the van in its last moments. The wheels spun helplessly as the earthen spikes took it further into the air and wreaked havoc on it slowly destroying the damned thing. Heavy choking black smoke was coming from the grill, and the truck struggled in vain to escape."You're finished. Your days of killing people are over." The accompanying roar from the disabled truck told Chris it was furious, and it was not giving up. "Incinerate the wicked." Chris turned as the flames began to consume the vehicle, its death throes wild and violent. The wheels blew out, sending burning rubber flying in all directions. The already pitch black smoke coming from the grill increased tremendously as the engine began to sputter between roars. The flames burned hotter and hotter, and higher and higher. Eventually, the truck stopped attempting to escape and seemed to all but accept its fate.The engine sputtered once and then died. The headlights lost their red tinge, dimmed to nothing, and then melted, molten plastic and metal oozing from the hulk of a wreck. Soon, even that was consumed until nothing remained of the ice cream truck serial killer. "Now that that's been taken care of, on to that library...No more idle threats today." He paused for a second, realizing what he had said. "Heh heh... I said 'idle'." And with that he giggled some more and continued on his way. ----------------------------------------------- A quiet yet throaty gutteral purr sounded from the ancient squad car as it sat in front of a red light. It was a calm night, and it was rather relieved to find it to be so. The light changed, and the car continued through the city. Here, people had come together again on the Great Plains. It was nice, and somewhat refreshing from the ruins the vehicle usually drove by. In fact, this was rather a mini-vacation for the car before it headed out west once more. It had recently caught wind of sightings of the major enemy. Black Death was on the roads again, and this time it seemed to have picked up a male passenger that hadn't wound up dead yet through multiple sightings over the course of the last two months. A vampire must have made it happy enough to stick around. Or so Grave Justice thought, anyway. But it was going after Black Death once more. This time, the car and whatever ally it had were going to meet with a deadly two for one special as far as Grave Justice was concerned. It visibly trembled slightly thinking of the destruction of the hearse. The car parked outside a local police station, and tuned into the dispatcher in the building. A police car with a working radio wouldn't arouse much suspicion, and the car tended to be overlooked when amongst others of its like. Black Death it seemed, wasn't to be the topic of conversation. Apparently, someone had been kidnapping children and encasing them in plaster. The car, though silent in its parking space, let off a visible spark shower in anger. Preying on children. How cruel. The car turned its engine over and backed out of its parking space. It roared down the road, heading for the nearest park it had seen advertised on city attraction signs. Where there were the hunted would be where one would find the hunter. A rather large park only a couple miles away was a nice change of scenery, though the goings on around the park were much more interesting. Performing arts were happening all around, and it was rather amusing for a time to simply drive around and observe for a time. Grave Justice pulled into a spot near a large playground. Watching the children, the car could feel a sense of disturbing familiarity. Long ago, before the Rifts, it had been on a case similar to this, and the car recalled the imprinted memory as if it were yesterday. The case had no leads, though children were disappearing at an alarming rate. Between twenty and thirty children a day. And so for months, no bodies were discovered until one day a park ranger discovered a mound of bodies belonging to many, many children and a few adult bodies deep in the woods. Hundreds of decomposing bodies. But even though the bodies of all the missing children had been discovered, the disappearances didn't stop. In fact, they increased once the discovery was made public.The case then began taking on a different turn, and one all the more gruesome. Some of the children that had gone missing and hadn't been found at the dump site were found encased in plaster and disguised as statues. Only once the bodies inside had started decomposing and started to smell were they found. In some cases, the statues began to bleed through the plaster. In addition, it seemed now that even the parents were being targeted now. But, the case didn't end there with a capture. Apparently, the company hired to do the sculptures had hired someone in return, and he hadn't provided any information to them. Even the name given was found to be a fake. And so the police were no closer to catching the monster. It was some time later, and after discovering more body piles around the city, that there was another break in the case. Police arrived at a house located just outside the city to search for some screaming neighbors had heard. In the basement was a large walk in freezer, where the bodies of ten people were discovered. Three women and seven children were in the process of being turned into plaster covered corpses. In all, over three hundred people were killed by the owner of the house, and killed himself once discovered to be the killer before the police could capture him and force him to pay for his crimes. This crime before was disturbingly similar to the one now. Even the circumstances. Indeed, more 'statue corpses' had been discovered all over the city. However, the man responsible for those crimes had been dead for centuries, so it was impossible he was responsible for the current crimes.But one thing was for sure. Now that the car knew about it, it couldn't very well leave things as they were. The police were no making no headway on this case by themselves, so it was up to Grave Justice to help them. No one else was. The vehicle sat in the parking lot until well past dark, biding its time before going on the hunt. The old squad car once again started up, and began a patrol of the area. Whoever or whatever was taking the kids had to have some sort of transportation to take them to where ever they were performing whatever nefarious act upon the children. Being how the world had changed much since the Rifts, anything could have been behind the disappearances and statues this time around. Maybe a copycat killer? Or just some whackjob. Or even the supernatural might have been responsible. It was hard telling. A sudden tinge in the air caused the cop car to halt in its tracks. There was something evil lurking within the shadows of the park. Very evil. And it wasn't human. Rolling slowly forward, the car seemed to almost become translucent and then completely disappeared. But a few seconds later, the car had completely silenced itself as well. But it was there, watching. Listening. Soon, the car stopped altogether in the empty parking lot of the park, feeling the evil presence coming closer. And it wasn't disappointed when a dark figure appeared in the gloom. The vintage vehicle had a positively charged feeling of excitement. This would be fun, and justice would be served.