War on Kalicas STORY Long ago, just before Earth was destroyed by a rogue asteroid, a group of large transports were built and sent off to find new homes for their residents. Several of these transports still drift, lost in space. One, the Kalic, managed to find a lush, Earth-like world with dozens of ecosystems, just like Earth. Naming their planet after their transport, Kalicas was discovered to have several moons, and missions were launched to them to see what they held. It was discovered by these missions that each moon was made up of pure metal and each one a different kind. The metals were not like those on Earth though, and each had a different quality. Some were used for their strength and durability, others for decoration, more for circuitry, and others still for flexibility. Some even became pure weaponry-bullets and missiles. Soon, the three countries of Kalicas began using the metals to build large robotic fighting machines for their military. After establishing large mining operations on each moon, the metals became cheaper and even ordinary citizens could afford them. Because more people could now afford the metals to build their on Robos, they held competitions, and, unregulated, war finally broke out. Two countries, Koros and Krine, began fighting for territory. Kylas, on the other hand, remained neutral, in an attempt to keep their territory. Kylas is occasionally drawn into the fighting, but only to defend its borders. Present day The game is set in the year K620, five years after the Koros-Krine War began. Your character does not have to have a Robo, but if you do, there are 3 different kinds to choose from. Robos must have a cockpit, and must be piloted. Also, their power source comes from a small core (about the size of a basketball) made of a metal that generates electricity. The core is always surrounded by another metal which cannot be penetrated, therefore making it near-impossible to shut down a Robo by destroying the core. - Gnarl- Gnarls are built in design by a particular animal. Their strength comes from the natural abilities of the animal they are modeled after. They have no weapons but those in the form of claws, teeth, etc. - Blasters- Blasters are usually two-legged, and get their name from the variety of guns, ranged weaponry, bombs, mines, etc. that they use to fight. These types of Robos tend to be more expensive for upkeep, since their ammunition must constantly be remade. - Medievals- Getting their name from the “old-school” type of fighting, Medieval Robos use weapons such as swords, spears, whips, etc. to fight. They are, on average, the fastest type of Robo in existence (aside from some Zins). Some of them like to use ranged weaponry, like bows and crossbows. - Hybrid- Hybrids are a mix of two of the main three types of Robos. These are generally harder to handle, have more controls, and are more expensive, because some metals do not mix easily and therefore it makes designing, building, and maintaining them more expensive and more difficult. They also tend to have more mechanical problems, and require two cores. With two cores, sometimes one core will malfunction, and render all qualities of one Robo type (half of the hybrid) to become useless. This is because each core powers a different type of Robo in the hybrid. (Hybrids may be used in the beginning of the game, but realize that they will have all the downsides I have listed. No Hybrid is immune to these problems, not even those with zin inside). - Zins- Zins are special Robos, and not easily affordable. One of the rarest metals in existence, found randomly on the planet of Kalicas itself, powers these. They can be any of the other three types of Robos, but the type of metal, zin, gives them special powers, such as super speed, extraordinary strength, etc. (NOTE: Zins cannot be played at the start of the game. Your character must earn a piece of zin to power your Robo.) Characters You may play several options of career: pilot (for Robos), tech, politician, soldier (not necessarily pilot, but can be), civilian, miner, scavenger (for parts), dealer (sells parts and metals), non-fighting military, or anything else you can think of (please ask for approval by GM). The following is the character template: Name: First Last Age: (between 15 and 50, get approval for older or younger by GM) Gender: M/F Career: Background: Appearance: Family: Robo: (If applicable, include description as well as weapons equipped) RULES The following are rules for the game: 1- No controlling other characters without permission 2- First post: character template 3- Before posting character, send to GM for approval 4- Read all prior posts before posting 5- All questions directed to GM 6- Length rule (at least two or three paragraphs, no one-liners, no extremely long posts, limit of about ten paragraphs) 7- No killing off other characters without permission from the player AND GM. 8- FLAMING, INSULTING, OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF HARSHNESS THAT IS DELIBERATELY USED TO HURT SOMEONE ELSE’S FEELINGS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AT ALL, NOR ACCEPTED ANYWHERE ELSE AROUND THE FORUM. 9- No GOD-MODING 10- Discuss issues, out of character posts, and questions in the Discussion Thread. 11- Edit before posting. 12- GM’s word is law, and GM has final say on all problems. Your goals as a player in this game: 1- Survive 2- Help end the war Good luck!
Tyri Emmassus Clank, clank, clank, clank. The Krine citizens turned, hearing the strides of a large Robo headed their way. They knew better than to think it was an attack, even though they were so close to the border. No, it was likely a patrol, checking in on things. After all, they didn't know any Robos that traveled alone, aside from the patrolling pilots. The large scorpion walked to the edge of the town, and stopped. It lowered its head to the ground, and the cockpit opened, revealing a man with messy, dark blonde hair. He shook his head from side to side, ignoring the attention he had received upon his arrival. Shaking his head didn't do much for his messy hair, in fact it only made it worse. But he didn't care, he was working and no one could say anything that would bother him. "Citizens of Krine, I have come to recruit new soldiers for the Krinian army. We are looking for pilots, mechanics, technicians, or anyone with skills to work with our Robos." "Get out of here." "We don't want you in our town." "Stay away from our children!" "Take your Robos and your war somewhere else!" Tyri shuddered a bit. He was often met with these greetings. His line of work, recruiting, was always the worst. He'd rather be fighting the war, not trying to get new soldiers. At least if he was fighting the Koros army, he had a legitimate reason. As he dodged a dish that was thrown at him, he knew that his job was slowly becoming obsolete. Soon, the Krinian government would step in and draft children, just like he himself had been 14 years ago. "Okay, okay, I'll leave." Tyri got back into the cockpit as a glass hit the front claw of Scorpio. It didn't make a dent: the claws were made of metal that didn't scratch, which was mostly for show. Tyri dug in the hard ground a lot with those claws, so protecting the look was only so he didn't have to clean it so often. Tyri closed the cockpit and grabbed the controls, turning the Scorpio away from the town and heading back out. He would never find recruits anymore. At least, if they were willing, their families wouldn't be. No one wanted to be in the war anymore, not even some of the soldiers who had been fighting since the start. It was getting out of hand, and now... Now civilians were getting involved. The fighting was taking place closer and closer to the towns of innocent men, women and children. Tyri couldn't stand for that, he knew that some of the soldiers were better than that. It was the commanders that were causing all the problems: they wanted to send a message to the opposing side. The biggest problem of them all was that each country wanted to win, and each would do whatever it took to get there. Tyri sighed as he headed for the next town along the border. He was close to Koros, closer than he'd been in a long time. He could see some of the patrols, just waiting for him to cross to their side so they could destroy him. He knew better; if he wanted to go across the border, he'd go underground, out of sight.
Melody Hanson "Mmm...Good. Very Good." Eric Hanson, Melody's father, mumbled out loud for Melody to hear. They had done this routine many times over the course of her life. She'd repair a Robo and her father would check. He almost always found whatever she would purposefully miss. "The srews in the joints are strong...mmm...recently oiled." Her father continued to scan the Army's newest Robo that they had sent in for repair. Melody stood off too the side smiling to herself because she knew he wouldn't find anything wrong with it this time. "Well done. Well done." He laughed. "I don't see any missed spots this time. So what did I miss?" His gray whispy hair fell over his eyes and blew it out of the way. His messy hair made him look a little like a mad scientist. "I didn't miss any this time. On purpose or on accident." Melody smiled proudly. "It will be a long time before we see this Robo in again." She patted the arm of the Robo seeing the insignia of her country. Krine. She thought breifly about all the people who might die at the hands of this Robo. But she didn't allow herself to think about it too long. "Yes. You did very well. Oh my little girl is growing up to fast!" Eric Hanson grabbed her held her in a bear hug. "Daddy!" She giggled. "I'm only 17. I'm still your little girl! I won't be leaving for a LONG time." Eric removed her from his grasp and held her shoulders staring intently at her face. He didn't have say anything. Neither of them did. She knew what he was thinking. She was old enough now to recruited into the Krine army if they thought they needed the soldiers. He'd been trraining her as hard as he could since the war started knowing that possibilty of her getting recruited was high. Too high. To draw them out of the dismal thoughts Melody said, "C'mon. I want you to look over Daggert." Meldoy dragged her dad over to where she building her own Robo. It was 7 feet tall, and had two long daggers on either of it's sides in sheaths. The metal it was composed of was ugly but it was strong. The Robo was built for endurance. She'd paint it once it was finished. She was so close. After 6 years, she'd finally nearly finished it. Her dad put on his studying face and began rubbing his hands over the Robo checking it for faults, muttering to himself all the while. "So, Daggert, you say?" Eric commented, "Good name. Named after your Uncle's Robo. Boy was he spectacular! You know that Robo had a Zin in it's core and it was the fastest thing anyone had ever seen." Eric got a wrench and tightened a loose bolt. "On top of that your Uncle Darren was the most spectacular fighter! He won almost every match he fought till the war that is. Then..." Melody listened to the story she had heard over a dozen times. She never tired of it though. The stories of Daggert the greatest Robo ever built and Darren the most spectacular fighter who had ever lived. She would have thought that he was a fiction of Dad's imagination if it hadn't been for the trophies in the basement. One thing bothered her about the story though. Once the wars began her Uncle and Daggert disappered never to be seen of or heard from again. Melody had searched numerous records in search of him but had never found a trace of either of them. She wondered where they had disappered to, and if this great Uncle of hers was still alive. If only she could at least find the Zin that the original Daggert had. That would make her searching all the while. Melody looked around the shop that was her home as well as lively hood. Even though her father wouldn't admit it she knew that the big factories were putting him out of buisness. Soon they wouldn't be much more than a repair shop. If only she could get Daggert into the underground games that still went on within Krine, she could raise enough money to upgrade the shop. Keep it open. If she could make the new Daggert famous, maybe they would get more buisness and the store could survive a few more years. Yelling outside the shop broke her out of her musings. She and her father went outside to look. A soldier in a scorpion looking Robo had ridden into the center of the town square. He yelled something about fighting for their country and home, about mechanics and pilots being desperatly needed. but he was drowned out by the mass of angry people. They didn't want anything to do with the war. They didn't want their children to forced to fight a stupid war. Melody felt her father put his arm around her shoulders and hold her tight as if the soldier might drag her away. Mechanics and pilots. She was both. Maybe if they payed well she would consider joining. Not the Kirinian army specifically but as a mechanic. She would be able to send money to her father...help keep them aflot. Melody memorized the blond soldier's face, determined to speak to him the first chance she got. "C'mon Melody. Lets go inside." Her father said squeezing her shoulder. He turned around and walked back inside the shop but Melody waited outside a little bit longer.
Shamus McCoy He sat in the open cockpit of his bot, looking across the border at the empty scorched land. It was pointless, three months in and he was still stuck on border patrol. Shamus took a sip from the foul smelling bottle, managing not to gasp as the brown liquid slid down his throat. It was some strong shine, and already his head felt lighter. This wasn’t what he had signed up for; he had joined to fight krines not to sit on his bum all day. He itched for some kind of action, something to break up the monotony of this endless landscape stretched out before him. He knew that he and his bot could handle a fight. Back in his hometown he had made quite a bit of money in the ring. She wasn’t much to look at but to shamus she was a thing of beauty. It had taken him almost seven years to build her, countless of hours and all of the money he earned from the repair shop. She was a single man cockpit, but overall was a pretty large Robo. Most people didn’t even know what an armadillo was but the design itself was flawless, and Shamus knew her controls better then he knew the back of his hand. It was the armor that was key; she could handle anything that was thrown at her. He thought back on those memories, working in the shops garage, the smell of oil permeating in the air. His mum bringing him a glass of ice water and a sandwich. He wondered how she was fairing with the shop, now that he was gone. He remembered when he told her that he was joining the army. Still remembered that stoic expression, as she held back her tears and told him that his father would be proud. Shamus was roused from his reminiscing by a flash of movement in the distance. He jumped in his seat, scanning the horizon. There were three dots moving in front of him fast. They were bots, krine from the looks of it. They were moving to one of the outer Koros villages, not towards the main cities that lay behind him. Shamus knew that he was supposed to call this in to his superiors but those krine would reach that village way before backup arrived. He closed the cockpit and the bots display turned on, Life began to flow through the machine as pistons popped and rotors turned. He grabbed the controls, sending the beast forward at a steady clip to intervene the krine. Besides he reasoned that he could probably take them by himself (though this may have been the alcohol talking).
Melody Hanson "Dad?" Melody walked over to the work bench where her father was working on the broken arm of a Robo. It had been only about 10 minutes since the soldier had left the town, no one in his wake. "Yes, Mel." Her father looked up smiling to himself. But then he saw the serious look on Melody's face and put down his tools wiping his greasy hands on a well worn rag. "What's wrong, dear?" How was she going to say this? "Dad, I would like to go into the Krinian army as a mechanic." Her dad's face fell and he looked like as if he was watching Melody die before his very eyes. She wanted to say, 'I'm just kidding', but she didn't, instead she pressed forward. "Listen, the shop is failing. We just don't have enough buisness with all the factories around." She walked around the table and grabbed his hands. "If I join the army as a mechanic, I can send money back here to you and you can keep the shop open. Maybe even hire someone. Besides," Melody smiled, "If i'm in the army as a mechanic they can't recruit me to be a soldier. Especially since I'm not going to tell them that I can fight with the Robos. Eric Hanson put a hand on his daughter's cheek as if she was fading into thin air. "I can't lose you too." He choked out. "You won't." She took a breath then continued. "This is the best way. What will happen if you lose the shop? How would we support ourselves? Where would we live? Where would I teach my children to build Robos." Her father smiled at the last part. "This way, the shop can stay alive, and I can be sure that I remain off the recruitment list for soldiers. Robo techs are kinda hard to find you know." Eric sighed and pulled away from his daughter walking over to the shop window. He stood there silently for several minutes. Finally he said, "Your right. It's the best way. I hate admitting that I can't support you any more." He walked over to where Melody was and gave her a hug. "You are strong and lovely. You will make an amazing mechanic." He stepped back and sniffed wiping tears from his eyes. "Now, go take that Robo of yours and track that soldier down before he gets to far out of range. Melody didn't know whether to be extremly excited or terrified. Her father helped her get into Daggert and strap in. "I'll be back by supper." She said just before she closed the sheild. Her father waved a hand in response then turned putting his face into his hand. She walked the robo out the door and down the street. When she reached the edge of town she put her robo on run mode. It was a more uncomfortable way to travel but she needed the speed to catch up with the recruitment soldier. Finally after 15 minutes of a solid run on the main roadway she saw the scorpion Robo. A few minutes later she came up beside the scorpion. She pressed a button that allowed radio communication between Robo's. "Soldier!" She said, "Could you stop your Robo? I need to talk to you."
Damien Weaver [HR][/HR] A young man lied in his bed. He was in a small room, the walls bare and clothing scattered across the floor. A laptop's screen illuminated the otherwise light-less room; the window blinds closed. The man had a red bandana covering his eyes while the cloth covering his mouth rose and fell with each of his breaths. Someone knocked at the door, but he remained motionless. "Damien! Open up! You've got to eat something!" shouted the person behind the door, Damien grunted and turned over, away from the voice. The door opened revealing a little girl with an annoyed expression on her face. "Get up! Do you know what time it is? Mom's not going to be happy if you don't come out!" she pouted, crossing her arms. The boy grunted and remained motionless on the bed. The girl turned back to the door and took a deep breath. "MMMMMO--" started yelling the girl, "Fine, fine! I'm getting up! Man, you really need to relax Kary. It's not that big of a deal if I try to get a couple extra hours of sleep." Damien replied, sitting upright in his bed. The girl, very proud of herself, walked out of the room, humming to herself. Damien sighed and combed his jet black hair back with his hand, putting his red bandana on his head. He got up a stretched, walking over to the windows and opening the blinds. He looked outside to the desolate village. A lot of people couldn't afford to live in the main cities and after war broke out so they bundled together living in small outposts like this; living closer to the border with Krine than anyone else. All of the homes were very small and crowded, usually having multiple families living in them. His family shared the house with another, a family of 4. The outdoors looked barren with most people not staying outside longer than they needed to. The war with Krine had taken it's toll; so many innocents had died and so much potential was lost. "These are the fruits of war... So stupid. Those damned mechs have caused so much destruction. I don't care if they're from Krine, Koros or anywhere else in Kalicas, it's a waste." he thought to himself, Damien grabbed a black jacket from the foot of the bed and put it on. It had belonged to his father and had a familiar warmth. There was something comforting about it, though at the same time, there was something foreboding about it. It carried memories of war, and reminded Damien about the losses of battle. His father had gone missing 4 years ago, during the beginning of the war. He was a pilot for the Koros military, and piloted the prototype mechs for them. Apparently, they were unable to find him, and he was assumed dead. The last four years were hard but they managed to make it through, thanks to the support of the neighborhood and other families. Everyone here had lost someone. "Pointless," said Damien as he walked out of the room. He walked into the kitchen. Three kids were sitting at a wooden table, eating their meals and playing with small plastic robo toys. The table began to shake, the kids stopping and looking up. "What?" The house began to shake, Damien's eyes widening. His mother, Ellis, and the other parents ran over to the children. They toke them out of the kitchen and into the other room. "Damien! Come on! It isn't safe here!" "It's not safe anywhere anymore." Damien ran over to the window looking outside. Three large Krine robos were approaching the town.
Risa Nyom Risa smiled as she wandered the Koros-Krine border. She had just had a successful battle yesterday with a few Koros soldiers who had attempted to cross into Krine. Sure, they were her own people, but in her mind, she didn't belong to a country anymore. She was her own army, and she would fight anyone who thought the war had to continue. Those pilots... they had tried to start up a small scuffle for the sake of satisfying their boredom. Risa had made sure that didn't happen. Sure, two Slashers and a Blaster were more than enough to take out any one pilot... except for her. Risa had grown up, from a young age, learning everything she knew about Robos. They hadn't stood a chance. And now... now she had another set of opponents, headed towards a small town within sight of her. "Tsk tsk fellas. You should be in your own country." The three were all Slashers, one armed with a spiked ball and chain, and the other two armed with a single, heavy sword. They probably were going in to cause trouble, try to provoke some action. The border, ironically, was one of the quieter places in the war, or rather, that's what Risa had seen. She couldn't be everywhere to defend everyone, but she would really like some great, heavy action once in a while. "Let's go Cerberus." Risa kicked the Robo into high gear, taking off in a sprint towards the three troublemakers. Across the plain, she saw another Robo headed towards them as well. It seemed to be designed as some strange looking rabbit or something, with lots of armor. She didn't know who would design something so... slow looking, but she had to admit it looked like it could take a few hits before being damaged at all. "Hey, back away from the civilians!" The three Slashers stopped, and noticed the two opponents headed their way, one from each direction. The one with the spiked ball and chain turned to the other pilot. The two with the swords turned to Risa. "Perfect."
Amira Morgan Most people knew a scavenger convoy when they saw one. Soldiers loved to use them for target practice. When she was still a child, Amira became accustomed to the sound of bullets harmlessly peppering the sides of their armored trucks. It was all part of being a scavenger. In some towns, they were treated like scum. Scavengers were the vultures of the battlefield, picking over the rusting remains of machines felled in the war. People could be such hypocrites. One moment, they spit at you and accuse you of robbing the dead. The next, they ask if you have any robo drives, servos, or CV joints to sell. War does crazy things to the economy. Most people can’t afford new parts anymore. Scavengers make the world go around. That’s what Amira’s father always said. “Scavenging is a noble art form.” Not every scavenger saw it that way. Most actually were scumbags… but not her dad, his crew, or his daughter. After they looted a battlefield, they buried the dead and even turned in the soldier’s dog tags to the nearest army office. Amira couldn’t even count how many dead pilots she had seen left to rot in their robos. If not for scavengers, they'd still be there like roadkill. She watched through her viewscreens as the convoy slowly made its way across the blasted landscape, toward a Krinian border town. There were six trucks in all. The largest, riding at the head of the line, was the ‘live-truck,’ a long trailer where she and the other scavengers lived. It had beds for thirty men and room to eat and shower. Personal space was a foreign notion to her. The four trucks behind it carried the spoils of war. Most were flatbeds, loaded down with wrecked robos, damaged vehicles, and other mechanical bits they had scavenged over the last few days, all covered by dirty tarps. The last truck was a garage-like transporter where Amira housed her robo… when she wasn’t using it to watch over the convoy from a dozen miles away. Lilith was crouched behind a cluster of large boulders, with a rifle in its metal hands. Its single red eye surveyed the landscape for any signs of movement. Far to her right, many miles away, the scavenger convoy was driving across the landscape. Far to her left was a town. “No visible threats present. Maintain heading,” Amira said over the radio. But, just as she said so, she spotted movement coming from the town. A scorpion-like robo was leaving the town, moving in the direction of the convoy. The two were still many miles apart; too far away to even see one another. “Hold position. I see something,” Amira radioed to the convoy and the trucks all slowed to a stop. “One robo. Gnarl-type. Scorpion design,” she radioed to the convoy. Amira raised the rifle’s digital scope to her eye and zoomed in for a better look. “Distance: 19.536 miles. Target is armed, heavily armored, and bears Krininan insignia. I’m counting two medium cannons and a long-range missile launcher.” She watched the robo for a few seconds longer. It continued moving out into the desert, toward where the convoy was waiting. It was probably nothing, but she didn’t like the look of it. Those cannons could cut through the trucks like paper. “Hold on… I see something else,” Amira radioed to the convoy. A second object was moving away from the town. “I see another robo. Humanoid-type. Small. I think it’s going to rendezvous with the first.” “Is it another Krinian?” the convoy leader radioed back. “Is there a platoon of them?” He sounded worried. One robo was dangerous enough, but if more were coming, they should probably turn around and go to another town. “Negative. Just two,” Amira said. She watched for a little while longer as the second robo caught up with the scorpion. “I’m going to try to intercept their transmissions and see what they’re talking about. Going silent.” She shut off her radio. The wings on Lilith’s back fanned out like antennae and began hunting for local radio frequencies. Amira began typing on a keypad in the cockpit, accessing some programs she’d written to search for signal patterns. She soon found something and tuned in: "Soldier!" It was a girl’s voice. "Could you stop your Robo? I need to talk to you."
Shamus McCoy For a moment he was in awe of the other bot that was closing in on the krine. It was a gnarl, wolf of sorts if you could call it that, with too heads and wings. He could tell that it was a zin just by looking at it. He’d only seen a few in his lifetime and he had never seen one in action. It looked like it bore the koros insignia so he hoped that It was heading to fight the krine and not join them. The krine were slashers, two of them were pretty standard issue with not many upgrades. But the larger one held a pretty big spiked ball and chain that was giving Shamus second thoughts about this little venture. The Zin bot had already reached the krine, the two wielding swords turned to face the zin. Of course that left the ole ball and chain bot for Shamus. The krine took a steady stance as it lifted its chain with two arms, twirling it through the air until it swirled in a deadly arc above his head. “Too soon mate, now you’ve exposed yourself to attack.” he mumbled beneath his breath. He had wished for action and he had sure as heck found it. Now was the perfect distance. He jumped slightly off the ground, and his bot began to curl into itself. It landed as a completely impenetrable ball, speeding towards the krine at an incredible speed. The krine didn’t falter figuring his ball and chain would protect him, but that was where he was wrong. Shamus slammed into the bot knocking him off his feet and plowing him into the ground. After he passed over him his bot uncurled itself from the ball in one swift movement landing on its feet, ready for action. The Ball and chain bot lifted one arm trying to get back up, but Shamus was on him in an instant. He jumped on its back and ripped the bots head off with his jaws. The krine in the bot was probably still alive but his bot wouldn’t be going anywhere soon. Shamus turned to see how the zin was fairing.
Tyri Emmassus "Soldier! Could you stop your Robo? I need to talk to you." Tyri looked over his shoulder, turning Scorpio's head slightly to see a Slasher type Robo following him. That was strange, he hadn't even thought a Robo would be present in a town like that. For all the hate for the war from those citizens, he would have thought they'd hate Robos just as much. Apparently he was wrong. "I'm a bit busy, have to keep going. However, you're welcome to walk and talk." Tyri was a recruiter, and even though he didn't like his job much anymore, he had to keep going. "What can I do for you," he asked as the other Robo caught up to him. He listened without interrupting as the girl spoke, and he kept listening as he noticed a large convoy of trucks ahead of them. They were solid transports, with enough armor that would even take his cannons a few shots to break through. But he wasn't interested in attacking them, though as a higher ranking solider of the Krinian army, he was bound to stop them and ask where they were headed. Probably scavengers. He could get a few parts from them if they were. Risa Nyom Risa ran towards the middle of the two sword-wielders, waiting for a good opportunity to strike. But they just stood there, watching. "What... what the hell is that thing?" "Come on boys," Risa said. "Puppy just wants to play." She charged in faster, still aiming straight for the space in between them. If they were smart, they'd attack her as she passed down the middle. "I don't know, but destroy it." She reached her spot, and both Slashers swung their blades at her exposed back. A small smile formed on Risa's face as she saw the movement. Pushing forward hard on the controls, she swung Cerberus to the left, sliding the last few feet in order to give her rear the extra room it needed to avoid getting cut to pieces. "Whoa, what?!" The first Slasher didn't even see her move coming as she used the right head of Cerberus to grab his leg, and yank him to the ground. The second, however, jumped at her to attack. "You moron, pay attention, I've got three heads for a reason." She used the left head of Cerberus to grab the sword that was attacking her, and the mighty jaws of her Robo bit it into two pieces. She could see the pilot, staring wide-eyed at what was left of his weapon. Risa hit another control, and watched as her left wing came out, knocking the Slasher over. "Hope your partner is having more luck than you are," she said as she threw the Robo in her jaws across the ground. She looked to her right to see that he wasn't. Whatever the other thing was that had come along, it had made short work of the other Slasher. Without even glancing away from the rabbit-looking Robo, she hit a few controls and bit a large chunk out of each of her opponent's legs. Then she took one of Cerberus's mighty paws and stomped on the sword, breaking it like she had broken its partner's. Then she turned Cerberus around. "You've got a lucky chance here buddy," she said to the last soldier. "You can leave, but you've got about five seconds before I decide otherwise." The Slasher stood up, and gladly took the offer. "Make sure you tell all your friends about me," Risa said over the radio. "I want them to know I'm looking for them."
"I'm a bit busy, have to keep going. However, you're welcome to walk and talk." the soldier said in response to Melody's radio call. She slowed Daggert down to a walk and came up beside the scorpion robo. She was impressed with the handy work. It looked like it moved well and had more speed on it then most robos. C'mon Melody, say what you need to say. She thought. "I heard you, in the town earlier. You were talking about needing mechanics and pilots and the such. Well as you can see I can move a Robo from place to place, but on top of that I repair Robo's for a living. I can also build one from the ground up. I built this one. Anyway I would like to be recruited to join the Krinian army as mechanic...not a soldier, but a mechanic. I believe I can be very helpful." Melody's hands shook a little. She couldn't believe she had just asked to be recruited. To be taken away from everything she knew and loved. Its for Dad and the shop. She reminded herself. "Well, I'm not sure I can guarantee that, being a mechanic I mean. There are a lot of young recruits like you who try the same thing to get out of fighting. Truth is, more of them get pulled in because of it, and those that actually become mechanics are put through harsh work conditions, and some of the newer ones get pulled straight to the battlefield." He sighed. "To be honest, I'd rather not recruit you. You have a good life here, I'm sure. This war is so pointless anymore, and my job is one of the worst. Why don't you just go home?" The soldier replied. Melody thought about what he had said. "Some of the new ones get pulled straight to the battlefield." Melody sighed. She didn't want to fight. She didn't' want to kill anyone. Sure that is what she had been training for just in case but she didn't want to kill people over a stupid war. But what was the alternitive. Sleeping on the street? Being forced to sell her robo so that they might eat for a week? Her dad was getting old. He wouldn't last a winter on the street or in the slums. Despite the risk she knew what she had to do. For Dad and the shop. "I can't go home." Melody replied. "If I do I'll be dooming my father's shop to closure. With the factories around no one needs a Robo repair shop. Especially in a town that now hates Robos. We don't have enough buisness to support ourselves anymore." She didn't know why she was explaining this to him but she felt like he actually cared. "I am willing to take the risk of becoming a soldier if it means saving my Father's shop. It's better than living in the slums or the street. So consider me your first recruit. My name is Melody Hanson." Even though Melody knew she should be feeling terror. She only felt relief. Her home would be saved and she would be able to keep Daggert. That was all that mattered.
Amira Morgan "I'm a bit busy, have to keep going. However, you're welcome to walk and talk," a man’s voice replied. "What can I do for you?" It didn’t sound as if the two pilots knew one another. The man didn’t turn on the girl, so that was promising. He was professional. He didn’t seem like the sort of undisciplined ruffian who would take shots at scavenger convoys for fun. "I heard you, in the town earlier. You were talking about needing mechanics and pilots and the such,” the girl replied. “Well as you can see I can move a Robo from place to place, but on top of that I repair Robo's for a living. I can also build one from the ground up. I built this one. Anyway I would like to be recruited to join the Krinian army as mechanic... not a soldier, but a mechanic. I believe I can be very helpful." Smart girl, Amira thought as she listened in on the conversation. But that’s not how the world works. The war was getting messier every day. No one was just a mechanic anymore. That damn soldier was going to ship her off to the front lines. Sure, she might work on a robo or two, but it was only a matter of time before they put a gun in her hands and shoved her into the slaughterhouse like all the rest. Amira put the scorpion robo in her sights and Lilith’s finger rested on the trigger. God, she wanted to shoot him so badly. She had never felt this way before, but listening to this little girl throwing her life away was… infuriating. Children deserved better. "Well, I'm not sure I can guarantee that, being a mechanic I mean,” the soldier replied. “There are a lot of young recruits like you who try the same thing to get out of fighting. Truth is, more of them get pulled in because of it, and those that actually become mechanics are put through harsh work conditions, and some of the newer ones get pulled straight to the battlefield." Amira paused, eyes wide. She had completely misjudged him. He was actually being honest with the girl. An honest soldier? She had forgotten such things existed. He could have easily lied to the girl. He could have told her she was doing a service to her nation and that this was a ‘noble’ war. No, even a child wouldn’t fall for that. Everyone here knew what war looked like. Telling them it was ‘noble’ or ‘honorable’ would have been incredibly stupid. "To be honest, I'd rather not recruit you,” the man said. “You have a good life here, I'm sure. This war is so pointless anymore, and my job is one of the worst. Why don't you just go home." The girl sighed and, after a pause, replied: "I can't go home. If I do I'll be dooming my father's shop to closure. With the factories around no one needs a Robo repair shop. Especially in a town that now hates Robos. We don't have enough business to support ourselves anymore," she said. "I am willing to take the risk of becoming a soldier if it means saving my Father's shop. It's better than living in the slums or the street. So consider me your first recruit. My name is Melody Hanson." Amira closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed down. It wasn’t like her to get worked up about anything. She was usually serene, rational, and incredibly merciful. A little light on her console was blinking. The convoy was trying to contact her, but she had shut her communicator off. “Not now,” Amira murmured under her breath. She was captivated. She wanted to know the girl’s fate. She wanted her to know there were other options besides war. But she said nothing. She could have intervened, but she didn't. She just stood there, watching the world through the scope of a rifle.
Shamus McCoy He could still feel the euphoric adrenaline coursing through his veins. This zin bot clearly could handle itself. It had completely decimated the slashers. "You can leave, but you've got about five seconds before I decide otherwise." Shamus was surprised by the voice on the radio. It spoke with an edged authority that would rival some of his drill sergeants but it clearly was the voice of a young girl. He wondered how she could have afforded such a pricey piece of tech. Looking at the robo up close it really was something to behold. But what was it doing on the border of koros? Most people feared zins and some even said that zin technology gave the pilot strange abilities. Even though he didn’t believe half of the rumors spread, he knew that he should still be wary. The Slasher she had let go was already hobbling away. Shamus couldn’t fathom why she was letting the enemy get away. Though he had bigger issues at the moment like how he was going to explain this to his superior officer. He looked over at the bottle of shine. Maybe he wouldn’t have to report it at all. He took another sip of the bottle before stashing it in a side compartment. He then opened his cockpit in hopes, to chat face to face with this mystery woman. As he stood up he waved over at the zin bot in greeting. “Hey there, This is private Shamus McCoy, of the border patrol. Asking for your identification?”
Davis Quan (Ghost) There were only twelve minutes left until his cloaking system failed. Yet, Davis risked the energy shortage over the sudden ambush attack by the small Krine force. It was worse still, seeing that the defending robo seemed to be releasing a signal emission which was unique to Zins. He had no interest in the war, nor did he have any interest in being confronted by some Zin robo. No, his target was too important for distractions. Davis skirted around the robo fight, dodging the panicked civilians who rushed for their homes. He stopped at a transit lane and looked through his sniper scope to locate the target building. It was a small home, slightly rusted around the edges. It certainly didn’t seem like anything a full-fledged Colonel would live in. For a second, Davis wondered if he had gotten the wrong address. “This better be worth my time,” he muttered under his breath. He had cancelled two of his contracts when he found out where his target lived, and he wasn’t going to let them go to waste. Weaver had to die. That was his priority. Davis grimaced as he remembered the tall, superior man, who had forced him into the cruel, hard labour in the military outpost. He remembered that the man would torture him sometimes, if he made the slightest mistake when inserting the circuit boards, or welding the plates of armour together. Sometimes he was tortured for no reason at all. Colonel Bragga Weaver was his name. Davis had lived under his rule five long years ago, yet he had only recently discovered the man’s true identity, and his home. A tall, flimsy fence surrounded the house. It had an electronic identity lock on the front gate. Davis inserted a small, hyper-magnetic pin into the side, easily frying the lock and any related alarm systems. He quickly made his way through the front lawn, and stopped at the house door. Ghost was still cloaked, which rendered him invisible to any cameras or motion sensors. But it was still a bad idea to enter through the main doors. Instead, Davis used a nearby door sill to climb up onto the roof, being careful not to make any noise. He switched his suit’s visual interface to detect infrared-radiation, and scanned the house. There was a large mass of heat near the center, most likely coming from a ventilation system. At the side Davis spotted some readings which matched body temperature. There were six or seven of them, crowded in one room. “Bastard’s got a family,” Davis remarked to himself. He’d try his best not to come into contact with the family, but if he had to go through them to get to Weaver… well… Then he spotted a singular heat source, standing off to the side, a room apart from the others. It was positioned by a window on the far side of the house. Davis squinted, and then smiled when he saw that it was a large, male figure. It had to be his target, there was no doubt there. Without a second to waste, Davis quickly leaped down to the side of the house. His cloak was probably on its last minute or two. He spotted a side window which was just barely large enough to fit through. It didn’t seem to have any electronic lock, and it wasn’t linked to any alarm systems that he could see. “Sloppy, sloppy,” said Davis, shaking his head. The window was still physically locked, but that wasn’t a problem. Davis pulled on the window, and the lock burst open immediately. Just as his cloak started to fail, Davis rolled in through the open window and readied his sub-machine gun. Then he pointed the gun at the figure’s head. “Hello, Bragga. I’m here to kill you. But first, I’d like a few answers,” said Davis. The figure jumped at his voice, and quickly spun around. When he saw the muzzle of the gun in his face, he slowly raised his hands. He wasn’t Bragga.
Damien Weaver [HR][/HR] Damien stared out the window as the 3 robos approached. Though Damien never enjoyed it, his father insisted that Damien study battle mechanics. He never paid much attention to the lessons but he couldn't forget them. They were the only time he really got to spend with his dad. He also tried to get him to analyze designs and manuals but Damien just skimmed through them, he didn't think he had any need for them. His father was a pilot so it made sense that he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. Unfortunately, Damien refused to step into any mech; they were weapons used to kill and he didn't want any part of it. "Three Slasher types. One using a spiked ball and chain. The other two are using heavy swords." Two new robos had quickly engaged the Slashers, emerging from opposite sides of the battle field. "One gnarl... is that an armadillo? And the other... it looks like it could be gnarl but... Maybe that's what they call a zin? Dad said that there was another level of mech." The battle commenced, the ball and chain facing the gnarl and the other two fight the zin. After a few moments, it was over. It was barely a fight, the two making quick work of the Krine robos. "The cycle continues, attack and defend, attack and defend... While lives burn, fueling the fires of the damned vicious circle..." Damien sighed, looking away from the window. He took a few steps forward when he heard the window burst. "What?" “Hello, Bragga. I’m here to kill you. But first, I’d like a few answers,” said someone, Damien turned around startled. A sub-machine gun was aimed at his face. He slowly raised his hands, perplexed. "What's going on? What the hell is going on?! Here to kill me? Wait... Bragga? He's after dad? Doesn't he know..." Damien took a deep breath and slowly took a step back. "Bragga... My father... has been dead for 5 years. I-I'm his son... Damien Weaver." "So now the war has spilt into our home... There are innocent people here. I can't endanger them." Damien centered himself and spoke calmly, "You can do what you want with me but leave everyone else here alone. No one else needs to get hurt."
Tyri Emmassus Tyri felt bad now. This girl, Melody, was doing this all for her father, to keep his business from crashing, to keep her family from starving in these harsh times. She didn't know what she was getting into, but Tyri had to help her some way. He had an idea, but he didn't like it much. He'd surely be killed for it, once his superiors found out. "You say your father owns a repair shop?" Tyri stopped Scorpio. "I could use a few repairs actually. Why don't we head back there so I can meet your father, and you and I can talk about what you want to do." The girl sounded happy to hear that. When she agreed, Tyri turned Scorpio around, and they headed back to the town where Tyri had just been cast out of. Oh well, they'll just have to get over it, he thought. Risa Nyom “Hey there, This is private Shamus McCoy, of the border patrol. Asking for your identification?” Risa stared at the rabbit-looking Robo. Shit, an official patrol. She hated doing this stuff, but she could either lie or shoot. And the armor on that thing... in addition to his skills. "Emily Renar. Koros government investigator. I'm out here to take a look at these attacks along the border. Surely your superiors told you I was coming?" Risa despised lying. She preferred using skills she knew she was good at, like piloting. Not that she hadn't had lies succeed before, but she had little social contact with people during her travels, so it wasn't like she had sufficient practice at lying. But, she had to admit, the story she'd just come up with, she liked it. It could work. This guy was just a private after all. What would he really know? Unless he'd called for backup... then she'd really be in trouble.
Amira Morgan "You say your father owns a repair shop?" the soldier replied, stopping his robo. "I could use a few repairs actually. Why don't we head back there so I can meet your father, and you and I can talk about what you want to do." The girl happily agreed and the two robos turned around and began marching back to the town. Amira breathed a sigh of relief as she watched them go. That soldier seemed like a decent guy. He would look for the best outcome for that girl’s family and not ship her off to war without considering her safety. It was good to know some of the men in uniform still thought that way. Amira shut off the communications interceptor. The wings on Lilith’s back folded away, like the blades of an enormous pair of scissors. She also stowed her rifle, which collapsed to nearly half its size and was tucked away in a place on her back, between the wings and thrusters. The single red eye on her robo returned to its usual bluish glow now that she was no longer in sniping mode. Amira pressed a flashing button on her console, reactivating the radio. “-Morgan! Pick up your radio!” the convoy leader barked at her. She could hear him yelling at other people in the background. “She’s just like her father. What kind of idiot goes silent in the middle of a-” “I’m here, sir,” she said. “I can hear you.” “Well, it’s about damn time! I… thought they might’ve gotten you or something,” the leader said, with worry in his voice. She could hear the sounds of engines starting. Half a second later, the line of trucks began to move. They turned around and began heading away from the town. “I don’t like the look of those two robos. We’re gonna head west. There’s another town about an hour that way,” the leader explained. “Sir, those bots aren’t threatening. I don’t think there will be a problem if we just go to this town,” Amira said. “No. I don’t like it,” the leader replied. “Someday, when you’re as old as I am, you’ll learn to trust your instincts, kid. Now, get back over here. That’s an order!” She hesitated for a long moment before finally replying. “Yessir.” Amira began to walk back toward the convoy. Only the last truck stopped to wait for her. While the others drove on, it lowered a ramp and Lilith walked into the back of the truck, crouching to avoid scraping the ceiling. The truck was a transporter, an enclosed trailer with all the tools and spare parts needed to keep Lilith in top condition. The inside was set up like a garage. There was even another robo sitting in the corner; though it was much older and smaller, like an exo-suit. It was an old D-23 Gorilla, a former boxing robo that she used for heavy lifting. As the doors shut and the ramp retracted, Lilith went down on one knee, crouching so she would fit inside. Amira powered down the drive cores, leaving the robo frozen in that position. The cockpit opened like the hatch of a fighter jet and she cast off her safety harnesses and climbed out. She wore a form-fitting white flight suit and, as she removed her helmet, her long white hair tumbled out. Amira quickly secured Lilith, chaining it to some hooks on the floor so it wouldn’t topple over, and headed up to the driver’s cabin of the transporter. “Took you long enough,” Stan said with a grin. He was only a boy of sixteen, but she was training him to be a mechanic someday. She even let him drive the transporter, as long as he promised not to roll it over. “That old man’s always gripin’ about somethin.’ Who pissed in his prune juice this time?” he joked. “Watch your mouth,” Amira said gently as she slid into the passenger seat beside him. “He might be a grumpy old man, but he’s still in charge of this convoy, okay?” But she knew the kid was right. The convoy leader, James Bonner --or “Jimmy Bones” as they sometimes called him-- almost always had a bad attitude. He liked to act like he was a tough guy pirate, and the convoy was his ship, and the borderlands were the high seas. But none of that was true. The truth was, he was a scared old man, living in constant fear of the government and soldiers and anything with a gun. When military bots showed up, he always tucked his tail and ran. “Let’s go to that town,” Stan said, pointing to where the two Krinian robos were headed. “I’m not abandoning the convoy,” Amira said coldly, but Stan was already putting the truck in gear and driving toward the town. “Stop it, Stan. This isn’t funny.” But the boy just laughed and kept driving. She could’ve easily yanked him out of the driver’s seat. Amira wasn’t big by any means, but Stan was tiny for his age. Forcing him to stop would have been easy. But she didn’t. “You want to go, don’t you?” he said with a grin. “For once, just do what you wanna do, Miri. Screw the convoy. We’ll catch up with them later.” He suddenly picked up the radio ad tuned in to the convoy’s frequency. “Hey there. This is Truck Six reporting in. Just calling to say… SCREW YOU!” Laughing, he turned off the radio before the old man could reply. Amira buried her face in her hands. “Oh my god, we’re so dead… I can’t believe you just did that,” she murmured. But Stan couldn’t see that she was actually smiling a little as they drove toward the town. A day away from the rest of the scavengers might be nice. The rest of the convoy continued in the opposite direction, far off into the wasteland.
Shamus McCoy She didn’t open her cockpit, which most pilots took as a show of good faith but her voice came through clearly on the radio. "Emily Renar. Koros government investigator. I'm out here to take a look at these attacks along the border. Surely your superiors told you I was coming?" It was a good lie, plausible even, but he didn’t believe a word of it. The government was way too cheap to hire a zin robo to investigate a few border attacks and even if they did his superiors would never have told shamus about it. There was something very suspicious about this zin robo and its mysterious pilot, and Shamus was starting to regret not calling this in to his superiors. He’d play along with this Emily Renar. At least that way they could go on their separate way and no one would have to know about this incident. Besides Shamus wasn’t going to risk a fight with a zin by himself. “Sorry mam, I wasn’t made aware that they were sending an investigator. If you’ll excuse me I should get back to my patrol duties. I’m sure you can find your way to the command post on your...” Suddenly he was very aware of a beeping nose coming from the ground. It would be almost imperceptible had his cockpit been closed but it was definitely there. He scoured the grounds surface until he saw its source. “Get Back!” Shamus closed his cockpit and reeled Zahara towards the zin bot, tackling the robo. A huge explosion of fire erupted from the slasher bot. In a tangle of mechanical limbs, Zahara and the zin bot laid in a pile a few feet a way. Shamus looked up, the cockpit of Zahara blurring. Driblets of blood glided down his face from a small gash on his forehead. He knew what had happened, the damned slasher bot overloaded its core. It was a kamikaze program, designed for bots that were defeated in battle to take out a few of the enemy. Shamus thought they had been banned from both sides, due to the explosions killing allies. But he guessed they forgot about this robo. He wiped some of blood off of his forehead and radioed the girl. "Are you alright in their?"
Davis Quan (Ghost) Davis kept his gun trained forwards, but he knew this couldn’t be Bragga. The man standing in front of him sported the same black hair, and blue eyes that had tormented him five years ago, but he was about two decades too young. In fact, he looked closer to Davis’ age. The man seemed to be more confused than he was scared. "Bragga... My father... has been dead for 5 years. I-I'm his son... Damien Weaver,” he said, staring into the gun’s barrel. Davis froze at the words, struggling to process the information. Bragga was this man’s father? Dead for five years? That wasn’t possible. It had only been five years ago that Davis was under Bragga’s cold rule. “Shit,” said Davis, lowering his gun. The man seemed to relax a little. "You can do what you want with me but leave everyone else here alone. No one else needs to get hurt." “What the hell are you playing at kid?” Davis sputtered, pointing an accusing finger at the man in front of him. He turned around and paced heavily back to the window, shaking his head in confusion. This was all wrong. The information he received was correct: the town, the house, and the time. He had spent days planning the assassination. This couldn’t be it. It had to be wrong. “Dammit!” Davis reached back and slammed his free fist into the window. The entire window pane shattered, causing shards of glass to pellet his exo-suit harmlessly. “I’m going to find you Bragga! You can’t hide behind your damn family; I know you’re out there!” Davis shouted aimlessly. He stood in front of the window for a moment, furious at his situation. Davis could see the remains of the robo fight that occurred only moments ago. Unsurprisingly, the Zin robo had triumphed. A soft female voice called out cautiously from another room, “Damien? Was that you? Are you alright?” Davis closed his eyes to supress his rage and collect himself. It was a rare occasion that Davis would lose his temper like he did, but his situation was more than a lot to handle. Once he could breathe normally again, he turned around to see that Damien hadn’t moved from his position. “You,” Davis pointed his gun at the man, “Don’t give me any crap, or I swear things will get ugly in here. Where is your father?” “Like I said, my father, Bragga Weaver, died five years ago. It was during the initial conflicts with Krine... I really don't know much more than that,” said the man, “All I know is that he wouldn't have just left us if he had the choice... My father is dead, that... that is a fact.” “Look kid, I was with your father five years ago. He was holding me in a military facility in the upper regions of Koros. You can’t fool me with your bullcrap,” said Davis, trying his best to hold his temper. "I don't know what you want me to say. I'm sorry for whatever happened to you but there's no way that's possible... I mean five years ago..." the man sounded exasperated at first, but then seemed to drift into thought. He shook his head, "Look. I don't know what's going on, but my dad's not here anymore. I haven't seen him in the last five years and I have no reason to lie to you." Davis stared at the man coldly, as if he could extract the truth out of him if he glared long enough. But the man didn’t show any signs that he was lying. Everything he said was more or less genuine – or at least the man thought it was genuine. But that was impossible. For a brief moment, Davis almost wondered if he had the wrong Bragga. He lowered his gun. “Alright, fine. If you won’t talk now, you might later. You’re coming with me.”
Damien Weaver [HR][/HR] A women's voice came from the other room, “Damien? Was that you? Are you alright?” "Just stay in the other room mom. Keep everyone out of here." The boy quieted down, collecting himself. Damien didn't falter at all, he stood before the boy as calmly as he could. “You,” the boy pointed his gun at Damien, “Don’t give me any crap, or I swear things will get ugly in here. Where is your father?” "Why is after dad so bad? What did he do? Besides... It's not like he's around anymore." “Like I said, my father, Bragga Weaver, died five years ago. It was during the initial conflicts with Krine... I really don't know much more than that,” said Damien, “All I know is that he wouldn't have just left us if he had the choice... My father is dead, that... that is a fact.” "He wouldn't abandon us." “Look kid, I was with your father five years ago. He was holding me in a military facility in the upper regions of Koros. You can’t fool me with your bullcrap,” said the boy, his temper slipping, "He was with him? No. He said he was being held by dad in a facility. Why would he be doing that? He could be making all of this up... but he has no reason to do any of this otherwise. This isn't right. He's determined to find a Bragga Weaver. All I know is that my dad, whether he's the same one or not, is dead." "I don't know what you want me to say. I'm sorry for whatever happened to you but there's no way that's possible... I mean five years ago..." "5 years ago is when it happened... when war finally broke out. Dad was piloting a mech on the front line. He was really driven when it came to that stuff... When we found out... it's like the walls around us began to collapse. Everything we had seemed like it was slipping away, there was no more fun or laughter. Karmine didn't understand what was happening but when she saw the look on mom's face... War drowned everything in grey. No color, or light... just grey. But... They wouldn't even let us see the body... they had said that it was too charred and mangled to recognize... all we saw was a torched corpse... No. Dad wouldn't have left. I know that much." He shook his head, "Look. I don't know what's going on, but my dad's not here anymore. I haven't seen him in the last five years and I have no reason to lie to you." The boy glared at Damien, looking for any signs that he might be lying. Damien stared back, as it felt like time was at a standstill. After several moments the boy slowly lowered his gun. Damien sighed with relief, lowering his hands and wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I guess that'-" “Alright, fine. If you won’t talk now, you might later. You’re coming with me.” "W-what?" stammered Damien, "This is where it was supposed to end. He was supposed to just leave... I shouldn't be getting dragged into this." "Coming with you? And where exactly do you plan on going? I'm not going to be much of a help." The boy had a feint smile on his face. It wasn't comforting. Damien took a step back as the boy raised his gun again. "I get it. This is a hostage situation." "We need to get this out of the house. I'll just go with it, and figure out exactly what's going on." [HR][/HR] Colonel Bragga Weaver A man with black hair and deep blue eyes sat behind a dozen monitors. He was dressed in an ornate white military jacket. A scar marks the left side of his face. On every screen information and video's are playing, each one with a Zin hound with three heads. "Sir? What are your orders?" A smile spread across Bragga's face. He rose to his feet, several officers in the back of the room immediately standing at attention. "Send out the Black Knights." "We will capture you... Risa Noym."
Risa Nyom "Are you all right in there? Risa shook her head as she got her bearings back. What was he, stupid? He'd just tackled her, catching her completely off guard. No... she'd let him, she wasn't one to let people surprise her. She could read a Robo or pilot as easily as a book, so no, he hadn't surprised her. But was she ok? Well, of course. But, despite the fact that this Shamus guy had just saved her, she could have done it herself. So... why hadn't she. She was baffled by it. Maybe she was getting sloppy, doing all of this hunting around and such, and was starting to turn soft, or lazy, or even slow. The last one, if she was slow... she would be dead within a week. "Yeah, I'm fine," Risa said, adjusting her straps and moving the controls a bit so Cerberus pushed the other Robo off. "I need to get going. I have things to take care." Risa thought for a moment. There had been three of them. She had taken two, but what of the other... No, she could have handled all three. She had taken more than that on by herself, so why was she suddenly wondering. Had she... no, that was a huge sign of weakness. She couldn't let herself fall into that. Nevertheless.... "Would you like to tag along? It would mean abandoning your post, but I did that years ago." Don't give too much of yourself away. Cerberus is bad enough. "I'm just trying to end this war, and I doubt there's many like me out there. I could use some help." Tyri Emmassus Tyri saw the looks on the faces of the citizens as he and Melody walked back into town. He was likely to get killed here, if the people meant well enough to try. Hopefully Melody's father had some influence or something, or a safe place to spend the night. Whatever the man could provide, Tyri would take it if it meant feeling safe while sleeping. "It's right up ahead," Melody said, drawing Tyri out of his blank stare towards the people. Tyri looked, and had to admit, the shop looked fairly decent. It was comparable to those that the military had. Of course, that was probably the reason they were short on money. Things like repair shops were sometimes more expensive to maintain than the Robos that used them. "Dad, I'm back!" Melody got out of her Robo after parking it in front of the shop. Tyri did the same, locking Scorpio just to be safe. He turned and saw Melody hugging her father, and his stomach twisted. He couldn't take her into combat. He had to make sure she didn't get drawn into the front lines, because that's where all the dead were. The front lines were the reason soldiers were being recruited, they were nearly empty. "Hello sir," Tyri said as the man looked at him. Tyri shook the man's hand. "Nice shop you have. I'm Tyri Emmassus, recruiter. I was wondering if perhaps you could do some repairs for me? My Scorpio has been running a little slow lately, and I think the tail could also use a good sharpening."
Amira Morgan While the boy drove, Amira headed down into the sleeper cabin beneath the driver’s compartment. It was a tiny windowless room with bare metal walls, two stiff bunks, and a washbasin with a little mirror. But it was the only place aboard the transporter where she could change clothes. The town they were entering wasn’t fond of mechs or the people who pilot them. Walking around in her flight suit would be a bad idea. Unfortunately, she didn’t keep a full wardrobe on this truck and everything else was dirty work clothes, stained with grease. Except for a single blue summer dress, but Amira took one look at that and promptly tossed it aside. With a sigh, she decided to just stick with what she was wearing. Her flight suit was a little tight in places, and hugged her body like a glove, but she found it surprisingly comfortable. It was as much a part of her as her robo. If the townsfolk hated her for that, so be it. Satisfied, Amira grabbed her satchel from beneath the bunk and climbed back up the ladder to the driver’s compartment. She could already feel the truck coming to a stop. They had arrived in the town. “We’re here! And I didn’t hit anything,” Stan announced, as he shut off the truck and pulled the keys from the ignition. He turned to see Amira coming up the ladder and paused. “I thought you were gonna change?” She just shrugged. “I changed my mind.” Stan grinned. “Well, if they chase us outta town with pitchforks and torches, I know who to blame.” “Right…” Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Amira partially unzipped her suit, tucked her necklace inside, and zipped it back up again. The key to her robo hung from that necklace, and she guarded it like a priceless gem. “Let’s go. I want to see what metals they have for sale.” “Awesome. I wanna get a closer look at that scorpion bot,” Stan said, following her to the transporter’s garage, where Lilith was still chained under a tarp. “Did you see the tail on that thing, Miri? I bet it could slice a bot in half in one swing…” Amira shrugged again. She wasn’t so sure about that. It was a nice machine, but it wasn’t perfect. She took one last look at her robo before opening the transporter’s side door and stepping outside. Their huge truck was parked across the street and about half a block away from the two robos they had followed. A small crowd had begun to form around the two bots. Thankfully, no one seemed to have taken offense to the transporter yet and Amira hoped it would stay that way. “Now might be a bad time to go over there” she whispered to Stan. He nodded. The boy was mischievous, but he knew trouble when he saw it. The townspeople were swarming around the scorpion robo like flies to- “I’ll go see if there’s anything good to eat around here,” Stan said and headed off toward a small market down the street. “Alright. Keep your communicator on, just in case,” Amira called after him, with worry in her voice. She looked toward the two robos again and wondered if that soldier knew his bot was being surrounded by a mob. She didn’t know what he’d done to anger them, but the crowd was steadily growing. Someone had to tell him. He might be able to get out of town before the situation turns violent. Amira quickly locked up the transporter and shoved the key card into one of her suit’s many pockets before walking toward the repair shop. She stayed on the opposite side of the street and hoped no one would notice her coming. She could hear the crowd talking as she approached. “I can’t believe he came back,” someone was saying. “That son of a bitch,” another said. “Is he talking to the Hanson girl in there?” “He’s gonna take her away, too?” “Not if I can help it. Goddamn recruiters.” “I’m sick of this shit. I say we run his ass outta here.” Amira quickened her pace. She was almost to the shop when she heard the words she really didn’t want to hear: “Hey!” a man barked and Amira instantly froze up. “You don’t look like yer from ‘round here.” One or two pairs of eyes turned toward her. In mere seconds, the whole crowd was glaring at her. “Are you with that recruiter?” Amira tried to reply. Her lips moved, but no words came out. She even considered running away, but her legs were just as useless as her mouth. “I already lost two sons to this damn war an’ I ain’t watchin’ these monsters carry off another child. Enough is enough!” He pointed at the repair shop. “You better tell yer friend he’s got ten minutes to get his ass outta our town,” the man said in a gravelly voice. “Ten minutes! That’s how long it’s gon’ take me to git ma gun.” He turned and walked away, presumably to do exactly as he said he would. Amira noticed he moved with a slight limp; that explained why they’d taken his sons instead of him. “I’m gettin’ mine too,” someone else said. “Yeah, me too,” a third added. Before long, half a dozen people left the crowd. They’d be back. And they’d be armed. Ten minutes, Amira thought. She felt lightheaded, as if she might faint. If she weren’t already so pale, she would be now. Forcing her legs to work, she ran to the repair shop and charged inside.
Darrius Resas A dark bot crouched on top of the mechanics roof. The bot was in the shape of a jaguar its armor comprised of hundreds of interlocking black metal plates that seemed to drink in the light. Small emp pulses shimmed along its teeth and claws as it held its grip on the roof watching the beginning of a riot starting. Darrius lay in the cockpit of the beast smiling, it was getting like this in all villages nowadays. The war was going on too long, a good time to be a merc the army was paying good money for any one willing to fight. Darrius had been stalking this recruiter for a few weeks looking for the right time to talk to him unfortunately these locals could mess things up. He sighed and turned Shadow around. Shadow dropped to the ground behind the workshop. The bot moved smoothly with no sound aside from a small puff of dust as it landed. The bot moved into the shadows and lay down, it shuddered and the plates along its spine shuddered and opened. Darrius slid out almost as gracefuly and pulled his sniper from the cockpit slinging it over his shoulder. as he walked away the bot closed again and melded into the shadows until only its glowing sapphire eyes showed. Darrius slunk in through the back door, luckily a woman charged in almost at the same time distracting the mechanic his daughter and the recruiter. Darrius sat casually on a workbench and waited to see what would happen.
