"Who's backing him? He's got too much cred to be throwing around his own." I say, my arms crossed. I am not looking at Jaina now. I am not sad. I did not break up with her. I am going to beat the snot out of that Chiss.
Squall shrugs, "My associates is all he ever says, and he's promised to give them time to get to know each other before they dive into commitments. This is crazy Kelborn... Most people seem to like him."
A few seconds later, a familiar voice comes over the comms — it's Nill. "I've got eyes on your Chiss friend. Swanky bar. Do I get an expense account for the crazy overpriced alcohol they made me buy to sit here?"
I reply to Squall, "Well, let's go have a chat with him then." I say as I strap on my gun belt. Stars, that feels better! I smile a wicked little smile, "I'm sure we can convince him to reveal who his associates are."
I catch Nill's comm and answer, "Nurse that one drink, it's on me. Any more you'll have to flirt for. Let us know if he's leaving. And hey, if you can get close to him, do it."
"Tott, I need you to play lookout, bring your rifle and make sure he isn't trying to flush us out and then flank us hard. Jazz, Macks, you're with me. Pem, Nezz and Ukuun, you're backup. I'll need you just down the corridor, ready to roll if we need you."
Nill chuckles, "sweet! You got it boss." Everyone falls in, and follows you out the door — except Squall, who's staying behind to keep an eye on the feeds.
A few minutes later, you're all in position outside the Captain's lounge, when Nill comes on the comm. "Movement. Looks like the group is getting ready for a new member vote. He's been asked to step out."
Kelb,
Jazz is standing next to you, all business. You catch his sidelong glance out of the corner of your eye, and he whispers, "you in the game, Kelb? I don't wanna have to deal with this sleemo twice."
Tott,
You've got a good view of the lounge from your little niche. The glass windows on the roof of the lounge make for the perfect viewing of the whole floor. Where did you set up?
Since we're in the nicest part of Kestic, the buildings are less crowded and cleaner, making it harder to hide. Luckily, there's some sort of art piece on the roof of the luxury bath house next door. I'm nestled into the bowl that a fountain spills into - my boots are getting a bit wet, but security over comfort. My rifle is resting on the edge of the bowl, and I'm crouched low as I scan the area.
I look at Jazz, try and give him a hard stare back. "I'm five by five, Jazz. We're doing this hard, and we're doing it once."
I plan on letting the Chiss get far enough away from the establishment that the ownership doesn't feel threatened and consider breaking things up. Then I'm marching right up to him. No helmet, dark crimson cloak over my armor, my rifle and my sword slung over my back.
I'm coming from the front. I want him to see me. Just so we're clear, I'm not chatting him up. I'm not going to hold his pretty blue hand and beg him to play nice.
We begin this conversation after I have put injuries on him to at least match what I see on Jaina. Plus, I dunno, an extra fifteen percent interest. I'm mean that way.
Well, you get right up to him, and sucker-punch him right in the jaw. He drops to the ground, and lands hard on his shoulder. It occurs to you that was a little easy... That's when you spot him scurrying backwards. His hand fumbles from his Jacket and produces a small blaster. It's trained on you, "Who the hell do you think you are? What do you want with me?"
"I'm Kelborn," I reply casually, ignoring the blaster he's pointing at me. If I angle my armor right, I can take a shot, I know it. "See the Captain there? You invaded her ship and harmed her person. I'm here to pay it back in kind."
Then I say, just as calmly, "Tott." I fully expect him to shoot this Chiss in the arm, or actually shoot the blaster. He knows we're after info as well as intimidation, so he better not kill this guy.
The gun goes flying out of the Chiss' hand with a loud CRACK and skitters across the deck and out of sight. He cries out in pain, and grabs his hand reflexively. You just know a shot like that in a neighborhood like this is going to bring the law down on you. You don't have long to make your point.
The Chiss looks up at you with fire in his eyes, and growls, "you've just made a very powerful enemy, my dear."
I will quickly make my point then, cracking down on that blue mug of his with knees and fists hard and fast. All the stress of my life is poured out into violence on this man in a rapid fashion.
Breathing hard through my nose, I step back, "You want him dead, Jaina?" I'm not looking at her. I'm staring at the mess I've made. I wipe the spatter of his blood off my nose with the back of my hand and forearm.
Jaina is hovering just over your shoulder, and hesitates when you ask if she wants him dead. She wasn't really ready to give an order like that... It's a tough thing if you've never done it before — ordering someone to their death.
Her silence bothers me. Has she lost her nerve? "Would you rather just spit in his face, then? Leave him to seek his revenge? On yours?" I turn to look at her. She sees me then, I'm sure it isn't pleasant. I'm losing my edge. Jazz knows it.
If she nods one more time, this unnamed Chiss is dead.
You hear it from behind you, an exasperated sigh followed by Jazz's familiar voice. "Oh for Kriff's sake..." You hear the click of a blaster being primed. Jaina won't have the chance to nod again before this guy's dead.
At this particular moment, Jaina wants this guy dead, and she wishes you would just make it happen. What she's feeling on the other hand is conflicted... She's already in too deep, and this is an irrevocable act. It could bring a world of hurt down on her — it probably will — and given the conversation you had earlier, she's almost certainly not ready for this. She's almost positive she won't handle the heat, and she'll crash and burn.
Right now, she feels like she needs you.
Kelb, your look made Jazz hesitate, but you can tell it was just a moment's slip — he's going to get the shot off before you do unless you give me a manipulate roll to keep Jazz in line. His respect for you as a merc is your leverage here.
... Unless you let him pull that trigger, that is.
I don't see much of the exchange, I'm focused on keeping a bead on. When Jazz fires, however, I glance around, keeping an eye out for enraged accomplices.
Jazz doesn't hesitate. He puts two bolts it the Chiss' chest, then walks over and puts one in his head. He holsters his blaster, and looks to you — silently raising an eyebrow as if to say, "are we done here?"
Jaina is standing there motionless, her eyes vacantly staring past the corpse at your feet.
Tott,
Accomplices? No. Security guards? Yes. You've got three guards running to Kelb's location, maybe more when they spot a dead guy at Kelb's feet.
I'm going to fire through a vacant window a couple dozen meters down the way, hoping to lure them off, and help us make a getaway. Or help them make a getaway - I could just lie low and probably be fine.
Luckily, Pem picked us out a bolthole, I mean, we did plan on murdering the guy. I'm not a great leader, but I'm also not stupid, right?
Right?
We're climbing on top of this building and then heading over it to the other side, slipping the back way, the engineer's hatches way, to the lift, then gone.
My plan is to slip down the back of the building and scarper in a different direction from Kelb and crew - make a long loop around before ending up back at 14's place.
Comments
"Who's backing him? He's got too much cred to be throwing around his own." I say, my arms crossed. I am not looking at Jaina now. I am not sad. I did not break up with her. I am going to beat the snot out of that Chiss.
Goddess, Kelb gets around. Does she even like men? Was she so drunk she forgot what heat I'm packing? She's a curious one.
Squall shrugs, "My associates is all he ever says, and he's promised to give them time to get to know each other before they dive into commitments. This is crazy Kelborn... Most people seem to like him."
A few seconds later, a familiar voice comes over the comms — it's Nill. "I've got eyes on your Chiss friend. Swanky bar. Do I get an expense account for the crazy overpriced alcohol they made me buy to sit here?"
I catch Nill's comm and answer, "Nurse that one drink, it's on me. Any more you'll have to flirt for. Let us know if he's leaving. And hey, if you can get close to him, do it."
"Tott, I need you to play lookout, bring your rifle and make sure he isn't trying to flush us out and then flank us hard. Jazz, Macks, you're with me. Pem, Nezz and Ukuun, you're backup. I'll need you just down the corridor, ready to roll if we need you."
Then we're off.
A few minutes later, you're all in position outside the Captain's lounge, when Nill comes on the comm. "Movement. Looks like the group is getting ready for a new member vote. He's been asked to step out."
Kelb,
Jazz is standing next to you, all business. You catch his sidelong glance out of the corner of your eye, and he whispers, "you in the game, Kelb? I don't wanna have to deal with this sleemo twice."
Tott,
You've got a good view of the lounge from your little niche. The glass windows on the roof of the lounge make for the perfect viewing of the whole floor. Where did you set up?
I plan on letting the Chiss get far enough away from the establishment that the ownership doesn't feel threatened and consider breaking things up. Then I'm marching right up to him. No helmet, dark crimson cloak over my armor, my rifle and my sword slung over my back.
How are you coming at this guy? From front? Behind?
Tott,
Since you're up there, what are you doing?
We begin this conversation after I have put injuries on him to at least match what I see on Jaina. Plus, I dunno, an extra fifteen percent interest. I'm mean that way.
Can you act under fire to see if you can approach this guy without tipping him off?
(Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 2, 3. Total: 6)
(+1 XP)
Well, you get right up to him, and sucker-punch him right in the jaw. He drops to the ground, and lands hard on his shoulder. It occurs to you that was a little easy... That's when you spot him scurrying backwards. His hand fumbles from his Jacket and produces a small blaster. It's trained on you, "Who the hell do you think you are? What do you want with me?"
Then I say, just as calmly, "Tott." I fully expect him to shoot this Chiss in the arm, or actually shoot the blaster. He knows we're after info as well as intimidation, so he better not kill this guy.
If you want to shoot the gun out of his hand without harming him, Act Under Fire.
(Rolled: 2d6+3. Rolls: 4, 5. Total: 12)
The Chiss looks up at you with fire in his eyes, and growls, "you've just made a very powerful enemy, my dear."
Breathing hard through my nose, I step back, "You want him dead, Jaina?" I'm not looking at her. I'm staring at the mess I've made. I wipe the spatter of his blood off my nose with the back of my hand and forearm.
She nods a few times — confident, but silent.
If she nods one more time, this unnamed Chiss is dead.
You hear it from behind you, an exasperated sigh followed by Jazz's familiar voice. "Oh for Kriff's sake..." You hear the click of a blaster being primed. Jaina won't have the chance to nod again before this guy's dead.
What do you do?
What is holding her up? Is it weakness? Or something else? Best to know now before we do something irrevocable.
Reading Jaina:
(Rolled: 2d6+2. Rolls: 4, 5. Total: 11)
(+1 XP)
• what’s Jaina really feeling?
• what does Jaina wish I’d do?
Right now, she feels like she needs you.
Kelb, your look made Jazz hesitate, but you can tell it was just a moment's slip — he's going to get the shot off before you do unless you give me a manipulate roll to keep Jazz in line. His respect for you as a merc is your leverage here.
... Unless you let him pull that trigger, that is.
Jazz doesn't hesitate. He puts two bolts it the Chiss' chest, then walks over and puts one in his head. He holsters his blaster, and looks to you — silently raising an eyebrow as if to say, "are we done here?"
Jaina is standing there motionless, her eyes vacantly staring past the corpse at your feet.
Tott,
Accomplices? No. Security guards? Yes. You've got three guards running to Kelb's location, maybe more when they spot a dead guy at Kelb's feet.
What do you do?
Right?
We're climbing on top of this building and then heading over it to the other side, slipping the back way, the engineer's hatches way, to the lift, then gone.
(Using Not worth dying for)
(Rolled: 2d6+2. Rolls: 4, 6. Total: 12)
Do you guys regroup?