Friday, February 24, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Illuminating the Chasm

9 Autumn, TN 1925, Westphalia Day

There were going to be fireworks. That much was certain. No one was quite sure when, but the consensus around the Prince Gable bar scene was that they would be exploded sometime after dark but before midnight, which left a significant period of time in which to drink and wonder when in Prophet's name the show was going to start.

Lyta had started the evening drinking with Lukas and Ti Corovan, while Torgath continued surveillance on Bakat Ishmad. But sometime in the early evening, Lukas became very interested in audio from the bug in Ishmad's offices and left to find somewhere quieter where he could listen in. Without Lukas, Lyta found the crowds of the bar oppressive, and convinced Ti to wander the streets of Prince Gable with her.

An hour later, Lyta had found them a rooftop vantage point, and they sat overlooking the trench, sharing a bottle of wine and greasy take-out food. They were quick to reassure each other that it wasn't a date – merely a chance to watch the fireworks without straining over the press of the crowds. Lyta repeated it often enough that she almost believed it.

Wordslingin'

Talk, talk, talk! Last night, Our Heroes (tm) traded sensitive and valuable information with our friend-turned-boss, Ti Corovan, and also began our investigation of Bakat Ishmad, President of West Corps. Not too much action, but certainly a lot of talking.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V - Setting the board

Her fingers were typing delicately; adding notes, directing information and cataloguing data as reams of information came scrolling across her computer.

A small subset of her screen flashed a question, prompting her to open a message from one of her assets.

ENCRYP MSG - BP003: ‘Message delivered, your rabbit has baited the fox. I am surveilling, will advise when I have lead on primary target. What will be the next phase of the op?’

Almost immediately her phone made a purring noise as it vibrated slightly on the table and message was displayed: ‘Wallcraft unexpectedly hostile. LL’

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : Bloody payment

“So what are we going to talk about?” Ti asked after some time had passed. The train carrying Todd and Lyta off towards Storm’s Landing and from there deep into the Great White desert was already gaining speed, and Ti was anticipating spending a season with a childhood friend who had inconveniently grown up in the intervening decade. Ti realised he didn’t know much about Lukas except his manner around his brother and sister. With them gone, he didn’t have a leg to stand on.

“How good are you at picking locks?” Lukas responded as they started to stroll back to the terminal.

“Not a normal subject of conversation. I was thinking, ‘What trideo have you seen lately?’ or 'What kind of art or music are you in to?'” Ti was started with bemusement.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Tension in the Trash Heaps

Lyta wished, desperately, for the face-cloth she wore when she traveled with the Koreshi. The heaping piles of garbage that gleamed so prettily from her hotel room window were distinctly less appealing up close. Ti Corovan walked beside her, either oblivious to the smell or much better at hiding his discomfort than she was.

Something shifted in a heap somewhere ahead of them, and a rotting barnaby carcass rolled down and landed on the path in front of them. Lyta exclaimed in disgust, jumped to the side, and nearly knocked Ti over.

"Okay, I admit it," said Ti after they'd both righted themselves and moved past the dead animal, "this is probably the worst place for a first date I could have taken you."

Wordslingin'

Last night, Our Unsuspecting Heroes (tm) found themselves in a completely-unforeseen firefight due to intel from our erstwhile employer, Nicosa Renault. At least, Lukas and Torgath got themselves into a firefight. Lyta went on a date with Ti, because no one ever tells her anything.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter IV: Letting Go

TN 1925, 35 Summer

The waterfall filled her entire field of vision, huge and imposing. Somewhere far below, it foamed the mouth of the river, and the dull roar of it echoed up the chasm. Lyta sat, cross-legged and closed-eyed, and listened.

The grass was soft enough that it masked the footsteps, and Lyta only realized someone had joined her when she felt the air stir to her right. She opened her eyes to find Jonas standing, watching the waterfall, and waiting. He turned towards her when he realized she had noticed him. "May I join you, Hippartha?"

Lyta licked her lips, then nodded. She considered the overlook to the waterfall her private sanctum, a place she could avoid the milling crowds of Junira Loresh, and think. "How did you find me?"

Jonas sat down on the grass beside her. "I have often found you here when you were troubled," he said gently. "When your heart sought to join with the heart of the desert and its people."

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter IV: A season in seven minutes

B'Ti, 12th Course, 0:07

The first obstacle of the B'Ti loomed before her: a massive rock face that stretched the entire width of the course. It wasn't thick, but it was smooth and straight, without a single handhold to help her. Around five feet up, holes appeared in the surface, only a few at first, but increasingly plentiful further up, so that the top looked more like a honeycomb than a wall.

Most of the holes were narrow, but a few were wide enough that they might admit a person, if she was small enough and nimble enough. Lyta took a deep breath and ran towards the wall as fast as she could. Seconds before impact, she used a jutting stone as a springboard, flung her arms out in front of her, and launched herself at an opening five and a half feet off the ground. If she missed, she would almost certainly break an arm, and probably give herself a concussion in the process. She stared at her target, and felt the cold stone pass millimetres away from her skin.


TN 1925, 8 Summer

The train hurtled through a tunnel barely big enough to contain it. The air in front of it thrummed as it slowed, coming to a stop on the platform. Lyta and Todd hefted the minimal baggage they were taking with them south and east, to Storm's Landing. Lyta, out in the public eye and surrounded by heartfelt couples wishing each other goodbye, was stony-faced. Lukas, naturally, was not falling for it.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Wordslingin'

This week, Our Heroes (tm) snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat! When local magnate Kashin Borno responded to our blackmail attempt by giving us a bum deal, we decided to assault him in his own home, incapacitate his guards, break his arm, and threaten him until he gave us what we wanted. While not the original plan, Plan B worked out quite satisfactorily, in a win-win-win situation for everyone, with the possible exception of Borno.


 
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