Monday, December 31, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VI: One Swallow Does Not Make a Summer


The vast expanse of the Westridge Range was at their left as they snaked northwards, towards Lance Point. The city wasn't visible, not yet, but Bev had assured them they were barely a day away from their destination. They'd picked up more sedatives, for Baakov and for Katchelli, and there was even enough that Lyta had managed a few hours of blissfully dreamless sleep.

She was alone in her room. Todd had gone off to do... something, she hadn't asked. Maybe just to sit somewhere else while he read his books. She still hadn't made it more than ten pages into the one he'd given her, and the letters dancing around the page suggested that she wouldn't get any further today.

Her data-pad buzzed.

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VI: Prison Broken

The longrunner thrummed as the road moved under it. The climate conditioning took the sting out of the mid-day Summer air, but bright light streamed through the windows signalling that soon it would be Siesta. The caravan did not stop for Siesta, just as it did not stop at night; only towns and cities brought it to a halt, and even then, not for long.

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VI : The Long Days Of Summer Pt 1


“Where was I?” Minnie said after releasing her straw and swallowing half her glass worth of lemonade. Although she has shared a great deal of her life’s story to Lukas over the last week , he noted very little of it was compromising. Not that that was all he was after; but in the three afternoons she had spent with him since abducting him, albeit a pleasant kidnaping, he had expected more salacious material then her first kiss, the story of her first pet and  what it was like to grow up in the Western Basin as a prosperous prospector’s daughter.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

From the Desk of Dirk "Doc Dark Dirk" Grimm

Dear Dawn,

or should I call you Gabrielle? Is it like in Chiaroscuro where Grey changed her name once she decided to stop hurting people? If so, which of your names is which? Or maybe you should come up with a totally new name? That would be cool. What do you think it should be?

Friday, December 21, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VI: Rock Bottom

“Tell me straight – are you here to kill me?”

There weren’t any cushions in the harem, but there were leather floor coverings and wall hangings. Lyta didn’t want to think about what kind of animal had been used to make the leather. She shook her head. “No, I told you. I’m here to get you out. Go time is in an hour and a half.”

Katchelli’s face was a mix of hope and disbelief. The scars on her wrists were a silent testament to the number of times she’d tried to get out, the only way left to her, and been denied. She took a deep breath. “All right,” she said at last. “We’ll be ready.”

Lyta nodded and rose, but a hand grabbed the back of her coveralls and forced her down to the ground. “You’re supposed to be violated,” said Katchelli softly. Lyta realized a dozen pairs of eyes were on her, expectant and hungry, and they weren’t all women. The hand at her back ripped, and the front of the cheap coveralls tore away. Strong men grabbed her, pinning her arms and legs to the ground as she struggled against them. She stared, panicked, at Katchelli, and found only dead eyes staring back.

Geddy stood over her, smiling. The machete dripped with blood, and his lips were stained crimson. “Pretty little girl…” he cooed. “You bring me such pretty toys, my love.”

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Wordslingin'

Free at last, free at last, lordy, lordy, free at last! Yes, it's true! Our Heroes (tm) have finally escaped the CEF diamond mine prison, with both our targets! No one was killed, no one was raped, and no one was eaten by the Subs, so I consider it a net win!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VI : The Road To Recovery

The first thing he noticed was the smell. Sweet, tangy and pleasant. The air was warm and imbued with uncharacteristic moisture. He could also feel the sun warming his skin and was growing to recognize the brightness shuttered out by his eyelids. He pried open one eye and the other and a rolling green hill came into focus. His gaze took in the stubby citrus trees dotting the landscape before him, he finally associated the scent. This was a good dream he thought to himself.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Wordslingin'

The good news is that we're all still alive and we're incrementally closer to completing our job. The bad news is we're still in the diamond minds, and Ennik is wounded. Oh, goody.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Wordslingin'

Y'know, for the worst prison in the world, the diamond mines aren't actually that bad. Well, I'm not saying I'd like to build a summer home here, but the rocks are actually quite lovely.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Wordslingin'

Let the ridiculous ideas continue! This week, Our Heroes (tm) planned and began to execute the real reason they were in Port Arthur in the first place: the rescue of Christina Katchelli from the world's most inescapable prison. As they say in the movies, getting in is the easy part...

Monday, November 26, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VI: The one left standing

35 Sping, 1926

Lukas had long known that he could judge his sister’s mood by her body language. When she was focused, she was as still as a statue, whether sitting at a table or balanced on the edge of a balcony. When she was irritated, she would drum her fingers or tap her foot. When she was tense, she would stretch or run her hands along a couch seam or a table edge. The larger the moment, the more agitated she was. It was one of the reasons he’d told her on multiple occasions that she was piss-poor at cards.

He couldn’t tell her that now. Sedated on his makeshift stretcher, he couldn’t tell her anything. And he certainly couldn’t notice that she was not only pacing the length of the homestead, but also clenching and unclenching her hands, pounding them against the walls, and tearing her gaze between his unconscious form and the northeast window.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VI: Point Of View

“I’m fine” Todd was repeating as Lyta looked over his wounds. He let her work,because it kept her busy and he was afraid that if she kept fidgeting over Lukas’ bandages she would reopen something. Lukas’ legs were in a bad way and Todd wondered if he would be left with a permanent limp. Feeling the sand blow across his bare arms and legs, he realised Lukas had taken those bullets to save his unprotected skin.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VI : Caught in the Milieu Mit You

The Wagoneer came to a halt 50 meters to her left with a slight shriek of its brakes. Gabrielle had her rifle bearing on the dirty windshield. Forty metres in front of her, Quinn was lying face down in the sand, his blood greedily being soaked up by the dry ground. Fifty metres to her left, Kes was approaching when Gabrielle ordered her to stop. At first she didn’t comply, so Gabrielle brought her rifle to bear on Quinn’s figure again. That did it. Even at this distance and with the rising heat of Helios’ ascent it was the fire in Kes’ eyes which Gabrielle felt most acutely.

Fools rush in

Lukas was tired. He had barely slept in--what was it? 48 hours? 60? It felt like days, but another hour should see the job done.

He knew his edge was slipping. Jumping Vulpei may have been a fatal miscalculation. Sending him to help Todd may have been. Double-crossing Dawn may have been.

Self-doubt? Lukas mentally chided himself. Self-indulgence.

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VI: There but for the grace of the Prophet

Everything had gone wrong.

Sand was still swirling in small vortexes around the barren land south of the abandoned homestead but she had a clear view of the approaching antelope jeep bearing Quinn and Vulpei.

Wordslingin'

A traitor in our midst! When Our Heroes (tm) were forced to wipe out the remaining Northerners holed up in the abandoned homestead, one of our own turned tail and ran, and then proceeded to take Torgath hostage and gun down Lukas. Things... are not going so well for Our Heroes (tm). It may be time for drastic action.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Wordslingin'

Pop quiz: you're dealing with an enemy that has more guns, more men, and a superior entrenched position. What do you do? (What. do. you. do?)

Well, if you're Our Heroes (tm), you storm the front gate. They'll never see it coming!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter IV: Rolling Towards Trouble

34 Spring, 1926

The Neil Motor Works Wagoneer bus bounced about on the old road, steadily putting distance between the passengers and their last stop. After the confines of the van in Port Arthur, the seven passengers had naturally spread out amongst the ten rows of old burgundy, barnaby-hide benches. Lyta was in the back, ostensibly watching for pursuers, though they had not seen another vehicle in an hour and the plume of dust kicked up by the oversized people carrier meant she was staring into an amorphous cloud of iron-rich sienna dust.

Vulpei crept up to her and picked up the conversation that had been dropped earlier, about Lyta's childhood aspirations. "Do you find it interesting that of all the things you chose to tell me in full honesty earlier today, you chose to tell me your dreams? I could hardly imagine a more personal piece of your soul to share."

Lyta shrugged. "It was a long time ago. And most of the stuff we've done recently, I can't tell you. Well, I could, but I'd have to lie. And I suck at lying."

Friday, October 26, 2012

Wordslingin'

Things just keep getting stranger and stranger for Our Heroes (tm). The latest development: working on a team with people who hate us and would not be adverse to killing us, for a man whom SecBuro suspects (probably rightfully) of being an assassin, while paying for at least part of it out of our own pockets.

Strange times, people. Very strange times.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VI: With friends like these...

They might have made an eye-catching couple to a casual observer, the way they sat across from each other at the small table, leaning in conspiratorially. Their faces illuminated by a single candle, he was handsome and she was beautiful.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VI: A Rough Day

33 Spring, 1926
13:15, Barnaby Gym

"I'm sorry, love, but we can't help you."

Lyta scowled. "Nothing? Martial arts, boxing, wrestling... nothing?"

"We're a gym, dear, not a dojo." The woman behind the desk gave a perfunctory apologetic smile, as though she had a thousand more important things to do, and at the top of the list was filing her nails.

In fact, Lyta had discovered that there were no dojos on the Strip. The Strip was for tourists, and tourists, for the most part, did not come to Port Arthur for the fighting. So while there were gyms aplenty, Lyta had yet to find anywhere she could punch someone and not get put in lockdown. Which was a shame, because she very, very much wanted to punch someone.

She took a deep breath and tried again. "Really nothing? Nothing at all?"

The woman behind the desk was wearing too much makeup. She pursed her crimson lips and let her nails tap over the schedule. Lyta wondered how she'd managed to find a job at a gym in the first place – she looked like a light breeze could snap her in half.

"Well," she said at last, drawing out the word for a full three seconds, "we do have a self-defense course starting in forty-five minutes. There's still a few slots open." She looked up from her papers, clearly uninterested in whether Lyta chose to sign up or not.

Lyta ground her teeth and pulled out her credit chit. "Fine," she grumbled. "How much?"

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Epilogue


26 Spring 1926, SNS server 146, Prince Gable
A time-delayed subroutine activated on the server. Three files recorded over a season ago set on a 7-day delay were triggered, and automatic delivery systems conveyed them to their destinations. 

‘Hey guys. There’s no easy way to say this, but if you’re hearing this recording then I’m dead.’


Friday, October 19, 2012

Wordslingin'

In Port Arthur, everyone's got an angle. Including us. Especially us. Last night's session saw Our Heroes (tm) attempt to figure out the logistics for breaking into the diamond mine prison to rescue Katchelli. Our contacts were surprisingly, disappointingly helpful. And all we had to do to keep us busy in the meantime was beat off Katchelli's fembots, who seemed to have an unhealthy interest in Lyta...

Friday, October 12, 2012

Wordslingin'

Party time! A night of dancing, drinking, and domineering! And it was all going so well, too, right up until Lyta's dancing partner apparently murdered the local head of the SRID, right under SecBuro's nose...

Friday, September 21, 2012

Wordslingin'

What do you do when you've been shot at, irradiated, and lost someone you love? If you're Our Heroes (tm), you go back to one of the places you hate most on Terra Nova, in an attempt to free someone who hates us back from one of the most secure prisons on the planet. Because we're masochists or something. But at least we're quotable masochists.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Wordslingin'

All Gear battles, all the time! You might recall that last time, Our Heroes (tm) had just escaped from the exploding MinTech mine, only to be informed of 12 incoming enemy hostiles. So what do you do when you're outnumbered, outgunned, and outflanked? Blow up a landship. Clearly.

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Some last words

_Hermes72 uplink active...
_AUDIO file-003.A delivering...
_Last update 04W 1926
_Begin play...

Hey guys,

There’s no easy way to say this, but if you’re hearing this recording than I’m dead.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Nazarine


She watched the gears approach the mine entrance. On the outline of the frame were remnants and wreckage of the battle of Nazerine. She was disturbed by a strange sensation. Although she understood irony -- she wasn’t an automaton after all -- she rarely felt it on personal level anymore. Like most of her feelings, it was a distraction which was relegated to the dark crevices of her mind, a remnant of her former self. Emotions were unnecessary; she could appreciate on an intellectual level that this would end at Nazerine, where it had begun.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Ennik was still pretty mortified. It wasn’t that the end result wasn’t effective—the eight mercs lying in ambush were dead, and it only cost two grenades—but his grenade and the ensuing fireball had nearly killed them all. Still, feeling a little sheepish about that was better than the feelings he was ignoring. The bodies were charred, blackened and smelled the way burned bodies always smelled. It brought back too many memories. The way Delacroix was moving told Ennik that he wasn’t the only one.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Wordslingin'

Time for some thrilling heroics! The good news is that Our Heroes (tm) did *not* die in the face of an elite merc squad, four Mordred GRELS, and an exploding mine. The bad news is that we've got a dozen Gears closing in on our position and lookin' for trouble.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Wordslingin'

All combat, all the time! In this week's session, Our Heroes (tm) attempt to capture the fleeing Marius Wallcraft, Bad Guy extraordinaire, as he withdraws his "running away" money from his bank… which just so happens to be right in front of the main Prince Gable police station. Things do not go as well as they might have.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Falling

The wind was loud, up here. Almost louder than the elans and Gears ten floors down. It rushed in from the Great Trench, down the streets, between the buildings, up and off.

Lyta stood perched on the windowsill, looking down. It was a long way down. She swallowed, glanced behind her into her room of the hotel suite. Still alone. At least for a little while longer.

The wind rustled the stray hairs that had escaped her braid, pulled at her shirt, tugged at her pant hems. Lyta held the sides of the window-frame as the wind danced between her fingers.

"I love you," Ti had said. "Bye."

There was nothing more to say.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and jumped.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Dear Lyta...


Hermes72 uplink in progress…
Transmit HB104-Zl.SG…

10SP1926
Receiving trans…Uknw Svr…
Encoding…Encryption active…

Video transmission in 3...2...1...



Thursday, August 16, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : Letting go

“He said what?!”

Lukas sighed. The conversation was unfortunately going exactly the way he’d expected it would--the only way it could. “He terminated our business relationship, at least for the time being.”

Lyta jumped off the sofa arm where she’d been sitting and began to pace. “He can’t do that!”

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : Making sense

No matter how he replayed the conversation in his mind, Lukas couldn't change the outcome.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : Things clearing up

She was sitting on a veranda sipping tea. Before her was laid out a lovely little set, complete with milk, cream, two kinds of sugar and an assortment of cakes. The tree above was budding with green leaves that lent it a surreal colour while letting most of the sun’s rays through. A slight breeze rustled the thickets of the small garden that were still dry from the winter.

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : A truth wrapped in a lie

A cycle and a half ago they walked into a warehouse in Mainz and he didn’t know what to say. Lyta appeared utterly unafraid and Todd looked as serious as any killer Ti had ever seen. He didn’t know anything about them; didn’t know then how terrified Lyta was for Lukas or how gentle protective but gentle Todd really was. All he knew after that meeting was that they were fiercely loyal to Lukas and that after a lifetime they had come back into his life.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - V: Know thine enemy and know thy self

Everyone knows they have a place in the world where they belong. For some this is just a subtle feeling, one they could discard as a romantic imagining. Then there are those who feel it profoundly, like a spiritual certainty. It could be on the porch of an old house looking out onto a breezy field or beneath the shade of a tree by a glimmering body of water. For some that feeling is found in another’s arms and for others still it's found on a stool in a bar.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Wordslingin'

Time for some insubordination! Ti Corovan, our erstwhile boss, gave Our Heroes (tm) strict instructions to keep our heads down and stay out of trouble, and under no circumstances to annoy Marius Wallcraft. So when our other erstwhile boss, Nicosa Renault, gave us directly contradictory instructions, we decided to go with them. Directly into the path of a Northern detail squad. Because that's how we roll. Torgath may have gotten deeply wounded in the process, but at least we know that we've alienated just about everyone we care about.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : Just visiting

Looking around, he had to admit that he liked the looks of Hotel Bravo.

From outside, it looked both solid and smooth, recalling the Badlands aesthetic of simple, clean lines and durability. Inside, the sizable facilities boasted of the success of the Badlands Caravan Guild, and the various efficiencies revealed the reason. The Doc was, regardless of the many other things that could be said of him, an excellent logistics man. The Armoury was a little less well-stocked, and the Doc's other security measures not quite as deep, as might be preferred, but, of course, their priorities were different.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: A Case Of Coincidences


Lukas had the right idea: if Wallcraft’s conflicting allegiances could be revealed to the Kolsons, they would cut him off and he would no longer be protected by the Spyder.

The way to pull that off was clear enough to Ti. The Hermes transmission logs from Smith’s computer showed that Wallcraft was part of the Kolsons’ effort to uncover what Tantalus was all about. But everything they had uncovered revealed he was covering up Tantalus, not digging things up. All Ti needed was proof.

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: The Morning After

3 Spring, 1926

It wasn't the worst hangover Lyta had ever had, but it was certainly vying for a spot in the top ten.

When she finally woke up to the too-bright sun, Lukas and Todd had already left. She called room service for cawfee and cradled the cup as she woke up, a nagging sense of guilt competing with her headache. She remembered talking to Ti, and while she was hazy on the details – and possibly even hazy on the gist – she was pretty sure she'd said things she hadn't intended to. A glance at her phone revealed they'd spoken for over ten minutes, which didn't do anything to lighten her mood.

Wordslingin'

Tying up loose ends! Or perhaps pulling on them, depending on your perspective. Last night's session saw Our Heroes (tm) deal with the aftermath of Pinky's death and try to stop Tatsugoro from getting his revenge before we had a chance to milk his target for information. Oh, and got shot at. Because it isn't a proper session of Heavy Gear until someone's been shot.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Rising Heat


He woke with a sensation of falling. His hand went for his waist to draw a weapon, but he stopped himself. He wasn’t in any danger; he was just uncomfortable.

His thick chin has slipped off his sweaty palm. His heavy head momentarily unsupported as he nodded off, he awoke suddenly with a start. It was getting near siesta and he had a hard time keeping his eyes open. In the corner of his office the sound of a fan was lulling him back to a dreamless sleep almost as soon as he had been shaken awake. His chin once again rested on his open hand, his elbow on his desk.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Last Call

2 Spring, 1926

The Lucky Shot Casino, like so many casinos, never truly closed. Oh, there were quiet periods, and morning would find the gambling floors nearly deserted, but there would always be a dealer or a bartender ready to take your money if you wanted to gamble or drink it away. Now that the dueling matches were done for the night, most of the regulars had left, drifted to their homes or their hotel rooms to sleep halfway until siesta, only to get up and do it all again tomorrow. The only ones left were the die-hards and the sorry souls who found comfort in the mock-anonymous privacy of the gambling floor.

Lyta wasn't generally a VIP lounge sort of person. It reminded her uncomfortably of family life before the war, before the CEF, when her parents had taken her to luxury establishments as a matter of course. She had been too young, then, to realize that not everyone dined on fine Polar foods or had private boxes at concerts. She knew better now. But she and her brothers had been given the royal treatment for a night -- Lyta still wasn't sure precisely why -- and it seemed easier to stay sitting at the lounge's raised bar with its panoramic view of the city than to find the lift back to her room.


Friday, June 22, 2012

Wordslingin'

A session of ups and downs. The good news is that the first half of our mission -- hoodwink Pinky to think that we're actually doing some infiltration for him instead of fraternizing with the enemy -- went off exactly according to plan. The bad news is that the second half of the mission -- capture Bradwick and hand him off to Pinky's contacts -- did not. We're now left with one dead Pinky, one wounded Lukas, and more trouble with the Kolsons. But at least this time we got paid.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Kitchen Bill


“Are you secure?” Ti asked Tom Chambers, checking his displays. The Hermes72 trideo link was encrypted and running through a dozen proxy servers. Content, sender and receiver all secure.

“Yes on my end. Bradwick broke. It's as I suspected: he was programmed by an NEC operative using second gen hypno-training. He’s Terra Novan, he was recruited in Peace River during the war, sold out to the NEC. He was placed in Prince Gable in 1918 to oversee WestCorp. His contact there was a woman named Nanda Devi, but she’s dead now.”

Ti nodded again. “I know about her. Did Bradwick say who they worked for?”

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Escalating


Deniev Webb was trying to decide if he wanted another cawfee. It was always a hard decision around 12 o’clock, should he eat or should he have another cawfee? Usually he ended up taking a doughnut with his hot drink, so it wasn’t much of a choice. 

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Gearing Up

33 Winter, 1926

The ingenuity of Khayr ad-Din's residents when it came to garbage never ceased to amaze Lyta. She was just grateful that, snug in the cockpit of her new Jaguar, she didn't have to smell it. Though, looking around, she suspected that right at this location, there might not be a much stronger smell than the background odour that pervaded the city. Scrap metal lay piled in heaps, clearly designed with a purpose. It might not have been the B'Ti, but someone had obviously thought things through.

When she'd told Ti she wanted to learn more about Gear piloting, he'd told her to come here, to the informal training yard on the outskirts of the city, and that one of his contacts would meet her. Lyta picked up the sensor ping long before it came into view. Lyta waited for it to find her, and it didn't take very long before it was standing in front of her. A Warrior, dark blue with snazzy red trim.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Wordslingin'

Last night session saw the successful completion of "Operation: Access the Ridiculously Inaccessible Computer." Well, more or less. The good news is that we managed to get the information we needed out of the ridiculously inaccessible computer without anyone being the wiser. The bad news is that our operation was interrupted by another group of mercs whose mission was to destroy the computer we were in the process of hacking. And the session ended with someone tasering an ostrich and punching out a dwarf. Because every game needs its David Lynch moments, I suppose.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Wordslingin'

Phase two of "Operation: Access the Ridiculously Secure Computer" involved an elaborate con against the owner of one of only two pass-card holders, Calvin Tao. The con involved a rigged high-stakes card game, three "dead" bodies, and a corrupt vice cop, played by Lukas. Y'know, I think the vice squad suits Lukas. Maybe he can make it a new career choice.


Friday, May 4, 2012

Wordslingin'

This week, Our Heroes (tm) returned to Prince Gable, unexpectedly with Ennik in tow, to find Ti Corovan somewhat miffed at us for taking on side-jobs during our supposed vacation. So naturally we decided to take out our aggression by beating up entirely random goons. Because that's just the way we roll.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Wordslingin'

Operation: Protect the Jersualemite Refugees was going so well. Truly, it was. Right up until we found ourselves outnumbered, out-gunned, and outclassed. Thankfully, Lukas is a better Gear pilot than his siblings... or our enemies.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : Quinn Vs Smith

It was raining, unusual for the season in the Marathon basin but Bernie didn’t wonder about weather, he just complained about it. It wasn’t the only thing he was whining about.

“Are you sure you wannna go through with this? I mean can’t bygones be bygones and stuff?”

Bernie’s plea rolled off Lukas like the rain.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Wordslingin'

One very late night session of gaming saw Our Heros (tm) arrive in Mainz, meet with our contacts, and extract some data from a scientific research building in a mission that was going so well... right up until the very end, when it all went to hell. As usual.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : Disclosure


Ennick had looked better, Ti thought to himself, as he took the heavy leather studded wing back chair in front of him. Ti hadn’t been in this bar before, it had character.. Somehow a lot of the old charm of the place hadn’t been lost in the War. And unlike some of the posher dives near the center of town, it wasn’t full of the SNS reporters, start-up entrepreneurs nor the hip crowd who usually ruined these places.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : Data Mining


Corovan sat down to his terminal with a hot mug of cawfee. Once he had gained access his screen revealed a waiting dialogue box: task complete - database compiled.

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : Loosening up

It was Lyta's turn to watch Bradwick. Todd had gone off to find an overwatch position with a good view of the approaches, while Lukas was looking over the new Gears they'd acquired – stolen – from the train. Which left Lyta to guard the unconscious body she'd propped up next to the cliff face.

She'd cleaned the guns, she'd prepped a small fire and set dinner roasting on a spit above it, and now there was nothing to do but wait. She watched Bradwick for a moment, suspiciously, wondering if he was awake after all. Todd had assured her the current dose of sedatives would last at least another four hours before it wore off, but still. There was no reason to sloppy.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Wordslingin'

The end of an era, or at least of a mission! Last night's session saw Our Heroes (tm) fight the Kolsons, fight a northern detail squad, and ultimately fight Mr. Bradwick, all while racing across (and occasionally under) a still-moving train, only to make a final daring escape by jumping off said moving train in newly-stolen Gears. Sounds like some thrilling heroics to me!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : The Spider In The Web

Ti called Lukas and gave him the train and time of departure from Nicely. Rahel Bashakian was already gone but Ti ducked behind the nearest cover as soon as he heard the faint sound of someone approaching. He had his pistol trained on Tom when he appeared from the stairs.

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : The Webs We Weave pt 2

She came up the bare duracrete steps accompanied by the sound of her heels. She was wearing a red wrap tunic woven tightly around her figure and a pencil skirt with a high slit. She made an impressive entrance. Ti was sitting on some construction material piled on the barren floor of the semi-finished oasis tower. The wind caught her dark hair, and Ti was glad for his cup of warm cawfee.

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : The Webs We Weave (Interlude)

Finding the Kolsons wasn’t that hard; they weren’t in hiding. After all, it wasn’t as if they knew what was coming.

He checked his equipment one last time, made sure everything was secure -- he was carrying more weight than he was comfortable with going into a tactical situation, especially considering the while it had been since he had operated solo. If all went to plan, then there would be no need for concern. He was just concerned that all wouldn’t go to plan.

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V : The Webs We Weave pt 1

“Hiya, Ellen, I’ve got a favour to ask.” Ti said with little hesitation as soon as Ellen Cranby answered the phone.

“You could try and sweet talk me a bit before you hit me up for a favour, Ti. We country girls like that.” She put on a thicker drawl for effect and Ti had to laugh.

“Sorry, Ellen, but I’m in a bit of a pinch. I’ve got a lot to do and little time to do it in. Do you know anyone in Prince Gable that I can use for a bit of creative jigging and electronic fiddling?”

“You know, you act just like him sometimes, always going off half-cocked, spit-balling ideas and making your way on pure force of will.” Ellen said, seemingly carrying on another conversation, as far as Ti could tell.

“What, Ellen? Who?”

“The Doc, Chambers!"

Friday, March 16, 2012

Wordslingin'

Last night's mission, should we choose to accept it: Find Bradwick, former CFO of WestCorp, and pump him for information. Naturally, nothing is ever that simple. While waiting for specific coordinates, we passed the time getting hazed by a regional gang. Once on the train, we were faced with the inopportune discovery of the bodies of Bradwick's bodyguards and Lyta's near-capture by Northern MILICIA forces. So, all in a day's work...

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: More than he bargained for


Rahel Bashakian was younger than he expected. Somehow Ti had envisaged someone in her 40’s or 50’s but the head of the Forzi cartel in Prince Gable was at most 34 or 35 cycles old. There was also a look of surprise in her eyes as her dark eyelashes fluttered under coloured eyelids like some exotic butterfly. Ti considered that she may might be thinking the same thing he was, that she had been expecting someone older.

“May I offer you a cawfe or tea, I have a selection?” she said while she stood, adjusting her very short but remarkably elegant dress and waved him to a chair in her artfully decorated office. Her demeanour was pleasant, even friendly, wholly unlike most of the organised criminals Ti had come across.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Wordslingin'

The good news is that our two daring and improbable missions (1. "Operation: Place covert bug without tripping off security," and 2. "Operation: Impersonate the shredders") went exactly as planned. So much so that there wasn't even any combat. Which might or might not be the bad news, depending on who you ask. The other bad news is that there are very few quotes this week, because the whole session was pretty much spent planning the two daring and improbable plans. Ah well. A few quotes are better than none.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter V: Girl Talk

12 Autumn, 1925

The Red Roaster's decor was just as tacky as Lyta remembered. The gold lamé seemed positively overpowering in the early morning sunlight, and glittering Mekongese symbols glinted off the rim of her mug. While it wasn't as busy as Lyta would have expected from the morning rush, it was busy enough, with nearly half the tables full and a steady stream of take-away customers grabbing their daily pick-me-up before a long stint at the office.

The cawfee was just as bad as Lyta remembered, and thankfully just as strong.

She'd tried to sleep after the night's mission, and had even managed a few hours before adrenaline and nerves woke her and she sought the comfort of the quiet morning streets. Something had drawn her to the café where she'd passed a few hours the last time they'd been in Prince Gable, back when Lukas and Ennik had been at each other's throats. After a few minutes, she realized that "something" was guilt.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Wordslingin'

This week's session saw Our Heroes (tm) brainstorm about how to listen in on a super-secret meeting happening at the West Corp office. Plan A, "Impersonate the Caterers," fizzled out when it was revealed the caterers are a small-scale operation on a first-name basis with the owner. Plan B, "Drill up through the Floor," had mixed results. Thus it was time for Plan C, "The really complicated one." Luckily, the first phase of Plan C went off (mostly) without a hitch. Sadly, there are still several phases to go.

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.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles – Chapter IV: Captive Audience

"Look," said Lyta, dangling a leg off of one of Feller's packing crates, "it's nothin' personal."

Sun Fau and Francine said nothing.

"I mean, it serves you right for trying to take advantage of a poor, defenseless, underage girl like me."

Sun Fau and Francine continued to say nothing.

Lyta looked down at the slumped-over woman. "Sorry ‘bout your ribs," she said apologetically. "That'll probably hurt like hell when you wake up." She shrugged. "I thought you were wearing armor."

Wordslingin'

Who you gonna call? Gangbusters! Yesterday's session saw Our Heroes (tm) beat up a local gang who were terrorizing some townsfolk and narrowly avoided a firefight with the gang leader's robber baron uncle. In the end, we came away with a little more money, one extra jeep, and no extra wounds! Huzzah!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles – Chapter IV: After the Storm

The climate control of the longrunner was a welcome change, a relief from the oppressive heat of the late-spring sun and the even more oppressive presence of Ti Corovan. Lukas glanced up from his siesta as Lyta entered their shared cabin and flung her cloak down on her bed. Something in her expression alerted him, and he woke up fully and maneuvered to sit cross-legged. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Lyta muttered as she sat down across from him.

Lukas waited. He'd seen Lyta in moods like this before and knew it was only a matter of time before the emotional dams burst and it all came out in a torrent of words.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles: Titan's Tale - TN 1925, 02 Spring

He could clearly make out the white tail of the bird as it took flight. In its beak he pictured the outline of the futile struggles of a tail struggling -- the prey was sure to die, even if it escaped -- and the sound of the wind echoed in his ear as it gave the bird lift.

The waves lapped rhythmically onto shore, driven by that same wind. Small white curls of surf gave relief to the expanse of water which had a grey-green colour. This was the image of a world at peace, the shores of tranquility a perfect moment.

Koreshi Chronicles: Titan's Tale - TN 1919, 22 Autumn

"Are you looking to sell the place?" The broad man in his fifties asked the slender gentlemen who was a little too finely dressed to be packing boxes in the half emptied apartment. The younger man turned to confirm what his ears identified as a friendly voice and found a friendly smile as well. Tom put down the books and crossed the large living room to take Lenny's hand.

Koreshi Chronicles: Titan's Tale - TN 1916, 36 Summer

The sound of the distant wind grew like a crescendo of whispers. The dull sound of waves on the shore became more brittle, like the sound of slaps. The trees rustled and bent from side to side, solid but flexible, twisting above where the wind held sway, but firm and resolute beneath where the roots held them firm against the onslaught. As the noise of crashing waves and white frothy surf competed with howling winds the image remained a beautiful one. Even in fury, nature brought him serenity.

Koreshi Chronicles: Titan's Tale - TN 1916, 38 Summer

Helios' radiance was sprinkled across the body of water in a thousand thousand puddles of explosive light, each one a bright microcosm that sparkled and danced. Even as the warmth of the afternoon hit its peak, he knew that soon the sun would dip behind the hills, casting shadows and plunging the waters into darkness so complete it would swallow the world.

Koreshi Chronicles: Titan's Tale - TN 1921, 06 Summer

"You want to run an orphanage?" Doc Chambers asked, his voice betraying surprise and disappointment. After Chambers had helped get him out of New Baja and away from prying eyes, the doctor had hoped the young man would come work for him. When Chambers received notice that Ti Corovan had emerged from his cycle-and-a-half-long disappearance and wanted to meet him, he hoped, as usual, that it was an opportunity he could exploit. His expectations were being dashed.

Koreshi Chronicles: Titan's Tale - TN 1922, 12 Spring

She was annoyed that Sister Matya Verhovan had called assembly. She hated going to the main hall and being bored by the talk of religion and ethics at the best of times, but her nose was itchy because she had just pierced it herself the night before. Worse than the irritation of the itch was the puss and blood still oozing from the wound. She would have preferred another couple of days for it to heal before facing the other kids at the orphanage and subjecting herself to their ridicule. Not that she really cared what they thought, not really.

Koreshi Chronicles: Titan's Tale - TN 1925, 28 Spring

“Katchelli will be moving soon, which means we’re finally going to see what’s going on behind the veil. NorthCo, the NGIS, they’re going to make their moves in the next couple of days, so I need you all to be focused and ready.” Ti was gently smiling. This wasn’t a pre-game pep speech, this was his way of calming nerves. “Let’s wrap this up, make it count, and make sure no one gets hurt.” With this, his team set about their tasks.

Koreshi Chronicles: Titan's Tale - TN 1925, 39 Spring

The shorefront was the same as it had always been, framed on both sides by pines Across the dark body of water, the other shore was a shaped shadow outlining a hill. The irregular ridgeline painted ink-black treetops against a navy blue sky. High above, the perfect sphere of a moon shone brightly, its doppelganger turned the world upside-down in the glass-still lake. If you gazed long enough into the water, your senses would trick your mind: that which was reflected became reality and the real world, its otherwordly counterpart.

Koreshi Chronicles: Titan's Tale - TN 1921, 16 Spring

The lake was completely becalmed. Not a trace of wind appeared, and beneath the apparent tranquility one could sense distressing stillness. This was not peace, but death. No fish jumped, no skimmers skated across the glassy surface of the water. In the still air, no birds hung. Stagnation was death.

Koreshi Chronicles: Titan's Tale - TN 1913, Summer 38

The lake was a darker blue than the sky. Puffy white clouds hung lazily in the sky. A few seagulls squawked. The distant shore contrasted with rich forest green trees. The image was idyllic.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles – Chapter IV: Unrequited Trust, part 2

Lyta spurred her beast forward, launching it into a sprint to keep her face and tears out of Ti's sight, willing herself to stop crying.

Ti followed suit and charged past her armadillo. He brought his own mount to block her path, turning in his saddle so they were face to face. Ti wished he could reach out, wished he could cradle her crying figure, but more than physical distance separated them. He knew that touching her would make this harder for him.

Koreshi Chronicles – Chapter IV: Unrequited Trust, part 1

The armadillo rocked under her, its hooves clattering on the stone ground while the desert stretched out around her on all sides. It was almost like old times, she reflected, except for the choice of company.

It had taken nearly three days to find a caravan headed in their direction with a fully-equipped med bay, and another full day of negotiations to figure out the terms of their travel. Todd would spend the time on the road recuperating, but the less-injured members of the group agreed to take shifts as outriders to offset some of their costs.

The going was slow. The caravan wasn’t in a rush to get anywhere, and they didn’t want to overtire the animals. They were informal enough that they drew lots for outrider shifts, and by the fourth day, the lots had fallen to Lyta and Ti.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Wordslingin'

What's that distant creature on the horizon? Quietly, now, so you don't startle it. Could it be...? Yes! Downtime! Vovelle is rescued, the NGIS agents Summers and Kohl are dead, and Our Heroes (tm) are in desperate need of some healing. Time to spend some xp!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Koreshi Chronicles – Chapter IV : The Turn




The air was cooling down as the rays of Helios wained. The empty hangar in the industrial quarter was large and open but sufficiently isolated. Ti stood over the rotund form of Harry Bonds, bound and unconscious on the sandy floor. Lukas, Lyta and Torgath were about 10 meters away, Ti could feel their eyes on him. Lukas was probably already judging, Torgath looked mildly curious and Lyta, Lyta just looked pissed. Ti decided it was futile to try to figure her out, futile and far too distracting. He concentrated on the task at hand and slapped Bonds hard on the cheek.

Koreshi Chronicles: Chapter IV - Negociations

Harry Bonds steped out of the WestEx warehouse in the industrial quarter of Port Arthur and made his way to his waiting car flanked by his two bodyguards. Once inside his vehicle he pulled his phone from his jacket. There was something amiss about the meeting he had just concluded with the young man with the face mask, he felt it. His hands gripped the phone tightly, an outward display of an internal struggle. Finally, he started punched numbers, slowly, as if still weighing his options.

Koreshi Chronicles – Chapter IV: Exposed

32 Spring, 1925

“Take off your pants.”

“What?!”

O’Kang, Ti Corovan’s medic, stared at her like she was an infant having a temper tantrum. She couldn’t deny that he was skilled – the fact that Todd was still alive at all, after everything they’d been through, was a testament to that. Her brother was still sedated and his bandages already had spots of red, but he was alive, and that was the important thing. Of course, that meant that she now had O’Kang’s full attention.

“You took a bullet to the leg. I can’t work through a layer of fabric, so take off your damn pants.”

Wordslingin'

Though things looked grim at the beginning of last night's session, by the end of it all Our Heroes (tm) were in stable condition, and not only had we managed to reacquire our lead on Harry Bonds, but we'd managed to kidnap Bonds himself and drive him off to a secluded location for interrogation. Now, if only we could find the kidnapped Professor Vovelle, we'd be set.


 
Hermes 72 - Heavy Gear RPG - Most artwork Copyright 2002 Dream Pod 9, Inc.