Monday, April 21, 2014

Koreshi Chronicles - Chapter VII: Going Faces

On the maglev, Lukas had whiled away some of the time deciding on a new name to go with his new face.

It was a small amusement, but fun was where you found it (or so some grizzled caravaner had once said), and Lukas found it a welcome relief from reading 30 different newspapers in 4 different languages in the hope of assembling a geopolitical picture that would point him to a likely buyer for a portable town.

Myron was too nerdy, Hamish too yokel, and no Sebastian had ever had eyebrows this bushy.

The difficulty of the game was increased by the prohibition on looking in a mirror.  Lukas allowed himself a 5 second look after applying the makeup and prosthetics, and was then forced to rely on his (admittedly superior) memory and any improvised reflective surfaces in his immediate environment.  Watch faces, the windows of the high-speed train, and the miniature steel coffee pot were all permitted.  The necessity of a trip to the bathroom was sudden death for the game, won by looking in the mirror for a second time and the correct assessment that the name matched the features.

He was his own judge, and there was no fudging.  He kept score, and his record was good, but not perfect.

Xander was too close to his real name.  Michael too Jerusalemite.

He hoped Chambers could solve this problem.  It would make things significantly easier, and would probably be for the "best".  With luck, Lukas could close the deal before Fennec arrived, do a little recon on how things lay in KAD, and then find out some dirt about Fennec's past as they shopped the modules around to her contacts.

Timothy should be slimmer, and Tim seemed a little juvenile.

Todd would found a secure site for a hideaway, so that checked one longstanding box off of the list.  With their part of the money, they could upgrade the Gears a bit--though a little raiding would accomplish the same thing, if Fennec's base=prowling skills were all she claimed--which, so far, they had been.

Liam sounded like someone was trying too hard.  Evan was boring.

The financial sections of the various papers had been encouraging; he had made a few targeted investments, and they were doing well this season.  Financially, they weren't where they had been--this face was expensive, after all--but they would be soon.  And ahead even sooner, if the Doc panned out.

Karin had indicated that she'd pick him up at the station, and Lukas had reserved a few hours to spend with her.

All in all, this had the makings of a pleasant trip.  Todd and Lyta were free to do as they pleased for a few days--time squandered, it was true, but they could use a break.

Tyler might do--no, wait.  Too close to Ti.  That was out.

Jack.  Shit.  Jax.  Jason.  No.

Hank.  That was it.  Broad, coarser features.  Bushy brows.  Burly, a man that works with his hands.  Yes.  A water prospector from the Basin.  Taking a trip to look for equipment and personnel to outfit a new team after a disastrous cave-in.

When the train pulled into the TNTR tower, Hank checked his chrono, shouldered his duffel, and stepped out amongst the mix of people pressing into the Trash City, one more Badlander searching for an opportunity in the garbage of an entire planet.


Heavy Gear Roleplaying Game

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