96 replies to this topic

[some_weirdGuy]

((i feel i should post but i dont know what to say...))

[Vortigern]

"I'll settle for that," said Wolff, knocked off balance by Lark's honesty. "Unless of course, you're trying to manipulate me right now. Fuck it, as long as I get what I want done then it's all good." Wolff turned away, glancing over the displays on the dashboards. "By the way, I never liked Asimov. I just couldn't get my head around his style. The Gods Themselves was the best book he ever wrote. You know, I always enjoyed reading early science fiction, and wondering what they would have made of this world, as it is. What do you think they'd make of the future we have ahead of us?" Wolff smiled to himself, still not looking at Lark. "Not just a gunslinger, doctor."

[Rafv Nin IV]

Lark was startled; it was rare that he misread a personality. He had thought Wolff to be clever, yes, but never well-read. Well, we all make mistakes, Lark thought, at least this one wasn't fatal.

"Of course I'm trying to manipulate you. It's second nature to us psychologist types, although I have not lied to you. I want to let my trail cool down, and the best way to do this is to stay away from any major worlds. And I'm no Second Foundationer, so your thoughts are as safe as your countenance. Sometimes the writers got the future correct, and sometimes their shots flew wide.

"I'd better check in on your friend now. He should be waking up from the anaesthetic I gave him soon. Nice meeting you."

Lark moved back into the room where Mac lay in deep, unthinking sleep, checked the instruments which monitored the pilot's status, and sat down to reevaluate his opinion of Wolff.

[Paladin58]

Titus wandered through the high-priced market district, looking and looking... And only coming up with overpriced crap. Damn pressure compensators; they're expensive as hell, rare as hell, and built solid as a rock until you don't have a spare... He continued to peruse the merchandise of a particular shop, and he found the part and a spare to go along with it; though they were both marked up for over double their normal value. Aww, great. Maybe I can sway it; I think I worked on his delivery truck before, he noted, looking at the ramshackle hauler over near the side of the stall. He decided to see if he could get the thing for free, which was doubtful, or at least for a mark-down.

"Hey, Will," said Titus to the shopkeeper, who was busy conducting a transaction. The man turned instantly in his direction.

[Fire Ze Missiles!]

Darkness swirled before Mac's eyes. The new doctor had insisted that he stopped flying his injured ship and lie down and had then anaesthetised him when Mac wasn't paying attention. Sneaky bastard. It was only a gunshot wound after all, Mac had taken worse, probably, at some point or another. Maybe. Well, he wasn't sure but he was damned if he going to let it show. Unfortunately the darkness of enforced sleep refused to lift for another hour at least, so Mac lay incapacitated and unaware of the acrobatics he and the Icarus were expected to perform on his home world, Ceres.

[Vortigern]

"Time we left this place. Any word from Titus? We could do with fully functioning engines with what we've got ahead of us. A breakdown or burnout halfway through this job would probably leave us all dead or in jail." Wolff grimaced, irritated that his mechanic was taking so long. Chez and Lark, Wolff's companions in the galley, as Wolff insisted on calling it, glanced at each other. "If he doesn't get back here soon we're going to have to call off the job, we can't leave him here." The captain stood up, frustration clear in his every move. "I'm going to talk to Mac, see how he's doing. He'd better be feeling up to this."

((Nology, if you could wind up whatever Titus is up to and bring him back, that'd be handy. I kinda want to get some action going again and I don't really want to take over whatever you had in mind.))

[some_weirdGuy]

"Well, i guess it would be a good idea to get a move on..." Said Chez, resuming conversation with Lark.
"So anyway, as i was going to say, how did you wind up here? i just needed to get away and..." the conversation drifted on...

meanwhile Wolff made his way to Mac
((dont really know what to post, but i felt i should anyway))

[Rafv Nin IV]

Lark turned to Chez and replied, "I'm wanted for fraud and embezzlement of funds by the ATH, the Confederacy, and the ATF. I wanted the trail to cool down a bit, so I took the first opportunity to board a vessel that would avoid encounters with any of the above. From what I've seen here, if you just wanted to 'get away,' there surely must have been a better option than joining with a bunch of trigger-happy space pirates. That's liable to get you into as much trouble as you left."

[Vortigern]

"I heard that!" shouted Wolff back down the corridor. "Trigger happy indeed." He raised his voice again. "We're just making a living on the fun side of the law!" He smiled to himself. It seemed that Lark would fit in pretty well around Icarus. The captain strolled into the sick bay, quietly and rather apprehensively, his mood falling down to sombre.

"Hello, Captain," said Mac, grinning up at him from the bed. "I thought you were never going to show up."

"Good to have you back, old friend," said Wolff, smiling ingenuously. "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear your voice again."

"Are you getting soft in your old age?"

"Soft? Me? No, I just don't think I could be arsed with flying this old bird myself." They both laughed then, and Wolff was pleased to hear that Mac did not seem to be suffering too much. Lark had obviously done a good job. "Has anyone told you what kind of stunt flying you've got ahead of you soon?" Mac sat up instantly.

"Stunt flying? Just let me back behind the sticks."

"Let me fill you in on the plan." Wolff sat down, and began to explain. Mac's smile grew wider and wider.

[Paladin58]

(OOC: Sorry about leaving him there at the market, Vort. Had finals to finish, classes to save. )

---Continuing on...---
"Why hello there, Titus! Good to see an old face I haven't seen in a while. So, where you been? Finally pick up another spacer job?"

"Well, yeah. Got in on a crew for a freighter, they needed an engineer. How about yourself? It looks like your jalopy over there hasn't seen the shop since I took on that one fix..." answered Titus, feeling that his acquaintance would inquire him fixing it.

"Well..." Bingo. "She hasn't seen the best of days. Needs a couple looks on the engine, it keeps making a big clunking noise since around twelve days ago. Think you could take a look at 'er? I know you're a whiz kid, and when you rebuilt the suspension, it's been gliding along so very smooth. Say that, and
I'll give you a couple hundred creds?"

"C'mon, Will. You know my going rate. 5 creds for diagnostic, 70 per hour for work. But, I'll let you off on the actual working costs for now. On one condition."

"Well, I'm all ears, my boy."

"I need those pressure compensators over there. Both of 'em."

"I can't go with that, Titus. You know that I can't just give out stock."

"But, you won't. That's my payment. Otherwise, you'll be putting up three times the cash for a diagnostic, and three times the labor costs at any other shops. I think this'll be a fair trade, my friend."

"Well, alright. But that's it. Okay?" Perfect.

"Done deal."

---45 Minutes Later---

"Damn! Already done?"

Titus was wiping sweat off his brow, usually his signal of a good job well done. "Wow, Will. You know me like a book. Heh."

"Alright, I've got these boxed up for you. Just be careful, they're a mite heavy."

"Don't worry, I'll be okay. See you later, Will." And with that, Titus started back towards the ship.

[Vortigern]

Wolff strolled up to the cockpit, looking around out of the ports. The marketplace was always busy, but it seemed quiet today. No matter, he thought. It's best this way, probably. Not as many people to watch everything going wrong. He caught a glimpse of Titus making his way towards the ship with a couple of large boxes. He seemed to be struggling under the weight, so Wolff went down to give him a hand. There was nothing else to do, anyway.

"What's in the boxes?" Wolff called out as the ramp came down.

"Everything I'm going to need," replied Titus. "Take one of these, would you? They're pretty heavy." Wolff obliged, unloading the crate from the engineer's tired arms. "Let's get them down to the engine room, and I'll get it all hooked up and ready to fly."

"Good man," lauded Wolff, happy at the prospect of his beloved ship becoming hale and hearty once again. "How long do you think it'll take?"

* * * * * * * *

Icarus floated above Ceres, while Wolff and Mac watched the monitors, desperate for any sign of an opening in the secure defences. This was going to have to be the first piece of fancy flying Mac would do this afternoon, through several blind spots, avoiding notice from the various robotic flight-paths and radar dishes covering the sky.

"Let's do it," ordered Wolff. "I know you can pull this off, buddy." Mac planted himself firmly in the pilot's chair, his face set. Wolff touched the intercom button. "Belts on, everyone. Time for a rough descent."

[some_weirdGuy]

Chez tensely buckled himself in, gripping the arm rests at his side firmly.
ready for the stomach curing acrobatics they were about to experience...
"I swear if this is like a rollercoaster im going to be sick... i would never go on the big ones. little ones were ok, but any loops or anything and you couldn't get me near it...." he took a deep breath, dont worry, you have been in worse then this, just... settle down. This calmed him a little, and he eased his grip on the arm rests just the littlest bit.

[Rafv Nin IV]

((I hope I didn't screw up Thomas's accent too much. Let's get this show on the road!))

"A rough descent?" Lark inquired nervously, "I don't like rough. I'll have you know that my view of rough is a hotel stay without servants! Back on Earth, I--"

With little delay, Thomas shut the academic up with a few harsh words, and then followed with "Yeh betteh sit yehself down, now, Doctuh. A rough un's a tough un, as they say."

Lark gingerly collapsed into the chair and weakly buckled himself in, plastic bag ready in anticipation of the inevitable motion sickness.

Edited by Ravnin IV, 27 November 2008 - 02:36 AM.

[Vortigern]

Wolff gave Mac a friendly shoulder as he made his way from the sick bay up to what Wolff generously liked to refer to as the bridge. "Think you can take it from here, old buddy?" enquired the captain.

"You know me, tough as old boots," replied the pilot. Wolff dumped him somewhat unceremoniously in the pilot's chair, taking the seat next to it.

"I was getting quite used to that seat until you got better," muttered Wolff.

"Yeah, well, it's got my arse-print in it. You stay away from my chair." Wolff could not help but grin at the admittedly somewhat off-colour humour of his irascible pilot and travelling companion. "Right, let's get down to the surface. Buckle up, old boy." Wolff did as he was bid. "Time for a bit of freefall. If the engines are off they won't detect us as fast, if at all. It'll rely on physical sight if there are no electrical impulses."

"What about landing?" wondered Wolff. "Are you sure you've given this enough thought?"

"Don't worry, the electro-sensory field ends 250 yards above the ground, so it doesn't get interference from the buildings."

"250 yards? That's it? That's our margin of error between shot to pieces and smashed to pieces?"

"I can handle it. Prepare to make like a stone. Hold on to your breakfast!" Mac's manic grin was almost enough to make Wolff call off the mission, yet at the same time, be completely assured of his pilot's competence. It was a strange facial expression, at best.

Icarus fell through the atmosphere of Ceres, picking up speed at a rate which Wolff's considered opinion classed as 'heart-stoppingly terrifying'. Mac seemed unconcerned. Wolff wished he could say the same of himself, as he watched his knuckles turn white as their various attached fingers refused to let go of the edge of the dashboard. As the ground came slip-sliding ever closer, Wolff decided now was a good time to convert to a religion. Any religion. Just as Wolff began to be able to make out the individual shapes on the ground, outlines, details, everything, Mac's hand crept up to the big red power button. He pressed it, jerking back on the joystick as he did so. Wolff closed his eyes, willing his pilot every success in the next life. Which by now is probably this life, his cynical subconscious added.

"Smooth as a peach's bottom," Mac complimented himself. Wolff opened his eyes. Icarus was hovering maybe fifteen feet above the ground. "Told you I knew what I was doing. Now let's get to this city with all the guards and money and security and passers-by and whatnot."

Wolff went behind to check up on his crew as Mac piloted the ship toward their destination. "Everyone alright back here?" he asked, just before spotting the pool of regurgitated meals around Lark. "I'd suggest you get that cleared up, Doctor," said Wolff with a smirk. "Everyone else managing?" A series of affirmatives greeted him, and Wolff turned back around, retreating once more to the cockpit. "Only one hurler, Mac. Nice job."

((Right then: we're getting up close and personal to the back wall of this bank. Mac will keep the ship ready and hovering just outside, and we will blast away with Mr. Powel's explosives (anyone can write that, I'm officially declaring this open season on war_angel's character), at which point we will burst in, deal with the guards, preferably without killing them - we're not really violent people - and then get hold of the vault and its contents. We will hook this up to Icarus, and then skedaddle. Foolproof, huh? By the way, wild improvisation is welcome. I just thought you might like to know what the plan is. Oh, and FZM, Icarus does have some firepower if you feel like backing us up.))

[Fire Ze Missiles!]

Flying at high speed across the verdant pastures of Ceres a little over ten feet off the ground was really a lot of fun.
"Ah, I've missed doing this..." sighed Mac, remembering his childhood here, on this very planet.
About ten minutes of enjoyable coasting across empty fields later, the city became visible on the horizon. Mac patched through the intercom; "All right guys, suit up. ETA five minutes-ish, or thereabouts."

[Paladin58]

"Wow. Good thing I replaced that compensator and jimmied the spare in as a quick-switch fallback, because the new one just blew!" reported Titus, bleeding from a couple small pieces of shrapnel in his cheek from the regulator literally exploding in his face. "I really don't think I need to explain what may have happened had we done this on the old one?" He pulled out the shrapnel and held a rag up to his face, before pulling the old compensator assembly out in the line to cap it off.

[Vortigern]

"Right, we're bloody nearly there," said Mac over the intercom. "Battle stations, lads."

"You sure you're going to be alright here on your own?" asked Wolff.

"I'll be more use here than if I come with you, given what state I'm in right now. Now get out of here, get that wall down." The wall in question hove into view below the windows as Mac dropped Icarus down dead on top of the bank. Wolff gave him a grateful smile, then headed back to get everyone moving.

"Out, out, out!" he shouted. "Let's roll, boys! First things first, down the fire escape, then set the bombs. Watch out for cameras."

"I can't believe we're pulling a Bank Job..." muttered Mac to himself, then giggled.

((You guys suck. I'll finish this up at some point and then we'll start afresh, assuming people actually want to. We'll give it a go, at any rate.))