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[Rifts - Chapter 1 : BAH! The Midwest!] Release the Kraken!

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Posts

  • MatevMatev Cero Miedo Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    (Sorry, my writer's block has been in full swing this weekend.... :( )

    Lucy stepped into the bar, stooping to fit her armor through the door, just barely not hitting the ceiling. She glanced about. So many different things happening. She could smell so much energy, even through her armor, it was almost enough to drive her mad.

    "God dammit, I cannot wait to drain something!" She thought as the light played and glitterded off her armor, which just barely avoided scraping the ceiling. She ensured she didn't hit any light fixtures. She hadn't been able to find somewhere she could trsut to stash her armor, and given the End of the Line's rough and tumble reputation, it wasn't a good idea to attempt to do so anyways. She noticed a large 'bot dressed like pirate, it bellowed:


    The Ender wrote: »
    "TEN MILLION CREDITS, Y' MANGY MUSKRATS! TEN MILLION CREDITS UP FRONT T' SPLIT BETWEEN THOSE A Y' GOT TH' WITS T' FOLLOW JOHNNY CLANKSWAGGER!"

    The sound of large credit amounts abated the thoughts of hunger, however briefly. She started towards him confidently.

    Matev on
    "Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
    Hail Hydra
  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Mason Laframboise felt a little awwkward in places like this. Especially in places like this. Just months ago, he and and his unit put one of these joints to the torch. And today, he's walking into one like he belongs there. He already had to knock some fool out who nearly crapped his pants at the sight of a Coalition Spec. Force trooper emerging from the trees and started screaming, "RAID! RAID!" It was a testament really to the success of the CS's armor designers that D-Bee's crap thier pants when they see it coming.

    Mason had come here, freshly AWOL from the CS army, to check his options. He had absconded with his full newly issued top of the line kit. Man his CO must be pissed. Mason even had a brand spanking new Strike version SAMAS armor stashed and secured in the woods. He could stand to earn a pretty penny indeed handing them over on the black market and starting anew.

    Then he hears the annoucement of a ten million credit bankroll behind some Clankswagger pirate. This was something that Mason had to see. Maybe he should hold off on selling his SAMAS suit and get some good use out of it first.

    "Mace is my name, and I am in!"

    Steelhawk on
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Fighting down the wave of post-surge nausea, Josh turns his attention to the calamity at the center of this whirlwind.

    "What will we be doing for your bounty, Captain?"

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    The 'borg is a bit too distracted with the mob currently rifling through the offered credits (most sticking around to see what the 'captain' was offering for work, a couple of individuals slinking out with pilfered credits. An unwise move around these parts; at a minimum, known thieves wouldn't be welcomed back in. They'd also be considered fair game for anyone looking to shoot something) to answer the juicer's question, but the Rat vendor hangs back for a moment and pats him on the shoulder.

    "Four words, man: you hit the jackpot. That machine has it's head on another planet; he'll have us all sit down for an imaginary tea party or some shit. No, seriously. I have no idea where he got that kind of bankroll, but this is the easiest pile of creds you'll ever make. Tell you what - let's go grab some of his dough, then we'll take a walk outside and I'll give you a quick deal on some power armor before we follow Johnny and waste a couple of hours doing whatever retarded thing he wants us to do."

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "If you say so. It's not like I've got a lot of better options right now."

    Pushing his way through the crowd, Josh reaches out to grab a stack of cred chips.

    "We're with you captain, just taking a quick advance here. Find us before you ship out."

    Heading toward the door, Josh makes sure to keep Rat in his eyeline, his hopes set on some shiny new ride that will get him far, far away from here.

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    OOC: Josh receives 600,000 creds! He also earn 1 Ask Questions First point.

    Also, just so you guys are aware, I'm leaving it up to you to keep your own character information updated for your own reference.


    After a brief punch-out with another vendor, Josh's new Rat acquaintance pockets a few hundred thousand creds and leads him out to the End of the Line parking facility, heading over to his own stall.

    "...Well, shit. If you're asking about SAMs & Icarus units, you must be a flyboy... and it looks like I don't have anything with wings here right now. Fastest thing I've got here is this: "

    The rat pulls a tarp off of a very, very new looking, and very agile looking piece of pilfered Coalition technology.

    "PA-300. They call her the 'Glitter Boy Killer'. Brand new piece of hardware. She ain't as fast as the newer SAMs, but she's close. Price on her is steep, but i'll tell you what - take her for a test drive tonight while we're doing the hokey pokey with the Russian rust bucket and if you like the performance, I'll try to work something out with you."

    The Rat offers to shake Josh's hand,

    "I'm Clancy, by the way."

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "Joshua," he says, returning the handshake.

    "I've heard of these, but I've never seen one in action. Does it come with the grenades and everything?"

    Josh steps forward and powers the armor on, waiting for it to swing open.

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "HURRY UP AND FILL YER' POCKETS, TH' LOT A' YA'! IT'LL BE A LONG NIGHT; BEST GET A HEAD START!"

    After his briefcases have been thoroughly ransacked, Johnny spins in place and starts rolling towards the parking facility.

    "NOW FOLLOW ME T' TH' KRAKEN; WE'RE GETTIN' UNDERWAY!"

    OOC: All party members other than Josh take 400,000 credits.


    Re: Zed

    The armor opens-up for you.

    "Oh, she's fully armed; my customers would hardly buy it any other way. 'Course, I'd appreciate it if you left the safeties on and didn't go discharging the 'nades just for shits n' giggles - they're expensive."


    Re: Everyone

    OOC: If you have your own vehicles stashed nearby or in the parking facility, now would be the time to go grab them if you'd rather travel with them than on the 'bus' Johnny's going to be providing. You'll need something that can go at least 100 mph if you don't want to jump on the bus - and yes, Johnny's mode of transit will be able to accommodate people wearing suits of power armor (like our party's Glitter Girl armor).

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Oh! And before we get too any combat, I just realized I forgot something:

    Rolling snake eyes (a pair of ones) is always a miss/failure. It's the equivalent to rolling a natural 1 on a d20.

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "I promise, I won't be firing these grenades unless I absolutely have to."

    Sealing himself inside the power armor, Josh reaches out to the machine psionically, melding his senses with the sensors of the Glitter Boy Killer.

    "Oh, I like this already."

    After taking a few testing steps, Josh gleefully busts into a full on run to catch the departing bus.

    OOC: I'll get my stats in this thing posted fairly soon. Is there a good dice roller out there that will track the results of individual dice? I've been using Orokos and while it's great for a lot of things it won't track individual d6 values after the initial roll.

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    OOC: Invisible Castle is where it's ('it' being internet dice rolling) is at.

    EDIT: ...Also, I just noticed an oversight in the damn Glitter Boy Killer entry in the World Book; they mention over and over again that it has a payload of 10 plasma mini missiles (even listing the tubes as a targetable sub-system), but it doesn't list the missile tubes as a weapon in the weapons system section. Ah, Rifts. Just make sure you include the Plasma Mini Missiles in your weapons load out (they're a great stand-off weapon because of their range & damage).

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • OctoparrotOctoparrot Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Deimos begins tucking his illegal goods into the pockets of his belt pouch and reattaching his helmet. He shouts to the patrons of the End of the Line "Alright, you nouveau riche motherfuckers, I'm dumping a brand new Citizen Sedan for 10,000 creds."

    OOC it was one of those (good) internet additions (i gotta hawk this random dude's stuff): http://node13.shacknet.nu/rifts/vehicles.htm -If it does or doesn't sell, I continue on

    He pushes his way to the center of the throng following Johnny Clankswagger.

    "Provisions will be made for personal effects? I have a lot of very necessary gear I need to take with me" he says, hoping Clankswagger wouldn't ask what was specifically so important.

    Octoparrot on
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Ok, put it together with the addition of the mini missile launcher.

    I'm mildly terrifying in this thing.

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Seeing Josh as he climbs into the GB Killer, Mace nods his approval. "That there is one hell of a machine. The CS may be a bunch of fools, but they design some good tech. And it looks mean too. I've piloted some of the prototypes back in the development stages, its a mean machine in close quarters.

    I'm actually suprised you've got your hands on one. But that shouldn't be suprising to me, I just walked away with all my brand new shiney kit too. That's what they get for invading my homeland. Fraggers."

    With that, Mace goes to retreive his Strike SAMAS and rejoins the crew.

    Steelhawk on
  • rucdocrucdoc Crazy guy in the corner ClassifiedRegistered User regular
    edited January 2011
    OOC Wow what a time to get sick and fall asleep course Jim ain't in it for the cred, he does have a job after all.

    Noticing a few people walking out with credits after grabing them for Johnny Jim picks one and follows him, after they get outside he grabs the guy.

    "Not sure you should be stealing round these parts brother, I might be having to ask you to return those creds or take the job."

    rucdoc on
    Original Creepy Janitor

    http://www.dust514stats.com
  • MatevMatev Cero Miedo Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Lucy managed to sweep a whole passel of credits into her hand. She'd stow it when she had a moment. She followed the throng, pondering the mess she might be getting herself into this time. At least this beat another day of endless drilling back north......

    Matev on
    "Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
    Hail Hydra
  • GaddezGaddez Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Insane though the Russian borg may very well be, the fact remained that he was throwing a considerable ammount of cash down on the table, and unless he was truly, truly stupid then he had to have more cash coming in to keep this many mercs happy. Shit, nothing else was happening in this armpit, and with the sheer number of hardware heavy dorks running around they were bound to need her services.

    "Yeah, I'm in the same boat as the smut peddler captain; got two rides and I don't have to be a mind melter to know that one of them will be gone if I leave it behind for better then an hour. Fuck, I wouldn't count on it being there another twenty minutes once I'm outside of Line of sight. Can your Ride carry a motorcycle?"

    Gaddez on
  • OctoparrotOctoparrot Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "Hey, I deal in a lot more than just smut!"

    Octoparrot on
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Re: Rucdoc

    The patron freezes on the spot as you grab him, offering an anxious laugh.

    "...Oh, h-hey there Big Jim. I-I was just, y'know, gonna collect some effects before we haul off."

    He follows to Grackle Tooth back inside without a fuss to join Johnny's entourage.


    Re: Gaddez & Octoparrot

    The 'borg just laughs at you.

    "WE'RE RIDIN' OUT IN THE KRAKEN! I BE THINKIN' SHE CAN BEAR YER' WARES."

    OOC: Yes, there's plenty of room on the Kraken for your stuff.

    Re: Everyone

    After everyone is finished gathering-up what they intend to bring with them, Johnny leads the party to his own stall in the parking facility - where an absolutely massive vehicle has been left idling. Pre-Rifts tech buffs would almost surely recognize it as a heavily modified tanker truck - the tank trailer having been converted into a rolling bunker.

    The vehicle is plated with Mega-Damage armor, equipped at the front with a bulldozer blade, and is bristling with laser cannons & mini missile launchers.

    "HOP ABOARD, Y' SLOBBERIN' WEASELS - WE BE GETTIN' UNDERWAY!"

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • MatevMatev Cero Miedo Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Lucy quirks an eyebrow.

    "Wow..." She says she clambers into the "Kraken", helping to usher some of the other beings in, wrinkling her nose at any creatures of obvious supernatural origin coming along for the ride.

    Matev on
    "Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
    Hail Hydra
  • rucdocrucdoc Crazy guy in the corner ClassifiedRegistered User regular
    edited January 2011
    After delivering his friend back to the group Jim collects his 50/50 from the garage waits out front for them and the kraken. Being a scout for the rangers he was here to keep an eye on the area and report anything that would be of interest to headquarters. Anything beyond that he was allowed to do as long as it did not interfere with his duties.

    rucdoc on
    Original Creepy Janitor

    http://www.dust514stats.com
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Joshua makes his way to the skiff in his new power armor, his possession-laden jump bike dutifully keeping pace beside him (via telemechanical operation).

    Loading his bike on the kraken, and drawing assurances from those immediately around it that it would be safe, he bounds off to further explore the capabilities of the machine, intending to run alongside the barge as it moves.

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Mace swoops overhead in his SAMAS suit, joining the Kraken and its occupants.

    Steelhawk on
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    'The Kraken' shakes and roars after Clankswagger hauls himself into the cab and starts her engine; a few moments later, she and her crew are rumbling down the pathetic remains of an interstate, in the general direction of Old Chicago. After about an hour, in fact, you're close enough to the city ruins that the mutilated skeletons of skyscrapers can be clearly seen on the horizon.

    That's also about the same time that the vehicle rolls to a stop, right next to a cluster of very neatly dressed humanoids and their convoy of Road Boss motorcycles & Rolling Thunder APVs (10 Road Bosses & their drivers, and 6 Rolling Thunders; difficult to say just by looking how many occupants they'd have in total). Johnny immediately jumps out of the cab with an empathic 'ARRRRR!' to greet the figures.


    A bit of tension builds within 'The Kraken'. This doesn't seem like a very typical Johnny Clankswagger wild goose chase.


    "Y' MADE IT, DID YE'? HAHA! SO, WHERE'S ME PRECIOUS CARGO?"

    One of the figures makes a motion towards one of the Rolling Thunders, then takes a moment to whisper something in Johnny's audio receptors. The 'borg just offers a chuckle in response.


    Re: Lucy
    You know the scent of vampires when you catch it! Goodness knows what this 'borg is doing rendezvousing with a bunch of undead.

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • MatevMatev Cero Miedo Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "...!" Lucy clambers out of the Kraken, peering at the gathering. That right there would be good eating. She holds herself in check however, waiting to see where things go with the bloodsuckers.

    Matev on
    "Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
    Hail Hydra
  • kraz007kraz007 Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Who doesn't have fond memories of the Kraken?

    kraz007 on
    Riftforge: a free online RPG with fantasy tactics!

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  • HorseshoeHorseshoe Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    (you guys are wonderful and insane for doing this)
    OptimusZed wrote: »
    Matev wrote: »
    OptimusZed wrote: »
    I'll play.

    But only if I can be a Phaeton Juicer in a Glitter Boy variant with an extra pair of bionic arms and that burster M.O.M. implant from Mindwerks.

    ....that....just no, that can't be real..... :shock:
    Piloting a techno-wizard Sky Cycle.

    i think the only thing that could get me to play this game

    would be if my character were a techno-wizard cyborg'd into a sky cycle

    granted

    a heavily magic+technology weaponized centaur/pegausus cyborg

    you may call him a sky cycle if it pleases you to do so

    Horseshoe on
    dmsigsmallek3.jpg
  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Athren steps out from the transport, his insect plated armor showing through his brown cloak for the first time.

    He steps over to Lucy, seeing the expression on her face. As he whispers to her his strangely accented and broken english make his reason for earlier silence obvious.

    "Dangerous prey mage-eater, they die hard. I have a weapon of wood if you need it, I have two. We should attack with the others not first."

    He folds his arms under his cloak, concealing his armor and stepping back a pace.

    Removing the insect gloves to activate the protection from vampire bite tattoo and ready my bow.

    Void Slayer on
    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Josh watches the proceedings with a growing sense of dread.

    Of course, he'd been paranoid ever since the events that ended with him being juiced, so this wasn't really any different than being anywhere else with lots of people.

    Plus, this time he has a badass powerarmor.

    I wonder if this thing can do a backflip.

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
  • OctoparrotOctoparrot Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Still within the belly of the Kraken and sitting among the rest of the crew, Deimos yawns, "Why the stop, are we there yet?"

    Octoparrot on
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Woo, it can!

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
  • MatevMatev Cero Miedo Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Athren steps out from the transport, his insect plated armor showing through his brown cloak for the first time.

    He steps over to Lucy, seeing the expression on her face. As he whispers to her his strangely accented and broken english make his reason for earlier silence obvious.

    "Dangerous prey mage-eater, they die hard. I have a weapon of wood if you need it, I have two. We should attack with the others not first."

    He folds his arms under his cloak, concealing his armor and stepping back a pace.

    Removing the insect gloves to activate the protection from vampire bite tattoo and ready my bow.

    (She's in her Glitter Girl armor, kinda hard to read expressions, unless you're trying to read her mind.)

    Lucy glances down at the chitin-armored man.

    "Formed, or killed?" She asks nonchalantly.

    Matev on
    "Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
    Hail Hydra
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    The door to one of the APVs opens; a trembling, bound & gagged teenage girl is hauled out and promptly handed over to Johnny.

    As she passes in front of the Kraken's headlights, even those without nightvision might suddenly find themselves covered in goosebumps (depending on their familiarity with the Coalition States):

    It's Meggan Prosek. The niece of Joseph Prosek.

    "Your precious cargo, Mr. Clankswagger. Good evening to you."

    The figures head back to their vehicles and begin to depart. Johnny rolls over to his cab, beginning to whistle a tune, and places her in the passenger's seat.


    To south, some distance away, there's the distinctive sound of rumbling heavy machinery.

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • MatevMatev Cero Miedo Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "No....." Lucy murmurs. This borg was crazy, like certifiable. She hopped back onto the Kraken.

    "Um.......We leaving Mr. Clankswagger....?" She asked, the high note she trailed off on indicating her anxiousness. She had the distinct feeling some highly undesired attention was about to be directed their way....

    Matev on
    "Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
    Hail Hydra
  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "What the hell," Mason thinks, slowly circling the hostage transfer. "Does this crazy 'borg think he's doing?"

    Mason was about to land and put some questions to Clankswagger. Serious questions. Absconding from the Coalition army is one thing. Taking the Emperor's neice with you was something else entirely.

    The sounds of heavy machinery to the south change Mason's mind though. Angling his SAMAS back up to a higher alititude, he trains his magnification and radar to south to try and see whats what.

    Steelhawk on
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    Re: Steelhawk

    Oh. Bugger.

    About a mile away, and approaching with incredible speed, is perhaps the largest concentration of CS forces you've ever seen. It's difficult to tell how exactly how much hardware there is; at least two dozen sky cycles, at least 10 Enforcer robots, maybe 20 APCs... behind those, God knows how many Spider Skull Walkers.


    The Kraken's engine revs up.

    "AYE, ME GLITT'REE LASS! NOW WE BE CASTIN' AWAY, YA-HA!"

    The old converted tanker guns it; as Mace (and anyone else who looks to the south) can tell, however, the fastest assets of the Coalition pursuers will be on top of them in just a few minutes.

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • SteelhawkSteelhawk Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "Tabernac..." Mason comms to the rest of the kidnappers. "We've got half of the Coalition 3rd Army chasing us! They'll be on us in minutes! Clankswagger, you nutty pile of bolts, what the hell is going on?"

    Mason is seriously contemplating taking his 400,000 credits and running for the winds. But where's the fun in that?

    Steelhawk on
  • MatevMatev Cero Miedo Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "Oh Godsdammit." Lucy growls, hearing the comm. She picks her way to the rear of the Kraken.

    "Clear the edge!" She yells through her speakers as she unhefts her Double Ups, "and you light pansies better man some turrets, it's gonna get hot real fast!"

    Matev on
    "Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
    Hail Hydra
  • The EnderThe Ender Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "WE BE COMMANDEERIN' A VESSEL MORE WORTHY A' ME REPUTATION!"

    Clankswagger hollers back to the ex-Coalition SAMUS pilot,

    "AN' WE'D HAVE THE DEVIL'S OWN TASK DOIN' THAT WITHOUT SOME LEVERAGE, ME LAD! MAN THE CANNONS! IF THESE SERPENTS WANT A CHASE, LET'S GIVE 'M ONE T' REMEMBER!"

    The Ender on
    With Love and Courage
  • OptimusZedOptimusZed Registered User regular
    edited January 2011
    "Oh, shit," swears the juicer under his breath.

    Josh takes off at a run beside the tanker, keeping pace rather easily and bringing his weapon systems online.

    OptimusZed on
    We're reading Rifts. You should too. You know you want to. Now With Ninjas!

    They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
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