🔫 Get the Governor!

Bounty Hunters' Guild representative Rayce Gunnar has invited you to the seedy space-port bar called Falling Pieces. You find him at his favourite booth, and he spreads a map of Adranus City.

"Guv'ner Rendar thinks he is untouchable. He's got this arrangement with Central Government. But, look here, he's defaulted with the Slugs, right? The Slugs ain't exactly glowin with that, so they've hired you to grab him.""The Guv'ner is having a party two nights from now."

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Let's have each of you describe your PCs in your first post.

Oh man! I've been itching for a job ever since I got my 'plants ya know? I can't race every minute of every day. This might give me that rush I'm always after. So how much we gettin' paid, huh?

Damak was competitive, pretty, and ambitious. She was all about winning or earning. If she could have both, that was nirvana. Slim and lithe she had some work done to her body. She was essentially a cyborg so her body armor was intrinsic but her best feature for the job was her built-in targeting device and taser. These enhancements left her hands free for her pistol or disintegrator rifle. Her blasters and Gravimetric Implosion mines could come in handy for a job also.

She had been working successfully as a government agent in the Core Worlds. After finishing her time in the security services, she's trying to make a fortune working bounties on the Rim. Sometimes she makes people nervous with her targeting eye. It glows yellow and is a little creepy.

Rik walks into the bar and sniffs the air. He loves the smell of a spaceport bar. It's like coming home after a long trip.

A slender frame of a man, but full... Possibly too full.. of confidence. With that handsome face, he most likely gets away with it all the time. On his hips 2 holsters are always in sight. As a warning or just for coolness factor, or both.
His leather vest has seen better days, but is often oiled to keep it in as good condition as possible.

"Looks like my kinda place, Rhugo." He smiles and reaches for the holster on his left hip. Rik pulls out a comb. He runs it through his slick hair, combing it backwards.

"Thats our guy over there." He says, gesturing to the booth in the back. Moving across the room, he signs to the robot bartender to order their 2 favorite drinks.

"Been a while, Rayce. How are the kids?"

A large, broad shouldered, well muscled man steps into the door of the bar. He's wearing a red body armor vest with nothing underneath, and black cargo pants that match his short cut black hair. His combat boots thump loudly on the floor as he walks. His head is on a swivel, scanning the patrons of the bar for something. He has a cybernetic right arm that looks sturdy and powerful. On his right wrist is a wrist blaster, on his left what may be the hilt of a laser sword. Nestled in the back of his head is some kind of implant. Whatever it is nothing was done to hide it or make it pleasing to look at. After surveying the crowd, he heads over to Rayce's booth, arriving in time to hear him describe the job.

"Name's Grego Kane. This sounds like it might get messy. I got no problems with that, but it better pay well."

The massive Granthanite tried to follow Rik closely, as he knew all too well that his captain had a knack for trouble.

He stood out like a sore thumb in the bar as he towered over all the other patrons - his horns being the hardest part for them not to stare at, fearing that they might irritate him. The blaster rifle strapped in his back caused less heads to turn, as carrying weapons in public wasn't uncommon in the Outer Fringe.


"Now, remember Rik; we're here for business - business we need presently to replace those boggy couplers you got from the flea market on Woorth of all places..." he whispered with his deep, raspy voice as they made their way to the booth where the Guild representative was.

He was about to greet Rayce himself when Rik decided to be - well, Rik. Rhugo'shulo acted like he hadn't heard a thing Rik said. Instead he went on and greeted the man properly.

"We would like to hear about our compensation as well. And any intel the Guild has that will help us lay out a plan."

Mina pauses at the entrance to Falling Pieces. The smell is... notable. The pair of short, chattering coffee-addled annelid aliens leaving the joint are odd, but amusing little perverts, she senses. 'Of all the drinking spots I've enjoyed on Adranus City lately, why did Rayce choose this one for the meetup? Anonymity, maybe? Oh well - hopefully, a quick in-and-out.'

She slides through the front door to step inside and find her coterie. The music of the bar clashes with the tunes on her headset (see below for headset tunes), so she switches the headset off and pushes the cones down off her ears to let the headset rest on her neck. Standing shorter than Rhugo'shulo, Rik, and even Damak, Mina's figure cuts an unassuming mark in the bar. She wears her dreads at shoulder-length but hidden behind her hood. Whatever swell of breast she might have is obfuscated behind her tight micro-weave protective jacket. The last remnants of her "servitude" to the frakking space paladins are the electric fighting staff that is slung over her back and the oddly glowing bracelet on her left wrist, which serves as a scrambler. She searches the bar and sees the trio of hunters, then switches on the scrambler as she strides over nonchalantly to join them with their contact. Mina isn't one for obvious displays of her femininity, but her hips are wide enough to give her walk a bit of sway as she moves up to her fellow hunters. The music hides the low clink-clink-clink of her mag boots as she walks.

Rik combs his lovely hair and Mina can't help but feel slightly warmer as the gregarious hunter chatters away. 'He's so damn cocky,' she thinks to herself. 'What's not to love?' Mina glances over at Damak but shies away from her glowing yellow eye. She enjoys working with Damak and relies on her, but when she looks at Damak, she can't help but see the empty spaces where parts of her body used to be. It's unnerving for her to see Damak and something else combined. Mina didn't know Damak before most of the cybernetics were implanted, but she still feels the echoes of what was lost on the operating table. She can handle robots and she can handle people, but the combination of the two is unsettling.

Mina slips into the massive shadow cast by Rhugo'shulo and looks up at him, horns and all. The two couldn't be less alike - he with his carefully plotted plans and enumerated strategies and tactics versus her seat-of-your-pants actions delivered with spontaneous glee. One might expect their opposing viewpoints would cause conflict, and at times it has. Still, she can't help but love the big Granthanite. She slides an arm around his back and moves in to hug herself against him as a greeting before she looks up at him with a smile, "Hey, big guy. Good to see you again, Roog." Her fingers lightly run through a tuft of his fur in a playful and intimate way.

Rayce lays out the deets for the job and Mina listens closely. She's on the job, even if she seems to be visiting close friends. Rhugo'shulo asks the normal questions he asks, about Guild intel and threat assessments and all the details that will evaporate the roll of a die. "I like parties," she answers when Rayce mentions Guv'ner Rendar will be there. It's her way of stating a commitment to the job without all of Rhugo'shulo's need for details and floorplans and guard shift schedules and yadda yadda yadda.

Blaster fire is heard outside followed by a few screams and the fading footsteps of bystanders running away. The silence after is punctuated by the immediately recognizable clink of magnetic boots approaching the establishment, foreshadowing Ash's entrance. His blaster rifle is still smoking as his silhouette comes into view of the open door, but he slings it over his shoulder before stepping inside.

To ease the tension on the bartender's face he explains, "You don't have anything to worry about, I'm not here for you ... unless you also plan on touching my ride like those two idiots outside!" The fluorescent green eyes of Ash's targeting goggles bore into the bartender, but the comments are loud enough to caution the whole bar.

The bartender quickly assures he has no intention of that. "Good, because they're lucky I only fired a warning shot," Ash mutters under his breath, but the bartender didn't need to hear to know it was true. Ash Ulrand does not typically fire warning shots, but he doesn't want the fuss created by dead bodies at the moment, as much as he hated to admit it ... at least not until he learned more about this mission.

Seeing his colleagues gathered on the far side of the bar, he joins them with a few nods of respect and gets comfortable to listen to Rayce's briefing. That doesn't mean removing the sleek transparent helmet of his environmental suit. He's much more comfortable smelling his own scent than the stink of a place like the Falling Pieces, but he does sit down.

Everyone's always so curious about the reward... he thinks hearing his other colleagues. If he still worked for the Slugs directly he'd probably be doing this mission solo for a much bigger cut, but since the slime bags had betrayed him, he had left their crime family ... a few years ago now. It had not been a friendly departure. He would get vengeance one day, but might as well let them pay his bills in the meantime. I wonder if know they know where their creds are going ... he thinks with a spiteful smirk on his green face. Regardless, Ash isn't that bothered about the creds as long as it covers his costs. Since joining the guild, he's found having his colleagues around in tough situations is worth splitting the bounty.

He's more interested in the challenge and the prestige that the job bring. So following up on Rhugo's question ...
... Ash adds, "Yeah, what do we know about the personnel the Governor has around him." Ash wants to know who he is going to get the chance to match up against in this mission ... the tougher the better.
Ash has had the pleasure of attending a few of Mina's favorite parties to know her tastes. "And it's not a good party without a proper light show," he smiles at Mina with a pat of his blaster.

When Mina realizes Grego has joined the table, she does a double take "Grego? I didn't recognize you - you shaved!" She laughs lightly, "That was a furious beard. I think I'll miss it."

Mina can't help but notice Ash's dramatic entrance, replete with explosions, which are his trademark. He makes sure the bartender doesn't call the authorities, a smart move for a wanted man, then comes over to join the pack. He mentions good parties and light shows, then looks right at her. 'Is he smiling at me right now? I can never tell in that helmet' She assumes it's a smile and winks at him, chuckling at the idea of his version of a light show.

"Grego Kane..." Rik says, letting the 'ane' linger. "I haven't seen you since you still had both arms. Did a job go sideways?" he points out with a bit of a smirk.

Stiffly he nods at the lady "Mina." Rik never liked the fact that Rhugo got all of her attention. And not just that. She was a killer babe that made even him, the calm and cool Rik, nervous.

When the bartender brings his 'Naked on the moons of kius7' drink, he sucks on the straw and shuffles smoothly to Damak. "Care for a sip?" He says with a wink and a raised eyebrow.

Just then Ash ruins the moment with a loud entrance.

"You can get the deets from the trivids. They shot most of series three of Smoking Neutrons at the same place as the party. It's the governor's mansion in the show too."

He checks his wrist computer. "Look. This is a big deal, the slugs have crew aplenty for this. Once the Governor is in my hands, I will arrange for his transport to the Slug Mafia of Xeron 7 and your crew will be paid handsomely." He names a fee that even split six ways would make this a lucrative job.

Lastly, to Ash's question about his personel, Rayce scratches his neck like he's got bad news. "Well, the Governor has his elite guard, lead by Sergeant Tanau. He's no slouch either, and they're tough as they come. Be sure to wear your brown pants."

Grego looks to Mina and shrugs. "Beard caught on fire during my last job. Had to get rid of it." He then turns to Rik. "You know very well I've had this arm for a long long time. I don't like your jokes."

Finally he says to Rayce, "The money's good. I'm in."

Damak chuckles at Mina, then laughs at Grego's retort and turns to Rayce as she too agrees with the compensation he offers and nods acceptance.

"Hey bartender. Gimme one of those Naked on the moons of kius7 drinks would ya? Sounds interesting enough to try."

Making fake doe eyes at Rik she replies, "That's ok, Rik. I'll get one of my very own but thanks for the offer."

To Ash she says, "Good to see ya Ash. I see things haven't changed. Drama still follows you I see?"

Looking over the motley crew she smirks at Rhugo'shulo, Rik's ever present shadow and nods a hello.

Rayce waits for a few minutes for more questions, and then tells you to go get to it then.

You finish your drinks and assemble outside, your squad of ships parked across the street in a mostly empty lot filled with chunks of rubble and garbage. You see there a gang of miscreants, and one of them is methodically tagging your ships with a can of spray paint. He's currently tagging the The Wayward Centaur with what looks like a huge penis.

Rik shakes his head. "Guys, guys, guys..." He says as he walks towards the hoodlums. That's not how you draw a penis. Rik rolls his eyes at them. "You forgot the hairs! Obviously."

He holds out his hand. "Give me that can, I'll show you." Under his breath he adds "Amateurs"

"Hey you punks, get away from my ship." Grego shouts, punctuating his words by gesturing with his wrist blaster.

Damak rolls her eyes up at Rik. "Men. You're like little kids you know?"

After her disparaging remark, she makes a beeline toward one of the graffiti thugs and wraps her arm around his neck talking all sweet and sappy.

Did your mommy give you those beautiful blue eyes, sugar? She smiles sweetly at him then tases him with her arm.

"Now buzz off. All of ya!"

"Well, well, well, Sergeant Tanau ..." Ash says with excitement. This wasn't Ash's first encounter with the renowned body guard. It was widely known that Tanau had thawarted Ash's plans multiple times in the past. In fact, the last time had directly led to Ash's falling out with the Slugs. He looks around the group, making eye contact with all of his companions, "Leave Tanau to me!"
Grego and Damak seem to have the situation under control, despite Rik's best efforts of encouraging them, so Ash holds himself back initially, until ...

The gang bangers spread out, "Get them!" as the one Damak had struggles against the shocking turn of events.

What? Get you? What is going on?

The gang dives for cover using your own vehicles as cover as they whip out their weapons. The hum of blasters, the zip of electric razor chains, the cocking of ballistic throwers. The scene just got real.

Each of you can act first as the gang moves for cover. Go hard, go nuts, get cinematic.

When the scoundrels yell "Get them", Rik is the first to skedaddle. He runs towards his own ship, the White Wyvern. Not because he's a coward, but because he didn't bother to bring his weapons inside. Only uncool people feel unsafe in a space-port, right? Besides, he knows Rhugo's got his back. What more does a man need? ... Perhaps a crossbow.

"Rhugo, cover me!" He shouts while running.

To dodge the fire from the spray painters, he tumbles and does some summer saults along the way.

When he gets to the ship he picks up his tachyon crossbow and his utility belt, containing his smoke grenades and the like.

Grego snarls and cuts loose with his wrist blaster, targeting the boy spray painting his ship.