The Outriders of Fort Triumph (IC)

[warrender]

Background

In 2158AD the first successful FTL drive was built and tested in a combined effort from the worlds leading scientific powers of their time and put the universe at humanities fingertips, spreading the frontier of the empire beyond that of the already colonised Sol solar system. 12 years later the schematics for FTL were made available to private organisations in a bid to promote star travel and colonisation that the governments of their time could not keep up with. In just 3 years the number of privatised companies reached a staggering 4000, with off world travel becoming more popular than standard travel. This unexpected boom in emigration had a devastating impact on the population number of Earth and it's Sol colonies and resulted in the recently formed GESE (Galactic Earth Solar Empire) restricting Emigration and transport from the worlds under its control.

Although protecting Earths interests and those of the Hive worlds set up at the dawn of the expansion age, the new restrictions crippled the outlaying worlds of the GESE, or Jessies and Geese as the outlanders like to call them. Without the continued income from space travel and supplies that were once plentiful, thousands of worlds were simply left to decay. Those who had been drawn across the stars in hopes of finding their future and fortune on the distant mineral rich worlds were left abandoned and isolated, the vast wealth available to them useless without the ability to transport it home, leaving them stranded with no way to afford a trip back home. many of these worlds managed to pool together to create self sustaining colonies where law and order prevail to a fashion. The majority however turned to rife and lawlessness. There is still a profit to be made in these lands, but it's a dangerous life to lead and crimes usually go unanswered.

In an affront to the GESE, the outlander worlds eventually revolted against the inhumane restrictions, choosing to trade both goods and people once more in secret. After several years the GESE formed the DeSPA (Deep Space Police Amarda) to combat these new pirate factions while at the same time relaxing some of the restrictions. Registered ships were tagged and regulated as to what they could or could not transport. Those that attempted to transport unregistered cargo or who were not tagged were hunted down by the DeSPA and impounded.

The forming of the DeSPA however, did nothing to help the victims on worlds already gripped by bandits and slave traders, leaving to fend for themselves in a galaxy of wickedness.

In recent times the bandits have become braver, bolder and more organised and many fear the various groups are joining together to form a huge network. Several lawful worlds have already fallen over the last few years, with bandits taking control of the settlements, burning down those with no value. Those who cannot escape are destined to live under a rule of evil or be sold as slaves, where no one will stand up for justice or human rights.

Reigner was one such world. Each day more and more bandits arrive by ship, amassing a huge force capable of over running its only town that still mines a quantity of ore for Earth. Many who have tried to flee have already been captured and some even shot. But a passing trader conducting business on the planet took pity on it’s people, and organised to ship as many people as they could off world while concluding his transaction in town.



Meet the Crew

The sound of muffled shouting could be heard over the dirt dune followed by occasional gunshots. A group of figures suddenly appeared over the top, sprinting as though being chased by a herd of wild bulls, one of them clutching the top of their hat to keep it from flying off as the group galloped over the top and down the slope to a large open prairie.

Still holding his hat he looked round, watching as several large men with guns bounded to the top of the hill behind them, pausing to take better aim. Halfway down the hill the shots sprung past them, flicking up clouds of dust where the bullets had embed themselves in the dirt.

“How could you not know you were stealing it from the Gregory Brothers!?!!?” One shouted, feeling the burning in their legs and chest as they sprinted towards a ship just ahead. Several people could be seen arranging boxes inside the hanger bay, looking up as they heard the gunshots. The figures on the hill, realising they had missed and were now lagging behind, jumped forward in attempt to continue the chase.

“No one steals from us and gets away with it!! Might as well make it easy on yourselves” one of the pursuers yelled. Finally pulling off his hat and holding it in his hand he turned to his comrade “How was I supposed to know that stuff was theirs?! It was left out in the open!!”

“That’s because it was ready for pickup. You screwed up a bloody weapons trade! God you’re stupid!”

Shots continued to ring past the group as they neared the ship. By now, everyone knew what was going on and hastily made sure they were aboard and out of trouble. A lone figure stood by the ramp just inside the hanger, hand on the button ready. As the groups feet pressed against the metal ramp he instantly pushed the button. Gears and screeching metal sounded as the large ramp started moving slowly upward. “Go,go,go!” he yelled into a comm unit and then promptly almost fell over as the ships engines screamed into life and caused the vessel to lurch to one side.

Pings against the metal outside could be heard as the gunmen shot at the vessel in vain, more out of frustration than believing they could hurt the armoured hull. One of the gunmen threw hit hat on the floor and shouted at no one in particular “Shizz! Henry’s gonna be pissed!”

Inside the vessel the ship rattled slightly as the vessel ascended into orbit. Three figure lay on the floor of the hanger, gasping loudly to catch their breath. “Well … *pant* … that went … *pant* … well”

------
Two hours later

A few hours later saw the Captain sitting alone in the mess hall of the ship. Chair leaned back and feet on the table while eating some porridgy looking meal from a bowl. A datapad came visible from the left hand side of the chair and. “Here’s the dossiers of the passengers we picked up and payment details. Would have liked to of given you the choice to speak to them before agreeing to transport them but you kinda decided to piss of the Gregory’s … … again”

Without saying a word the Captain reached back and took the datapad, using his thumb to operate the device while his other kept hold of his bowl. After briefly flicking through the various pages he flicked the pad onto the table “Cheers, I’ll have a proper look when we get to, Verzonia. There’s some cargo to drop off so we'll see if they are staying on or dropping off when we get there”

[warrender]

Crew and Passengers of the Eagle Eye

SPOILER: Click to show

User Name: Bolttz
Character Name: Zachary (Zack)
Appearance:

Profession: Frontier Engineer
Skills: Firearm(Low) / Negotiating (Low) / Repairs (Medium) / Health (Medium) / Can build equipment / Can repair equipment on the battlefield
Add Equip: Portable Tool Kit
Background: Zack was born in a mining colony on an asteroid. He never got to spend much time with his parents due to their heavy work schedule. For the most part he simply ran amok on the site getting into trouble and being sent to clean and replace air filters. Eventually, the aging engineer (Markus) began to use Zack as fetcher, retrieving tools and parts when Markus didn't feel like leaving his work site. From Markus Zack began to learn the ins and outs of engineering, and while he may not know the schematics of every ship in the galaxy, he can fix up an engine in no time or set up a new sensor array using nothing more than an old sensor array and last weeks laundry (no, he will not do it again, the end result was his sense of smell being overridden by the smell of sweaty socks). Eventually the asteroid was mined out, and as the company didn't want to invest in more off-planet mining, the complex left and brought him to Reigner where he tearily left his mother (father died in an air lock failure) and Markus. He found a job aboard the Eagle-Eye where he acts as second banana to Chief Engineer Jimmy. Now, starting his 7th cycle of life (approximately 20 earth years) the ship has touched down again on the first planet he has known, the planet where his mother still toils away in mines.




User Name: Benevolent Thomas
Char Name: Thomas
Appearance:

Profession: Trader
Skills: Firearm(Low) / Negotiating (Medium) / Piloting (Low) Repairs (Low) / Health (Medium) / Can contact the ship and other Radio user / Can see distant targets-details / Can use Flares
Add Equip: Standard Pistol, Radio, Flare X2, Binoculars, Grenade
Background: Thomas is a formally renowned smuggler throughout the Outlands. His smuggling fees were notoriously cheap as he got off on being able to stick it to the DeSPA with every successful delivery. A few years ago a deal went just about as south as it can get. Thomas arrived to make a delivery of illegal weapons on the planet of Reigner. At the rendezvous point he was not only greeted by his "client", but a dozen DeSPA officers with their guns drawn. In order to escape with his life, Thomas had to activate his ship's self-destruction sequence to serve as a distraction. Thomas was able to escape the elaborate ambush, but he was stranded on the godforsaken planet. He roamed the desert planet for years, making ends meet, hopping in and out of town when necessary. He continued to wander long after his system-wide reputation had faded into irrelevancy and was eventually forgotten. Word was spreading about a cargo ship that was smuggling people off of the planet and Thomas knew he had to board it. He just had to get off of this wretched planet... and he has a forte for smuggling. Thomas will gladly assist anyone that was willing to get him out of Reigner. Joining the crew of a trading ship is just the first step toward rebuilding his brand after all.





User Name: Deadeye Jack
Char Name: Ignatius (Iggy) Paxton
Appearance:

Profession: War Veteran Doctor
Skills: Firearm(Low) / Negotiating (Low) / Medical (Medium in Medbay & Low in Battle) / Health (Medium) / MedPack gives a better chance of survival when treating injuries
Add Equip: Medical Pack, Rifle
Background: When Ol Iggy, was young he always wanted to be a doctor, due to all the shows glamorizing the profession. He was 25 when the War broke out and he enlisted to help tend to the injured. During the war he was exposed to the most heinous atrocities, causing him to reflect on the nature of humanity and its evils. Struggling to come to grips with it all, he decided escaping to the frontiers of space and starting fresh would do him good. For the many years since he made that pivotal decision, he has jumped from colony to colony, providing medical services along the way. A few years ago lawlessness skyrocketed in the outlander worlds and Iggy heard about a ship crew that was going to provide the services that the GESE no longer did to the bandit infested worlds. He decided to join and help in any way he could in this dangerous business.


User Name: Control
Char Name: K. A. Anderson
Appearance:

Profession: Gun For Hire
Skills: Firearm(Medium) / Negotiating (Low) / Health (High) / Can contact the ship and other Radio user / Can see distant targets-details / Can use Flares
Add Equip: Radio, Binoculars, flare
Background: Anderson has spent the last fifteen years of his life as a mercenary guard for GESE-registered spaceships trading near the edge of controlled space. He's grown tired of a life of monotony occasionally interrupted by intense excitement and now pursues a life of more constant excitement and increased pay.


User Name: Control
Char Name: Sebastian Moresby
Appearance:

Profession: Captain
Skills: Firearm(Medium) / Negotiating (Medium) / Health (Medium) / Runs the ship / Has Rallying Cry ability
Add Equip: Background in trade
Background: Captain Moresby came from a respectable family that owned a small space-faring company before the GESE restrictions. When the Interstellar Recession struck, his family lost everything but a modular freighter. He now cruises the space lanes, hoping to trade his way back to fortune.

User Name: nateoreilly
Char Name: Aiden
Appearance:

Profession: Gun for hire
Skills: Firearm(High) / Negotiating (Low) / Health (High) / Has a Sniper and 2 Grenades
Add equip: ex soldier
Background: Aiden enlisted in the armada as soon as he turned 18. Against his parents advise, he became a scout sniper. His first deployment, a "classified" pirate planet. His mission was simple, scout the enemy. Find their weaknesses, their numbers, and try to sabotage any heavy ordnance they may have to limit GESE casualties in the following assault. His squad's mission went south as soon as they landed. Heavily outnumbered, and surrounded, his squad was captured. He was tortured, beaten, and witnessed his friends die one by one over the following weeks. When the GESE finally rescued him, the psychological damage made him unfit to continue serving. He hasn't spoken since he was rescued, presumably because of the hardships that he faced alone. Now he is a mercenary, a shell of who he once was.

The Bad Guys (Main NPC's only

SPOILER: Click to show

[Deadeye Jack]

Ignatius woke up from a little nap a couple hours after the ship took off. Being chased by the Gregory Brothers was exhausting and his body wasn't built to hightail it like it used to be. He was so tired he went straight to his room when he got back on the ship. A sudden realization struck him, I didn't even see if anyone needed treatment when I got back, he though to himself. So Iggy Paxton headed out of his room and made for the mess hall where most people likely were. As he was on his way he spotted that real rugged fellow from back on Reigner they had picked up, Thomas he thought the man said was his name. Thomas was pacing around a bit.

"Hey buddy, you need anything? You look a little lost."

[Control]

K. A. Anderson sat just outside the mess hall, cleaning his rifle and unobtrusively observing the others aboard his current home. He saw the cord of a pocket stethoscope sticking out of one man's pocket and made a mental note to get on his good side. That one he's talking to, though, I don't know about him. Looks pretty shifty. Anderson thought he was one of the men who he'd saved by closing the ramp. He knew someone screwed up their last arms deal, and it sure wasn't the new crewmember ol' More-sleep sent to complete the trade. That new guy - can't remember his name... huh, can't remember his face either. Sand my soul, it could be him. Anderson shrugged and began reassembling his weapon.

[Benevolent Thomas]

Nov 22, 2014 9:22:56 GMT -5 Deadeye Jack said:

"Hey buddy, you need anything? You look a little lost."

"I'm quite alright. Its the first time I've been on a ship in quite some time. Truth be told, I find myself more at home in space than I do on any planet."

Thomas' attention fades as he continues to take in the atmosphere of the ship. The temptation to walk the entire circumference of the ship and inspect every little nook and cranny is nearly irresistible.

"So I take it you're crew here?"

[bolttz (Zack)]

*views the conversation between Iggy and Thomas, and approaches*
"Part of the crew? Grampa here isn't just part of the crew, he's the guy who'll stich you back together if you forget your arm on the battlefield. Best doc in the whole span.
*claps Thomas on the back and gives gramps a quick bow*

[Deadeye Jack]

Ignatius looked at Zack and said half jokingly,

"Keep it up with that grampa stuff, kid, and next time you need some treatment I might give you the wrong dose or my hand might slip during surgery."

He then turned to Thomas with a smirk and said, "Kids these days, got no respect for their elders."

Then Iggy remembered he hadn't eaten or drank anything for quite some time. "Hey Zack, we forgot to show this new fella Thomas some of our famous hospitality," he said with a hint of sarcasm, "We should all head over to the mess hall and talk over drinks or get something to eat. I know I'm famished."

[bolttz (Zack)]

"splendid, grub time!"
*whispering to Thomas*
"he gets kind of grumpy when he's hungry, or when you swap hot water for cold in the showers.
*begins leading the way to the food counter*

[Benevolent Thomas]

"I'm always ready for a drink, especially when paying isn't involved. Of course I would be more than willing to buy the doc's drinks. Perhaps after we eat, y'all can take me on a tour of your ship?"

[Deadeye Jack]

"Well we're on the ship, so no charge but next time we stop off at a bar on land I'll be sure to have you make good on that promise."

The three men, proceeded to the mess hall walking by the man named Anderson with his calculating eyes, cleaning his gun. Ignatius gestured Thomas and Zack to sit while he stopped by the liquor cabinet and got out his favorite bottle of whiskey. He poured some into 3 glasses and passed them around, then took his seat at the table.

"So Thomas, I know you said you hadn't been on a ship in quite some time, how'd you end up on Reigner if you don't mind me asking."

[Benevolent Thomas]

Thomas takes a drink before answering.

My own stupidity. I heard Reigner was going to be a boom town, so I flew right in to make my fortune. I sold my ship in order to obtain capital to start a business... turns out this planet was just another bust. One wrong investment and you get stranded on a slowly decaying rock for a couple of years, such is the way of life these days. You don't look like your run of the mill doc, what's your story?"

[Deadeye Jack]

Iggy chuckled to himself.

"It's quite a long story and we just met so I don't want to bore you with the details, so I'll give you the abridged version. Many years ago in my younger days I decided I just had to get away from my life. I needed a fresh start, so I ventured out into space hopping from colony to colony. Eventually I made my way to the outlander worlds and I heard the Eagle Eye needed a doc and I figured 'what the hell, sign me up'. Been serving as part of the crew for a few years now."

Iggy paused for a moment of reflection, "Yeah, I don't regret any of it for a second. The pioneer life has been good for my soul."

[bolttz (Zack)]

"Gramps definitely lead a pretty interesting life, did he not? but more importantly, do either of you two know why we had to lift off so suddenly? i heard it was because the captain ran across an old flame, and a shoe was thrown at him."

[Control]

"Really, Zach?" a gruff voice said. "Listening to gossip again?" Captain Moresby sauntered over from the bar, a Manhattan in hand. "I thought spending a day sorting the junk container would've taught you that's a bad habit." A dry chuckle echoed from outside the door. "Perhaps one of these fine gentlemen can tell you the truth while I contemplate a suitable... reminder."

[bolttz (Zack)]

"DAH! Uh, ugk, umm, Captain, how pleasant to see you sir!"
*bolts upright, all sense of his previous mirth gone*
*pulls out another chair and offers it to the captain*
"here, take a seat, I'll just get you a drink."
*heads over to the cabinet to grab another cup*
*turns back to the table after realizing that the Captain already has a drink*
“Except you, um seem to have one already... I'll just uh wait here then."
*stands at attention next to his chair waiting for the Captain to sit down*