Nothing's Free in the Free Zone (IC), Adventure 1: Broken Star Options

[Always Overkill]

Overkill, South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:44 AM July 31st, 2075


Scanning the situation, Drave added;

<<@JustJack: Nevermind, there here.>>

[Jack VII]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:44 AM July 31st, 2075

Jack was about to respond to Overkill when the drek hit the fan. Seeing the opposing numbers double in the span of a few heartbeats didn't bode particularly well. Seeing all of them taking cover was even worse. Assuming the Yaks hadn't already spotted the team, it was likely they had some kind of surveillance assets or a better armored team moving in to start sweeping the park. The ork discarded the first thought, these bobos didn't seem all that well trained and would have probably started shooting if they already knew where the team was.

[Chrome Head]

Overkill, South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:44 AM July 31st, 2075

Amy immediately notices two forms that approach rapidly in the astral sky above them. One is a mage of lower power than her, the other is probably a fire spirit friend of his. Damn them hermetics.

The shaman leaves astral space to avoid immediate detection and possible attacks. She whispers to Jack and Overkill "Another mage in the astral, weaker than me, but I have to interrupt the digging if I want to fight him. Tell me what to do, Jack." She realized in that instant that an amnesiac was becoming the de facto leader of the team.

[Jack VII]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:44 AM July 31st, 2075

Jack closed his eyes when he heard Amy's whisper. Outnumbered by grunts and with magical assets on the field, the ork didn't really see a clean way out of the situation. The tables had clearly been turned and living to fight another day was a sight better than getting geeked by a bunch of Yaks in the Warrens. Jack composed a quick text to the team:

<<@Team [JustJack] We're done. Outnumbered, more probably on the way. Fall back through the houses to the south, Overkill, take point, Amy follow him. Rhex and I will provide suppression if they spot us, I'll take the new crew; Rhex the firepit crew. Grease, meet us in the car on the street. Amy, if you can tell your spirit to bring you the 'links when it's done, do it. If we have to come back, we will. Salir!>>

Jack mentally switches his SMG to Full Auto fire and switches targets to the new crew opposite him.

[DrZaius]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:44 AM July 31st, 2075

<<@Team[Grease]: Roger.>>

Audible only to the team members directly next to it, RHex throws his motor in reverse and starts slowly creeping away from the two groups, his gun stilled trained on the three by the fire pit. It's going about half it's normal speed, you can tell it's able to go much quicker but is keeping a slow pace so as to not outrun you.

[Lobo0705]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:44 AM July 31st, 2075

Jack catches the movement out of the corner of his eye as Rhex starts to back up. I thought I said that we would stay and...nevermind. He switches skillsofts so that he is ready to run if need be, and begins backing away from the treeline.

Overkill, Amy, and Rhex are all moving as well, with Overkill the closest one to the house. His eyes catch a glimmer of light as a ghostly image appears over the heads of the two groups of goons, points to the runner team, and speaks in Japanese. A sudden "Oh shit!" from behind him makes him look back as Overkill lurches back from a ball of fire that is materializing in the clearing between them and the house.

The goons, in response to the the message from the mage, surge forward. Rhex immediately opens fire at the group near the fire pit, causing them to fall to the ground immediately, as 7.62mm rounds rocket downrange...

[Lobo0705]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:44 AM July 31st, 2075

Amy reaches out and attempts to wrest control of the spirit away from its summoner. Back and forth the contest of will rages, with neither side able to gain an advantage.

Overkill, meanwhile, in a desperate attempt to keep his young friend safe, taunts the spirit, drawing it to him. The Fire spirit lunges at him, and he dives into a somersault to escape, coming up in a forward roll just inches away from a 6 foot swath of grass that is now in flames. As he gains his footing, his Crusader hammers away as he spits out a burst at the creature, the electricity jolting the spirit and causing it obvious pain. It roars as a response, and its brightness intensifies.

Jack and Rhex, meanwhile, continue to spray lead at their respective targets, shell casings falling like rain at their feet. The men opposite Jack squeeze off a few rounds, but these pass harmlessly overhead, as they are far more concerned with keeping their head down than hitting a target.

To see her friend attacked by the fire spirit renewed Amy's determination to put an end to this threat. Thanks to a better understanding of how summoner was imposing its will upon the destructive entity, Amy is able to untie the strings that were binding it to this plane of existence. With its renewed freedom, the burning essence immediately leaves both the physical and astral planes as it finds its way back to the metaplanes. "I got your back Overkill, don't worry about me."

[Jack VII]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:44 AM July 31st, 2075

A fraggin spirit? That would have been good to know about... Jack thought to himself as everything went to drek. No sooner had he mentally written his last will and testament, that Amy stepped forward, basically stared the thing down, and it vanished from sight. With their escape opened up, Jack mentally composed a quick message.

<<@Team [JustJack] Good job, Amy! Shake your hoops folks and get to the car before another one shows up!>>

[Always Overkill]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:44 AM July 31st, 2075

Drave was amazed as he saw the Fire Spirit disappear from in front of him. That was close, he thought to himself and then looked at the burnt ground from when the spirit tried to immolate him, almost too close.

He flashed an approving smile towards Amy, and seeing she was with him he continued running, knowing he was responsible for taking point and checking to see if the team's escape route to the street was clear of anymore surprises.

Wanting to assure that the car would be there, Drave sent a message to Grease:

<<@Grease [Overkill]: Make sure you are in position, we will be hitting the street shortly.>>

[Jack VII]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:45 AM July 31st, 2075

Not sure if they were reacting to his message or just common sense, Jack watched Amy and Overkill dart through the singed grass formerly occupied by the spirit of fire and head toward the cover provided by the houses. Close behind, the ork slammed his back into the rear wall of the house, aiming his SMG toward the park while Rhex sped along, pausing every once in a while with a burst of suppressed fire from his AK-97. Clearing the back of the house, the ork saw that Amy and Overkill had reached the BMW.

As Jack and Rhex approached the vehicle, the trunk popped open and the drone wheeled around to the rear. Hearing shouts of anger coming from the park, Jack knew the Yaks were likely heading their way without any opposing fire to keep them pinned in. Jack yanked the drone off the ground, track still spinning, and tossed it in the back of the BMW. "Good boy," he said, slamming the trunk down and heading for the opened passenger side door. Amy was still outside the vehicle as Jack dashed for the front door. "Hold up, Jack," she said, "That mage may still be around spying on us."

[Lobo0705]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:45 AM July 31st, 2075

After warning Jack, Amy stops and looks around, altering her vision to try and see the enemy mage. The area around her is gray and lifeless, until she looks directly up.

There, hovering above her, the female shape hangs in the air, throws its arm forward and a sizzling bolt of energy hurtles towards Amy.

She barely has time to put her defenses up, crossing her arms protectively in front of her face, and the magical bolt shatters against a blue energy barrier inches from her body.

[Chrome Head]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:45 AM July 31st, 2075

That hermy bitch!! Amy closes her third eye as fast as she had opened it and comes inside the car with the others. "We should be smart about where we go, we're being followed astrally by that frackin' mage. My best bet to get her off our trail would be to send a spirit after her, but for now the one I've summoned is busy digging for the commlinks. We shouldn't go farther than a few hundred meters from it, so that it can alert me if it's detected and under attack."

She then also makes sure that her spirit's aware of what is going on, using their telepathic link. "I'm not leaving you behind, my sturdy friend. Just let me know if you are attacked."

[Jack VII]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:45 AM July 31st, 2075

"Well, I guess that's to be expected. We're not the only ones with magical assets. I think it goes without saying that we probably shouldn't head anywhere near any of our homes for now." Jack said, checking his gear and himself to make sure that he had no new holes.

[DrZaius]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:45 AM July 31st, 2075

Gripping the wheel anxiously, Grease leans over the seat to look back.

"Let's go let's go let's go! I can lose that mage; it'll have trouble tracking us since this car is made out of metal and other non-living drek. We can't just do a circle of the park, this place is crawling with them and they'll be here in less than a minute."

[Jack VII]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:45 AM July 31st, 2075

"I don't think we've got the option to stick around. You're our wheels, Grease. Do whatever you think you can." Jack said aloud.

While speaking aloud, he silently sent a message to the rigger.

<<@Grease [JustJack] The links may be important, but not more important than our skins. Get us out of here. If you can lose the mage and find somewhere to lay low near enough that Amy can hear her spirit, do it. But that's not top priority.>>

[Lobo0705]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:46 AM July 31st, 2075

Once everyone is in the car, Grease yells out "Hold on!" and floors it. He rockets down S. Evanston, turning on to E. Layton before the Yaks even manage to make it out of the park.

Grease feels a burning sensation in his extremities as he turns on to Chambers and heads north, molten rubber trailing behind them. Grimacing against the pain, he shoots up the main drag, the streets quiet and empty at this time of night. Doesn't make it easy to shake someone when there's no traffic to hide in...

Overkill and Amy are thrown against each other in the turn, and, a little embarrassed, Amy extricates herself from Overkill and sits back up, strapping herself in to the APPS. "Please stay safe underground. I will come back and tell you when to come out and meet us."

Crossing Smoky Run with a sigh, Grease glances at the side mirror, and says "We're out of their territory, no physical pursuit at least." and then hangs a hard right onto Quincy, and then another one into a parking garage. He smoothly goes up the ramp, climbing through the garage to the top floor.

Pulling up to the edge of the garage, he throws the car in park. "I picked this garage because it gives a great view of Chambers - we should be able to see anyone coming after us. Well, anybody not in the astral plane, anyway. Now what?"

[Jack VII]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:55 AM July 31st, 2075

"We still in range of your spirit, Amy?" Jack asked. He looked out the front windshield and over the ruins of the Warrens. They were actually lucky that no one seemed to currently lay claim to this parking garage. Given how close it was to the Fronts-Yak border, he could imagine why.

[Chrome Head]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:46 AM July 31st, 2075

Amy sighs, "No." She looks as though she regrets not being able to have done better.

"We'll need to get back within about half a kilometers of where he is for me to instruct him. He'll come back to us then, but he might be spotted either in the astral or the physical world."

[Jack VII]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:55 AM July 31st, 2075

Jack pondered their situation; the lack of a decent night's sleep dragging on him. "I guess we should probably assume the mage is still around. It can't hear us on the astral plane can it?" Jack caught Amy's quick shake of the head in the rearview mirror and continued. "We came here to do a job and I think we should finish it. At the same time, we need to do it without casualties." Jack had a 'knack' for stating the obvious, but it seemed to be something of a centering technique to focus his thoughts.

"How fast can that spirit move? If we head back and you get in touch with it, how long would we have to wait until it showed up? I figure we have two options: we take the car with everyone in it and try to meet up with the spirit near the park or we can drop off a two-man team within range of the spirit to meet it while the other two cause a distraction."

Jack gets a bit of a sparkle in his eye. "Overkill, were you able to hack any of their gear? If so, what can you do with it?"

[Chrome Head]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:55 AM July 31st, 2075

"Earth spirits are slow, but they can dig pretty fast. He should be able to travel towards us by going through the ground until near the edge of the park and then walk up to me. That's what I assume he'll do. In any case, he'll be concealing himself like before, which should keep him out of view. If I try to call it farther away from the park, he'll be seen in the open on the way to us."

[Jack VII]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:55 AM July 31st, 2075

Jack tugged on one of his tusks, a sign that he was thinking. "He..." Jack paused, feeling kind of odd calling a spirit by a gender-based pronoun. What the Hell... "Between his hiding power and using some of those houses on the north side as cover, he probably would have a decent chance of getting out without taking any fire... Hell, can he just dig north a few 100 meters and pop up? The park is probably a little hot for all of us at the moment."

[Chrome Head]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:55 AM July 31st, 2075

"When I tell him to, he'll find his way to me however he sees fit, but probably in a very direct path. If I'm at the north end of the park, that's where he'll go."

[Jack VII]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:55 AM July 31st, 2075

"Grease, you still have that map?" Jack asked, a plan forming in his mind. As the elf shared a MARK so that the rest of the team could see his mapsoft, an AR map of the Warrens popped up with Sagebrush Park highlighted. Jack unloaded his 'Usain Bolt' Pro Runner skillsoft and replaced it with his New Magellan Navigator skillsoft. Pouring over the map, he said, "OK, how about this? We head over to Smokey Hill and see if Amy can regain contact with her spirit. If not, it gets a bit trickier but our course of action stays the same. We turn onto South Fraser Court, the map looks like it basically makes a curve and heads out back toward Chambers." As the ork spoke, a street lit up on the map. "In the middle of the curve, it hits the very eastern corner of the park. If the spirit is done, it meets up with us there, we recover the 'links, and then get the frag out. Amy can summon another spirit to hopefully take care of the mage. The most dangerous part is that the mage is going to be close enough where she can probably notify the other Yaks in the park that we're there, so it's going to have to be fast."

"Thoughts?" Jack asked, looking for input.

[Chrome Head]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:55 AM July 31st, 2075

Amy agrees, "Good thinking, Jack. I think this should work."

[DrZaius]

South side of Sagebrush Park, Aurora Warrens, 3:55 AM July 31st, 2075

Grease rubs his chin. "It should work. Man, what I would give for a rotodrone..."

He looks at the team before he continues. "That said, if we gotta bug out, I'm going to make the call. It ain't worth us starting something with the Yaks just for a clue, no matter how good. We could always come back in a few days when the heat has died down. I want to get this done tonight; we'd probably have to take the other car if we came back, and that one isn't nearly as fast."