This is a catch all thread, for  RP if you can't  find a thread that fits....

 After  the Pregame  broke up. a lot of folks headed to the  High-End COMs to send out 'last messages"/...some just used the Vid-COMS..rather then wait in line.

  Shadow sat near the Officer's COM, He had  2 COM chits  and was  'walking' then across his knuckles as he waited  for the Lines to end. He would Go last..he  wanted to send a COM to texas...and one to his Niece  and Nephew...

  Beth sat there..tired, but watched the clock like a hawk..making  sure no one took too much time...Finally the line had  ended...She smiled at Kray for him to Step up.

 About that Time, Jonny Blu came over...Beth gave him a hard look.....The Admiral saif it  would be OK for us to use your COMs  since we are here...but..Shadow was here first..so...

 ..That's  right!  He was..he waited a long  Time and....

 ..Easy..Beth...Calling  Family, Jonny?

 Blu looked down at his boots, then back up,..sort of..I am calling Texas..

 well?..Shadow is Next and...

 ..Texas.....ah well..Tell you what Jonny?..Go ahead..here....  he gave  Blu his  two COM chits,..take some extra time , on me.....  he gave  Blu a pat on the shoulder  and  went to leave,

 ...Shadow?...Kray?....

 ..Its OK Beth...I'll just send the Kids  a Vid -COM...by the time they get it..we'll be fighting  and on the Vids anyway..so it will be more exciting for them.... Good Luck out there, Blu....


  Blu watched  Shadow  walk away, then Looked at the 2  extra chits he had,..here's her number......

   Beth's  eyes  were a bit  watery,...i knowm the number...you got three chits worth of  time...then i'm shutting it down....

 Blu Nodded and stepped into the booth, as  Beth Opened  up the COM....

QMs Lockers ---> Off Duty

Irina came walking in as Shadow marched out. She gave the wing commander a polite nod, but gave him a wide berth. There was something in his demeanor that said he wasn't in the best mood. When Irina saw that there wasn't currently a line for the comms her heart sank a little. Maybe waiting to get her gear squared away hadn't been the best choice. Not if they had already closed up shop. Seeing Beth thought gave the Russian some hope. "Hey Comrade, I'm not to late to squeeze in one last transmission am I?" Irina asked as she held up her comm chit.

  Beth  Nodded  with a bit  of a smile as she  wiped her eyes,..yeah..you bet..as soon as that Damned EVOL gets out of there...he has anothe r minute and a half...You'er gonna be the last one... she was trying to sound  Perky, and she lower her Voice,..I can squeeze another  2 miniyes  out  for you..once you start...

  Blu Came  out, a rather Pleased smile On his face,...Thank You Beth..I....

 ...I am...LT Morrow , to Yuo..you made your Call, now get the  9 hells out of my sight...

  He Looked  a bit shocked  and Nodded, and made his way past Irina to the Hanger Dec.

 ..all yours....I can squeeze out  6 minutes  for you...then the Commnader will shut us down.  she  smiled

For a moment Irina hesitated to take Beths offer. She wasn't bucking for special treatment. The idea of passing up the opportunity though just proved more then she could bear. "Thanks Beth that means a lot to me," Irina said.

When Blu came walking out Irina's face soured noticeably. "I can't stand that asshole," Irina told Beth. The tiny Russian made a point of not waiting till the pilot was out of ear shoot. "The way he still struts around like top dog after he screwed up that ground support tasking. If it where up to me he would already be on the wrong side of the static field. Honestly it makes me wonder. If there really is a god why hasn't he killed off that prick yet? I mean it's not like he's hurting for opportunities." Irina's little diatribe comes to an end with a sad shake of her head. "Look at me wasting my breath just talking about him. Anyway here's the comm code for my mother." With that Irina walks into the booth.

  Beth punches in the COM number,..enjoy yourself...i'll let you know when you are down to 40 seconds...

 As Blu meets up with Wess and  Nickerson, and head to leave the Hermes.

  The  Young COM tech shakes her  head,..i don't like him..not  at all....

Garrat showers and changes into semiformals. ( The most formal he has here)  and heads out h to see his comrades off.
-------) ?

   The People Moved  about the ship in a hurry. but this was not  the same rush they had , when gearing up for battle, Now, they were setting up for Business  once more, or getting ready to go down to the Planet

  Shadow  Could be  seen, most times with a COM in  his hand, He  would stop by a table with  Pilots and  talk for a moment, then Move on, sometimes grabbing a Pilot  as they walked passed, saying something to that pilot, then moving on

  Stoly was talking to some  other Shuttle  Pilots, and  Shadow stopped by to chat with them as well, they seemed  agreeable and Shadow moved  On.

  Finally, Shadow ordered a Soda  and  sat Down by his window, the sight  now..was the  Blue Moon, with some white Clouds..dark green ocean...almost earth like,

It had been awfully quiet on the uniCOM.  Jesse got up, dressed not in what she'd originally planned, but was determined to at least make a small guest appearance down at the "party".

It wasn't in her to hurry, so instead, she began wandering around the ships hallways.  Deep in thought on a little of nothing.

In reply to Garrat Wolfrim (msg # 194):

It did not take Ajax long to square away his belongings,
he always traveled pretty light to a new assignment.

Having unpacked, he put on a semi-formal uniform with light armor, and a few concealed weapons. He went outside to look around and see if he could find Garrat.

In reply to Ajax Benjamin Rush. (msg # 11):

Garrat was waiting when Ajax came out.  "Every one needs to know where the Med deck is " so Garrat took Ajax there to see what he could do to get Xyran out of there.  ----)

Inroute conversation can occur here.  "So, what's the loadout of your robotic assault platform ."  Garrat asks using the Viking term for a mech.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:55, Sun 11 May 2014.

----> From QM Locker

Zob had a small armory of things he was gonna be trying out on the range today but the one thing that stood out among them all was the heavy demon plasma caster he glanced around to see who else was there with em, "So hunter lets get started shall we?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:25, Thu 17 July 2014.

Hunter puts the two rifles down
Surely.
Okay the second rifle is a rail carbine come to that in a moment
 Okay this is the AVIR made for UK special forces, primary load for it is the 6.7x35mm CTA cartridge. it puts a 110 grain projectile downrange at velocities exceeding 2,700 feet per second out of an 16" barrel, hitting its target with over 1,780 foot pounds of energy. Performance at range is also excellent thanks to the relatively heavy round.

Okay primary type is APHP (armour piercing hollow point). This particular round features a steel core surrounded by a copper jacket, the tip of which is designed on the basis of a hollow point. When impacting a target, such as a person, the jacket expands outwards, while the steel core continues through into the target, hopefully yawing and causing even more damage. This allows for both a large entry wound and the possibility of the steel core causing even more internal damage to the target. When used against armoured targets, the jacket would essentially flatten against the target while the narrower steel core would be able to follow through, hopefully penetrating the armour. The result is a round that is extremely lethal against unarmoured targets while still being capable of penetrating armor. This is only one of many loads for the versatile 6.7x35mm CTA cartridge, others including jacketed hollow point (JHP), full metal jacket (FMJ), frangible (FG), armour piercing (AP), and a variety of tracer rounds.

it can take various optics and a BAE  silencer with out performance fall off

Zob held the plasma caster by the handle in his left hand as he looked over the rifle, "Very impressive Hunter i look forward to giving it a shot here on the range"

Zob then lifted up the plasma caster his bad boy, "This thing is death incarnate its a Heavy Demon Plasma Caster if you take just one hit from this thing it will melt a whole right through you and any armor your wearing guaranteed, the blob hits you and sticks burning at well over 17,000 degrees Celsius... death is usually instantaneous"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:07, Thu 17 July 2014.

Hunter nods Impressed at the Demon weapons shear destructiveness.
"Like WP only worse he comments"
"how many rounds till you need to reload?"

he picks up the AVIR
"I put one of them by for examination later". "The thing  like about both of the weapons I have, is that they are selective in the people I hit"

In reply to John Hunter (msg # 16):

Zob thinks for a second before answering Hunter's question, "About 12 shots but every time you pull the trigger it fires 2 bolts of plasma, so it fires a grand total of 24 bolts before you replace the plasma cell in it"

Zob then looks towards Hunter's weapon of choice, "Interesting do show me how they function then ill let you try this thing"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:30, Tue 22 July 2014.

Hunter nods
The first stage of the pull, breaking at a crisp four pounds, fires a two round burst at the standard rate of fire of eleven hundred rounds per minute. However, if you were to pull the trigger all the way through to the second stage (breaking at six pounds), the fire control group engages an ROF limiter, which consists of a rubber coated steel rod that engages the (fitting in a purpose designed groove) bolt on its rearward travel, slowing the rate of fire down to a highly controllable six hundred-fifty rounds per minute. This lower rate of fire combined with the balanced gas system makes the AVIR extremely controllable when fired on full auto, whilst the 2-round burst function ensures that the rifleman can easily and reliably neutralize armored infantry; all this without the hassle of having to toggle a selector switch between these settings, which is certain to be extremely helpful during CQB and ambush situations.

The two round leave the barrel with in milli seconds of each other breaking against the armour at the same point

Zob then reached his hand out, "Here let me try out your rifle and you can try out the plasma caster, we gotta wrap this thing up within the next hour... gotta get my project done before tomorrow"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:49, Sat 26 July 2014.

Zob checks his com unit and sighs turning to hunter, "I'm sorry Hunter but this com request takes priority will have to reschedule"

With that he grabs his things and heads back to the QM to turn his stuff in and to prepare his loadout for the briefing later which he will have to stand guard for after which he would head out to go work on getting his project finished.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:28, Sun 27 July 2014.

Hunter nods agreeing with Zob's opinion
"I hear you. I will have the weapon signed out to you and kept for you, in the armoury."
Hunter heads for the armoury with Zob signs both weapons in, making sure the one is reserved for zobaich.
Then head for the security office and waits
-------------> Security office

  Wess Leaves the office as the Officer begins to  patch through the paperwork for Justin's release.

 As Wess heads bacCato the Rec Dec, he Hits his COM  and leaves a Message,Mr MacPherson, I am..VAptain  Wess of the EVOLs... I would like to know if you are interested in Joining our ranks, or, if you prefer to remain with the ESN...You may COM  me, or  meet me on the Rec Dec, I will be there for about an hour.

In reply to Wess (msg # 22):

He gets a com back "Just a bit curious here lad, how could ya possibly use a wounded mercenary morale officer with a blown apart right hand?"

 Wess  sat down at a Table that was far across the room, near the SIMs. No one bothered to even look at him. If they did, they turned their back on him.

 Seems Like Hack put the clamp on recriets for us. He offered up you and  another fellow who seemed to not...fit the mold..as it were.. I have no idea  what you can do..and I do not know why he put your name on the list. Asa Civie, he can just dump you off  anywhere he wants...so? You tell me, what good are you to me. He ste the COM on the tbale  to speak while he tried to flag down a waitress.

In reply to Wess (msg # 24):

There is a pause, "If I'm a good gamble, would ya fix my hand up to the way it was before?"

..I won't lie to you. I have no idea what your injuries are, You'd need a Med-tech for that. So I can't promise  anything.  He  frowned as he Looked at the COM,  what was HAck try to deal off on him.

In reply to Wess (msg # 26):

   There is a silence for a moment.  Then a sigh.  "They're leaden ya into this blind aren't they?" there's a snort on the com.  I won't lie to ya.  They are just lookin to get me off their hands, but if yer recruitin, I might be able ta help ya out.  Hang on, I'll be up in a bit."
   A little latter, Joseph limps in.  While his body is responding well to the angel food in the ships water and food his hand is still completely bound, and he is still suffering from the wounds he aquired less than half a week ago.  He orders a coffee, see's Wess and seems to know he was the one on the other end of the com.  He sits down and starts very bluntly. "Ya know the Evols haven't been getting a very good reputation fer how they treat their people right."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:21, Mon 27 Oct 2014.

 Wess looks him over, he shakes his ehad a Bit and waits for the waitress to go away, not that she was eager to stay with these two.

 We treat our People  just fine. Though I'm thinking, you don't have the Credits  to be one of 'our people'. But..that's fine, if you have a skill, we tend to let some...lesser folks..in.

In reply to Wess (msg # 28):

Joseph blinks at him. "E-vols have been dyin by the bucket load, They're attrition rate is at least five times that of ESN.  Most of yer pilots can't hit the broad side of a barn, those that can can't follow orders, leadership is gained by wealth and not merit so your soldiers are being led into battle by inexperianced men who feel that they can lead simply because their pockets are deep. and you say you treat your people just fine?"
   It don't mean nuthin if their bellys are full of good meat, and they have the latest gear when they are not motivated to get the most from their trainin and then are lead by idiots.  It don't mean nuthin if their beds are soft, or their rooms are plush if they are on a ship built so lightly that the fleet has to protect them so a stray shot doesn't sink them.  It doesn't mean nuthin at all cause after a battle an ESN soldier comes back, parties with his mates, and goes to bed in his cramped quarters on a hard bed and sleeps well because he did the best he could with the training and gear he got, while Evol marines?....they're lucky if they come back in a body bag. No Sir.  You don't treat yer people well."
   My Da was probably the best watch maker in Scotland, we had no trouble with money.  If I wanted to buy into the Evols it would have been a cinch.  He made his money honestly with his own hands, not mule skinnin company's and rapen the people who weren't so fortunate as to be born with a silver spoon up their ass."

    "Now draw your weapon."

  Wess  leans  back after    Joe MAc  rants. He begins to laugh,...look? I'm not BLu...i'm not stupid enough to  draw a weapon  so some   Gun toting Hermes SEC can gun me down....and I'm sure not going to draw it on a little Cripple!

 he is really trying not to laugh, but his eyes  show no mirth,..I think we're  done here...You have nothing to offer the EVOL team...

In reply to joe Mac (msg # 30):

  Joseph gets a little smile "So yer not a complete idiot after all.  I'm good at placin an monitorin discrete camera feeds, editin it in a way to tell the story I want it to tell.  I'm no hacker but am pretty good at trakin things down on the Galactic net, and operatin computer systems.  No one can analyze sounds better than I can.  As a bounty hunter I specialized in huntin down people by their habits.  I was dam good at it.  I'm also pretty good at torturin a confession out of a prisoner.  I'm a fair hand at disguise have contacts with many Merc, Soldier of fortune, and a couple of pirate groups, as well as dozens of unofficial colonies. I have access to Bard bolt holes an safe houses on every carrier station, more than half a dozen on tortuga, as well as stations ESN has never heard of compliments of the ladies of the night. I can target on sound and periferal movement and remember where a target is well enough to shoot it without lookin again.  I'm fast enough that no Sec woulda had a chance to see your weapon before I had you in my sights, indeed your in my sights right now." He motions down with his stub. The targeting laser from the pistol Joseph got off the Sec personal is on Wess' scrotum.
  Joseph sighs.  The dot doesn't even waiver. "Your right, you don't have the imagination to use a man of my talents."
   He leans forward "A free lesson.  This is the black boyo, Never insult a person unless your dam sure you can kill them before they kill you." he toters to his feet.  "I never wanted to Join Evols, haven't been Lookin to join the ESN in ages.  I just want to avenge the death of my niece and I can't do that as I am now.   I got my ass outta bed and came down here not to join up, but because I thought the ESN left you hangin like they did me.  I though I might be able to help you recruit the type of people that could change the Evol's reputation for arrogance and stupidity before the companies investin in it went belly up.  Apparently it's a lost cause."

  Joe turns to go.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:34, Tue 28 Oct 2014.

  Wess chuckles, he is more then a little angry, but remains stoic, if not calm,..I'll say, you are  a bit lucky. ESN SEC doesn't take drawn weapons for granted..you should be  twitching on the floor....Gotta say...your  using your  share of luck up, rather quickly.

   the waitress comes over, looking at Joe Mac  as he's turning away. She has a co9ncerned frown on her face. Dropping off  Wess's order she moves away..passing  the Guard at the SIMs , he nods  and his eyes shift towards  the EVOL.

  Taking a drink of his beer, Wess smiles a cruel smile,..You'll forgive  me, if i take your words, with a rather  Large portion of salt...Hmmm? Your  words  sound strong, but they would  carry alot more weight if spoken by a man who was still all in one piece,  AND...not on the ESN's watch List. Good   Day, Mr. MacPherson...and  good luck...

In reply to Joe Mac (msg # 32):

   Garrat arrives for the last part of Josephs tirade  he stands just behind the little man with a mild look of amusement on his face.  "You forgot something little one. You also seem to have a talent for making people in high places pissed at you."   

 He looks up at the tall man from his Table  and  chuckles  a bit,Indeed...Tal fellow....I do not need any more of that kind  around my people. Not unless the credits  would be right.

In reply to Wess (msg # 34):
When Wess spoke of his words being more believeable if he were in one piece Joseph glared at him a moment then his shoulders slumped and he hung his head. "Aye, they would wouldn't they." he raises his head and says wearily "and an invitation ta join would be more acceptable if ya took the time ta read m'file before wasten both our times."
  When Garrat made his statement, Joseph's eyes rekindled a bit "Thanks a lot."

In reply to Wess (msg # 34):

When Joe took Wess' words hard Garrat spoke to west in a slightly teasing voice.  "Be nice Sir, you of all people should know how easy it is to get on Hacks bad side."

  To Joe "It's okay little guy.  Saw you up there singin for the Angels like a pro.  Ya played more instruments than I've seen in the hands of a glimmerman before, then you drilled a rogue Angel right through Irina's shoulder right there from the stage."  He looks at the midgets hand.  "I'll bet we can fix that up and get you on your feet in no time."  He raises his prosthetic arm [which is covered at the time] "They got me fixed up."

   After Wes made his comment Garrat rolls his eyes good naturedly, "Always with the credits huh?" He holds his arm out parallel to his chest, hand curled in a tight fist as a symbol of greeting.  "In this part of the galaxy I'm Sgt Garrat Wolfrim, under Mercenary attached forces with Delta fleet.  I was one of the ground forces the E-vol air support left in the lurch while unsuccessfully chasing Demon fighters."   there is no accusation.  No anger.  No bitterness.  It was a statement of fact.  Garrats friendly demeanor continues with no sign that he has any negative emotions about what he said.
   "And your name?"
This message was last edited by the player at 04:38, Thu 30 Oct 2014.

  Wess  listened  to Garrat, almost forgetting  about Joe,...I am a realist, Sgt Wolfrim. Without Credits..there is no EVOL fleet....for that matter, without Credits, there is No Delta  Fleet...

 He  takes  a deep  drink of his Beer as he adds, with a dark smile,..Something HAck and Shadow  will find out shortly....

 Garrat mentions the  aircover..or lack there of...I trust Jonny...just like HAck trusts  Shadow...if he pulled the air cover, you must not have needed it?  I mean...you are still here?

In reply to Wess (msg # 37):

  Garrat grunts, "Your half right.  The credits have to be wisely spent to make an effective unit.  Just as human lives need to be wisely spent to keep a unit going.  Every battle a human survives gives him the experience to be more effective.  This effectiveness wins wars, not throwing poorly trained masses at our apponents."

   Garrat looks at Wess, but still doesn't know hi name.  He does know he just showed more sense than Blue or Nickerson.
   "Mr. Blue was never trained to fight air support, nor was he trained to do more in a true cockpit than play tag with begginers. His tasks had to be picked up by other flyers and his actions may have cost the lives of hundreds of human beings.  It doesn't matter how many of us lived.  It matters how many could have lived if orders were followed.
the question Sir is are you willing to to exceed both your social and military training to become a better soldier?"

   His Gaze turns to Joe.  "So seriously, what did happened to ya.  You kinda look like you got the worst end of an S&M session with a Finrir call girl."

  Wess took another Sip of  his Beer, the waitress brough a Dish of some pastas  with  light  ornage sauce on..she....dropped..the  dish in front of Wess, without even asking "will there be anything  else?"

 when she took a few steps away, Wess, motioned to her with his hand, You see?...some people have trouble, adjust to either ...serving  with, or just plain  serving, thier betters.

  Tapping his  name Tag he said, I am, EVOL ranked....Captain Wess. Moreover, I am General Nickerson's 2nd in command of the EVOL fleet we sent here....Blu is our WC of the  EVOL fighter corp.

 The  EVOL organization only ever lost 1 operation. That was in the  Eastern Block. We were sent to Hunt  down ...supposed...Demons who were supposed to have, some operation there....we never did find out if it was true, but we lost some dozen men when  a few Blocks of St Petersberg went up in a massive explosion...some think it was a demon experiment gone wrong...Myself? I think it was  antidemon  Humans who played with something they don't know much about....never  found out...Just a Big hole in the ground, and lots of Missing people.

"Thanks a friggin lot"  Joe says sarcastically "I think."
He does think about it a little more "Wait-what?"
   He shakes his head "After the ball at the Angel Mansion, I wanted to find a mellow spot in another part of town.  After dropin by to leave a request to question the remaining prisoner from the ballroom I went down the street behind the building the Hermes VIPs were stayin in.  Several buildings down I heard pulse shots. Bein concerned for the brass of the hermes who was just a few buildings down, I walked around the building rather than entering blindly and found a lotta loadin hapenin in back.  This  was to much of a coincidence.  I called Sec, told them what was going on,  I told them I was going to try an stall and they needed to send someone.  Sec did not respond.  They did not respond, not even to tell me to get out of there an let angel Sec handle it."
  I was warned earlier not to get in any more gunfights so I disguised my voice and body as a little girl and made contact.  They recognized me as a little angel girl and hosed me anyway.  I was accused of endangering Hermes personal in the building.  While they saved my life, they turned me out as you see me now.  Hack, and his head of Sec treated me as persona non gratta.  Hell, even the med tech new more about what was going on than I did."

  ...you see? That's one thing  we have in Common, HAck and I...you have to beware of people who, perhaps, do not have the backround, we do.


  Hack's people are everywhere..could be any number of these folks here...could be a serving girl on Fuji?..You just don't know... HAd i been in yourplace? I would  have left it go after the   COM call... then he shrugged,Let me ask you this. The EDT  is working with Demons....Demons have tortured and eaten almost every species  we know of....what...would make you think a Little Girl Angel would be safe?

In reply to Joseph MacPherson (msg # 40):

  To Joe
   "Ouch, sorry it happened.  Now I know why your on everyone's shit list.  Hermes takes it very seriously when someone unecessarily endangers their people and you did it twice in one night.  Heck, you even shot through their demolitions expert.  You really should stay out of military view."

   Garrat looked Wess up and down He knew the self intitaled arrogance when he saw it.  It was his duty to try and plant a seed though. "Where I come from, worth is usually earned with action rather than money but that's aside the point.  I've heard stories about your earth conquests but I take those with a grain of salt considerin how people dislike you around here.  On the other hand I was there for the exercise on the diplomatic deck.  In fact I was fresh to the team, and before I even heard stories I got to be an "unbiased observer".  At least 85% of your men were undiciplined and untrained.  You had some good leaders but most were arrogant rich-boys who had no business leadin others.  I've seen your air wing fight.  I can't fly air combat well myself, unless I'm dancing or in the dirt, but these guys need help. I don't think your forces are useless.  I just think they need training, and someone to ride their asses hard enough to bring out the best in them.  I would suggest you focus on teamwork.  Those who think they are too good to be anything but leaders need to be broken of that belief no matter how much they have donated or they will get the effective soldiers killed making the E-vols into nothing but a money grubbing meat grinder.

    "As for your success on Midgard...er Earth Home is where you have the gear to do right, we aren't there anymore.  The question is what was the ratio of combatants to your men.  The Isle of death mission was close to 10 to 1 in their favor.  There are ESN [mostly attached forces] that WILL help you if you treat them with respect.  If you've got the balls to work on improving your men give me a contact."  Garrat looks at the time doing some mental calculation.  He no longer had time for target practice.
   "If you'll excuse me there is somewhere I need to be."
He makes his way to SEC

  He is tolerant, if not patient...Thank you, Sgt Garrat. Your views are, indeed, refreshing. Perhaps we shall have to look into  recuriting  more  offcier types?..we shall see who the rest of the cruise goes.

  Joseph had a troubled look on his face.  He didn't owe this man anything, in fact there was no reason to say anything else to the asshole, but he did owe it to himself to be honest about what happened and it needed to start here.
   "I think I made the same mistake that a lot of combatants make about demons.  They train to fight humans, and see Demons as if they would see canabalistic humans. Truth is they are animals who see all others as either food or competition to be eliminated.  I saw the EDT as normal beings that had either been misled or were simply looking for an opportunity to put more power in their belly."  He a glances at Wess then back down without continueing on the same thought.
   "They're not.  I saw a team of beings working less than half a block away from a celebration and though "No Angel would shoot a child in plain sight of it's country men."  He shakes his head.  "Demons may be animals, but these guys are monsters.  Everything I've learned about the nature of humanity and other species is wrong when it comes to them.  They need to be exterminated."

   To Garrat, no sarcasm  "What would you have me do? Hide in my room then get the hell out of dodge.?"

  Ahhh, well..You have a small grip on it then... He leaned  forward  and looked at the two,..Gonna tell you something..good Chance HAck Knows....I'd  bet my old Hammer, , Shadow doesn't..because i'm still alive....

 he takes a drink and waves the  Empty Glass, two servers  'don't see him"..until one of the new girls who needs the creds comes over, and takes his order for another Beer...I left the Acadmey  and sought out the EVOLs, Knowing I'd get in, just because i could fly and I had creds...I was Contacted  By the EDT the day before i was supposed to meet with Nickerson...Nice women..Half  Angel i think....but she wanted me to fly for them....i was  supposed to ela d an...'elite' flight   that was supposed to weed out all the 'aces" in the ESN...I turned her down flat...I may not be ESN...but i am Human...

In reply to Wess (msg # 45):

    "Good ta hear.  Please try an kill the bitch next time.  There was a meeting between EDT and local criminals at the shattered Star.  My niece was working there and was beaten ta death while waitin for me to come home from a botched mission.  It is my life mission to hunt down the killer and torture him to death.  Keep that in mind if you ever need outside back up stationside.

   A small smile  begins to grow,..you never know, Fuji belongs to HAck, and that's a Kact, but its too big..and  vermine are everywhere.....Just like Olympus  smacks of EDT...but there are enough good people down there. to keep it balanced.

   "We rescued 30 or so children from the Demons.  They are in for a hard time but the worst is behind them.  If you are good with children they could use a good Gleeman to raise their spirits.  I think they are asleep now so you can always go celebrate a little with the fifth. I believe they are countrymen of yours?"

In reply to Garrat Wolfrim (msg # 48):

   Joseph looks over at the fifth.  "Aye that they are, Might as well see if I can some coin."  goes to his room, grabs his key board and single fingers the cording on guitar setting.  Not as good but Joseph still makes it sound nice, He opens with the Cambreadth march.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFi7bWkyRpA

  Joe Mac  returns with his equiptment  and begins to  Play, Most of the Folks just give him an odd Look and Move  Closer to the Machine that is playing their normal dance Music.

  At the Table  were the 5th is, they hear the battle song, McNeil Looked at Hemsly,dinna hear tell, Shadow  had that piped in , in one of thier battles?

 Hemsly  shrugged as he downed a beer and waved the Battle for another, I dunno, LT, songs like something he does...shakes the Demons up, so it does....or so's they say...

  Captain McCloud    nodded,whatever edge ye can git, , aye?

 SGT  Brooks, who seemed to take  the death of the lady LT the hardest,looks at Hunter,who's that then? One of your's? Dunna look like an ESN to me...

 Hunter just before he leaves.
" I am not sure of his involvement here but he seems to be operating very freely on board ship"

In reply to John Hunter (msg # 51):

Joe leaves to get some sleep.

Coming from the Hangar Deck

Roy made his way through the halls, to his quarters, adjacent to the Security Office.  He opened the door, gesturing for Garrat to accompany him, and stepped inside, setting his gear bag down on his bed and stepping over to a closet to grab a casual duty uniform.

"What's on your mind, Sergeant?" he asked, as he reached into the closet.

----> from sec

Oliver quickly looks over his new quarters, and sits briefly on the bunk before stowing his few possessions. Before he knows it tears stream down his face the deaths and violence he witnessed today overcoming the freshly graduated analyst. Pulling himself together he resolves to ask Lt. Morrow if he could be assigned some combat training just as soon as he settles in, determined not to be a liability should he be called upon to go on a mission in the future.

Once he's composed himself he quickly showers, changes into a fresh uniform and, once he's set his rooms password heads back to sec

In reply to Roy Spencer (msg # 53):

Garrat sets his gear bag down, and assumes what is probably the Asgard equivelent. "Not sure how to say this sir, when I spoke to Hack about how I got here, I may have glossed over the fact it had happened before.  There was something else I didn't quite impress apon him.  Every time I'm about to die, this happens; and I am tossed into a situation that seems to need a hand.  Call it fate, gods, whatever, but the time I didn't get involved...well, it was bad."
    "I took this off a Largran.  I believe he was hunting huntin the group the group we were to be rescuing."   He pulls out the ring.
   
  "I get the feeling it has to do with why I was jerked out here."

Roy looked at the ring...and while his face showed no signs of recognizing the design, an unpleasant expression did creep into his eyes.

"Last time I stumbled across a ring with a design I'd never seen before, we ended up discovering the EDT was something totally different than it appeared to be on the surface.  This needs to be shown to the Admiral, the Commander, and LC Shadow...they're far more familiar with the covert groups operating out here than I am.  If they don't recognize it, they'll certainly know someone to ask for an identification."

He looked up at Garrat, a slightly sour expression on his face.  "Any other tidbits of good news I should know about before I go out there and violate every principle of sniper safety I've ever learned?" he asked.  While there was no lack of rancor in his voice, it was also apparently not aimed at Garrat.

In reply to Roy Spencer (msg # 56):
   Garrat thinks a moment. "Not to my knowledge. I'll continue to keep it under wraps and get to them." Garrat seems a little distracted but rattles of some advice that is obviously straight out of the text book he was trained with. "Wear bulky clothing and body armor under it. Always keep moving and change directions unexpectedly.  Make your appearance brief but give no warning to when your going to leave, and use the people around you to obstruct line of sight for potential asassins. If you must stay in one place, bend down to secure your footwear or to talk to someone at random intervals, and most importantly..."  He looks up at Spencer "Try not to get yourself killed." Garrat nods to Spencer and continues to his own quarters to shower and get changed before heading on to the med lab.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:41, Fri 09 Jan 2015.

Roy chuckled to himself after Garrat left...he appreciated the gesture, but he found it amusing to give a highly-trained sniper advice on how to avoid being targeted by a sniper.

Unfortunately, he was also the Fleet's senior non-com...Hell...the whole Space Wing's senior non-com, he told himself.  That meant obligations that were sometimes more political than tactical in nature.  And playing to the crowd...?

Well, on this occasion, it was a little bit of both.  The risk came with the territory.

He checked himself in a mirror, made sure his uniform was squared away and his sidearm and knife were secure, and made his way to the docks.  Time to go play monkey at the zoo, he told himself.

--->To Fuji thread

Garrat didn't sleep long.  He felt restless for some reason.  He decided to go and see if there were and new meads in the rec deck before going to find out how that critter he bagged on astra was fairing.
=====> rec deck.

Melia wandered into the shooting range with her Carbine and two side arms along with full magazines. She'd stopped by the QM and gotten as much training rounds as she could. Setting up a range she decides to start with the .45, it is a weapons that she knows well. Going through a couple mags she swaps for the Qarl weapon, getting some practice in on it, and familiarizing herself with the system.

Next up is the carbine, she spends the most time working on it. Starting with going through her dime and washer drills, all the way through single targets multiple times working on accuracy. After accuracy drills Melia starts work on her quick fire techniques running through the various methods as she'd been instructed during her prolonged stay at the school house. After running through all the drills that she could on the range, she returns to the basic marksmanship tasks to reinforce the basics. The long drawn out session taxes her concentration, but proves to be a cathartic experience for her and allows her to fully deal with the previous emotions in a physical manner.

Cleaning up her mess she returns, briefly to the medbay after several hours, and drops off the .45, and the carbine and heads to the Civie section.

  The Chief in charge of the range will run the  targets out  and BAck the first few times,  showing her  how to use the  retractor. a red Light at that  end of the  Field, keeps  any , not  wanting to shot, From  coming neat the range.

Garrat comes on range. "Hey melia, good to see you." He sets up.

"Hello Garrat," Melia says as she adjusts the targets again setting herself up for another set of Advanced Rifle Marksman drills and triggering the lane. She shoots with precision concentrating on her breathing hitting each target. Not precisely in the same place each time but she still hits all the targets.

Garrat observes her technique and grunts an approval, "we need to get Hawkeye down here for some training."
   He sets up for sniper shots with the furthest range and a small target.

Melia starts packing up once she finishes the last set, "yeah maybe, I'd rather have her sharper at surgery. She's a literal Doc, she belongs in the OR or the field hospital, not in the sh** like some grunt. From what I've seen its necessity and caring that pushes her to get outside her comfort zone. At the very least I am sure she can handle her sidearm, she may not like it, but I am confident in her ability to handle it when needed." She finishes packing, "well I better get going, there's some errands I need to run." she says excusing herself. She heads to the medlab after grabbing a bite to crash for the night

----med lab-->

Garrat continues training until he gets a com from Spencer. "Looks like it's time to face the music." He packs his gun and goes directly to security.

Yes SEC office...

 Spencer has been busy of late, he tries to post later  at night?..but he'll get to you when  he can, if he sees a post.

Raja made his way to the shooting range with his usual Loadout and some dummy grenades.

He looked over the facilities, trying to decide where best to start.

  The  Chief on duty  looks over at  The largran, there is only one person shooting, a Civie  woman, shooting  at targest of  demons, largans and humanoid  Creshians.

 ..Whatcha  looking   for?....we  got paper tagerts..got   metal... and  we  can  send in Holos, But you'll have top  use the flash Guns for those?

In reply to Raja (msg # 70):

"Raja would like to practice with Largran Blassterss?
Iss thiss permitted? Perhapss paper targetss are besst for not destroy Dec?
Do targetss move closser to sshooter?"

Raja patted the twin blasters he carried on each hip.

well?... if i was gonna be usining  Largran balsters..I think we  shoudl go witht he metal targets... they get sent down to the foundry, they pour us new ones they make out of   thin scrap... Paper is good?..but..I dunno, you can see  the  metal swing  beter, and adds more movement?....if you run two targets or less.. you can make them go   up..back ,left or right.... if yu have three or more..they  only go up or back

"Verry good. ..May usse two metal targetss with much movementss pleasse?"

Raja waited for the targets to be prepared, then shut his eyes and quickly turned himself around in a 360 circle to disorient himself a bit, opened his eyes, drew both blasters and fired!

Being wide area weapons, blasters were inherently accurate. Raja wanted to improve his accuracy with suddenly appearing moving targets.

  the Chief logs RAja  in and sets up the targets, they   Move to the BAck  and the   target area goes  Black.

 ..ok?..when the Light  comes up they will move randomly..if they get to the 10 yard marker..you'er dead... They hits in center mass will kill them..or one head shot...

 When Raja is ready... the Chief hits the MAchine..it beeps three times  and l the Lights  come on..the targets move at a walking apce..one is  15 yards  away, the other  about 30 .)

>>>from the rec deck>>>

Jamison and Daisy walked up to the range officer.  Daisy's tail is down and she moves alertly, the sound of gunfire putting her into a state of combat readiness.

"I'd like to use a lane for some handgun practice."

  The Chief  comes out and  Looks at his Vid Board,..kinda quiet now.  YOu can have  Lane  1 .  you want metal, papers or holograms?

 There is a Lragran in an ESN uniform and  greenbandage on his tail.

"Give me a couple of metals.  Do you stock ammo here?"

He pulls a heavy projectile pistol out of his holster, chambering a round while carefully keeping the barrel pointed down range.

Looking down, he makes a gesture with his off-hand.  Daisy sits down quietly.

  The Chief looks  to see what weapons he has,..We have  the  weapons  for use  against the Holos.. i have  some  .4  and  some8 MM , we keep  them here for Civies?   anything else, you'll have to use  your own, or go see the  QM.

"8's, please.

I'll reload with them before I leave.  3 15-round mags."

Daisy stands and follows him to his shooting range before sitting down.  She is focused on the largran, her nose twitching as she catches it's scent.

Jamison sets his spare clips on the counter, then turns and nids at the chief.

  the Chief   nods  and makes Jack sign off for the mags.  THe  he sets  two Metal  targets  up...up and back...side  to side?  or random?"

  What Jack will ask for, the Chief  will program it in.

"Random, I think."

Jamison assumes a firing stance and prepares for the targets.

  The Largran fired his  blasters. Sanri Blasters,...the  Blast  hit the Targets  as they moves   at random .

  When Raja  was  done,  Chief  came over and  Nodded a bit.well.... not  bad.. you only missed the left one, once, you got a solid hit on the right  one, that would have taken them down... the other  shots, would have nicked up and put them  down, provide you could have peppered them like  you did.


 ..putting them down, is almost as good  as killing them...

Jamison opens fire when the targets begin moving.  He fires calmly, carefully placing double-taps into each target's center mass as they approach.

In reply to Raja (msg # 82):

The big largran nodded to the Chief:
"Iss Rajass intent with ssuch firing, to sslow and wound a masss of Avianss or other ssuch beingss in numbersss.
For when Flamer iss exhaussted, but enemiess are not?" The reptile tilted his snout sideways, in his version of a smile.

"Sset up again pleasse? Much practisse makess more perfect?"

While he waited, Raja observed the human and furred mammal in lane 1.

  The Chief   Nods and sets  up Raja with another set, of randoms. This Time the LArgran's  weapons   Hit, more center Mass and  only a  bit creep out the edges.

  Chief  gives Raja  a whack on the back,.. that's  alot better,  those  are Getting up, and may have  even  nicks  a few on the fringes .

  He    walks   back to his desk and   Nods to JAck,..That's   Raja.... found him..i dunno...somewhere... but  he sorta switched side....

In reply to Raja,Jack (msg # 85):

Raja nodded to the Chief, his yellow eyes brightened.
He was happy to explain himself to those few humans willing to listen.
"Raja joined Earth Mercenary Servicce ..after hiss Largran Commander betrayed hiss unit and left Raja for dead.
Ssincce Raja wass conccidered to be dead to hiss people,
he began a new life.

...Raja believess in living with Honor, asss a ssmall number of Largran peopless sstill do?
..But thiss iss an old and lesss fasshion way of thinking ssadly,
ssince Demon Empire thinking ...hass long dominated our culture."

The big reptile offered Jamison a handshake, if it appeared to be a welcome gesture?
His brownish leathery clawed hands were huge.

Garrat returns to his quarters and continues to work on assembly of the under armor through the night.  His mind is concerned for the crew on the proving grounds but he doesn't kno what to do till they get back to him.  The shattered star was a fiasco for Ajax but garrat can't really respond to the hint in the com with the info he knows.

   Maybe Bo can help.  Garrat gets on the com "Hey Bo, anyway you can get me a ride out to the proving grounds if I need one?"

In reply to Garrat Wolfrim (msg # 87):

   Bo had loaded the Betty and was flying chem drop while others looked after the children.  "Are you nuts?  No one goes to the proving ground.  In it'd history there have been around two dozen ships that have called for an emergancy landing there.  Not a one was ever heard from again."

In reply to Bo-Jagger (msg # 88):

   Garrat pauses what he's doing, "Really?   Again, there was no public out cry?  What's going on here?"

In reply to Garrat Wolfrim (msg # 89):

   Bo comes around and lines up at the right alditude for the next spray run.  Thr winds are still a little gusty from the storm so he has his nav computer set to help him maintain a straight line.

   "Well, you know, it's the usual Conspiracy Coverup Crap, it's a regular Area 51 up there.  The folks around the proving ground say that the lost ships have gone down in the wilderness and the wildlife got them.  Then provide a list of all the ones that did get out.  The skeptics weakly claim that no one has ever heard of those survivors and provide "leaked" footage or last minute sounds and sights from craft that "crashed" before they went dark showing everything from secret demon bases to proof of lost civilizations with varying levels of authenticity on all of them.  Heck the latest one with the Quarl "Mother ship" is pretty good but we'd be able to see it with the naked eye if it were really there."

   Bo adjusts a little for shifting wind sheer "No one knows what to believe so they just stay out of the bickering and go on with their lives."

In reply to Bo-Jagger (msg # 90):

Garrat texts to Bo
  "Well, I've got some buddies out there doing some tests that might be in a bad way soon.  What would it take to get you out there?"

   He sends a text off to Ajax: "If your dealing with a lot of people like Naomi's ex, it's bound to be a party.  If things get that good, just send Spencer and me a wish you were here text and we'll see if we can get permission to swing by." Garrat hoped he was cassual enough to get the point across.  He couldn't do this alone, and Spencer was the only one he could trust with enough clout to make things happen without it being a total political disaster like the Shattered star rescue.  Garrat had his doubts as to whether or not he could get there in time even if he secured transportation but he had to try.

   He receives a communication from Spencer about Gresh and grabs his gear and goes.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:31, Thu 07 Jan 2016.

In reply to Garrat Wolfrim (msg # 91):

  Permission to land from someone official in the ESN, and going in with the Black Betty is a bad Idea.  Sure you can use her to cover you but your going to want a shuttle and a bunch of buddies for something like this.  You also want official back up to be there as soon as possible."
   Bo banks for another pass "I might be able to get access to Missy's shuttle with Missy as pilot, but only if you promise to repair or replace it in the event of damage.  Your best bet is to find a ship and pilot of your own."

Flex from the RecDec

Teela seemed fascinated by the story of the Spartans and the Persians and listened intently. She would have to research them more when she had the chance. "They sound like laudable warriors, are they still extant? 'Come home carrying your shield, or being carried on it.' Truly their wives were as fierce as the men. Thank you for telling me this story."

She sighed as she mentioned the spirit of Re-Ma and wishing it more prevalent in her people. "It is but we find ourselves constrained by politicians and cowards who keep trying to tell us that we are 'tired of war' but they have never gone into battle and seen Demons feasting on our warriors as they still live. We tire of being sent into battle with our hands tied which is why is one of the reasons I have no regrets coming to Delta Fleet and the Hermes. The concept of Total War appeals to the warrior spirit in me that never tires of stories of Re-Ma and others as fierce as she was. Our leaders know that the leash has been slipped and the Beasts of War run into battle so hopefully our generation, or our children, may know the end of this endless conflict. I am glad to be here for many reasons."

Roy sighed, a little sadly, at the question about the Spartans.  "Their society fell, centuries ago...more a case of falling into the ways of the cultures around them...and the notion that there's always a bigger fish out there.  Macedonia, which was strongly influenced by the Greeks, ended up defeating them...in short order, Macedonia was defeated, by others...human history is a long string of cultures rising and falling, overwhelmed by larger cultures or growing corrupt and being swept aside by younger, more vigorous cultures.  Phoenicia, Greece, Macedonia, Carthage, Rome, the Goths, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States...the scale kept trending larger, and that was only in one specific branch of Earth's cultures.  China sustained itself as a cohesive society for centuries longer than many others, but they had successive waves of dynastic rulers who reshaped the culture, slightly, with their rise to power.  We know there were successive waves of cultures in South America, but the details of their rise and fall are largely sketchy, with the exception of the Aztecs and the Mayans, which fell victim to Spain..."

He chuckled softly.  "Sorry...I get philosophical about our history, sometimes.  The thing is, Humanity has never really known a long, lasting era of Peace.  War has been our state of existence as often as not, if not more often. And we got REALLY good at it.  But some of us fight for a cause, for freedom or security or just to maintain what we have.  Others fight for greed, power, or just out of fear of being swept aside.  And, still others fight, simply because they like to fight."  He shrugged.

"Genetically, I guess, we're predisposed for war.  If things stay too quiet for too long, someone will find something to fight about...we always have."  He started to grin, but it twisted, sourly, as he continued, "But it's very rare that we fight with the cohesion of purpose that the Spartans had, on that same scale.  Individual commanders have managed to inspire that kind of devotion, here and there in our history, but no culture has taken their place."

He glanced around the Rec Deck.  "I guess the Hermes is kind of the latest iteration of the Spartan ideal...only a lot more hedonistic.  Spartans probably wouldn't dance or sing like we've been doing..."  He laughed again, a genuine appreciation of the humor of comparing the relatively wild escapades of the Hermes crew.

"But that stand at the CP on Aqra?  Hack, Hennings, Shade, and the others?"  He nodded grimly.  "King Leonidas would have approved."

"The stand at the CP, leaders who lead from the front and aren't afraid of getting bloody and dirty, made me proud to be here. And never apologise for how you feel about your history. History informs who you are and I find it fascinating. Our people have been at her for a thousand thousand years and more but because we are so long-lived we didn't learn how to wage war to end it which is why Angels like Re-Ma are so important. More importantly it shaped you into the people you are today. With our people fighting together we will end the threat of the demons and their allies for good. I hope our people remain strong enemies and good friends after that end has come."

She smiled as he laughed. She liked his laugh - the laugh of a man confident in his own abilities and place in the Universe.

"Tell of your own life. I would know who Roy Spencer is besides a great warrior and soldier. But more than that - a poet. You have the soul of a warrior poet."

Roy gave a self-deprecating snort.  "Warrior, yes...poet?  I might have the spirit of one, but the vocabulary and talent, that got lost in shipping, somewhere, I guess..."  He gave another laugh.

"The condensed version is, my mother's health failed when I was still really young.  Modern medicine can do some miraculous things...but not if you live so remotely that you can't see a doctor when you get really sick.  Dad remarried...a Navajo woman, and we moved onto the Reservation with her, but I just never fit in, there.  Spent most of my teens on my own...I'd pack a few meals and a rifle, take a horse or even just hoof it myself, and just go out.  Get away from everyone and everything, which is pretty easy down there, and just spend a week or two living off the land.  Come back home long enough to reassure everyone that they didn't need to waste time on search parties..."  Warring emotions about that era of his life showed in his eyes...some of the memories were very fond...and some might have been part of what made him say yes to an open-ended Deep Space assignment.  "A Marine recruiter came through town one day...almost missed me because I was packing to head out again.  Someone got him talking about sharpshooters and my name came up...one of the guys my age called me...guess he was the closest thing to a friend I had, at the time.  Got me together with the recruiter...there was a sure-fire way to get away from the Res, and a decent enough paycheck, on top of it.  Went through Boot, scored highest in our firearms qualification tests out of the whole camp, on my first pass at it."

He quirked a grin and shrugged.  "Gunny Sergeant tells me he's sending me to sniper school, I breezed through because I'd been doing most of the stuff they were teaching for most of a decade.  Came out top of my class, and I've bounced from one deployment to the next ever since.  They were all Earthside, most dealing with radical Anti-Angel groups, until Hack requested me for part of the Hermes' crew, when he was originally staffing the ship."  He looked down with another chuckle, shaking his head, and added, " didn't know anything about space, aside from knowing that was where Demons and Angels had come from...first official combat action was rescuing a Sanri ambassador who'd fallen into Demon hands, and I had to ask my CO what a Sanri was, to make sure I didn't accidentally shoot the guy we were there to rescue."

He laughed at himself, with a distant gleam in his eye, a recollection of another lifetime, perhaps.  "I learned fast.  I've fought alongside as many different alien races as I've shot, which is a far cry from the Marine sergeant that boarded this tub."

She smiled with him again as he laughed. "I think you sell yourself short. I think the dedication that put you here where you are now, the talent that caught the interest of different people, those are your gifts, the spirit of the warrior poet. It's more than simply being talented in waging war. It's leading men and women into war and having them want to be beside you in the heat of battle. It's more than writing sonnets but saying the right things to someone too scared to get out of the place in which they are hiding and inspiring them to not only get up but stand with you and fight. You can inspire others to greatness and let them know you would kill or die for them. The men and women you lead know that you are there for them. That is your warrior's soul and poet's gift, Roy."

Roy chuckled drily.  If you say so...I have a very different image come to mind when I hear 'warrior poet'.  The leadership and inspiration is something I learned from those who went before me, not some inherent gift I have.  Shooting?  That came naturally.  To a lesser extent, so did all the fieldcraft.  But the leadership and communication?  That took a lot of hard work, and it's still not something I'm entirely comfortable with."

He gave a grin that was half-grimace, and added, "But part of my training has always been finding a way to do the job, even when it's not comfortable.  The Admiral needed a Security Chief, back when he was still just a Commander, and he picked me...so I dug in a figured out how to do it.  The Corps needed a Sergeant Major for the space operations...and they chose me.  So I figured out how to do it.  I try not to think about what they'll throw at me next..."  He gave another short chuckle.

"But I'm infinitely more comfortable running around on a mountainside in the dark, either alone or with a spotter, and lining up on a target a kilometer away and pulling the trigger than I'll ever be having to be a leader.  I didn't want it...certainly didn't ask for it...but that's what they needed me to be for the war effort, so that's what I became."

"I love flying, obviously, but there is something to be said for being out with a rifle and stalking your enemies. When I went through my early training I was found to have natural affinity with long-distance shooting as well as flying so I eventually found myself in the Angel Elite as a pilot and scout-sniper. Who knows, maybe one day we'll be out there together shooting enemies a kilometer or more away," she said with a grin.

"Speaking of - what is that rifle you use? It's massive and I saw you using it on enemy fighters so it obviously has some power."

Roy grinned.  "It's an antique, in a way...Barrett .50 caliber.  They were initially developed in the late 20th Century, on Earth, and fire one of the largest rifle rounds humans ever made.  You could shoot a target THROUGH a brick wall at five hundred meters with a standard round...and they made rounds that were far more destructive.  I've actually taken a target through the cockpit metaglass with one."  He chuckled, adding, "I've actually got a small collection of them, started by Shadow.  No idea where he came up with them...not altogether certain I want to know.  The others were a gift from a black-market contact that has been a Delta Fleet asset for...well...since before it was a fleet, back when it was just the Hermes and the Harvester."

He grinned again.  "Built up quite the assortment of sniper rifles, beyond the Barretts...there's a Largran model I picked up on Anzio...the old owner didn't need it anymore...great optics on it, possibly the best I've ever used...and it makes REALLY big holes in people...or Largrans...even Verians...and it's hard to make holes in Verians."

"I have two Angelsteel rifles. Well...had. I lost one when my Nova went underwater on the plateau back on Aqra so now just the one. Do you think you could show me the Barret .50 caliber. I'm intrigued by its power and range."

She appeared lost in thought for a moment. "I collect sidearms and knives. I actually have my duty-mandated weapons on me but perhaps a collection of rifles would be good to work on."

Roy grinned.  "Well, if you build a collection, they have to live in the Quartermaster's, aside from the one long-arm that's allowed in your quarters..."  He shook his head slightly, adding, "That's practically inviolable...almost as high on the Admiral's list as having a sidearm and blade on you at all times."  He was almost laughing as he said it.

"But we can arrange a test-run with the Barrett sometime, certainly.  'When' is all a question of how long things stay quiet..."

"As long as I can visit them and let them know I still care," she said with a small laugh. "Maybe we'll have some time before we get to Anzio or make a decision on if there's going to be another Delta Night. If not before maybe after. We'll figure things out."

Roy grunted softly.  "I'd just about bet money there's another Delta Night at Anzio.  We disrupted operations, certainly...cut the head off a few snakes, as it were.  But we didn't really have much time to stabilize things, and I'm sure there are subordinates and minions who decided the power vacuum that resulted was a great opportunity  to better their positions.  And when we get back, they'll all pay lip service to the APF.  It'll take a little digging to find out who's still got active contacts that they shouldn't have, and who's just crooked enough to play double-agent for us, or who's been trying to go legit and couldn't in the existing environment."  He sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, there will be plenty to do.  The big question will be, how much needs to happen covertly, versus how much do we want done in broad daylight to send a message.  I'm sure there will be something for you to do, one way or another..."

FLEX

From FUJI CONDO

Anita gave a Roy half smile No offence SM, I wasn't asking for you to take on the responsibilities of New Editor; doing so would be like you assigning me to take down the Tyrant Queen from 2800-3000 meters, in the dark in a Defensive Bunker. There may be similarities between what you are capable of and Positioning Hover Cams for a distant shot but the outcomes differ vastly. Providing a Security Chief's view on footage that's compromising and borderline is more than sufficient for the purpose.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:55, Sun 12 May 2019.

Flex

Waited for the SM to respond Anita considered the things she had been told by him.

Gathering her equipment she gave the Marine a parting nod, of thanks, she'd got a few pointers about who to steer clear off and learnt a little about the fellow.

Checking her webmail and diary Anita realised there wasn't enough time left to do much of anything. Anita decided to return to the Hermes so she could organize her cabin and get some rest. After all it just wouldn't do to appear tired during any interview, camera's mercilessly add the appearance of pounds, wrinkles and blemishes to the everyone it was focussed on.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:26, Sat 18 May 2019.