May 14th 2100, the day the whole earth shook.  To be honest everyone saw it coming, but no one could have guessed the pure destruction it caused.  In 2096 the third world war happened, but it only lasted a year.  Due to advances in military technology the world had "perfected" nuclear power and thus perfected nuclear bombs, so soon the third world war tuned into a cold war with every major power and even lesser powers threatening to launch their nukes. Out of fear of annihilation the world stood still.  No one would move an inch so for four years nothing happened, no one was willing to make a move. then on that day the first nukes were launched by the Russians.  The first to get hit was china.  with that attack others fallowed out of fear.  soon the whole world was destroyed, 120 super nukes all together destroying everything. some survived, approximately thirteen million people worldwide, through the many bunkers created by governments for this very scenario but the rest died in the explosions.   Every bunker was fitted to be lived in by hundreds for two hundred years so on the anniversary of The Falling all vaults were open ( at least in the US) and everyone was introduced to a whole new word full of monsters and harsh environments.  Humanity seemed doomed but, through human strength our race began to thrive.  Some thrived off of community and trust while others thrived off of death and mistrust.  Nonetheless people, after hundreds of years, have finally began to put together a new civilization and with the discovery of Myste a couple years back technology has made a comeback.  Despite everything that had happened humanity has made a comeback and there's no telling where humanity will go from here we can only hope that a new world can be made out of this hell and out of it a bright new future.
~~~A new worlds beginning.

Through the dark clouds of red, the sun shines on the dark, bleak landscape of Washington.  Only briefly is the bleached, dried land illuminated by light before, again, Returning to darkness.  A single flower grows from the ruble from a small building, A symbol of hope.  Off in the distance a loud rumbling can be heard.  A large vehicle bearing the name ARGONAUT in finely painted bold letters on its side rolls on old worn wheels down the equally worn road.  It is mid afternoon though it is hard to tell with the clouds covering the sun.  After many days of traveling the Argonauts journey to the city of New Seattle is almost over and soon it will rest but for now it's engines roar and its next pit stop lies ahead.  Inside the large mobile base a woman of about twenty nine years sits reading a book titled History as we Know It.  Her thin yet tough looking frame sits, sloughed in her chair as two automatons walk by on their way to fix the rattling that had been going on for weeks in the ventilation shaft.
“Hi Tik, hi Tok” the girl said looking up from her book.
“good morning mistress Freya” they both said in unison.  Both Tik and Tok were bipedal and humanoid but possessed one eye and were roughly half the the size of a normal human. Tik was the smaller of the two and possessed a round head and body.  She had one eye and one exhaust vent for getting rid of excess Myste just like Tok.  Everybody aboard the Argonaut called Tik by female pronouns even though she was never designated a gender.  Tik was usually kind heated and kind to the extent of her A.I which was very basic.  It was not uncommon to see a Synth with basic A.I seeing as it was the only type that was able to be salvaged from old world wreckage.  Tok on the other hand was quite brash at times and seemed to posses a snooty attitude for an A.R.B (Automated, Repair, Bot).  He was more angular with a rectangular head and body but was the same as Tik structure wise.  Despite their differences and the occasional grumbles they still did their job accordingly which gave them a sense of endearment to the other inhabitants of the Argonaut.
Tok walked over to a small hatch in the wall and unscrewed it.
“I can not believe this is the third time I've had to fix the rumbling in the vents.” He mumbled to himself.  His British accent sounding off, as always seeing as nobody could really remember what a British accent sounded like.
“I bet you its a family of Rad Rats nesting in the vents.”
“But that doesn't make any sense Tik.  We would be hearing Little footsteps not a rumbling.”
Just then a loud thumping sound came from the opened hatch.
“Aha see, there it is!”
“I hear it!”  Tik and Tok exclaimed as the scrambled to discover the source of the sound all the while Freya sat, still reading her book.

     On a green hill overlooking a vast wilderness sat a small machine waiting for a big man.  Nearby, Captain Phineas T. Emrys was collecting samples and drinking in the view.  The sun was setting, heavy and orange, over an open sky studded with red flecks of cloud and the shadow of Mount Raineah fell across half the wild.  Some of the ruins of the old world popped up between the encroaching trees here and there, not uncommon and mostly explored.  The first touch of autumn colors dotted the landscape.

     Phineas was crouched over a robust fern with thick reddish shoots while running samples through a small device in his hands.  He was an aging man, but not frail by any means.  He had broad shoulders and thick arms, covered by a customized and sophisticated armor, and bore the many scars and marks of an experienced man.  His beard and full head of hair were thick and nearly white and his eyes, though weathered and creased, were sharp, clear and alert.

     The sun at his back beyond the hill, he gazed out to the east where the treacherous Crimson Desert lay sprawled out as far as the eye could see.  He was one of the few who knew just how 'treacherous' it could be.  Eventually, he thought, he was going to have to take measurements to figure out if the desert was spreading, or if the forest here was slowly pushing it back.  He thought about the last time he had traveled deep into its desolate belly (and why he did it) and it made him shudder involuntarily at the thought.  He shook it that bad memory off and focused in on the task at hand.

     Phineas stood to his feet and poked the device he was handling into a thick-walled bag slung over one shoulder made from some sort of hide.  He made the short trek up the hill to the peak where the Scrambler was waiting for him, all covered in white, cyan and silver.  The vehicle was a mid-sized, one-person land craft with three wheels, one in front and two smaller ones in the rear, capable of traversing almost any terrain at high speed (but Phineas always thought it looked more like a simple molecule, bulbous and compact).

     He straddled the bike and swung it around to face the west, marveling at the road ahead that spread out between him and the distant horizon.  He could only think of it as a “road” because it was his destination and not because it was paved, cleared, safe or easy.  To the north of Mount Raineah, which had recently erupted again, he could barely make out the colossal ruins of Old Seetle, now utterly uninhabitable (by humans), deep inside the Red Zone and partially submerged into the Ocean of Peace.  It'll be days before he'd lay eyes on it again... and it'll be much bigger.

     He cleared his head, lifted his feet, pulled the throttle and shot out over the top of the hill, zooming down the other side.  Warm, radiation-free fresh air blew through his hair and whipped his beard to one side.  The Scrambler dodged and darted and swerved through the trees, down into a gulch, over a narrow creek and up another rise onto a leveled out plain covered in short, wild grasses.  In the distance, and closing fast, loomed an enormous multi-wheeled vehicle painted like the Scrambler, but much more heavily fortified.

     Phineas was already laying out his order of actions upon returning to the Argonaut, his home.  The XS720 Continental Explorer was one of a small armada of exploratory vehicles built by the Ronan magistrate for just this sort of use.  The Argonaut herself was one of a kind, after years and years of field testing and numerous modification by Phineas himself.  She was home.  She was also a mobile laboratory, an observatory, a botanical preserve and a fortress outpost capable of sustaining her crew through some of the harshest territories available for months without restocking.

     Phineas slowed the Scramblers approach and glided into position on the port side stern of the giant lumbering land craft while it tore across the plain at full cruising speed.  He carefully aligned the bike, matching the behemoths speed, as a pair of mechanical arms slid out from the Argonauts side and seized it by its loading ports.  Phineas hopped off the small vehicle, grabbing onto a handle up high and swinging himself to a small ledge as the arms lifted the Scrambler off the ground and drew it into a perfectly fitted compartment into the Argonauts side.  He hit a button twelve feet off the ground as it sped by underneath him, pulling the sack off his shoulder.  An access hatch just off the ledge slid open and he slipped inside as the hatch, and the compartment beneath, slid shut and sealed tight.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:17, Tue 12 Mar 2019.

In the vehicle, a young man sits in the cabin.  He's tall, blonde, and reading a book about wiring.  He looks confused and frustrated.  Then he puts the book down and looks up and says "good morning Captain" as Captain Emrys walks by.

"It IS a good morning, Scruff", Phineas rumbled as he hung his shoulder sack on a hook.

Conscript Tyler Maze had been serving aboard the Argonaut for two months now.  A capable kid with a rebellious streak, he reminded Phineas of himself when he was young, minus the record of insubordination.  It was customary in the service to nickname the greenhorns until they'de earned their proper title, so Phineas just called him 'Scruff' due to the fact that the young man seemed to never comb out his twenty-four-hour bedhead.

A clang and rustle drew his attention to the side, where he noticed the ARB's jammed up in a ventilation shaft.

"Tok!  Front and center!", he called out.  There was a loud CRASH and then a moment of silence.  He turned back to Tyler sitting with his book.

"Aren't you ready to start actually working on the wiring harness yet, or are ya gonna read about it all day?"

Just then, a small but coarse artificial voice spoke up from behind, "Reporting as ordered, Cap'n."

"The samples I went after are in that pack", Phineas said turning to face the little bot and gesturing to his shoulder bag on the hook, "See that Freya gets them at once.  I wanna have test results back by the end of day, if possible."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:32, Tue 12 Mar 2019.

"Yes sir I shall get that done immediately.  Also Mistress Freya wanted me to inform you that we are arriving at Wicks, our pit stop before reaching the mission area." Tok responds quickly in his usual British accent.

As Tok said we are approaching a city, Tyler's dog : Fenrir runs down the hall into the cabin.  He jumps on Tyler and licks his face very franticly.  The dog is a big germen shepherded with a grey back.  Tyler gets and says "Fenrir down, stop licking me." Fenrir sits and obeys and Tyler pets him by the ear. Tyler jumps back a bit and said "Dog, you smell lick motor oil and engine fluid, you smell awful."  The dog shakes and then looks off into space."  Tyler looks up at Phineas and says giggling "Sorry sir, my dog is good at loving but he is very clumsy."

Phineas sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes clamped shut for a moment.

"Look, kid", he started in at the new conscript, "I agreed to let your dog onboard on the one and only condition that he NOT be a hindrance to your duties.  Now its time to put that well-oiled brain of your to use.  Put down the book, please, and let's get that harness rebuilt.  We need it perfectly functional before we hit Wicks or else the regulators will flip out like they did the last time we refueled."

He spun on one heel and turned just in time to see Tok stomping off toward the rear of the Argonaut.

"Just remember", he said turning back to Tyler, "When there's nothing to fight off and nothing to blow up, we need you to fill in other areas while you're assigned to this rig.  Don't worry!  You're more cut out for it than you give yourself credit for.  Besides, you gotta build your skills in something other than mayhem, right?"

With that, the big man walked through the shield doors protecting the steerage cockpit and into the central lift room, leaving the young man and his dog behind.  He stepped onto the lift and hit the button to descend one floor and began lowering into the belly of the rig.

    Tyler sighs and looks at his dog "Fenrir, lets go and fix stuff." Tyler said sadly. He walks Fenrir down to Tyler's room and said "be good dog." He turns around and feeds the dog and gives him water, pets the dog and walks out. Tyler claps and the lights turn out, he walks away smiling and went down the elevator to were the Captain Phineas is talking to him self about how he's going to suck at fixing this.

     The aged man stood alone in the now emptied cockpit.  Alone with the gentle clatter and shift of the little robot working inside the wall, the soft rumble of the Argonaut and its normal rattlings and his own thoughts.  He relaxed.  Stepping forward between the control seats, he gazed out the forward viewing port - a horizontal bar of hardened glass 8 feet wide and 2 feet tall.  The setting sun was almost dead ahead, beyond the oncoming highway, casting a strong glare across all of the equipment as its rays shined through.  He plopped heavily into the main control chair and scanned the dials and lights with practiced ease.
     The Argonaut was rumbling at a steady speed which was a nice mix of stability and momentum for such a large vehicle.  The road they were rumbling on was an ancient leftover from the old world.  Worn and cracked from decades of unrest and neglect left them serviceable in most places, but not much more.  They were frequented by other travelers, but few were equipped and funded enough to have any business this far out.  When they did run across oncoming traffic, it was usually someone Phenias knew (or at least they knew him).
     He surmised from the instruments that they would reach the market settlement by late night.  Later than he preferred to be out in the wild after dark, but not so late that he figured a stopover was necessary.  For now... all was well.  He popped off his goggles and hung them to one side, settled ponderously into his favorite chair and activated a small monitor on the panel of controls besides him.  A high angle surveillance-style camera image appeared looking down over another part of the vehicle where Freya sat comfortably in her chair still reading her book.
     "Did you see the samples, my dear?"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:10, Wed 27 Mar 2019.

Freya quickly put down the book looking startled.
    "um Y-yes sir. I did."  Freya sighed remembering that the Argonaut was one of the few vehicles in the Ronan army with surveillance cameras.  Seeing as most of the Vehicles where too small for there to be any need for them they did not in fact have a surveillance system.
    "Sorry sir i'm not used to surveillance systems, even though I've been here for the better part a four months.  I'll get used to them though.  But yes I have in fact received the samples.  although I've put them away seeing as our last mission took out the systems seed extractor."  although she was loyal to Phineas because he managed to get her another job, despite her previous mistake on the Voyager, but despite this Phineas seemed to detect a faint undertone of annoyance in her voice.

     He smiled inwardly, feeling he had the younger historian at a disadvantage.
     "Now... no need to get jumpy.  I installed the closed-circuit system for all kinds of good reasons.  I promise no one here is using them to spy on anyone else", he trailed off into a chuckle, blushing at the thought. "Those hydogena valisae specimens are very rare.  And judging from the place I found them, they should have a lot to say about radiation fall off in the area once they are analyzed.  I'd like to see if we can get some reading before we arrive in Wicks plus I wanna try to get them transplanted in the arboretum if possible."
     A high pitched alarm pulsed three times accompanied by a small flashing light on the panel in front of him.  "Just a second", he said to Freya. He stretched overhead and flipped a switch, then leaned over to the center of the cockpit to see a round, green display screen pointed upward at the driver's seat.
     "Something registered on the radar", he said once again turning back to the screen where Freya was still paying attention, "but now there's no sign".
   He scratched his head and waited patiently another few seconds.
    "Hmmmm... I'll keep an eye on it.  Speaking of 'keeping an eye', why don't you go check up on our tech in training.  He may need a hand as well."

"Very well captain" Freya said getting up from her chair and walking off camera.  All was calm and peaceful, the roar of the tires traveling across the desiccated, ancient road.  The engine, however was quite as Myste generators make little to no sound. according to records there was once a forest here on either side of the road but nowadays it was only barren with only a few destroyed remnants of the former glory of trees.  way off in the distance Phineas could see the glow of Wicks, a safe heaven from the dangers of the wasteland.  Again the radar went off again this time not shutting off.  It appeared to be one human life sign.  Immediately Phineas began to become suspicious, No one would just be walking on the side of the road, by themselves, this late into the day without any form of vehicle or mount.  He again thought it to be a another glitch, putting in a mental note to fix the radar on top of all the other problems.  Soon, though, he realized that the radar was right.  The flat ground made it easy to see far into the distance and along with Wicks he could see a small figure off in the distance about a mile out.  Phineas wondered what his next course of action should be.

     He thought fast, scanning through a thousand encounters he'd experienced in the wild for any tactical options or oversights to come up with a plan.  Nothing unpracticed.  Running into transients and even mutants was not all that uncommon, especially on the open roads.  The more he considered, the less likely it seemed to him that a healthy, wandering hitchhiker was caught roadside after dark this far out.  Could be someone who unfortunately broke down while out on patrol or a stranded merchant on their way to or from Wicks.  They'd have to be diplomatic, but also be ready to defend themselves.
     Not too likely they'de be "from" Wicks, as they would be heading out into the east from there and there really was nothing or no one but trouble in that direction.  Trouble, that is... and the Argonaut.
     He reached up and flipped a switch activating the vehicle-wide intercom.
     "Tyler, I need you back on the bridge fast.  We've got a situation upcoming.  Bring your best girl.  We may have a party for her."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:26, Thu 11 Apr 2019.

    Tyler, thinking fast, he ran to his room and pulls a case out from under his bed.  He opens it and inside is a pretty big gun, he calls her "The Bushwhacker" but the real, technical term is the "f-71 tabor battle riffle".  It's an assault rifle with a tactical scope that aims about 40 feet away with perfect vision. It has a 6 bullet clip with a pump action reload. you press a switch in the middle of the gun and the gun splits into two pistols with half the clip ammo (currently in the gun)one with the scope. Tyler picked-up the gun and 5 clips and ran to the bridge as fast as he could with Fenrir next to him. he got there and stood at attention ready to make a move on command.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:30, Fri 19 Apr 2019.

     Phineas twisted in his chair to scope out the young man's interpretation of "get ready".  He was satisfied that Tyler was capable of defending the Argonaut.
     "Get up top pronto", he said turning back to pilot the rig. "And don't forget to wear your breather!" He shouted as an afterthought.  He slowed the Argonaut down to a crawl as the lone figure loomed up visibly just ahead.

As the Argonaut slowed down the figure became more visible.  The once unknown figure became more recognizable as a human male.  Upon closer inspection the man looked to be in his early thirties and sported a gray long sleeved shirt and tan pants and didn't seem out of the ordinary, for someone walking in the evening away from civilization in the middle of the apocalypse.  He seemed to have a sort of stagger that only a drunk man would have.  the realization of this made the whole situation less tense but still off putting.  Who is this man? why is he so far from Wicks? According to how far off the Argonaut was from wicks the strange man had to have been traveling for a few hours.  Phineas planed his next course of action....

Phineas punched up a dual display on his main screen, setting the roof of the Argonaut on one and the forward facing camera dead-centered on the walker.  He toyed with the limited telescoping function of the display to try and get a sharper image of the mans face.  As he dialed in the resolution and focus, he grumbled to himself "What's taking that kid so long" as he kept one eye on the rooftop display, waiting for Tyler to get in position.  It didn't look like it was either appropriate or within the mission statement of the Argonaut to simple accelerate past this lone traveler in the night without so much as a hail, and they'd already slowed down enough to show that he had not gone unnoticed.  Phineas activated the exterior loudspeaker and hit mute.  A conversation, covered by Tyler and his expert aim, was probably how this encounter was going to go down... at least at first.  Phineas has been in the wild long enough to know better than to expect all to be as it first appeared.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:59, Mon 06 May 2019.

     As Tyler was running to get to the roof, Fenrir bites down on his pant leg and wouldn't let go.  Tyler desperately tried anything to get him off and nothing would work.  As Tyler was getting frustrated and very angry he finally said "Fenrir, if you don't let go you will be sleeping in the kitchen." and Fenrir let go and walked away wining.  Tyler realizing what he had done he went up the elevator with a guilty conscience and a sad expression.  He walked out of the elevator and on to the roof and sat down in a chair with a good, clear view of the road. Tyler picked up a small box next to the chair on a panel that seemed to have buttons and control sticks on them.  After he picked up the box he pressed a butto0n on the side of it and said with a sad sniff "Tyler here, I'm ready for instructions." and put the box down back were he found it.

     In the control room, Phineas heard Tyler's report over the intercom and glanced at the rooftop monitor to confirm.  The Argonaut inched forward now at a speed not much faster than he could jog at a comfortable pace.  The roadside figure now loomed into the front-facing floodlights and HAD to know that he (she? it?) had been spotted.  Whoever they were, they weren't even apparently concerned and had made no effort to duck into the bushes or run away.  Out here, at this time of day, that was potential suicide.
     As Phineas poured over four decades of wilderness experience and thousands of tactical scenarios he had studied in both his academy days and in private study, his worst fear became a growing suspicion that this person was not all there was to this scene - that he was bait with many more lying in wait somewhere in the shadows. Hopefully, just an old man's paranoia.  Tyler was their best insurance policy.  Despite his lack of discipline and occasional recalcitrance, Phineas was glad to have him on his crew.  He trained the swivel cam on full zoom at the stranger, eyeing the monitor intently for some kind of ID or reaction on the strangers part.  He pulled the Argonaut up close and began cautiously to bring her to a full stop.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:51, Fri 31 May 2019.

As the Argonaut came to a stop so did the man. Now almost eye to eye you could see the man was, in fact clearly drunk. He was a fairly short portly man with a small handlebar mustache. on the screen you could see the man sigh and walk towards the door of the Argonaut with a clear look of uneasiness on his face upon seeing Tyler pointing that big gun at him.  Freya came over the intercom
"you want me to open the door captain?" everyone awaited his command

"Tyler!", he hit the vehicle-wide intercom, "ONE sign of unease on this guy and you put him down, GOT IT?"

Phineas noted on the roof cam that Tyler nodded his acknowledgment without so much as taking an eye off the scope on his rifle.  'Practiced ease', Phineas thought to himself and settled a bit more comfortably into his command.

"Freya, you keep your distance.  Understand?  I don't want that guy within TEN FEET of you until we know what's going on here.  He may need a more gentle voice than either of us boys have to offer, so you just see what he has to say and MAYBE... we'll let him on board for a trip back into town.",  He paused to make sure those words sunk in, "Ready?"

Freya nodded also into the overhead cam and placed her hand on the locked exterior hatch release control, gulping silently to herself.
 Phineas punched up the exterior com system and cranked the volume down so as to not alert the entire countryside of the following conversation.

"Hold it RIGHT THERE, sir.  We mean you no harm, but if you want trouble, you've encountered the right crew.  Its suicide to be out here this far at this hour.  We are ready to render assistance, but I'm going to ask you to stand back a bit and DO NOT approach my staff...", with that he flipped the unlock mechanism for the starboard hatch and the panel under Freya's hand turned green.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:07, Fri 31 May 2019.

The strange man backed up and waited for the door to come down.  Once down he slowly walked aboard, again nervous of the man aiming the gun at him.  Once in he sat down on one of the benches in the mud room awaiting the captain to come down and question him.  He does not move, he only hangs his head.

     Phineas and Tyler walked into the mud room and saw the man sitting on the bench.  They made small talk and assess the situation.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:06, Fri 14 June 2019.

Talking to the man through small talk you find out his name is Milford Ike.  You also find out the he's a construction worker for Wicks and that he has a girlfriend named Sarah who he describes as "A big angel with flowing brown hair and eyes as red as a fire."  He is 32 and was born in Wicks.  you also find out he was and still is a prominent figure due to him being one of the few locals and his record of helping making and fixing some the buildings.  however despite all this small talk everyone both of you, and Freya who joined in about halfway through the conversation, still have one major question on your mind.

     "But... what the hell are you doing here?", Phineas thought to himself.  Trying to be polite but stand stern and resolute as possible, he folded his arms across his broad chest and planted his boots wide.  Tyler was silent most of it and deadly with that rifle, so he was glad to have the kid on his flank.  They must have posed an intimidating encounter for the seemingly unarmed and disoriented person before them.  Tic and Tok clicked in on automated legs and stood in the back side by side.  Watching.  Tok was holding a bioelectric suppressor in one robotic pincher
     Freya soothed the conversation, as usual.  Phineas found a pause in the interchange and switched the subject.
     "Freya", he said.  She snapped to him eye to eye.  "Run a quick search on Milford Ike, please."  And turning his attention to the newcomer, "We need to seal up and get moving before we get into any trouble.  We'll be able to take ya back into Wicks, but I can't leave you in this outback.  I ain't allowed.  Droids!"
     The two little automatons went rigid, looked up and beeped.  One little light flashed once on their metallic heads.
     "You two keep an eye on our guest.  Don't mess with him.  Just don't take your eyes off him.", Phineas snorted as he put his goggles back over his eyes and stepped into the lift at the center of the mud compartment, "Tyler close us up.  I'm gonna get us moving.", and with that, he hit the button on the lift and rose up into the deck overhead where the cockpit was.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:04, Sat 22 June 2019.

after a short while wicks became more and more visible off in the distance, it's bright yellow and pale pink lights glowing beyond the initial buildings making an unintentional wall.  As the sun grew even more dim off in the west the lights grew even more brighter.  It was strange being near a town at night, the light pollution causing the sky to look barren.  Phineas was too used to seeing the many stars that line the heavens.  all seemed quiet except the low rumbling of the tires on the broken concrete.  Milford sits awkwardly staring at the two Droids with their un-moving gaze.  but just as soon as the silence started it was interrupted by the sound of the comms system poping in the pilots cabin giving Phineas a little start.  luckily for everyone else the comms were able to concentrated into one area so no one else heard it.  "Sir.." Freya's voice came a little after the pop "I've got some records on Milford Ike.  It appears he's had a very good record for a man of his age and current situation.  He's a big contributor to the Wicks community and is well known there as a good man.  as he stated hes 32.  unfortunately we don't have much on this man due to it being harder to document average citizens, as you know.  however i do have something i think you might want to know: there is currently an investigation being done in Wicks for a supposed murder.  it started just two hours ago. a man named Jeremiah smith had supposedly fallen from a beam on a construction site in wicks.  there was evidences of hand prints on the back of the victim suggesting he had been pushed.  further studies show that he was intoxicated, other than that they don't know who killed him. before you make a judgment it should be noted that many people there knew Milford and Jeremiah were best friends since childhood."

     Tyler left shortly after Phineas, and walked to his room and put his gun away.  He sat down on his bed and looked out the window as the Argonaut approached wicks.   Fenrir walked into the room and started to lick Tyler on the face.  Tyler laughed and threw his toy across the room and started to play with his dog.  After a while he stopped and started to read a book about sharpshooting and techniques on rifles.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:34, Sun 23 June 2019.

     A sudden sense of dread washed over Phineas as he heard the last part of Freyas report.

"Thank you", is all he could muster into the comm system in response as his finger slipped off the transmit button.  He sank into his chair as he pondered the obvious implications.  Putting an inevitable two and two together, he knew what he had to do before reaching the outskirts of town.

     He pressed the button again and said, "Tyler, could you come up and take the wheel please."  Then he leaned forward and punched up the only image of Jeremiah in their database - a cold, citizens mugshot, tinted green and overexposed.  He switched the image over to the laboratory printer below and then went below to pick it up.  He then turned to the mud compartment and approached their guest one more time.  He was gripping the bench with white knuckles, obviously disoriented by the movement of the vehicle and by what looked like classic signs of inebriation, but was that also fear that Phineas sensed in him now?

     "Do you recognize this man, Milford?" and he tossed the freshly printed image onto their hitchhiker's lap.

Milford looked ad the photo on the lap.  His eyes widened for a second then changed back to normal. Although he did a great job at hiding his clear terror on his face his voice clearly gave away his feelings.
"Yes I do me and him are good friends and we've worked on many building and construction projects together, why do you ask?"  his waving voice made it clear he new exactly what Phineas had learned but if that was the case then why was he hiding it?  Why play dumb?  there was clearly something going on here and whatever that was Phineas needed to figure it out quick because their destination was coming up and soon.

     "NO MORE GAMES, MILFORD", Phineas barked in his deep 'interrogation tone'.  The two mechs stepped forward, tense and cautious.
     He leaned forward for emphasis and twitched his handlebar mustache with flared nostril and a sideways snort.  "I don't have time for them and I DO have the authority to pursue justice matters in this region, so I suggest you come clean with me, or you could be hogtied on suspicion of murder before we even REACH Wicks."
     He thrust the printed image of poor Jeremiah forward again, this time with a bit more force.  Then with a much more subdued, almost whispered tone, "What happened to your friend tonight Milford?"
This message was last edited by the player at 09:13, Fri 02 Aug 2019.

  Tyler, still in the cockpit, was driving the vehicle very nervously due to the fact that he doesn't drive in the cockpit that much.  With his rifle by his side and Fenrir on his other, Tyler was shaking very nervously but with the help of Fenrir on his side, he was comforted by the dogs warm and smelly breath.  After a while he stopped shaking and focused on the stuff he read when he first got on the ship.  He jumped when he heard the small, distorted shriek of Phineas and jolted his dog awake and he started to run and jump around barking at everything.  Tyler yelled at Fenrir to stop and lay down. He stopped and instead of laying he just stood there and stared.  Tyler laughed and then realized he wasn't watching the road or anything on the dash board.  He heard beeps and sirens then freaked out and put his hands on the wheel and clicked a few buttons and everything stopped.  He realized also that Fenrir was starring at the lights instead of laying down, petted him and went back to driving.

The echo of Phineas's voice puts every one on edge, though most of the people on this rig have not been here long they know when you mean business.  The man in front of you, clearly still drunk and unstable, begins to weep
"Man it happened so fast. We were celebrating and then he walked on that stupid girder and I reached out to grab him and next thing I new he had hit the floor!" By the second sentence he had become almost incomprehensible.  This whole situation was starting to feel very wearisome at this point and with only ten minutes left until they were at Wicks Phineas had to figure out something to do with this guy.

     Phineas paused a moment, frozen in place at the depth of the moment.  He 3-dimensionally ran through scenario after scenario in a matter of seconds analyzing the possibilities of the next few hours.  He took a step back, locking his steel-blue eyes on the wilted man before him under furrowed, bushy-grey eyebrows.  He thrust his jaw forward in final mock determination, then stormed off with a frustrated grunt.
     "Watch him.", he said almost to himself as he passed the two droids and swiveled back to the center of the Argonauts 'mud room'.  He lifted his head up over one shoulder, glaring back at the accused man.  Then he grabbed a thick-knuckled hand around one of the four control posts and twisted with a jerk of the wrist.  The small platform of metal, sitting on the deck plates, lifted into the air with a buzz and carrying Phineas up with it.
     'Nothing reliable will come out of this guy until he sobers up', Phineas told himself.  'What if this man is telling the truth?' 'Would the town be out for blood in retribution?' 'Would Ike serve a sentence for trying to save his friend?' 'Or was there an actual, genuine murder that occurred in Wicks this evening?'

     He pondered a dozen other questions as the lift popped mechanically into part of the deck on the second level.  While the lower deck was mostly metal and durable materials, the upper deck was far more plush and comfortable.  Behind Phineas, the living quarters were cozy and relatively clean.  A small kitchenette and food storage across from a private nook with table and bench.  A small library, a games panel and 4 closet-sized private living quarters all trimmed out in red, cream and shiny chrome with red carpet on the floor.

 

     In front of him was the control center of the Argonaut.  Two seated stations at the very front of the vehicle looked out through a narrow, glass portal that spanned the width of the font end.  Soft lights and pulsing readouts flickered all over with two smaller, wall-mounted stations occupying the walls on both sides.

 

    The glow on the horizon under the dark sky indicated Wicks approaching.  Tyler and his dog were manning primary control on the right.  Phineas pounded up to the chair behind him, rubbed the top of Fenrir's head and poked Tyler in the shoulder.  The younger man shot up dutifully and moved over to the copilot's station, his dog following along with him.  Phineas plopped down into the seat and sank in, settling his grip on the steering wheel.  He had a lot to think about and little time left to do it.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:34, Sat 30 Nov 2019.

Sooner than Phineas had hoped the gates of Wick appeared.  The almost inaudible sound of the engine was able to be heard because of the silence all throughout the Argonaut.  Recent events had put everyone on edge.  The large metal and concrete wall that surrounded Wicks made it clear that this was a government helped city.  The two large turrets on either corner of the wall visible by the Argonaut would look intimidating to travelers and raiders but for Phineas they were just another standard wall turret.  strangely the turret on the far left corner looked new and clean as apposed to the one on the opposite corner which looked rusted and run down, something Phineas thought a little strange.  Perhaps one of them had broken?  A closer look at its bright blue, white and gold coloring symbolizing the Rona flag meant that this was actually probably the work of one the the guards.  The evidence of this comes from its intricate and lovingly done paint job. as the Argonaut came closer and closer the details of the four large gates became more and more clearer.  The were large, just a little bit taller and wider than the Argonaut.  the size made sense considering the four gates opened up into four docking areas for larger vehicles to fuel up and do repairs.  in the middle of the wall was a much smaller gate roughly the size of two and a half humans tall for those with small caravans rather than large vehicles.  The size of the wall also became apparent as they moved closer.  It was huge, easily the length of four, four and half football fields and the width of five. The wall itself was fortified but not much as the other major cities. As the Argonaut drew closer there was a hail from the town control tower. on the other side of the speaker Phineas could hear a somewhat young sounding man with a stern but slightly quieted voice "On coming vehicle state your name and vehicle code."
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:42, Thu 21 Nov 2019.

     Phineas snapped out of his deep thoughts and attended to the moment.

     "This is Argonaut T-68432 inbound from zone November-Epsilon-9er requesting debriefing, custody transfer and resupply; Agent Emrys commanding (badge ID 339 Alpha)."

     The light of the green and blue screens underlit Phineas' face in the fading dusk with soft teal light.  The Argonaut dutifully slowed her forward momentum crawl on final approach to the city's massive front gate.  Tyler went to work bringing drive systems to nominal, prepping myst-core temperatures to idle and securing various onboard mechanisms to docking mode,  All the while, Fenrir absent-mindedly scratched behind one ear with an undignified back leg.

 
This message was last edited by the player at 10:53, Sun 15 Mar 2020.

On the other side of the line Phineas could hear the young man gasp a bit. " Argonaut you are clear for docking bay 2 dock 7, and if I may sir it is an honor to meet you. Welcome to Wicks." The big doors to the left of the Argonaut make a deep creaking sound as the open up, allowing passage into the town.

"Argonaut confirms"

Phineas smirked a bit as he let go of the comm button.  He was too tired and deep in thought to be any more amused.  'Its an honor'.  He'd heard it so many times before.  One thing he knew for sure is that in these dark times, people needed something to believe in.  He'd been a part of quite a few successful campaigns.  Even pulled off a daring rescue once.  Maybe people remembered that he was instrumental in clearing out the badlands before the Great Settlement began.  In any case, the younger generation had gotten it into their heads that Phineas T. Emrys was some kind of "hero".  It irritated him slightly, but he knew they meant no harm.  He allowed the notion only because it gave them hope to do so.  Maybe someday it would even inspire a "real" hero.  As far as he was concerned, the real heroes were the everyday families and citizens who dealt with the hardships of Blackwall life and still managed to edge the boundaries of civilization outward, pushing back the darkness with each passing year.

He glanced over at Tyler as the Argonaut carefully slid through the city's enormous main gate under the bright docking lights.

   Tyler nods back to his captain and walks to the elevator. He pets his dog as he follows Tyler. They both get on the lift as he hears And the others talk. He can hear the amusement in Phineas' voice as they greet each other. Tyler giggles and looks at his dog and smiles on his way to the top of the vehicle. As the truck gets rolled into the city Tyler goes into the botany lab and checked on all the flowers. Before he goes in he tells Fenrir to go back to his room and Tyler switches the elevator on. He talks to him self as he walks into the old world flower section "man those new hydrangeas are beautiful". He waters and tends to the old world flowers and the to the new world flowers. He smiles as he leaves the lab and says "man I love flowers". He walks to his room to get his rifle. He goes back down to the mud room to prepare to leave with his rifle on his back.

    As the Argonaut glided into the docking bay the doors that had been previously open closed with a loud clang.  As everyone made preparations to leave the Argonaut Freya walked up to Phineas in the cockpit and gave him a run down of the repairs and basic arrangements needed to be made.
   "The ventilation shaft needs to be cleared of rad rats, the bottom left tire is stripped and needed to be replaced and the rover needs basic maintenance. we also need to restock on some basic supplies and the Myste engine needs to be refiled. total estimated time is two to three days due to the tire needed to replace the other is currently out of stock and the station will receive a new stock in about a day, that combined with replacing the tire and other basic  repairs will take up to two days. luckily we left early for the mission so we'll make in time even with this set back."
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:14, Thu 12 Dec 2019.

     Phineas's mind spun at the onslaught of thoughts and information going through his head.  He brought the Argonaut to a full stop and set all systems to cool down as he grasped at the clipboard trying to focus on the minutia of things that had to be done before getting underway again.  His brows furrowed and he smirked at Freya who never ceased to amaze him by spinning logistics and crunching numbers at superhuman speed.
     "This looks very thorough, Freya.", he growled and then stood up, handing her back the clipboard.  "Send the report to Official O&S.  Most of what we need, they'll take care of."
He strode back out onto the lift and twisted the handle.  The lift began to lower with him on it.
     "For now, we have a serious situation to wrap up."
The lift settled with a thunk onto the mudroom floorplate below.  There, looking almost asleep, was the man they picked up.  He was obviously in the final stage of an evening's drunkenness.  Soon, the full magnitude of his evening will come crashing down on his sober mind.  Phineas did not envy the headache he would have in the morning.  He grabbed the shackles on Milford Ike's hands folded in front of him, stood him up, removed the shackles, turned him around and shackled his hands behind his back without a fuss.
     "I aint accusing you of nothing, Mr. Ike.  You aint my jurisdiction and this aint my town.  But I think you can at least look forward to spending the night in the drunk tank and I KNOW you can look forward to answering some questions.  Come on", he said as he drug the man a few stumbles forward and then punched a large red button on the wall with the back of his fist, "Let's get you somewhere where you can relax and try to remember."  And with that, the officer and the prisoner stepped out onto the brightly lit docking area and Phineas breathed in the air of Wicks for the first time in a while.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:58, Fri 13 Dec 2019.

     The air was just as stale always except one thing, the smell.  Wicks had always had better air than everywhere else due to the various vendors and shops that sell a multitude of cuisine from all over Blackwall.  Everything from Borgard steak to Papple fruit.  All the cooking and spices also contributed to the smell.  It was certainly better than the old air of the wasteland.  Wicks wasn't just a town full of food vendors though.  It also was full of men women and children selling all sorts of trinkets and services.  Despite all this the local shops are well kept and thriving.  There were many little shops here and there but the notable shops in town are the Polished Sprocket, a family owned mechanics shop famous for working on droids from all over, The Castle rock Inn, and the Delaware Drunk, a tavern of sorts that usually holds a large assortment of people and is famous for its light alcoholic drink:Black Rock which is a sweet, alcoholic and fizzy beverage that makes the ice its served with look black.
     The dark of the sky was illuminated by the lights of the various homes and shops that seemingly never close.  Strangely the roads were not as packed as usual.  Most likely because of recent events.  The mood of the town seemed to be sadder than usual.  After all Jeremiah was a big name in the town along with Milford.  the recent news had shaken the town which means that many people are either going to be down or cranky.  Despite this the businesses we still open still selling.  Most of the actual inhabitants were workers in the town, most people wouldn't want to live in a place like Wicks unless that is where they worked or one of their family members worked there.  from what our heroes could remember there were three unofficial powers in the town, each a family that ran the biggest business's in wicks.  The Grimwald family that ran the Castle Rock Inn, the Burks that ran the Delaware Drunk and finally the Deckers that ran the Polished sprocket.  each family had a certain influence on the people in wicks even if they never really let anyone else other than family run their businesses, with The Deckers having the least amount of influence and the Burks with the most.  even though they had an influence on the people the actual government assigned and elected governor held the power however he does consult with the families once a month in order to hear what the people are saying.
     In the midst of taking in the scenery the Heroes had noticed a small group of 3 lightly armed Policemen and two other people.  one of them was an older man in his fifties and a the other a young girl about seventeen to eighteen.  the old man wore and old leather long coat, beaten up jeans and a white button up shirt that was stained after years of wearing it.  he also wore a wide brimmed fedora and had a large white beard and thinning hair.  the young girl wore a green long sleeved shirt with the sleeves she rolled up to her elbows and blue overalls that leached just below her knees.  she also had a plastic star on her shoulder that had the words "Deputy" engraved on it.  however the most striking part of her attire was a large red hoodie that had a metal with the symbol of "Clairvoyance" engraved on it.  the two dots under it meant that she was a moderate Clairvoyant making her able to see into the future by holding objects that have recently have something of note done to it such as a murder or theft making her a very good deputy to this man.
"Hello there sir we got a notification that you were her and I thought I would stop by to see if you had picked up a special passenger, if not then to meet a legend.  But from the looks of it you already did.  my name is Hunter Crowley and this is my deputy Lydia Fletcher." Hunter said outstretching his hand. 

OOC: This picture is a complete representation of the characters save for a few key details like Lydia and Hunters hat and Hunters Beard is smaller that what I immagined him to have.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:44, Thu 26 Dec 2019.

   As Tyler walked with his companions, he saw and smelled the food and different vedors on the streets. He licked his chops as his stomach growled and realized he forgot his wallet in the vehicle. He noticed he had his ID but that's it. He shrugged and continued on. As his rifle is on his back and his bullet packs strapped to his chest, he wad wimzy and excitement in his eyes. As the party aproched the two officers he saw the girl on the side if the old man and blushed. He tried to push that thought in the back of his mind and listened to what the grown-ups were talking about but he just couldn't stop thinking about her. He realized she was a deputy and a Clairvoyant and stood up straight and tried to look big in an attempt to try to make her notice him.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:01, Sun 29 Dec 2019.

Phineas' eyes were steel and locked - a rigid habit of form and poise that he instinctually assumed when in the presence of fellow authority figures.  He held out a weathered and thick hand, "Crowley?  Captain Emrys.  Pleased to meet you,"  The two shook vigorously as men do, but briefly.  "What's your rank, Hunter?"

"Detective", was the man's simple reply.

"Ah", Phineas responded gruffly, "That explains the Deputy and detachment"  He looked the young woman's way and tipped an invisible hat in her direction, "Maam?"  She blushed in response, old enough to be professional but obviously too young to be accustomed to polite formality living at the edge of the wasteland.

"AHEM", Phineas feigned at clearing his throat as he reached behind him and pulled the captive man forward by his manacles.  "I believe you lost this."  He paused to study the response of both law-enforcement experts, then continued.  "He wasn't belligerent or evasive.  Just a bit confused and a bit more drunk", he urged the man forward toward the wide-eyed officials, "If he hadn't stuck to the road or tried to hide from us, I have a feeling he'd have been in for a far less pleasant evening.  I don't expect you'll get any trouble from him, and when his head clears in the morning, I think you can expect quite a story."

With that, Phineas made a whistling sound with his lower lip and gestured over to Tyler to come alongside him.  The younger man seemed a little too anxious to step forward and came within a few feet of the young Deputy, who obviously noticed that she was a temporary center of someone's attention.  Thankfully, Tyler had to use half his attention and energy to hold back Fenrir who was even more excited just to be off the Argonaut.  Phineas was used to these kind of things and didn't regard it as either inappropriate or unprofessional.  After all, they were on leave for the next day at least, awaiting refurbishment.  Besides, he was hoping for some distraction or just to be done with the encounter before the whole "May I say, your an inspiration to me" speech started up.  Noticing the older mans demeanor, he just knew it was coming.  There was someone he was eager to see.  An old friend that owned one of Wicks most respected establishments.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:28, Mon 06 Jan 2020.

"ah hah, I figured he'd be with you. we got reports from all multiple sources he had left. In fact I was just about to tart up a search party when I heard you were docked an knew you'd have had to seen him on your way here. you two, Barnum and Stevens, take Me. Milford to the jail, I'll start the investigation as soon as I get there." Hunter said with a hint of sorrow in his voice. The two guards that came with Hunter grabbed Milford's arm, who gave not resistance, and took him away. After watch him go off into the crowd Hunter turned to Phineas and company. He took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair and sighed.
"Look, I want want to thank you for bringing him back. I know you don't know him very well but Milford was a very popular man which could cause some problems with the investigation. People may be against the idea of him being the one who did it. Personally I don't think he did but that may be wishful thinking. I just want you to know that word travels round here fast and I don't know how long your going to be here but people may or may not treat you... Different. Just be careful." Hunter was more serious looking than when he first showed up. His whole demeanor changed from his chipper self before. But his mood quickly changed again to the old chipper self from before.
"Oh and I don't mean to be rude but it  does seem that I will be caught up by this investigation and was wondering if you could do something that's been on my plate for a while. Maxwell Decker has been hounding me about a problem he's been having and I would love to go help home but there was always something more important happening at the time. If you have the time just talking to him would really help me out. I would totally understand if you couldn't though. But I should be going I have a.. rather unpleasant interrogation to do. It was good meeting you." Hunter said reaching out a hand.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:42, Sat 11 Jan 2020.

     Phineas took the man's hand and gripped it perhaps a bit tighter than a customary handshake.  He wasn't crazy about being unofficially assigned to a domestic issue in town by an official he had only just met, but it was his duty and he would see it through.  Leave time would simply have to wait.

     "Decker, huh?", he said still holding the smaller man in an iron grip, "Decker... Can't say I've met him before.  Any intel on where I might find him, at least and what his 'problem' might be?"

     He looked to the side, releasing Hunters' hand and triggered Tyler's attention, who was still studying the young deputy and trying to look like he wasn't.  "AHEM", he cleared his throat.  Tyler snapped back to reality and looked up at him.

     "Go grab the overnight duffles, will ya kid?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:28, Fri 31 Jan 2020.

While Phineas's attention was on something else hunter shook his had mouth the word "Ow" all the while Lydia suppresses the urge to smile.
"Well then sir, I hope to meet again sometime soon on better tides.  Go enjoy some time off if you can.  I know that old man Burks would be excited to see you.  he always goes on about the adventures you and him had."  Crowley tipped his hat and walked off.  All that could be seen was the hustle and bustle of the streets. The options of what to do next race through all of your heads.  Fixing that problem down at the Polished Sprocket would not only be helping out a citizen but you may get something for your troubles, however You all could really use some R&R and the Delaware Drunk would be a nice place to relax and enjoy yourselves.  On top of that it sounds like and old friend of Phineas  Works down there and from the sound of it would probably give you all a free drink.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:54, Sun 16 Feb 2020.

  As Tyler walks back to the docking Bay to get the overnight duffles he whistles a small tune to himself. He checks in at the front office to get back into the vehicle. He walks into the mud room and uses the elevator. He tells Fenrir to go and get the duffles and to drop them in the lounge. He obeyed and walked off to get the bags. Tyler walks to his room and grabs his handgun and sticks it in his bag. Then he walked into the elevator and took it to the botany lab. He seems a little sad to see the hydrangeas drooping and dead. He tears up and tries to fix. he does the best he can and hopes it works. He goes back down the elevator and walks into the lounge to see Fenrir sitting there with all the bags ready. He congratulates him with a treat and tells tic and toc to watch him. Tyler grabs the bags and walks out the mud room. He checks out and walks back to his captain to receive more orders.

     Now standing alone on the tarmac, Phineas puzzled after the lawman and his unlikely deputy, musing over the encounter.  He snorted and twitched his bearded upper lip in considerate thought.  Strange and unusual, he thought, that one so young and delicate looking would serve in such a rough and tumble frontier environment like this.  But that wasn't even the strangest thing he'd seen TODAY alone, so he let it go.  Hunter was serious about Decker.  He'd have kept it to himself if he didn't sincerely feel overwhelmed.  Phineas knew these small-town enforcers very well.  They would NEVER ask the help of an outsider unless it was needed.  Still... he had really set his sights on the watering hole and was looking forward to seeing his old friend.

     Just then, he was snapped out of his reverie as Tyler clopped up beside him, bags in hand.  Phineas looked down and smiled a gruff and approving smile.  The kid was turning out to be surprisingly loyal.  None of this attitude he brought with him originally that Phineas thought for sure was going to get him killed (or knocked on his butt).  Maybe this mission was going to turn out to be another success.  Another feather in his cap.  Every day brought its own unique promise as well as paranoia.

     He drew a deep breath of Wicks fresh but industrial air.  "Welp!", he said directly to Tyler, loading his own duffle over his shoulder, "Business before pleasure, eh kid?"

     Tyler looked up at him and smiled a familiar wry smile and flashed Phineas the pistol he was packing in his overcoat.

     Phineas nodded in approval.  "Let's go talk to this 'Maxwell Decker' and see what all the hubbub is.  THEN we'll go get some dinner and introduce you to one of the more... interesting characters in this city."

     He looked up and saw Freya approaching from the control center of the docking bay.  "Secure the palace, will you dear?  Then catch up with us at the Drunk for dinner.  My treat."

"Yes sir" Freya said in that semi innocent tone the sometimes talks in. With a salute he walked off into the ago Argonaut to make sure everything was secure. Freya had always been somewhat naive but her mutation was almost invaluable and her knowledge on history and almost encyclopedic mind made her an even more valuable asset. perhaps it was due to her mutation that she was so smart or maybe she got lucky in the gene pool and was born with a large brain than most. Phineas didn't know much about her past however him and her had been traveling together for at least nine years. In that time Freya and Phineas had grown close together but not in a romantic way, more of a father daughter way. Freya had been born in a small settlement that had just been started not four years before her birth. unfortunately there's not much more info in her bio than that. She was found in another nearby village just four years later. Even after extensive investigations there was no determined reason why or how she got there and what had happened to her settlement as what was left was rubble. However that's as far as the bio Phineas had read went into her past. All Phineas knew was that one day Norzen Lyons, the current president, had told him that he was sending him a new recruit. Despite what she had been through she always kept an air of optimism around her which was a great morale booster, it's just too bad that she was terrible at fighting.

As our heroes traveled the bustling streets of Wicks the sights and aromas wafting from the various buildings and the stands created a sense of home.  At the time the sun had just set behind the wall of the town creating pretty patterns of reds, pinks and whites.  some of the lights started to get turned on which illuminated even more of the crowd and various stalls. many of them were family owned and all of them had home made wares and delicacies.
"Fresh home grown Gia fruit! Plump and juicy!"
"Homemade leather bags and wears! Finely crafted from only the strongest Ripclaw hide!" were just some of the many things yelled out at the multitude of people including our heroes. at one point an older man, holding a strange fruit that kind of looked like a grape, held it in Tyler's face.
"Try one, free sample! Juicy like an apple and tastes just like watermelon!" The old man said smiling, half his teeth missing. He did not seem insane and if his story was to be believed the fruit would be okay to eat. His hand was still extended waiting for a reply.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:42, Wed 04 Mar 2020.

  Tyler looks at the grape like fruit and takes one and smells it. He shrugs and puts it in his mouth. "yummy, it's actually does taste like watermelon." He nodes at the old man and walks on. He saw all the vendors and saw things that he seemed actually interested in buying. But with what money. He walks on with his comrades to find this guy. He turns out his pockets and had a very sad looks on his face. He mumbled to himself "nothing but some lint and a pin". "After this job I'll have a small amount of money to feed the dog proper and mabey an attachment to my staff". His staff hangs off his back like a sword in a sheath. As he walks he thinks about what he could buy for his staff and his gun, The food for his dog, and some new clothes. But then thinks about Lydia. He blushes as he thinks "a pretty girl like her could use a necklace or a nice ring". He then day-dreamed about her. He shook his head and looked around to see if anyone saw him. He decided that when he gets money the dog does first then he would by a blade attachment for his staff then if any left a better scope for his gun. Feeling confident that he will get some money soon he stood up straight and felt ready for his job. He looked at his boss and said "so what do we do next".

     The dirt road continued ahead passing merchant bays and eateries.  All over town small lights began flickering on in the fading sunlight.  Soon, the world was awash in a soft glow and the first stars peeked out.  The two approached an alleyway and Phineas stopped.  He examined a sign on one of the buildings in the corner.
     "This is it", he said nonthreateningly and pivoted on his heel to turn in.  The offices of Maxwell Decker, clockwork specialist, were just up ahead.  Phineas was gambling that he would still find old Max at work, probably packing up to leave.  He'd never been sure, but he suspected the old codger to keep his apartment somewhere in the building.  He couldn't remember a time when he'd seen him leaving at night or arriving in the morning.  Bet then again he'd not been back to Wicks for a little over a year, so not exactly an authority.
     He stepped up to the unassuming door on the side of the building.  It faced a well-lit alleyway of painted brick walls.  A decorative awning hung over the door and sheltered patrons.  A similar door faced it from the building next door, as well as two more further down the wall.  Small plants lining the cobblestone floor completed the welcoming and affluent look that assured the luxury-enabled citizens of Wick.
     Phineas looked down at Tyler. "These guys are a little polished on the pinky if you know what I mean.  So just be patient, keep that gun out of sight and don't let em see the rough around yer edges", he winked.  Then he turned, noticed the silver letters on the glass door that read "The Polished Sprocket', grabbed the delicate door handle and pushed it open.

 
This message was last edited by the player at 18:22, Sun 15 Mar 2020.

This message was deleted by the player at 20:03, Sun 15 Mar 2020.

The door was obviously salvaged from a fallen building. It's paint had almost pealed off and looked a bit worse for wear but considering the conditions of the times it was in good shape. It was made of oak and had a carved gear on it, probably made after the bombs. The bricks on the outside had begin to crumble a bit from age and had moss growing in little cracks in between the layered Bricks. As one of the oldest buildings in Wicks the Polished Sprocket was less in shape than the other buildings but was sturdy and almost a monument, it was at least a testament to humanities ability to rebuild.

As the door swings open you immediately see multiple clocks hanging on the wall.Each one is beautifully ornate. One in particular caught the eye of our heros. A large clock made out of pine and had a relief carving of a man and woman holding a baby. To the left of the door, a little ways in, was a counter with a cash register and a vase with some nice looking red and blue flowers inside. Looking around to the right there was a row of shelves holding a multitude of parts and tools. From behind the shelves a man's voice spoke.
"Hello there" his voice was gruff but friendly. "Let me finish up what I'm doing and I'll be there in just a minute." A few seconds later and heavy footsteps could be heard heading towards the heroes. Another few seconds and a portly man came walking around the corner. He was not over weight but definitely had a beer belly. His hands we large a hairy and his hair was brown and masses up. He wore oversized overalls with many pockets with tools however despite him looking like a mechanic he did not seem dirty at all.
"What can I do you for good sir's, I've got many clocks from all over the place and if you've got a Droid that's broken I can fix it, for a price of course." A large smile grew across his face.

     "Maximilian, you boulder", Phineas boomed.  "Its P.T.!  Yer heads full of gears.  It's only been a little over a YEAR."  He laughed a couple of times with his chest and went on.  "The Marshall says you got troubles.  Im.. er.. WE..", he gestured to Tyler, "are just off to dinner.  Anything we can do for you while we're here?"
     He stepped up to the bench and put one thick hand flat on the counter, fingers spread.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:01, Mon 30 Mar 2020.

Max squints at Phineas for a few seconds then widens his eyes
"Good lord, it is you. my eye sight must be going. It's all that time spent with the welder.  Ahh and I see you're still all business haha." Max walks over to Phineas with a limp and places a hand on his shoulder. Smiling he then walks over to the counter and grabs a large flashlight.
"Now I know this is above your pay grade but I recently discovered a rad rat infestation in my basement. I believe its new and as you know its best to nip an infestation before they get themselves a queen. Now I'd take care of the myself but About seven months ago I messed my leg up something bad. There's not more than four from what I've seen so they shouldn't be a problem for a warrior like you." Realizing the fact that Phineas is a veteran and that he may not like the idea of playing the role of exterminator he thinks for a bit then perks up saying.
"Now I know you're a busy man and you're fully in your right to deny my request however I just got a new Synth just a few days ago. nothing special, looks like one of them one defense bots from way before the fall, however i did find that the AI is more advanced than normal, something that someone like you would find interesting. I would be willing to give it to you for free as long as you can eradicate those rats. what do ya say" Maxwell smiles, his grin full of yellow teeth and one silver one, holds out his gloved hand towards Phineas.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:45, Wed 25 Mar 2020.

In reply to Ash (msg # 55):

     The broad man locked his steely gaze on the shopkeeper and stroked his handlebar moustache with his gloved free hand.  He turned and glanced down at his counterpart who stood silent, looking back expectantly.  Phineas swore he saw a tinge of "But I'm hungry..." in Tyler's eyes.  But four rodents was no obstacle to dinner.  And a new synth, even a fixer-upper, would be a nice find for their stay here.  Besides, he thought, it'll give me something to tinker with before we set out.  He took a deep breath through his nostrils.
     "Ya got a deal there, Maxxy!:, he said and thrust his hand up to meet the other mans.  They shook on the deal and Max hobbled back to retrieve something.  Phineas looked down at Tyler who was already reluctantly pulling his gear out.  The older man pulled a roll of leather out of a pocket on his back by his shoulder.  He unrolled it across the counter like a scroll and a tidy array of weapons and precision tools came into view, tucked into pockets along the inside.

After a while of waiting, Maxwell came back with a lantern.
"When this place was created I guess the architect didn't think people would use the dang basement cause they decided to put the like switch at the bottom of the stairs, and it gets pitch black so we'll need this." He says waiving the lantern around.
"So are ye ready to do some training, hehe?" He says hobbling over to the same room he first came out of.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:40, Thu 30 Dec 2021.

Tyler, with his staff in one hand, walked down the dark stair way with his gun in the other hand. He thought to him self "this should be fun. A few rats couldn't be this hard" so he stood up straight and kept his eyes wide and his ears open. He longed for combat and was eager to fight.

     "Careful there, hero!", Phineas called down to Tyler. "You ever tangle with a rad rat?  We ain't talking about laying out a few mouse traps here."

     He finished assembling a tidy instrument, synced a small listening device to it, then plugged it into his left ear.  Another dish-shaped gadget was screwed into a coupling, then fitted to the barrel of his stum pistol.  He paused for a moment to consider some of the other tools he'd brought, but then casually rolled up his tool pack and stuffed it back into the holster on his shoulder.

     He walked up to the shop owner, who was standing beside the cellar entrance holding a lantern in his hand.  Phineas snatched the light source from him and leaned in close.

     "No surprises.... right, Maxxie?", he jutted his jaw out to make sure his old friend understood the gravity of the question, then turned to face his coworker.

     "Hey, kid.  If your gonna take point, whaddaya say you also light the way?"  He held out the lantern to Tyler and looked back at Max for an honest answer.

At this point the synth Maxwell had been working on was clearly visible. it was short about the size of a child and in good condition considering the current world condition, most likely the work of Maxwell.  It's head was round and had two lamp like eyes. similar to it's heat the body was round with legs that tapered out into large boot like feet and it hands did the same. On its left arm near the hand the word GENESIS was written on it. It looked like it could easily defend itself and could take a beating. The large man Phineas had previously asked a question said
"Yes, I'm sure of it. There's only a few rats down there but as you know if you don't take care of them soon they become a big problem.  I don't want another queen in my basement." In the distance a dull ring could be heard.
"I'll be there in just a minute. Well old fired good luck, I've gotta go take care of this customer." and with that Maxwell left behind the door leaving Phineas and Tyler along on the stairs to the basement.

     Two things bothered Phineas as he descended the solid wooden staircase into the murk below.  First, did Max say "another queen"?  He wondered what the last incident was like and how long it took for the rats to set up a hive right under his nose like that.  And second, probably none of his business, but the store was closed.  Who was coming in this late and after hours?

     Tyler edged up ahead, obviously eager to see some action.  Phineas started to warn the kid, but then decided to stop himself.  His young tactical officer needed to blow off some steam... or find himself in a hurt locker where wisdom is found.  He lifted one half of his mouth in a silent smirk at the thought and then snorted audibly, almost failing to suppress a laugh, as he thought back to all the dumb and impulsive things he'd ever done that got him into trouble and made him the man he was today - for better or worse.

     He tightened his grip on the elegant little pistol in his hand.  A trusty sidekick through many trials, the custom-built particle tazer fired a single atom of super-excited phosphorous that looked like a bright arc of string when it discharged, but hit like a bolt of lightning as the energy from the atom is released into the target, overloading their nervous system.  With the odd little dish attached to the nose of the barrel, it did so with deadly force when used against a target smaller than a human.

     As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the light from Tylers lantern revealed a stereotypical cellar.  Wooden shelves and odd pieces of equipment lined the stone walls.  The air was very cool and the musty smell of a normal cellar was mixed with a more acrid and pungent odor of living things.  Phineas tapped the earpiece lodged in his right ear. It was connected wirelessly to a listening device he held with his free hand.  He passed it back and forth over the room, straining to hear anything unusual as the device amplified even the faintest sounds coming from the cellar.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:49, Tue 28 Apr 2020.

The Basement was dark and dingy but looked well kept. There were many boxes pilled up here and there. some boxes were open revealing scrap parts and small trinkets. The light of the lamp illuminated a surprising amount of the basement. However in the darkness scampering could be heard. Three to four sets of rat feet running around on hard stone followed by one screech, then two, then three, then four. Then the four Rad Rats walk into the light of the lamp screeching and growling, their size comparable to that of a large house cat. After a few seconds more of the cacophonous sound the others grow quiet as a new almost deafening screech. The other rats step aside as a larger rat steps up and bares it's large yellow teeth.  It is clear that this is a baby queen.  The possibility of a queen at such a stage is zero, but there was no time to wonder about such things.  With one lowered growl the other four rats bared their teeth and we're poised to strike. THE BATTLE BEGINS
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:25, Mon 04 May 2020.