"The hawkmen will reach in in two minutes, about the same time as the eye of the storm will pass over. The assassin will be in range in three minutes; al lot of trouble. Be careful! And bring my fiancée back alive or I'll be even more trouble" Ingrid commed to Varca.

In reply to Ingrid Gustavdottir Sigar (msg # 87):

"I'm still alive dear, and yes, of course I'm coming back! If I don't come back, you'll kill me! I'll be fine." he replied to her as he caught up with Varca.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 88):

     Varca simply grunts a response over comms to Ingrid, as he trudges his way through the sand and debris--occasionally slipping or even tripping over some buried obstacle--but making a slow forward progress none the less.

     While his suits medikit is telling him he needs immediate medical care--and probably two weeks bedrest--Varca feels oddly invigorated.  It's been almost two months since he was last on-planet, at the old Harrier base--and he hadn't actually walked on the surface of his homeworld for over a year, before that!  Over a year of dragging his ass around in a G-field more than twice what he was born into...where he burned more calories just lifting a mug of ale to his lips than the ale actually contained!

     So, despite the serious pain he's feeling--even with the painkillers--he still feels like a massive weight has been lifted off of him, and every action he takes feels effortless.

     "Ingrid, confirm--" Varca suddenly asks, "you said the eye of this storm will pass over in a couple of minutes?  Clarify.  Pass over where, exactly...the Cave?  The Ship?  Or both?"

     While he waits for Ingrid to pass on that info, Varca switches to Aaron,

     "Aaron--I know you probably don't want to do it out in these conditions, but dose The King with Fast Drug.  Now, please.  Theo, Rejji and I will be there in a minute with the stretcher.  His fat ass needs to be put under before we get there."

     "We'll quickly secure him in the stretcher, then make a run for Vultan as soon as the eye of the storm arrives and the weather calms.  So, shoot him up with Fast Drug and stabilize him."

     "Rejji, remind me again what weapon you brought with you?"

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 89):

"Don't forget the assassin Varca." Teddy reminds him, though he probably didn't need it.

Ingrid informs you that the kilometer-wide eye of the storm will pass over the whole area, including cave, ruins and ship. The size and speed should give you a ten-minute window of calm, though most of the ionization will still be there.

"When did you become a doctor, Varca?" Aaron calls  back. "What makes you think I haven't already? Besides, if I think Hibernol is called for, I'll administer it. It's not always the miracle drug you warriors seem to think it is."

"I've got Natasha, my trusty ACR," Rejji also replies to Varca. "It's why you brought me along, right?"

"Not sure yet what to do about the Hawk Warriors. Don't have any scatter rounds and don't want to shoot them outright... since we don't know their motivations. They may think we're the assassins, if they are even aware of him."

"Thanks to Ingrid's sensor data, I've got this potential assassin covered. If he gets too close, he's toast!"

While they wait for Varca to arrive with the stretcher, Rejji studies the King. The injury looked like he fell onto the debris, and Rejji was amazed that Oleb had managed to crawl into this shelter. Probably didn't help his condition, but staying out in the storm would have been worse.

He suppressed a small laugh when he saw that the King wasn't wearing three grav belts as reported; instead, he had one belt with three grav units fastened to it as a sort of triple buckle. No doubt the side units were slaved to the center unit.

What caught his attention, though, was The Hole. Not unusual under the circumstances, but this was a straight line through all three 'buckles'. The only thing he knew that could account for that was a bullet hole!

"A helluva a shot," he said as Varca and Teddy joined them. He then explained to them what he'd discovered while looking off in the direction of the approaching assassin.

"Well, we're all here finally, your Hawkmen should be here in a minute Your Majesty. The enemy is closing too, so we'll need to move fast when we get a break in the storm. How many Hawk men are there? Everyone should fit on the Vultan to get out of here I think."

A few moments ago, when spoken to...

The opaque faceplate of Zhouth's vacc suit obscured his expression, but the suit as a whole did little to obscure his near freeze-in-place when Oleb began to pronounce a grand title in his direction. "I, uhh..." His hands started moving again, seemingly independently of the rest of him, as if muscle memory had asserted itself to ensure that the proper tools and medicines were being passed to Aaron at need as he continued uncertainly, "How much time do you need to confess them?"

That was followed by a split second of silence, then a start as he returned to slightly less robotic-looking action and rattled off a high-speed and emphatic refusal of sorts. "No, no, no! You're going to survive this and then give the whole lot of them a severe Drinaxi ritual lord-high upbraiding with cluster migraines, or whatever you call it, for trying to start a civil war because of that grav belt problem! That's what they're all busy doing right now, and we don't need the palace following you down here, you know?" He took a second out of his medical duties to wave both arms up and down emphatically. "Even if the crash and explosion would be really, really impressive and worth writing poetry about!"

Then, regaining some semblance of measured focus befitting a medic at work, he switched to a reassuring tone to close with, "But we won't let the Scholar's Tower do anything. I don't think that they would right now anyway, what with being part of trying to overthrow you."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:22, Wed 31 May 2023.

In reply to Zhouth (msg # 95):


     "I am well aware of all that, my friend." Varca responds over comms, as he and Theodore approach the cave, "I've had to receive the Fast Drug a couple of times, over the years.  But this place..."

     Varca gestures around the area, even though Aaron can't see him do so, "...is beyond anything even resembling an antiseptic environment!  And with unknown persons approaching rapidly, you just don't have time for the slow and careful approach.  It's battlefield triage in combat conditions, followed by a mad dash across formidable terrain--maybe under fire!"

     "His Majesty's best chance for survival is our speed!  We have an autodoc--just a little over one-hundred-meters away--that we can shove him into, once we're aboard Vultan--but we need to get him there ASAP!  Now, please, buddy, we've barely got one minute!  Get him stable and ready to move!"


     "Well, you'd be the one to know that, Rejji." Varca nods with a shrug, after Rejji passes on what he's seen of The King's gear, "You're probably the best marksman amoung all of us, here."


     "Uh, Theo..." Varca sends over the suit channel--and not out loud, via the suits vocoder--"Look, I'm not one hundred percent certain we should trust those Hawkmen, out there."

     "Yeah, odds are that they are on Oleb's side, here.  But I find it kinda suspicious that, with all the tension on the Palace, all of those Hawkmen had allowed His Majesty to get so far away from them.  AND that the only Hawkman who did keep up--and also fell out of the sky, I'd point out!--that those Hawkmen out there seemed to show very little concern about him--one of their fellow Hawkmen."

     "Yeah, yeah, they were concerned about The King--but, when you told them where their Hawkman buddy had gone down, they were more interested in info about Oleb.  And I noticed that not one of them diverted to go help their buddy!  They all kept pressing on towards The King's location."

     "And Rachando said there was a schism among the Hawkmen--some were solidly with the King, some were voicing opposition, and a few were trying to sit on the fence.  I think it might be safer to risk bruising the egos of some Loyal Hawkmen, rather than taking any chance they may want to harm The King."

     Varca suddenly changes the direction of the conversation with a single question, "And ... by the way ... has anyone told The King just who we are?"

     Varca activates his vocoder,

     "Imperial Majesty, we're the crew of Vultan--the Privateer ship you sent out.  We've landed the Harrier not too far away.  You're going to be fine, Majesty.  Captain McFarlane, himself, has come to your aid."

     Varca looks over his shoulder,

     "The winds are starting to die down--we gotta move!  Aaron, I don't care what you do, just get The King on the stretcher and ready to be moved NOW!  Theo--Rejji is a better shot than any of us, but you have the biggest gun!  Give Rejji your Gauss Rifle and you take his ACR."

     "Rejji, don't argue!  The gauss rifle has more punch and those Hawkmen are wearing armor!  Theo will take good care of your Natasha.  Now swap."

Teddy hands his rifle to Reji and takes his acr. He gets out of the way to give them room to get the king on the stretcher. He'll help carry it if necessary.

He noticed Varca schmoozing a little with the king, and he smiled to himself.

"Actually, I figured that out for myself, I thought they'd be here before we left. I don't know if they split up or not to help their own man, I'm sure the man that said it was his son did split off to find his boy. If we're gone before they get here, all the better, I just pray we don't have to fight our way out."

As the painkillers take hold of King Oleb, he becomes less lucid, although it may be hard to tell given his usual sense of reality.

"We can’t stay here. The Floating Palace... it’s a joke. A cage. A... stupid thing," he manages to mutter. "We were dragons once. We will rule the stars again. I gave you a Letter of Marque when we started this campaign... of piracy. It’s still good. Bring back the Kingdom, and all will be forgiven."

"Listen... listen, lads... listen. Tell. Prince Harrick... no... he’s not right for it. Rao... she’ll be Queen, but she needs someone to... warn her... there’s too much of the Sindalian in her... warn her... no more..."

With that, Oleb lapses into unconsciousness... and actually begins to snore.


Under Aaron's direction, you manage to carefully move Oleb onto the grav stretcher. When the calm reaches you, it's comparatively easy going to retrace the albeit circuitous route back to the ship.

About halfway back, you start getting shot at by the approaching Hawk Warriors, but the range is long and they aren't very good marksmen--the shots all go wild.

"I'd like to avoid any more patients just now," Aaron comments. "Teddy, see if you can get on the King's personal comm channel and inform his illustrious Hawk Warriors that the King is still alive and we're taking him back to the Palace for emergency medical treatment."

"They are welcome to join us on the ship."

"That should forestall any dissidents doing something stupid."

"Please stop shooting at us, we have the king, who is alive. We are taking him to the palace for emergency surgery to keep him alive, Are you coming with us? Or do we kill you for trying to kill the king? If you are coming, hurry here to us. When you get here, turn your guns in to the marines or you stay behind, we'll not be pirated."

"Please don't forget that there's also an entirely independent assassin running around here somewhere," Zhouth near-whispered over their group comms as he kept pace with the group, somewhat to the side of and following the stretcher and with his slightly-depleted bundle of medical supplies at the ready.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 100):

     Varca raises his right arm up towards the approaching Hawkmen,

     "We told them Vultan was a rescue ship." Varca says over the suit channel, "We told them where The King was located. They must have seen we were with The King at that location.  And they had to see that we are taking The King towards the ship."

     "And despite all that, they opened fire on us without warning, just as soon as they came into range.  Those arrogant bastards are not here to rescue The King!  They are here to make sure the job they started gets finished!"

     "Rejji, get ready to open fire.  Nothing they say, after all that, will convince me they are here to help The King."

     "Theo...they are probably going to respond and tell you that shooting at us was an accident, a mistake.  They are lying in order to get closer, before they start shooting, again.  You tell them, given how short the window of opportunity the storm's eye is giving us, we can't stop--and we have to keep moving towards the ship..." Varca includes Ingrid into the circuit,

     "...Ingrid?  You hear that?  We're gonna keep moving.  Those bastards will likely see that we're now ready for a fight and will guess we ain't buying their protein sludge.  So, get a target lock on the group of Hawkmen.  They might try to get between us and you, or they might just keep shooting.  So, go ahead and light 'em up now, as a warning."

     "Either way, the next time one of them fires a weapon, you will take them all out of my sky.  You got that?  Any Hawkman fires a weapon after this point, you take them out! That's recorded under my order--if I'm wrong, the fertilizer will all fall on my shoulders."

"Good point Varca. Keep an eye out for the assassin! Let's move! We got to be fast!"

He heads for the ship, guiding the grav stretcher if he has to, the others doing that mostly.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 103):

     "Yeah, I really do hope I'm wrong." Varca says, still pointing his weapon at the sky as the others start move,

     "Best thing they can do to prove that to me is just hold position.  'Cuz I ain't letting them either aboard Vultan or anywhere near it.  I think that's why Oleb mentioned the Letters...I think he was telling us that we have a weak legal fiction that we could, maybe, use to present ourselves as Agents of The King.  Answerable only to him.  On that bluff, we can probably get away with acting like The Kings protectors against anybody except the Princess and the Prince, themselves.  We'll see if we need to go there..."


OOC: y'now...this whole conversation--everything since Theo called to the Hawkmen--is kinda based on an assumption that the Hawkmen actually paused, when Theo called.
   More than likely, all that's been said since then, has actually been said under fire! ^_^

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 102):

Ingrid took a deep breath. "Warning shot, got it. I hope you are right Varca." Waging war didn't exactly suit her, so she hoped that wouldn't be necessary.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:36, Fri 02 June 2023.

With Teddy and Varca lifting/carrying/guiding the grav stretcher, Aaron walks along one side while Zhouth covers the other.

Rejji places himself between the stretcher and the Hawk Warriors and that 'lone gunman', whether he's a would-be assassin or not.

"My sincerest apologies, Lord Baron McFarlane," a female voice responds to Teddy's comm. "We thought you were the assassins returning to finish the job. I'm Commander Brie Tollar of His Royal Majesty's Elite Hawk Warrior bodyguards. We really appreciate the invitation to get out of this hellish storm."

The eleven remaining Hawk Warriors continue approaching but they are not shooting and have put away their weapons.

Just as you reach the ship, a lone shot rings out and strikes the stretcher. The high-density, high-velocity round rips through the stretchers power supply, instantly killing the anti-gravity function. This is only an issue because of the King's not-inconsiderable mass! It's all Teddy and Varca can do to keep from dropping the now-heavy stretcher. Fortunately, Donio is there at the airlock to assist.

Rejji realizes the shot didn't come from the Hawk Warriors but from the direction of the other person out there.

"ASSASSIN!" Brie yells and the Hawk Warriors all turn in flight and rush at the lone shooter. Guns a-blaze, they begin shooting their laser rifles before they are within range, but the barrage is effective at preventing any more shots from the shooter.

King and stretcher are rushed into the ship and Aaron soon has the King ensconced in the AutoDoc.

"LEAVE!" Brie further calls out over the comms. "We've got this!"

Zhouth began to duck when the shot first rang out, the motion accompanied by his characteristic staccato cry of alarm. This predictable response was, rather uncharacteristically, interrupted by a sudden lurch up and over that left him hunched over the grav sled with his arms held out, looking for all the world as though he was doing his desperate best (given his relatively small profile) to shield Oleb from any further incoming fire. He kept this up, somewhat awkwardly given the improvised synchronization of the group's movements, until Oleb was inside the airlock and therefore shielded by structural elements rather more substantial than he.

Then he dashed off after the pallet to the med bay to continue his self-appointed task of acting as Aaron's assistant, even if the assistance needed with the cryoberth was relatively minimal.

Only once the king was properly frozen did he step back and, after a moment of what looked like hesitant indecision, slump against a nearby fixture and sit there panting with his hands clutching at his chest.

Teddy struggles with the weight of the king, with Donio and Varca, to get the stretcher to the autodoc. Once secured in the device, Teddy heads for the bridge as fast as he can go. "I've got the con Ingrid, let's get out of this hell hole!"

04:47, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 8 using 2d6+4.  pilot.

04:46, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 11 using 2d6+4.  pilot.

04:46, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 14 using 2d6+4.  pilot.

04:46, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 10 using 2d6+4.  pilot.

04:46, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 9 using 2d6+4.  pilot.

04:46, Today: Theodore McFarlane rolled 9 using 2d6+4.  pilot.

The flight was a little rough and he required a little assistance from Kira!

"Battle stations, battle stations, everyone buckle down!"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:26, Sat 03 June 2023.

In reply to Theodore McFarlane (msg # 108):

OOC: Not a Cold Sleep berth, Zhouth--we have an actual AutoDoc, now!  We got it back at Palindrome at a...uh..."salvage" sale...
   Of course, the 'Doc might decide to freeze his majesty anyway, if he's that critical...

In reply to Varca Lexand (msg # 109):

     As Teddy races to the Bridge, Varca calls after him,

     "I'll be in Counter Measures, Theo!  Don't forget to put the ship at Combat Stations!"

     Varca rushes into Portside Counter Measures still wearing his Raider Suit.  He pulls the helmet off and secures it to the back of the headrest, before dropping into the seat and bringing the suite equipment (yes, that was a Pun!) to life.

     "Varca to Captain." Varca opens a comm circuit as soon as he can,

     "Once we're clear of the ruins, set course for the Highport, do not go back to the Palace.  I say again, do not go back to the Palace.  That's by the King's order, if you remember!"

     "Back in the cave, King Oleb said the Palace was a joke and a cage.  Plus, there's the whole paranoia gas issue.  No, get us to the Highport A-S-A-P.  Hell, once we're clear of the ruins, punch it all the way up to six-G's, if you think you can do it!"

     "I know Rachando told us that most of the Star Guard Navy is up there, and that Grand Admiral Wrax looks to be holding hands with the Prince Harrick Faction--but the Highport is run by GeDeCo.  So, I don't think anyone will try to stop us from getting medical care for The King."

     "I'll handle comms with the Hawkmen *heh* as you can probably guess, I'm gonna lie to them, and tell them we're headed for the Palace."

     "But I'm serious about speed, Theo--if you feel it'll be safe punching it to six-G's through this storm, then do it!"

OOC: it should only be the storm effects you need to worry about. Drinax has a Very Thin atmosphere--speeding at 6-g's through that air density should be no problem.  We'll be at the Highport in under 15 minutes ^_^

"Roger that Varca! 6 Gs. It might be a little rough, everyone hang on tight! Contact Highport Varca, tell them we have an emergency and get us a landing space."