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Clockwork Jester
Namtar Elite
Gallente Federation
47
   |
Posted - 2014.09.11 03:55:00 -
[1] - Quote
Seated on a park bench, or sprawled out to be exact, the figure stared off into space. His eyes were unfocused, taking in no particular details. A black clove cigarette hung lifelessly from his lips. An oversized hood was pulled over his head, obscuring the details of his face. It was meant to hide him as well as to detract the unwanted onlooker. He had a badly cut lip and a nasty gash over the bridge of his now crooked nose. He was pretty sure he had a concussion. Blood spotted his already dirty sweater, a few drops had even found his jeans. His thumbs were loosely tucked into the pockets of his jeans. His hands were bloody and bruised, the skin on his knuckles was torn. Blood slowly ran down both hands. He continued to stare off into space.
He was still trying to put the pieces together. Everything had happened so quickly, it was all little more than a blur. He had received a disturbing message on his neocom. GÇ£Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!GÇ¥ It was an automated message set to transmit in the case of a catastrophic emergency. It could have been referring to any number of emergencies. It was the following message that had struck fear into his heart. GÇ£GÇ¥All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!GÇ¥ It was the first time in recent memory that he truly feared for his life. The message was clear and simple, he was no longer immortal.
Noah had immediately gone into survival mode grabbing his go bag and burning everything else. As he was destroying all traces that he had ever been there he received another message, this one was much simpler, GÇ£Breach Imminent.GÇ¥ The monitors near his desk showed several individuals of unknown origin garbed in black armor. The door to his quarters suddenly exploded in, skidding several feet before coming to rest. Noah didnGÇÖt bother to wait to see who they were. As the door was sliding across the ground and scratching his floor he blew the remote explosives rigged around the door. The explosion shook the entire room, and Noah could feel the shockwaves hit his gut. The pressure momentarily knocked the air from his lungs. What came next was all a mess. Apparently the explosion had only incapacitated a few of them. What ensued was a confusing and desperate struggle for survival. All he could remember was sudden searing pain followed by another explosion. He had gone into autopilot. The next thing he remembered was a suspicious message appearing on his neocom. Quote:GÇ£You are in danger, head to the station in the Wildlands; no time to explain.GÇ¥
A sudden soft vibration along his left forearm shook him from his daze. His light brown eyes suddenly refocused. Noah removed his hands from his pockets and moved them up to his face. A soft grunt was followed by a sudden cracking noise as he straightened out his nose. With a heavy sigh and a considerable amount of will he pushed himself up off his bench, grabbed his bag and made his way towards the docks. He took a long drag on the cigarette hanging from his mouth. It was time to go and find some answers.
****
Through a complex system of cashing in favors and greasing the right palms Noah had managed to make his way to the station. He had been on edge for hours, and the effects of warp and gate travel only exacerbated things. The fact that he now found himself in a throng of humanity didnGÇÖt make matters any better. By most standards the station was fairly empty, but in his heightened state of paranoia he viewed the situation in a different light.
GÇ£I would have prefered an abandoned station to this one.GÇ¥
Carefully he made his way through the mass of humanity, and further into the station. Thankfully it wasnGÇÖt quite as crowded. Noah let out a breath he hadnGÇÖt noticed he was holding. It was then that he received an unusual transmission went over the local channel.
Thal Vadam wrote:GÇ£Those heroes who never die, we stand at Mac's pub.GÇ¥
GǣNice, subtle. This is either the worse trap ever orGǪGǥ
Pulling up the station map the former immortal made his way towards the pub, but rather than blindly walking in he took up a position several buildings away, and began to assess the scene. In his rather vulnerable state he was allowing his paranoia to take over. |
Clockwork Jester
Namtar Elite
Gallente Federation
48
|
Posted - 2014.09.13 21:34:00 -
[2] - Quote
The soldier felt a wave of nausea slowly roll over him. He told himself it was due to the smoking. The man was having an impossible time admitting it was due to fear and paranoia, both emotions were being affected by his recent lack of sleep. Closing his eyes he took a moment to collect himself. His thoughts were accompanied by calming crackling noise as he took a slow, deliberate breath. As he did so the nausea started to recede. He moved to the buildings roof to get a better view of the pub, and its immediate surroundings.
Jester was not foolish enough to blindly walk into a trap, especially considering was no longer immortal. A fact that a small voice in his mind would not let him forget. As unusual as it might seem, he found comfort knowing that someone, or something was reminding him of his mortality. Scanning his surroundings he quickly came to a decision, he still required more information.
From his bag Noah removed a long, thing case. Cracking it open revealed a disassembled sniper rifle. The soldier quickly assembled the miniaturized rail gun with practiced ease. Although Noah was proficient in using a sniper rifle he did not consider himself to be a true sniper. At best he considered himself a marksman. At the moment though the range the gun provided was the most ideal for observing from a relatively safe distance.
Just as he had finished assembling the rifle he heard the roar of thrusters near him. Almost immediately after he recognized the noise of an incoming dropship he heard the equally distinctive firing of swarm launchers. He heard the missiles but could not physically see them, a fact that he found quite disturbing. Noah took a quick glance down at his neocom, the station map was still queued up. Not surprisingly there were a number of optimal positions to fire from. He scanned the most likely building but could not see anything, no soldiers, or trails of smoke. Instead of trying to find a ghost Noah focused his attention on the crashing dropship, he needed to discover if it was being piloted by the enemy or an ally. He told himself that he was hoping it was an enemy ship that had gone down, but in his gut kept telling him that it was most likely friendly.
The soldier observed as two figures came stumbling out of the wreckage. He was surprised to see that they were still in one piece. Dropships were not exactly known to have great survivability rates after they were shot down. Noah did not recognize the male who had excited the cockpit. Fortunately he did recognize the second occupant. although it took him a moment to recall her. They had worked together once before. He watched on as the others inside the pub assisted those in the dropship, and the unfortunate individual who had not avoided the falling brick. With the knowledge that those inside the pub were friendly, or at least not the ones trying to wipe him from existence, he returned his gaze to the street, and he did not like what he saw.
The downed dropship was drawing to much attention. Station security was beginning to mobilize, and would probably be there in a few minutes. What was more concerning was the ominous black armored figures that were quickly making their way towards the ship.
Noah opened up his neocom and sent a voice message to Hunter and those in the pub.
GÇ£Hunter, are you guys prepared for the reservations at 10 and 2? Both are parties of three. I should be arriving in a few minutes.GÇ¥
He hoped that his message was not too obvious, but at the same time he hoped they would be able to figure it out. The times were the direction they were coming from. The party size was pretty obvious, with his arrival time being their estimated time of contact. He could only wait as and watch as the unknown enemies closed in. He waited, with his finger resting on the trigger, ready to provide support to those down below. |
Clockwork Jester
Namtar Elite
Gallente Federation
49
|
Posted - 2014.09.14 22:04:00 -
[3] - Quote
From his perch Noah observed the engagement between the two sides. He wanted to observe the assault party with an objective eye, gather intel, and perhaps figure out who had sent them. Unfortunately the current circumstances did not allow him to observe for long. He watched as they moved methodically towards their objective, they were smooth and in sync with one another. Their movements looked like they were natural, as if they had been doing this their entire life. They did not remind him of the average immortal mercenary. These men acted as a single unit, not as individuals. His observations only served to further his initial theories.
A large part of him wanted to continue observing, learning as much as he could. If he had still been immortal he probably would have done nothing. At the moment though he simply needed to survive, and his best bet was sticking with the others. As noah sighted up an enemy the clove cigarette fell from between his lips, coming to rest in front of him. Noah sighted up the enemy nearest his allies. In this particular case he was focusing on covering the Amarr who had decided to engage in melee combat. Aiming at center mass he took a moment to steady his aim before depressing the trigger. He fired at the same time Thal was punched. The rifle accelerated the 2 cm inert round to upwards of 2,500 m/s. a flare of light indicated the round had found its target, the rifle was powerful enough to punch through the armors shields, but could not bypass the the armor. The impact was enough to at least stagger his target.
GÇ£Damn rifle, canGÇÖt even take out a damn medium frame in one shot.GÇ¥
Without hesitation Noah fired a second round, aiming for the chest again. The second round found its way through the black armor and into whatever lay beneath it. The target collapsed onto the ground, now only a lifeless husk. He shifted his sights to another target, his time was limited, they would have his position figured out in a matter of seconds.
This time he took aim a little higher, setting one of the soldiersGÇÖ heads as his target. He needed to take them out in a single shot. He fired his third shot, but his bullet failed to find its target, missing by about a centimeter. He silently cursed under his breath as he adjusted and fired again. The second shot hit just as the soldier looked in his direction. His head was snapped violently back, but the bullet failed to penetrate the soldiers helmet.
GÇ£Piece of crap, I swear you were designed by a blind Matari.GÇ¥
He fired again, Just as the round was cutting through the armor Noah was ejecting the spent clip and jamming in another one in a single fluid motion. It was an act he had repeated so many times that it was done without conscious thought. As soon as he was done reloading he was up and moving. His bag slung across his shoulder, and the sniper rifle across his back. He needed to leave as quickly as possible, they had most likely already determined where he was, and he wasnGÇÖt about to stick around to have a conversation.
Noah slid down a utility pipe on the side of the building into the maze of access tunnels of the station. Unfortunately he had no idea where any of the others were, or where they were going, no one had contacted him with any information, and he had lost visual contact with the group.
GÇ£Thats what you get for helping people out. Stranded and left to die. I would have been better ignoring that damn message.GÇ¥
As he hurdled over a large service pipe he heard the familiar sound of combat boots quickly behind him. Apparently he hadnGÇÖt left quickly enough. He quickened his pace, relying on his modified body to propel him forward as quickly as possible. It was moments like these that he regretted having a leisure clone. Although his current body was heavily modified it was nothing compared to the modified combat clones that he usually inhabited, and what was most likely being used to hunt him down. He needed to find a way to shake off his pursuer. He was starting to wish they made personal cloaking devices that required less power. Without a frame they were completely useless.
Noah knew that it was only a mater of time before he was caught. |
Clockwork Jester
Namtar Elite
Gallente Federation
49
|
Posted - 2014.09.15 17:22:00 -
[4] - Quote
Hawk wrote:"Hey you! Over here! Come this way!" He shouted, waving his hand at the fast approaching former-immortal.
Noah only had a moment to make a decision, follow a stranger or continue running. He came to the determination that those pursuing him wouldn't bother with attempting to trick him, they probably would have just shot him. Taking a risk he quickly altered his course towards the one waving at him. As he turned the corner he saw a makeshift ball of wires and tape thrown the direction he had come. He could feel the heat and pressure wave of the explosion behind him. It also left a slightly disorienting ringing in his ears.
The collapsed service tunnel would at least by them a few minutes reprieve. As his unknown savior was dusting himself off Noah removed a bolt pistol from the holster on his right thigh. His paranoid mind was seeing everyone as an enemy at the moment. Better to kill his savior than allow them the opportunity to do the same.
Hawk wrote: "Jester... Is that you? You lost or something?" He chuckled a little.
It took a few moments for him to recognize the one speaking to him, the one who had possibly just saved him. A sudden burst of acknowledgement flashed across his eyes, he knew this man. That acknowledgement briefly turned to anger, and the bolt pistol started to spool up. Noah was quickly contemplating shooting Hawk, perhaps more so because he recognized him. The anger dissipated from his eyes as he made the decision to not kill the man who had just assisted him. Given their current situation it was probably a poor decision to kill an ally. He released the trigger and the spooling noise ceased.
GÇ£Hawk...you were one of the last people I expected to run into, small universe. And not lost, just exploring the area without any knowledge of where I am going.GÇ¥
They had only worked together once before. He didnGÇÖt bother to mention the mission, it was something he was going to avoid talking about if he could help it. He holstered the bolt pistol as he was speaking. He wasnGÇÖt about to thank Hawk for the assistance either, in his own mind he kept telling himself that he would have figured something out.
GÇ£You got the same message? You wouldnGÇÖt happen to have a way off this station?GÇ¥
The longer he was on the station the more he regretted his decision to investigate. He was cursing himself for wanting to find answers. |
Clockwork Jester
Namtar Elite
Gallente Federation
49
|
Posted - 2014.09.16 00:33:00 -
[5] - Quote
Hawk wrote:"Nice to see you too. I thought that we were supposed to come here for a civil chat"
Jester offered him a half hearted shrug shrug, GÇ£I donGÇÖt know, I think this is pretty civil, at least as far as things usually go.GÇ¥
Hawk wrote:"As a matter of fact... I do. I managed to intercept a transmission from our mutual friend's escape pilot. It's a Mastodon transport vessel currently 12 or so jumps from here. It'll be arriving soon, but until then we need to hold out."
He straightened his collar.
"Now, there is some good news, and some bad news... The good news is that they requisitioned some dropships in dockyard 4D-9 to keep us moving; and it's likely the place everyone else will be, at lest for now." He paused.
"The bad news is that whoever's trying to kill us, persistent little radges that they are; now have over 3 battalions worth of men on-board this station. They'll be able to search every nook of this station, hunting us down like rats; so we have to get out these tunnels before we get trapped. Any objections?"
Noah was glad to hear that he had a way off the station, the time before extraction was going to be an issue though. If the numbers Hawk had gathered were accurate then that was a little bit more than bad news. The mention of using a dropship to continue moving did not sit well with him. He had watched as the previous ship was taken down rather quickly.
Jester leaned his tired body against the wall, relieving his legs of supporting the majority of his own weight. He was tired, and starting to get hungry again. The talk of being hunted like rats made him think of mice running around a maze. The only difference was that in the end the mouse was rewarded with cheese in the end.
GÇ£That doesnGÇÖt sound so bad, aside from the massive amount of highly trained and organized killers looking for us, and the lack of an immediate way out...and the loss of our immortalityGǪ and the likelihood that we are all probably going to die a horrible and gruesome death...GÇ¥
As his voice drifted off so did his attention, and his face formed into a concerned grimace. GÇ£Well, could be worse I suppose.GÇ¥ He waved his hand like he was brushing an invisible fly out of the way. The grimace turned into a crooked grin.
The soldier was wondering if the two of them could even get to the dropship in time. Given their luck they would probably get there just as it was taking off, and the two of them would be left to fend for themselves again. Jester quickly decided that worrying was useless, and at the moment a wonderful waste of time. Using his elbows he pushed himself off of the wall and turned down the hall.
GÇ£No objections Hawk, now lets go find our cheese,GÇ¥ He started walking down the hall with absolutely no idea where he was supposed to be heading, but he wasnGÇÖt about to admit it. |
Clockwork Jester
Namtar Elite
Gallente Federation
51
|
Posted - 2014.09.21 18:14:00 -
[6] - Quote
Hawk wrote:"Err, Jester... The docks are that way..." Hawk said, pointing to a corridor Jester had just walked past. "Perhaps I should lead the way?"
Noah stopped moving half way through a step, his right leg was still hanging in the air.
GÇ£Ahh.. I knew that,GÇ¥ as he spoke he pivoted 180 degrees on his left foot and quickly followed Hawk. As they were making their way through the winding service tunnels Noah was further reminded of a mouse caught in a maze, only with more death and dismemberment most likely imminent. He pulled his oversized hood back over his head, it had fallen off in his mad dash through the tunnels to lose his pursuers. Noah removed the bolt pistol from its holster, holding it in both hands as they moved as quickly, and cautiously through the tunnels. Noah was skeptical about being able to do anything to their pursuers should they meet them in such close quarters. Even if both parties were immortal these shadow warriors had the advantage in not only numbers but in equipment as well. The difference in armor levels was glaring. The black clad drones were wearing frames of unknown origin. Jester was wearing regular civilian clothing, and it was threadbare and tattered at that.
JesterGÇÖs nerves were starting to fray, he was suspicious of every shadow and sound. He felt as if the already cramped tunnels were becoming even smaller. As if the walls were slowly beginning to converge upon him. The soldier was possibly experiencing the early symptoms of a panic attack. He was even starting to become suspicious of Hawk, was he leading him into a trap? Unfortunately, Noah had only a very basic idea of where they were going. Utilizing the map on his neocom he was able to roughly determine their location. The service elevator they were heading towards was supposed to put them in the middle of the dockyard. From there they just needed to find the correct dock. It sounded easy enough. His own findings were quickly confirmed by what Hawk said. Noah hoped he was right.
While the plan was simple enough it had a number of complications being thrown in, and Noah had a sinking feeling that things were about to get worse. He had the distinct feeling that something was quickly approaching, his feeling was quickly confirmed by a the clatter of heavy, armored boots upon the metal grated floor.
GÇ£This is turning out splendidly.GÇ¥ He actually had a sideways grin on his face. Even with the fear and paranoia consuming his emotions he couldnGÇÖt help but grin.
Noah quickly holstered his bolt pistol and slung his sniper rifle back around his shoulders. He slid to the side of the service elevator and took aim. He had decided to take out whatever came through the door. He only hoped that the elevator arrived faster than those pursuing them from the tunnels.
It seemed to take forever, every second they waited felt like an eternity. Noah felt like the service tunnel was starting to collapse on top of him. His heart beat was pounding in his ears, and every breath seemed to take more and more effort. As the lift clattered to the bottom of the shaft he held his breath and tried to move purely on muscle memory and instinct.
The doors opened slowly and pair of pitch black monsters emerged from within. The moment they came into view Jester fired. He hadnGÇÖt had time to properly fire. He was thrown off balance by the recoil, and the rifle was hard into his shoulder. At nearly point blank range he couldnGÇÖt miss, the round ripped through the soldiers skull.
(working under the assumption that Hawk will be taking care of the other one)
Noah spun his shoulder in a circle a few times.It was probably going to bruise, he was really wishing he was in a combat clone, or at least in a frame. He let out an audible groan as he rotated his shoulder and squatted down next to one of the dead soldiers. He quickly removed the soldiers helmet.
GÇ£IGÇÖll be taking that,GÇ¥ he examined his new found trinket as he walked into the lift, the doors closing behind him. His new accessory was secured tightly around his waist.
As the doors closed a faint noise, music, emerged from around the lift walls. It was an all instrumental version of a well known classic Galentte pop song. Noah quietly sang the lyrics (slightly off key) and moved his head in time with the bass line. The lift began its painfully slow journey to the dockyards. |
Clockwork Jester
Namtar Elite
Gallente Federation
52
|
Posted - 2014.09.24 02:12:00 -
[7] - Quote
The journey up the service shaft was excruciatingly slow, it was adding untold pressure on top of NoahGÇÖs already stressed mind. His heart beating so hard it felt like it might break through his chest, he could hear the pounding in his ears. In an attempt to gain control he he tried to tell himself that it was because of increased amounts of adrenaline and blood rushing through his ears, it was a failed attempt. He had started singing to try and focus his mind on something, anything else, it wasnGÇÖt working.
Hunter Junko wrote:" whatever you guys are doing , we need to move now!! Our HVI'S are near the dockyards, hurry it up!!"
The sudden transmission caused him to twitch reflexively, he was falling apart and wasnGÇÖt certain how much longer he could go. He fumbled around in his pockets for a cigarette and lighter. His hands were trembling so badly that he could hardly get it in his mouth, let alone light the damn thing.
GÇ£Y-Yeah, sorry about that.GÇ¥ Although he tried to sound normal his voice was trembling like his hands.
As he finished speaking he finally managed to sucessfully light the damn stick. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. The chemicals had a slight calming effect on the soldier. It did not completely diminish the torrent of emotions he was feeling, but it did allow him to gain some semblance of control.
GÇ£IGÇÖll be there in a minute so donGÇÖtGǪGÇ¥ His voice trailed off as the lift doors opened and revealed nothing but death a chaos. In his mind it was as if the Gates of Hell themselves had been opened. The lit cigarette fell to the ground and continued to burn slowly.
GǣOhGǪGǥ His voice held no surprise, or anger, or fear. It was completely devoid of all emotion, completely lifeless.
Without thinking he pushed the door closed button and then the emergency stop button. Like his voice his face failed to show any traces of emotion. If anyone had been staring into his eyes at that moment they might have seen the dim light they held finally go out. Noah staggered back until he was stopped by the wall behind him and slid down the wall. What little strength that he had held onto left his body.
GǣU-Uh, you should leaveGǪGǥ He transmitted over his neocom so Junko could hear.
Noah struggled to get the words out. He didnGÇÖt want to say them, but the truth of the matter was obvious.
GÇ£I um, IGÇÖll meet you at the shipGǪGÇ¥ he tried to convince himself that he wasnGÇÖt that far from the ship, although he knew the truth. It was going to take him five minutes to get there and they would probably be there in less than two. He hoped they wouldnGÇÖt come and get him.
Using the wall as a prop Noah stood back up. He legs felt like they could hardly sustain his bodies weight. After he was done speaking he deactivated his neocom, his blip disappearing from friendly radar. He removed the device from his wrist and dropped it on the floor. Taking a deep breath he depressed the door open button. The Gates of Hell slowly clattered open again. He desperately wanted to live, and at the moment would use any means necessary to ensure his survival. Using the wall like a starting block he pushed off as hard as he could and excited the lift running as fast as his mortal legs could carry him.
In his mind the dropship was the most dangerous place to be. He had watched on as they had effortlessly shot down the other one. He was hoping the dropship presented a more intriguing target. He hoped their attackers would favor taking out multiple targets over a single one. Or at the very least they would be slowed down long enough for him to get to the SeGÇÖterra. Noah sprinted through the dockyard at full speed, utilizing the containers and other ships as cover. His only hope of survival was the possible death of those that had risked their lives to save him.
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