Kirk happily relays the drone’s position. (Wouldn’t that be on their tacnet, normally?)
Since the drone is being piloted by the sprite, it can handle communicating its visual information to Nail. The sprite is smart enough for basic surveillance, but may have difficulty with unforseen circumstances.
I’ll update the game later tonight!
Seneth walks into the first passenger section of the train, and spots Chaggo. Goethe is painfully aware of just how much Seneth sticks out among regular people, with his flowing raven-black hair, pale complexion, black clothing, and powerful aura.
Goethe realizes with sudden concern that Seneth has managed to fit almost every stereotype of an ancient Warlock. He’s drawing attention from everyone, including Chaggo and his agent. It’s impossible for him to keep a low profile under these conditions. Luckily the stares appear to be just curiosity at this point, and nobody has linked Seneth to Goethe.
Meanwhile, Kirk’s drone spots the lookout ducking into an alleyway. Nail can attempt to cut him off on the other side, or allow him to continue on his way.
Seneth, somewhat aware that people are staring at him, begins to try to fit in. He leans against the wall(or pole if there is one) and crosses his leg over, trying to look casual. He closes his eyes and appears to be lost in thought. Surprisingly he begins singing to himself…a tune that no one else has heard.
"Wandering from town to town
Wearing an eternal crown
Of darkness and of dreams
Goes the owl(or so it seems)
Oh, from the ancient lands.
Singing a song of eternal mourn
To only those of long ago born.
The owl is friend to few, perhaps none
But is known by only those who are shunned.
Oh, from the ancient lands."
The tune is somewhat haunting, somewhat beautiful, but odd. Naturally, Seneth has no idea that this increases his oddness, but assumes this is what regular folk do.
“Dang, I might lose him. Still, I can’t risk the mission yet by having this chump alert Chaggo. Best to take a small gamble for now,” Nail thinks quickly in his head.
Seeing Seneth stroll in, Goethe realizes that if he makes no notice of Seneth, as requested, he’ll actually be drawing more attention to himself than if he doesn’t, since Seneth can’t help but draw attention from people.
Furthermore, upon hearing Seneth begin to sing, Geothe almost tells him over the commlink to shutup. But just as the words are forming at his lips, Goethe stops himself, realizing that the more Seneth makes himself look out of place, the less people are inclined to notice Goethe. This might actually turn out to his advantage.
He subvocalizes into the commlink:
“If the package is moved from its current location, leave it to me to track it down for now.”
Goethe then activates his earbuds’ sound enhancements and filters to listen in on any conversation between Chaggo and his companion.
Chaggo and the lookout are not seated next to each other, but rather Goethe knows they are associated by the glances the human makes to the ork. Goethe can see the muscles in Chaggo’s jaw flexing as he subvocalizes into his comlink, apparently in conversation with a third party. Goethe strains to hear the conversation, but can only pick up Chaggo’s side of it.
“There’s a bus stop at 1203 just across Belmont. You should be able to see the bus approaching now,” the ork says. “I don’t care if you don’t see him anymore. Get on that bus, and don’t take any chances.” There’s a pause while the third party speaks, and then Chaggo speaks again. “Get the Native out of there. There’s a warlock here I don’t like the look of. Synthcorp’s making their move now.” There’s another pause, and the anger in Chaggo’s response makes his words almost audible to the people around him. “How do you think, idiot? They turned Fortnight. Just get on the damned bus, get Arry out of the building, and call me if you see the twiggy human again!”
Goethe has made a successful perception test, with bonus modifiers for his equipment allowing him to eavesdrop on Chaggo’s conversation. From the sound of it, it seems that the man Nail is following with Kirk’s drone has reported his suspicion to Chaggo.
Kirk’s drone uploads an aerial feed to Nail’s comlink, showing the man they are following about to emerge from the alleyway into a public area near the bus stop. The 1203 bus is approaching the stop, and will arrive in 15 seconds. If Nail wants to prevent the man from getting on the bus, he must act now! He has just enough time to reach the alley as the man emerges, if he decides to sprint.
Chaggo subvocalizing into commlink:
“Other package crossed paths with package I’m monitoring. Other package on move to final destination. It that package arrives, our asses could be in a sling. We need to…nail…that other package down now before it gets away from us.”
I assume you mean your character, not Chaggo. Forgive me if I’m confused and this is wrong.
“I’m on it!” Nail subvocalizes intensely. Nail sprints to the bus stop to stop the man from boarding the bus.
His decision whether or not to draw his gun in advance will depend partly on the thickness of the crowd at the bus stop.
The area around the bus stop is crowded with more than a dozen pedestrians and travelers, but Nail can intercept the man in the alleyway just before he exits. It’s likely he’ll draw some attention with his full-sprint, but unlikely that anyone will attempt to directly intervene, especially if Nail is holding a gun.
Nail will not draw his gun in advance then. Palming a cred-stick in his hand, Nail will approach the man as he leaves the alleyway. When he sees him, he will say breathlessly, “Boy. You sure are hard to keep up with mister. You dropped this.” If the man believes Nail, as the man looks down he will sock him with that hand and disable him. If the man reaches for his gun or takes hostile action, Nail will fight him physically. Basically, Nail is going to be taking this guy on.
Nail is entering combat with the lookout man.
Beginning round 1 -
As the man emerges from the alley, he sees Nail only a few steps away, barreling toward him at full speed. The man shouts “Help! Mugger!” and turns around to run back into the alley, directly away from Nail. The crowd at the bus stop sees Nail running and hears the man’s call for help. One of them will certainly place an emergency call, and Nail can expect the authorities to arrive within minutes.
Nail realizes that the man can naturally run faster than him. If he doesn’t do something drastic, the man could escape. As Nail enters the alleyway behind the man, he shouts wordlessly, and the air seems to “pop” around his body. Power surges through his muscles as Nail takes great strides forward, now slowly outpacing the man. As Nail closes the gap between them, he realizes just how good it feels to be operating at his phyiscal peak.
The man was expecting trouble, after his conversation with Chaggo. Nail did not succeed in his con test, due to hefty penalties for the man’s level of suspicion. Nail has spent the first combat round (using all of his initiative passes) gaining distance on Chaggo’s fleeing lookout man. The man is stronger and can run faster than Nail, so to compensate Nail used the Attribute Boost adept power to increase his STR (which also increases running speed). He scored 2 hits during the test, increasing his STR by 2. Nail suffered Drain as a result of using this power, causing 1 stun damage. Nail estimates he will overtake the man next combat round. His boosted STR will last for 3 more combat rounds.
–
Meanwhile, on the train, Chaggo’s agent is eyeing Seneth suspiciously. The agent has a hand resting on his hip, where Goethe can see the faint outline bulge of a hidden firearm holster. Goethe gets the impression that the man is professional, and may even have cybernetic enhancements increasing his combat ability. The man is wearing a synthetic fiber coat that will provide decent ballistic armor.
Chaggo himself appears lost in thought. This concerns Goethe, as he gets a strong impression that Chaggo realizes the threat to him, and is finalizing a plan to extract himself from the situation. Goethe is certain that neither Chaggo nor the agent suspects him, but they will treat Seneth as a known enemy, if combat erupts on the crowded train.
“Surely, they wouldn’t try something here,” Goethe considers. There are several Lone Star officers patrolling the train, and more than a hundred passengers among the cars. There’s no escape, either, at least not while the train’s in motion. What could Chaggo be planning?
–
After a series of successful perception tests, Goethe adequately sizes up the agent, notices the hidden firearm on the agent, and realizes Chaggo is up to something. The group on the train (and Kirk) can attempt to somehow disrupt whatever Chaggo’s plan is with direct action (which may alert the Lone Star cops, depending on the action) or wait to see what Chaggo is up to.
Seneth has continued to sing, repeating his song and quietly singing others. He is only somewhat aware that his dark, long hair combined with his odd apparel and odd mannerisms are drawing attention. He does not mind.
He looks around the room, not pausing heavily at Chaggo at all, and speaks to the entire car.
“Do any of you know owls?”
No one responds.
He pauses, taking in the odd stares he is receiving. Quietly he continues, almost in a whisper, but loud enough to be heard. He is leaning his head a bit now, still not toward Chaggo, but just generally toward everyone as he looks at them.
"I do. Owls are the wisest of all creatures and go back almost as long as I do. Did you know that…more songs have been written about owls than any other topic, including gods or love?
Especially black ones."
Seneth looks like he half-expects people to respond. He sighs, and sings another song, this one either original or a song only known to him.
It’s equally haunting as the first one.
**An owl came to me, old and wise
Pierced right through my youth
I learned its ways, envied its sense…
But needed nothing it had.**
Geothe will get the attention of the nearest Lone Star cop and say to the cop (as well as over the commlink):
"Excuse me sir, but could you ask the black-haired man standing against the pole and singing to kindly stop. It’s rather annoying, and if you look around, I’m apparently not the only one to think so. He seems to be agitating some of the other passengers as well.
“Or,” Goethe continues, staring at Seneth with a look of contempt, “if he insists on singing, could you at least get him to do so in another car. I’d really like to ride in peace here.”
“That was kinda a silly plan anyway.” Nail reflects, his thoughts racing even faster than his legs.
“Hey wait, stop!” Nail shouts futilely after the man.
A thought comes at him like a slap in the face. “If I give him any free time, he is going to alert Chaggo.” A split-second later, it dawns on him. “Shit, he might have already.” Keeping his upbeat attitude, “Well, only one way to be sure. (nuke it from orbit) Sorry guy, but you’re going down.” Nail puts on his go-face and keeps on truckin’ towards the lookout.
The cop glances at Seneth, and says to Goethe, “Honestly, far as weirdos go, that guy’s not even on our radar. I kind of like the singing. Plenty of space in the other cars if you want to move, though.”
The cop has no particular reason to follow Goethe’s request. Seneth and Goethe both rolled first impression tests against the cop, with Seneth winning. The cop won’t ask Seneth to leave, but he can choose to go to another car if he wants.
Also, Goethe is reasonably certain (through Chaggo’s body language, including a sudden change in Chaggo from looking pensive to looking decided and determined) that Chaggo will attempt to pull off whatever he’s planning imminently.
Meanwhile, back in the alleyway, Nail leaps at the fleeing man from behind, crashing into the man’s shoulder. Nail wraps his arms in a tackle hold around him, and both men tumble to the ground. The man struggles to stay standing, but manages only a couple of staggering steps as he crashes down. As both men hit the ground, the old pavement tears an abrasive injury across the lookout man’s left arm and shoulder, ripping the fabric of his cheap business suit.
The man is a bit faster getting back up, and runs at Nail with the intent to kick him while he’s down. As the man pulls his leg backward in a classic punting form, Nail rolls aside. The man manages to score only a glancing blow across Nail’s shoulders, and Nail gets back to his feet. Both men square off in a fighting stance, sizing each other up.
The man sneers at Nail viciously. “You want a fight, twiggy?! You got it!”
–
End first initiative pass. Nail and the man have traded blows. Nail caused 2 points of stun damage with his tackle, and the man caused a single point of stun damage with his kick. Nail can clearly see that the man is no trained fighter, and Nail has the upper hand in strength and skill, but the man thinks he’s fighting for his life and will not hold back. Nail’s in for a serious challenge!
I’ll accept Nail’s input for subsequent fighting rounds, which Autolycus can streamline if he wants. If you want me to resolve consecutive combat rounds until the fight is over, just provide info about conditions under which you’ll relent, submit, or want to have a chance to insert new orders. The second initiative round will resolve soon as I hear from Nail.
Oh, shoot. For some reason this last post didn’t appear in my UserCP. I thought I was waiting on you while you were actually waiting on me. My bad. Writing my battle commands now…
“Let’s dance.” Nail quips confidently.
Fight instructions PMed. Game on.
On the train, Chaggo engages his hasty (and desperate!) plan. Combat has begun, with Chaggo gaining a surprise round against Seneth and Goethe. Neither character will act this round.
Chaggo stands and shouts “He’s got a gun!” which erupts the passenger compartment in chaos. He leaps at his own agent, pouncing on the confused man. The man shouts “what the he…” and Chaggo shuts him up with a fist square in his jaw. The man pulls a light pistol from the holster Goethe observed previously and attempts to fire it at Chaggo, but Chaggo’s supernatural reflexes are too much for the man. As the man pulls the trigger, Chaggo deflects the weapon, causing it to point vaguely in Seneth’s direction. The gun fires wide, not hitting Seneth or any other passengers. Chaggo holds the man’s collar with both hands, and with a twist he turns with the man and tosses him toward Seneth. He runs past the man, who is now tangled among Seneth and other panicked passengers.
–end surprise combat round–
Lone Star will intervene next combat round, which will add even more confusion to the pandemonium. Seneth must spend the next combat round disengaging himself from the man Chaggo tossed toward him. Goethe can attempt to intercept Chaggo as he tries to run past him to the second car, but it doesn’t seem likely he’ll be able to physically block him, with all the people in the way. Goethe can’t imagine how Chaggo thinks he can escape, as the train is still in motion.
Meanwhile, back in the alley, Nail is engaged in melee with another of Chaggo’s agents. The man recklessly charges Nail, throwing a series of powerful haymaker punches that Nail casually sidesteps. After the man throws a particularly vicious and wild punch, Nail seizes the man’s wrist, pulling him off balance. As the man mightily pulls his hand away, Nail unexpectedly releases him, causing him to stagger backward with momentum. As the man stumbles, Nail smoothly twists with his momentum, slamming the back of his fist across the man’s chest.
Nail sees the man gasp with surprise, and seizes the opportunity to press his advantage. He attempts to lock the man’s arm in a submission hold, but the man pulls away from Nail before he can secure the hold. The man tries to gain some distance from Nail, realizing he is outmatched, but Nail is relentless. When the man pulls away from Nail’s submission attempt, he’s struck by a sudden lightning-fast punch that hits his chin. Nail follows it up with an uppercut that sends the man to his knees.
Nail pushes the man forward, face-first to the asphalt, and leaps upon him. He’s holding the man by his hair, lifting his head inches off the pavement, ready to pound the man’s face against the ground.
“You know I’m not trying to kill you, right?” Nail says.
“What do you want, then?” the man replies.
–end combat–
Nail has beaten Chaggo’s thug in two rounds of combat, suffering no further injury. He has done 7 more stun damage to the agent in the two combat rounds. The man’s injuries are stun damage, and will heal with time, without any special medical attention.