Way of the Gun - DiD (TC 3.2) [KIA]

[Kirlack]

Way of the Gun

Prelude: Tequila

Ain't nothin' like it ya know? Drinking after a hit I mean. I get paid to erase some dudes and then get to drink till dawn's sweet light spills through the curtains. At least, that's usually how it goes. Today?

Not so much.

I got a call from one o' my contacts in Aladna Hill, a weasely little frakbag named Neol 'Ferret' Jerrigan. He reckons he's got the stones to play with the big boys, but every time I speak with him I swear he's a hair's breadth from pissing himself. So anyway, Ferret sets me up with this job, a clean hit on two Paranid and a Boron, all staying at one of the hotels on the local trading station. Given that I lost a big hand, and all my free credits, betting my flush against Yohandris' full house....well, I was in need. So I took the hit.

Oi.

The job itself was simple, hack the suite, locate the marks, slice and dice. Job done, I meet up with Neol and he pays me my stash.

Then we got started on the tequila.

There was drinkin', there was dancin', there were semi-naked dudes and a whole lot o' naked girls and yeah, I had a good time. Heh. I had a real good time. Right up until the drugs in the liquor kicked in and I passed out.

Frakkin' Ferret. That rat son of a bitch took back my cred, stole my guns and left me with nothin' but my birthday suit, on a tradin' station suddenly full o' Boron and Paranid, most o' whom wanted my head on a platter. Seems it weren't just any old marks I'd been set on. Oh no. These fellers had friends. On both sides of the law. Seems even my old pirate buddies got me in their sights.

Bollocks.

So, what did ol' O'ren Rock, infamous assassin and pirate do to get herself outta this mess?

Kicked ass, chewed bubbelgum and stole a Mamba off some idiot Split who was too busy staring at my curves to notice my fist. Sometimes a woman's just gotta use what she's got you know?

Gamestart: Bankrupt Assassin – Terran Conflict 3.2 (Vanilla)

Rules:

1.No buying ships, new or second hand. If I can't convince the owner to part with it then I clearly don't deserve it.
2.No bulk trading. I can trade openly with Equipment docks, Military ouposts and corporate Hqs, but not with factories.
3.Combat missions only from the 'civiliized'. Assassinations, convoy hits, station defence, patrols and convoy protections. If I can get the pirates back on side I can take any mission they offer.
4.Hiring mercs only from pirate bases and rehab facilities.
5.Buying stations. I have exactly one contact on the Ceo's Sprite Shipyard who'll be my go-between if I ever need to buy a station. Sadly, I still owe him near 5 million credits, which I'll have to pay him off before I can buy jack. Other than that, buying stations is strictly off limits.

Assets:

Mamba
2 HEPTs
Bad attitude and bubblegum.

0 Cred cos some frakkin' idiot stole it. And when I find him I'm gonna beat that hide till it stops movin'.

[Kirlack]

{Reserved}

[Zaitsev]

Kicked ass, chewed bubbelgum and stole a Mamba off some idiot Split who was too busy staring at my curves to notice my fist.

That made me laugh so hard my ribs are sore. Interesting start to say the least, and your rules should make for a very interesting, if (IMO) somewhat difficult game. Anyway, good luck and may ol' O'Ren live a long and prosperous life.

[Triaxx2]

This looks like it's going to be awesome, and I'll add it to the DiD list in the morning when I can see straight, so don't die before then.

[89James89]

Love the writing style and muchly looking forward to seeing you play this.

Cheers

James

[Kirlack]

That made me laugh so hard my ribs are sore. Interesting start to say the least, and your rules should make for a very interesting, if (IMO) somewhat difficult game.

Thanks mate It does me good to know you're laughing Try not to hurt yourself though bud

This looks like it's going to be awesome, and I'll add it to the DiD list in the morning when I can see straight, so don't die before then.

Awesome, cheers Triaxx I shall try not to get killed just yet

Love the writing style and muchly looking forward to seeing you play this.

Thanks mate! Nice to know you're reading

Apologies for the wait for this chapter, but I've been working on a CLS project as well as per a thread in the main forum.

Chapter 1: Moolah
 
Ah yes, money, the so called root of all evil. Horse shit if you ask me, but people rarely do. Unless they want someone made dead o' course and then I'm all too willin' to oblige 'em. So long as they're payin'.
 
Mayhap there's some truth to that root of all evil thing after all? Meh.
 
So, first things first, let's take a look at my nice shiny ship. Okay, so she ain't so shiny, but she is pretty nice. She's fully tuned for speed which is a bonus, but she handles like a log and right now the cargo bay could only be described as...poxy. First job then is to get the rudder and hold maxed out. That means findin' work, and that means tappin' up the locals, see if they need my particular brand o' skills.
 
Aladna's a total bust though, nothin' here that suits a professional killer-for-hire, so I spin the Mamba about and burn for the east gate into Akeela's Beacon. Partway across the sector and I get a call from some dude at the flail missile fab wantin' someone to defend his station. For less than 2k cred it's a bit of a joke, but I'm desperate so I take the job. Considerin' the size of the attack force I ain't sure why I bothered. What kinda prick sends a single frakkin' Harrier to hit a station? Seriously, he could've unloaded those IREs at the super structure all day long and done nothin' more'n develop an inferiority complex. Suffice to say he lasted about as long as it took for my HEPTs to say hello. He even left me a firelance missile and a couple cells to pick up. You know it's a sad day when the leftovers are worth more'n the job itself.
 
After that I decided to head south into Legend's Home, and see if the OTAS corporation were looking for some hired hands. They're not usually too fussed who they take on for extra security duties, and they got a rep for payin' a good wage, makin' 'em a prime choice. Turned out they were hirin' alright, but only if I fancied protectin' one o' their convoys back to base. Still bein' desperate for cash I took the job.
 
Oi. Why is it nobody's ever willin' to fill me in on the details before I agree to a mission? See, it's not until after I've signed up that they tell me this here convoy's en route from Thuruk's soddin' Beard. Yeah. The other side o' Hatikvah's Faith. If they think I'm goin' chasin' after one o' their freighters in an under armed, under tuned and under shielded ship, they got another thought comin'. I ain't gonna abort the mish as that'll just mean grief later on, but there's no way in hell I'm flyin' across a pirate sector when I got half the Boron kingdom and most o' the Paranid empire wantin' my head. They can come to me. If they make it that far.
 
With my business at OTAS concluded I undocked and headed back out into Akeela's. I was barely through the damn gate when my threat detectors started kickin' off. So I called up the sector map to see what's what.
 
Oh shit. Pirates. That's bad news. Pirate bounty hunters? That's really bad news. Not for me o' course, I'm flying a Mamba. This idiot's trying to take me on in a bloody Harrier. Again. So I lock him up and shred him in short order. Hopefully that'll be the end of that. Like the fool goin' for the station kill he leaves me a firelance and some cells, so I scoop them up and break for the west gate.
 
Awww, man! Another one? At least this one's not dumb enough to come at me in a Harrier. Nope, this guy's in a frakkin' Discoverer. What really concerns me though, is the fact they're showing up as bounty hunters. Just who were those marks I took out before Ferret screwed me over? I don't get time to mull it over before he's on me, but again my HEPTs take care o' him in no time and I move on into Aladna, where it seems business is boomin', for me at least.
 
First up is another station defence for the SPP. Seems my kills so far have earned me a bit o' rep with the Argon as near 10k is a decent payout. There's a pair of pirates comin' and guess what they're flyin'?
 
Yep. M5s. If this is the level of resistance I'm likely to encounter this should be a breeze. I could leave 'em to it for a day and the SPP'd still be there, but I don't. Why deny myself the pleasure of takin' 'em down, ya know? It's gettin' to be routine now though. Lock and shred.
 
After that I'm asked to take out another pair of fools wantin' to intimidate the local HEPT forge and this'n proves as easy as the last. There's some cargo crates to collect, but I'm busy makin' a deal for a patrol mission from here down to Montalaar so I leave 'em for now. There's one more combat mission on offer, another station defence, for one o' the mass driver forges this time. So I deal with the two idiots in their, (sigh), M5s and wheel about just in time to pick up a pair of Xenon Ns wingin' their way across the sector. Guess that's part of my patrol duty?
 
Another quick lock up and kill and I'm down by the south gate where I pick up those cargo crates. Oooh, wildfire missiles are cool, and there's a remote guided warhead in the mix'n'all, so I scoop up the good stuff and head into Light o' Heart for the next part o' my patrol.
 
All's quiet as I'm moving across the sector but just as I'm comin' up to the local trading station a small wing o' Xenon show up lookin' for trouble. Well, trouble seems to be my middle name today, so I lock 'em up and rinse 'em out quick like. Thinkin' that's it for the sector I'm blazin' for the south gate when another wing of 'em show up. So I head on in, take most o' 'em down and then spot, of all things, a bunch o' Khaak scouts.
 
Now, consider' that I've only got the one shield, and that little wing of Xenon've managed to rip half of it off, I'm none too pleased to see the bugs. They move like a flock o' birds, all going together at the same target, which'll likely be me. Thankfully the local Titan's on hand and keeps 'em occupied whilst I finish dealin' with the machines.
 
Once again thinkin' I'm done for the sector I start movin' back south, only for two things to happen at about the same time. One, I spot another wing o' Xenon. Two, I get a missile lock warnin'. Unsure as to where the missile's come from I open the sector map.
 
Shit! A Kraken? Oh man, I hope he ain't of a mind to be throwin' flails my way. It's only as I'm rapidly cyclin' through targets to try and find said missile that I discover, yes he is of a mind to lob flails at me, and now I gotta try to lock it down and manually shoot all them warheads outta the sky. I have 25Mj o' shields. There's eight warheads. They each do 5k damage....
 
They're closin' fast and I ain't got any missiles aboard that I'd trust for huntin' 'em down, so I pull away from the machines and concentrate on just stayin' alive. I got lucky though. The warheads were all grouped pretty tight together, so once I'd got a lock on one it was fairly easy to shoot 'em all down. Thankfully that was the only missile that bad tempered Boron threw my way, as any more'n that woulda prob'ly perished me good 'n' proper. Stickin' him up on one of my monitors with a view to negotiatin' at some later date I cruised back in, banjoed the rest o' the Xenon and took a wide detour away from yon frigate on my way to the gate.
 
Montalaar yields up yet more frakkin' Xenon needin' to be busted into atoms, and whilst I'm busy locking 'em down another group o' Khaak scouts show their bug ugly purple snouts. There's not much in the way of sector support for me to call on though, so I'm gonna have to deal with the lot. Decidin' that the Khaak are the bigger threats I get their attention with a wasp missile I'd picked up after one of the rucks in Light o' Heart and lure 'em over near the trading station. Two of the four crashed into the super structure and the others got turned to shrapnel by my guns, which just left the blenders with the bad attitude. Unfortunately I got caught out by the two Ms, and whilst I put some significant holes in one, the other was pepperin' my shields with PBE fire. By the time I was done dealing with the first my shields were down to just 4%. Thankfully without the support of the one I'd ruined, the second proved no trouble and by the time I'd caught up to the two Ns down in the south end o' the sector my shields had recharged to almost 80%.
 
Note to self: beware Xenon, they like PBEs almost as much as I do.
 
My patrol mission hasn't ticked over yet, so figurin' there might be more waves comin' I nosed on over to one o' the local wheat farms and agreed to another defence job. 70k and change will go a long way towards getting me a sorely needed second shield (as demonstrated quite ably by the machines), and some tunings. Exepectin' yet more idiot pirates flyin' M5s imagine my surprise when a Yaki Susanowa shows up!
 
Now, I got no ties to the Yaki, they can shoot at me if they want, that's cool, I'll just shoot back and usually I'm the one comin' out on top. Just how I like it. But if they're offerin' work I'm just as likely to take it as not, so killin' this one dude didn't so much as make me twitch. After that I got paid for the station defence and then I get the message my patrol's up. Sweet, between all my jobs I'm up over 130k. Not bad for a girl in an under shielded ship eh? More importantly all the missions have pushed my rep with the Argon up to 'Trusted Ally', meanin' any tech I might need to get this Mamba ship-shape should be available to me. With this in mind I swung the ship around for the north gate and made a bee-line for the Light o' Heart equipment dock.
 
The dock didn't have any shields for sale, so I'm gonna have to try my luck over at OTAS. I made the decision to sell off the two HEPTs and bought four PACs instead, which netted me a total profit of around 110k credits, most o' which got soaked up maxing out the rudder and cargo bay. I figure I can take a target with four lighter guns as easy as I can with two heavier ones, plus the PACs higher fire rate and faster bullet speed will make hitting lighter targets a whole helluva lot easier. I noticed I've been missin' a lot of shots on that patrol mish, so this way round things should be better. I've decided on a name for the mamba, 'Assassin's Creed', and rounded out it's software with a trading system extension, special command software and a couple other bits that might come in handy, including the jackpot prize. The freight scanner. After that scare with the Kraken I also bought a healthy stock o' mosquito missiles. Just in case.
 
With my ship all but sorted I undock and make a break for the north gate into Aladna. Now considerin' that I ain't seen any bounty hunters fer a while I figured I was in the clear.
 
Wrong.
 
It's bad enough that I've got 'em on my tail at all, but with that many and only the one shield still I'm in a mite more trouble'n I'm comfortable with. Lucky for me the local military Centaur was on hand to engage 'em and a couple of wildfires I'd picked up from the wrecked Xenon thinned 'em out a little before that M6 helped me rinse 'em out. I've really gotta sort out these boys, and soon.
 
As I'm blazin' for the east gate I notice a job on offer at the special weapons complex, and this one's right up my street. Not just a hit, but one with a sexy lookin' price tag attached. The only problem is he's down in Montalaar, opposite the way I wanted to be headin'. Still, for that kinda money I was more'n willin' to make the detour.
 
So I zip on down through Light o' Heart and pick up my mark, way off to the east of the Montalaar shippin' lane. I'm down to 5 minutes to erase him, and he's near 80 klicks away, so I engage the strafe boosters and make my way over there. It's tight, but with the extra speed from my strafin' at some ridiculous angle I make it with just under a minute to spare. He's flyin' a Falcon, so I let off a banshee missile I'd picked up to soften him up and then close him down with PAC fire. I'd also found another gate out o' the sector that I didn't know was there, but it registered to an 'unknown sector' and that's prob'ly trouble I don't need today.
 
With that done I'm now considered an Argon 'Federation Guardian' and have over 400k cred to play with, so again I'm heading towards OTAS to see if they got any shields in stock. Along the way I pick up a hacker at the LoH shipyard who's offerin' to hack the Anarchy Port over in Hatikvah's. Hoping that'll be the end o' my bounty hunter woes I pay him the 101k and press on. I was almost at the north gate when I spotted a Paranid freight transporter in an M4 and decided to hit him, just for fun like.
 
Awww yeah. A quick hop out and repair and I can sell the Pericles at the shipyard. When I check his hold though, I get a little bonus. The extra 1Mj of shieldin' might make the difference between me livin' or dyin' if these bounty hunters are still after me, and the rimes can be bartered off at all sorts o' places, so I'll hang onto 'em.
 
The ship nets me another 256k at the shipyard, which is pretty good considerin'. With the extra ching in my pocket I jet off into Aladna Hill and come face to face with yet another wing o' bounty hunters. Frak's sake. I'm not in the mood to muck about with 'em, so I zone in on the OTAS Boreas stationed in the system and let him do the talkin' fer me. He soon makes my point and I'm free to cross Akeela's, where another wing tries takin' a pop at me by the south gate.

This wing's more M4 heavy, so I snap off all but my last wildfire to at least soften 'em up while they're still 10 klicks away. In the meantime the small squad of M5s has reached me, but my PACs lock 'n' shred 'em before my shields even get to thirty percent. By the time the M4s catch up to me there's only two left, so I shred both o' them too and pick up another couple banshees and a few more energy cells.

I'm noticin' a pattern here. First off these guys are droppin' some damn handy missiles. Second they only seem to come out o' their hole when I'm in a border sector. Not once have I seen 'em in Legend's, Montalaar or Light o' Heart. Mayhap I can work reasonably safely if I stay inside the law fer a bit...but there's not much fun in that.

Eventually I make it through into Legend's Home, dock up at OTAS and snag not only another 25Mj shield, but also a triplex scanner, a docking computer and perhaps best of all, a jumpdrive. OTAS are none too pleased with me that their convoy didn't make it home, but seein' as how the Argon government currently love me there ain't much they can say. Heh.
 
All in all, it's been an interestin' day. Now I'm off to see if I can't find a room for the night, something decent to drink, and maybe if I play my cards right, get laid.
 
Assets:
 
'Assassin's Creed' – Mamba
Fully tuned
2 25Mj Shields
4 PACs
 
445,948 Credits and a couple sticks of bubble gum

[89James89]

Excellent read Kirlack. Really looking forward to more.

Cheers

James

[NetHawk]

excellent start and great writing!
want MOAR!

[Triaxx2]

Agreed. Added to the DiD list.

[Zaitsev]

Under pressure ... *hums*

What can I say, other than that your assassin's got me hooked I'm trying real hard not to hurt myself, but with the images you create in my mind I'm not sure it's going to last. I guess hurting myself from laughing too hard isn't all that bad, though

Always look on the bright side of life ... *wanders off again*

[ruger44]

Wow great to start, get you interested from the beginning.looking.g forward to seeing this young lady be deadly.

[Nathancros]

Hm, seems my attempt to post earlier didnt work?

Keep going kirlack! cant wait to see this, i was already in stitchs within the first 10 minutes of readin!

[Kirlack]

Wow, so many people to thank for all your kind words It's really late here though, and I should really have gone to bed some time ago. Don't think Mrs. Kirlack will be best pleased with me come mornin'

Wow great to start, get you interested from the beginning.looking.g forward to seeing this young lady be deadly.

Thanks mate Glad you're enjoying it, hopefully I can keep you interested

Keep going kirlack! cant wait to see this, i was already in stitchs within the first 10 minutes of readin!

Cheers Nate If I live long enough I might be needing some pilots, got one of your wacky characters to hand?

Zaitsev, Nethawk, Triaxx and James, thank you all

Oh and, consider the pilots thing an open invite. Again, assuming I live so long

Now, did somebody ask for MOAR!?

Chapter 2: Violence is going to ensue
 
Room for the night? Check. Somethin' decent to drink? Yeah, alright I'll let 'em have that. Gettin' laid? No frakkin' chance. These OTAS boys can party, but they ain't got the stamina for any post liquor activities. Shame.
 
So, I started the day with a hot shower, a light breakfast and copious amounts o' coffee to nurse my hangover before gettin' back in the cockpit. My goals fer the day are makin' some more money, hopefully gettin' the pirates, or at least their bounty hunter dogs, off my back and a spot o' general piracy to net me some tools o' the trade.
 
I'm barely even out o' the dockin' clamps when I get a call from one o' the locals wantin' me to defend his crystal fab. Seems my reputation is spreadin'. Well, it's good for business, if not for my bangin' head. So I took the job and proceeded to wipe out the small crew o' pirates that came a callin'. The payout wasn't much, but it was only the first job o' the day, so I didn't mind. After I'd cleared the scene and picked up the couple missiles left behind I nosed around the sector fer a bit and picked up a hit from one o' the seeker missile fabs.
 
That's more like it! The mark's flyin' a Falcon Vanguard just next door in Akeela's Beacon, so I slip through the gate and pounce on her. By the time she's noticed me it's too late and her hull crumbles under PAC fire. I get a mission complete message, but I didn't have time to check it as I was takin' fire from her buddies by then. An awful lot o' fire. Thinkin' somethin' was up I checked the sector map.
 
Ah, not only have her buddies started shootin' at me, but my bounty hunter mates have shown up with a view to makin' me dead. Even with the Creed fully fitted I couldn't take them all from my current position, so needin' to break 'em up a bit I put my shiny new jumpdrive through it's paces and short jump to the west gate. Now they got near 100 klicks to cross before we tango again, and I'm expectin' the M5s will break away first at top speed, meanin' I can take 'em down without the heavies to back 'em up. Sure enough, as I'm makin' my way back towards the south gate the first o' the hunters shows up on my scanner. A quick lock and shred later and I'm onto the next, and we carry on like that until there's only the Nova left, and even he proves no problem on his own. With the sector quiet again I start hooverin' up some o' those handy missiles left in the wreckage.
 
I'm just about done with my foragin' when I notice a load of fresh red blips on the scanner. More trouble? Meh. More bloody bounty hunters. That's okay though, they're gonna be fairly spread out again and this wing seems a little lighter'n the last'n. So I lock and shred the M5s quick like, banjo the Buster 'n' then take out the Falcon. The other pirates in the sector were busy gettin' rinsed by the Centaur and there were even some goodies fer me to scoop up from all the fightin'.
 
With the sector seemin'ly clear o' trouble I swing back to the west gate and into Aladna Hill. My intention was to head out into Hatikvah's to see if any oppo'tunities present 'emselves, but as I was crossing Aladna I got a comm from the military outpost. Seems there's a pirate in a Viper down in Legend's Home that somebody wants killed, and they're payin' a pretty penny for the privilege. So I jumped back to Legend's and picked up my mark. He's not lookin' behind him as he creeps deeper into the sector though, so I snuck in on his six and wiped him out.
 
Heh. Like I said, a pretty penny. 1.3 million cred better off I slip back through the gate and head back towards Aladna and on into Hatikvah's. I don't think that last mark's pals even noticed me as not a one o' them made a move before I was gone.
 
As I drop outta the jumpgate into Hatikvah's Faith the first thing I notice is a wing o' hostile pirate fighters centred around a Brigantine. The destroyer at least has a better disposition towards me, but still I give 'em a wide berth as I mooch on across the system. Given how many hostile pirates I'm seein' though I don't know if I'll be workin' the sector over for marks just yet, so I decide to try my luck in Nopileos' Memorial.
 
Nah, still a lot o' angry pirates about. Well, I s'pose I have been killin' a fair few o' their mates in the last 24 hours or so. Mayhap I should go see if there's some work I can do fer 'em? So I wheel Creed about and slide back across the event horizon. Once I'm back in Faith I bank around the west gate and line up on the two stations way off in the distance. I'm fairly confident that the Anarchy Port will be friendly thanks to that helpful hacker I encountered yesterday, but I'm none too sure about the pirate base. My unease is unfounded though and I'm clear to land, and look for work, at both stations.
 
I comm the anarchy port on the approach and find another hacker who's willin' to get me dockin' access at the PBG Forge over in Danna's Chance. Bloody lucky really, cos the next guy I spoke to wanted a quick taxi over there. So I agree to the job, hopin' it'll at least get some o' the pirates off my tail, and make a quick pit stop at the base to pick up a lifesupport system for my cargo bay. Cos it'd be kinda hard to complete this mish without one, ya know?
 
I have to dodge a couple groups o' pirates on the way across NM, but they seem less inclined to pounce on me than they have been, and then I'm through the far gate and into Danna's. As I'm headed in to drop my fare at the forge I pick up a cartographer who's willin' to provide me jump coordinates for a few sectors I've not seen yet. A few moments later I'm docked at the forge, my fare pays his fee and I buy the one PBG in stock. It'll at least give me sommat I can use when I'm surrounded by fighter drones I s'pose.
 
I'm just about to leave and head back towards HF when I come across a Paranid pirate in the docking bay. He claims in his strange, guttural language, that the forge is his station and he needs someone to protect it from, (sigh), pirates. I'm a bit loathe to take the job seein' as I'm meant to be gettin' the clans back on side, but given that he's payin' I agree to help him out.
 
Funny thing is, it's not a bunch o' pirates that come a-knockin'. Maybe that three eyed pillock just didn't know the difference between 'Pirates' and 'Argon'. Whatever, they're here now and I got a job to do. I close on the Gladiator first, wantin' to make sure he can't launch a hail of nukes at the forge, and he goes down to PAC fire pretty quick like. By the time I'm done with him all but one of the M5s have flown into the super structure and blown 'emselves to smithereens, and I'm just left to mop up the stragglers. A few minutes later and I'm sailin' away and smilin' to myself at a job well done. Some of the hostile pirates that were tappin' up the trade lane have switched to friendly, so I'm thinkin' I'm on the right track here. Better'n that though, is what the poor traders have left in their wake.
 
Now, missiles, lasers and shields might be important on a ship, but I'll always feel naked without a weapon at my side, so first up I grab those low yield sidearms. What I don't need for myself I can sell off at the base in Hatikvah's, so I snag the lot and use the last of my energy cells jumping to the HF west gate. That Brig's still knockin' around the sector and enough o' his fighter wing are still hostile toward me that I wanna keep 'em at distance, so I shoot on over to the PB and sell off six of my pistols. I don't really need more'n one for myself, but I'll keep a backup, just in case. Don't hurt to be prepared.
 
With that done and hopefully a few more points in my favour with the clans I move off across the sector lookin' for likely marks. I'm just thinkin' about tappin' up a Paranid freight transporter in some kinda Perseus variant, when he decides to make a suicide run on yon Brigantine. Naturally the Brig slags him, but he does leave me a couple presents. Oooh. Hammerhead's are quite literally 'teh bomb' when it comes to mass removal of light targets, and can hurt something bigger quite significantly.
 
I carry on fer a while, knockin' on doors and demandin' tribute. I even manage to snag a second hammerhead whilst I'm at it. Then suddenly one of my monitors flares to life. See, you might remember I put a link to that angry Kraken up on one yesterday after he tried to flail the bejeezus outta me. Well, he's back. Crap.
 
Not wantin' to give him a second chance to batter me with missiles I cut him a wide berth'n'all and break towards the north gate, where I come across a Paranid weapons dealer with far more shields than he needs. Seein' no reason for him to keep all o' them when I could be usin' 'em I give him a tap and demand he cough up. He keeps tellin' me no, but I'm not takin' that fer an answer, and he finally changes his mind down by the west gate. I conclude our business by turnin' him to shrapnel and set about pickin' up all o' those shields. I'm just about done when the threat detectors kick off again and I look up to see this frakker barrellin' down on me outta the gate.
 
Shit! Run!
 
It looks like the Hydra bought a few buddies along fer the ride, and being as how I got about one quarter the firepower this Mamba's capable of I think it's a good idea if I give 'em some space, so I bank to port and make for the pirate base.
 
That M6 is more'n happy to just wander off away from me, so I cruise towards the PB where I pick up another hacker and get him to net me access to the rehab facility in Danna's. That's actually a massive bonus as it'll give me another cooperative sector where I can find work to help keepin' the clans happy. Speakin' o' which I ain't seen any bounty hunters fer a while, not since that wing attacked me down by the south gate o' Akeela's Beacon. I wonder if that was the last o' 'em?
 
Whilst I'm mullin' it over I grab a drink from one o' the bars on the base and take a look at the swag in my hold. Creed's very nearly full, especially with those extra shields aboard. I need some storage space and I need it sharpish. I also need some more firepower. The PACs have done a sterlin' job so far, but if another Hydra decides to drop in right on top o' me I'd like to at least have the option o' slaggin' it. Somehow I can't see me doin' that with just four PACs and a single PBG in my laser bank. Now, my preference would be to snag some EBCs offa the Teladi as my PACs burn through energy right quick like, but EBCs need ammo and I'm woefully short o' storage for it. I also wouldn't mind gettin' the Split on side so I can maybe snag a couple PBEs. With all this in mind I finish my drink and undock, headin' for Thuruk's Beard.
 
There's no work fer me in Split space, but I dock up at the local EqD and sell off some o' the more useless missiles in my hold, but even that doesn't make much room. The dock has four HEPTs in stock, but the Split don't trust me enough to sell 'em to me, so I'm gonna have to curry some favour with 'em. Fer now though, I make the trip through the west gate into Company Pride. The dock here has 2 EBCs fer sale, and since it's Teladi turf I ain't gotta worry about playin' nice to get 'em. So I part with my cred and undock, intent on headin' north into Ceo's Sprite. My buddy Yohandris works on the shipyard in the sector, but I'm kinda avoidin' him right now as I still owe him near 5 million cred and I ain't got it. Yet. I don't make it to the gate though, cos I notice a new combat mission just popped up.
 
Killin' pirates eh? Not good for my rep with the clans, but I do need the money, and I just spent 300k odd on my currently useless EBCs. Ah, to hell with it, I'm in. It's only a Gladiator and a Nova Raider, backed up by a bunch o' Harriers, who all choose to kamikaze the flower farm whilst I banjo the bomber out o' existence. On his own the Nova's got no hope, and once I'm settled on his six he goes up pretty quick. I get paid and finally slip across the event horizon into Ceo's.
 
I make a bee-line fer the military outpost hopin' to snag a couple more EBCs and maybe some ammo fer 'em. The outposts got the guns, but not the ammo, so I bought 'em anyway. 4 EBCs will be quite deadly when I find somethin' for 'em to actually fire. For now though, as I don't wanna attract attention and tip off Yohandris that I'm in his yard, I head back into Thuruk's, where I get offered a hit on a Split pirate. Sadly he's all the way up in Rhonkar's Fire, and I've got no jump fuel, no gate coordinates even if I had jump fuel and only 13 minutes to erase this frak. Highly doubtful that I'll make it I set off anyway. Gotta at least look like I tried ya know?
 
I'm about halfway across Family Rhonkar when I get the message that my mark got him self killed by somebody else. Bugger it. Somehow I don't think that's gonna net me a rep boost with the locals.
 
So I mooch about the sector fer a bit lookin' for more work. There's a patrol on offer, but it's all the way down to Clarity's End. Which is Paranid turf. Plus it'd mean patrolling through a pirate sector. Er...no. Ta.
 
After a while I spot a guy at one o' the mines who wants a convoy taken out before it can get to Company Pride. Bein' kinda desperate to get an in with the Split I take it and my contact tells me my two marks are right here in the sector! How cool is that eh? The first one I spot is a Paranid in a Vulture, but this gives me cause to pause for a mo'. Killin' three eyes in Split turf is gonna open up a can o' worms as the two usually get on alright. I wonder if this mish is gonna be more trouble'n it's worth? Still, I don't like to back out o' a deal, so I slag him. Then I spot the second and final mark.
 
Only this one's an Argon.
 
Huh? Never seen that before. Normally convoys are all made up of the same species, saves on the infightin'. Still, I'm gettin' paid to make sure they don't make it to their destination, so I slag him'n'all. Feelin' all pleased with myself for completing a mission for the Split, imagine my horror when I realise killin' those two frakkers has actually lowered my rep! Son's o' frakkin' bitches!
 
I'm not happy, and normally when I'm not happy I take my frustrations out on whichever poor berk's on my target list, or whatever happens to be in range. Right now there's nothin' about and my Split rep needs a kick in the backside. So I creep back over to that feller who was offerin' the patrol.
 
"You want Split?"
 
"Yeah. You still hirin' for that patrol mish?" I swear he smiled at me, evil like. I think he knew what was comin'.
 
"Sending data now. Do you wish to take this job?"
 
Yeah yeah, you know I do. Frakbag.
 
Oh shit.
 
Remember how I ran away from that Hydra earlier? Hydra's carry maybe 600 Mj of shields, tops. That bug ugly frakkin' Khaak corvette out there carries 1 Gj, has turrets and fires Kyons that'll rip my shields to shreds in...ooh, half a second? I'm in trouble. The sensible thing to do when you're in that much trouble o' course, is run away. So I didn't do that. I tried to tango with yon corvette. Only fer about 20 seconds though, and then it became painfully apparent that in a race between our respective firepower'n'shieldin', he was gonna win.
 
Nuts.
 
So I backed off a ways and let my shields recharge a bit. This is gonna require some help. Once again though, luck is on my side, as guess who's just shown up to help me out? I reckon between us we can strip that bug right proper. Whilst the Dragon carries on the dance and keeps the Khaak busy I slip in and put my PACs to good use. Even with the Split helpin' me out it takes a little while, but eventually I score my first M6 kill, albeit with assistance.
 
Now that has the desired effect and suddenly I'm on the locals christmas card list. Mayhap it'll be worth me seein' this patrol to the end? For now though I get the all clear for the sector and am asked to head down to Thuruk's fer the next stage. Hopin' it'll be a mite quieter I slip through the gate.
 
No such frakkin' luck. He's got company though, in the form of a small wing o' fighters and they've dropped his shields to a hair over 50%. Now, I've been itchin' to empty my hold some to make room for more swag and better weapons, so I cycle through some o' my bigger warheads. The 2 thunderbolts and 2 tempests are both takin' up a lot o' room in my bay, and they pack a significant punch, so I launch all o' them at yon Corvette, along with a remote guided warhead. As they're all closing to target I launch the 2 wasps in my bay to at least try to keep his turrets occupied. By the time my missiles are in range o' his guns though he's dealt with the fighter wing and promptly eats every last warhead I put in the air.
 
Nuts!
 
Okay, plan B. Strafin' 'n' rollin' to try and keep as much o' his fire offa me as possible, I start hittin' him with everything Creed's got, namely my 4 PACs and my single PBG. It's slow goin' and like his buddy up in FR I can't see me takin' him out all by my onesy. In fact by the time his shields are down to 40% mine are down to a shade over 10% and it's well past time I backed off fer a bit. I'm thinkin' I might be done fer here, but suddenly he's taking HEPT fire from behind.
 
It's a Teladi freight transporter, and between us we manage to beat the Corvette's shields right down and start anhialatin' his hull. Then the damned thing pulls the tightest turn possible, pins me out o' position and starts banjoin' my almost recharged shields. I'm firin' back through blasts of Kyon beams which are makin' it right hard to see, and he's right on top o' me...
 
BANG!
 
<.....>
 
Oof. Now, there's close and then there's frakkin' close, ya know? Funnily enough, I got credited with the kill. I think a repair session's in order. Only problem is, the Khaak ain't done yet. Crap. It's a good distance away though, so I risk hoppin' out to at least patch some of the worst banged up panels on my now far less'n shiny Mamba. By the time I felt that Interceptor was too close for comfort I'd gotten Creed's hull back to 44%. So I locked and shredded the M4 and was about to hop out again for another patch session, when I spot this frakker creepin' up on me.
 
Awwww, man!
 
Right. There's a wing o' Fighters knockin' about the sector as well, so I'm not gonna risk hangin' my ass out in a spacesuit any longer. Sadly, the Corvette's slightly faster'n me. Happily, takin' out that second M6 has netted me even more rep with the Split, enough to buy those 4 HEPTs they still got at the EqD. All I gotta do is get there...
 
Full throttle, engage strafe boosters and hope like hell I make it to the dock before yon Khaak make it to me!
 
It's tight, and had the dock been another 10 klicks or so away the Corvette woulda prob'ly caught me, but I made it. Safely docked I bought those four HEPTs, fitted 'em to my laser bank and got ready fer round 2. I even get time to add another 12% to Creed's hull integrity after I undock, but then the Khaak are cuttin' too close for comfort again and I'm off across the system. The locals seem to be on to my plight though, as they send in some reinforcements. Sadly this'n don't seem to be sportin' full shields as the Khaak rip it to pieces.
 
And once again, I'm runnin'. I'm faster'n the Corvette now though, so I'm none too concerned, especially when a Heavy Dragon drops through the north gate and starts movin' to intercept. He's a good dancer too, and before long that last Corvette is down, and the sector is clear, other than the debris. My contact for the patrol mish gives me the all clear and tells me to head down to Hatikvah's, but I'm done for this job. Frak fightin' any more Khaak today man. I got what I needed, namely a huge boost to my Split rep. So whilst my heart slows down to a more reasonable level, I do somethin' nice 'n' relaxin'. Yep, you got it, I put my weldin' laser to good use. Felt like a frakkin' age, but finally Creed was looking less like swiss cheese and a lot more like a ship.
 
Takin' a look at the sector map reveals a tidy amount of EBC ammo that I'm guessin' was aboard that Dragon that got perished, and bein' in dire need of it I cruise on over and pick up as much as I can cram in the bay. Almost eight and a half thousand rounds all in all. Now though, my original problem has reared it's ugly head again. I need storage space. Being as I'm now in Split turf and universally despised by the Boron, it's time to do some huntin'.
 
I spend a good long while flittin' between the gates and bustin' up any Boron ships I happen upon, including takin' out a Hydra and it's couple of fighter buddies so I can have a clear pop at the Angel it's escortin'. The Angel didn't bail, and nor did anythin' else, but havin' the now fully functional EBCs to partner up with my PACs has made me a whole helluva lot more dangerous. By the time I'm bored of shootin' squids and pissed off with their constant refusal to give up their ships I've accounted for so many that the Split have moved me up from 'Family Friend' to 'Distinguished Associate'. Heh. Wonder how long that'll last? They'd sell me PBEs now, but there's none at the dock, so I make for the gate to Hatikvah's for some more piracy.
 
Now, considerin' how long I was hittin' up Boron and not gettin' any bails, imagine my surprise when the first three eyed prick I went at jumped outta his ship! It's only a Pegasus, but it's my first bail o' the day, and that makes me happy. So I claim it and send it off to the Aladna Hill trading station. Other'n that though, HF yields up nothin', so I head into Nopileos'. After a few runs at passing freighters, none o' whom give me anythin' but grief on the comm, I spot a passin' TP with a Paranid at the wheel. So I make a play fer him.
 
Awww yeah! I've even got shields aboard for it! So I kick three o' them out, patch up the Hermes and send it off towards the east gate. Moments later though, a Boron weapons dealer in a Skate comes through and looks like he's headin' for my new TP. Not willin' to let that go now I've got it, I take a pop at him 'n' all.
 
Score! And I got enough shields for this'n too! Plus she came with a couple PRGs. So she gets patched up, shielded and told to make for Aladna, whilst the Hermes follows along behind her. All I gotta do now is shepherd my new ships to safety...
 
It's a long, slow flight, but eventually all my ships are docked and safe. I might make the switch to the Skate ya know? In fact, let's compare shall we?
 
The Skate is slower, but has an extra 50% o' shieldin', and thicker skin than Creed. It also has a bigger weapon generator, meanin' I can fire at target fer longer, plus the two turrets for additional anti missile duty. She's also got a more spacious cargo bay, although she's not rigged to take anythin' bigger'n M class cargo crates. Yeah, I think I'm sold. I switch over all the gear I'll need from Creed to the Skate, including every shred of software, and then send Creed down to OTAS for a new jumpdrive. Whilst I'm waitin' fer it to get back I mosey on over to the military outpost and pick up a couple more PRGs to round out my armament. Sweet, I think she'll do quite nicely.
 
I head back in to the trading station, buy a handful of fighter drones and check on Creed's progress. She's docked at OTAS, so I buy her a jumpdrive and a triplex and give her orders to head back.. In the meantime, it's been a long day, bein' as how I almost died 'n' all. Successful, but long. Time I got drunk I reckon.
 
Assets
 
'Violent Tendencies' – Skate
Fully tuned
3x 25 Mj shields
4xPRG
4x EBC
2x PAC
 
'Assassin's Creed' – Mamba
Hermes
Pegasus
 
114,152 Credits
 
Bad attitude, bubblegum and a sidearm
 

[Triaxx2]

Taking on Kha'ak corvettes in a MAMBA? How do you fit those enormous balls into your pants? Sheesh. I don't take those on unless I can throw enough Flails at them to knock the ship out in one go.

[Zaitsev]

Taking on Kha'ak corvettes in a MAMBA? How do you fit those enormous balls into your pants? Sheesh. I don't take those on unless I can throw enough Flails at them to knock the ship out in one go.

Kha'ak Corvettes have a pretty big blind spot right behind the engines, so it's actually not that hard. Just time consuming

@Kirlack: I think I'm in love Great chapter! *goes back into hibernation to await the next chapter*

[Triaxx2]

Oh, I know. I used a PX to kill them for a while, and that's fine while there's only one or two, but when you're up against more than two or one with a fighter wing, it's a bit of a pain in the neck.

[blackmilan]

This looks like it's going to be awesome, and I'll add it to the DiD list in the morning when I can see straight, so don't die before then.

Awesome, cheers Triaxx I shall try not to get killed just yet

So much about trying not to get killed yet. Attacking a Kha'ak Corvette in a Mamba. Puh! Glad you made through though. Would have been too sad if the story just ended here before the "wacky characters" get in.

Take care of yourself and I am looking forward to the next chapter. Hope Mrs. Kirlack did not mind.

[Kirlack]

Taking on Kha'ak corvettes in a MAMBA? How do you fit those enormous balls into your pants?

I'm under instruction from Mrs. Kirlack to inform you that I don't, I simply tie them around my waist

This looks like it's going to be awesome, and I'll add it to the DiD list in the morning when I can see straight, so don't die before then.

Awesome, cheers Triaxx I shall try not to get killed just yet

So much about trying not to get killed yet. Attacking a Kha'ak Corvette in a Mamba. Puh! Glad you made through though. Would have been too sad if the story just ended here before the "wacky characters" get in.

Take care of yourself and I am looking forward to the next chapter. Hope Mrs. Kirlack did not mind.

In my defence I was trying not to get killed. I just happened to be engaging a Khaak Corvette at the same time Besides, O'ren doesn't like to welch on a deal

[89James89]

Never fought a Khaak Corvette so can't comment on that but I will say the writing is bloody good to read.

Looking forward to the next chapter.

James

[Nathancros]

as zaitsev said, they have a rather large blind spot in their engines, my lil trick is to get right up against then, then strafe diagonal, leaves less of the ship stickin out for fighters to shoot at, had way to much practice shootin corvettes when i was flyin my Perseus sentinel


Wacky characters? i suppose i could find a few *looks around chair* gimmie a minute..


you want them now or later? XD