A las Barricadas!

[Blind Hemingway]

Episode One: Mysterious Maverick!​

'Sup bitches? My name is Garnet. Yes, I named myself after the dark red gemstone. And that’s all of my personal bio that you are going to get for now!

Up until this point, I had assumed it would be one of those routine kinds of jobs. You know…The shit easy ones you choose because the local government officials are big ass pussies that can’t handle a bunch of new age Mexican bandits.

However, this time around that old geezer in charge of Sion hired me to be involved in a mission to find some missing piece of robotics. The bounty is worth several million.

Well apparently there was a change in the plans. I have met up with a second, her name is Ruby Mayhem. I can’t believe this shitty luck! I hate working with others! How hard is that to understand? Seriously? I work alone.

Ruby's the sort that carries around a large gun and speaks with a southern Martin accent. My god....If she calls me sug' at all, I'll punch her in the gut. I've only met her once and that was enough for me to know I won't enough this affair one bit.

Whatever, in the end I don’t really care. As long as I get paid, I don’t give a shit whom or what they toss my way. It's not like I don't have the help of Seagraves to deal with the others.

I've decide to waste time by going into Yorksburg’s roughest tavern, called the Horny Dingoes. If it wasn’t such a stupid name, I would have laughed. From what I’ve heard, this place is full of some of the most ruthless gang leaders from the various Martian colonies. If so, I am not very impressed.

In order to blend in with the locals, I decided to wear this retardedly skimpy outfit that Ruby sent in the mail to my ship. I hate this thing. It's not flashy nor even bad ass looking. I feel like I might as well be fighting the gangsters in the buff. Agh...She'd better hurry her butt here. I hate waiting around.

Hrmmm.....

Most of the gangsters are dressed like this man, whom they called ‘Handsome’ Pete. They must have run out of manly sounding names when he was born! From what I hear, he’s a part of the Scaribazi family. Lucky him, controlling all the water mines and making the miners suffer..... He looks like a douche. You know, I believe that there's a bounty out on this guy...Hell, I could always use more cash....

 

[Delnoir]

Dennis breathed softly as he wiped gun oil off the exterior of one of his revolvers. He had over done it just a tad this time and it was taking a tad longer than usual. He put the rag down and held the revolver up and frowned, "Still looks like a fat man covered in baby oil. What, did they change the formula for this stuff on me or something?" Dennis sighed and resumed wiping until the gun was clean before untying the sock he had been using to stop the bore brush from whacking the back when it came out of the barrel. After a quick polish he began working on his other gun. As he did he glanced up at the calendar, "Exactly three weeks I've been here," he muttered.

It was a wonderful thing that Mars' days were of the same length of Earth, with the exception of about 40 minutes, which Dennis used to supplement his sleeping schedule. Earth was only about 14 hours ahead of him at that point. A quick look at the clock made Dennis pause and consider cleaning his gun till a bit later. He had a DWC contact to meet in about an hour. He reached into the trash can and pulled out a crumpled up note with the meeting spot on it.

"The Horny Dingos," he scoffed. There had been a bunch of stupidly named places back on Earth, mostly new ages crap, but this was on the complete other side of the spectrum. His thoughts briefly drifted towards his bar/steak house back on Earth, The Porterhouse. Their french fries were about as consistent as leap years are close together, but at least they could cook a steak, "Crap. Now I'm getting homesick," Dennis finished with his second gun spun the cylinder around, and quickly loaded 6 rounds into each gun, closed them, and holstered them. He looked back to the clock and smiled. 11 seconds to do that. The neural implant had done wonders, just like DWC promised. He understood now why only rich or important affiliates could get their hands on this. A team of banditos with this installed would be a nightmare if they didn't break their wrists trying to master them. Content with the state of affairs, Dennis walked over to his armor stand, geared up, and made his way outside to Nyx before riding off in direction of The Horny Dingos. No need to travel heavy today. It was just a meeting. What was the worst that could happen? Yeah most wouldn't tempt fate like that, but when you're getting paid to kill bandits you do whatever little thing you think might make them show up.

 

[Zypher]

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The Horny Dingoes. Perfect! Ruby loved the place but not for the attention she or her "girls" got but it was just a nice place for her if she was itching for a fight, though after they saw her use Gertrude they usually decided it was best to leave her alone, much to her disappointment.

But today was different. She wasn't here for pleasure, or a drink, she was here to meet with that...woman for a mission. Garnet was her name, if she remembered properly that is. Well, ah reckon' ah best be gettin' in thar. Best not keep tha' gal waitin' fer too long. She shrugged and pushed open the swinging door and let her gaze drift around the bar as she adjusted Gertrude's strap on her shoulder and took a few steps in.

She spied Garnet off to the side by the bar and a grin crossed her face as she quickly weaved her way past the various patrons and stepped up to her newest associate. Ah already like the looks of this. We're gunna have more fun than a redneck on the fourth of July with eighty pounds of fireworks!

"So Miss Garnet, Ah see you got mah package I sent yeh. So whut are we lookin' tuh do? Somethin' fer Sion if'n I remember correctly?"

 

[Fluffy]

There really wasn't much for Charlie to do.

Whilst in the shade of his beloved shop, he made some repairs to his bike. There were some gadgets here and there that could use some replacement. The bike was neglected for a while because of his other projects and assignments, but today he found the time to tend to it. Unfortunately, there wasn't as much to do as he thought. The thing was already in pretty good condition. Probably because he seldom used it! He had quite a few modes of transportation he kept around just to work on; it was a hobby.

'Maybe I should look into selling some of this,' he thought to himself, though didn't like the idea too much. Money was nice, yes, yet he didn't want to part with his precious collection of vehicles. Charlie smiled to himself as he thought back to when he first fixed up a car, then fantasized about having an apprentice to pass this knowledge to. Better yet: a son.

Shaking his head, he stood up from the bike and wiped his sleeve across his brow, a wrench in hand. "I reckon that's good as she'll get," he said to himself, setting the tool down before heading over to a rag. On it, he wiped his hands and cleaned off some other smudges he found on his skin. Hopefully he'd get a customer soon, or at least some company.

Today was boring.

 

[Blind Hemingway]

[BG="##150517"]

Garnet grinned to herself. If she could capture Handsome Pete, that would a small fortune to her funds. It had been several months since any sort of major bounty had been forwarded her way. She had begun to think that Seagraves was purposely trying to keep her in basic jobs so he could improve her armor and weapons without her going out and smashing them to kingdom come after only one trial.

However, her impulses would have too wait for the time being. The associate hired by Sion to help with the upcoming mission had entered.Garnet raised her right eye brow. Like normal, the rest of her face remained boringly inexpressive.

"Yes...The package came faster than expected. I guess you New Texians have a good "Pony Express." Beats the ones from New London." The truth be told, Garnet found the outfit to be a bit too tacky. Though she did enough the fact that when she first wore it around her headquarters, Charles nearly fainted. Embarrassing him always made her days. It was one of those brother-sister sort of relationships, and while she would never admit it aloud having a friend on these missions made the days go faster.

"And from what I understand it's Sion asking us to be their cronies. Not sure this is the best to discuss it aloud though."

While chatting, Garnet had pulled out her large butcher name, she had named Hunter, and began to file her nails with the blunt of the blade. Garnet would only do something like this when she knew she was going to become annoyed. While she normally spoke directly what was on her mind, Garnet had to be wary in a place such as this. One wrong statement could start a bar fight and while she would have loved to be involved in this hypothetical fray, she want to sack Handsome Peter before Ruby tried too. Bounty hunters were just as likely to try and off each other, as they were gangsters and crooks and any premature showing of moves and fighting styles could easily put you in harms way....

"Say Miss, that sure is a spunky outfit you're wearing!" A short man with purple colored shades then said. He wore a white suit and had a fedora on. In all actuality, he was just trying to look like a bad ass in a sea full of veteran criminals.

"Whatever." Garnet said in reply. It seemed that maybe luck was on her side tonight. The moron had come right to her! Screw it if Ruby was here, Garnet wanted that hard gold coin cash reward!

"But come on lass, you and girlfriend should so go out on a date with me!"

"I will do no such thing," Garnet then pointed Hunter at the nerdy looking man.

"Hey, hey! That's no way to treat someone important like me! I am Peter Scaribazi and my family owns this here joint and if you don't behave Missy, well I'd hate to see such a pretty face end up all beaten and bruised."

"I'm jut so impressed." Garnet said while whipping Pete the middle finger.

"HEY!,There be no hatin' on me." Pete said. He looked offended that this woman had the nerves to make him out to be a fool in front of all his buddies!

"So you want a dance with me?" Garnet said.

"Eh? YEAH! THAT'D BE AWESOME!"

"It's because these fuckers want to dance." Garnet then grinned as she sheathed Hunter and pulled out both of her Government .45 pistols.

"Who wants to dance first?" She then taunted.

Garnet was the sort that loved to pick a fight with punks. Whether it was an instinct or just her need for a cheap thrill, this turn of events proved to be just what she needed. Just then one of the more muscular members of the gangs came running up towards Garnet and Ruby with a long pool pole! Garnet charged right at him.

"Goddamn spies!" The man growled.

Garnet then just grinned as she crashed right into his stomach, making the foe fall back on to a table!

"Who else?" She taunted.

Just then more of the gangsters came charging at them!

[/BG]

 

[Delnoir]

The wind howled against Dennis' helmet as his hoverbike sped along an open stretch of land coming up on The Horny Dingoes. For such a crap joint they at least had decent brew, so long as he made sure to make the bartender go in back and bring out an unopened bottle. The first time he had been here the watered down swill just about made him puke. As he pulled up on the bar he brought his bike to a screeching (well, more of a whooshing) halt as a large man came flying out one of the windows. A bar brawl. Fantastic. Surely there would be some of the local criminals to clean up but the bigger question was what the hell was happening. As he jumped off his bike and checked his guns, a scrawny gentlemen came running out of the bar. Dennis immediately recognized him as his DWC contact. Dennis waved him over as he squatted down near a window, "Richie, what the hell is going on in there?!"

"I'm not sure!" Richie was a lanky man with hardly any muscle mass of which to speak, "Some chick in a red outfit antagonized the owner and everything just went kinda nuts from there!"

"Chick in a red outfit?" Dennis peered over the windowsill looking around. He spotted the woman his contact had been referring to, "The woman dressed like a stripper you mean? No wonder. If you're showing that much skin around here you might as well be going around flashing people...then again maybe that's the entire point. What do I know about what Red does?"

"Red? Do you know her?"

"Not a damn bit. But you know, bounty hunting isn't that big a community. Most everyone has heard of one another to some extent. I think she goes by Garnet. The picture I saw her hair roots were red. So between the eyes, name, and hair I just call her Red."

"That's...observant..."

"You gotta be to survive in this business. Go hide in one of Nyx's armory compartments. They're empty right now and the bike is on lockdown. No one's getting away with it unless they got my retinas. I'll talk to you when I get a chance," as Richie ran off Dennis made his way into the bar from the side door. This particular side of the bar wasn't all that well populated, but there were to on Dennis' left, both of them reaching for their guns. He drew his revolvers, "Athena, Apollo, do your thing..." Dennis shot the closer man in the leg with Athena and kicked his gun away as he howled in pain. The other turned to fire on Dennis only to stop when he found himself staring down the barrel of Apollo, "Don't. Put the gun down and kick it in my direction. If you play games, I will shoot you in the shoulder and give you several weeks of rehab to look forward to...not to mention that's if you don't lose the arm. And I'm assuming with your...looks...that would be your wanking arm." Dennis watched the man put his gun down and kick it away towards Dennis, "Beautiful. Thanks for playing."

Dennis holstered his revolvers, grabbed an unopened beer on the table, and slammed it across the man's head knocking him out. With his buddy clenching his calf trying to stop the bleeding and their friends too occupied with their...lady friend...Dennis was free to watch and see how this unfolded. Apparently her personality was a corrosive as acid and the last thing he needed was her hollering at him for ruining her fun. How could he tell she was having fun? Compared to her smile Dennis had seen lesser smiles on the faces of women in post-orgasmic haze.

"I should have stayed back at the house..." Dennis grumbled.

 

[Zypher]

Ruby couldn't help but smile as she looked over the outfit. She hadn't actually expected Garnet to put it on, let alone put it on and wear it in public. "Darn tootin' we got the best pony express on Mars Ah reckon."

Ruby took a stool and sat down, pulling Gertrude around and setting it down next to her with a loud thunk. She nodded in agreement as Garnet shushed her about talking about their current paying job. Of course she was quickly interrupted by one of the smarmy bar patrons. A smile played across Ruby's lips as she watched the interaction between Garnet and him and as the pistols were drawn her smile turned into a full fledged grin as she stood and hoisted Gertrude into a firing position.

"Ah reckon you don' wanna tustle with this here cowgirl. Ain't that right sug'?" She mocked the man jabbing Gertrude forward with relative ease, but enough to be threatening. But it seemed Garnet was too busy shoving him back and out of the way. With a sigh she swung Gertrude around, smacking a man that was sneaking up behind her with a knife. "Sorry 'bout that sug'! Next time ya'll shouldn't be messin' with Ruby! YEE HAW!" She cried out, as she noticed the rest of the men getting out of their seats and slowly approaching them.

"Which half of the bar you want hun?" She asked, standing back to back with Garnet as the ring of men closed in even more, ignoring the man that had just burst into the bar itself. If he was going to help, that was fine but if he was here to fight, well he'd probably have to deal with both Ruby and Garnet. "You think we can take that 'un?" She whispered over her shoulder tossing her head in Dennis' direction.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

TWO DAYS AGO...​

The sun beats down upon the moon of Mars, it's mother-planet ever visible on the horizon like a great red orb. The quad-bike thunders across the surface, towards the mining-town of Jalcid. Inside I sit, holding the controls carefully whilst reading over the contract one final time before I do the Lord's work once more.

Seven men. Outlaws, bandits and human-vultures preying upon the meek. They robbed a cargo train belonging to one of the Mining Corporations and have been hiding out in this small, out-of-the-way town in the two days since. Apparently they've occupied the place, stopping anyone from leaving to get help.

Yet word gets out. This group of scumbags has been tracked down, and now they send a Preacher to bring the wrath of God down upon them.

Fitting, I feel.

I park the bike outside of town and walk the rest of the way. The town is walled, as most frontier settlements are, yet no-one stands guard at the gates. Stupid, even for men like this. Do they think no-one's going to come for them? I move on into town, finding the streets deserted. There's a trio of men, strung up by their necks outside the Militia Office. I make a note to bury these brave souls once my work here is done; they deserve that much, at least.

Jalcid is seemingly devoid of life, though from the saloon I can hear music and shouting. No doubt the very men I've been sent after. I move for the sounds purposefully; from the windows and doorways of the town's households I see eyes upon me, and my ears catch the odd words from whispers. The townsfolk know I'm here, now. Soon they'll find out why.

The doors to the saloon open quietly; I'm not one for dramatic entrances. The seven men I have come for indeed sit at the bar, which has now been thoroughly ruined due to their handiwork. The owner lies slumped in a chair nearby, beaten unconscious. Though I personally prefer not to attend such places, this saloon is a man's livelihood, his means to feed and provide for his family. These human parasites have burst in and done all they can to destroy it.

For this, I will ensure that justice is done unto them in the eyes of the Lord.

The first man, clearly quite drunk from the way he staggers and slurs his words, finally notices my presence in the bar with them. He chuckles and gets his cohorts' attention.
“Look'ee here, boys!” he exclaims, gesturing at me, “We got ourselves a holy man visitin' our lovely new town! Ain't you a religious man, Jefferson? You could say a prayer with him or some shit!” There's a burst of laughter from the seven men, as I continue to stare at them. The most sober of them, a man named Joey Irons who also happens to be the ringleader of this little group, steps forward, his hand on his irons.

“Jokin' aside, mister preacher man, this here's our town. We claimed it, and we don't like no strangers jus'... driftin' in as they please. So why don't you tell me what the fuck you want, and why I should jus' shoot you in the face right now?” Behind him, his four men grin, fingers drawing towards their weapons as well. I fix Irons with a steady look, and say the lines I've said so many times before.

“You boys get one chance. One chance for all of you to walk out this bar alive. I'm here for you all, and I ain't leaving without you. Whether you want to leave in cuffs or in a body-bag is your call.

“Now lads... make your choice.”

Joey meets my gaze for a moment, then flinches as if something finally clicks in his head.
“...I've heard of you. You the Bounty Hunter they call the Preacher?”
“I am,” I reply simply, never looking away from him and his men.
“The man of God with the axe to grind against outlaws? The one who took the Wild Boys down?”
“Aye.” The leader of this little posse is looking slightly nervous now. His men behind him, however, are too drunk to be fully aware of what's being said.
“JUS' SHOOT HIM, JOEY!” one roars, “OR I WILL!”
“Hold your goddamn fire, you fuckin' inbred piece of shit!” Irons snarls, “You don't fuckin' shoot 'less I do, understand me?”
“FUCK YOU, JOEY, FUCKIN' PUSSY!” the man retorts, staggering to his feet and nearly falling into a table, “HE'S JUST ONE FUCKIN' GUY! LOOK, I'LL--”

The drunk moves to pull his gun in some display of bravado, but I'm faster. These wolves in sheep's clothing have made their choice, it seems. The stupid bastards never pick the smart one. Faster than a man blinks, my irons are out of their holsters and are unloading into the bandits.

Joey Irons and his gang of robbers die in a hail of gunfire. Not one of them even manages to even get his weapon out of his holster. I return my smoking weapons to their resting place and survey the scene. Seven more dead men to confess to killing. Seven more bounties collected.

Seven more wolves culled. This town is safer for it.

Sighing, I turn from the bar and move for the doors. Outside, I can hear shouting from the townsfolk; they're wondering what the hell has just gone down in the saloon, if more of their people are dead. I'll explain what has occurred to them, help them where I can and ensure the corporation sponsoring this colony is sending support.

Then I'll be on my way. I hear the Sions Biosystems Corp has a new job for me.

NOW...​

“...repeat that, please?” I say into the device again.
“The... uh... the 'Horny Dingoes', Father. That's the meeting place. It's a bar near the centre of town. You're to meet our two operatives, Garnet and Ruby, there. Copy?”
“...the 'Horny Dingoes'? Are you having a fuckin' joke, son?”
“Uh, no Father. That's the name, apparently.”
“Fair enough. The man who came up with it deserves to be sent to a prison colony. Over and out.”

I park the quad up in one of the spaces provided for vehicles on the streets of Yorksburg, and begin to move towards the meet. It's a rough part of town; I've been in many places like it when tracking quarry before.

Let's hope things don't get too exciting. I hear this Garnet lass doesn't play nice with others.

 

[Blind Hemingway]

[BG="##150517"]

"I'm pretty damn sure that we can take on all these low lives without a problem, Missie."

Garnet had a coy smile on her face. This was going to be more fun than she thought it'd be. "You take the right. I'll take care of the assholes on the left. I'm rather found of that side!"

With that, the two women broke off and prepared for their battle. It helped greatly that none of these patrons were exactly well armed. Garnet then pointed her pistol to the left and then punched right, causing one of the foes to loose a few teeth to a metal pistol in his face. "And you guys call yourselves the scariest gangsters in all the land. Hurr hurr."

if one could look into Garnet's mind, they'd find many many stress marks all over the place. All these patrons were so damn boring!
She found herself distracted and was knocked to the ground by an ugly Mohawk wearing man. "Heh. It looks like I'm going to have a nice tasty meal
tonight." He then licked his lips when he saw the skimpy outfit Garnet was wearing.

And soon there'd be more. "I don't have any food. Just go make love to damned bartender. This place apparently has good chicken strips. Now stop interrupting me!"

Garnet then narrowed her eyes as she kicked him in the nards. As the large man screamed like a little baby she then grabbed him by his hair and chucked him behind the counter! She was much stronger than she looked!

While that foe was taken care of, a man wearing a pancho and gaudy sombero entered. Behind him were several other men dressed in similar uniforms. These men were from the infamous Bandito Gang, and were probably members of Handsome Pete's body guards!

One of the gangsters from the Banditos said as he led several more of his comrades into the battle torn tavern, "Well, well. If it isn't our two biggestfoes under one roof. Garnet and Rubella, such a pleasure to meet two of the most infamous bounty hunters in all of Mars. Such a pity that you two will not come out of this place alive." He then raised his index finger. "On my command fire."

[/BG]

 

[Delnoir]

Dennis had remained quiet and watched while the physical part of the fighting had taken place but the armed thugs changed the situation completely. He quickly counted off twelve. He had fired once taking down the one bandit as he entered which meant Athena and Apollo had eleven bullets between the two of them. Perfect.

"On my command fire," he heard the leader say as he raised his finger. Before he had a chance to say anything there was a gunshot and a howl of pain as his raised index finger was blown off. Blood spurted out in from the stump. When the banditos looked up to see who fired, one caught a bullet in the head another took two to the chest.

Eight bullets. Leader down, two thugs dead. Nine more.

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"Now come on boys, I get it, they're half naked and they're both pretty well endowed, but the guy standing in the corner wearing a helmet with glowing red eye pieces didn't get your attention? You're gonna make me cry!" As the banditos raised their guns there was a small beep heard as his neural implant turned on. The two closest to raising their guns caught a round in the heart each. Two made a dive behind cover and Dennis missed a shot trying to get one.

Five bullets. Seven thugs.

The next bandito got a round off that Dennis' armor stopped cold, "You jackass, you don't use hollow point rounds on armored targets!" Dennis yelled as he shot his attacker in the stomach. The surprise attack over, Dennis kicked over a table for cover. Keeping them focused on him in the corner was priority.

Four bullets. Six thugs.

After a brief exchange of fire, four more thugs went down and gunfire from Dennis' stopped. The bandito leader from before gave a short sharp laugh between growls of agony, "Looks like you're out of ammo pendejo," he laughed once again, "Stand up. Let's get a look at you," Dennis smirked under his helmet and stood, arms at his sides, Apollo and Athena's cylinders open, "Hey. Check it out. Its that Than-something guy that some of the boys were talking about. Three bounty hunters in one day! Good times! Any last words?"

"Yeah actually. Four. Sucks to be you," Dennis' implant beeped again as he reached into his duster and pulled out the gun of the thug he knocked out earlier and shot the first of the last two in the eye and then turned the gun on the leader before shooting him in his shoulder's ball and socket joint. With his trigger finger on one hand gone and his other arm disabled entirely, Dennis ran up and kicked the bandito in the chest. He looked outside for any more attackers before his implant beeped again, indicating it turned off. Once it did, Dennis began to pant heavily, "Fuck! I hate it when I have to use it that long..." Dennis turned back to the bandito leader placed a foot on his chest, and began to reload his revolvers. While his helmet was looking at his pistols, he was looking up at Garnet and Ruby.

"Hey, Red! You're eyeballing this guy like a kid in a candy store. You wanna interrogate him or you want me to shoot him?" Dennis chuckled a little through ragged breaths. It was one of the draw backs of his reflex implant. Even after some practice the implant still took a toll on the human body without continued training, "You better hurry. I give it about 2 minutes before every half sober bandit in a two block radius decide to check out what the hell happen. And I'm not gonna be able to take out that many again on my own again with shitty cover like this. Fucking tables must be made out of particle board or something.

 

[Zypher]

"If'n you want! Righ' it is!" Ruby cried out as she set Gertrude parallel to the ground and gave a coy smile to the men gawking at her. The first wave charged her and she knocked them back while pulling the trigger to get the chamber spinning. Oh what fun Ruby was having! She was knocking thugs away left and right with Gertrude as the gatling gun started to charge before letting the bullets fly, mowing her way through her half of the bar.

Another couple of groups of bandits were brave enough to dare challenge the crazed red-head with a cannon size gatling gun. Well ah can't knock 'em fer tryin' ah suppose. Ruby thought as she spun Gertrude over her back, the strap keeping it close to her as she kicked forward and knocked a couple of the thugs back before catching Gertrude back where she had spun her from and opened fire on them. She was only pulled out of her glee from slaughtering her enemies when she heard the voice calling out to her and Garnet and the other man that had seemingly popped out of nowhere to help them.

The new guy seemed to be talking to who Ruby assumed was the leader of the bandits. "Ya'll speak the truth." She nodded to the masked man and stepped up to the leader, pushing the new man aside and dropped the full weight of Gertrude down on the leader's face. It would break his nose and knock him unconscious, that much was certain but it wouldn't kill him. "Well, let's get him outta here. If'n we get to a safe place we can probably ask him a few questions." She smiled and patted Dennis on the shoulder. "Ya'll can carry him righ' sug'?" She smiled and stepped away.

 

[Delnoir]

"Carry him? Sure why not. You look like you're top heavy enough already between the gun and your gun rack," Dennis shrugged and picked the bandit up. The sweet, down-home attitude didn't fool Dennis much. She was just as good a shot and just as methodical as any bounty hunter and it probably wouldn't be smart to piss her off with a gun that big. His power armor wasn't stopping more than a few rounds of that thing, "Anywho, crude jokes aside, name's Dennis Jaeger. You can call me Dennis or Thanatos, I don't care which. Now I assume you have a place in mind to take this guy? Because I don't think my mother would approve of me bringing home two women home," he muttered that last part sarcastically before he moved out he looked around at the bar. Broken tables, shot glasses strewn about, tables tipped, bullet holes everywhere, men knocked out cold, men dead and bleeding onto the floor, "Nothing like a bar fight..."

He walked over to the bar and peered over to see the waitress hiding, "Hey," he smiled only to remember that his helmet hid it, "I don't suppose you could bring out an unopened bottle of bourbon could you?" he paused as the waitress blinked confusedly and nodded before moving into the back emerging with a bottle. Her hands shook as she put it down on the bar. Dennis smiled again and set a roll of bills on the counter, "Keep the change, fix the place, redecorate, hire a guy who isn't afraid to shoot dumbshits. I don't think the banditos will be coming back here any time soon," he turned to Garnet as he began to follow Ruby out the door, "You coming, Red?"

 

[Blind Hemingway]

[BG="##150517"]

Dennis made a huge mistake, believing that the woman with the large firearm was the one he should be cautious about....

Garnet didn't trust the man that addressed him as Dennis. It was unlikely that any normal bounty hunter would have flashed that much cash out in the open in these parts. His name didn't mean much to her, but that armor did. There was only one company that produced such an item, the DWC. Garnet knew that they weren't a trustworthy lot; mostly because they did a horrible job at trying to guard their weapon shipments. Not that it really mattered these days, Donald Crawford was already changing the direction of Sion Biosystem's business in New London....Soon there would be no need for weapons shipments from Earth.

Dennis also spoke with a very clear and precise Earth accent. It meant that he was not a 'native,' so to speak.

"Yes, I'm coming!" She said with a raspy chuckle."Just give me a moment to fix up!" Now Garnet had a bel air smile on her face. "I just don't like looking sloppy in front of guys! And...I really have to use the restroom...." Her face was radiant with good cheer. "Miss Ruby, if you don't mind...Go, on ahead with our new friend."

"Ya'll want me to go on ahead with this guy? Shee-oot, I don't thank that'd be a good idea, he's a might too keen on my, er whut was it? 'Gun Rack'?"

"Oh pleassse, just this once! I promise." Garnet then winked and held up two fingers. She hoped that with all of the bounty hunting experience Ruby had, that she knew about this gesture...It was highly unlikely that Dennis could have picked up all the local mannerisms just yet.

Ruby sighed and shrugged. "Alright, but if'n this here cowpoke gives me a crazy look at mah 'gun rack' ah think ah'll be introducin' him to ol' Bethany here." She smiled and patted one of the pistols at her hips. Ruby then waved her hand to the left, a sign saying "I understand."

Garnet then bowed and ran towards the bathroom to "clean up." Upon entering the lady's room, she found Handsome Pete curled up in a ball and shivering. "Ahhhh! Please don't kill me!!!!" Garnet shook her head greenly. "You're not worth my time right now, as much as it pisses me off to say that." She then peered next to him. There was a machine pistol. While one probably couldn't hit the board side of a barn with it, the weapon would suffice for the time being. "But this will do. Thanks!" She then grabbed the weapon and hid it under her cloak.

She then saw that Ruby was chatting with Dennis. "Okay! I'm all done~" Garnet then walked over towards them. She kept the gun hidden until just the right moment. "Drop your firearms. Now." She ordered. "I don't want to hear excuses. The DCW is not welcome in this region of Mars. I don't care what your intentions are. Ever since the Gashot Massacre, you boys are in hot shit." Garnet glared at him. "I'm sure you have contacts around here. Tell them to stand down, as well."

"Ruby. Strip him of anything protective. Even down to his skin, if need be." She said while pointing the machine pistol at Dennis. "Don't think about doing anything stupid, boy. I want to see your face. A masked man has no honor."

[/BG]

 

[Zypher]

Ruby smiled at Dennis, glancing over his armor, his weapons, taking stock of everything that he had kept on him, at least what she could see, she was sure to him that he was just thinking she was checking him out. She knew exactly what was going on with Garnet however, that gesture she made laid the plan out plain as day for the New Texan.

She helped Dennis put the man down on the floor before Garnet returned and when Garnet ordered Dennis to drop his weapons Ruby's hands flew to her twin pistols and raised them to Dennis before he'd have time to react. "Now sug', we're gunna do this nice an' slow and if'n ya'll think you're gunna do anything crazy Ah'll let you know between the two of us you've got a snowball's chance in New Texas heat to be survivan'." Ruby smiled, and thrust the muzzle of her pistols against his shoulders. "Now strip, an' trust me this ain't fer ma pleasure."

 

[Delnoir]

Dennis sighed and used his index fingers to move the barrels of Ruby's guns away from his shoulders and then did the same with Garnet's weapon, "Tell you what. I'll meet you two-thirds of the way. I'll take my helmet off and empty my revolvers, but these were my father's and you don't get to touch them. My power armor isn't really aptly named. Its really just heavy duty armor and a counter measure so I don't snap my joints using my reflex implant. You know, so I can use it without worrying. I don't have any other weapons. I actually came here expecting to have a drink and talk to a contact. You two kinda ruined that though" Dennis opened his coat to show his knife sheath was empty. Dennis slowly reached to Athena and Apollo before emptying the chambers. When he reached up to his helmet's locks and there was a hiss. He fiddled with the top and removed the actual helmet piece that rested on the face mask before removing and recombining the two. Dennis held his helmet under his arm.

He stared at Garnet flatly, "There you go, Red. That's all you get. I did just help you after all. Besides, if I keep my armor on I'd make a pretty good human shield these banditos being such shitty shots," he chuckled, "Let's just get this guy and get out of here. You've got a set of questions for him and I have a completely different set. Afterwards I'll open up this bourbon and tell you what the DWC is up to. Changes in management, why I'm here, stuff like that," Dennis began to walk toward the door he came out of before pulling out Apollo and shooting one bullet at the bandit he knocked out earlier. He turned around and smiled nervously.

"Sorry. I noticed him waking up and I didn't want him trying to shoot us in the backs on the way out so I kept one in the chamber. Now let's go. For all I know Richie's peed in one of my bike's armory compartments and if he hasn't I'd rather get him out already. New bike smell good, warm pee smell bad."

 

[Kairoga]

Jarkko's ship having just landed on the red surface checked his messages. There was only one from his Sion employer telling him to contact the people Jarkko would be working with: "Ruby Mayhem," a "Rachel Garnet Valentine," as well as "Reverend Nial Mckinley."
Wanting to meet his new partners so they could get to work Jarkko sent a video message of him standing at attention asking for when they could meet up and where in a slight Russian accent. Trying to be brief but still friendly he ended his messages with him saluting and wishing to meet them soon for a drink.
When he finished with the messages he went to his cargo bay and detached the Cargo container from his jeep. Checked to make sure it was ready to go, then went back to his quarters and laid out on his bed waiting.

 

[Zypher]

Ruby raised an eyebrow as Dennis cleared out his guns and took off his helmet. "Well shee-oot, ain't you bein' nice an' cooperative like." She grinned bringing one of her guns back to his chest. She knew it probably wouldn't pierce his armor but she felt a bit better knowing that she held it there.

When he offered a bit of knowledge on the DWC Ruby couldn't help but find herself intrigued. "Ah'm all fer going somewhere teh finally question our lil' guest, how about you pahtner?" She smiled, nodding to Garnet. "But if'n yer thinkin' about tryin' teh pull a fast one on either of us lil' ol' Gertrude will have a few choice words fer ya." She prodded Dennis once more in the chest with the barrel of her gun and holstered them, tossing her hair to one side she stepped away from the man, and behind Garnet. "Well Miss Boss Ma'am, Ah reckon it's time we saddle up and ride out." She nodded, before realizing she had a message, with instructions to meet another player in this chess game.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

I'm around the corner from the bar I am to meet my fellow bounty hunters at when the unmistakable sound of gunfire begins to rattle through the streets. Instinct kicks in; cursing under my breath I move for the nearest piece of cover and draw, ready to fire upon any armed individuals who show their faces. In such a place like this it's best to be ready to inflict violence upon others, because you better fucking believe others are ready to inflict violence upon you.

No targets present themselves and so I move forward cautiously. The gunfire dies down for a moment before opening up again, just as I reach the corner of the street I'm that links to the 'Horny Dingoes'. Again, I vow that, should I ever meet the individual who came up with that name, I shall do God and the 'verse a favour and break their fucking nose.

Peering around the corner, my eyes falling upon a trio standing outside the bar with a fourth person slumped at their feet. Two of them, women by their figures, have weapons drawn upon the other, a man dressed in heavy armour. At a guess Garnet and Ruby, plus another possible bounty hunter I've not been informed of. Not the first time my contractors have failed to mention important details... or maybe they just don't know about this man yet.

Either way, best make myself known.

Sighing, I holster my irons and move around the corner whilst making a gesture local bounty hunters know to mean 'I'm a friendly'. I stride up to the three; now that I'm closer, I'm certain that the two women are Garnet and Ruby, recognising them from the images I have been shown, yet I still don't know the third man.
“You would be Garnet and Ruby, aye?” I ask, my accent somewhat standing out in a place like this, “Sions has sent me; I'm your third. Reverend McKinley, it's a pleasure.” I hold out my hand for Garnet, the closest, to shake.

Somehow I doubt she will, going by her reputation. But it's polite to try, I guess.

 

[Blind Hemingway]

[BG="##150517"]

]A new figure had come into play. However, Garnet’s reaction was very different this time around. She totally ignored Dennis’ comments, leaving Ruby to do deal with him.

“ The Reverend McKinley?!?” Garnet said with a girlish squeal. “My pa told me many tales about you! You’re a hero to many of the Miners in this region, the only man that supports them.” She then giddily shook his hand. “Ever since the first time my papa told me about your dealings with the company thugs, I’ve always dreamed of meeting you!”

She then led him to meet Ruby, “This is our other ally in arms Miss Ruby. Oh, and you can ignore the dude tied up. He works for the DWC. You know as well as I do that they cannot be trusted.” Garnet was having a field day now and was busy rambling on and on to her childhood hero.

"Let's get goin'!" Ruby exclaimed. “Well excuse me, for having a nerd moment with the man I consider my hero. Geez.”

Then they noticed that there was a large trail of dust blowing into the down.

"Don't be too slow with that trigger finger sug'." Ruby warned, readying her large gun. She then sidled to the side of the bar, turning back to give a lavish wink at her comrades. Garnet rolled her eyes, she wanted to pretend that she didn’t notice the gangsters getting closer. Even with Ruby’s Gatling gun this would not stop another wave from busting into the scene for long. It was for the best to continue to stall the foe.

Before Dennis could open his mouth to warn them, the gangsters had begun to circle the bar, their weapons already withdrawn.

"Well... now, what the hell could this be?" said one of them in a smarmy tone.

"Shut up," spat another man, taller, and more somber looking. He narrowed his eyes closely on the bounty hunters, who's every move, were being watched now. Garnet was now hidden in the darkness of an outside staircase, but she knew it wouldn't be long before her presence was noticed. She had to act fast before they massacred them.

She narrowed her eyes on the man closest to her, and quickly grabbed him in a full nelson, her pistol pointed at his head. Everyone's focus had now shifted to Garnet, who had, in their eyes, come out of nowhere.

The man struggled in Garnet’s grip, and his size had almost completely dwarfed the girl from view. The man was definitely strong, and if it wasn't for her gun pressed into his temple, she might not have had a chance.

"I think you know why we're here," She said through gritted teeth, keeping her hold on the man firm. "Don't test me, just be fuckin' straight."

Mentally, she prayed that Ruby and the Reverend would utilize the fraction of time that this distraction granted them wisely, and find a way to use their weapons as an additional threat to them. Meanwhile, she would just have to keep talking.

Garnet then noticed that there was a man approaching them. He wore mostly black with a noticeable red Death's Head marking on the lower part of his long frock coat. This man was probably of a nominal rank within the society, considering how well dressed he was compared to the black suited, sombrero wearing underlings. He raised his cane in the air and the Banditos surrounding the tavern stepped down.

"Well, well. I am very impressed that all of you have made it this far against our Syndicate. And it seems that you have already gained one of the Agents on your side. Sion must be growing more and more desperate, if they are really unleashing their best soldiers this early in the game." The man spoke.

"You talk too much. You're lucky that we don't just shoot your minion on the spot." Garnet said

"I have been accused of that. However, if you are in that much of a rush to let that man die, it wouldn’t effect me any." The man spoke in a Russian accent, suggesting he had origins in Eastern Europe. There was a tense moment in the air. Would she fire or wouldn’t she? The Russian man didn’t wait for a response. Her raised his can and there followed a loud bang! The man Garnet had was now dead. She dropped the body due to natural instinct.

The Russian man then pressed his thumb on the skull shape of his cape. Then the sound of heavy metal footsteps could be heard coming towards the small tavern. Like out of a scene from Jurassic Park, all the liquids in the bar were shaking with each step the lumbering giants took.

There was a reason why the bandits had been successfully raiding towns and villages on the frontiers of Mars; it was because of these black armored soldier machines called La Guardia.

"What the fuck are those?!?!!" Garnet yelled.

"Your undoing." The man then taunted.

“Oh, come on! We’re fighting a major bad guy this early one into the mission. I swear to the Creator, he’s an asshole sometimes!” Garnet muttered under her breath.

[/BG]

The End of Episode One.​

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