Two Years After Contact - Post Apoc RP.

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Michale CS

Ignorance of grammar is not an excuse.
Original poster
LURKER MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. Multiple posts per day
  2. 1-3 posts per day
Online Availability
Evenings, Pacific Time
Writing Levels
  1. Intermediate
  2. Adept
  3. Advanced
  4. Prestige
  5. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
Urban Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Modern, Horror, Magical... pretty flexible.
The Interest Thread is: HERE

May 15, 2035:
SETI Telescopes detect an object roughly the size of Charon, Pluto's moon. This object is detected because it refracts 95% of all known EM radiation around it. At this point, it is approximately 100 AU from Earth - roughly twice the distance from the sun to Pluto - moving at approximately 2% of light speed, and decelerating.

May 18, 2035: Thousands of telescopes and satellites are now focused and analyzing the object. It is determined to be not natural in origin. Worldwide, governments begin enacting their plans in case of extraterrestrial threats. The size of the object is estimated at 600km radius with a mass of about 5% of Pluto's despite the outer shell, now no longer deflecting as much EM, being nearly as dense as diamond. This discrepancy in mass to size leads scientists to believe it is largely hollow, in other words, an interstellar spacecraft.

May 23, 2035: Despite efforts to conceal the knowledge, its presence and location become known worldwide. Panic, doomsday predictors, and religious leaders polarize the populace. Most of the world moves toward a mix of martial law and anarchy.

June 1, 2035: Just prior to the arrival of the craft, in high Earth orbit a massive explosion occurs, leaving a cloud of radiation and debris that lasts several days - enough time to wipe out all satellites in orbit. Our ground telescopes are all we have left to monitor the situation. This event does what the world's governments have failed to do - unify the people. Much of the anarchy calms as this threat to all is realized.

June 15, 2035: Dispersed over every major government center worldwide, Alien spacecraft approximately 2km x 0.5km x 0.5km, descend from earth's orbit, unaffected by any military attack. Still smaller craft and ground units debark from the large craft. These smaller craft head directly towards the locations of earth's nuclear arsenals. All attempts to communicate are unheard or at least not responded to by the attackers.

June 18, 2035: No silos or ground based nuclear missiles survive. The few that were launched were shot down by the smallest of the alien craft. Earth is also now depending on lower technology to communicate -HAM, walkie talkie, telegraph.

June 19, 2035: Launched from submarines, several nuclear missiles are fired, undetected by the invaders until it is too late. Washington DC's and London's invading craft are struck by 8 warheads a piece, roughly 20 times the yield of Hiroshima. The attack hits the top of the vessels, to shield the ground below from as much of the blast as possible. The craft are not destroyed by the attack, but appear to have taken some damage. The cities below have been leveled for 8km around the blasts.

June 20, 2035: Earth's military is ordered to retreat and disburse to begin a guerilla war. One final major strike is made with biological and chemical warfare to cover the retreat.

September 1, 2035: Earth's attempts at rebellion are largely ineffective. Ground units of the aliens reveal that this is an entirely automated assault. No organic life is present among the attackers, and no attempt at communication is successful, despite continued efforts.

December 14, 2035: After what remains of the military has coordinated with a grassroots campaign, salvation seems finally possible. The aliens appear not to notice or respond to helium balloons launched upwards towards their ships. A plan is formed, to be executed on Christmas Day.

December 20, 2035: Using the data from cameras placed on balloons and toy vehicles, it is determined that many hatches are open in the undersides of these ships, and their basic internal layout are mapped.

December 25, 2035: Thousands of suicide missions are conducted, floating troops up to and into the vessels. Once aboard, the troops find key power systems and place high explosives and satchel nuclear weapons. 3% of the soldiers survive, but 24% of the large craft are downed to this tactic before the invaders cut their losses and retreat.

December 26, 2035: The one and only communication from the invaders is received, broadcast on every channel in ten major languages - "This acquisition is no longer profitable." The large ship departs the solar system as swiftly as it came.

May 15th, 2037: Governments have started to reform and rebuild. This is where you come in. Are you simply a survivor, eking out a base living? A hopeful from one of the new governments? Or a mercenary opportunist, selling your skills to the highest bidder?

By Geographical Area

    • Africa: Although it was also less dominated by the Invaders than any other continent save Australia and Antarctica, the lack of support from first world nations for the largely dependent continent has driven the nations of this continent into utter squalor, with the poorest living conditions in the world, growing worse by the day. Still, many missionaries and others looking to help come here. The only Invader crash site is in Johannesburg on this continent, and has been largely left to stand unmolested - but also ripe for the picking for salvagers.

    • Asia: Home to much of the world's population, this was one of the hardest hit by the Invaders initially, until they had largely neutralized earth's military. China has reverted to a regional feudal system. Korea is re-united under an oligarchy. In Japan, though Kyoto, Sapporo, and Tokyo lie partially under the ruins of Invader crash sites, the national pride is strong, and very aggressive investigation into alien technology is ongoing.

    • Australia: Largely untouched by the invasion, this is now the hub of civilization. Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth have tripled in population. The move to settle the outback - using techniques used in Africa and North America, has begun. A lot of opportunity here for everyone. The government of Australia is also mostly intact, The only two Invader crash sites here are over Brisbane and Canberra, but these two are the most investigated by Earth's premier scientists.

    • Europe: Devastated by the Invaders, crash sites are memorials to once great cities - Paris, Munich, Rome, Barcelona, and several other cities are now shells of what they once were. The U.K. was hit especially hard due to the attempt to use nuclear weapons on the Invader over London. Most of the U.K. is still considered unsafe to live in due to fallout, and the coast of France opposite the island kingdom has been similarly evacuated. Still, for those willing to risk the contamination, there are treasures, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial, to be had there.

    • North America: Despite the Eastern Seaboard being largely abandoned due to the fallout of the failed nuclear strike over Washington DC, the United States survives, but relying on state governments, rather than a national authority. Canada fared much better than the US, though Montreal was devastated by the Invaders and is the nation's only Invader crash site, and is becoming a world power in and of itself. However, not as strongly as the Australians have managed.There are literally dozens of Invader crash sites all about the US, in various states of investigation or disuse. Wide tracts of land are available for those willing to live off of it. Still, a land of opportunity

    • South America: There are several Invader crash sites here, in Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil. Government is largely non-existent, and militia/gang violence is the new norm. But, if you're willing to live by the speed of your trigger finger and the seat of your pants, South America is a viable option.

  • Antarctica: Left alone by the Invaders, and now, no one has the resources or the inclination to continue research or settle here.

You must choose a background for any characters you have. If you want more than one character they must be in vastly different areas.
Backgrounds

    • Survivor: You survived the Invasion, and will be happy to live out the rest of your life as normally as you can. Depending on where you live, this may be easy, or nearly impossible.

    • Loyalist: You are allied with a government or organization that is working to return Earth to a higher level of civilization. You may be a soldier, a special task force member, politician or many other things, but your loyalty is to your group.

    • Scavenger: There's a lot of good stuff out there to be had, and you're using the aftermath of the Invasion to cash in on your share of that. Your motives may be altruistic or greedy, but your function is the same - Grab the shinies.

    • Researcher: You are devoted to increasing the knowledge of the human race, either by recovering tech before it is lost, or researching new tech from Invader artifacts. Of course, it's dangerous to go alone...

    • Mercenary: You hire out to someone, usually as protection for them. To researchers or traders, or protecting any of the other types from the dangers of a world with few rules remaining. Your motivations are your own, and among your type, vary greatly.

  • Trader: Much like the Scavenger, but you focus mainly on selling or trading what you've gained, on your own or bought from scavengers and others. One can really get rich out there if they know what to do.
Once you have a background, the only other requirements are listing:

Your character's High Concept. What is their "deal?" like, "Bloodthirsty Wild-eyed Scavenger" or "Devoted Altruistic Scientist" something that sums them up in a few words.

What gets your character in Trouble? Examples can be. "Gimme the shinies!" or "Not On My Watch", just something that sums up why they get into trouble in a few words.

Three things your character is best at. Skills, talents, etc. We'll call these Aspects to keep things simple.

One thing your character just plain sucks at. Like that stereotypical anime character who cooks and manages to destroy every dish, or maybe you're too blunt to get any real concept of the art of diplomacy. This will be simply be referred to as an Unskill.


So the skeleton would be such:
Background:
High Concept:
Trouble:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Aspect:
Unskill:

For now just listing the names of interested people here:
@Stuffies12 @Xytheus @Greenie @Saint Allison @neptune
@Saint Guillotine @supernicenow @Jageroux @Marchosias @Bakugou
@Person

[fieldbox="You've got a problem - I've got a price, #919191"]

Name: Alysson Zaynesworth
Age: 23
DoB: July 29, 2014
High Concept: Pessimistic, Hedonistic Mercenary
Trouble: "We made a deal!"
Aspect: Hand-to-hand combat.
Aspect: Marksmanship.
Aspect: First Aid.
Unskill: Diplomacy.

Appearance:
  • A little under six feet in height - around 180 cm
  • Long white hair that she pays little care to, viewing it more as an annoyance while remaining too lazy to cut it.
  • Unusual, naturally red eyes. Thought to be a genetic defect that runs in her family.
  • Has several piercings in her ears as well as her lip.
  • Various tattoos on her hands and neck, with her right arm being completely covered in tattoos like a sleeve.
  • Wears a salmon covered tank top, hooded leather jacket and coat. Wears leather pants with a studded belt and boots.
Equipment/Etc:
  • A satchel that contains books, ammo and any random junk that catches her interest.
  • Strapped to her thigh, covered by her coat, is a handgun.
  • A knife strapped to her right leg hidden in her boots, as well as another knife attached to the back of her belt, also hidden by her coat.

Personality:
  • Realistic - "Hope? Are you serious? Hope is a joke. There's only the here and now - get your head out of the clouds and get with the program."
  • Vivacious - "Oh come on! This is fun, right?! Right?! You only know you're alive when you're getting shot at by bandits, so just go with the flow!"
  • Aggressive - "No - we made a deal. 500 up front, 500 when we make it. Either pay up or I swear no one will ever find your body."
  • Loyal - "Y'know, that's a very tempting offer, I can't lie. But, sadly, someone else has already paid for my services, and I'm not the type to go back on my word, no matter how much money you offer me."
  • Blunt - "Well, you got shot in the stomach. You're bleeding out and a few pieces of you are... Err... Kind of on display, so I'm pretty sure you're going to be dying soon. OH! You didn't want me to tell you that? Sorry, man."
  • Erratic - "Yes, I know you paid me to keep you safe. Yes, I know I kicked you out of a window. I understand you're angry, but if you don't shut up I'll break your jaw."
  • Hedonistic - "What do you mean, why am I charging so much? I'm sorry, but alcohol isn't cheap and some good, dirty fun sure as hell isn't either."
  • Melancholic - "I remember when my family used to go to beach. Y'know, before everything got fucked up. I remember I wanted to be a doctor, like my aunt... Now look at me. Just killed someone again... Hah."

Brief History:
  • "My name is Alysson Zaynesworth. I was born in California, but my family moved around a lot. From Texas, to Louisiana, to Florida... I'm pretty sure I lived in Florida the longest, compared to anywhere else. I really liked it there."
  • "My father used to be in the army and my mom grew up in The South - I can't remember what state for the life of me. I have two brothers, Roux and Sebastian. Roux is the youngest, and Baz is the oldest."
  • "Before everything went to shit my dad opened up this gym in Florida. I guess that's why we stayed there for so long. So, when I was growing up, he used to bring us there after we got out of school, and over time he started to teach us how to fight. It was odd, honestly, being the only girl there. But I was treated fairly, y'know? I put as much effort forth as my brothers, and I was respected because of that. Y'see, I know that because no one ever pulled their punches."
  • "And, well, time went on as usual. School, vacations, hunting trips... Life was looking great. I was gonna go to college to become a doctor, Baz was looking to join the army and Roux wanted to become a boxer... Then, well, the world went to shit. Mom and Dad died not too long after the bombings... Baz kept us together, though. He kept us alive. Through all of the shit, he took care of us."
  • "After 'Cember 26, 2035 we spent what felt like forever travelling. Going from place to place until we found ourselves in South America. Don't ask me how - I was on a bender for a week then all of a sudden we're on a new continent. Needless to say, Argentina was boring, Venezuela was... That's a story for another time. But Brazil? Man, Brazil is where it's at."
More in-depth history will be revealed in RP.
[/fieldbox]

Done. I checked but there wasn't an actual character sheet, so I just made something up... If there's anything I need to change, just let me know.
250px-Tom_Mason.jpg

Name: Tobias Denton
Age: 35
Equipment: At all times he has a notepad and pen, and an M9 handgun.

Background: Loyalist, to Galveston island.
High Concept: Defiant mayor.
Trouble: His defiance often gets him into trouble with the state government of Texas.
Aspect: Negotiation/diplomacy.
Aspect: Shooting.
Aspect: Battlefield strategy.
Unskill: Hand-to-hand combat.
** KNOWLEDGE SEEKING SCIENTIST **


View attachment 92323



Name - Dood
Age - 26
Height - 5'3"
Weight - 65kg
Backround - Dood was one of those kids who would get bitten by a turtle and cry then put his hand into the turtles mouth again just so he could see how it functioned. He read comic books sanctimoniously and tried to make them a reality, he had ideas but when he realised how much it'd all cost he sacked his plans, but became a scientist anyway as a sort of "Might as well," moment. Since then nothing's really happened except WHAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE A POSSIBLE ATTACK FROM A RACE OF ALIENS, WHICH CAUSED MASS DESTRUCTION , CHAOS AND ANARCHY , but apart from that, pretty normal. He considers himself lucky to be alive but even luckier to have discoved 2 new types of atom one of which cannot bond with oxygen, but has made various compounds with others such as nitrogen and sulpher, he plans on going to Sweeden to use the Hydron Collider to discover their properties. But for now remains in the UK
Trouble - "May I borrow some blood for an experiment ?Urine would be an alright substitute."
Aspect : Tennis.
Aspect : Science particularly chemisty and less so physics leaving biology in the middle.
Aspect : Plotting Graphs.
Unskill : You'd think a scientist would have good memory, but no, not Dood at least.
94d7d6c5e7975070ed782bc272607b79.jpg

Name: Arisu Hayakawa
Age: Thirty
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5'4"
Background: Researcher
Profession: Invader Tech Research Group
High Concept: Altruistic Devoted Scientist
Trouble: Just a few more tests and I'll be done here.
Aspect: A genuine Science Whiz
Aspect: The Obligatory Self Defense Classes (Judo, Pistols, Archery)
Aspect: Can I Open My Eyes Now? (Driving, at scary good levels)
Unskill: Could cause a house fire trying to boil water (inept at cooking)
Bio: I used to work for Sony, before the Invasion. My biggest concern
used to be how best to maximize the output of speakers, or find more
secure ways to encrypt data sent by smartphones to the cellular network.
Now, I work with New Nippon Labs on the Experimental Invader Project.
Not only do I get the access to the crash sites in Japan, I can travel the
world to other crash sites. My research currently is on how the Invader
ships communicated flawlessly with each other, so I need to visit as
many different crash sites as I can, to corroborate my theories.
Of course, this means hiring people to make sure that I make it back to Japan in one piece.
Your Obligatory NPC Adventure Hook Dispenser.
Name: Natalija - she never tels her last name to anyone.
Age: 26
Heigt: 176cm
Weigt: 67kg

Area: Europe, specificly Eastern Europe

Background: Scavenger, primaryli, but not averse to taking a ocasional mercenary job, when oportunity presents it-self.
High Concept: Stubborn. Very, very, very stubborn and in-flexible. Once she sets her mind on something, she wil do it, or die trying. Its her greatest strength but also her bigest weakness. She can never bend, only break. More about her personality wil be revealed in-RP. (BTW, since this RP is set in original close-to-real world, I seen no reason to make a character, I'm basicly playing a sligtly altered version of myself).

Aspect: Wildernes survival, living off the land, basic first-aid.
Aspect: Half-decent shot with most hand-guns, good shot with rifles, also skiled at making and repairing them.
Aspect: Expert HtH and melee combatant, good climber and runner, high endurance, very high pain-tolerance.
Un-Skill: Most kinds of science disciplines (exept biology), use of high-technology.

Equipment: A machete maked from a butcher's cleaver, a hold-out switchblade knife, and a customized Zastava M76 sharp-shooter/assault rifle (basicly a Ak47 copy native to the Balkans area, bit more accurate though).
untitled.bmp


Name: Nora Rayn

Age: 21

Height: 5'5

Weight: 120 lbs

Background: Scavenger

High Concept: Poker faced hard worker

Trouble: If it's not nailed down, finders keepers (Yes, she is a thief.)

Aspect: Generally quite strong; she won't tire after a day's hard work.
Aspect: Fast at running away.
Aspect: Good with animals, in particular cats, if that counts!

Unskill: Low self confidence. She doesn't show it in front of people, but it all sort of cooks up inside of her.

Bio: Before the invasion, Nora lived quite a normal life in Montreal, Canada. She was the only child of two normal, almost mundane, parents. They were rather old fashioned, running a grocery store and living in the apartment on top of it. Nora stayed there her whole life, homeschooling during the morning and afternoon, helping out in the evening. She didn't have many friends per say and was naturally quiet, though always observant. She often saw or heard things she shouldn't, and it tended to affect her.

Then came the invasion. Her parents died in the initial days, and Nora managed to survive from moving from place to place, keeping out of sight. She was rather good at that, as it were. Her destination was Ottawa, which wasn't too far away, but for a lone person with no vehicle, it could take a while. Eventually she did reach the capital of Canada and remained there until the invaders left... and once they did, she did as well.

Her destination was Montreal once more. Perhaps she was sentimental. Maybe she just liked the Montreal Canadians. In any case, there she went. She managed to salvage a few things from her parents store, but mostly it was a complete wreck. For the most part, she is once more moving from place to place, buying and selling. For what purpose? She doesn't really know, or care.

If there's anything that needs to be changed or added, please tell :D​
Approved Characters above.
 
Please submit your characters in the - Interest Check Two Years After Contact thread, so as to not clutter up the first few pages here with the preamble. Those who submit here will have their posts summarily deleted until I give the go-ahead.

Arisu had just finished up her research on the communications array of the Invader craft in Rio De Janeiro, and had some exciting developments. However, it brought up as many questions as answers, so to corroborate her findings she would have to visit several other Invader sites.

And that meant having to recruit new protection and support people in each of those locations, something that she was not looking forward to.

She would begin by asking her current mercenaries if they would like to do some traveling and continue their work with her.

Most of them declined. "No Senora, por que..." is how it usually started.

Then, she got to one of her more useful employees. Alysson Zaynesworth. Useful both from a protection standpoint and as a procurement specialist. One never knew what one would need when investigating an Invader site, and she had proven very useful here in Rio.

She called Alysson in and bade her sit down. "Alysson, I have a proposal for you, for additional work. If you agree, this will be a long term project, and I'll even return you here afterward if that is your wish..."

Arisu sat back and awaited Aly's reply. She was sure there would be some negotiation - the woman was very good at negotiating deals and Arisu was prepared to be flexible.


(( @Jageroux A simple post of what she manages to wheedle out of Arisu will be fine for now ))

:: See Next Post for basic rules for intro posts and whatnot. I want others to have their lives going on by the time Arisu gets to them ::
 
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When Posting, please use some method for deliniating what is IC and OOC, preferably include all OOC at the end of any post or post in the Interest Thread or PM me.

Introduction Posts:

These are your character's "Trailer" think about something along this line -


It is you showing off all the awesomeness that is your character, and giving us a peek into their daily life. Of course you're more 'real life' than a RWBY character but the point is the same.

Begin!
 
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Quick Bump. The Thread is Alive. Will be edited later with actual content. Read above.​
 
::bumping::

Approved people, please post your character intros.​
 
Arisu had just finished up her research on the communications array of the Invader craft in Rio De Janeiro, and had some exciting developments. However, it brought up as many questions as answers, so to corroborate her findings she would have to visit several other Invader sites.​

And that meant having to recruit new protection and support people in each of those locations, something that she was not looking forward to.

She would begin by asking her current mercenaries if they would like to do some traveling and continue their work with her.

Most of them declined. "No Senora, por que..." is how it usually started.

Then, she got to one of her more useful employees. Alysson Zaynesworth. Useful both from a protection standpoint and as a procurement specialist. One never knew what one would need when investigating an Invader site, and she had proven very useful here in Rio.

She called Alysson in and bade her sit down. "Alysson, I have a proposal for you, for additional work. If you agree, this will be a long term project, and I'll even return you here afterward if that is your wish..."

Arisu sat back and awaited Aly's reply. She was sure there would be some negotiation - the woman was very good at negotiating deals and Arisu was prepared to be flexible.

"W-Woah, lady..." Aly said, rubbing her face as she collapsed in her seat, trying to blink her hangover away. "Long term sounds a lot like... commitment. And like, you and I haven't even... Y'know. Eh. Eh. Eh! Whaddaya say?" She said with a playful grin, the glint in her eyes making it obvious she was bullshitting. Waving her hand as if it would erase her previous ramblings, she chose to rub her face, taking in Ari's words.

The thought of a steady flow of income was nice, but the responsibility it entailed was off-putting. She liked Rio De Janeiro - it was a fun place... But she had pissed people off and she had intended to use her payment from working with Ari to get out of the country, but if she could score a free ride...

"After very, very careful deliberation, my colleagues - me, myself and I - have concluded that sticking with you through whatever bullshit you get yourself into would be really, really worthwhile." She said, standing up on wobbly feet to give a half-hearted salute before falling back down onto her ass. "Where're we headin', doc?"
 
"Takes a alien invasion, to re-shape the vorld." Natalija thoght vith a mix of sarcasm and awe, looking down thru the plane's window, at the ruins of the once-great city of Budapest, capital of Hungary... now a Invader crash-site.

But the old vorld was long gone, as were most of the former nation-states, at least those in Europe, she vasnt too familiar vith how things are right now, in the rest of the vorld.

Or more precisly, those nation-states that the aliens considered a threat to them, and positioned those huge space-ships above their capitals and large cities. Here in Eastern Europe, Hungary and Poland were the only nations that the aliens seen as enogh of a threat to do so. Unfortunatly for them... Natalija had to smirk at the thoght, thinking: "Sometimes, it pays to be un-noticed and irelevant... you survive longer, and rise as a global power after-vard!"

Like her homeland of Croatia, and the entyre area of the Balkans. Untouched by the cataclysm of the alien invasion, doubled in population, and more powerful then ever before in history, all the countrys of the area united in-to a powerful Southern Slavic Commonwealth, that streched from the former state of Austria, all the vay down to Greece, and east-ward to the Black Sea, comanding a vast military force. But not necesarily in a good way... at least not for a free-spirit like herself, who didnt vant to live inside a hegemonic federation and its stifling laws and rules. Hence vhy Natalija decided to seek her fortunes else-vhere, and was right now on this small plane, having paid the smuglers to take her beyond the strictly-policed borders of her home-land.

Not that she had a choise, in any case. She vas wanted for a multi-tude of crimes in the Comonwealth, including black-marketeering, smugling, and theft, several of vhich carryd a death-sentence under new draconian laws. She got out literaly 1 step ahead of the authoritys, vith nothing but herself, one backpack of the barest necessitys, and her trusty M76.

"A Invader crash-site... I bet I'l make more money scavenging alien tech and re-selling it to the highest bider, then I ever did doing odd-jobs back home." she reflected, as the plane come-in for a landing on a improvized landing strip, outsyde the ruined city.

***

Vithin a couple days, Natalija managed to setle-in reasonably well, making a home for her-self in one of the abandoned buildings on the outskirts, and scouting out the imediate city-area, to familiarize her-self vith it, and get to know the best places to trade for food and water, too. She planed to start making gathering forays to the city itself, vithin a week. The area wasnt vithout its share of dangers, too, gang activity and wild animals, so she vas glad she had her rifle, as wel as her extensive close combat training and expirience, to fall back on if needed.
 
"W-Woah, lady..." Aly said, rubbing her face as she collapsed in her seat, trying to blink her hangover away. "Long term sounds a lot like... commitment. And like, you and I haven't even... Y'know. Eh. Eh. Eh! Whaddaya say?" She said with a playful grin, the glint in her eyes making it obvious she was bullshitting. Waving her hand as if it would erase her previous ramblings, she chose to rub her face, taking in Ari's words.

The thought of a steady flow of income was nice, but the responsibility it entailed was off-putting. She liked Rio De Janeiro - it was a fun place... But she had pissed people off and she had intended to use her payment from working with Ari to get out of the country, but if she could score a free ride...

"After very, very careful deliberation, my colleagues - me, myself and I - have concluded that sticking with you through whatever bullshit you get yourself into would be really, really worthwhile." She said, standing up on wobbly feet to give a half-hearted salute before falling back down onto her ass. "Where're we headin', doc?"
"Hungary. Budapest to be exact. For the next stop. Each site we go to, I'll give you an option to opt out and be dropped wherever you wish, but I promise you that after a few of these trips, you'll have earned enough to set yourself up independently practically anywhere you want. Canada, Australia even." This was a high promise because the cost of living anywhere near civilization in these two nations were the highest in the world. They were by and large radiation free and also boasted the highest standards of living anywhere on the planet. This was equivalent to a pre-Invasion offer of buying someone an apartment in New York City.

"I need to run tests on the communications arrays of at least ten Invader craft in order to back up my theory. If I'm right, we can restore world-wide communications by activating the tech on Invader craft to do real-time communication between any cities with an Invader crash site. Later, I hope to be able to reverse engineer this tech so we can fully restore communications to a pre-Invasion level." That last bit might have just gone far over Aly's head, but Arisu was in her element, and geeking out.
 
"Hungary. Budapest to be exact. For the next stop. Each site we go to, I'll give you an option to opt out and be dropped wherever you wish, but I promise you that after a few of these trips, you'll have earned enough to set yourself up independently practically anywhere you want. Canada, Australia even." This was a high promise because the cost of living anywhere near civilization in these two nations were the highest in the world. They were by and large radiation free and also boasted the highest standards of living anywhere on the planet. This was equivalent to a pre-Invasion offer of buying someone an apartment in New York City.

"I need to run tests on the communications arrays of at least ten Invader craft in order to back up my theory. If I'm right, we can restore world-wide communications by activating the tech on Invader craft to do real-time communication between any cities with an Invader crash site. Later, I hope to be able to reverse engineer this tech so we can fully restore communications to a pre-Invasion level." That last bit might have just gone far over Aly's head, but Arisu was in her element, and geeking out.
"What you're saying is nice and all, and I'm super sure it's really important and smart, but... What you're saying is I stick with you throughout all of this and I'll be able to set up in Australia with a pet kangaroo?" She queried with a raised brow, a playful smile making its way onto her face. "Did I ever tell you you're my favorite person? Well, favorite person other than my brothers. Anyway, I'll stick with you throughout all of this crap. Seems like it could be fun." She shrugged. She liked the work, and out of all of her clients, Arisu was the least mental. She was a bit weird and kind of a nerd, but Alysson found it more adorable than anything. In her mind, Alysson was that one sister she always wished her brothers were.

"So, when do we head out? The sooner the better, yeah?"
 
"What you're saying is nice and all, and I'm super sure it's really important and smart, but... What you're saying is I stick with you throughout all of this and I'll be able to set up in Australia with a pet kangaroo?" She queried with a raised brow, a playful smile making its way onto her face. "Did I ever tell you you're my favorite person? Well, favorite person other than my brothers. Anyway, I'll stick with you throughout all of this crap. Seems like it could be fun." She shrugged. She liked the work, and out of all of her clients, Arisu was the least mental. She was a bit weird and kind of a nerd, but Alysson found it more adorable than anything. In her mind, Alysson was that one sister she always wished her brothers were.

"So, when do we head out? The sooner the better, yeah?"
"Gather what you think you'll need. There will be a plane here in four hours." Arisu said.

"It will be a long flight. Fifteen hours. Be prepared for that. We'll have food of course and there's a lavatory on the plane, but starting out well prepared in both of those areas would make the trip more comfortable for you." She stood and extended her hand to shake.
 
Location: Galveston Island, Texas.

Mayor Tobias Denton of Galveston Island, high off his recent victory, rode in the passenger seat of a Jeep 4x4. He had recently won the campaign for reelection. It was his third term. It pissed off the Texas state government. He had so far ignored their requests that he rejoin the union.

He wore dark shades. His driver drove along the seawall. It was a steep drop off that acted a barrier and protected the island from storm surges. To their left were the many shops. Formerly, they were surf shops, restaurants and tourist traps. Now they contained fishing vendors and boat builders. A few abandoned container ships had washed up on shore after the invasion. And just a few miles off the coast the massive wreck of an alien mothership. It rested with its stern pointing straight upward, the bow buried in a sandbar. Several docks had been built around it. Workers stripped it of materials for use in whatever they could.

Soon enough they arrived at city hall. Three huge structures side by side. The buildings used to be a hotel. Now they were Tobias' headquarters. From here he had built up the islands infrastructure. Travelers came through on the cosway, a massive bridge that stretched over the harbor. In the harbor there were many ships. Galveston was the only surviving port in the south. This made it a gateway for shipping into and out of North America from South America and Africa.

Tobias stepped out of the vehicle. He told his driver to keep the vehicle there. He took off his shades and entered the building. He was greeting by his cheering staff. They congratulated him on his the successful reelection campaign. He smiled and held his hand up, requesting them to quiet down. "No need for celebration guys. Let's just keep doing our jobs and work for another productive six years." The crowd applauded a little more before he went into the elevator, and up to his office.

Tobias exited the elevator and into his office. It was a large room on the top floor. His desk sat in the middle. Behind it the sun shined through a big glass window that that ran the length of the room. He tossed his shades in his desk and looked out over the sea. His secretary entered the room. A tall tan woman in a plain suit. He turned to face her. "Lana, what's first on todays list?"
 
Location: Galveston Island, Texas.


Tobias exited the elevator and into his office. It was a large room on the top floor. His desk sat in the middle. Behind it the sun shined through a big glass window that that ran the length of the room. He tossed his shades in his desk and looked out over the sea. His secretary entered the room. A tall tan woman in a plain suit. He turned to face her. "Lana, what's first on todays list?"
"Sir, it's a matter of some concern. It appears that we're starting to have trouble with looting again. Around the Invader site. We have people questioning the overnight security guards but of course no one has seen anything, but we've found evidence of someone entering the vessel at night that isn't on our list of salvagers - on top of the fact we don't allow salvage after dark - and removing tech and materials from the craft. We haven't caught anything on camera, of course, our coverage is still spotty at best, but evidence of blowtorches and other equipment being used inside the craft has been found. With where it is situated, the craft is harder to defend as they may be coming by water. We of course have guards posted at the docks, but the fact that no one saw anything is very suspicious. Everyone will be looking to you for guidance. Shall I call a meeting? The files on the incidents are right here." She set down a small stack of manila folders with pictures of the tampering and a partial cataloging of what was missing from the Invader craft.
 
"Sir, it's a matter of some concern. It appears that we're starting to have trouble with looting again. Around the Invader site. We have people questioning the overnight security guards but of course no one has seen anything, but we've found evidence of someone entering the vessel at night that isn't on our list of salvagers - on top of the fact we don't allow salvage after dark - and removing tech and materials from the craft. We haven't caught anything on camera, of course, our coverage is still spotty at best, but evidence of blowtorches and other equipment being used inside the craft has been found. With where it is situated, the craft is harder to defend as they may be coming by water. We of course have guards posted at the docks, but the fact that no one saw anything is very suspicious. Everyone will be looking to you for guidance. Shall I call a meeting? The files on the incidents are right here." She set down a small stack of manila folders with pictures of the tampering and a partial cataloging of what was missing from the Invader craft.

Tobias looked through the folders. "Was anything potentially harmful taken? If not it's probably just run of the mill bandits. Do a sweep of the entire bottom outer hull of the craft. Tell them to look for alternate entrances besides our docks. That'll probably reveal whether we're dealing with bandits or someone much more crafty. Let's hold off on the meeting until after that." He pondered the possibility of alien survivors in his mind. It was incredibly unlikely but still a possibility. He dismissed that idea. The ship was decently mapped. It was unlikely something could have hidden for so long.
 
Tobias looked through the folders. "Was anything potentially harmful taken? If not it's probably just run of the mill bandits. Do a sweep of the entire bottom outer hull of the craft. Tell them to look for alternate entrances besides our docks. That'll probably reveal whether we're dealing with bandits or someone much more crafty. Let's hold off on the meeting until after that." He pondered the possibility of alien survivors in his mind. It was incredibly unlikely but still a possibility. He dismissed that idea. The ship was decently mapped. It was unlikely something could have hidden for so long.
"Unknown, sir. Potentially anything could be used in a dangerous way from an Invader craft, but none of the items were obviously weaponry or armor. And understood sir. But we will have to divert manpower." She pondered for a moment, then continued.

"There are three potential areas that we could take from. We could ask the citizens' militia to reduce their patrols of the city proper. We'd get more people this way but they aren't very well trained. We could reduce the guards on our food stores. This would provide less manpower for us, but they're trained guards who know to look for trouble. Alternatively, we could simply lower our police coverage overall and have actual military personnel look into this. We'd get even fewer people but they would be the best trained and more likely to spot things the other groups might miss. The downside of that is that we'll actually be reducing our overall police coverage of the city, and increasing our response times in case of other problems. Asking for a combination of these people will likely produce... mixed results."

That last, was true. People tended to flock to people with similar attitudes and backgrounds, and this was highlighted in post Invader times. There would likely be squabbling among the factions if more than one was asked to take care of this increased security.

"I'll let you think this over, sir. I'll be at my desk once you make up your mind. The rest of the items I had on the docket today are just papers to sign and permits to approve, which I'll leave on your desk. Unless you had further questions for me sir, I could get to taking care of the minor things on your docket that don't require your direct attention?" Lana concluded.
 
10 hours later... ground-zero of Budapest crash-site.

It was her first foray for interesting tech inside the crash site, and from that point of view, Natalija had to admit that the vhole exercise was proving more dificult then she imagined.

"Damn it... I cant make head-or-tails of most of this stuff!" she mutered to her-self, walking thru the massive pieces of vreckage of the alien craft, all of it looking like parts of a giant metal beast. She culd see ruined pieces of electronics and stil-sparking wires, even some relativly intact parts, humming constantly, as wel as a vhole array of smaller junk, even some more-or-less intact alien ground vehicles that survived the crash.

Deciding to map-out the site first, and identify the most interesting objects, as wel as find a way to transport them to her hide-out later, Natalija vas sudenly interrupted by a sound of a truck engine, before a somevhat beat-up old pickup truck stoped about 20 meters away, and from it, a couple of tough-looking punks jumped down, all vith clubs and knives in their hands, 2 more of them on the truck, armed with pistols and crude-looking shotguns.

Natalija forced her-self not to tense up, turning to face them vith a non-thretening expresion. It was a gang-patrol. So far, she managed to avoid crossing paths vith them, but the residents warned her that the imediate area of the crash site was considered their turf, and that any potential scavengers vere subject to the gang's approval... vhich usually carried some sort of price or tribute to pay.

"Wel, lets get it over with..." she thoght, then called out: "Easy there, guys! I'm not here to start troble, just hoping to find some nice things around here!" in English. She didnt speak or understand a vord of Hungarian, it being a very diferent language from Slavic ones, and it vas doubtful they spoke Croatian, either. But at least some of them vere bound to speak English. At least she hoped so.

As she waited for their reply, Natalija's eyes passed-over the suroundings, just in case she wuld need to scramble for cover and fight, if they decided to attack imediatly. Being full of large pieces of the alien vreckage strewed around, as wel as ruined buildings, the area offerent ample oportunitys to hide and mount a defense if needed. Also, she brifly shook her sholders, feeling the re-assuring weight of her rifle on her back.
 
10 hours later... ground-zero of Budapest crash-site.

...

As she waited for their reply, Natalija's eyes passed-over the surroundings, just in case she would need to scramble for cover and fight, if they decided to attack immediately. Being full of large pieces of the alien wreckage strewed around, as well as ruined buildings, the area offering ample opportunity to hide and mount a defense if needed. Also, she briefly shook her shoulders, feeling the re-assuring weight of her rifle on her back.
By this time, Arisu and Aly were still on a plane, about nine hours from Budapest, so no third party interference in this little struggle was likely.

"Csak megfordul, és hagyja, ez a mi területünkön!" One of them called out, and one of his compatriots shoved him by the shoulder.

"Vwat my uneducated brother here is tryink to say to you, is that this is our territory little girl, and you should run along home before you get hurt." The lead of the group was obviously this guy. About six foot tall and well-muscled, he stepped forward.

"Unless, of course, you want to be havink a good time vith us, igen?"
 
By this time, Arisu and Aly were still on a plane, about nine hours from Budapest, so no third party interference in this little struggle was likely.

"Csak megfordul, és hagyja, ez a mi területünkön!" One of them called out, and one of his compatriots shoved him by the shoulder.

"Vwat my uneducated brother here is tryink to say to you, is that this is our territory little girl, and you should run along home before you get hurt." The lead of the group was obviously this guy. About six foot tall and well-muscled, he stepped forward.

"Unless, of course, you want to be havink a good time vith us, igen?"
Natalija smiled at him, casualy walking closer.

"I'm alvays up for a good time. But at the moment, I'm not having such a good time, being told to go home, vhen I just got here! I am sure we can vork something out in exchange for me geting a shot at this place. You guys maybe need something done, or some weapons to fix-up? I'm good vith my hands." she responded casualy.

Of corse, she didnt miss the vay he sayed "a good time", it vas vey obvius what he had in mind. Normaly, Natalija wuld be receptive to a... bulk payment... of that kind, especialy since she liked what she seen, but not vith someone she just met!

As she came closer, she kept her non-thretening posture, but also ran a continous real-time analisis of the situation. This guy, obviusly the leader, vas now separated from his brother vhen he stepped forvard, by about 3 meters distance. That wuld esentialy make it a 1 on 1 situation for a couple seconds, if it came to a fight, before his brother culd join in. Also, she vas careful to aproach in such a way, as to keep the two of them in-betwen herself and the 2 others on the truck vith fire-arms, esentialy blocking their line of fire. Off to the left, she noticed a entrance to a ruined building, some 25 meters away, reachable in 2-3 seconds if she sprinted tovard it.

All in all, stil not good odds by any strech, to be sure... but it wuld give her a fighting chance if it came to it.
 
Natalija smiled at him, casually walking closer.

"I'm alvays up for a good time. But at the moment, I'm not having such a good time, being told to go home, vhen I just got here! I am sure we can vork something out in exchange for me getting a shot at this place. You guys maybe need something done, or some weapons to fix-up? I'm good vith my hands." she responded casually.
...

All in all, still not good odds by any stretch, to be sure... but it would give her a fighting chance if it came to it.
"So the kurva is good with her hands, igen? Maybe we could find that out later, eh?" The man closed with her, his brother hanging back at the moment, and the two on the truck just stayed there watching.

"Well, then. Let us see how good you are. Andros! Hozd a géppuska. Lássuk a kurva tudjuk javítani." He called out to one of the men on the truck, who looked at him in a puzzled way then shrugged, disappearing into the back.

Not long later, the man had joined the leader, who it turned out was named Joska, carrying a Kalashnikov. "Fine. This gun it doesn't fire anymore. Find out why and fix it, igen?" He nodded and Andros dumped the PKM on the ground in front of Natalija. "Maybe then we find you useful other than for orális szex."
 
"Unknown, sir. Potentially anything could be used in a dangerous way from an Invader craft, but none of the items were obviously weaponry or armor. And understood sir. But we will have to divert manpower." She pondered for a moment, then continued.

"There are three potential areas that we could take from. We could ask the citizens' militia to reduce their patrols of the city proper. We'd get more people this way but they aren't very well trained. We could reduce the guards on our food stores. This would provide less manpower for us, but they're trained guards who know to look for trouble. Alternatively, we could simply lower our police coverage overall and have actual military personnel look into this. We'd get even fewer people but they would be the best trained and more likely to spot things the other groups might miss. The downside of that is that we'll actually be reducing our overall police coverage of the city, and increasing our response times in case of other problems. Asking for a combination of these people will likely produce... mixed results."

That last, was true. People tended to flock to people with similar attitudes and backgrounds, and this was highlighted in post Invader times. There would likely be squabbling among the factions if more than one was asked to take care of this increased security.

"I'll let you think this over, sir. I'll be at my desk once you make up your mind. The rest of the items I had on the docket today are just papers to sign and permits to approve, which I'll leave on your desk. Unless you had further questions for me sir, I could get to taking care of the minor things on your docket that don't require your direct attention?" Lana concluded.

Tobias though for a second. He wanted to be decisive on this. "I'll take some of the guards from the food stores. They're better at finding theives. I'll organize the effort myself so no one will know the food is slightly more vulnerable." Tobias opened a drawer in his desk, retrieved his M9 and loaded it. "You can take care of the other things." The slide on the gun slid forward. "I'm going on an impromptu hunting trip."
 
Tobias thought for a second. He wanted to be decisive on this. "I'll take some of the guards from the food stores. They're better at finding thieves. I'll organize the effort myself so no one will know the food is slightly more vulnerable." Tobias opened a drawer in his desk, retrieved his M9 and loaded it. "You can take care of the other things." The slide on the gun slid forward. "I'm going on an impromptu hunting trip."
"As you wish, sir. I'll reschedule your four o'clock to tomorrow then." the assistant nodded and headed out to her desk.

The food storage area was a supermarket before the Invasion, though most all of the windows had been boarded up, and there were sniper nests on each corner of the building. Currently, there were men behind each of those guns, two at the small front entrance, four more guarding the truck loading bays, and another two on patrol around the place.

Food theft used to be a major problem, and even the guards policed each other as they came and left to make sure they weren't taking home anything extra. The thing is, it wasn't the staples that were stolen. Bread, cheese, milk and so on were left alone. No, it was all the Pre-Invasion "junk food" and anything remotely tobacco related, that disappeared. Even the alcohol thefts were light - too many Texans knew how to distill their own for that to be a major issue.

Mark Jacobs was the head of security for the Galveston food stores, and he had an office at the rear of the converted HEB. That would probably be the first stop in Tobias' trip, unless he wanted to piss Jacobs off by taking men before consulting him.
 
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