[Taocow PBEM] Fwd: Book 3 - Chapter XIV - Belmont Abbey - REPOST

[Peter Perkins]

[Vesper]
"I wouldn't know what to ask. Though I suppose it is natural to be curious about a people who make transactions with the Splugorth."
He then notices the Kydians heading for a hovercraft.
"Why are they pulling back ? Oh heck we need to move now !  They might be pulling their people out for bombardment."
[/Vesper]
--------------------------------------------
On Wed, 6/4/14, Aaron Clausen <mightymartianca at gmail.com> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Taocow PBEM] Fwd: Book 3 - Chapter XIV - Belmont Abbey - REPOST
 To: "The Tao of Cow Rifts PBEM" <taocowpbem at zork.net>
 Date: Wednesday, June 4, 2014, 8:54 AM
 
 >>> [Vesper]
 >>> "Just Keldon's son was injured. We should evac
 others if possible."
 >>> He looked down, "Unless they will leave the
 city alone once were gone but I
 >>> am not so sure they will."
 >>> He glanced back to Alex then to the others.
 >>> [/Vesper]
 
 >> [GM]
 >> As Vesper speaks, Jacek the Borg, leaning on the
 rail, points out his
 >> damaged leg and obliterated arm. "My injuries are
 not life
 >> threatening, though until I can facilitate repair,
 I may be of limited
 >> use."
 >> [/GM]
 
 > [Vesper]
 > Vesper looks to Jacek, "Sorry Jacek."
 > [/Vesper]
 
 > [Alex]
 > Looking at Jacek, Alex responds, "I can fix the armor
 but nothing like
 > that. Sorry I am not of much help there. I think even a
 cyber-doc would
 > just want to replace the damage parts not repair."
 >
 > She will look if there is anything she can do safely to
 give an partial
 > function back to anything using armorer / basic
 mechanics. Otherwise,
 > the red headed ranger does not mess with anything.
 > [/Alex]
 
 [GM]
 Jacek has some pretty significant damage; one arm missing,
 one leg
 probably unsalvageable. He's going to need a chop shop at
 the minimum/
 [/GM]
 
 > [Oz]
 > Oz nods at Jacek. "The dwarves may know a little
 something about
 > bionics. We'll get you patched up."
 > [/Oz]
 
 [Jacek]
 Jacek nods. "I hope so. It is... distracting."
 [/Jacek]
 
 >>> [Oz]
 >>> "We have to." Oz nods at the sergeant. "On to
 Wales, if we can." He
 >>> turns to the sailors they'd brought aboard.
 "Can you operate the ship
 >>> on your own?" If not, they were going to have
 to abandon ship just as
 >>> quickly as they'd boarded.
 >>> [/Oz]
 
 >> [Louissa]
 >> "We have one man who can pilot it," Louissa says,
 "but he's, um, well,
 >> a little confused right now due to a nasty bump on
 the head."
 >> [/Louissa]
 
 >>> [Alex]
 >>> Alex suggests, "I we can at least get to a
 place with more cover, even
 >>> if we have to go on foot from there, might be
 best idea."
 >>> Nothing ever goes right so she is almost use to
 it these days. At least
 >>> nobody has managed to kill her yet so she
 figures keep trying.
 >>> [/Alex]
 
 >>> [Ted]
 >>> "In my time, the Thames was a major river. Why
 not take the ship as far
 >>> as it will go?" the lizard man suggested. "Once
 we get upstream and have
 >>> to abandon the boat, we can just turn it around
 and put it on auto-pilot.
 >>> That might throw off the Splugorth enough to
 buy us a day or two."
 >>> [/Ted]
 
 >> [Ithdalkal]
 >> The Blind Warrior Woman shakes her head. "Back to
 that river leads to
 >> the Splugorth. The lower reaches of the Thames are
 under the sway of
 >> London."
 >> [/Ithdalkal]
 
 >> [GM]
 >> One of the ship's crew that the company had just
 rescued speaks up. "I
 >> can pilot the ship. First things first, we need to
 get this back on
 >> the ley line. Second of all, we have cargo destined
 for the dwarf
 >> colony in Wales. Even better, it's heading away
 from the Splugorth.
 >> There are a lot of ley lines around here, and if
 there's some better
 >> destination, we can get there a lot more safely
 than taking rivers
 >> that might lead to more enemy territory."
 >>
 >> "If you do want boats," she continues, "this town
 appears to have
 >> several. I hate to lose a lot of well-armed and
 battle experienced
 >> people, especially now that the Captain is..." at
 that point tears
 >> begin to well up, and she has to pause a moment.
 "Look, we've lost
 >> most of our crew, and with the Captain gone, this
 ship doesn't have an
 >> owner. But neither does it have much money. I can
 recommend to what's
 >> left of the crew that we go into some sort of
 partnership with you.
 >> You provide security, we'll do our delivery, and
 then we cash out your
 >> share, or stay on, or whatever. What do you all
 think?"
 >> [/GM]
 
 >>> [Anne]
 >>> Anne, the newcomer, who had disappeared a few
 hours before back at the
 >>> Abbey, suddenly leaps from the ground to the
 ship's deck.
 >>> [/Anne]
 
 >> [Louissa]
 >> Louissa looks stunned. "Where did you come from?
 And where were you?"
 >> [/Louissa]
 
 >> [Ithdalkal]
 >> The Blind Warrior Woman nods. "I had thought you
 had been taken
 >> prisoner by the Kydians."
 >> [/Ithdalkal]
 
 > [Anne]
 > "I was briefly detained by the Kydians.  But since
 my home world
 > does several hundred billion credits worth of business
 with various
 > Splugorth each year and I'm a government employee, once
 they
 > verified my identity, verified I had not attacked any
 of the Minions
 > and checked with their headquarters, they let me
 go.  If you have
 > to be captured by Minions, Kydians are about the best
 option, since
 > they take their duty and professionalism VERY
 seriously."
 > [/Anne]
 
 [Jacek]
 "Yes, they quite professionally tried to dismantle me."
 Jacek replies,
 the irony somehow dripping from his cybernetic mouth.
 [/Jacek]
 
 > [Vesper]
 > "I don't know about the rest of you but, we should
 discuss business later.
 > I am ok with staying on board as
 > protection."  He looks down at the city feeling
 bad how many would be
 > left behind, how many would the splugorth
 > kill or worse enslave.  "I wish we could do more
 for them." He said quietly.
 > [/Vesper]
 
 > [Alex]
 > Turning back towards  Vesper, "Not much we can do.
 Some people may be
 > able to escape in the confusion, we gave them that at
 least. If the
 > bishop had warned them instead of playing games, most
 of the people
 > might have escaped. Never deal with the Splugorth, they
 will always back
 > stab you."
 >
 > Deciding to not say anything, she still gives Oz a look
 for shooting
 > down the bishop.  As tempting as it might have
 been, she cannot really
 > approve.
 >
 > Does look even more suspiciously at Anne, 
 "Surprised they just dis not
 > make you disappear.  Dead women tell no tales."
 > [/Alex]
 
 > [Oz]
 > "As a counter proposal, I just lost a good proportion
 of my unit and
 > find myself in need of both transportation and
 soldiers." Oz puts out
 > a hand to offer to shake with the ship spokeswoman.
 "Osmar Wolz,
 > Knight Commander of His Majesty's armed forces of New
 Camelot. Would
 > you be interested in entering the king's service?"
 >
 > Oz trusts Ithdalkal to deal with the stranger, letting
 her do the
 > talking while he deals with the ship's crew.
 > [/Oz]
 
 [GM]
 The woman pauses for a moment, and then pulls out a short
 vibro sword
 and offers it to Oz.
 
 "My name is Second Mate and acting captain Debra Neeson."
 she says in
 a formal voice. "I pledge this ship and her crew to your
 king, and
 swear to protect your companions and anyone you name a
 friend, if you
 will have us, milord."
 
 Oz's sergeant looks approving upon this. "Sir," he says with
 a smile,
 "you may be the best recruiter the King ever had! By the
 time we go
 back to New Camelot, we'll have a bloody army, navy and
 airforce."
 [/GM]
 
 > [Vesper]
 > Vesper catches Alex attention and moves aside with
 her.
 > "I don't like the implication of someone whose people
 do huge transactions
 > with the Splugorth."
 > "Somehow the Splugorth have been tracking us wherever
 we go."
 > [/Vesper]
 
 > [Alex]
 > "I don't know, had to say. Everybody could have assumed
 that I was a CS
 > espionage agent. Could ask a few cautious question
 though?"
 > [/Alex]
 
 [GM]
 As they are talking, they actually see, off in the distance,
 a
 Splugorth hover troop transport, and it appears the Kydians
 are
 actually in retreat. Perhaps this town has a brief
 reprieve.
 
 The remaining crew set to work, and quickly the ship begins
 to glide
 back towards the ley line, its mystic batteries nearly
 exhausted by
 the time hovering over the town.
 [/GM]
 
 -- 
 Aaron Clausen
 mightymartianca at gmail.com>
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