A TASTE FOR REVENGE
This is an introductory story to help me learn the RIFTS RPG
setting.
I've taken liberties with some of the canon, particularly in
describing Tolkeen and allowing Robot Control to be around earlier
than Rift's Mercenaries states, though I've tried to stick to the
Coalition War books where possible.
The following characters are mine: The Techno-wizards Gindle,
Novar, Halk; the NG spy Medera, her boss Noel Leeds; the Ley Line
Walker Tovarus; the Cyber-Knight Valoryn and his boss Prefect Lader
another Ley Line Walker, so © Jay Alverson 2002.
Almost everything else is from Rifts Mercenaries, Coalition Wars,
Siege Against Tolkeen Chapters 1,3,5,6 the Rifts Main Book,
Phase World Book 2 and the Triax book, so © Palladium Books.
Gindle is a 3rd level Techno-wizard Thief from Rifter #2, with a
few "expanded" abilities.
Rifts:Hulat is my own, home-grown dimension :)
The story takes place in Tolkeen somewhere around 89 PA, BEFORE
Naruni has a foothold in the magical city.
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12:05 PM
Northern Gun Supply Depot
Solomon, Minnesota
Rifts:Earth
"Yeah, it's ok," was the nasal reply from the squawkbox. "Send him
to office 217."
The sentry outside the Northern Gun office buzzed the pizza
deliveryman in. The man's face was partially hidden by the four
boxes holding extra-large pies.
The NG branch office in Minnesota was once a medical building, a
two-story job with a parking lot across the street. Built on a hill,
most foot traffic entered on the top level, while the farther into
the building you went, the hill dropped off, supporting a lower,
first level. It was a haphazard setup, with poor security, the best
the company could arrange in this region.
After getting instructions from the receptionist, the deliveryman
made his way down a long corridor, broken periodically by double
doors. He turned left, went through a maze-like anteroom and hallway
before spotting office 217. He ignored it and kept going.
The pizza man's eyes were hidden by dark glasses and he kept his
right hand inside his jacket pocket. If someone looked closely, they
might notice an unnatural bulge and that his hand didn't quite fit
inside all the way.
He kept moving, down the hall, past a group of cubicles and near a
set of guarded double doors. There was a dark office so he
sidestepped inside and placed the pizzas on the desk chair,
swivelling it around so it couldn't be seen from the doorway. He
took a chance and snuck a peek at the guardpost near the double
doors. Two security men were sitting quietly, watching, but hadn't
noticed him.
Using the phone, he placed a quick call to the switchboard who
connected him to the guardpost.
"This is Tanner in Marketing. McAdams was happy with the Ft. Barrett
sale. Lunch's on him. I'm sending a guy over shortly. Enjoy." He
hung up before the guard could question the call.
The pizza man waited a minute, then grabbed up the pies, stopping at
the doorway to take a deep breath, before walking out slowly, his
head swiveling, looking all the world like a man lost.
"Hey you guys know where..."
"You from Tanner's office?" asked one of the guards.
"Yeah," the pizza man cracked a large smile. "Big place." He plopped
the boxes on the reception desktop and opened the first box. "This
one's for you two. Sorry," he said "All got the same toppings." He
handed them a menu.
The guards muttered something unintelligable about the horrors of
pineapple and Canadian Bacon and waved him through to the loading
dock. The double doors swung open and he barged in, moving down a
hallway, before the right wall ended and the space opened up into a
small warehouse.
It was dead quiet, just like they'd been told. Everyone was on
break. The delivery man moved out onto the loading dock that'd been
added after NG had taken the place over. He checked quickly to make
sure no one was hanging around, then placed the pizzas behind bags
on the shelves near the rest of the day's outbound inventory, which
was all stacked neatly up near the dock, ready to go.
That done, he jogged down the steps, across an alleyway and out to
his partner's car.
"I was beginning to wonder," said the man behind the wheel. "How'd
it go?"
"Fine, no problem," he tapped the driver on the shoulder. "The Mind
Melter's whatchamacallit worked."
The car eased away, "You mean his Hypnotic Suggestion?"
The pizza man nodded, opened the glove box and removed a small radio
transmitter. He extended the antenna and placed his thumb over a red
button.
"He was only two tables away from the secretary at the restaurant
last night. He said he bumped into her near the restroom and
mentioned having pizza for lunch today...what's this?" the driver
grabbed one of the menus protruding from his pocket. "Oh, no! You
didn't!"
In big, bold print at the bottom it said: EAT AT LUIGI'S. Already a
wanted man, Luigi Grimaldi wanted to rub it in.
Grimaldi laughed hysterically, "Hey, we gotta let 'em know the
competition is on the ball. That'll leave a bad taste in their
mouth."
The driver shrugged, "We far enough away?"
"From three boxes filled with my special plastique?" Luigi
hestitated for a ten count, then pushed the button. There was a
terrific explosion behind the vehicle and the shockwave overtook
them in a few seconds. The driver pulled over so they could look.
A large, black, cloud mushroomed up over the buildings down the
street.
"Behold, the power of cheese!" Grimaldi was laughing so hard, he
almost had tears in his eyes.
The driver waited for him to calm down, "I got a call while you were
inside. Lucia wants us back tonight."
"What's up?"
"Dunno, we're to head south, someplace near Tolkeen."
15:05 PM
Monastery of The Order
Rifts:Hulat
Gindle stood on the balcony, looking over the monastery's back
patio. He heard the footfalls of the Line Walker as the wizard
walked out. Below, the cloaked, masked figure strode quickly away,
into the dimensional portal that awaited him. The rift wasn't
particularly big, but tinged with a bluish-glow indicative of magic.
It vanished in a soft flash, swallowing the Line Walker noiselessly.
"Gindle, we need to see you," the words echoed suddenly in his head.
He made his way downstairs, through the rear walkway, over to a
large double doorway where the Line Walker had just come from. The
portal opened automatically for him, revealing six, elder
Techno-wizards, masters of his guild. They'd been cloistered with
the Line Walker for almost two hours.
The door closed behind as he moved into the middle of the room. The
Elders were all humans, a mix of men and women, all wearing dark
blue, hooded robes. They formed a circle around him.
"What did the visitor have to say?" he asked.
One of the Elders cleared their throat, indicating THEY asked the
questions. The room slowly went dark, except for a shaft of faint
light, illuminating their guest. It gave off just enough light to
illuminate the faces of the Elders as well.
After a few seconds of silence, they finally spoke.
"We've a unique opportunity presented to us," explained Halk, the
Leading Elder. He transfixed the lesser Techno-wizard with his
stare. "The Line Walker's friends on Earth are offering us a
quantity of high-technology equipment...for free."
Gindle started to speak but held off when he saw Halk's jaw clench.
"Actually it's in exchange for a modest service." Halk looked at
Novar, Gindle's Mentor. "We've decided that the exchange is
favorable and will be sending you to Earth to participate on our
behalf."
The guild had a dozen more members all of equal or greater rank.
Gindle suspected they'd chosen him because he'd been to Earth,
before.
"Your expanded talent in Telemechanics is needed to facilitate our
portion of the bargain," explained Novar.
Gindle had expanded talent in other areas too, some legal, some less
so, but he remained quiet in respect of the earlier rebuff. When
none of the Elders said anything he finally spoke up.
"And just what am I to do?"
"There's a group of mercenaries called Robot Control, fronting for
Naruni Enterprises on Earth," using his belt computer, Halk conjured
a hologram next to Gindle. It was robotic power armor. "The Line
Walker's friends can arrange to liberate some of their stock, which
they've offered to us, in exchange for your help." The robot turned
transparent and Halk peeled off layer after layer, revealing the
machine's inner workings. "Northern Gun is supplying two suits for
the operation. You are required to control one, make it look like
it's a runaway, so that Robot Control will intercede. You're to
assist in piloting it towards a Ley Line Nexus near the Line
Walker's position. Once inside their magical perimeter, they'll
shift you and the Naruni gear out, leaving Robot Control behind."
"Oh, is that all," Gindle added after a few seconds. "I thought it'd
be something dangerous."
"You've been in tighter spots," Halk growled.
Gindle shook his head, then exhaled. Robot Control was a heavy duty
mercenary company. Not only did they employ soldiers and assassins,
they had special repo teams: ruthless cyborgs who tracked and hunted
their quarry until the job was done. It was one of the reasons they
excelled in such a competitive business. Customers rarely renegged
on deals.
"Besides," added Halk, "Northern Gun has someone on the inside."
Gindle looked from Halk to his mentor, Novar, who nodded at him. The
Techno-wizard waited, thinking it over. There wasn't much he could
do. Once the Elders spoke...
"And when does this all begin?"
Halk dissolved the hologram, and telekinesed a data disc containing
the relevant information to Gindle's hand.
"First thing tomorrow."
10:14 AM
Ley Line Nexus
Near Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
Deep inside an elaborate system of carefully excavated tunnels a
meeting was taking place between members of Northern Gun, locals and
a visitor to their world. Despite being deep underground the place
was bright with artificial sunlight. Intricate, detailed illusions
covered the rock and dirt walls, ceilings and passageways, making it
as comfortable as any palatial residence above ground.
"You're Gindle, eh? Tovarus spoke very highly of you," the man in
fatigues shook Gindle's hand. "I'm Noel Leeds, with Northern Gun."
Leeds looked more like a bureaucrat or functionary rather than a
mercenary. Behind him loomed Tovarus, the tall Line Walker who'd
visited the Monastery on Gindle's home plane.
Leeds offered some small talk: "Funny, you don't look like a
Techno-wizard."
Dressed in his plain, dark, hooded robe, Gindle resembled any number
of practitioners of the arcane arts, and a fair number of civilians
in the magic capital as well. He almost made a comment about "those
clods" but decided against it. As an operative, he couldn't afford
to be recognized on-sight and instead craved anonymity.
"Yes, well, no sense in advertising," Gindle hoped Leeds wasn't the
inside man at Robot Control, here on leave. The man's mannerisms and
conduct painted him as a technician or bureaucrat.
Tovarus grunted something in his breather mask. A large map board
floated over and clamped against the wall. Pinned to it was a large
parchment map of the area. The parchment glowed with color and
Tovarus revealed their current position in relation to the
surrounding area and that of the Naruni front men.
"These guys prefer to get in close when dealing with 'bots,"
explained Leeds, adding quickly, "According to our man inside their
organization. They usually detail a single squad to deal with one
robot..."
"And we have two robots?" Gindle interrupted, "That seems hardly a
big enough lure..."
"It isn't," snapped Leeds.
Gindle was thoroughly confused. "Well, I can only control..." the
Techno-wizard's voice trailed off.
"You won't be alone," Leeds smiled. "I'll be piloting the other
robot."
Gindle started to protest but Tovarus cut him off, "And I'll be
there too. There'll be twelve additional, illusionary machines along
side. This way they'll be forced to send six or seven squads."
"And plenty of gear," Leeds laughed.
Gindle was steaming inside, this added a level of complexity he
hadn't been expecting. He had no doubt the Line Walker could handle
the magical end but to make it believable...
"You think this is a good idea?" the Techno-wizard asked Tovarus.
"Yes, that way there'll be two real robots, in case one of you has
an accident."
* * * * *
Leeds might have been a cowboy, but Gindle had to admit as a robot
pilot he was quite good. It took several days for the trio to learn
basic robot tactics and pilot the 'bots in something resembling a
combat formation. Of course they were helped by the fact that this
squadron of automatons had been damaged in combat and had gone
rogue. A pair of "representatives" from a nearby town would approach
Robot Control and explain that the squadron had been operating near
the small town of Red Tree. Informing the mercenaries there was
expensive equipment they could ill afford to pass up, would play
into Naruni's greed, and egged-on by the fact they were looking to
expand into the area. Once they committed, Leed's plant could relay
inside information. They'd know the enemy's plans, almost every step
of the way.
"We'll have to be in position when the representatives visit them,"
explained Leeds. "They're utilizing Naruni probe 'bots -- flyin'
craft with sensors. First thing they'll do is a fly-by."
Tovarus took the lead, selecting a location that would allow him and
his spellcasters maximum access to natural power and an abundance of
cover for the others involved.
14:34 PM
Ley Line Nexus
Near Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
"I see 'em!" called the OMAV pilot as his craft rocketed low over
the terrain. "Fourteen bogeys, all together," his finger touched the
control panel and the monitor froze the feed from the spy drone,
flying on his right wing.
The OMAV pilot brought his nose up, climbed a bit, then shifted
right, cutting a half circle so he could make a return pass, towards
the target's right flank. "Eight NG-Samson Conversion 'bots and
six Titan biggies -- oh, oh," he hit the stick, rolled the pod over
hard left and climbed.
"What's wrong Eye-Six?" was the reply in his headset.
"Nothing, they spotted me. They're just shooting up the sky." He
held the bank for four seconds, rolled right and coasted. "I'm too
fast for them."
The pilot climbed, adjusted the display and took another look-see.
While the robots had been shooting at him, he'd snuck the spy drone
down to ground level, where it could use its high mobility hover to
leisurely, move between the trees, like a tourist out for a walk.
"Crap! They're making smoke." He rotated the drone's camera pod.
"They're splitting up!" Through the billowing white cloud, he could
just make out the tops of the Samsons heading into the trees a
hundred yards ahead. "I've lost the Samsons in the trees. Looks like
the Titans are splitting off and heading northwest."
The feed from the spy drone ended abruptly.
"Aw, hell!"
"What's up Eye-Six?"
"I'm not sure. Eye-Six-Niner just went to sleep."
"Confirm."
The pilot adjusted the control panel, punched a series of buttons.
If the drone was still functioning its other sensors should've fed
back telemetry, even if its camera couldn't.
Nothing.
"That's a Roger on sleep for Eye-Six-Niner. Must've been those
trees." He'd made sure to stay away from the Samsons.
"All right Eye-Six. Get a fix on those Titans."
It took some maneuvering, but the OMAV finally moved to where the
huge robots had last been seen. They were jogging steadily
northwest, oblivious.
"Close it up Eye-Six, time for the Calvary."
The pilot relayed the last known heading and swung the OMAV pod
around, heading for home. It'd been a bad day. After confirmation
and contact, Robot Control was down a spy drone.
As the OMAV's rocket engine faded a cloaked and masked figure
popped into view, a few feet from the Naruni spy drone. The machine
lay peacefully on its side, where it had suddenly collapsed during
its mission.
Tovarus turned towards the trees and spoke, "Come to me."
Within minutes the two Samsons chugged through the trees, their
thermographs revealing the position of the Line Walker and his
still-warm trophy. There was no sign of the other six.
Gindle and Leeds ejected, "What'd you do?" asked the NG merc.
"A simple spell I learned in Tolkeen, it interferes with mechanics,"
he placed a foot upon his trophy. "Your information was correct, a
gunship and a spy drone."
"Yeah, my inside man said they prepped two birds first thing this
AM," Leeds was beaming.
Gindle crouched and touched the drone, "It's fine, just powerless. I
think we can put it to good use." He opened the engine cover and
disconnected the power couplings. He nodded to Tovarus, "Ok, can you
take us home? I'm going to need to spend some time with it."
The Line Walker stepped off, turned to face the almost invisible
river of magical energy flowing from the east and the three men, the
two armored suits and the drone vanished suddenly without a trace.
14:45 PM
Freehold Enclave
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
"Magnificent!" Trader Joe's false, metamorphed mouth, twisted into a
smile as he walked through Tolkeen's Dragon Arch. In his natural
form, the Uteni hadn't much in the way of facial features, just a
pair of large, dark orbs on a smooth, bald, blue-skinned face. His
skin was still blue and his head remained hairless, but he had
distinct human features. He wore this face to fit in with the
citizenry, so he could communicate with the human leaders in their
own way.
Beyond the Arch was a huge courtyard assembled from cut stone, each
laid carefully in place by the first dragon beings to come to the
magic city years ago. The walls rose over sixty feet, topped by
thick battlements and broken at symmetrical points by towers made of
similar stones. Though the area was dwarfed by the rest of Tolkeen's
titanic architechture, it was nevertheless an impressive enclave of
a clan from neighboring Freehold, who were advisors to that town's
rulers. From this close proximity, they could see firsthand what was
happening in Creed's magical kingdom.
"Huh?" said the mage walking with Joe. "Oh, yes, the masonry," the
mage glanced about. Each of the flagstones at the base of the walls,
imprinted with a huge claw, the signature marks of the dragons who'd
performed the construction. He'd seen the area dozens of times, and
forgotten the impact it had on newcomers. "It's quite nice."
The Naruni salesrep hid his disappointment at being unable to obtain
an audience with a member from the Circle of Twelve, instead having
to meet with the Warlord's subordinate, and his lackey.
Behind the pair marched a man in shiny battle armor, a thick, red
cloak flowing almost to the ground behind him and a modern warhelm
clutched near his chest. Sir Valoryn, a cyber-knight assigned as
security, kept quiet, focusing his thoughts on the newcomer, as
though he were employing some sort of sixth sense.
"You have a gift for understatement, Prefect Lader," Joe said, "And
Tolkeen has much to protect."
"Yes, but I assure you our magical abilities are up to the task."
"Oh, I've no doubt of your competence, it's just that, well," the
Uteni glanced at Valoryn, "You've allies who aren't as versed in the
Art as you. Surely the King can see the need to arm and supply them
with first rate goods."
Lader's face remained impassive, "Northern Gun tells us their
equipment is more than sufficient -- not to mention cheaper," he
clasped his hands together and paced away from the Naruni salesman.
"Besides they're local, comrades in arms."
"I'd expect to hear no less from them," Joe placed his hand inside
one of the Dragon claws on the archway, it was dwarfed by the
massive impression. The creature must have been over fifty-feet
long. He smiled sheepishly, "I understand the kingdom summons D-Bees
from other worlds and other dimensions to aid in battles. Am I
correct?"
Lader nodded.
"So seeking outside help isn't foreign to you, at all," Joe
shrugged, "Northern Gun is good at what they do, but I assure you
our equipment is much, much more sophisticated, not unlike your own
mastery of magic. We have more in common than you think," the Naruni
salesrep's mouth was fashioned in such a way that it only held an
inkling of a smile.
"Well, we're certain that Northern Gun can deliver. To be honest,
we've only heard scattered reports about Naruni, just scraps told to
us from travelling mercenaries and a few of our subjects."
"Ah," the smile on Joe's face blossomed, revealing a large set of
white teeth. It was an expression he carefully practiced to aid in
his salesmanship. "I wish to put the rumors and innuendo to rest,"
he reached inside his robe.
Sir Valoryn never batted an eye, and remained in place, standing
almost at attention.
The Naruni salesman brought out a small, square device, with several
buttons on it. On the top face was a circular area, covered by an
iris. He clicked one of the buttons and the iris opened, allowing
light to issue forth. A hologram sprouted up.
"I thought maybe if I were to run through some of our inventory, we
might leave a few samples of what the King and his subjects would
find useful." Naruni's information was that Northern Gun would only
do this with small arms rarely with larger equipment. Trader Joe
went right to the heavy artillery: hovertanks.
"I'm sure his majesty would welcome these additions to his already
magnificent military forces," a series of six, sleek looking
warbirds hovered over the projector. "Think what your Techno-wizards
could do to enhance such fine equipment." He forwarded the display
ahead, recalling the Cyber-Knight lore he had speed-read over
breakfast. "And for the individuals, our force fields can provide
protection to the innocents who might be caught in battle, or those
who do not wear armor; perfect for those who wield magic. Of course
this is only a taste."
Lader examined the scrolling summaries displayed next to the
products.
"Northern Gun has nothing like them," Joe handed the projector to
the mage. "Please, take this. Take your time with it, analyze it,
review it with your associates. I'll be happy to answer any
questions you might have."
Lader deactivated the device, "Very well, I'll discuss your proposal
with my people." He nodded briefly to Valoryn who snapped his heels
together and motioned the salesman away. The audience was over. The
mage made a swift motion with his left hand and vanished.
"The Prefect has instructed me to find quarters for you," explained
the knight.
The pair left the courtyard and waited on the other side of the
thick arch. A hovercar arrived and picked them up.
"I've arranged a suite at the Blue Unicorn, one of the best
establishments in the Hotel District," continued the knight. "I've
alerted the manager, the staff will extend you every courtesy."
Joe hid his disappointment behind a practiced smile, "That's most
gracious of you." He'd hoped for lodging in a private residence,
maybe an invitation to dinner at the very least, instead of the
brief meeting the short walk had afforded. "Ah, how may I contact
the Prefect?"
"Through me. I'll be quartered with you for the time being," Valoryn
tapped the driver and the car flew off.
Leaning against the battlements atop the archway was a red-haired,
human female, dressed in civilian clothes. She reeled in a long,
hair-thin wire that had been played out, over the side. Fastened to
its end was a tiny microphone, no bigger than a match head.
The figure touched her ear-piece, then spoke directly into the mic.
"Did you hear that?" she asked.
"Yeah, Naruni's got their foot in the door," said a man's voice in
her ear. "I guess we'll need to do something about it."
"What?"
"For the moment, nothing. In the meantime, find the Blue Unicorn."
18:16 PM
Ley Line Nexus
Near Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
"What the..." the words issued quietly from Lucia Chen's mouth as
the missile her gunner had launched, passed through the leading
Titan, the one behind it, and impacted about eighty yards distant.
The two robots that had been there a moment earlier disappeared. As
the earth shook from the massive explosion, the leader of Robot
Control gawked in surprise through her televiewers as the other four
Titan robots kept formation and their pace, as though nothing had
happened.
Chen dropped her binoculars and locked eyes with the gunner in the
exoskeleton, crouched next to her. Both were thoroughly confused.
As the explosion faded, the area was overcome by another roar, the
sound of jet engines igniting. Behind a nearby hill a windstorm of
dust and debris rose as a mammoth, armored figure rocketed into the
sky. It wore twin turbofans, stripped from a fighter jet and now
employed as a jet-pack for the monstrosity. The engines cut out
suddenly, and it fell to earth, looming above the remaining robots
momentarily, before swooping in, legs drawn up in a protective
crouch, and a giant battle axe, raised over its huge, helmeted head.
The attack had been scripted to coincide with the detonation of the
missle.
Had the Titans been real, there would have been a collision, similar
to a bowling ball striking pins. Instead, there was quiet "pop" as
the monstrous figure passed through the illusory robots and they
winked out of existence. The giant had angled himself so as to
collide with the robot on the far left, to use the momentum of the
collision to smother the two on its right. With a sickening thud,
the armored figure smacked into the ground at nearly full speed,
instead of rolling with the blow, utilizing the farther robots to
cushion the impact. The huge armored figure rolled and skittered to
a stop dozens of meters away, its limbs askew, like a massive,
metallic rag-doll. The large battle-axe, it once wielded menacingly,
stuck blade-first in the ground, vibrating uncontrollably.
One of the illusory Titans remained, a reconnaissance model, much
smaller than those that had accompanied it. Chen hopped over the
edge of the embankment she and the rocket-gunner were crouched upon,
and charged down.
Despite being dwarfed by the size of the robot, she drew a
vibro-knife and pricked its leg as it went past, oblivious to her
presence or the fate of its fellows. It disappeared too.
"MAGIC!" she yelled. Her scream echoed over the surrounding hills
and up the embankment where she'd been. "DAMNED ILLUSIONS!" All
around the top of the hill armed figures appeared as though they
were observers at a funeral, staring into a grave. They would have
been, had the Titans been real, instead, they stood watching the
giant armored figure, stir slowly to life.
By the time Lucia approached, it had risen, wobbly, on its feet,
trying to wrest the battle-axe from the deep scar it had opened upon
its impact with the earth.
Chen impaled her vibro-knife in the ground and yelled up to the
squad's radio operator.
"QUICK! CHECK ON BETA-TEAM!"
09:47 AM
Robot Control Base
300 miles Southwest of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
Lucia Chen ripped the stripes off former sergeant Luigi Grimaldi's
uniform and hurled them to the floor.
"That's for your little pizza party the other day!" she barked.
Grimaldi stood quietly. This wasn't the first time he'd been busted
down in rank. It was one of the main reasons he was still an NCO in
Robot Control. Besides, standing behind the lady leader was Arrak
Chrome, the company's cyborg and Lucia's companion during all
discipline sessions. His twelve-foot, armored frame ensured
cooperation.
"Do you want to know the price tag on this little fiasco?" Her nose
was an inch from the enlisted man's face.
Grimaldi shrugged slightly, opened his mouth as if to speak, then
thought better of it after Chen's eyes bulged.
B-Team hadn't done any better. In fact, A-Team had done a bang-up
job comparitively. B-Team had simply vanished, well everthing except
their personnel. When the signal corpsman hadn't been able to raise
them, A-Team hustled over to the landing point, only to find their
fellow troopers sound asleep, lashed to trees, clad only in their
underwear.
A quick recon of the area revealed nothing, no arms, armor, any sign
of the ATVs that had been airlifted in by helicopters, nor any sign
of the helicopters either. Radio failed to raise them, they'd simply
all vanished. Ten million credits worth of equipment -- gone without
a trace -- within an hour of arriving on scene.
Grimaldi hadn't accompanied the mission, instead he'd remained at
camp, wiring landmines and demo-charges for future ops. Late in the
afternoon, after marching the teams a considerable distance from the
site, Chen had radioed for pickup. Down several transport craft,
base had been forced to scramble, including paying a couple of
friendly rivals "cab-fare." Once back at base she went looking for
scalps. During the infuriating wait for pickup, she'd singled out
her over-zealous demolitions expert who'd attacked a local NG depot
earlier.
In addition, she placed the whole company on alert and was
instructing the new Mystic Team to interview all company personnel.
Grimaldi's incident had no-doubt been the motivation for NG's
retribution but they had to have inside help in order to set this up
so quickly and to deal with the two teams. Of course it was all
theory. Yeah, right.
While Arrak Chrome saw to her orders she placed a scrambled call to
Trader Joe, the Naruni rep assigned to her team. The man was
conducting negotiations in Tolkeen and she needed to meet with him
personally, inform him of events and arrange replacement equipment
immediately.
A large flat-bed pulled up next to her tent and Chen motioned for
the others to follow her outside. Sprawled on the truckbed was the
giant Grunt, stripped to his shorts, bandages around his left knee
and shoulder.
"I'm heading out," she barked at Chrome, "He's restricted to base,"
meaning Grimaldi. "I want him to nursemaid Grunt until he's healed
or I say otherwise."
The giant raised up, causing the truck-bed to heave. "I'm gettin' a
little hungry, ow!" He massaged his dislocated shoulder.
A small helicopter touched down and Chen and another Uteni boarded
it and flew off.
"Hey little man," grumbled Grunt, "I hear you make a killer pizza,"
he reached out clumsily, since he'd been given a massive dose of
painkiller.
Grimaldi gulped and took an involuntary step back, since he'd left
his grenades in his bunk locker.
10:06 AM
Northern Quadrant
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
The Northern Gun aerodyne descended swiftly from the sky, until it
circled the massive, magical city.
Gindle had never been to Tolkeen, but his Mentor, Novar, had
describing it's majesty and splendor at length on several
occaisions. He hid his excitement as he recognized some the sights
he'd been told. Next to him sat Leeds, the man from Northern Gun
who'd helped orchestrate Operation Pickpocket, the interception of
the Naruni gear. Things had gone so well that the NG rep had asked
the Techno-wizard to remain behind and help in another matter. It
meant finding his own way home, but Tolkeen offered dimensional
travel -- funded by NG of course.
The pilot reduced speed as a pair of winged, serpents intercepted
the craft, then followed them down to a large, open landing area. On
their backs rode beasthandlers, each grasping an ornate, magical
spear. The VTOL craft touched down and its occupants were surrounded
by a small army of security men and curious onlookers.
Being a practicioner of magic, Gindle was granted admission to the
city. Even though Northern Gun had already contacted the city's
hierarchy, Gindle was forced to vouch for Leeds, which he did,
including the cargo they'd brought along.
A few hours later they were taking in the sights to the east near
the Tolkeen Center, where the local Techno-wizards plied their
wares. Leeds had opened his expense account allowing Gindle to make
several purchases of items he found intriguing and worthy of further
study.
As they exited the Tech Center, they were met by a groundcar, driven
by an attractive red-haired female, Leeds knew.
"Gindle, this is Medera, NG's contact here. She's going to fill us
in on what's ahead."
15:48 PM
Blue Unicorn
Eastern Quadrant
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
"The equipment isn't a problem," Trader Joe explained to Lucia Chen.
"I'm worried that word of the operation will leak to the leaders here,
those I'm cultivating." Joe, Chen and the Uteni she'd brought with
her were talking quietly in the merchant's suite at the Blue
Unicorn. A small electronic device sat on the table between them,
flashing periodically, indicating the field it was emitting, to
counter electronic eavesdropping, was functioning.
"I've arranged to have a sample of our inventory brought to the town
leaders tomorrow," Joe retained his human metamorph. The other
Uteni, who'd come with Lucia Chen was in natural form. "Local
leaders have agreed to inspect our goods and the shipment will be
sent to a location specified by the Prefect I met with yesterday,"
he said, meaning Lader. "I'm concerned about further trouble. Assign
your best people to the security detail and your best techs. I want
it all triple-checked, I DON'T want any problems at this stage of
the negotiations."
Chen agreed, and relayed the orders using the powerful, portable,
scrambled transceiver Joe carried in his briefcase. After making the
arrangements the Trader requested, she spoke at length to Arrak
Chrome, regarding the progress of her investigation. As she ended
the transmission, her face revealed concern.
"What's the matter?" asked the merchant.
"Well, some good news," she began, "Interviews were completed and
all were negative, except six members who are on travel leave."
It meant the regulars could be trusted, but there were still gaps.
There was a knock at the door and the room went silent. Lucia
retrieved her laser pistol. She waved to the other Uteni, who
opened the door.
"It's okay," Joe called.
In stepped a bald, blue-skinned human, Joe's travelling assistant,
also a Uteni, in human form. He hadn't been present when the
mercenary leader had arrived.
"Captain Chen, how are you?" was the Uteni's greeting as he took his
bag of goods into the suite's kitchen. The face was different but
the voice was familiar. Lucia lowered her weapon. "I thought I might
be seeing you," he said.
Lucia frowned, "Why?"
"While I was out shopping I saw that girl from your Communications
Section," explained the man while he emptied his bag on the counter.
The room was dead silent. Lucia had only brought the Uteni with her,
the one who'd opened the door.
"Which girl?" she asked.
"You know, the one with the fiery red hair. Sergeant Malley."
Chen's mouth dropped open. In the conversation with HQ they'd given
her the names and destinations of each of those travelling. The
red-haired woman, Malley, was on the travel list but her destination
had been far to the west, out of state and was still being verified.
Chen raced over and grabbed Trader Joe's seneschal. "Where did you
see her?"
The man was caught off guard by her frantic action, "Uh, why over at
the Tech Center Tower, just down the street."
"Did she see you?"
"I doubt it would matter if she did. I'm experimenting with this new
human form."
02:05 AM
Residential District
Eastern Quadrant
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
The hooded figure halted his horse-drawn wagon and took a quick look
around. Despite the late hour, there were still people walking about
the streets of the magic city. Here, along the avenues of the
residential district it was quiet, only a few citizens lingered on a
nearby cross-street, which connected it to the Hotel District.
Gindle climbed down from the driver's bench and checked his horse.
"There, there, Buttercup," he soothed the creature with several
smooth strokes.
Retrieving his hand from his pocket, he held it oddly, the way a
magician might when performing sleight-of-hand. Sitting in his palm
was an red apple. Strangely, the horse took no interest in it. The
form of the apple wavered and it morphed into a metallic orb, with a
single camera lens protruding from it. With a thought, the
Techno-wizard activated the strange device and it levitated upwards,
causing the horse to whinnie slightly. It flew off into the night.
"Yes, I know. When this is all over, I'll see you get a real one,"
he responded, as if the beast had been teased. The Techno-wizard
remained in place, eyes closed, gently stroking the horse's head.
In his mind's eye, the mage could see through his electronic
familiar, its IR camera lens bathing the city in shades of grey. For
clarity he switched the display into the ultraviolet range and the
detail improved radically, giving him an almost day-like view. It flew
until he recognized the shape of the Blue Unicorn, several blocks
away from his wagon.
The flying eye hovered outside the window to Trader Joe's
third-story suite. The Techno-wizard shifted the sensory display and
its thermal sensors revealed no one was present in the main room. He then
accessed its controls and a beam of IR light lanced from the lens
and touched the wall. He backed it off a safe distance. As his familiar
hovered noiselessly, Gindle moved to the back of the wagon and removed
the thick blanket hiding the Naruni spy drone. He touched the drone and
it activated its systems, warming up by engaging its startup diagnostics.
A minute later it rose from the wagon-bed slowly, its lower hover jets
purring softly. Using his powers, he instructed the drone as to its
course and it zipped off, gaining more and more momentum with each
second of flight.
As the onboard navigation computer analyzed its position from the
map its databanks carried, the drone's sensor array picked up the
reflected light from the IR beam.
Following its programming, it opened its jets to full throttle and
homed in on the painted target.
02:14 AM
Blue Unicorn
Hotel District
Eastern Quadrant
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
Sir Valoryn was up and out of bed moments after the Blue Unicorn was
rocked by an unexpected crash.
Stripped to the waist, the Cyber-knight grabbed the NG-11S he kept
next to his bed and raced out into his suite's living room.
"What the blazes happened?" he bellowed to the other mercenaries on
duty. An elf, Holar, had come on at one o'clock. As shocked as his
boss, he had raced to window to see if their was anything he could
see.
"Upstairs!" he shouted. The Naruni party held the suite on the top
floor, above them.
The pair were up in a flash, met by the sentry Valoryn had posted at
the staircase.
"Look out!" Sir Valoryn pushed the man aside, put his shoulder to
the door and bulled his way inside the suite.
The portion of the room facing the street was in ruins, a huge,
gaping hole had been smashed through the wall. Laying amongst the
rubble, broken glass and smashed furniture was a dented, fractured,
metallic missile, its engines coughing twice before dying.
The three Uteni and an armed Lucia Chen appeared in the bedroom
doorway, looks of surprise etched on their faces.
* * * * *
Gindle turned his palm downward, then held it back upright. The
small, metallic orb had reappeared where he'd conjured it minutes
before. He closed his other hand over it and it vanished, as if it
never existed.
Reaching into his other pocket, he retrieved a real apple and fed it
to Buttercup, listening to the distant shouts and cries in response
to the accident.
As the horse nibbled, he activated the small computer attached to
his belt and keyed in the text for a Calling spell to Noel Leeds.
THE TOWN WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE
ACCIDENT AT THE BLUE UNICORN FOR
DAYS, NO DOUBT. I SUGGEST RUMORS
ABOUT "ROBOT OUT-OF-CONTROL".
MY JOB IS DONE. I'M HEADING HOME.
GINDLE
The Techno-wizard retook his seat, spurred Buttercup on, and
disappeared quietly down a dark side street of the magic city.
* * * * *
Trader Joe was shaking with anger. Lucia Chen and the two Uteni were
speechless. As the town's security forces arrived, so did other
citizens and neighbors, curious about the crash that had fractured
an otherwise peaceful night.
Being a demolition expert, Lucia Chen carefully inspected what was
left of the drone. The serial number confirmed it was the same one
that had gone missing the day B-Team had lost its equipment.
Strangely, it held no explosives. Had it been a bomb they would have
all been killed, along with everyone else at the Blue Unicorn.
Instead, it had simply crashed into the building, ruining a good
portion of its front wall, facade and roof.
Sir Valoryn's team dispersed the crowd and they quickly transferred
the Naruni group to alternate quarters.
As they drove off Joe's mind raced.
He realized by tomorrow morning Prefect Lader would receive a
complete briefing on the incident: that a piece of Naruni tech had
gone out of control and smashed into the Blue Unicorn. It'd no doubt
weigh heavily on Lader's recommendation to his superiors.
When they arrived at their new quarters, the merchant called a brief
meeting. Tomorrow their inventory and personnel would arrive. He had
Lucia Chen place an emergency call. He wanted a small lineup change.
Naruni was going to get its pound of flesh.
08:38 AM
Tolkeen Airport
Northern Quadrant
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
The Northern Gun VTOL raised up from its landing spot, spraying a
swirling windstorm of dirt and dust on the Tolkeen airstrip.
Accompanied by a pair of flying serpents, the craft eased west, then
banked and rocketed off north, leaving its escort far behind.
Standing next to Lucia Chen atop a hundred foot wall near the
airport, was Luigi Grimaldi, chewing madly on two sticks of gum. The
Northern Gun VTOL shrunk into a distant speck.
As he'd done with the pizza job, he produced a small electronic
box, with a single red button. He extended the antenna, then
flicked the switch.
The speck on the horizon suddenly mushroomed into a thick cloud of
black and orange.
END PART ONE
This is an introductory story to help me learn the RIFTS RPG
setting.
I've taken liberties with some of the canon, particularly in
describing Tolkeen and allowing Robot Control to be around earlier
than Rift's Mercenaries states, though I've tried to stick to the
Coalition War books where possible.
The following characters are mine: The Techno-wizards Gindle,
Novar, Halk; the NG spy Medera, her boss Noel Leeds; the Ley Line
Walker Tovarus; the Cyber-Knight Valoryn and his boss Prefect Lader
another Ley Line Walker, so © Jay Alverson 2002.
Almost everything else is from Rifts Mercenaries, Coalition Wars,
Siege Against Tolkeen Chapters 1,3,5,6 the Rifts Main Book,
Phase World Book 2 and the Triax book, so © Palladium Books.
Gindle is a 3rd level Techno-wizard Thief from Rifter #2, with a
few "expanded" abilities.
Rifts:Hulat is my own, home-grown dimension :)
The story takes place in Tolkeen somewhere around 89 PA, BEFORE
Naruni has a foothold in the magical city.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
12:05 PM
Northern Gun Supply Depot
Solomon, Minnesota
Rifts:Earth
"Yeah, it's ok," was the nasal reply from the squawkbox. "Send him
to office 217."
The sentry outside the Northern Gun office buzzed the pizza
deliveryman in. The man's face was partially hidden by the four
boxes holding extra-large pies.
The NG branch office in Minnesota was once a medical building, a
two-story job with a parking lot across the street. Built on a hill,
most foot traffic entered on the top level, while the farther into
the building you went, the hill dropped off, supporting a lower,
first level. It was a haphazard setup, with poor security, the best
the company could arrange in this region.
After getting instructions from the receptionist, the deliveryman
made his way down a long corridor, broken periodically by double
doors. He turned left, went through a maze-like anteroom and hallway
before spotting office 217. He ignored it and kept going.
The pizza man's eyes were hidden by dark glasses and he kept his
right hand inside his jacket pocket. If someone looked closely, they
might notice an unnatural bulge and that his hand didn't quite fit
inside all the way.
He kept moving, down the hall, past a group of cubicles and near a
set of guarded double doors. There was a dark office so he
sidestepped inside and placed the pizzas on the desk chair,
swivelling it around so it couldn't be seen from the doorway. He
took a chance and snuck a peek at the guardpost near the double
doors. Two security men were sitting quietly, watching, but hadn't
noticed him.
Using the phone, he placed a quick call to the switchboard who
connected him to the guardpost.
"This is Tanner in Marketing. McAdams was happy with the Ft. Barrett
sale. Lunch's on him. I'm sending a guy over shortly. Enjoy." He
hung up before the guard could question the call.
The pizza man waited a minute, then grabbed up the pies, stopping at
the doorway to take a deep breath, before walking out slowly, his
head swiveling, looking all the world like a man lost.
"Hey you guys know where..."
"You from Tanner's office?" asked one of the guards.
"Yeah," the pizza man cracked a large smile. "Big place." He plopped
the boxes on the reception desktop and opened the first box. "This
one's for you two. Sorry," he said "All got the same toppings." He
handed them a menu.
The guards muttered something unintelligable about the horrors of
pineapple and Canadian Bacon and waved him through to the loading
dock. The double doors swung open and he barged in, moving down a
hallway, before the right wall ended and the space opened up into a
small warehouse.
It was dead quiet, just like they'd been told. Everyone was on
break. The delivery man moved out onto the loading dock that'd been
added after NG had taken the place over. He checked quickly to make
sure no one was hanging around, then placed the pizzas behind bags
on the shelves near the rest of the day's outbound inventory, which
was all stacked neatly up near the dock, ready to go.
That done, he jogged down the steps, across an alleyway and out to
his partner's car.
"I was beginning to wonder," said the man behind the wheel. "How'd
it go?"
"Fine, no problem," he tapped the driver on the shoulder. "The Mind
Melter's whatchamacallit worked."
The car eased away, "You mean his Hypnotic Suggestion?"
The pizza man nodded, opened the glove box and removed a small radio
transmitter. He extended the antenna and placed his thumb over a red
button.
"He was only two tables away from the secretary at the restaurant
last night. He said he bumped into her near the restroom and
mentioned having pizza for lunch today...what's this?" the driver
grabbed one of the menus protruding from his pocket. "Oh, no! You
didn't!"
In big, bold print at the bottom it said: EAT AT LUIGI'S. Already a
wanted man, Luigi Grimaldi wanted to rub it in.
Grimaldi laughed hysterically, "Hey, we gotta let 'em know the
competition is on the ball. That'll leave a bad taste in their
mouth."
The driver shrugged, "We far enough away?"
"From three boxes filled with my special plastique?" Luigi
hestitated for a ten count, then pushed the button. There was a
terrific explosion behind the vehicle and the shockwave overtook
them in a few seconds. The driver pulled over so they could look.
A large, black, cloud mushroomed up over the buildings down the
street.
"Behold, the power of cheese!" Grimaldi was laughing so hard, he
almost had tears in his eyes.
The driver waited for him to calm down, "I got a call while you were
inside. Lucia wants us back tonight."
"What's up?"
"Dunno, we're to head south, someplace near Tolkeen."
15:05 PM
Monastery of The Order
Rifts:Hulat
Gindle stood on the balcony, looking over the monastery's back
patio. He heard the footfalls of the Line Walker as the wizard
walked out. Below, the cloaked, masked figure strode quickly away,
into the dimensional portal that awaited him. The rift wasn't
particularly big, but tinged with a bluish-glow indicative of magic.
It vanished in a soft flash, swallowing the Line Walker noiselessly.
"Gindle, we need to see you," the words echoed suddenly in his head.
He made his way downstairs, through the rear walkway, over to a
large double doorway where the Line Walker had just come from. The
portal opened automatically for him, revealing six, elder
Techno-wizards, masters of his guild. They'd been cloistered with
the Line Walker for almost two hours.
The door closed behind as he moved into the middle of the room. The
Elders were all humans, a mix of men and women, all wearing dark
blue, hooded robes. They formed a circle around him.
"What did the visitor have to say?" he asked.
One of the Elders cleared their throat, indicating THEY asked the
questions. The room slowly went dark, except for a shaft of faint
light, illuminating their guest. It gave off just enough light to
illuminate the faces of the Elders as well.
After a few seconds of silence, they finally spoke.
"We've a unique opportunity presented to us," explained Halk, the
Leading Elder. He transfixed the lesser Techno-wizard with his
stare. "The Line Walker's friends on Earth are offering us a
quantity of high-technology equipment...for free."
Gindle started to speak but held off when he saw Halk's jaw clench.
"Actually it's in exchange for a modest service." Halk looked at
Novar, Gindle's Mentor. "We've decided that the exchange is
favorable and will be sending you to Earth to participate on our
behalf."
The guild had a dozen more members all of equal or greater rank.
Gindle suspected they'd chosen him because he'd been to Earth,
before.
"Your expanded talent in Telemechanics is needed to facilitate our
portion of the bargain," explained Novar.
Gindle had expanded talent in other areas too, some legal, some less
so, but he remained quiet in respect of the earlier rebuff. When
none of the Elders said anything he finally spoke up.
"And just what am I to do?"
"There's a group of mercenaries called Robot Control, fronting for
Naruni Enterprises on Earth," using his belt computer, Halk conjured
a hologram next to Gindle. It was robotic power armor. "The Line
Walker's friends can arrange to liberate some of their stock, which
they've offered to us, in exchange for your help." The robot turned
transparent and Halk peeled off layer after layer, revealing the
machine's inner workings. "Northern Gun is supplying two suits for
the operation. You are required to control one, make it look like
it's a runaway, so that Robot Control will intercede. You're to
assist in piloting it towards a Ley Line Nexus near the Line
Walker's position. Once inside their magical perimeter, they'll
shift you and the Naruni gear out, leaving Robot Control behind."
"Oh, is that all," Gindle added after a few seconds. "I thought it'd
be something dangerous."
"You've been in tighter spots," Halk growled.
Gindle shook his head, then exhaled. Robot Control was a heavy duty
mercenary company. Not only did they employ soldiers and assassins,
they had special repo teams: ruthless cyborgs who tracked and hunted
their quarry until the job was done. It was one of the reasons they
excelled in such a competitive business. Customers rarely renegged
on deals.
"Besides," added Halk, "Northern Gun has someone on the inside."
Gindle looked from Halk to his mentor, Novar, who nodded at him. The
Techno-wizard waited, thinking it over. There wasn't much he could
do. Once the Elders spoke...
"And when does this all begin?"
Halk dissolved the hologram, and telekinesed a data disc containing
the relevant information to Gindle's hand.
"First thing tomorrow."
10:14 AM
Ley Line Nexus
Near Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
Deep inside an elaborate system of carefully excavated tunnels a
meeting was taking place between members of Northern Gun, locals and
a visitor to their world. Despite being deep underground the place
was bright with artificial sunlight. Intricate, detailed illusions
covered the rock and dirt walls, ceilings and passageways, making it
as comfortable as any palatial residence above ground.
"You're Gindle, eh? Tovarus spoke very highly of you," the man in
fatigues shook Gindle's hand. "I'm Noel Leeds, with Northern Gun."
Leeds looked more like a bureaucrat or functionary rather than a
mercenary. Behind him loomed Tovarus, the tall Line Walker who'd
visited the Monastery on Gindle's home plane.
Leeds offered some small talk: "Funny, you don't look like a
Techno-wizard."
Dressed in his plain, dark, hooded robe, Gindle resembled any number
of practitioners of the arcane arts, and a fair number of civilians
in the magic capital as well. He almost made a comment about "those
clods" but decided against it. As an operative, he couldn't afford
to be recognized on-sight and instead craved anonymity.
"Yes, well, no sense in advertising," Gindle hoped Leeds wasn't the
inside man at Robot Control, here on leave. The man's mannerisms and
conduct painted him as a technician or bureaucrat.
Tovarus grunted something in his breather mask. A large map board
floated over and clamped against the wall. Pinned to it was a large
parchment map of the area. The parchment glowed with color and
Tovarus revealed their current position in relation to the
surrounding area and that of the Naruni front men.
"These guys prefer to get in close when dealing with 'bots,"
explained Leeds, adding quickly, "According to our man inside their
organization. They usually detail a single squad to deal with one
robot..."
"And we have two robots?" Gindle interrupted, "That seems hardly a
big enough lure..."
"It isn't," snapped Leeds.
Gindle was thoroughly confused. "Well, I can only control..." the
Techno-wizard's voice trailed off.
"You won't be alone," Leeds smiled. "I'll be piloting the other
robot."
Gindle started to protest but Tovarus cut him off, "And I'll be
there too. There'll be twelve additional, illusionary machines along
side. This way they'll be forced to send six or seven squads."
"And plenty of gear," Leeds laughed.
Gindle was steaming inside, this added a level of complexity he
hadn't been expecting. He had no doubt the Line Walker could handle
the magical end but to make it believable...
"You think this is a good idea?" the Techno-wizard asked Tovarus.
"Yes, that way there'll be two real robots, in case one of you has
an accident."
* * * * *
Leeds might have been a cowboy, but Gindle had to admit as a robot
pilot he was quite good. It took several days for the trio to learn
basic robot tactics and pilot the 'bots in something resembling a
combat formation. Of course they were helped by the fact that this
squadron of automatons had been damaged in combat and had gone
rogue. A pair of "representatives" from a nearby town would approach
Robot Control and explain that the squadron had been operating near
the small town of Red Tree. Informing the mercenaries there was
expensive equipment they could ill afford to pass up, would play
into Naruni's greed, and egged-on by the fact they were looking to
expand into the area. Once they committed, Leed's plant could relay
inside information. They'd know the enemy's plans, almost every step
of the way.
"We'll have to be in position when the representatives visit them,"
explained Leeds. "They're utilizing Naruni probe 'bots -- flyin'
craft with sensors. First thing they'll do is a fly-by."
Tovarus took the lead, selecting a location that would allow him and
his spellcasters maximum access to natural power and an abundance of
cover for the others involved.
14:34 PM
Ley Line Nexus
Near Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
"I see 'em!" called the OMAV pilot as his craft rocketed low over
the terrain. "Fourteen bogeys, all together," his finger touched the
control panel and the monitor froze the feed from the spy drone,
flying on his right wing.
The OMAV pilot brought his nose up, climbed a bit, then shifted
right, cutting a half circle so he could make a return pass, towards
the target's right flank. "Eight NG-Samson Conversion 'bots and
six Titan biggies -- oh, oh," he hit the stick, rolled the pod over
hard left and climbed.
"What's wrong Eye-Six?" was the reply in his headset.
"Nothing, they spotted me. They're just shooting up the sky." He
held the bank for four seconds, rolled right and coasted. "I'm too
fast for them."
The pilot climbed, adjusted the display and took another look-see.
While the robots had been shooting at him, he'd snuck the spy drone
down to ground level, where it could use its high mobility hover to
leisurely, move between the trees, like a tourist out for a walk.
"Crap! They're making smoke." He rotated the drone's camera pod.
"They're splitting up!" Through the billowing white cloud, he could
just make out the tops of the Samsons heading into the trees a
hundred yards ahead. "I've lost the Samsons in the trees. Looks like
the Titans are splitting off and heading northwest."
The feed from the spy drone ended abruptly.
"Aw, hell!"
"What's up Eye-Six?"
"I'm not sure. Eye-Six-Niner just went to sleep."
"Confirm."
The pilot adjusted the control panel, punched a series of buttons.
If the drone was still functioning its other sensors should've fed
back telemetry, even if its camera couldn't.
Nothing.
"That's a Roger on sleep for Eye-Six-Niner. Must've been those
trees." He'd made sure to stay away from the Samsons.
"All right Eye-Six. Get a fix on those Titans."
It took some maneuvering, but the OMAV finally moved to where the
huge robots had last been seen. They were jogging steadily
northwest, oblivious.
"Close it up Eye-Six, time for the Calvary."
The pilot relayed the last known heading and swung the OMAV pod
around, heading for home. It'd been a bad day. After confirmation
and contact, Robot Control was down a spy drone.
As the OMAV's rocket engine faded a cloaked and masked figure
popped into view, a few feet from the Naruni spy drone. The machine
lay peacefully on its side, where it had suddenly collapsed during
its mission.
Tovarus turned towards the trees and spoke, "Come to me."
Within minutes the two Samsons chugged through the trees, their
thermographs revealing the position of the Line Walker and his
still-warm trophy. There was no sign of the other six.
Gindle and Leeds ejected, "What'd you do?" asked the NG merc.
"A simple spell I learned in Tolkeen, it interferes with mechanics,"
he placed a foot upon his trophy. "Your information was correct, a
gunship and a spy drone."
"Yeah, my inside man said they prepped two birds first thing this
AM," Leeds was beaming.
Gindle crouched and touched the drone, "It's fine, just powerless. I
think we can put it to good use." He opened the engine cover and
disconnected the power couplings. He nodded to Tovarus, "Ok, can you
take us home? I'm going to need to spend some time with it."
The Line Walker stepped off, turned to face the almost invisible
river of magical energy flowing from the east and the three men, the
two armored suits and the drone vanished suddenly without a trace.
14:45 PM
Freehold Enclave
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
"Magnificent!" Trader Joe's false, metamorphed mouth, twisted into a
smile as he walked through Tolkeen's Dragon Arch. In his natural
form, the Uteni hadn't much in the way of facial features, just a
pair of large, dark orbs on a smooth, bald, blue-skinned face. His
skin was still blue and his head remained hairless, but he had
distinct human features. He wore this face to fit in with the
citizenry, so he could communicate with the human leaders in their
own way.
Beyond the Arch was a huge courtyard assembled from cut stone, each
laid carefully in place by the first dragon beings to come to the
magic city years ago. The walls rose over sixty feet, topped by
thick battlements and broken at symmetrical points by towers made of
similar stones. Though the area was dwarfed by the rest of Tolkeen's
titanic architechture, it was nevertheless an impressive enclave of
a clan from neighboring Freehold, who were advisors to that town's
rulers. From this close proximity, they could see firsthand what was
happening in Creed's magical kingdom.
"Huh?" said the mage walking with Joe. "Oh, yes, the masonry," the
mage glanced about. Each of the flagstones at the base of the walls,
imprinted with a huge claw, the signature marks of the dragons who'd
performed the construction. He'd seen the area dozens of times, and
forgotten the impact it had on newcomers. "It's quite nice."
The Naruni salesrep hid his disappointment at being unable to obtain
an audience with a member from the Circle of Twelve, instead having
to meet with the Warlord's subordinate, and his lackey.
Behind the pair marched a man in shiny battle armor, a thick, red
cloak flowing almost to the ground behind him and a modern warhelm
clutched near his chest. Sir Valoryn, a cyber-knight assigned as
security, kept quiet, focusing his thoughts on the newcomer, as
though he were employing some sort of sixth sense.
"You have a gift for understatement, Prefect Lader," Joe said, "And
Tolkeen has much to protect."
"Yes, but I assure you our magical abilities are up to the task."
"Oh, I've no doubt of your competence, it's just that, well," the
Uteni glanced at Valoryn, "You've allies who aren't as versed in the
Art as you. Surely the King can see the need to arm and supply them
with first rate goods."
Lader's face remained impassive, "Northern Gun tells us their
equipment is more than sufficient -- not to mention cheaper," he
clasped his hands together and paced away from the Naruni salesman.
"Besides they're local, comrades in arms."
"I'd expect to hear no less from them," Joe placed his hand inside
one of the Dragon claws on the archway, it was dwarfed by the
massive impression. The creature must have been over fifty-feet
long. He smiled sheepishly, "I understand the kingdom summons D-Bees
from other worlds and other dimensions to aid in battles. Am I
correct?"
Lader nodded.
"So seeking outside help isn't foreign to you, at all," Joe
shrugged, "Northern Gun is good at what they do, but I assure you
our equipment is much, much more sophisticated, not unlike your own
mastery of magic. We have more in common than you think," the Naruni
salesrep's mouth was fashioned in such a way that it only held an
inkling of a smile.
"Well, we're certain that Northern Gun can deliver. To be honest,
we've only heard scattered reports about Naruni, just scraps told to
us from travelling mercenaries and a few of our subjects."
"Ah," the smile on Joe's face blossomed, revealing a large set of
white teeth. It was an expression he carefully practiced to aid in
his salesmanship. "I wish to put the rumors and innuendo to rest,"
he reached inside his robe.
Sir Valoryn never batted an eye, and remained in place, standing
almost at attention.
The Naruni salesman brought out a small, square device, with several
buttons on it. On the top face was a circular area, covered by an
iris. He clicked one of the buttons and the iris opened, allowing
light to issue forth. A hologram sprouted up.
"I thought maybe if I were to run through some of our inventory, we
might leave a few samples of what the King and his subjects would
find useful." Naruni's information was that Northern Gun would only
do this with small arms rarely with larger equipment. Trader Joe
went right to the heavy artillery: hovertanks.
"I'm sure his majesty would welcome these additions to his already
magnificent military forces," a series of six, sleek looking
warbirds hovered over the projector. "Think what your Techno-wizards
could do to enhance such fine equipment." He forwarded the display
ahead, recalling the Cyber-Knight lore he had speed-read over
breakfast. "And for the individuals, our force fields can provide
protection to the innocents who might be caught in battle, or those
who do not wear armor; perfect for those who wield magic. Of course
this is only a taste."
Lader examined the scrolling summaries displayed next to the
products.
"Northern Gun has nothing like them," Joe handed the projector to
the mage. "Please, take this. Take your time with it, analyze it,
review it with your associates. I'll be happy to answer any
questions you might have."
Lader deactivated the device, "Very well, I'll discuss your proposal
with my people." He nodded briefly to Valoryn who snapped his heels
together and motioned the salesman away. The audience was over. The
mage made a swift motion with his left hand and vanished.
"The Prefect has instructed me to find quarters for you," explained
the knight.
The pair left the courtyard and waited on the other side of the
thick arch. A hovercar arrived and picked them up.
"I've arranged a suite at the Blue Unicorn, one of the best
establishments in the Hotel District," continued the knight. "I've
alerted the manager, the staff will extend you every courtesy."
Joe hid his disappointment behind a practiced smile, "That's most
gracious of you." He'd hoped for lodging in a private residence,
maybe an invitation to dinner at the very least, instead of the
brief meeting the short walk had afforded. "Ah, how may I contact
the Prefect?"
"Through me. I'll be quartered with you for the time being," Valoryn
tapped the driver and the car flew off.
Leaning against the battlements atop the archway was a red-haired,
human female, dressed in civilian clothes. She reeled in a long,
hair-thin wire that had been played out, over the side. Fastened to
its end was a tiny microphone, no bigger than a match head.
The figure touched her ear-piece, then spoke directly into the mic.
"Did you hear that?" she asked.
"Yeah, Naruni's got their foot in the door," said a man's voice in
her ear. "I guess we'll need to do something about it."
"What?"
"For the moment, nothing. In the meantime, find the Blue Unicorn."
18:16 PM
Ley Line Nexus
Near Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
"What the..." the words issued quietly from Lucia Chen's mouth as
the missile her gunner had launched, passed through the leading
Titan, the one behind it, and impacted about eighty yards distant.
The two robots that had been there a moment earlier disappeared. As
the earth shook from the massive explosion, the leader of Robot
Control gawked in surprise through her televiewers as the other four
Titan robots kept formation and their pace, as though nothing had
happened.
Chen dropped her binoculars and locked eyes with the gunner in the
exoskeleton, crouched next to her. Both were thoroughly confused.
As the explosion faded, the area was overcome by another roar, the
sound of jet engines igniting. Behind a nearby hill a windstorm of
dust and debris rose as a mammoth, armored figure rocketed into the
sky. It wore twin turbofans, stripped from a fighter jet and now
employed as a jet-pack for the monstrosity. The engines cut out
suddenly, and it fell to earth, looming above the remaining robots
momentarily, before swooping in, legs drawn up in a protective
crouch, and a giant battle axe, raised over its huge, helmeted head.
The attack had been scripted to coincide with the detonation of the
missle.
Had the Titans been real, there would have been a collision, similar
to a bowling ball striking pins. Instead, there was quiet "pop" as
the monstrous figure passed through the illusory robots and they
winked out of existence. The giant had angled himself so as to
collide with the robot on the far left, to use the momentum of the
collision to smother the two on its right. With a sickening thud,
the armored figure smacked into the ground at nearly full speed,
instead of rolling with the blow, utilizing the farther robots to
cushion the impact. The huge armored figure rolled and skittered to
a stop dozens of meters away, its limbs askew, like a massive,
metallic rag-doll. The large battle-axe, it once wielded menacingly,
stuck blade-first in the ground, vibrating uncontrollably.
One of the illusory Titans remained, a reconnaissance model, much
smaller than those that had accompanied it. Chen hopped over the
edge of the embankment she and the rocket-gunner were crouched upon,
and charged down.
Despite being dwarfed by the size of the robot, she drew a
vibro-knife and pricked its leg as it went past, oblivious to her
presence or the fate of its fellows. It disappeared too.
"MAGIC!" she yelled. Her scream echoed over the surrounding hills
and up the embankment where she'd been. "DAMNED ILLUSIONS!" All
around the top of the hill armed figures appeared as though they
were observers at a funeral, staring into a grave. They would have
been, had the Titans been real, instead, they stood watching the
giant armored figure, stir slowly to life.
By the time Lucia approached, it had risen, wobbly, on its feet,
trying to wrest the battle-axe from the deep scar it had opened upon
its impact with the earth.
Chen impaled her vibro-knife in the ground and yelled up to the
squad's radio operator.
"QUICK! CHECK ON BETA-TEAM!"
09:47 AM
Robot Control Base
300 miles Southwest of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
Lucia Chen ripped the stripes off former sergeant Luigi Grimaldi's
uniform and hurled them to the floor.
"That's for your little pizza party the other day!" she barked.
Grimaldi stood quietly. This wasn't the first time he'd been busted
down in rank. It was one of the main reasons he was still an NCO in
Robot Control. Besides, standing behind the lady leader was Arrak
Chrome, the company's cyborg and Lucia's companion during all
discipline sessions. His twelve-foot, armored frame ensured
cooperation.
"Do you want to know the price tag on this little fiasco?" Her nose
was an inch from the enlisted man's face.
Grimaldi shrugged slightly, opened his mouth as if to speak, then
thought better of it after Chen's eyes bulged.
B-Team hadn't done any better. In fact, A-Team had done a bang-up
job comparitively. B-Team had simply vanished, well everthing except
their personnel. When the signal corpsman hadn't been able to raise
them, A-Team hustled over to the landing point, only to find their
fellow troopers sound asleep, lashed to trees, clad only in their
underwear.
A quick recon of the area revealed nothing, no arms, armor, any sign
of the ATVs that had been airlifted in by helicopters, nor any sign
of the helicopters either. Radio failed to raise them, they'd simply
all vanished. Ten million credits worth of equipment -- gone without
a trace -- within an hour of arriving on scene.
Grimaldi hadn't accompanied the mission, instead he'd remained at
camp, wiring landmines and demo-charges for future ops. Late in the
afternoon, after marching the teams a considerable distance from the
site, Chen had radioed for pickup. Down several transport craft,
base had been forced to scramble, including paying a couple of
friendly rivals "cab-fare." Once back at base she went looking for
scalps. During the infuriating wait for pickup, she'd singled out
her over-zealous demolitions expert who'd attacked a local NG depot
earlier.
In addition, she placed the whole company on alert and was
instructing the new Mystic Team to interview all company personnel.
Grimaldi's incident had no-doubt been the motivation for NG's
retribution but they had to have inside help in order to set this up
so quickly and to deal with the two teams. Of course it was all
theory. Yeah, right.
While Arrak Chrome saw to her orders she placed a scrambled call to
Trader Joe, the Naruni rep assigned to her team. The man was
conducting negotiations in Tolkeen and she needed to meet with him
personally, inform him of events and arrange replacement equipment
immediately.
A large flat-bed pulled up next to her tent and Chen motioned for
the others to follow her outside. Sprawled on the truckbed was the
giant Grunt, stripped to his shorts, bandages around his left knee
and shoulder.
"I'm heading out," she barked at Chrome, "He's restricted to base,"
meaning Grimaldi. "I want him to nursemaid Grunt until he's healed
or I say otherwise."
The giant raised up, causing the truck-bed to heave. "I'm gettin' a
little hungry, ow!" He massaged his dislocated shoulder.
A small helicopter touched down and Chen and another Uteni boarded
it and flew off.
"Hey little man," grumbled Grunt, "I hear you make a killer pizza,"
he reached out clumsily, since he'd been given a massive dose of
painkiller.
Grimaldi gulped and took an involuntary step back, since he'd left
his grenades in his bunk locker.
10:06 AM
Northern Quadrant
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
The Northern Gun aerodyne descended swiftly from the sky, until it
circled the massive, magical city.
Gindle had never been to Tolkeen, but his Mentor, Novar, had
describing it's majesty and splendor at length on several
occaisions. He hid his excitement as he recognized some the sights
he'd been told. Next to him sat Leeds, the man from Northern Gun
who'd helped orchestrate Operation Pickpocket, the interception of
the Naruni gear. Things had gone so well that the NG rep had asked
the Techno-wizard to remain behind and help in another matter. It
meant finding his own way home, but Tolkeen offered dimensional
travel -- funded by NG of course.
The pilot reduced speed as a pair of winged, serpents intercepted
the craft, then followed them down to a large, open landing area. On
their backs rode beasthandlers, each grasping an ornate, magical
spear. The VTOL craft touched down and its occupants were surrounded
by a small army of security men and curious onlookers.
Being a practicioner of magic, Gindle was granted admission to the
city. Even though Northern Gun had already contacted the city's
hierarchy, Gindle was forced to vouch for Leeds, which he did,
including the cargo they'd brought along.
A few hours later they were taking in the sights to the east near
the Tolkeen Center, where the local Techno-wizards plied their
wares. Leeds had opened his expense account allowing Gindle to make
several purchases of items he found intriguing and worthy of further
study.
As they exited the Tech Center, they were met by a groundcar, driven
by an attractive red-haired female, Leeds knew.
"Gindle, this is Medera, NG's contact here. She's going to fill us
in on what's ahead."
15:48 PM
Blue Unicorn
Eastern Quadrant
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
"The equipment isn't a problem," Trader Joe explained to Lucia Chen.
"I'm worried that word of the operation will leak to the leaders here,
those I'm cultivating." Joe, Chen and the Uteni she'd brought with
her were talking quietly in the merchant's suite at the Blue
Unicorn. A small electronic device sat on the table between them,
flashing periodically, indicating the field it was emitting, to
counter electronic eavesdropping, was functioning.
"I've arranged to have a sample of our inventory brought to the town
leaders tomorrow," Joe retained his human metamorph. The other
Uteni, who'd come with Lucia Chen was in natural form. "Local
leaders have agreed to inspect our goods and the shipment will be
sent to a location specified by the Prefect I met with yesterday,"
he said, meaning Lader. "I'm concerned about further trouble. Assign
your best people to the security detail and your best techs. I want
it all triple-checked, I DON'T want any problems at this stage of
the negotiations."
Chen agreed, and relayed the orders using the powerful, portable,
scrambled transceiver Joe carried in his briefcase. After making the
arrangements the Trader requested, she spoke at length to Arrak
Chrome, regarding the progress of her investigation. As she ended
the transmission, her face revealed concern.
"What's the matter?" asked the merchant.
"Well, some good news," she began, "Interviews were completed and
all were negative, except six members who are on travel leave."
It meant the regulars could be trusted, but there were still gaps.
There was a knock at the door and the room went silent. Lucia
retrieved her laser pistol. She waved to the other Uteni, who
opened the door.
"It's okay," Joe called.
In stepped a bald, blue-skinned human, Joe's travelling assistant,
also a Uteni, in human form. He hadn't been present when the
mercenary leader had arrived.
"Captain Chen, how are you?" was the Uteni's greeting as he took his
bag of goods into the suite's kitchen. The face was different but
the voice was familiar. Lucia lowered her weapon. "I thought I might
be seeing you," he said.
Lucia frowned, "Why?"
"While I was out shopping I saw that girl from your Communications
Section," explained the man while he emptied his bag on the counter.
The room was dead silent. Lucia had only brought the Uteni with her,
the one who'd opened the door.
"Which girl?" she asked.
"You know, the one with the fiery red hair. Sergeant Malley."
Chen's mouth dropped open. In the conversation with HQ they'd given
her the names and destinations of each of those travelling. The
red-haired woman, Malley, was on the travel list but her destination
had been far to the west, out of state and was still being verified.
Chen raced over and grabbed Trader Joe's seneschal. "Where did you
see her?"
The man was caught off guard by her frantic action, "Uh, why over at
the Tech Center Tower, just down the street."
"Did she see you?"
"I doubt it would matter if she did. I'm experimenting with this new
human form."
02:05 AM
Residential District
Eastern Quadrant
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
The hooded figure halted his horse-drawn wagon and took a quick look
around. Despite the late hour, there were still people walking about
the streets of the magic city. Here, along the avenues of the
residential district it was quiet, only a few citizens lingered on a
nearby cross-street, which connected it to the Hotel District.
Gindle climbed down from the driver's bench and checked his horse.
"There, there, Buttercup," he soothed the creature with several
smooth strokes.
Retrieving his hand from his pocket, he held it oddly, the way a
magician might when performing sleight-of-hand. Sitting in his palm
was an red apple. Strangely, the horse took no interest in it. The
form of the apple wavered and it morphed into a metallic orb, with a
single camera lens protruding from it. With a thought, the
Techno-wizard activated the strange device and it levitated upwards,
causing the horse to whinnie slightly. It flew off into the night.
"Yes, I know. When this is all over, I'll see you get a real one,"
he responded, as if the beast had been teased. The Techno-wizard
remained in place, eyes closed, gently stroking the horse's head.
In his mind's eye, the mage could see through his electronic
familiar, its IR camera lens bathing the city in shades of grey. For
clarity he switched the display into the ultraviolet range and the
detail improved radically, giving him an almost day-like view. It flew
until he recognized the shape of the Blue Unicorn, several blocks
away from his wagon.
The flying eye hovered outside the window to Trader Joe's
third-story suite. The Techno-wizard shifted the sensory display and
its thermal sensors revealed no one was present in the main room. He then
accessed its controls and a beam of IR light lanced from the lens
and touched the wall. He backed it off a safe distance. As his familiar
hovered noiselessly, Gindle moved to the back of the wagon and removed
the thick blanket hiding the Naruni spy drone. He touched the drone and
it activated its systems, warming up by engaging its startup diagnostics.
A minute later it rose from the wagon-bed slowly, its lower hover jets
purring softly. Using his powers, he instructed the drone as to its
course and it zipped off, gaining more and more momentum with each
second of flight.
As the onboard navigation computer analyzed its position from the
map its databanks carried, the drone's sensor array picked up the
reflected light from the IR beam.
Following its programming, it opened its jets to full throttle and
homed in on the painted target.
02:14 AM
Blue Unicorn
Hotel District
Eastern Quadrant
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
Sir Valoryn was up and out of bed moments after the Blue Unicorn was
rocked by an unexpected crash.
Stripped to the waist, the Cyber-knight grabbed the NG-11S he kept
next to his bed and raced out into his suite's living room.
"What the blazes happened?" he bellowed to the other mercenaries on
duty. An elf, Holar, had come on at one o'clock. As shocked as his
boss, he had raced to window to see if their was anything he could
see.
"Upstairs!" he shouted. The Naruni party held the suite on the top
floor, above them.
The pair were up in a flash, met by the sentry Valoryn had posted at
the staircase.
"Look out!" Sir Valoryn pushed the man aside, put his shoulder to
the door and bulled his way inside the suite.
The portion of the room facing the street was in ruins, a huge,
gaping hole had been smashed through the wall. Laying amongst the
rubble, broken glass and smashed furniture was a dented, fractured,
metallic missile, its engines coughing twice before dying.
The three Uteni and an armed Lucia Chen appeared in the bedroom
doorway, looks of surprise etched on their faces.
* * * * *
Gindle turned his palm downward, then held it back upright. The
small, metallic orb had reappeared where he'd conjured it minutes
before. He closed his other hand over it and it vanished, as if it
never existed.
Reaching into his other pocket, he retrieved a real apple and fed it
to Buttercup, listening to the distant shouts and cries in response
to the accident.
As the horse nibbled, he activated the small computer attached to
his belt and keyed in the text for a Calling spell to Noel Leeds.
THE TOWN WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE
ACCIDENT AT THE BLUE UNICORN FOR
DAYS, NO DOUBT. I SUGGEST RUMORS
ABOUT "ROBOT OUT-OF-CONTROL".
MY JOB IS DONE. I'M HEADING HOME.
GINDLE
The Techno-wizard retook his seat, spurred Buttercup on, and
disappeared quietly down a dark side street of the magic city.
* * * * *
Trader Joe was shaking with anger. Lucia Chen and the two Uteni were
speechless. As the town's security forces arrived, so did other
citizens and neighbors, curious about the crash that had fractured
an otherwise peaceful night.
Being a demolition expert, Lucia Chen carefully inspected what was
left of the drone. The serial number confirmed it was the same one
that had gone missing the day B-Team had lost its equipment.
Strangely, it held no explosives. Had it been a bomb they would have
all been killed, along with everyone else at the Blue Unicorn.
Instead, it had simply crashed into the building, ruining a good
portion of its front wall, facade and roof.
Sir Valoryn's team dispersed the crowd and they quickly transferred
the Naruni group to alternate quarters.
As they drove off Joe's mind raced.
He realized by tomorrow morning Prefect Lader would receive a
complete briefing on the incident: that a piece of Naruni tech had
gone out of control and smashed into the Blue Unicorn. It'd no doubt
weigh heavily on Lader's recommendation to his superiors.
When they arrived at their new quarters, the merchant called a brief
meeting. Tomorrow their inventory and personnel would arrive. He had
Lucia Chen place an emergency call. He wanted a small lineup change.
Naruni was going to get its pound of flesh.
08:38 AM
Tolkeen Airport
Northern Quadrant
City of Tolkeen
Rifts:Earth
The Northern Gun VTOL raised up from its landing spot, spraying a
swirling windstorm of dirt and dust on the Tolkeen airstrip.
Accompanied by a pair of flying serpents, the craft eased west, then
banked and rocketed off north, leaving its escort far behind.
Standing next to Lucia Chen atop a hundred foot wall near the
airport, was Luigi Grimaldi, chewing madly on two sticks of gum. The
Northern Gun VTOL shrunk into a distant speck.
As he'd done with the pizza job, he produced a small electronic
box, with a single red button. He extended the antenna, then
flicked the switch.
The speck on the horizon suddenly mushroomed into a thick cloud of
black and orange.
END PART ONE
