As dawn broke, we reached the shore of Three Horns Divide. As Richard expertly steered the ferry into the docks on the shore, we gathered our equipment and assembled on deck. With the crew tying up the ferry and calling orders to the men on shore, Richard came over to us.
"Well, I imagine with you lot hanging around, there are going to be a lot more exciting times to come, won't there?"
"Naturally." Axton laughed. "Seems to be our curse."
"'May we live in interesting times' certainly seems to be something of a catchphrase for us." Maya agreed.
"Indeed. Glad to be able to help out." Richard commented. He smiled as the rest of the Vault Hunters made their way off the ferry, giving their thanks as they went, but gestured for me to stay a moment.
"You going to be alright with all this, Jason? Looks to me like you're barely hanging on right now, and I haven't even known you that long."
I shrugged. "I'm just living the dream, Richard."
"I know the feeling. Now you take care, alright? You earned yourself one hell of a favour here. I'd like it if you lived long enough for me to be able to return it."
I looked at him. "Don't make promises you don't intend to keep. I might just call that favour in one of these days."
"I know. But you gave us back our livelihood and took out one of our biggest threats. Like I said, you earned that favour."
I gripped his outstretched hand firmly. "Then thank you. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again. Going to have to steal Claptrap, though."
"Of course. Luck be with you, my friend."
"And with you." Richard shook my hand before turning back to his crew, barking orders as I joined the others. As the ferry retreated behind us, we turned towards the landscape ahead. The frozen wastes in front of us were as cold and unforgiving as the Southern Shelf had been. Holes that we knew housed bullymongs dotted the landscape ahead, but the most obvious feature was a bridge that crossed the gully ahead in front of a small ice cliff. As we approached, we heard a pair of engines approaching from in front before seeing a lightly armoured car cross the bridge before blowing it up from behind. A second car jumped the gap without issue, firing on the first. The transmissions from both vehicles made it very clear that there was no love lost between them. But then, that was to be expected from the Crimson Raiders and Bloodshots.
"Was that what I think it was?" Salvador asked.
"Sure looked like it." Axton replied. "Any ideas from here?"
Angel chose this moment to interrupt. "As you can see, death and violence is rather commonplace on Pandora. Sanctuary is not exactly safe, but certainly far safer than anywhere else. But you'll need cars of your own to reach it. There's a Catch-A-Ride station up ahead. You can use that to get yourself cars."
As we broke into a light jog, I frowned. "Angel, I might have access to that system, but I'll bet I'm the only one that's an authorised user and that will only get us a light runner. That's not nearly big enough to get us all to Sanctuary."
"Dammit, I mean darn it." Angel cursed, before correcting herself. "We could hack the system to give us more vehicles. There's a Hyperion data core in a nearby bandit camp, I could use that to override the limitations."
"I could hack the system too, but I doubt that's going to go down too well. Turning up in vehicles stolen from Scooter is probably not the best idea, given that, last I heard, Scooter was on pretty good terms with the Raiders."
As we spoke, a group of bullymongs began to charge us, running into our gunfire without us slowing down. Such creatures were barely even a challenge for us now and they lasted about as long as expected.
"Does anyone have any better ideas?" Axton demanded.
Claptrap spoke up. "Actually, I do. I know Scooter okay but Jason, we both know someone who has a lot of clout over Scooter. Might be able to call for a favour and get us hooked up."
I stopped and stared at him. "That's just crazy enough to work. Assuming she'll take my call."
"She'll take it." Angel confirmed. "If what I know of her is right, she'll be too curious not to."
"Hope you're right." As we finished, we stopped, panting lightly, just across from the Catch-A-Ride. Bringing up my contacts, I dialed a number that I hadn't called since well before I left Hyperion. I didn't have to wait long for an answer.
"Well, hello there, sweetie. Been a long time since I've heard from you. Almost thought you'd forgotten how to reach me." A soft but very flirty voice came over my speakers.
"You're not wrong, Moxxi." I replied. The others turned in shock and Axton made to open his mouth. With a vicious hand gesture, I cut him off before he could start. "I'd ask how things are going, but I've got a pretty good idea on that count. You never were much for keeping a low profile."
"Unlike yourself." She replied. "You all but dropped off the face of the world after New Haven. All my contacts said you went to ground but no-one could figure out where."
"Well, I've been around, and that's all I'm going to say right now. Of course, if you actually want to hear some of the story, then I'm going to need a favour first."
Her tone instantly shifted into a more business-like manner. "So, that's why you're calling and here I thought you just wanted to say hello."
"A combination of both, but I think this is one favour you'll like and it's a pretty simple one."
"Oh? Do tell?"
"I need you to have a quick chat with your son and get him to set up a few new Catch-A-Ride accounts."
"And why am I going to like this?"
I grinned slightly. "Well, I thought you'd be jumping at the chance to have some more Vault Hunters around in Sanctuary."
Moxxi's tone suddenly became a lot more interested. "So, you're with that group that came through Liar's Burg. Alistair mentioned that he'd run into a group there."
"Alistair? Hammerlock made it to Sanctuary then?"
"Certainly did, sweetie. Send me the details and I'll get Scooter to hook you all up. But I expect you to come for a drink when you make it here."
"Far be it that I stand a woman up. Give us a few hours and we'll be there."
"Excellent. I did hear something that you may want to take a look at on your way here, though. Roland's expecting one of his men to be returning shortly but he's dropped off the ECHOnet. You might want to take a look into it."
The eight of us exchanged glances. "I think I know who you're talking about. We'll find him."
"Appreciate it, Jason. See you soon." Moxxi disconnected as I sent the information for the Vault Hunters before turning to the others. Axton wouldn't be kept silent any longer.
"You know Mad Moxxi?"
I shrugged. "She was Jack's wife once. It's not that surprising."
"Anyway," Maya interjected with an irritated glance. "Shouldn't we be getting on with finding this soldier?"
My ECHO pinged, with a notification from Moxxi. "Scooter's got your friends in the system. Don't wait around, honey."
I smiled, before moving to the vehicle terminal. "Yes, we should. Everyone grab a car, we'll need to cover a lot of ground if we're going to find this guy in time."
As everyone digi-structed their car, a thought crossed my mind; one I wasn't overly happy about but it made the most sense. I swallowed before opening a comm channel.
"Angel? You there?"
Her reply was immediate. "Of course."
I sighed. "I need a big favour."
"What kind of favour?" She became more hesitant.
"This vehicle of the Raiders? The one that we saw blow up the bridge on our arrival? Can you track it?"
Her image blinked. "I can, though I'm confused about why you would ask."
"Because lives are at risk. We need to find that soldier fast. You have access to all of Hyperion's surveillance systems. You can find and keep track of almost anything on the planet. Trust has to begin somewhere and you haven't let us down yet. Can you find it?"
She was silent for a second, her eyes closed, before she opened them once more. "Sending you the location now. I'll keep track of it, but you'd better hurry."
I smiled slightly. "Thanks, Angel." Glancing at my ECHO, I saw a dot begin flashing on it that hadn't been there a minute ago. A faint click told me that Angel had closed the channel. Swinging up into the light runner, I pulled out and floored it, jumping the bridge before turning towards the signal Angel had highlighted. The others cruised out behind me, spreading out to better cover each other. Silence overtook our party as we continued onward, each lost in their own thoughts. After an hour or so, a sudden beep drew our attention and the signal disappeared. All of us exchanged startled glances as we realised what that meant.
If the signal was down, then the vehicle couldn't be operational any longer.
As one, all of us activated the boosts within our vehicles, hoping to close the last bit of remaining distance as swiftly as possible. Within five minutes, we'd closed the gap to behold a burning vehicle, an injured soldier trying to keep three other vehicles at bay, with about as much success as might be expected. The arrival of our convoy, however, dramatically changed the outcome, with none of the three bandit vehicles surviving for long. We pulled up in a defensive position around the burning wreck and Maya and Gaige, the least threatening appearing of us, swiftly crossed to the soldier, murmuring to him, before injecting him with a Rejuvinator vial and helping him to stand and make his way over to us
"Vault Hunters. Didn't think I rated that much of a rescue." The man said.
Axton shrugged. "We were in the area and heard you were in trouble."
"Whatever brought you here in time, I'll take it. Name's Corporal Reiss of the Crimson Raiders."
"Then you are in luck/Corporal. It is Sanctuary/that we are bound for." Zero replied.
"Moxxi told us that Roland thought you were in trouble." I added.
"Glad they're looking out for us." Reiss said. Patting himself down, he pulled out what I recognised as a power core. "Glad I didn't lose this or it would all be for nothing."
"A power core?" Salvador asked.
"Stops Hyperion for getting through the city's shield and killing everyone. The last one is almost out of power."
"Good point."
With the directions of both Reiss and Claptrap, we reached the city gates in very short order, despite the efforts of both bandits and bullmongs to force us to do otherwise. Reiss transmitted a code as we approached and the gates opened, revealing Sanctuary behind. Dismounting and walking towards the city, Reiss led us towards a secondary installation just outside the city itself. Climbing the stairs, we followed as he saluted an officer.
"Lieutenant, the power core as requested, sir!"
The officer nodded shortly before looking at us. "I take it these individuals are the Vault Hunters I've heard so much about, Corporal?"
"Yessir." He looked suddenly sheepish. "I just realised, I don't actually know your names."
The officer's eyes narrowed. "You let strangers into Sanctuary and didn't even ask them for names?"
"To be fair, he was pretty badly messed up when we found him." Axton replied. So far, Axton was making himself out to be the spokesman of our little band, which was both irritating and useful to me. Irritating because we still had a few issues between us to sort out and useful because I wasn't that keen on advertising exactly who I was to just everybody. While I had made a lot of contacts over the course of the last few years, I had also built up a great deal of caution as well. The Vault Hunters had been something of an exception, but that had been down to necessity, rather than choice.
The officer nodded slightly. "I'm Lieutenant Davis."
One by one, we introduced ourselves. I kept mine simple, just giving my name and nothing else. Davis looked at us before nodding. "The Commander will want to see you all, I'm sure. Corporal, make sure Jessup lets them into the city and escort them to HQ."
Reiss saluted before leading us towards the city. A few quick words with the guard and the entry to Sanctuary opened wide, beckoning us in. The appearance of the city itself looked like many other reasonable sized towns I had seen across Pandora, but the feeling was very different. I felt more relaxed here than I had felt anywhere else on the planet.
"Sanctuary. Home to thieves, bandits, murderers and traitors." Angel's voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts. "Welcome home."
I smiled slightly. "You know what? It actually feels like home."
"Always did like what I've seen of it, myself." Angel commented. "It walks that fine balance-line between order and chaos."
I chuckled slightly. "Certainly looks that way."
As I finished, we arrived in front of a sealed metal door for a two story building that Reiss unlocked and stepped back. "The Commander's waiting for you." He smiled.
"Thanks." Axton replied as we entered.
"DAMMIT!" Claptrap suddenly screamed. "Not more STAIRS!"
We were sympathetic, but there wasn't anything we could actually do to help him, he was too heavy to actually carry.
Downstairs was empty and didn't look like anything special, but upstairs….
If the Crimson Raiders had a nerve centre, I was looking right at it. I recognised much of the tech, but some were more advanced than I had even seen. Gaige looked to be having a heart attack at the sight of some of it. However, that was not what held my attention the most.
It was the man who stood in front of the display. A man I had met before.
"YOU!" I shouted. "YOU'RE ROLAND?!"
ROLAND AS
THE COMMANDER
Now he's a guy not to be messed with.
Roland raised his eyebrows. "Jason. Been a long time."
"That it has." I said quietly. "Looks like we've both come a long way since New Haven."
That got the other Vault Hunters' attention. "HIGH-FLYER KNOWS BIG SHOT?" Krieg screamed.
I nodded. "We only met once, but yes. I've even told you guys about that meeting."
Salvador got it first. "He was there when you found the drive."
Roland looked at me. "I take it that drive was important."
"You might say that." I elected not to elaborate further.
Roland looked like he expected more but when I remained silent, he simply nodded and turned to the others. "I'm glad you all could make it. Can't have been an easy run."
Axton shrugged. "All seems to be in a day's work, nowadays."
"Indeed. Pandora/is not noted for safety/for travelling through." Zero added.
"You're not wrong." Roland nodded. "Anyway, I'm sure you want to rest up, it's probably been a hard slog. Grab some food and shut-eye, we'll talk in the morning." The look Roland gave me, however, indicated that we were definitely going to be talking sooner than that. With various murmurs, the others filed out, with only Maya and Gaige looking back as I didn't follow. I nodded at them and they followed the others. Roland and I stared at each other with a moment of silence. Finally, he broke it.
"When Moxxi told me that you'd made contact, I wasn't sure what to think. You've had three years, if you were opposed to Jack, I thought we'd have heard from you by now."
I resisted the urge to jump across the gap between us and throttle him, but it was a close run thing. "I'm not one of your soldiers, Roland. I don't answer to you. You're not the only ones out there running in opposition to Jack. You're just the most obvious. But obvious doesn't always work. Sometimes, a bit more covert skill is needed and that's definitely not a strong point of yours."
Roland raised an eyebrow. "I doubt there's going to be much covert about killing Jack."
"Unless you're planning on storming Helios, killing Jack anytime soon isn't likely. Disrupting his operations is about the best we can hope for right now and there's no shortage of targets for that. You have your methods, I have mine. Besides, you don't exactly have the best opinion of ex-Hyperion employees, regardless of how they left. I had no reason to trust you until my hand was forced."
"And now?" Roland wanted to know. "We're both here and I think we're both keen to take out Jack."
"I'm not joining you." I said bluntly. "Not now, maybe not ever. But you are right, we have a common enemy. Jack is a threat to everything and everyone." I stared Roland in the eyes. "And I know him better than anyone else here. We both know you don't have enough people to stop him if he launches a full assault. You want to stop Jack, you have to unify the planet against him to have even a hope of a hope. The Vault Key, Vaults, they aren't going to be enough. Jack's fond of long term plans and goals, confusing and twisting tactics that an enemy never sees coming. If he's left Sanctuary alone, you can be sure it's for a reason."
Roland frowned. "But what could he have planned?"
"Who knows? It's Jack. His capacity for destruction is limited solely by his resources and imagination, and he's got plenty of both. With the income from the Fast-Travel and New-U Stations, he's got plenty of income coming in, even without the Eridium and Hyperion's resources. You have to keep your guard up. He'll be back for us soon enough."
"Lovely. So what do you have planned then?"
I shrugged. "I said I'd get the Vault Hunters to Sanctuary. I've done that. I don't really have a reason to hang around and I've still got a few people that need to die."
"Let me guess: Jack, Nisha and Wilhelm." Roland said. "Your little campaign against those troops that were 'protecting' your family hasn't exactly gone unnoticed. You know we want them dead as much as you do."
"I do. Doubt you've forgotten about New Haven."
Roland snorted. "Of course not. You may not trust me, Jason, but we both know you can achieve more with our support than without it. Not to mention the friends you brought with you." He stared directly at me. "But I think I can give you a reason to stick with us that's more solid than that."
I raised an eyebrow. "This had better be good. I can think of a lot of reasons why I'm best off running solo."
"I don't know exactly why your family was in New Haven. But I know the last person they were talking to and spent most of their time with. She's a good friend of mine. Goes by the name of Firehawk."
If looks could kill, Roland would have been vapour. "If you're lying to me to try and get me on your side, I WILL destroy you."
Roland's hands went up. "No lie. I'm not stupid enough to try it and I don't need to in any case." He held out an ECHO. "That contains the location of the Firehawk's base and the location of the supplies that need to be transported there."
I shook, unable to tell which emotions was dominant at that point because they were changing far too fast. Finally, I managed to settle on two.
"You bastard." One was anger, the same anger that had flooded my veins ever since I had seen what was left of New Haven. The other was an emotion I had thought long gone.
Hope.
I snatched the ECHO out of his hand. "I'll do this. But it had better be worth it."
Without another word, I stormed out of the HQ, intent on collecting whatever the hell I had to and getting out of Sanctuary, when I realised there was one other thing I needed to do. Turning, I followed the trail of people towards a bright neon sign signifying the location of one of the few people that I knew at all well in Sanctuary. As I crossed the doorway and listened to the blast of the music, I managed a small smile.
There really was no place like Moxxxi's.
Moving up towards the bar, I saw a number of figures I recognised. The other Vault Hunters were clustered with Claptrap around one end of the bar. Sir Hammerlock was nursing a drink on the other side, seemingly humming to himself. But behind the bar was perhaps the figure I recognised best, and the one I had come to see.
MAD MOXXI AS
THE HEARTBREAKER
Beautiful and Deadly!
Tall, provocatively dressed and using her appearance to its fullest effect, Moxxi was a figure that drew attention wherever she went and was accustomed to getting her way. Unfortunately for me, her attention was currently focussed precisely at me, an unreadable expression on her face.
"So, you came after all." She said into the sudden silence that had surrounded us, her earlier charm and flirty nature very much absent.
I raised an eyebrow. "Did you expect me not to?"
A furious expression crossed her face as she stormed up and slapped me. "Three years, Jason. Three years you spent hiding and running and not ONCE did you talk to me. You know I would have helped you."
I did know. Better than most. While Moxxi had married Jack before I joined Hyperion, I'd got to know her very well indeed. We'd forged a surprising friendship, one that we'd managed to maintain all the way up until my departure from Hyperion. While Moxxi had been her usual flirty self, I had always been reluctant to draw Jack's anger by dating her and kept to a purely platonic relationship. The result meant that I knew Moxxi as a person perhaps better than any of her husbands. It had been through our friendship that she'd managed to get me access into the Catch-A-Ride system, run by her son and daughter. While I'd never met them, I knew of Scooter and Ellie and their respective reputations rather well. Moxxi and I were close enough that I knew she would have helped if I'd asked. But I'd had my reasons for staying away.
"I know, Moxxi. But you had a big enough target on your head as it was. You and Jack didn't exactly part on the best of terms, from what I heard, and you were already on his radar as being friends of the Vault Hunters, or at least the ones that were left. Moving to Sanctuary as well, you didn't need any more of a target on your back and you know I can take care of myself. It was safer to stay away."
"Didn't mean you couldn't have called at all." She said furiously. "You're good enough to cover your tracks."
"I know. Wasn't exactly in the best mindset either, though. It was safer all round, and I did try to help when I could. Sorry you couldn't get more out of the Underdome than you did, but I only learned of the attack rather late."
She blinked. "The warning came from you?"
I shrugged. "Like I said, I tried to help when I could."
She pulled me into a tight hug. "Appreciate it, sweetie." A smile appeared that few had seen, far more genuine than what usually appeared on her face, though it was difficult to tell the difference if you didn't know her. A small smile crossed mine as I released her and looked around.
"Looks like you've done reasonably well for yourself here."
She smiled, leading me back towards the bar. "Well thankfully, I had enough reserves from the rest of my 'enterprises' to set this place up. When Jack started going after them, I was able to pull everything out from them and bring it all here."
"I'm glad you could. I was worried about you."
Her smile softened. "I know you were." She sighed. "I knew you'd make it through, you're far too stubborn not to. But you don't have to do everything alone."
I grimaced. "But some things I do." I returned her glare with a steady look that didn't waver despite her best efforts. The anger that I had pushed aside on entering her bar began to resurface. Moxxi shook her head.
"We are going to be talking about this." She said as she stepped behind her bar once more, pouring the drink she knew I preferred. "I'm guessing you're not staying long."
I nodded, before drinking the proffered glass. "I'm doubtful that I'm staying at all. But Roland asked me to do a job and I want to get it done. I'll work out what happens after that."
Moxxi's glare intensified. Before she could say anything, Gaige interrupted from her place nearby.
"You're not staying?"
I turned to her, taking in the expressions of the Vault Hunters. Maya looked unhappy, while Salvador and Axton looked regretful. Zero's expression was as masked as usual, but the tilt of his head indicated he was considering some unexpected information. Krieg's eyes had narrowed and he looked restless. But Gaige's expression almost broke me. Her quivering lip and wide eyes showed a degree of innocence that I had almost forgotten and reminded me all too much of my sister when she was pleading for something. I crouched in front of her.
"Gaige, it's safer this way. Jack's going to be hunting you, undoubtedly, but it's not likely to be that intensive. You escaped his reach and got to his enemies' main stronghold. Even he is going to have difficulty getting in. It's personal for Jack and I, you know that. The longer I stay here, the more likely it is he'll come up with something truly foul. I can do more good if I draw him off, hit him on another flank. Besides, the Raiders and I aren't exactly on the best of terms."
"But it's more dangerous for you!" She whispered.
I smiled lopsidedly. "I can take care of myself, you know. Jack's been trying to take or kill me for the last three years and he hasn't come close yet."
"Doesn't mean he never will. Even the best can be brought down by bad luck." Maya commented, standing beside Gaige. "We're stronger together, Jason. You know that."
Axton joined her. "We might have had a rocky start, but I'll admit, you're a good man to have in a storm. I think it would be a mistake for you to part from us now."
Zero rested a hand on my shoulder. "Great warriors must/stand together or be swept/aside by their foes."
Salvador was unusually serious. "You've always found the best fights, amigo. We'll find better ones together.
Krieg roared, "HIGH FLYER GREAT MEAT BUDDY! MEAT BUDDIES STAY FRESHER AS A PACK!"
I managed a small smile at that. "I doubt that we won't run into each other again if I go. I'm sure that we'll be all there when Jack hits the dirt for the last time. And Pandora's not that big a place."
"Jason." Gaige said strongly. "I'm telling you. Don't go."
I smiled softly. "I'll be back after this job, I promise. See what happens then, ok?"
Her eyes narrowed. "You'd better be back." She held out a pinky and waited. I chuckled and wrapped my own around it.
"I promise."
Moxxi pulled me back up and into another hug. "They're making sense, Jason. You know that." She whispered.
I didn't answer directly, simply stepping away with a small smile. "Thanks for talking to Scooter, Moxxi. You helped us out big time with that."
I looked around at them all. "Thanks guys. I see you when I get back." With a small nod, I walked out, heading towards the main gates. But not directly out. There was one more person to see first. I just had to follow the clattering of metal parts.
Walking into the mechanic's shop, I saw my target, leaning over a bench muttering.
"You must be Scooter." I greeted.
"Who wants to know?" The man drawled, turning around to face me.
SCOOTER AS
THE MECHANIC
Knows everything about cars. Knows jack about women.
"Name's Jason."
I had to admit, Scooter's appearance didn't exactly leave the best first impression. Grease-stained, generally unkempt and filthy, Scooter fitted the style of a redneck perfectly. From what I had heard about him, it was a reasonable assumption to draw. However, I also knew he was reasonably friendly and was also an expert with anything mechanical and that was more than enough reason to look past any of his other flaws.
"Jason? Ma's old friend from Hyperion?"
"That's me."
"Hey, good to finally meet you, man. Ma's told me lots boutchya. Said you were a good man."
I shrugged. "Not sure I'd go that far, but I do what I can. Appreciate you helping us out like that earlier."
"Yo, don't worry about it. Been helping Vault Hunters for a long time, always happy to help. I'm assuming you've seen Ma already?"
"You don't think I'd slight her like that, do you?" I chuckled.
He brayed with laughter. "Ya, didn't think you were that stupid. Surprised ya didn't just hack the terminal. Thought it would've been a breeze for ya."
"Probably would have been and if I'd had no other option, I would have. Thankfully, I did."
He grinned and slapped my shoulder. "Thanks, pal. Would have had to kill ya if you did."
I grinned back. "Worked out for us both. Anyway, I can't stick around, got a job to do."
"No problem, Jason. Catch ya when you get back."
With that, I turned, grabbed the supplies waiting near the gates and left Sanctuary, heading for the closest Catch-A-Ride, my anger burning bright once more.
I had tried not to think about New Haven and everything and everyone I had lost there ever since I had learned the truth. Now, everywhere I seemed to turn, it was raising its head again. My heart was aching at the reminders and my mind was raging at the injustice of it all. As I pulled up outside the passageway to Frostburn Canyon, I elected to take my anger out on the enemy.
Twenty bandits stood guard outside the entrance. With a vicious snarl, I wiped them all out with a brief but devastating firefight, one which was quickly repeated with the small pack of bullymongs just behind them.
I stormed forward in silence for four hours, my anger building ever higher, walking through the cave until I reached light once more. Glancing around, I saw a Fast-Travel station marked as Frostburn Canyon. Nodding in satisfaction, I continued up the hill, following the route Roland had marked in the instructions he had given me. As I reached the top and saw a large bandit encampment below me, a feral grin crossed my face.
More idiots for my anger to deal with.
Uncaring, I waded into the fight, dispensing righteous fury in every direction. Pyschos were impaled with sais. Nomads were dropped right between the eyes. Marauders were blasted apart. Goliaths were head-blasted and left to turn on their allies. Nothing that the enemy could throw at me in their increasing desperation could stop me. Within minutes, I was left standing alone, the only living soul among the dead.
Or so I thought.
A grenade exploded behind me, throwing me off the walkway I was standing on. I landed heavily, shields depleted and hurting badly. The white hot anger that had burned in me suddenly faded, replaced by cold shock and a sudden spike of fear.
Even the best can be brought down by bad luck, Maya had said. Gaige had begged me not to go and definitely not alone. Even Axton and Zero, the two Vault Hunters I got along with least, had asked me to stay.
I'd been taught long ago at Ghost; Make your enemy angry, angry people don't think clearly and are easier to defeat.
I'd allowed myself to forget that piece of wisdom and now, the odds were good that I'd die because of it. Being the suspicious fool I was, I'd long since made sure that I wasn't registered in the New-U system any more, not trusting Jack with my data. That might end up costing me far more than the respawn fee.
Rolling over, I desperately tried to raise my SMG towards the enemies coming towards me, cackling with glee. But my body betrayed me, losing the strength to grip the weapon. Collapsing completely, darkness began to eat at my vision. As I began to fade, I heard sounds I hadn't expected.
The clatter of weapons fire and the screams of dying men.
And finally, a woman's voice.
"Hold on!"
(Author's Note)
So, finally, this one's ready. Been sitting at about 2k for 3 months, then finally managed to get across the line. Trying to push the chapter size up a little and get a bit more covered in each one. Finally in Sanctuary after so long and things are really about to change compared to what people might expect from playing the game.
There's been a lot of comments about Jason becoming a Mary-Sue etc. I have said this before, but I will say it again. Jason is probably a bit overpowered compared to the other Vault Hunters, with the exception of Maya because her Siren abilities aren't really affected by his skill-set. But Jack is seriously overpowered in comparison to in game. He's darker, crueller and has a lot more devious, sadistic and cunning nature than you see from him. It's never really personal for anyone in game, but it's seriously personal for Jason and Jack and the story will reflect that. Jason will not be fighting Jack alone, Jack's got enough tricks up his sleeve that the Raiders are going to be seriously stretched as they are have a chance to handle Jack, even at full strength. The other Vault Hunters are going to step up and the difference between everyone is going to close up over time. Also, bear in mind this is still really early days. Maya has not long left Athenas, Gaige has only just arrived and the others haven't exactly been in constant combat. Jason, in contrast, has effectively been living as a mercenary since he fled Hyperion and been in near constant combat ever since. He's had higher levels of combat training than the others, so it's not really much surprise that he's going to be a bit better than the others right now. This will be levelled out over time as the others gain more combat condition and experience, much as it is in game, and Jason will have his own setbacks.
Started playing through Borderlands 3 over the weekend and I have to admit, it's an excellent game. Never thought I'd find anyone I hate more than Jack, but the Calypso twins are definitely throwing their hats in the ring for consideration. Definitely an enjoyable game, though.
Now, reviews:
HavcOLyte. I'm glad you enjoy this. I've tried to put a fair bit of time into this and I've certainly sunk a lot of time into the game itself. Maya and Gaige will be two of the characters I will concentrate on more, as they are two of my favourites, so there will be a bit more focus on their backstory. I will go into the DLCs, but that will be a fair way down the track.
Verdin Grey, I'm glad you enjoyed most of it. I hope that my comment above will put your other concerns to rest. Hope you enjoy this one.
Icedshadows, thank you and I'm glad you enjoy it.
Anasaitis, I understand your concerns and I'm definitely not intending on going down the path of Mary-Sue, as I hope I've already mentioned. In regards to Nisha, she had just seen Jason take on Jack and much of Hyperion and get away untouched. Her confidence is going to be fairly shaken. Claptrap will have his moments, but I don't necessarily want him as crazy as he is in the game because he goes past amusing and into annoying. I appreciate the feedback and hope that you continue to enjoy this.
Dhana, as I've told everyone else, Gary-Stu is not my intention and I am working to not cross that line. As I've mentioned in the story, Jason is a superior programmer, but Gaige is a much better engineer in terms of mechanical work. I do intend for Jason to more or less take Gaige under his wing, and I've tried to lay the foundations for that here. As for Jason's cousin, you'll have to wait and see ;).
DarkSlicer, It would be awesome if Gearbox did that, but I doubt that's going to happen somehow. Would be great to see though, no doubt.
Hope you enjoy this latest chapter. Please read, review and all those good things.
Until next time.
