A/N: Hey, Blaine's had a lot to say (or his mouth just might not stop moving…it's all a matter of perspective). This chapter: Ringers and Reavers
Ringer: OSS (Operation Seven Sword) Ops Team members. Or you can call them zombies, re-lifed, frozen soldiers (just add water), antiques (if you're brave), etc.
Reaver: Bad guys…the really, really BAD GUYS. Major vissers, Newlords, turned Swords, etc. The one requirement is you are one mean mamma-jamma (to quote the gecko)
Again, Living Steel/Rhand:2349 (look it up)
Disclaimer: I own no rights to Living Steel or L.E.G. If I did, I'd put it in PDF and give it out for free so more people could enjoy this obscure, but fantastic, game. Max, Ben, Blaine, Vladamir, Malcolm, and anyone else mentioned in the quotes are the intellectual property of their respective (or deprave) owners. Please feel free to ridicule them with scorn and disdain. Credit to Ray for select quotes in this chapter. You know which ones.
Act II, stage left…
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Chapter 2: Ringers and Reavers
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He who has the last bullet gets the last laugh...
Jaric
Black Sword DRAGON turned Reaver
Day 611
~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
My supply of guns is running low. I must kill someone...
Jaric
Black Sword DRAGON turned Reaver
Day 622
~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
For almost two years after APOCALYPSE we had it pretty rough. Food shortages, ViSRs, Newlords, Lizard Boys...not to mention the occasional SFMF or Spectral infestation. When RMBK set off the NANO warhead we thought things would get better since the 'black-skins' would not longer have their technical staff. How wrong we were...
We thought that they could not develop or maintain their own tech. Looking back at things now we can only assume that they had either just not applied themselves to the task, or perhaps thought themselves above it. It only took a few months after the Trank died off for us to realize the folly of our actions. When the 'Stalkers ran out of hardware, they started churning out bio-weapons.
We had heard stories from the now-lost teams on Aquila of unstoppable creatures that came in the night. We all believed that those teams were taken by Slozek FRK commando teams. There were a few Striker teams sent to investigate, but after several were lost with no word, S2 stopped the missions and we had no further word from the Southern Continent, in effect we ceded it to the enemy to hold what we had.
Now we know they were telling the truth...
Looking back on what transpired, we can only hazard a guess as to what happened. I have spoken with several cells since the time of The Separation, even spoken with a few Janizary holdings. No one left seems to know the truth. I know from the missives from our S2 contact that Command was working on a special project based on DRGN technology, whether it was intended as a shield or a weapon, I cannot even begin to speculate. Whatever it was supposed to do, the scientists could not have expected the results.
It has now been 2 years since The Separation, almost 5 since APOCALYPSE. We thought things were bad on Day 60... How wrong we were.
Thomen
Gold Sword DRAGON
Day 2,154
~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
I'm going hunting. Someone give Oronov the keys.
Commander Malcolm King
Black Sword DRAGON
Former Gold Sword commander of OSS63
Day 64
~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
Anyone seen Ben lately? Okay...that was a stupid question.
A. Cross
Blue Sword TARGA
OSS63
Day 92
~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
What a cluster. The Colonel called us back down into the bunker to 'conference' and left Ulman up top to watch the Alphas. Yeah, that was a brilliant idea. They already hated Ulman for what happened shortly after Alpha drop. I found out later that the "Law Enforcement" specialist—the one Petrie and Werner had roughed up—was actually an RMBK agent dropped in with the Alphas to liaise with the team.
Short story, they took out Ulman, rolled up the fuel drums and poured them down the tunnel leading to the bunker. Two out of nine of us made it out. The rest died in the flames. Celeste and I were lucky, I guess. Our 'Doppler cell' enhancement is pretty high, so just about everything healed up.
What happened to the Alphas and the RMBK agent? Last I heard they surrendered to the ISS Support Brigade and were held at the Northern Thosten Irrigation Control Plant. Even with ORCA no one was going to try to get them out of there. No way.
Jonas 'Corky' Abrams
Green Sword TARGA
Formerly of OSS14
~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
Yeah, truth be told it was not his penchant for…what... (sigh) ok… Yarrgg! It be true matey that his hands were as red with blood as any salty soulless swabbie but it was his total disregard for the Dress code that made me want his hide ashore. We have standards here on the SCANish Main and there be no banana hammocks as regulation deckwear. And beyond that you lubbers an eye patch be no substitute
Cap'n Ray
Scourge of the Elandian Littoral
Pirate King of the SCANish Brotherhood
Defender of the Faith (take your daily pick)
When discussing Blaine with certain bounty hunters
~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
Lab rat, tube child , bastard...yeah he called me them all and some I had to break open the Human/'Crest dictionary. But, damn it, I was his superior officer and he had to have orders! Wilders were a bad idea and will be the death of this program; but its not my call anymore, I quit. Come on guys grav vehicles and gauss guns all around lets start the party...
Quentin Archer
Former Colonel of the 7SW
Former Bashar of the Jannissary Corps
When asked about Blaine shortly before the siege of Summit
~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
Look around, Commander. What do you see? Monsters? Madmen? No, you see families; you see children playing; you see a working tribe. Go away, Chief. I don't take orders from you anymore.
Max B.
Blue Sword DRAGON Black Ops
Day 412
~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
I've been stabbed, shot, sliced, pummeled, blown up, thrown off a cliff, run over by a truck, burned, electrocuted, and had part of my arm eaten by a SFMF. Someone once cracked my skull with a HLMG, and I've even had a GRAV APC 'land' on me. Okay, it was a near miss, but it still hurt.
I've lead raids into Aquila, crushed the throats of Slozek with my bare hands, tussled with a spectral or two, and led the 'Line into more fiery hell than I care to remember.
I'd think at this point my 'bravery' would not be at question.
That said, I'm not going to that damn Island.
Merry
Former Red Sword TARGA
Consort to the Prophet
Referring to the site of the RMBK weapon deployment responsible for "The Separation"
PS 04
~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
Sleep is overrated.
Ben Carson
Blue Sword DRAGON Infiltrator
Day 67
~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
Let him contemplate this on the Tree of Woe. Crucify him.
Turning aside to his henchmen, a wicked smile upon his face
I've ALWAYS wanted to say that!
His Holiness Jameston Halloran
Seer of Light of Truth
Protector of the Holy Flame
Sometimes cannibal
Overall nasty reaver
PS 01
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~LS~LS~LS~LS~LS~
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Endnote: Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental (its in the future...). Any references to Thulsa Doom are circa the 1980s and are merely kudos to an awesome movie line.
Have more quotes. Need to go find them. They might (shudders at the thought) even be written on (cover your children's ears) PAPER. Curious thing, paper, it existed before the intrawebs. I know! Heresey! Infidel defilers! They shall all drown in lakes of blood!
Oops. There I go again, backsliding into the 80s. I'm cold, and there's wolves chasing me.