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[RogueSpear]

Rainbow Stables Mechspace
International Zone
Solaris City, Solaris VII
April 19th, 14:45 Hours

"Uh yes, yes I am." Sweetie? Probably just friendly, "What? Dinner? Jack? Emmm...I'll try and find him. I think he's getting ready to apologize for the bull that muppet caused...Do you have a P-Comm? I won't have an answer until later, uh hun." He could feel his entire body trying to fight the urge to wince. He was just sure Maligo would be looking at him. I am so going to need to find out if Jack can talk to women who aren't strippers.

[Thom Frankfurt]

Rainbow Stables,
'The Grey Room'
International Zone,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
April 19th, 15:58 Hours.


Everything was going perfect. The Grey Room was decorated accordingly for the press, with silk banners dipicting the crest of all five Successor States linked together in an image of a rainbow. The outragously expensive stitchwork was supposed to promote unity and peace, but he found it hard to think of peace while looking at the image dipicting the mailed fist of the Lyran Commonwealth, the rearing dragon of the Kurita's, the sword and sunburst seal of the Davion's, or the guantleted fist wielding a katana, House Liao's banner. The only one that didn't make him think immediately of violence was Free World League's eagle.. (sorry friends from the FRR)

A groomed and well dressed Mad Jack sat behind Cassandra's massive oak desk... Randolph smiled as the film tech gave Jack the thumbs up indicating he was now live on the air. The burley mechwarrior looked straight into the glare from the lights and squarely at the rolling cameras and began to choke.

Oh, sh*t!!!

"Uhhhh..." His voice trailed off and he winced.
He gave another false start, and another.
As the cameras transmitted live across the globe, he said, "Ah'm really sorry. I foocked the van 'cos o' a radar error. Uhhhh...Mr. Von Bremen? Ah cannae read 'er writin'." The neatly trimmed beard twisted in embarassment as he held up the cards. "Help?"

Von Bremen pinched the bridge of his nose then mustering up all the grace and confindence he could strode into the lights glare and camera's view. He wasn't sure if it was the heat from the lamps or the thought of millions of eyes upon him, but instantly Randolph felt flushed with heat and a tinge of nervousness.

He must be unnerved, can't blame him.

The Lyran stooped down next to Jack and patted him upon the back.

"It's okay Jack, just try to relax." He then took up the cards and looked them over. Erin's writing was emaculate, drawn out in a elegant swooping style that may have been a bit too much for the mechwarrior. He leaned in and whispered into Jack's ear.

"Good afternoon citizens of Solaris... My name is Jack Churchill..."

((I'm gonna let you go from there.))

Edited by Thom Frankfurt, 18 July 2012 - 03:54 AM.

[RogueSpear]

Rainbow Stables
'The Grey Room'
International Zone
Solaris City, Solaris VII
April 19th, 16:01 Hours

"Good afternoon, citizens o' Solaris..."
"Mah name is Jack Churchill..."
"Ah'm standin' here before you today..."
"To apologize for the incident yesterday..."
"On the proving grounds o' the international zone..."
"Where due tae a technical error..."
"During a routine test of my jump jets..."
"Mah Urbanmech's radar did not pick up..."
"The returns o' a Solaris Broadcastin' Corporation..."
"News crew's vehicles..."
"On the other side of a ridge..."
"Which ah crashed into..."
"Ah apologize to the news crew..."
"For their injuries..."
"And to their family and friends..."
"For their worry and anguish..."
"As a result of the incident..."
"And tae the SBC for the damage...
"Done to their property..."
"Ah would like to extend mah thanks..."
"To my fellow mechwarriors on the grounds..."
"Whose conduct and help after the incident..."
"Earned them immediate recruitment..."
"To the Rainbow Stables...What really?"
"Right sorry, eh...And to the 32nd Lyran Guard..."
"And the brave emergency crews..."
"Whose rapid response and prompt actions..."
"Did much tae alle...alleviate the human sufferin'..."
"Caused by this tragic accident...."
"Say Thank you and Goodbye Ja-Sorry. Ummm. Thank you and Goodbye."

[Thom Frankfurt]

The Dump,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
April 19th, 14:21 Hours


"Yeah, I'm with the Rainbow, I may not be a mechjockey, but what I do for them is important... Hey, you're 18 right?" Adam asked the groupie while eyeing the ample cleavege caused by the black synthetic leather corset-vest thing she was wearing. She responded but he didn't catch it he was too busy thanking the powers that be that he got assigned to escort Dylan as he wandered his way around Solaris. And was gratefull that the Dragoon was such a boring person. Quiet, distant, and always seeming to be brooding about something that he kept to himself.

Whatever, Ef that guy, I'm going to get laid. He smiled inwardly at the thought as he played with the teens purple hair.

Bang! The booming crack of a high powered rifle echoed across the waste of the arena grounds. Gone were the thoughts of getting his d**k wet and all that remained was the persisting thought that he had a duty to do, and that he was failing at it. Shoving the girl to the side he pulled back the side of his Armani jacket revealing a shoulder holster and the form of an ultra compact sub machine gun.

With a whirl Adam saw the hulking form of Dylan diving for cover as another high piercing crack resounded across the arena. Running up to the top of a slight rise the rifleman looked out into the rolling expanses of the junkyard as people ran about hystericaly or dove for cover. With a well practiced tug at the pistol grip the smg popped out and he cradled it in his muscled arms.

There! Near the top of one of the 'hills' out in the yard was the wreckage of a car and from it was running a figure all in black with a rifle slung across her back. Without thinking he brought the compact automatic up and depressed the trigger. Spent brass shot out from the side as 10mm rounds vomited out of the SMG's buisness end. The figure darted for cover and he tracked accordingly raining shots that peppered the whole area around where the figure dove for cover behind a stack of old tires.

"RUN B!TCH!!" Adam gave a long burst of fire then took off after the fleeing target. Sliding and tripping over the junk he chased but when he got the the stack of tires and whirled around it, the wouldbe assassin was gone. Leaving behind a thin trail of blood that lead off into the old junkyard. Adam spat in the direction that the blood trail led off to, and turned to stalk back to where Dylan dove for cover. only to find that Dylan was still in his hideout with another Dragoon clad in body armor and armed to the teeth. ((Okay GW.... that is the first AND LAST TIME that's going to work.))

Dylan was safe, thanks to him. But it didn't look like he was going to get any credit for it though...

Edited by Thom Frankfurt, 18 July 2012 - 04:00 AM.

[Vodkavaiator]

Samuel's Tea House
Slums, International Zone
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
April 19th, 16:05 Hours.

Voss and Samuel sat in silence watching the latest news, which judging by the feed from every major news channel was the public apology of one Jack Churchill, pilot for the Rainbow Stables and of recent fame due to hitting a vehicle belonging to one of the major channels at the proving grounds.

Voss remained disinterested and slightly disgusted by the whole affair whilst Samuel appeared to find it a source of great entertainment. As the public statement and following reports came to an end, Samuel switched the simple LCD screen off despite its buzzing protest.

As the two men rose Voss adressed his employer, "Samuel, about the packages you have been asking me to deliver..."

"Fear not my mercenary friend, it is no treasure hunt on which I have sent you." Samuel humorously stated. "Sit down, please, I would like to explain some things before I discuss what you have delivered for me," he continued.

"Solaris is an oddity, a paradox if you will," Samuel began. "As we all know it is nominally controlled by the Lyran Commonwealth yet at the same time in a show of compromise all of the successor states maintain their own districts here and there citizens retain all loyalties to their former homes. A model of diplomatic good will and unity amongst all of human kind, at least if we are to believe the lies they feed us."

"On the surface the Lyrans' run the show here, it is there planet to rule in body and spirit. However, the truth of the matter is that the situation here is far more dynamic. Peace is only an illusion here on Solaris and whilst our benevolent rulers do not fight openly I can assure you that there is war being fought and it intensifies with each passing day. Only it is in the shadows it is fought, beyond the sight of the public and it is information which will decide the victor of this struggle."

"I believe it is akin to what they called the "Cold War" on ancient Terra." Samuel added with a reflective nod of his head. "Of course, the Great Houses are not the only participants in this war. Criminal elements, corporations, mercenary companies and even lesser individuals vie for any scrap of power."

"Under such conditions there exist a great number of opportunities for those with applicable talents. . .and flexible moral views. I acquire information of a classified nature and sell it to the highest bidder; regardless of purpose or allegiance, my only concern is that I am adequately paid. In short I am a broker of information, a mercenary, a free radical of sorts."

Voss' face remained unmoved and he spoke with a cold edge to his voice, "I thank you for this story old man, but I fail to see what it has to do with me...beyond the fact that I delivered two packages, both of which I still do not know the contents."

"Patience, patience my boy, there is no rush. However, I must admit that the contents of the packages I am not at a liberty to discuss at the present time. It was simply a test of sorts, one of many to come." Samuel stated half in jest. "I am always looking for new talent, dependable personnel are not so easy to find in these times and you are the sort of man I require. Someone who will do what is necessary to accomplish a mission, no matter what the cost. A man I can trust to do what I ask of him and one who will not ask unnecessary questions..."

"For a man I have recently met, you certainly seem to know a lot about me," Voss sourly replied.

"One moment," Samuel stated grinning, rising from the table and heading the small office of the tea house before returning with an archaic paper folder which he promptly tossed to Voss
.
"I have read your file Voss, the real one I might add, the one Loki has hidden deep within their servers. A most interesting read, much better than that which has been provided to MSRBC board," Samuel added with a wink.

"What do you want?" Voss asked, his right hand resting reflexively over his Nambu auto pistol.

"Relax, Vooos, relax," Samuel calmly replied, holding both hands well within sight above the table. "We are merely discussing your current employment opportunities, I am by no means attempting to threaten you."

"I see, then another question if I may... Who do you work for? Loki?"

"No, no of course not!" Samuel answered bursting into a fit of laughter. "You misunderstand my friend, I am by nature of my trade a neutral party. I serve no one but myself. It is freedom I offer you, freedom from the Great Houses and their damned games."

Edited by Vodkavaiator, 19 July 2012 - 05:36 AM.

[Jeremy Hunter]

Deli near the Cherry Babies
Solaris City, Solaris VII
April 19th

As Izzy finished her food, Nicky paid for the check.
"My treat. For that...interesting dance move earlier."
"Oh." Despite her indifference, Izzy blushed. "Sorry, I got carried away."
"I thought you were cute."
"Stop teasing me."
"Nope. Having too much fun."
Izzy abruptly stood. "I need to find the stables."
Nicky nodded, still smiling. "Good luck. Meet at the couch tomorrow?"
Izzy eyed the girl. She was cute, she was nice...what the hell. "Yeah."
Chuckling, Nicky excused herself and left, leaving Izzy to exit the deli and follow the map to the stables.
"Rainbow Stables huh..."

Rainbow Stables
International Zone
Solaris City, Solaris VII
April 19th, mid-afternoon

Izzy finally made it to the stables, after an uneventful walk. Rubbing her forehead, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
And had no idea where the hell to go.
Standing there, Izzy moved to the side to avoid blocking the door and started to look around, half hoping someone would take pity on her and show her the way she would have to go.
Never easy, is it? She thought. Damn, it'd be easier getting Nicky in bed, wouldn't it? God, I hate having to hope for help. Where the hell are you Sora, you always knew where to go.
Izzy opened her locket and stared at the picture, mostly tuning people out but still paying a bit of attention, just in case someone decided to be a Good Samaritan and help her out.

[Sparks Murphey]

Rainbow Stables Mechspace
International Zone
Solaris City, Solaris VII
April 19th 15:47 Hours

The differences between the Stables’ ‘Mech yard and the unaffiliated one was subtle, but palpable. The machines certainly hadn’t gotten any better, if anything, their average was worse, given the state of the Champion and JagerMech to one side. The yard was still a bustle of activity, but where in the unaffiliated space it was mostly confined to small pods around individual ‘Mechs, here it spread throughout the area: diagnostics sets travelling back and forth; ammo, lube and other consumables shared about on common trucks; techs wandering across the floor to talks to each other. Instead of a bunch of individual teams working on individual ‘Mechs, it was quite clearly a group, subdivided, perhaps, but working on all four BattleMechs as a whole.

It was something Bertie hadn’t seen since his time in the Chasseurs. It felt like returning home.

He could see heads turning to look at him as his Enforcer slowed to a halt at the entrance, so he flicked on the external speakers.

“Hi there. Bertie Walker, new recruit. Where should I park this thing?”

One of the ramp rats nearby grabbed a pair of wands and directed him towards an empty bay facing the one-eyed Commando. With a whirl and a clank, the Enforcer settled into its parked stance.

He popped the hatch and stepped out onto the gantry. A portly, curly haired tech was waiting for him, a bored expression on his face and one gloved hand extended, palm up. Bertie looked at him blankly.

“Maintenance key? So we can access your ride?” the tech grumbled.

Bertie shook his head at his lapse. He’d been maintaining his own ‘Mech for so for long, he’d forgotten about it. He dug a key ring from his pocket, slid one of the keys off and passed it over.

He strolled through the yard, trying to avoid the bustling techs and make his way to where he thought the apartments were based on a half remembered map from earlier that morning. After brief visits to the tech wing and the infirmary, he eventually found, not the apartments, but a skinny blonde woman staring at a locket and generally looking a bit lost.

Well, at least we can be lost together, he thought to himself.

“Excuse me, can I help you?” he asked.

[Thom Frankfurt]

(Sorry about my lousy spelling guys! My spelling B champ wife is asleep, and I'm too lazy to use the spell check on this stupid archaic laptop.)

Tacos Del Rey
Slums of the International Zone
Solaris City, Solaris 7
April 19th, 20:21 Hours

The sound of the ***** of cutlery broken every now and again by a belch filled the air of the small back room of the resturant, and DeMarkus Frankfurt sat back in his seat and smiled as the small group of people sharing the table with him went about digging in on the feast that he'd arranged. Unfortuneately Von Bremen, Rick, and Jack were unable to come.

Slater was there, ravenously tearing into his third plate of shrimp tacos, while across from him Gregori Dellon, the Wolvering pilot whom he sold One-Eye's short ranged missiles to, picked away at a cheesy chicken dish. The brothers Eddie and Chris sat across from one another wolfing down ranchera style steaks. To his right, his heavily muscled chaperone went about cutting into chicken mole stuffed enchiladas, as a slighty drunk Kaylee leaned into him nuzzling into DeMarkus' neck with her grilled fish dish and strawberry margarita forgotten.

He turned his head and kissed her on the forehead. He looked her over and shook his head at her outfit, a white frilly dress polka dotted with pink roses and matching pink ribbions tying her hair up in pigtails. He'd never get used to seeing her in anything other than her grease and coolant stained coveralls. He patted her on the hand and after clearing his throat, slowly stood up.

"Hey, yo everyone's" The faces turned to him. "As most of you's knows, I's have my first match tomorrow. In some place dey's call da Dump, against dat guy Min." He felt Kaylee grab his hand in a knuckle whitening grip.

"I'm's not gonna lie to you's, he's good. But I's have a plan, and have's faith in myself. But if da's worst is to happen, I'd just like to say's Thank you's for everything's you've done for me's." He paused and looked each one in the eye as some form of reconition before rambling on.

"In da anciet days, back on's Terra, da ancient Roman's had a gladitorial fights. An da night before's der would be a's feast. Now, I'ms not sure's if it was to honor's der pagan God's or da gladiator's demselves... But I's see's no reason for us not to have's a get together on da eve of da fights if for no udder reason for's me to say thank you's for all your's hard work." He smiled at the small assembled group.

"Now let's get'a back to celebrating." He added, giving Kaylee's hand a slight squeeze and hoisting his glass of ricemilk in salute to the group.

[Thom Frankfurt]

Rainbow Stables
International Zone
Solaris City, Solaris VII
April 19th, 23:32


It was late into the hours of the 19th when DeMarkus exited the hover car and slumpted a passed out Kaylee over his shoulder. With a bang he gently kicked the door shut.

"Okay's man, thanks." The hovercar slowly rose up upon a cushion of air and sped off to garage area, located in a small building behind the stable building.

He walked on over to the doubledoors, which the over muscled doorguards opened as he neared. Allowing him access to what Kaylee refured to as the dreaded 'Gray Room.' The geeky emogirl sat behind the massive desk wearing her thick cokebottle glasses and a black and white striped shirt. He arched a pierced eyebrow and smiled at him, he smiled back.

"Uh, hi Lisa." he offered then glanced to where Kaylee was drapped over his shoulder. "Too many's margaritas." He stated then headed off in the direction of his dorm room. Up the elevator and down the hall he carried her. He opened the room to his dorm and entered down the short hall to his room and tossed her down upon the bed with a 'flop.'

Kaylee woke up enough to giggle at him and gesture for him to come hither. "Come her Mar..."

"Ha, hold on, I'll be right back." DeMarkus replied then headed off the the main room to check the kitchenette muttering to himself annoyed. If there were two things that annoyed him it was drunk people when he was sober and sober people when he was drunk. Pulling open the door to the refrigerator he eyeballed it's contents. Noting the basic condiments, a gallon of milk, a gallon of nangari juice, and a twelve pack of 'Psi-Cola,' but nothing that would help sober her up. Annoyed he half slammed the fridge door, and heard a low sound behind him. A slight whimper.

Fully expecting a semi nude Kaylee behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, then quickly spun around to do a double take. Slumbering away upon the couch was a young girl snoring away with a pink blanket tucked up to her chin.

What the Frak?! Jack has a daughter?

DeMarkus stalked off to Jack's room finding the door ajar but the room empty. He then went to the hall on the far side of the dorm finding brass plaques mounted on the doors. One read Mr. Vulpes, and the other Bertie Walker. The one that read 'Bertie' was open, the room cluttered with boxes, most of which were unpacked. Upon the bed a figure laid, snoring away. Slowly the Capellan backed away from the door then headed back to his room. His mind racing.

Well it looks like the rest of the gang is here. Prob want us to start doing lance on lance matches... Great, a couple of stranger's and an Urbie pilot who doesn't know what he's doing. We're going to be the shortest lived stable in Solaris History.

Upon reaching his room Kaylee was once again passed out, snoring away, stretched out taking up the whole bed. Seeing her DeMarkus facepalmed and scooted her over. He needed to get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a big day for him.

Edited by Thom Frankfurt, 22 July 2012 - 04:02 AM.

[RogueSpear]

Tacos Del Ray,
Slums of the International Zone,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
April 19th, 20:21 hours,

Dan fidgeted uneasily. The only person at the table whose name he knew was the pretty Kaylee and the guy he'd realized on arrival was her boyfriend, DeMarkus. Sitting much further down the table, even if he wasn't embarassed, he couldn't talk to them anyway. He'd made his apologies for Jack on arrival, explaining he was talking to Von Bremen in the aftermath of his public apology. DeMarkus didn't seem to have seen it, and had inquired to how it had gone, but Dan hadn't seen it either. All he knew was Jack had had an issue reading the cards prepared for him, DeMarkus had made a joke about how they should type them for him next time. Even without being as insanely observant as Jack, he picked up DeMarkus' inner groan. Before he got a chance to defend the old pirate though, more guests arrived and he was politely deflected and had to sit down.
In true, classy style, he was munching on some chicken nuggets and fries, staples of every specialist restaurant for the one awkward guy who doesn't like anything they serve. Following a line of wisdom that probably showed he talked to Jack too much, he was halfway through his third beer when DeMarkus began his speech. Everything we've done for him? All I did was fail to notice the damage to Jack's target computer and get him in that mess yesterday. He was suddenly glad that Jack wasn't there. The big merc didn't seem the type tactful enough to just let it slide, he just knew Mad Jack would have asked exactly what he was being thanked for. He raised his glass with everyone else, joined in the cheer, and looked futilely around for some ketchup.
Like all nuggets in such places, he was pretty sure their primary ingredient was cardboard.

[Thom Frankfurt]

Rainbow Stables
International Zone
Solaris City, Solaris VII
April 20th, 06:32

Kaylee stretched and rolled over, finding DeMarus gone. Pouting she leaned up on her elbow and looked around. She rubbed her temples with her free hand and squinted. She had a slight hangover.

Stupid margaritas...

She sat up and let her legs dangle off the edge of the bed. Groaning, she heaved herself off the bed and left in search of DeMarkus. She quickly found him in the small kitchenette, leaning over a cutting board cutting up an assortment of fruit. He happened to glance over his shoulder as she approached and smirked.

"What are you doing Mar?" She asked confused while rubbing the top of her head. He held up a finger to his lips and whispered.

"Shhhh.... girl's sleeping." He pointed to the couch where Heather continued to sleep away. Kaylee's head pivoted around quickly to reguard the form curled up, almost cocooned in the pink blanket. She then looked back his way to find him offering her a bowlful of chopped fruit. Graciously she took it but cast a confused look at him. The Capellan shrugged and pointed to the other side of the dorm where the two other rooms were.

"Bertie's kid I's suppose." He shrugged then bit into a purple fruit and got a blissful look on his face. Kaylee bit into an apple wedge and cocked her head and silently pointed to the cutting board with the fruit. DeMarksu shrugged.

"I's couldn'ts sleeps. An figured you's want breakfast. Ususally's I'ds fry up some potatoes an bacon, but figured you's awant sometin lighter's. I's found a's decent little's grocery. Dey enve had some's Kinga." he hefted the purple skinned white fleshed fruit.

"Oh yeah, I's also got's some bread. Figured we's can have's some, toast. An I's wasn't sure if you's likes coffee or tea, so I's got both. It's ah instant, but it works." He took another bite of the exotic fruit and smiled as the juicy fruit dripped down his chin.

"Awww... you're so sweet." She beamed at him. He quirked a brow at her and smiled.

"Ah, yeah's. Hey's Kay, I's wants you's to take da day off. But der is sometin I's want you's to do." He smiled at her and she had the sinking feeling that she wasn't going to enjoy whatever he was about to request of her.

Edited by Thom Frankfurt, 22 July 2012 - 02:46 PM.

[Thom Frankfurt]

Nevada Smith's
Solaris City, Solaris 7
Lyran Commonwealth
April 20, 3031, 9:09 hrs.

With a hesitant step an incognito dressed Kaylee stepped into the casino. Past the clanking and blinking lights of slot-machines, past the odd roulette wheel and table she wound her way through the sea of patrons attempting to win their fortunes at games of chance. Over the garishly colored carpets she drifted, past the scantidly dressed serving girls toting serving trays filled with exotic booze. Till she found what DeMarkus wanted her to seek out; the sports book.

Taking her place in line she looked about. Fat slobs lounged away downing turkey bacon sandwiches while watching sporting events play out on vid screens mounted just about everywhere. There seemed to be no exception to what the gamblers would bet on. Horse, ostrich, and yacht races, boxing, football, wrestling, Hell, there was even betting taking place on how many weeks it would take the Capellan Confederation to retake all the worlds they lost to the Andurien-Canopus alliance. And then there was the mech bouts themselves...

The area for placing bets on the mech fights dominated a whole section of the square building. With a wall depicting all the variables to the bets; How long the fight would play out, who would win, how they would win, be it from freak head shot, to ammo explosion, or critical engine containment failure. There was even a colum on how much armor (down to the gram) would be destroyed during the bout. She was still standing there slack jawed at all the ways you could loose (or gain) money here, when it became her turn to place her bet.

"How you doing Sweetie.." The ancient woman asked, through the thick sheet of ferro glass. Kaylee then turned to look at her. With wrinkled liver spotted skin, a pronounced 'hump' for a shoulder and a homemade knitted sweater with the nametag that said 'Grettle' she sood there leaning against the counter like it was the only thing holding her upright. She cleared her throat at Kaylee's pause.

"Oh my, I am so sorry. I'm just a bit taken back on all of this." She gestured at the wall like it explained everything.

"Ah first time placing a bet here, Sweetie?" The old Hag chuckled. "Most people do find themselves speechless their first time. Now you have a bet you wish to place, or not?" The ancient asked hinting on Kaylee to get on with laying her money down upon the counter.

"Oh yeah sorry." Kaylee pulled a fat wad of cash out of one of her jacket's pockets and laid it down upon the counter. "I'd like to place all of this on the Capellan, DeMarkus Frankfurt, the Hangman, to win the first match tonight."

The old lady arched a orange dyed eyebrow as she began counting out the stack of bills, chuckling to herself.

"You must like them long odds that Cappie has. Alright love, thirty eight thousand C-bills at fifteen to one. Would you like to place bets on anything else. As you've seen there's many options to choose from." She gestured at the wall with a boney claw of a hand.

Kaylee opened her mouth to decline, but then did the math in her head as she saw some of the odds.

"Let me get this straight, if Min forfeits or the match gets stopped with Mar winning, you'll pay over 46 bills for every bill that I bet?" Kaylee made her face as the wizened one nodded a reply that rocked her orange wig back and forth.

Kaylee fished out a white credit card emblazed with the logo of the Solaris Mechspace, on it several weeks of her vacation pay that she never used.

"All of it on that one." She pointed at the one of Min forfieting. Chuckling once more the old lady swiped the card through a reader showing a balance of 9 thousand c-bills on it.

"Oh you youngin's and your long odds..." She chuckled again. "Okay nine thousand c-bills at 46 to one." The hag typed away at her computer and two betting stubbs printed them out. She slid them through the slot at the bottom of the window.

"Good luck, Sweetie. I can help the next person over here.." Kaylee put the stubbs in her inner jacket pocket then looked around nervously. Finding nobody straight out staring at her, she started on her way home.

Mar, I sure hope you know what you're doing.

Edited by Thom Frankfurt, 22 July 2012 - 04:22 PM.

[RogueSpear]

'Team One' Dorm,
Rainbow Stables,
International Zone,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
April 20th, 06:48

"Oh h*ll." Jack's outburst caused Kaylee to jump, DeMarkus looking up with a blank expression that indicated he was waiting for context. Jack rubbed his eyes and held up a finger, stepping back into his room. With a small girl and a pretty woman in the dorm, he figured he needed more than boxers. Scrounging in the green crate, he found a dressing gown that with another would be called 'much loved', but anyone who knew it was his would accurately guess it just wasn't properly looked after. Wrapping it round himself, he reentered the main living space, nodding uneasily to the two adult occupants. Searching the cupboards for a glass, he said "Sorry, ah just thought someone had spiked me drink last night and ah'd hallucinated the kid." He filled the glass with water, saying "I didn't know you guys were...uh..." He gestured at the figure on the couch.
Kaylee immediately went scarlet and DeMarkus coughed on a piece of fruit. "No, no, we aren't umm..." DeMarkus shot a glance at the tech and straightened, clearing his throat. "She's not ours. This is my technician, Kaylee <Insert surname>."
Kaylee babbled something about a pleasure to meet him, but she was so flustered it took both men a second to realize what she'd said. "I uh, I have to, go do that thing, for you, yes. Bye." Hurriedly she placed her empty bowl at the sink and scampered out the room.
"Sooooo..." Jack drew out the word awkwardly. "New thing or not happened yet?"
DeMarkus gave him a sour look. "Kid's our new lancemate's. We got two of them now, Bertie "Firestorm" Walker, who from the kid toys in his room seems to be the Dad, and Frederick "Vulpes" <Insert surname>. Those guys making the plaques work fast, they weren't here yesterday morning."
Jack groaned. "Great, now I'm not getting any sleep." To DeMarkus' questioning look, he elaborated. "Ah've lived some pretty FUBAR places. I wake at a moose fartin; even when ah'm blind drunk." Wanting to distract the other mechwarrior from his less than noble past, he nodded at the door. "So how much d'ye give her tae bet with?" Seeing the look on DeMarkus' face, he grinned. "Wha'? Et's what ah'd do. Actually...is et wha' ah should dae?" Beaming at the prospect of the familiar word game of give and take likely to ensue, he downed the water in a single gulp.

[Sparks Murphey]

'Team One' Dorm,
Rainbow Stables,
International Zone,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
April 20th, 07:01 hours

"Gambling is bad. You could lose all our money," a small voice said behind them. Heather was sitting awake on the couch, watching them with a slight frown. She didn't seem to have anything else to add, though, and wandered to the bathroom without another word.

Edited by Sparks Murphey, 22 July 2012 - 10:06 PM.

[RogueSpear]

'Team One' Dorm,
Rainbow Stables,
International Zone,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
April 20th, 07:01 hours

Jack watched the small child wander away, taking a deep breath as she stepped into the communal bathroom.


Finished, he looked at the bemused Cappelan. "So how much d'ye gie her? The tall wan, no the wee wan."

Edited by RogueSpear, 22 July 2012 - 10:02 PM.

[Jeremy Hunter]

((Sorry, had church then got sidetracked))
Rainbow Stables
Intentional Zone
Solaris City, Solaris VII
April 19th

Izzy look up with a start, Clutching the locket protectively.
"H-hi. I was looking for wherever one would go to see about joining."
Izzy takes a deep breath, rolling her shoulders. So far, she was lost, confused about where to go, confused about what Nicky was doing, having to worry about her shift tomorrow because she honestly was worried about not having enough sleep at this point due to the long hours of being lost, and...was hungry again.
Izzy relaxed a tad bit. "Can you help me?" she asked tentatively.

[Sparks Murphey]

Rainbow Stables
International Zone
Solaris City, Solaris VII
April 19th 15:55 Hours

Bertie had a quick glance around area, hopeful that a bristling new signpost had sprouted while he wasn’t watching. It hadn’t.

“Yeah, I can try. You probably want to talk to Mr. Von Bremen. Not quite sure where he is at the moment, but we can check at reception and at least leave him a message.”

Through a combination of dead reckoning and dead luck, Bertie managed to lead the somewhat twitchy woman to the Stables’ front desk. The receptionist he’d seen earlier that morning...Cassandra, was it?...looked up expectantly.

“How was the move, Mr Walker?” she asked with uncanny recognition.

“It...went well. Fine, thanks. How...,” don’t ask how she’s been, she’s been answering phones all day with that accent, how do you think its been? “...this lady’s looking to join, how would I go about finding Von Bremen?”

“Mr Von Bremen is assisting Mr Churchill with his press meeting in the Grey Room at the moment. He’ll be busy, but you can wait in there for him to be free, if you’d like, as long as you remain quiet.”

“Oh. Good. And the Grey Room is...”

“Straight though there, Mr Walker,” Cassandra said with a smile.

Rainbow Stables
'The Grey Room'
International Zone
Solaris City, Solaris VII
April 19th, 16:01 Hours

Bertie watched through Jack Churchill’s speech dismally. Who had let this ape into a BattleMech? He could barely read his cue cards! It looked like Von Bremen might actually be feeding him the lines over his shoulder.

“...Ummm. Thank you and Goodbye,” Jack finished. He immediately limped off stage to the right, avoiding the questions of the reporters. Bertie managed to catch Von Bremen’s eye, and the immaculately dressed man approached.

“Bertie. I was under the impression Heather was somewhat younger,” he said with a smirk.

Bertie shot him a glare. “She is. This young lady was hoping to join up, and I figured you might be able to help with that,” he glanced at the still swinging door Jack had just departed through, “Unless, of course, you have other fires you need to put out.”

[Vulpesveritas]

'Team One' Dorm,
Rainbow Stables,
International Zone,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
April 20th, 07:02 hours

Frederick let out a yawn, snuggling up to his blanket, and rolling to the side. Unfortunately, that rolling led him off of his bed, where he hit the floor with a thump. Groaning, he tried to snuggle into the blankets more, before opening his eyes and yawning loudly, slowly sitting up. 'uuugh... morning already?..." he said groggily with a sigh, as he tilted his head slightly to the side, before drooping his head slightly and picking up his blankets.

[Thom Frankfurt]

'Team One' Dorm,
Rainbow Stables,
International Zone,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
April 20th, 06:48


"Ah've lived some pretty FUBAR places. I wake at a moose fartin; even when ah'm blind drunk."

Your not the only one brother...

"So how much d'ye give her tae bet with?" Jack eyeballed DeMarkus and cracked a sh** eating grin. "Wha'? Et's what ah'd do. Actually...is et wha' ah should dae?" The odd man beamed ear to ear then downed the water in one gulp.

DeMarkus opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a small soft voice coming from behind them.

"Gambling is bad. You could lose all our money," The firl, whom D guessed was anywhere from 5-7 was sitting awake on the couch, watching them with a slight frown. She didn't seem to have anything else to add, though, and wandered to the bathroom without another word.

The Capellan opened his mouth again to reply but then the thought came to him.

Did I just get a scolding from a child? He kicked that thought to the side as the bearded man before him sang out a song. He was totally caught off guard as he returned to his earlier question.

"So how much d'ye gie her? The tall wan, no the wee wan." The thought was cast to the side as Jack persisted in his inquiry.

"Huh? Oh's Kaylee, right." He definantly crossed his arms across his chest. "A little's under's ten grand's." he lied.

No need to tell him the truth, why is this guy so nosy?

"Hoping's to defy da odds an a win's." He brought a kinga up to his mouth and bit into the sweet purple skinned fruit. It bought him time to gather his thoughts and go on the defensive if there was to be a verbal sparring.

Edited by Thom Frankfurt, 24 July 2012 - 06:25 PM.

[guardian wolf]

Proving grounds, International zone
Solaris City, Solaris VII
April 20th, 07:45

Dylan's pre-startup checks had gone well. His mech was running a little looser for now, but its performance was acceptable. He started by walking along the grounds, cycling through his weapons, and all checked out. He then brought his throttle to three quarter, and began to fire into the rubble, selecting targets at will, and systematically destroying them. He noticed a news crew on the edge of the grounds, well into cover. Dylan did not appear to take notice, and continued his practice. He slammed his throttle into full, and sped across the grounds. He began to jump, and dodge obstacles in his path, using his legs to keep him propelled forward, and from side to side. He could feel the dual myomer legs smack into the ground, and drive him forward. He set his path through a myriad of broken vehicles with a wall at the end. He dodged past the first and the second, and leaped over the third. He continued this until he got to the wall, where he focused to the point time seemed to slow down. He subconsciously lowered his throttle a small bit, and felt the legs of his battlemech shorten their stride. His training as a sibkin came back, and the legs of his mech, felt like his own. He then moved his controls without thinking, and his mech, stepped, planted, and rocketed to the side, missing the wall by several meters. He then launched his mech back to full, and continued the drills, honing his skills to a razor's edge. He had missed the time he had been in the cockpit, and for once, things were simple again. Fire, maneuver, kill, there was no having to watch his back for a knife, nor, having to rely on others to save him when things had gotten bad. His elation soon vanished as he watched another mech walk onto the field, it was a Panther. Dylan put his mech to a stop, and then recognized the mech, it was his soon to be opponent. The mech made a sign it was the hand crossing the throat, most known as "I will kill you,". It then fired a PPC shot at a nearby target, and hit it dead center as if to prove a point. Dylan slammed both feet into the ground, and before he could touch his throttle, a loud voice came over his comms.

"Now, now, little Dragoon, I will save you for our match, you will not live to see the end of that day,"

Dylan began to laugh. At first it was small, and then it was hysterical. He punched the comms to let the other fool know he was laughing.

"Neg, I will grind your mech to dust under my mechs feet, and then claim it as salvage,"

"You wish to put up mechs as a bonus? Most interesting,"

"Well bargained and done. Your head, is mine,"

Dylan walked off the field and kept a close eye on the other mech. He entered the tunnels, and kept his mech on full readiness. Twenty minutes later he arrived at the Stables, and entered his gantry inside the mech hangar. He finally entered his mech into shutdown sequence, and set his helmet off to the side. He opened the hatch, and climbed out. One of the techs greeted him, he did not know him. He was a bit shaky.

"Good morning,"

"Good morning sir, uhh, I don't think I caught your name,"

Dylan frowned at the contraction. It was something that he still was not used to.

"Yes, well, check the coolant levels, and make sure the flamer's connections are correct,"

"Flamer? Sir..."

"It is completely safe tech, I have done the checks myself before. If you have any, ANY," he put in emphasis to get his point across "you talk to me, no one else,"

"Yes sir,"

Dylan walked off, leaving the tech a bit confused, and more than likely, a little edgy to check the flamer. That weapon was going to be key for his next fight, as the Panther would not stand a chance when he brought that to bear, along with his other small weapons. He had to get inside the PPC's minimum range, and thanked that he was not going against another Clansmen in this machine. It would have been suicide, as their PPCs technically had no minimum range, and he had seen, and heard many stories of where a warrior lost, and had his life taken by the barrel of one of those weapons. He shuddered, it was not something he thought likely of, but, this warrior was cocky, he had to take advantage of it, as the warrior's pride, would bleed arrogance. Arrogance, makes one blind, and blindness on the battlefield, kills. He had to study his opponent's machine, so that he would know it in and out. Know your opponent better than yourself. He grabbed a datapad and began to read. He also walked aimlessly until it was about noon, when he settled into the mess hall. He grabbed something to eat, and hoped that maybe someone would stop by, if anything he hoped to at least try and meet someone. He was getting sick of try to lone wolf this, as he could not hope to accomplish his mission objectives at all if he did not have a small bit of back up from someone besides Davin. Granted he was an elemental, but he needed someone a little more familiar with this place. He shook his head, ever since he joined the Kommando, **** had gone crazy. Assassin be damned, she was wounded after their last skirmish, so, maybe that would get him some time to get to know at least who occupied these Stables. No longer he would hide in the shadows, he had to meet them face to face.