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Post by The Rising Dragon on Aug 21, 2010 15:47:05 GMT -5
"Around here," Rua said noncommittally. "Relayia, leave him alone, he's trying to work."
The dragonet chirped twice at Rua before stretching out her wings and taking off again, this time flying over to Rua and landing on his shoulder. "Not in these actual parts, mind you," Rua continued after his dragonet settled down. "But in the general province."
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BD
Squire
Stay Classy, Ymaggion
Posts: 26
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Post by BD on Aug 22, 2010 15:28:31 GMT -5
"Figured as much, you'd have to be as stupid as me to try and travel this place as a foreigner," Kite said with a smirk as he sat there and twirled the cables in his fingertips.
He looked over at Rua and glanced at the APD. It made sense now. He was for sure not a threat. Now, Kite only had one thought on his mind.
I have to find a way to get out of here before the order shows up; there's no way they haven't spotted that thing on one of the scanners, and I guarantee that he's going to have to answer a lot of questions about it. Rather not be here for that.
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Post by The Rising Dragon on Aug 22, 2010 16:15:20 GMT -5
It was then that bad luck struck the three of them on the plateau. Relayia was the first to hear it, and the dragonet craned her neck around in the direction of the sound. Moments later, both Rua and Kite could hear the telltale sound of a car's horn honking at them. Arching an eyebrow, Rua moved past his APC to look out over the hill, and then sighed as he spotted what was making the noise. A cloud of dust was rising up over a speeding humvee, which was following the trail up the plateau where they were on.
"Oh good, visitors," Rua said, frowning. "Doesn't look like a biker gang, but its not a bandit's style to chase after someone."
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Post by Steinerman on Aug 22, 2010 22:10:57 GMT -5
"Well, they've seen us. And they're not scrambling to find weapons or run away." Uban remarked casually, slowing their vehicle down as they neared the pair of travelers.
Michael nodded his head, "A good sign, it would seem."
"Or it just means it's a trap and we're about to get shot at." Uban replied darkly.
Michael cast a amused glance at his friend. "you're still annoyed about that incident in Allondell, aren't you." He stated lightly.
Uban nodded his head, "Let's just say, I'm never looking at supposedly 'innocent' travelers the same way again, not after that stunt those bandits pulled on us back on that little crappy commonwealth roadway."
Michael nodded his head in acceptance of his friend's statement. "Very true. Hopefully this stop won't involve rockets or automatic weapons." He pointed to a space roughly twenty feet away from the pair of stalled travelers, "Pull up there, we'll get out and see if they need assistance."
Uban nodded mutely and came to a halt at the indicated position. "Right, this ought to be fun, or painful, I can't decide which." He turned back to the soldiers in the rear of the vehicle, "Keep ready, but don't shoot unless they shoot first. I'd hate to have to put in my report that you gunned down a pair of travelers because you 'thought' they had guns, got it?"
The soldier nodded, eyes nervous. "Yes, sergeant."
Uban grinned manically at the young man, and then opened his door and stepped out into the sun, making sure his helmet was secure upon his head as he did so. Michael mirrored his movements on the other side of the Humvee, though he left his helmet on the hood of the vehicle as he exited. His blade he slung over his right shoulder, and then stepped forward towards the pair of travelers, his expression friendly and open.
"hail and well met, Travelers. We're Hospitallers from the Order of the Blade. Our convoy was up on the highways and we saw your vehicles. We seldom see travelers down on the plain, and we thought it would be polite to check in and make sure you were unharmed, the biker gangs around here can be vicious, given half a chance."
He nodded towards the toolkit the men had out, "Do you gentlemen need help repairing your vehicles? Our gunner is quite a handy mechanic, actually."
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BD
Squire
Stay Classy, Ymaggion
Posts: 26
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Post by BD on Aug 26, 2010 21:02:31 GMT -5
Kite was positively shrieking on the inside. These guys had probably four weapons trained on him right now, and it didn't help that he couldn't just run either. Time to play the role of the smooth operator.
"Well, I'm having mechanical trouble, faulty wiring in this POS bike from Allondell, and I was just trying to fix it so I could head back to the city to tell the asshole that sold me this scrap heap that he can give me my money back."
He brushed the two wires together in his hands.
"All I need is some kind of fuselage, and I can be on my way; i'm not sure what you'd have in the way of that. This nice fellow merely stopped to play the role of the good samaritan."
He smiled the fake smile they taught him so well at the agency and affirmed, "We're alright though physically, thanks for the concern though."
Please, dear God, tell me I played my cards right with these guys.
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Post by The Rising Dragon on Aug 27, 2010 22:27:05 GMT -5
Rua flipped his sword around as the men filed out of the Humvee and stabbed it point-first into the ground, and lifted his free hand in greeting. On his shoulder, Relayia stretched her wings briefly and made a cry at the Ordermen as they approached. "I think we're fine here," he replied to them. "The usual scum out here've been pretty scarce today."
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Post by Steinerman on Aug 29, 2010 21:53:31 GMT -5
Michael nodded at their replies. "Good to hear the bikers and bandits haven't been trouble today. We did a sweep a few months ago, but this is the first time we've been back in the area."
He stepped forward to get a better view of the bike, staring at it in thought for a few moments before calling back to the Humvee. "Riley, we need your mechanical expertise, if you please. This man is in need of some bike repairs."
There was a nervous cough and then the sounds of the gunner scrambling to get out of her harness. "Coming, Knight-Commander." A muffled voice replied. There were several thuds and bumps as the soldier clambered down into the main body of the vehicle and opened one of the passenger doors. Then there was a slightly less-muffled yell and the young woman fell out of the Humvee and crashed helmet first onto the dusty ground.
Michael winced and turned to face the woman, her features mostly covered in the very bulky combat helmet she wore atop her head. Only her chin showing from beneath the darkened combat visor. "Are you hurt, Riley?" He called out to the prone figure.
There was a squeak of embarrassment and then the figure clambered back up and trotted over to where he and the Sergeant were standing. "Sorry, Knight-Commander, just lost my footing." She turned to face the Sergeant, who stood rock-solid, his eyes locked straight ahead. "I'll take a look at the bike now, sirs." She mumbled, obviously not wishing to raise the ire of the Sergeant any more than she seemingly already had.
As the young woman moved to look at the bike, Michael turned back to the other men. "girl's as nervous as a rabbit right now."
"First real stop for her." Uban replied tersely. Michael frowned, something had the Sergeant's attention, but it wasn't their clumsy gunner. No, the sergeant was staring intently at the apparent owner of the bike. Michael's frown deepened. He trusted his friend implicitly, and something had Uban's suspicions raised, most likely the biker.
Uban's hand was resting quite close to his still-holstered side-arm, and his expression was neutral as he took a step forward and nodded towards the biker, "Well, looks like Riley will be a minute or two in checking your bike." He extended his right hand in way of greeting to the biker, "Sergeant Uban Adams. And you are?"
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BD
Squire
Stay Classy, Ymaggion
Posts: 26
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Post by BD on Sept 18, 2010 23:35:15 GMT -5
Kite decided that no alias would really work too well here; he'd have to get the name recognition down too early, best to just give them the right name and wrong backstory.
"Kite Mcknights, roving combat trainer, at your service."
He smirked as he stepped out of the way so that the biker and shook Uban's hand. He made sure to give a confident handshake for good measure as he looked in to the man's eyes.
This isn't their combat unit. They're trying to feel us out and make sure we're not a threat. Sadly for them, it also means that I can track them long enough to ensure they stay out of my way. But this Rua guy's a wildcard. I don't know what he's after, much less whose side he's on. Time to play the game of reactions now.
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Post by Steinerman on Sept 19, 2010 2:26:12 GMT -5
Uban grasped Kite's hand firmly and gave it a good shake. He didn't put much stock in being able to tell a man by his handshake, he'd met too many who could fake a firm handshake. This Kite fellow, bore himself like a soldier, Uban's gut told him he was more than just a "roving combat trainer". And Uban always trusted his gut.
"Pleasure to meet you, Kite." He replied firmly. "Combat trainer, eh? Interesting line of work, though I'm a little surprised that you haven't picked a town to open up a shop in. Around the big cities you can make a fair mint teaching rich boys and girls how to fight."
He took a step back, forcing himself to visibly relax, though inside he was tense as could be. Michael was staring at him curiously, wondering what was making his sergeant antsy. He wanted to go to the Knight-Commander and tell him of his suspicions, but he wasn't exactly sure what he thought Kite was. So he stood back and waited for Riley to look at the bike.
Michael frowned slightly, glancing at his Sergeant. The man was definitely antsy, but seemed to have backed off for now. So he turned to the other man and beamed a bright smile at him. "It would seem introductions are in order." He said, voice chipper in an attempt to alleviate the tension that had built up around the Sergeant and Kite.
"I'm Michael Saint, Knight-Commander of the Blade. A pleasure to meet both of you." He said, extending his hand first to Kite, and then intending to extend it to the other man, should he choose to introduce himself.
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Post by The Rising Dragon on Sept 20, 2010 17:34:11 GMT -5
(OOC: Kite shouldn't know Rua's name yet, Dranzer)
Rua briefly considered his options, weighing the pros and cons of introducing himself before deciding that hell, they'd find out when they started questioning him about the armored personnel carrier he was driving. He sheathed the blade in his hand to free it up before extending it to grasp Saint's hand--he recognized the man now; Kalia had spoken of him often enough in the past. "Rua," he introduced himself. "Rua Dragonheart."
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Post by Steinerman on Sept 20, 2010 19:24:11 GMT -5
Michael's eyes widened in surprise.
"Dragonheart?" He repeated softly.
"Any Relation to Kalia Dragonheart, by chance?" He questioned curiously. Though he'd never met her in person, he knew much of the Stamarian Knight by repute. And he recalled hearing something about her siblings. This Rua might very well be one of them.
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Post by The Rising Dragon on Sept 20, 2010 23:35:50 GMT -5
He figured this would happen. On his shoulder, Relayia chirped at the Orderman, as if trying to confirm Saint's question. Rua nodded once his hand was released. "Yeah, seems like you've heard of her," he replied. "She's my older sister."
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Post by Steinerman on Sept 21, 2010 0:52:27 GMT -5
Michael's smiled broadened.
"A pleasant surprise, your sister carries much respect with the Order and myself, though I've never met her in person." He opened his mouth to make some glowing remark about Kalia's fighting prowess that he'd heard so much about during his military service when something started nagging at the back of his head.
Kite owns the bike. That means Rua owns the APC. He wasn't traveling with the bike when we saw him from the Highway, and it's a safe bet that he stopped to help fix it, like us. Thus it's likely that he doesn't know Kite.
And Uban is suspicious of Kite. mentioning the fact that Kalia Dragonheart is a Knight of Stamaria...could be dangerous to her brother, if it turns out Kite is truly worthy of Uban's suspicion
His train of thought caused him to quickly rethink what he was about to say. He glanced over a Riley, who was muttering to herself in technical terms about the bike she was hovering over, and realized she'd be at least a few more minutes.
With the speed and grace his mother had drilled into him so long ago, he changed to the much safer topic of the APC. "That's quite the machine you've got there." He said conversationally, nodding his head towards the APC. "Did it come with the armored panels removed? Or did you do that yourself?"
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Post by The Rising Dragon on Sept 24, 2010 23:50:58 GMT -5
"You're giving it too much credit," Rua replied, which Relayia reinforced with another cry. There was no way the junker was any kind of impressive machine; even the Humvee the Ordermen had arrived in was superior to it, even before it lost its armor plating. "No, it was always like that as far as I can remember. The thing's old. Older than I am, probably. It belonged to my parents."
Idly, as Relayia stretched her wings a bit, Rua wondered back on Saint's statement about Kalia. Sure, the Order of the Blade was regularly called in to train Stamarian recruits; their prowess in battle was second to none. But everyone knew of the scandal concerning the Order's previous masters. And if Kalia was held in high esteem by them... hell, wouldn't that mean trouble for his sister?
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Post by Steinerman on Sept 27, 2010 2:40:40 GMT -5
Michael saw the look of concern flash across Rua's face, but decided to stay silent. The entire situation was oddly tense, and while Uban's pleasant facade may have fooled the others, it didn't fool Michael, and it only seemed to fill the air with an unusual stillness, like that before a great storm.
A moment later Uban broke away from the solid stare he'd fixed on Kite and glanced at the APC, "That's the old Tumbler Mark Seven, isn't it?" He commented on the machine.
A slightly muffled voice came from the hunched figure next to the bike.
"Looks to be a Six-Two-C, sir. It's still got the brackets for the water cannon those things were supposed to mount in urban pacification operations."
Uban turned to stare at the young woman, his eyes wide with surprise. He opened his mouth to speak, and then thought better of it and turned to Michael. In a voice low enough so that she wouldn't hear, he muttered "Blast it all, I forget she knows vehicles. She's right, that thing does look like the Six-Two-C."
Michael chuckled, "The girl has some talent with machines." He reminded the Sergeant with amusement.
From the bike, the young woman stood and turned to Kite.
"Well, good news is I can fix your bike. The Bad news is it'll take a while, and I don't have the right equipment with me, it's back in the convoy."
Michael quickly hid a grimace, if this Kite truly wished his vehicle fixed, that would require him either returning to their convoy with them, or staying here while they went to fetch the gear. For a split-second, he wished the man would have an alternate mode of transport, or maybe that Dragonheart had the spare part Riley required for the bike, but he quickly banished such thoughts.
While the rest of the Order was dedicated to war and destruction, the Hospitallers were also tasked with lending aid, this man was in need of it apparently, and they would supply it until they were given a reason to stop.
So he spoke up, his voice strong and full of authority, "Sir McKnights, it is up to you. If you so wish, we can transport the bike with us to our Convoy and repair it there. Or have the part brought here to you. If you wish, you may travel with us to the next town and have it fixed there if you do not trust our mechanics."
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