"The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everything)

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Khas
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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by Khas » Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:19 am

Toombs! Destined to fail across the Multiverse!

So, going off of memory, you've crossed over:
Shadowrun
Star Trek
Battlestar Galactica
Alien
Halo
Chronicles of Riddick
Forgotten Realms
Star Wars

Next is going to be (I'm guessing):
Firefly?
Evangelion?
Indiana Jones?
StarCraft?
Stargate?
Army of Darkness?
Outlaw Star?
Mystery Science Theater 3000?
Diablo?
The Wheel of Time?
F.E.A.R.?

Tell me how many I got right. Not which ones, just how many.

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Praeothmin
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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by Praeothmin » Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:09 pm

Khas wrote:Tell me how many I got right. Not which ones, just how many.
Actually, SW will be my last crossover of this story...

Perhaps in the sequel, he'll jump over to one of those universes... ;)
But for now, Book I will end with SW...


I thought about doing Firely, but one of the Fanfics you linked to in the Fanfic commentary thread had an excellent Firefly/ST crossover, which basically went the way mine would have, without James...
The crisis in Firefly would have been over in minutes against the Reavers, and the Operative would have lasted less than 3 seconds against James...
Not much of a challenge... :)

As for the others, I don't know the 'verses that much, so I really don't feel comfortable doing a crossover with them...

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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by Praeothmin » Fri Sep 21, 2012 8:12 pm

Chapter 76

“Hello Carth, I’m…”

“Tharnok Ulmon, I remember that much.” Carth told James.
“This is so strange,” The man began, “because I have a very good memory, and even though we only saw each other a few times on the Endar Spire, I remember your name clearly, I remember our previous encounters as well, yet I see you know in person and there are details that do not match my memories of you.”

The soldier was looking at James quizzically, scratching his head, making James a bit more nervous.

“What details?” Asked James.

“Well, the armor I mentioned I remembered didn’t look anything like your current uniform.
And, to be honest, I don’t remember you being so… Well, big.” Carth said with a tone the betrayed a certain reverence towards James.

“As you said, Carth, you hit your head solidly, suffered a concussion.” James started to explain.
“You’ve been out for over a day.
I had to drag you out of the Escape Pod before it exploded, and then find this abandoned apartment for us to hide in while I treated your wounds.
A wound such as yours can have adverse effects on one’s memory.
Don’t worry though, things will come back to you gradually.”

The man looked perplexed once more.

“I know I only skimmed your Service Report quickly when you first got onboard, but I don’t remember it ever mentioned you had medical skills.”

“Well, this has nothing to do with your concussion, Carth.” James told the man.
“You’ll quickly find out many things about me aren’t on my Service Record.
Let’s just say it makes my job easier if certain information doesn’t fall into wrong hands.”

James had decided to mix-in some truth to his lies, having decided that it was better for him, at the moment, to impersonate the man Carth believed him to be, the soldier’s revelation that he had little interaction with James’s counterpart making his deception easier.
But the big human knew that the man would have quickly found the MACO leader’s abilities anomalous, and so by indicating the need to keep certain abilities secret, he felt it would prevent Carth from being too suspicious once James started using his skills and abilities more openly.

“Ah, I see.” Carth replied, his face showing understanding.
“That would explain why you boarded with Bastila in secrecy, and why you barely left your room during the trip to Taris.”

His eyes suddenly lit up, and he turned to James again.

“Did you find her?
I know there were many Escape Pods that made it down to the surface as we did.
Was Bastila’s pod one of them?
Did you find other crewmembers from the Endar Spire?” He asked almost feverishly.

“Unfortunately, no!” James told the soldier.
“I spent my time here, treating your wounds, monitoring your concussion.
I didn’t have time to look for other pods.”

“We have to find Bastila.” Carth said.
“Her Battle Meditation skill is extremely powerful, and the Republic will need it to win the war against Malak’s forces.”

Carth was unknowingly providing James with the info he wished to obtain.
The MACO leader kept the conversation on the subjects Carth had just brought up.
By the information already provided, he knew Bastila, the women they needed to find, and Carth, were both members of the Republic, and he had just received confirmation through the soldier’s words that the Republic and the Sith, under a leader called Malak, were at war.
He knew he would have to play it safe, though, so the Republic soldier would not realize how little James truly knew, but the big man was happy, for he already had a very important clue as to why the Orb of the Prophets had brought them in this reality.

“How bad is it?” He asked, showing genuine curiosity and concern.

“Are you kidding me?” A surprised Carth asked.
“You were with Bastila and you don’t know how bad the war is going?”

The soldier couldn’t believe that a man who had boarded their ship with the Republic’s hope of victory had no clue on the severity of their situation.

“Look, Carth,” James began, trying to ease the man’s agitation, “As I said, my job entails certain secrecy, which, as you most likely deduced, means I am out of contact with my supervisors for long periods of time.
I had just regained contact with them when I boarded the Endar Spire with Bastila, and while I knew we weren’t doing too well, I didn’t know of the extent of our forces’ disarray.” He explained, hoping, once again, that the mixing of truth and fiction would convince the Republic soldier he was who the man believed him to be.

From the man’s tone of voice and agitation, James’s first impression that the Sith Empire was evil, one he had received upon their initial encounter with them, was getting more cemented by the minute, and he was certain that he and the Musashi’s crew needed to fight on the side of the Republic.
But even first impressions could be the wrong ones, as the MACO leader knew very well, and he also knew he was missing key elements of the conflict, ones that could potentially shed full light on the situation and perhaps sway his judgement.

“I think we should resume this conversation once we have found Bastila, don’t you agree?” He asked Carth.

“Yes, you’re right.
I apologize for the outburst, it’s just that I see world after world fall to the Sith, and I fell so helpless.
It just gets my blood boiling to think of all those who suffer under their rule.” Carth added.

“Well, right now, we’re on the planet’s surface, and they’re up there.” James told the man.
“So let’s just leave this apartment and start searching.”

Carth got up and checked his armor and weapons to ensure they were in working order.
He looked at James and seemed to look to for something.

“Don’t you have any weapons?” He asked.

“No, I lost my weapon in the explosion.” James lied.
“I’ll have to see about getting one.” He added.
“Oh, by the way, we need to unlock the door, it locked on us when we came in.”

“Oh, I know these type of apartments.” Carth told the big man.
“All we need to do is to identify ourselves as the place’s owners in the security system, and we’ll be free to come and go as we wish.
Although I’m not comfortable stealing someone’s house.
Is there another possible hiding place?” He asked James.

James understood how the man felt, and he shared the feeling, but he knew the apartment they were in had no official occupants, and the situation required them to have a safe house in case they search went bad and they needed to hide.

“Don’t worry Carth,” James replied, “The door was jammed open when I brought you here.
I don’t think this place has had a legal tenant in a while.”

“Ok then,” Carth said, “I’ll just tamper a bit with the security system, and we’ll have a secure place to call our own.”

He went to the panel located at the door’s left, and took of its cover.
James saw there were wires and that the system, just like the ones at home, seemed to run off of electricity.
It felt much more familiar than the systems on a Federation ship, and for the first time in a long while, James Reynolds almost felt at home.
A familiar pang of nostalgia struck home, and James thought about the friends he had left behind, and how he wished he could see them again, even thought he knew with certainty he would miss the new ones if he ever made it back to his reality.
Carth was done in a few minutes, and then they simply needed to input their thumbprints in the system.
While their system was good, James learned that the higher end security systems also used retinal scans to secure entry points.
Once more, a sensation of familiarity washed over the MACO leader.
The doors parted to let them exit the apartment, and sealed shut at their backs once they were two feet away.
They saw some people a few meters to their right, one lean dark-skinned man, flanked by two robots, yelling at two strange alien creatures.
The aliens had smooth skin, one forest green while the other’s was opal colored, with red eyes and lipless mouths.
They were of average human height, with long, thin, noseless faces, and a round head.
Their hands had five fingers, except each digit was almost one and a half times the length of normal human fingers.
The dark-skinned man, garbed in a grey military service uniform, spoke in English, but James could not understand the language the aliens used.
He quickly slipped his Comm-link over his left ear and linked it to his Tricorder, activating the Universal Translator in the process.

“By what right are you here, in the upper city?” The dark-skinned man loudly asked.
“You should be in the lower levels, with all the rest of you alien trash.” He added contemptuously.

One of the alien replied in what sounded like a heated tone, but James wasn’t sure.
He seemed to be trying to explain something to the dark-skinned man, who did not seem to care.
Carth approached James and told him in a low voice.

“Damn Sith, always persecuting aliens for no reason.
I’d do something about it, but since you have no weapon and he has two combat Droids, I don’t want to risk getting you hurt, or worse.”

The big MACO leader looked at the soldier, smiled, and started walking towards the group.
One of the Droids saw him, and with an electronic voice, talked to them.

“This. Is. Official. Sith. Business. Please. Stay. Out. Of. This.”

The Sith officer turned to them, first looking at James, his eyes widening a bit at his size, at least half a head taller and much wider than he was, but then regaining his arrogance, and told them to leave or face the consequences.
And then he looked at Carth, and his eyes locked on the small Republic insignia the man wore on his collar.
He turned to his Droids with trepidation and yelled.

“They are Republic spies, KILL THEM!”

And then he went for his gun.
But even before his hand could close on its grip, James was next to him, his big fist impacting the man’s nose with such force his head snapped back and his limp body began falling on the floor.
One Droid opened fire on the unarmed aliens, killing one, while the other drew a bead on Carth.
James was at the first Droid’s side before it could change its aim and shoot the second alien.
He grabbed the Droid’s rifle and twisted it upwards as he pressed on the trigger, reducing its head into scrap metal.
The big man turned around, using the destroyed Droid as a shield, and fired at the other Droid’s head, his shot impacting at the same time as Carth’s twin energy bolts cored through its torso.
The Droid fell to the ground, its body reaching it a heartbeat after its officer’s.
The fight was over within seconds, the Sith having fired only one shot, the surviving alien looking at them with wide eyes.
James was turning towards Carth to tell him how impressed he was with his speed, but the slack-jawed soldier’s face made him hesitate.

“By the Republic, I’ve never seen anyone move that fast, except…” Carth’s eyes went even wider at that, as if he suddenly realized something amazing.
He looked at James and whispered in a conspiratorial tone:
“That’s why there is some info missing in your file: you’re a Jedi, aren’t you?”

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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by sonofccn » Mon Sep 24, 2012 12:50 pm

Well all things considered James's intel mission is going well, except for the whole keep a low profile but what choice did he have? And soon I hope he switches to simple arse kicking so he can shove his rightious twelve inch boots up Malak's {CENSORED} and end the sith tyrant's life good and proper. Also I do believe this is the second time James has been mistaken for a Jedi and he doesn't even wear a robe. ;)
Praeothmin wrote:Actually, SW will be my last crossover of this story...

Perhaps in the sequel, he'll jump over to one of those universes... ;)
But for now, Book I will end with SW...
Ooh sequal hook? Well if the floor's open for wild story ideas may I suggest John Carpenter's The Thing?

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Praeothmin
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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by Praeothmin » Thu Sep 27, 2012 8:14 pm

New update...

Chapter 77

James wasn’t sure how to answer the man’s question.
While Carth had been surprised at James’s speed, he had not been surprised that someone could move that fast, even letting the MACO leader know that some people, Jedi as Carth had called them, could indeed possess such speed.
The question in James’s mind was about whether the Jedi were a race of people, or some kind of caste.
If they were a race, though, since Carth believed James to be one, they were a race with human characteristics, externally resembling all other humans.
He quickly decided to let Carth believe he was indeed a Jedi, as this would ensure his full cooperation, seeing as how he was now looking at James with awe and respect.
He simply nodded at the Republic soldier in confirmation, and saw the man’s posture change.
Carth, a solid presence at his side a few moments before, now exuded the confidence of one who believed himself invincible.
James wondered at how powerful these Jedi were in order for their companions to display such confidence when they believed themselves in the presence of one.
He began to doubt that confirming the man’s suspicions had been the right decision, as he feared this would lead Carth to jump without thinking in dangerous situations, counting on his “Jedi” companion to save him.
He was deep in his thoughts when he realized the surviving alien was talking to them.
The alien’s words sounded like some remote African language James had heard once or twice, yet he had no clue what the alien was saying.
He looked at Carth, hoping the man understood the language, but the soldier’s expecting glances at the MACO leader let him know he was on his own.
He knew the Universal Translator would eventually help, but he didn’t know how quickly this Starfleet technology usually worked.
As is turned out, it worked very quickly.
As the alien was repeating what appeared to be the same sentence for the third time, James’s Comm-link chirped, and the alien’s words began streaming in his ears in English, and in real-time.

“Thank you for helping me, strangers.
If not for you, I would now share my unfortunate companion’s fate.” It said.

James was about to reply when he wondered if the alien would understand him.
He quickly recalled that the Sith Officer had been arguing with the aliens in English, so logically he should be able to as well.

“It was our pleasure.
I am sorry we could not save your companion, though.” He told the alien emphatically.

“Thank you! I am glad to see some decent humans remain on this planet.
I will miss my companion, although I will not be able to grieve much, I’m afraid.
The Sith will not allow us this luxury.” The alien told them.

“Might I ask why this man was harassing you with such hatred?” James quiered.

He saw the surprise etched on both the alien’s and Carth’s faces at his question, and knew he had erred.

“Why, because they are Sith, and we are aliens, of course.
The Sith despise all who aren’t human, and most of the humans on this planet share their contempt for aliens.
We have been persecuted for a long time, and most aliens aren’t welcomed on the city’s upper levels like this one, except for rare exceptions.
This building had been abandoned for some time, the Tarisian authorities rarely patrolling the area, allowing for aliens like me, with no money and no place to live, to have a roof over our heads.
But now, the Sith have arrived less than a day ago, and things have gotten worse than they had ever been.
They are searching all the buildings and locations, harassing all the aliens while leaving the richer humans alone.
All since these escape pods began to rain down on the city.”

James glanced at Carth at the mention of the pods, which didn’t go unnoticed by the alien.

“I am certain you know what I’m talking about, and that you may even have been in one of those pods, or else humans wearing such high quality clothing and armor would not be living in this slum.” It told them.

James looked straight at the alien, unsure of how to react, but it continued talking, unphased.

“Do not worry, I have no intention of selling you out after what you did for me.
I will even take this unconscious officer away and… hide him somewhere safe, where they won’t find him for a while.”

James understood the implication of the alien’s hesitation when explaining what he’d do with the Sith Officer.

“You intend to kill that man, don’t you?” He asked the alien.

It didn’t answer, letting James know it had indeed intended to kill the dark-skinned man.

“I can’t let you do that.” James told the alien.

“What?” Carth loudly exclaimed.
“You can’t be serious.
You would protect a Sith…” Then his voice trailed off as he looked straight at James.
“Sorry, I forgot.
Of course you can’t allow this.” He finished, subdued.

James’s mind raced, but then the meaning of Carth’s words hit him.
The soldier believed him to be a Jedi, which seemed to explain James’s speed, and he looked at the MACO leader with a reverent gaze, as if the Jedi were a race or caste above mere mortals.
The Jedi reference clued James to a possible code restraining them from killing helpless victims, explaining Carth’s last comment.

“Look,” James said, addressing the alien and Carth at the same time, “He doesn’t need to die.
We can hide him in our apartment, where we’ll take care of him, and even keep him sedated for as long as necessary.
He won’t bother you or anyone else here.
You can do what you want with the Droid remains.
But I’m not letting you kill him.
End of discussion.” He said with finality.

The alien knew from James’s gaze there would be no more discussion on the subject, and so it relented.
It thanked James again, and left after another alien, most likely a friend of the deceased one, helped it carry the dead away to an unidentified grave.
James picked up the Sith Officer while Carth appropriated the two rifles from the Droids, and they went back at their apartment.
They tied the man up using wires that they found hanging from the walls, and remaining wires from the destroyed Droids.
To ensure the man would not be able to free himself, James had taken one of the legs of a broken metallic table, and had bent it around their dark-skinned prisoner.
Another table leg went around the man’s legs.

“That way,” James told a truly impressed Carth, “Even if he succeeds in getting the wires off, he won’t be able to go anywhere.”

They had also ripped of the couch’s upholstery and made a mask with it, placing it over the man’s head, to ensure he could not see where he was.
A hole was cut in it around the mouth area to ensure he could breathe correctly.
Then James took care of the man’s injuries before leaving, rifles in hand, after removing and destroying Carth’s Republic insignia.

They were walking down the corridor when they encountered another alien, green-skinned with no apparent body hair, and two long tentacles sprouting from both sides of its head and dangling freely down its back.
This alien stood next to a small counter of some sort, apparently a shop.

“Greetings! My name is Jil’Egh.” It told them in English.
“May I interest you two fine gentlemen to my wares?”

“And what would those wares be?” An intrigued James asked the alien.

“Ah, what indeed, but the finest weapons, armors and portable Energy Shields one can find in this neighbourhood.” It said.

James looked at Carth who seemed interested.

“Energy shields?” He asked.

“Why, yes, I have a fine model right here, as you may view for yourself.”

Jil’Egh opened a small compartment at the bottom of the counter, and produced what looked like a white armored vambrace.
It looked sleek and was very light.
It only had one button, easy to access, although not easy enough so that you could touch it accidentally.

“As you can see, it is light, and while it doesn’t offer the protection of a Mandalorian one, it is still efficient, and is much, much cheaper.
Alas, as with all other such shields, it only lasts twenty seconds, and you only have five charges until the shield emitters burn out.
Still, isn’t it better than not having any protection at all?” He asked the two humans.

“I agree!” James told the merchant honestly.

He looked at Carth and mouthed “Do you have any money?”.
The Republic soldier replied “Not much, a couple dozen credits.”

“How much is one shield?” James asked.

“Only one hundred credit each, a true bargain.” Jil’Egh told him.

James shook his head.

“Well then, I’m afraid we’ll have to pass, we don’t have enough credits.” He said, but then a thought went through his mind.
“Unless, that is, that you accept trades?” He finished hopefully, showing the merchant the two rifles they had gotten from the Droids.

James knew that Carth was a crack-shot with his pistols, and he much preferred close combat, so the two rifles, while they may eventually prove useful, were not essential at the moment.
The merchant’s eyes suddenly twinkled, and James knew the answer before it was given.

“Of course I do, but of course, since these rifles are used, and since I will need to invest in new parts before I can sell them, I won’t be able to give you their full value in credits.
As such, I can give you one hundred and fifty credits, not one more.” He said almost sadly.
Or, an Energy Shield and a Blaster pistol with its holster.” He added with a smile.

“We’ll take the Energy Shield and Blaster pistol.” James told the alien.

Since Carth already had an armor and pistols, both objects went to James.
He strapped the Energy Shield to his left forearm and the Blaster pistol to his hip, in a cross-draw position.
James realized that they would not always be able to barter, and that the few credits Carth had might not last them for long.

“Tell me, Jil’Egh, if someone wants to make some quick credits, how can he go about doing so around here?” He asked.
“Legally, of course!” He added as an afterthought.

“Ah, that is rather easy… Sort of.” The merchant answered.
“One can go to the Cantina in front of the apartment building, and can play Pazaak legally, although the players in the Cantina are very good and one may end up losing more than he can make.
Or, if one feels competent enough, one can go see Ajuur in the Cantina and enter the official Taris Duelling Ring and compete for money.”

James had no idea what Pazaak was, though he suspected it was some king of gambling game, and so he was more interested in the Duelling Ring, although there was one detail bugging him.

“What kind of duels are they? Not to the death, I hope.” He said.

“Noooo, of course not.” Jil’Egh told him.
Then his gaze took on a nostalgic sheen.
“Death matches have been outlawed almost ten years ago.”

With that information, they thanked the merchant and were on their way.
They left the apartment complex cautiously, looking all around making sure no one seemed overly interested in them.
Seeing no one even slightly interested, they made their way across the walkway, to the entrance of a plaza that housed the Cantina.
James saw this part of the upper city was a low-income neighbourhood, and while not completely poor, he knew people here most likely struggled to make a living.
He saw a few patrols he assumed were Sith soldiers, wearing silver-white and black armors and sporting rifles like the ones they had just exchanged to the merchant.
His initial fears had been that he and Carth, being armed, would be stopped by patrols and questioned, but what he saw around him quickly assuaged his apprehensions.
A lot of citizens were armed, most with pistols, a few even marching around with rifles.
Those the patrols stopped, but after what seemed like cursory investigations, they were let go.
Both men made their way towards the Cantina and soon arrived at the doors.
As they were going to enter, a Sith soldier in armor intercepted them.

“We don’t want any trouble in there, understood?” He asked both men, his hand comfortably resting on his rifle’s grip, his finger hovering near the trigger.

“Understood!” Was the MACO leader’s reply.

As they went in, their ears were assaulted by the loud music playing over many speakers and the acrid smell of what James identified as tobacco filling their nostrils.
They slowly made their way through the entrance and saw many patrons there, some drinking, some playing a card game James believed was Pazaak, and some other patrons were enjoying their drinks while watching monitors displaying the Duels Carth and he had been told about.
They watched the Duels a bit after ordering drinks from a roaming waitress, noticing that Dueling was apparently opened to anyone who wished to try.
There were amateur fights, where two obviously inexperienced combatants tried to hurt their opponent more than they hurt themselves with the weapons they were given, while being jeered by the spectators in the stands.
James knew these fights were there more for their comedic effects than actual displays of skill.
But then, they were shown a match between an alien amateur and one of the actual professional Duellists called Deadeye Duncan.
The man was built solidly enough, but his age was showing clearly, nearing sixty years of age, old injuries creeping up while he walked.
He took his place in front of his nervous opponent, ten meters separating the two combatants, and readied his weapon.
The two fighters had chosen melee weapons, and while his opponent had chosen some sort of pike, no doubt believing its greater reach would help him in the fight, Duncan had chosen a simple sword, its blade recovered by a protective sheath, designed to protect the wielder’s opponent from cuts of the deadly blade.
The announcer presented the two opponents, the horn blared and the fight began.
The young fighter ran towards Duncan like a mad man, swinging his pike in wide circles above his head, culminating in a wide but powerful circular side swing at Duncan’s torso, which the older warrior blocked without any effort by stepping inside the longer weapon’s effective reach and grabbing the pike’s shaft with his left hand while his right elbow came up and heavily impacted with the alien’s face, causing the younger combatant to let go of his weapon.
Duncan then stepped back out of reach of the alien and swung his sword mightily at his opponent’s stomach, robbing him of breath, before chopping down at the kneeling alien’s neck, knocking him unconscious.
The older warrior barely lifted his hand in the air as a sign of victory before leaving the arena.
Medical Droids came hovering above the prone alien, strange mechanical arms going over the alien’s body before taking him away out of the Duelling ring.
A few moments later, after sponsor announcements and filler commentaries designed to pass the time, two combatants were introduced to the ring.
To both men’s surprise, Deadeye Duncan was introduced again, but this time going against another professional fighter, Gerlon Two-Fingers, so named because he had lost two fingers on his right hand some time ago, most likely during a Duel.
Gerlon was younger than Duncan, looking like a man in his early forties, with a slighter built, his body showing less signs of wear than the other warrior, except for his two absent digits.
The people in the arena went wild, some cheering for Gerlon, some for Duncan.
James noticed there was a display boards at four equidistant locations around the ring, where the names of the professional fighters of the circuit were written, as well as their current rankings.
James noticed five names were on that board, even though it could easily contain twice that number.
He wondered at how difficult it might be for the arena organisers to find new Duellists willing to become pro-fighters.
As the presentations were over, the crowd became silent, all eyes on the two combatants.
Both had selected Blaster pistols held in quick-draw holsters, and both seemed to know how to use them.
Hands flew towards pistols as the horn blared to life, signalling the beginning of the fight.
Blasters were drawn quickly, although James thought that, while much faster than untrained Duellists, the two warriors were slower than Carth, a clue that they were past their prime.
Gerlon Two-Fingers was the faster of the two, weapon drawn and ready to fire barely ahead to Duncan, the older warrior having slightly fumbled his weapon during the draw.
An energy bolt, spat from Gerlon’s weapon as Duncan was recovering from nearly dropping his weapon, impacted the older man’s midsection.
Instead of the expected explosion from the impact, Duncan simply bent forward in pain, but before Gerlon could fire again, the aging warrior threw himself in a side roll, firing as he was getting up out of his maneuver.
But Gerlon had not been duped, and had followed the older man’s movements, and fired at the same time, straight at his opponent as Duncan’s bolt impacted on his arm, wrenching his weapon from him.
The older warrior would not be able to capitalize on his success though, as Gerlon’s bolt hit him in the torso a heartbeat later, the second bolt causing him to pass out in pain.

“And, to nobody's great surprise, Deadeye is down again.” Said the announcer.
“ Don't worry, folks – he's just unconscious… As usual.” He added.
“Our medics will have him up and about in a bit.
Well, that was quick, wasn't it?
So I give you the winner… Gerlon Two-Fingers!” He finished to the roar of the crowd.
James understood then that, even though Duncan was better than any untrained fighter, he was the worst of the professionals, a position his aging body would prevent him from getting out of.
The big human looked at his companion and smiled.

“We’re going to make ourselves some Credits, it seems.” He told Carth, his only answer a wide, toothy grin from the Republic soldier.

They made their way deeper in the Cantina, which consisted of four rooms arranged around a central core, the Duelling ring most likely located on another level of the building complex they were in.
The first room of the Cantina served as the Pazaak den, where people could gamble their money away at their leasure while watching the duels on the monitors.
One room had some tables and chairs set around a central bar, and served as a lounge where people could drink while listening to the music.
Another room actually housed the band that played the music being heard all over the Cantina, with aliens and humans alike dancing to the music’s rhythm.
The last room, or the first to their left, was bereft of any furniture, but had many rows of monitors on the two opposite walls from the entrance.
A lot of people were looking at them, as well as pointing to some others standing at the back of the room, next to one giant slug-like alien.
Entering from a door at the back, James saw Gerlon coming back from his match, a limping Duncan not far behind.
The winner didn’t act like one, though, and the MACO leader understood why after looking at the display boards.
Gerlon was ranked fourth on a five person list, and from the way the match had gone, James could well imagine that, just like Duncan, he had been ranked fourth for a while, and could not go up in the rankings.
He looked at the other Duellists, one stocky female with a cold stare which made her less attractive than her features allowed her to be, another older human man, between Gerlon and Duncan’s age, yet standing with a straight back, the look of a warrior who hadn’t lost too many fights in his life.
And then, there was one who stood alone in a corner, no one apparently daring to approach him, which was strange considering fans were asking for autographs of everyone else, including Duncan.
The alien was of a kind James had seen in the Cantina, a green-skinned reptilian humanoid with large, round, multifaceted eyes, a tapir-like snout, and a pair of saucer-shaped antennae on its head.
His body was constantly twitching, and while to the untrained eye his movements seemed random, James detected a pattern matching ones he’d seen in Shadowrunners with bad Wired Reflexes installed: the alien’s movements betrayed a readiness to spring into action at the blink of an eye, his hands often floating near the twin Blaster pistols hanging at his belt.
James subtly pointed him to Carth, who nodded his understanding, and the pair wisely decided to give the alien a wide berth.
Having been told Ajuur was the slug-like alien, a Hutt, the big human went to see him.
The alien was almost five and a half feet tall, and at least eight feet long including the tail.
Its face took up most of its head’s width, and a large, toothless mouth almost split its face in half.
It had two small, almost vestigial arms, that moved a lot when it spoke.
As he approached, he heard the alien speak in its own language, and so James let the alien converse for a while with his competitors so the Universal Translator would be able to translate the creature’s language.
After a few minutes, once the Hutt’s words came into James’ ears in English, he approached him.

“Good afternoon, Ajuur.
My name is J…” He began, freezing as he was about to give his true name with Carth next to him.
“Tharnok Ulmon, and I want to compete in the Duelling ring.”
Last edited by Praeothmin on Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:58 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by sonofccn » Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:16 pm

Well James is adapting quickly. Give him a month and he might own this mudball. And, please forgive my ignorance, but why would the Sith, a group not known for their compassion or high moral values, outlaw death combate?

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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by Praeothmin » Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:41 pm

Changed it, as the information I had gotten from the web said the Sith had outlawed it, but the game says they were outlawed many years before, so I changed it to ten years ago...

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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by sonofccn » Mon Oct 01, 2012 6:46 pm

Praeothmin wrote:Changed it, as the information I had gotten from the web said the Sith had outlawed it, but the game says they were outlawed many years before, so I changed it to ten years ago...
Okay. If your just going to change things and make me look like more of a fool than normal I withdrawal all complaints. :0)

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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by Praeothmin » Wed Oct 03, 2012 3:14 pm

Fighty update...

Chapter 78

“Good,” The Hutt told James, “The Duelling ring always needs fresh blood.
Be advised you cannot use your own weapon, but only those we provide for you, as we want to ensure no one die.
Our Blasters are locked on low-powered stun mode, and all our blades are of the non-vibro kind, and covered with a protective sheating.”

“How much does it pay?” James asked.

“Depends on your performance.” Ajuur answered.
“If you lose, you get nothing.
If you fight against another newcomer, inexperienced, you get 50 Credits.
If you fight against our professionals and you win…” Ajuur paused at the words, a smirk appearing on its enormous face, “You get the standard contract: 10% of all wagers.
Is that acceptable for you?”

It was indeed, James thought, for he knew he could beat Duncan and Gerlon, even if they attacked him as a pair, and so he believed he and Carth were in for easy money.
Still, he decided to approach each match prudently, as he was in no position to recover easily if he miscalculated and lost.

“Yes, I believe that is acceptable.” He told the Hutt.

"Good!" The Hutt said, obviously pleased, "New blood for the ring!
But you need a nickname, like Ice or Deadeye or Twitch.
Good names make people bet more.
Hmmmm… what's a good name for you?" He asked, deep in thought.

“How about Shadowmaster?” James suggested.

“Shadowmaster?” The Hutt said with disdain.
“We don’t fight in the shadows here, human.”

“Well, I used it to great effect on another planet.” James told the Hutt.

Ajuur’s eyes lit up, as if he had his answer.
“You’re an Offworlder?
That is great.
How about…” He then fell in deep concentration, James almost fearing the creature’s brain would fry under the strain it was putting on it.
“The Mysterious Stranger! That’s it!” Ajuur claimed.
“It is a perfect name for you.
You've got no past here, no history…
It makes you seem like you have some big dark secret.
People like that.
Makes them bet more.”

James saw in the alien’s eyes that the decision was final, and he didn’t feel like arguing about a name, confident Ajuur knew what he was doing.
The big human felt what was important was the Credits they would obtain, and more Credits meant their mission would be more easily accomplished.

“It’s your call.” James told the Hutt.
“I just want to fight and make money.”

“Good, good, you ready for a duel now?
You want to step into the ring right away?
I'll set you up with Deadeye Duncan to start.” Ajuur told him.

James nodded, and then he was escorted to the Duelling ring with Carth wishing him luck, although his smile told James he didn’t believe the MACO leader needed it.
He took an elevator down to another level, exited in a corridor with led directly to the ring.
As he took position on his mark, he saw Deadeye Duncan step in the ring, and nodded to him in salute.
The old man barely saluted back, his bored expression betraying his lack of interest in the fight, the man most likely thinking he was once more pitted against a young upstart who thought himself better than he truly was.
James almost smiled, but felt it would have been disrespectful, and so refrained himself from it.
The announcer was then heard all over the arena.

“Ladies and gentlemen, draw your eyes to the center ring!" He said.
“We have a very special presentation in store for you: in the right corner, I give you, Deadeye Duncannnnn!”

The announcer paused, letting the excitement build up all around the Duelling ring.
He then continued.

“And in the other corner, a relative newcomer to the Taris duelling scene, emerging from the shadows with no history, no past, and no name: the Mysteriousssss Strangerrrr!” He said, the cheering from the crowd erupting after the words.

**********************************************************************

The people knew this was going to be special, as no amateurs facing the professional fighters were ever given nicknames unless Ajuur felt they were good enough to compete with the best.
They remembered the last one to come, the female human called Ice, and how she had quickly climbed the ranks after her first loss to Duncan, learning from her mistakes rapidly, enabling her to quickly become one of the public’s favourites.
They could feel that the newcomer facing Duncan today was special, for not only was he big, easily towering over the older Duellist, and much larger, but the way he held himself, calmly, without any apparent apprehension, marked him as experienced in the eyes of the public.
They were certain they were in for a good fight.

*************************************************************************

James had left his Blaster to Carth, and had replaced it by one of Ajuur’s pistols in his hip holster, making sure it slid out as easily as his normal Blaster pistol for a quick-draw by practicing in the elevator taking him to the ring.
As soon as the horn resounded in the arena, James drew his Blaster and fired four successive shots, the last one impacting the poor Duncan before his pistol had even cleared his holster.
Cheers that had begun with the horn died out as the limp body of Deadeye Duncan fell to the floor.
James twirled his pistol a few times before re-holstering it.
The crowd went wild, cheering as loud as it had ever cheered, and the announcer finally remembered the fight was over and that he had a job to do.

“Duncan is down! Duncan is down!
It is over in the blink of an eye, and Deadeye Duncan once more gets passed in the standings, by a newcomer this time.”

Under the crowd’s continued cheering the medics were taking care of Duncan and James was going back up to see Ajuur.
As he came in the room, he saw the other Duellists look at him with some apprehension, while the fans cheered madly.
He approached Ajuur, the Hutt wearing the same awed expression as the other Duellists.

“You performed very well, human.” The giant-sized slug told James.
“I always keep my word, and since I promised you 10% of the bets, here you go.” He said, handing the big human a small electronic rod.

It was the size of a credstick, and had the same basic design.
At one end was what James assumed was a connector, which resembled a USB port connection, while at the other end was what looked like a small thumb-print scanner.
He took of his combat gloves and pressed his thumb to the unit’s scanner, eliciting a beeping sound after less than a heartbeat, a green LED apparently accepting the print.
The digital display indicated one-hundred and fifty credits were on the rod.

“It is now encoded to you, and no one else.” The Hutt told him.
“All future payments will be on that Credit Rod.” Ajuur added.

He seemed pensive for a moment.

“People were impressed with your performance, Stranger.” The Hutt said, using his ring name.
“Not because you defeated Duncan, though, for everyone in the rankings defeat him.
No, people were impressed by the speed with which you defeated him.”

The Hutt bent his torso slightly towards James and lowered his voice.

“We both know why that is, though, don’t we?” Ajuur told James in a conspiratorial tone.
“But if I were you, human, I wouldn’t use the stimulants with such frivolity, as they came become quite addictive.”

James nodded, letting the Hutt think he knew what the alien meant, happy the Hutt didn’t mistake him for a Jedi like Carth had, for if the Republic soldier’s reverence towards James’s Jedi status was any indication at how this reality reacted to them, the MACO leader knew he would garner much less interest if people thought him only a drug-addicted warrior.
Once again, though, he had learned something new about the reality he found himself in.
They had developed, just like in his reality, highly addictive combat drugs that allowed someone to increase his physical capabilities.
What remained for him to learn was how much they could increase one’s capabilities, and how easy to obtain they were.

“So, are you ready for another match?
People are excited, they will be betting a lot more to see you fight someone better, like Gerlon.” Ajuur told James, rubbing his hands excitedly.

The big MACO leader simply nodded, and after giving Carth the Credit rod he had received, he was once more going down to the Duelling ring.
As he passed Gerlon Two-Fingers, he nodded a salute to the man, who nervously saluted back.
He was already on his mark in the ring when Gerlon came in from the other side.
The warrior had recovered his resolve, and was checking his Quick-Draw holster to ensure he could get his gun out as quickly as possible.
The announcer’s voice was heard all over the arena.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, in the right corner, the man who made an impressive debut, the man who we all want to see, the Mysterioouuuusssss Stranger!”

The crowd roared to life, cheering so loudly that the following announcement almost went unheard.

“In the left corner, a man who doesn’t want to lose his ranking to an upstart newcomer, Gerlooooonnnn Two-Fingers!”

James had been watching his opponent during the announcements, and noticed the man had activated an energy shield he wore on his left arm.
A blue shimmering field of light appeared over his body, following its contour as if the man was wearing another layer of clothing made of blue light.
The horn was heard throughout the arena as James was wondering how his Blaster would be affected by the energy shield, but Gerlon brought him out of his reverie by drawing his pistol, intent on finishing the match rapidly.
As the older man’s pistol cleared its holster, James exploded into motion.
Not knowing if the shield only protected against energy weapons or if it also offered so measure of protection against physical attacks, the big MACO leader sprinted to his right while drawing his weapon, firing a couple of bolts at the surprised Gerlon, his first bolt impacted the man’s shields as he tried bringing his weapon to bear on the blur that was James.
Gerlon was aiming at the MACO leader, now easier to follow since he was coming in a straight line, when the big human reached him.
A powerful left hand slapped Gerlon’s pistol away to his right, almost breaking the man’s trigger finger in the process, as a heavy right boot impacted his mid-section, propelled by a powerful side kick.
Gerlon’s feet left the ground, his breath taken from him, his body pushed away by the kick’s momentum, to land hard on the ground nearly three meters away.
Instincts took over, and as he was groggily getting to his feet to face his opponent his right hand, though hurting, was already unsheathing a blunted knife and stabbing straight forward at the advancing form.
Once again, his weapon was deflected, to his left this time, a powerful slap on his forearm preventing his blade from connecting as a big right fist impacted on his nose.
James then used his right hand to grab at Gerlon’s right arm while his left hand grabbed the man’s neck, and pulled him closer to deliver a bone crunching knee to his opponent’s torso.
He held on to Gerlon for a few seconds more without hitting him, unsure if the man was out of the fight or not, but not wanting to risk killing his opponent.
When Gerlon remained limp even after a few more seconds, James gently lowered him on the floor and cradled the man’s head as he made sure he was still breathing, and once he was assured that Gerlon’s injuries were non-fatal, he stepped back to allow the Medical Droids to take care of his valiant adversary.

“He did it again,” The announcer called loudly to the excited spectators, “The Mysterious Stranger once again defeated one of our veteran fighters in the blink of an eye, climbing the ranks once more on his way to the top.
Will Ice be his next victim?” He asked to an ecstatic assembly.

The crowd, already cheering loudly during the fight, simply went crazy, wildly cheering and jumping in their seats, chanting James’s nickname as he was leaving the arena back to meet Ajuur and receive his pay.
Last edited by Praeothmin on Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by sonofccn » Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:10 pm

James doesn't understand low profile does he? ;) Poor Dead eye Duncan and Two-Fingers. Never had a chance. Hopefully Ice will put up a better fight.

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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by Praeothmin » Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:22 pm

Subtlety isn't his strong suit, no... :)

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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by Praeothmin » Wed Oct 10, 2012 7:38 pm

Newer update...

Chapter 79

He entered the Duelling room in the Cantina under the hateful glare of Deadeye Duncan, a glare that found itself directed at the floor when James locked eyes with the man.
His gaze drifted towards his next opponent, the woman named Ice.
She displayed no emotion of any kind, her face a mask of impassiveness, her resolve untouched by what she had witnessed.
James understood just how aptly named she was.
He was certain her mind was racing at the possible strategies she could adopt while fighting him, and that she was mentally reviewing all the equipment she could use to obtain the upper hand in combat.
James went to see Ajuur, and after receiving his part of the bettings, a bit more than two-hundred and sixty-five Credits, he told the Hutt he was ready for another fight.
The alien was surprised the man didn’t request any recuperation time, but then seemed to remember he was taking to a combat drug user, and so it wasn’t long after receiving his money that James was travelling down a well-known corridor towards another duel.
This time, though, he had opted to add a sword to his arsenal, realizing that he had relied on his pistol and fists, but that he would eventually need the longer reach of a sword during a fight.
As he was taking place, he noticed Ice was already in her corner, preparing for the upcoming fight, a sword in her hand.
She had a shimmering blue field in place, just like Gerlon’s, and as they were waiting for the announcer to present them, James saw Ice take what looked like a small injector from a belt pouch, and inject herself with something.

“Ladiessss and Gentlemeeeennnn, we are here yet again, in less than 10 minutes, to witness history in the making.
The Mysterious Stranger, in the right corner, rushing to take on Ice in the hopes of improving his ranking.”

The crowd was as wild as it could get, for while James had been receiving his money and asking Ajuur to set up another match, the display screens were showing James in action in slow-motion.
They could now see all his moves, his power, and could understand the difference between his speed and his opponent’s, for both Duncan and Gerlon had almost seemed frozen in time when people saw how slowly they moved compared to James.
As the announcer began Ice’s presentation, James saw slight tremors appearing on the woman’s body, random muscle spasms making her body twitch in a weird manner.

“And in the other corner, fighting to ensure her ranking does nothing but improve, aiming to show this upstart that the veterans will not lay down in front of him, a woman with ice in her veins, someone who’s the very definition of rock solid, Iiiiiiiiiiiiice!”

The arena almost trembled under the crowd’s feet as their excitement reached its zenith.
The horn had just begun blaring when James bolted for Ice while unsheathing his sword.
To his great surprise, Ice bolted a heartbeat later, all her muscle spasms propelling her at James at speeds almost rivalling his own.
They went at one another in a straight line, neither performing any evasive maneuvers, as both wanted the fight over as quickly as possible, meeting each other closer on Ice’s side from the middle of the arena.
Ice attacked as soon as she was in reach, going for a two-handed diagonal overhead swing directed at James’s neck that was batted away easily by the MACO leader.
The female warrior used the momentum imparted to her blade to pivot and come back in sidelong sweep at James’s right leg.
The big human countered the move by lifting his right leg and snapping a circular kick at the woman’s face.
She saw the kick come and tried to roll her head out of the way, partially succeeding at evading the blow.
Still, the kick spun her around and dropped her on her knees, but as James tried to follow up with an attack she threw herself in a forward roll and came out with an upward swing which nearly connected with a closely following James.
Unfortunately for Ice, the attack was blocked by James’s left hand coming down on her right wrist to prevent the blade from even beginning a dangerous sweep at the big human’s body.
His right hand, wrapped around his sword’s grip, delivered a powerful punch to the woman’s jaw, and as she was reeling from the punch he swung a right kick at her left thigh that picked her up and spun her in the air to land in a heap less then two meters away.
The MACO leader waited for her to get back up, again not wanting to keep pounding on a helpless opponent and seriously injure her.
Unlike Gerlon or Duncan, though, Ice was still conscious, even if she was groggy and could barely move.
The Medical Droids came out to take care of her under the continuous cheers of a crowd gone wild.

James went back inside to the Cantina, where Carth was shaking his head in disbelief at how easy the fights had seemed to his Jedi ally.
The Republic soldier knew how powerful Jedi were, of course, but this one was beyond the Jedi he’d seen in his life, beyond even Bastila, though he knew she was powerful.
The only Jedi he recalled were as good in combat were Revan and Malak, the two Jedi Masters who had successfully lead the Republic Forces in victory against the Mandalorians, before falling to the Dark Side and turning against the Republic by attacking it with a Sith fleet.
And so that is how Carth Onasi became convinced he was travelling with a high ranking Jedi Master, and for the Republic soldier, this meant that their mission could not fail.
When he received his money for the duel, James was surprised to find that the reward had shrunk.
While he had received two-hundred and sixty five Credits for the last match, he only received one-hundred and eighty-three Credits this time around.

“The fans love to see you fight, Stranger,” Ajuur explained, “But there is no surprise anymore.
They know you are too good, and almost no one is betting against you.
So the odds are lower, and so are the profits.
If you keep this up, no one will bet and we’ll lose money and have to close.” The Hutt finished.

James thought about the situation, and felt he was in a tight spot.
Although he had close to six hundred Credits, he was certain this wasn’t going to be enough to allow their mission to succeed.
On the other hand, he couldn’t start losing now, because he’d fought as well as he could right from the start, displaying all he was capable of, and people would know he had thrown the fight.
He didn’t know what people thought of cheaters here, but he was convinced it was the same thing people thought of cheaters back in his reality, and he didn’t feel like facing a mob of people ready to lynch him as he got out of the Cantina.
And then he had an idea.

“What if I face my opponents without any weapons?” He asked the Hutt.
“No Blaster, no sword or knife, just the clothing on my back and my body as a weapon.
People would love that, wouldn’t they?” He asked Ajuur, the excited expression suddenly appearing on the giant slug’s face giving him the answer even before it was worded.

“Yeessss, Stranger, people would love that.
It would add some uncertainty to the matches.
Would add some excitement, hhmmm?” Ajuur pursed his lips.
“It would add money in our pockets.” He said, satisfied.
“We will set up your next match that way, but we will have it tomorrow, for we need to advertise this, spread out the word, make sure people bet much money.
Yes, Stranger, come back tomorrow morning at ten, and we will have your next match then.”

James left Ajuur to his planning and joined Carth, telling him of what had just been decided.
The Republic soldier’s mood darkened a bit.

“I know you can take care of yourself, Tharnok, but are you certain about this?” He asked James.

“Well, the worst that can happen is that I’m knocked out, lose and not make any money.” James told him.
“Besides, what we have is barely enough to sustain us for a few days.
And life’s only worth living if you take a few risks.” He told the man with more confidence than he actually felt.

Although he was right that the worst thing that usually happened in the controlled environment of the Duelling ring was a knockout, there still remained a small possibility of serious injuries happening, and if it did, he knew it would affect the outcome of their mission.
Even death was a possibility, but this didn’t really worry James, as he knew death was a possibility even when doing mundane tasks, and so the man decided not to let it worry him.
He could tell Carth wasn’t completely convinced, although the Republic soldier didn’t argue the point, which intrigued James until the big human remembered the reverence Carth had displayed and continued displaying towards him ever since he had mistaken him for a Jedi.
James light-heartedly slapped the man on the shoulder telling him all was going to be fine, and they departed the Cantina to search for a food store, neither wanting to risk the food in the Cantina.
As they were making their way out, they crossed paths with a group of young men and woman having a good time and letting off some steam.
All of them seemed fit, and held themselves straight, their eyes constantly darting around as if expecting trouble at any moment.

“Damn I’ll be glad to be stationed off this planet in six months.” One of the group, a young woman, told her friends.
“The locals barely tolerate us, and all those aliens… Huuugh, discusting.” She added.

James deduced they were Sith soldiers, relaxing after a hard day’s work.
He could relate to them, having shared their lifestyle when in the army, if only briefly.
What he didn’t share was their unwarranted prejudices against different life forms.
The young female that had spoken to her friends had apparently noticed James looking at her, and so brought her attention to bear on the big human.
Seemingly liking what she saw, she approached him, smiling.

“Seeing something you like, stranger?” She asked with a coy expression.
“My name is Mareena.” She said, extending her hand.

James took it and shook it gently, taking precautions not to crush it.
As he was about to tell her his name, one of her friends’s eyes widened in surprise, and he cried out.

“That’s it, that’s where I saw him.” He said excitedly.

All his friends, and a couple of other patrons, looked at the man.

“You already know his name, Mareena,” He said, laughing, “You used it in your first sentence.”

His friends were looking at the man like he was crazy, or drunk, or perhaps both, but James knew he had been recognized, and knew then he had to be careful about what he said and did.

“He’s the Mysterious Stranger!” The man told them.
“The new Duellist, the one who creamed Duncan and Gerlon and even Ice.”

All the Sith looked at James at that claim, and their eyes eventually betrayed recognition.

“Oh my god,” Mareena said, “I can’t believe I’m talking to a Duellist.
We watched all your matches, my friends and I, and we think you’re great.” She claimed.
“I mean, not that you need to be great to beat Duncan, we all could beat him.” She said haughtily.
“But Ice… You beat Ice.
She is an excellent fighter, and you just… Demolished her.”

They were all excited then, James could see.
All came to congratulate him on his matches, wanting to know about his background, where he learned to fight like that, and basically wanting to know everything about him, especially Mareena.
He told them he didn’t have the time, but they made him promise he would come and see them later at Mareena’s apartment, in the South part of the Upper City, where they were going to throw a party.
He told them he’d try to make it, and then departed with Carth on his heels, the Republic soldier letting him know what a bad idea he thought it was to go to a party held by Sith soldiers.
James replied that while he agreed it wasn’t necessarily a great idea, that perhaps by going they could learn something of the Sith occupation, or if Endar Spire survivors had been found.

They left the Cantina and headed for the walkway, following directions to a small diner one of the Sith had given them.
A lot of people were out and about, the Upper City alive with activity, belying the fact there was an occupation of the planet by the Sith.
The two men could see fully armored Sith soldiers patrolling the streets and devoting their attention to anyone who might look out of place on their current level, such as aliens and poorly dressed humans, their polarized face plates making them look like unemotional robots.
As they were approaching the diner, James’s attention was held by a strange trio of people close to one of the intersecting corridors for the Upper City.
There were an old man, frail and dressed in clean, though inexpensive-looking clothing, accompanied by a burlier black-skinned human and another strange alien, both sporting weapons and dressed in similar colors and armor with a purple arm band on their left arm.
The arm band had an image of a Phoenix printed on it.
The alien was of similar built to its human companion, had two large, bulbous black eyes and had two facial tusks which curved down over its mouth, its appearance combining aspects of arachnids and pinniped aquatic mammals.
It had clawed, five-fingered hands.
The closer James and Carth were to the trio, the clearer it became the older man was bullied by the other two.
The older man seemed defenceless, and the two bullying him looked like they knew how to fight.
James spotted a Sith soldier nearby and intercepted him.

“Excuse me, Sir,” He began politely, “But I noticed two ruffians bullying this frail old man over there.” He said, pointing to the trio.
“Would it be possible for you to intervene?” He asked.
The Sith looked at the two ruffians and took a few determined steps towards them, but then stopped dead in his tracks.
He turned to James and told him:

“I’m afraid I cannot intervene, citizen.” He said in what appeared to be a frustrated voice.
“These men work for Davik Kang.” He told James, his tone letting James know the name should explain everything.

“And?” James asked, knowing this question let the Sith know he was not from around.

“And we have specific orders not to intervene with Davik’s business.
So even if I wanted to, I cannot do anything.” The soldier replied, his tone making it clear he didn’t like the orders.

“What about if someone helped the old man?” James queried.
“What would you do then?”

The reply was instantaneous.

“We have orders not to intervene in Davik’s business.” The Sith said before turning on his heels and putting some distance between himself and the two men.
James looked at Carth and smiled, and with a nod of his head, the two men were off to help the poor old man.

“Davik's going to want to make an example of you! You're coming with us.” The black man told the older one.
“You should have made your last payment.” He added.

The old man was cowering away from the two ruffians when he spotted James and Carth coming their way.
He got up to his full height and loudly said:

“No—help! Somebody help! They're going to kill me!”

The two ruffians started laughing, the alien’s laugh sounding like rusty nails being drawn across a chalkboard, when they noticed that the old man’s gaze went past them.
Wondering who was stupid enough to poke his nose in their business, they turned around as one, fully confident the older man at their back, already in a corner, could not run away.

“Back off, this doesn’t concern you.” The black man told the approaching men.
“So mind your own business, if you know what’s good for you.”

James didn’t answer, he didn’t even move.
He was happy, as the thugs’ attention was now on Carth and him.
He just flashed Davik’s goons a semi-smile, and waited.

“What’s the matter?
Are you deaf?” The man asked again.
“You got five seconds to clear out, or we make you.
Got it?” He asked menacingly.

“Funny,” James replied, “I was going to offer you the same deal.”

“Wrong move, you fething bantha poodoo.” The man replied as he grabbed his pistol.

His partner, seeing his friend’s reaction, unsheathed a vicious looking knife and leaped at Carth.
James had full confidence Carth would be able to draw faster than the black thug, and so he ignored the pistol wielding assailant and went at the alien.
He grabbed the creature’s right wrist in a vice grip with his right hand, his left finding the alien’s belt.
Twisting the alien’s body around so it was now between James and the black thug, he kneed the creature hard in the stomach, a loud whooshing sound letting him know the creature did have lungs and that they were in its torso.
The black man, seeing his partner blocking his line of sight, tried to turn towards Carth, who had been waiting pistols in hand for James to make his move.
As the big MACO leader dropped the alien to the ground with one punch, the Republic soldier fired at the black man’s hand, blowing off his fingers and making him lose his weapon.
The man fell to his knees next to his unconscious partner, in great pain but alive.
James casually strolled over and picked up the man’s weapon, sliding it in his belt, next to the other attacker’s knife.

“The next time someone offers you to leave, just do it.
It will be better for your health.” James told the suffering thug.

He took care of bandaging the man’s hand as best he could while Carth was keeping an eye on the man’s friend.
When he was done, the other thug was now conscious and back up on his feet, though he was favouring its torso as if in pain.

“Take your friend and get out of here, now!” James told them.

“We’ll see you again, big man.” The black thug told him, trying to muster as much bravado as he could.
“And next time, you’ll be the one bleeding.”

James simple took a step towards the thugs, and they both broke off running away from the dangerous duo.

sonofccn
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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by sonofccn » Thu Oct 11, 2012 12:37 pm

Poor Ice...she tried but not even juicing was enough. And now James has Sith fans or at least troopers in the employ of quasi-religious order known as the "Sith" since they don't seem quite so dark sideish as opposed to merely being speciesist/Humanist.

You know out of all the verses he's visited, I really think he's the most at home on this one or at least this is the first he's seemed to smoothly intersect into. Of course to be fair most of the others involved acid bleeding monsters or being mistaken for a wanted criminal so there's that.

Admiral Breetai
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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by Admiral Breetai » Tue Oct 30, 2012 8:16 am

one of the reasons why I am so determined not to let my story die is because I think we all made a pact to put out quality writing whenever we could

you have told an amazingly awesome story here man


Ice got her ass kicked and those thugs really goofed up pretty bad didn't they?

Could always have Rainbird or Im'pec appear and challenge James..they'd be..a decent match I should think

i'm sure the same can be said for a certain son of Toth Sejas as well

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Praeothmin
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Re: "The long Journey" (a Shadowrun crossover with everythi

Post by Praeothmin » Tue Oct 30, 2012 12:26 pm

It's good to see you back again, Breetai...

sonofccn will now be able to relax, not having the sole burden of commenting on my posts... ;)


And as an aside to "all" my fans, I'll be taking a short break in posting, since RL (and mostly my upcoming play) are keeping me busy...

Updates shall resume in a couple of weeks...

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