Insane Cafe 4: The Insane Frontier

Serris · **Reply #4540 on:** September 06, 2018, 01:47:58 AM

Ms. Swimmer sipped some tea. "Could we feign a pick up of some 'contestants' and then ambush the group that's come to get them?"

Dr. Zanasiu tapped his fingers on the wooden desk and nodded as Ms. Swimmer proposed the idea. "Well, that sounds like a good idea but consider that Chong is likely to be 'recruiting' the toughest of the tough. It's highly likely he's got a ton of guards in case they get second thoughts."

"Why not kill his guards first?" Tyrell added as a small fireball formed in his palm. "I'm sure that'll be a cinch for you guys...just save some for me though."

"Quite right," Zachary added. He then turned to the Mars Adept. "A frontal assault will do nothing but feed the crowd's bloodlust. However, while the majority of the 'contestants' are criminals or captives, it is possible there are voluntary contestants who seek the thrill of unrestrained combat."

Ms. Swimmer smiled. "Well then, we'll have to try and use that angle then."

"Do keep in mind Chong's amorality. It's entirely likely that those 'volunteers' might end up forcefully enrolled."

Tyrell crossed his arms.

--------------------------

As Hoolefar was heavily forested and the landing strip too small for the town-sized starship, Captain Carson opted to carefully land in the shallows of the planet. Thankfully, the Spire had multiple landing struts for such a situation.

When the ship touched down, she made an announcement: "Attention everyone, we have landed at Hoolefar on the planet Merdegraw. As we are currently in the shallows, we will have shuttlecraft and repulsorsleds to take you to dry land. Enjoy the vacation!"

Captain Carson then unbuckled her seat restraints and got up for a walk around her cabin as she prepared to meet with the others.

Nick22 · **Reply #4541 on:** September 06, 2018, 02:23:49 AM

Must I point out that this mission is a STEALTH mission? " Utsa said. ' Going in there guns blazing will only result in very strict security measures being put in place, and have every thug, lowlife and mercenary in Dreadzone wanting our heads for trophies. We are only going to be able to rescue a few at a time, and only under cover of conducting interviews and holostories, and things of that nature. we are a holovision company' she said gesturing and creating stacks of business cards each with the picture of a Dramos dragon on them, each of the group at the meeting got a stack ' so we have to look and act the part. Ideally, I would have a couple weeks to train you, unfortunately, We're not going to get that much time to train before hand. a Couple days, tops, en route' Utsa sighed. ' you are all going to have to act like dragons from Dramos, and carry yourselves with professionalism, courtesy and tact. IN other words, control those itchy trigger fingers, and wear a smile as a mask ' Utsa said. "also keep in mind that my government is spending tens of billions of dollars on this mission, and they do NOT want it revealed that this is not a legitimate holovision company. Hence those cards, which will carry your dragon names on them, once you are all transformed. Theres also a certain amount of bribe money included, so if you feel like you have grease a few palms, then do so. The Rescuing of your friends is priority one after all. Stuffing guards or bouncers pockets with money is a necessary evil ' UTsa said.

tempestwheel · **Reply #4542 on:** September 07, 2018, 11:41:52 PM

"Oh no you don't," Oliver exclaimed as he pressed harder on the acceleration to try and lessen the distance between himself and Ollie. Arlene's boy had quite the competitive side when it came to races. He wasn't going down without trying his hardest first.

.............

Nick Wilde kept maintaining business in his bar. He knew one day, sooner or later, he was going to be called to directly aide the seer with his mission, so the fox decided to keep his bar running until then. "Best prepare my cover story to the enemy," he thought, thinking of what to say when he went undercover.

...............

Kiara was enjoying her lunch. "Where should we head after this?" she asked Sima.

Serris · **Reply #4543 on:** September 09, 2018, 03:05:18 AM

"Hey, in cases like this," Ms. Swimmer said. "Things are, how Deimos puts it, 'pay to play'."

The mention of his name reminded everyone that his and many other lives were at stake.

Zachary tapped his fingers on the desk. When Usta mentioned bribery, he nodded. "While bribery may work, sometimes, a bribe is just as suspicious as a lack of one."

"Meaning?" Tyrell demanded.

Dr. Zanasiu cleared his throat. "What he means is that if the bribery by the dragons of Usta's planet is unheard of, offering a bribe may tip them off that they're not actually legitimate holocasters."

"You know, we'll have to brief Mr. bigmouth too...when he gets back of course," Ms. Swimmer added.

Nick22 · **Reply #4544 on:** September 09, 2018, 03:12:34 PM

So, bribing is out then ?" skylands said " think of it as a contingency. ' Utsa said "' In case of dire emergency, break glass'. Bribery is not unknown to my kind, remember that some of Vox's biggest financial supporters come from Dramos. And given Vox's near all-encompassing greed, as indicated by the many many commercials he runs between fights, I don;t think he;d care one whit about open bribery. Still, best to keep appearances clean unless absolutely necessary. " Is there anything we can do ?" dragon asked . " i want to help" " we'll need folks here to receive and prepare our reports to transmission to Dramos and elsewhere. ' Utsa said.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #4545 on:** September 12, 2018, 08:45:07 PM

Cedric Hapsburg led Mercy to a weapon testing room. "Your gear madam," he smiled, pressing a button and opening a hatch on the near wall. Nestled inside were Mercy's Caduceus Staff and pistol. "Ya don' need ter explain the pistol, but we were examinin’ tha’ walking stick and we cannae figure out how ta even get it to shoot."

Mercy smiled. "Were you pointing it at the enemy? That's your big mistake." She looked around. "Is there a way to upgrade this room from wall targets to training bots or something? It'd be easiest to demonstrate if we were fighting something."

Hapsburg pressed some buttons and a monster made from hard light materialized in the center of the room. It roared and pawed the ground in a show of force. "Not ter be too worried," Hapsburg assured his ally. "It's programmed to stop afore it kills ye-- yipe!" So engrossed was he in the spawn buttons, he'd taken his eye off the monster and it rewarded him by smashing him into the wall with a devastating bullrush.

"Doctor!" Mercy quickly trained the staff on Hapsburg, and a soft yellow beam of energy locked onto him from the staff's tip. Hapsburg felt his wounds healing before his very eyes. The monster growled and rushed Mercy, who strafed backwards then quickly flew to Hapsburg's position to dodge another bullrush.

Cedric drew his shotgun and primed a concussion grenade behind him. "Here it comes!" he warned, as his grenade went off and sent him flying through the air. Landing two meatshots on the monster as it rushed under him, Cedric realized he was dealing more damage than expected. He noticed Mercy has switched her beam's staff from yellow to light blue. "Are ye...damage-boosting me?"

Mercy nodded. "I can heal or boost, but not both at the same time." She flew to Hapsburg's position in the sky, then opened her wings and floated while the monster roared at them from the ground.

"Does tha' boost extend to thrown weapons?" Hapsburg asked, hitting the ground with a combat role and priming a frag grenade. "Actually, don' tell me. I'm about ter find out."

The grenade flew at the monster's face, then to Hapsburg's surprise, the creature batted it back. He hardly had a moment to curse before it blew his body to smithereens.

Mercy cursed and drew her pistol. Retreating to the far side of the testing room, she gritted her teeth as the monster bore down on her. At the last moment, she activated her ultimate and flew into the air as the monster smashed into the wall where she'd been. Flying around the ceiling raining shots on her opponent, she reached the spawn buttons and quickly turned the creature off.

Hapsburg's next conscious thought was a yellow glow and a metallic heavenly hum as his body rematerialized. Mercy was standing over him looking cross. "You need to be more careful, doctor," she chastised. "My resurrect has a very long cooldown."

Cedric was stunned. "You can bring people back from the dead? We've got ter tell Stripetail abou' this!"

Nick22 · **Reply #4546 on:** September 13, 2018, 05:53:07 PM

Eris and elida flew out towards the mall, they had both finished behind Laval and ahead of skylar who was trying to keep pace with them on the ground.
Time to see what this place has to offer" Eris said as Laval drove on past them waving at them as he drove by.
-
Vitani and li ella were going out of the ship, and a number of boats were floating outside the docking area for those who wanted to row to shore. the lionesses got in and began rowing, feeling the salty spray on their faces as they rowed " This looks like a nice plasce ' Liella said from the front of a boat. " Yeah, i could use a little exploration to work off that meal we had' Vitani said " the boys are challenging us to a volleyball game later. winners get to pick out what rooms we stay in."
Flurrie and wendy, headed into Nick's for some fries, and took seats at the bar counter.

Serris · **Reply #4547 on:** September 16, 2018, 10:55:08 PM

Mr. Bigmouth had carefully cut into the armored hull of the relay and was busy intercepting the signals with his PDA. He watched as other ships passed by him and the Spirarians. Thankfully, the spacesuits they wore made them look like repair personnel and thus below notice.

Fortunately, it seemed the signals were decrypted within and all it took was placing himself between the input signal that was encrypted and sent to this relay and the unencrypted signals that were sent out from this relay. As for the tracking signal, it was on a band that only the relay could receive and it had thrusters to position itself for optimal signal reception. And that was what Mr. Bigmouth was intercepting.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #4548 on:** September 19, 2018, 07:04:40 PM

Stripetail's radio cackled. "My lord?" Dr. Hapsburg's voice filtered through. "Ah've debriefed Dr. Ziegler. Her healing abilities are...qui' remarkable. She's rearin' to help in any future combats, and frankly I'm as well. If any upcoming missions could use a pair o' battlefield medics, just know ye've got two waiting fer your call."

Nick22 · **Reply #4549 on:** September 22, 2018, 03:42:35 PM

Thank you Doctor. Rest assured , There will most likely be combat in the near future, and you two will get your share of that. In fact, now that I think on it. I do have a job for both of you that you can use your skills on.. Go see Lady Utsa in Conference Room 5 and offer your services, as a healer is always nice to have around. She;ll fill you in on the details and provide you with a cover story for your presence there. Mercy too, having strong healing abilities is a must, if you are in an open fight. I tend to think she'll relish unleashing her abilities. You two will be paid for your time on this mission, and hazard pay as well, if combat is necessary. I pay very well Doctor Hapsburg. Do you have any requests in terms of compensation?' Stripetail asked. " i'll be sending you both contracts to sign and I think you'll find the terms very much to your liking. The usual stuff. compensation, covering of any funeral expanses if you don;t make it, holding harmless guarantees for sending you on the mission. " stripetail said.
-
Flash and Mona finished their fries and headed out of the restaurant.

tempestwheel · **Reply #4550 on:** September 22, 2018, 07:32:04 PM

"I've been hearing talks," Thiago said to Kovu, who was recovering from his battle with the elephant. "That since you made it this far, they just might be upgrading you to a bigger cell. I know that's not a huge difference in the scheme of things since we're captive here, but you might get a few benefits out of it." He had been impressed with the lion's talent in the ring.

..............

"It's not like Carmelita to not respond for so long," Sly said to Bentley and the Panda King, "I'm worried something may have happened to her." He had tried both Carmelita's personal phone and her Interpol numbers.

.......................

"So, where do you want to go next, Sima?" Kiara asked as she saw Sima stuffing her face like crazy at the restaurant they went to. She was careful to never reach across the table, lest Sima think her paw was part of the meal. "Even if I'm not a wrestler, I wouldn't mind trying on more mawashis."

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #4551 on:** September 23, 2018, 05:28:37 AM

(Ooc: These two characters brought back into the RP at Nick's request)

Aimee felt a hammering in her head. It was matched with a shrill beeping somewhere to her left. "Wha?" she muttered.

She crawled out of her seat. She was in some sort of very small spaceship, and Shakila was with her. "Shakila," Aimee shook her friend awake. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Shakila groaned, nursing a headache Aimee suspected was similar to her own. "The last thing I remember is...serving as a crew member on the Spire of Winter..."

Aimee nodded. "Wish I could figure out how these controls worked" she pressed several buttons on the control panel and the cockpit windshield untinted, letting them see the Spire outside. And the Spire could see them.

---------

Hapsburg read through the agreement. "Sweet Mary of Nazareth! Tha's a far cry larger then I was aspecting!" He couldn't sign his papers fast enough.

Mercy for her part was less excited about getting paid when justice seemed it's own reward, but she knew so little about the economy and time period she was in that she decided it'd be best to just follow Hapsburg's lead and sign.

No sooner had they cyberfaxed the papers back to Stripetail that Hapsburg's radio crackled. "CEDRIC! Shuttlecraft just emerged from a freak wormhole! Two passengers are being admissioned to Sickbay 9!"

"On me way!" Hapsburg wasted no time rushing into the hallway. Mercy, wondering these newcomers might also be from her timeline, quickly followed suit.

Serris · **Reply #4552 on:** September 23, 2018, 01:03:05 PM

As Captain Carson was busy coordinating the shuttlecraft and repulsorsleds to ferry people to the island, she did not pick up the signal sent from the shuttlecraft orbiting Hoolefar. However, the communications officers both received the signals from Mr. Bigmouth and were opening communications to the shuttlecraft. Bizarrely, its transponder signals was the same one that was broadcast from all the Spirarian shuttles and all the shuttles had been accounted for, bar the ones that had been destroyed and there had been quite a few of them through their adventures. The communications officers were on alert seeing as this meant either pirates had stolen and rebuilt a shuttlecraft or something equally dangerous.

The lead communications officer opened a channel to the shuttlecraft: Unidentified shuttlecraft, this is RIMCS Spire of Winter, identify yourself or be destroyed.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #4553 on:** September 23, 2018, 01:59:25 PM

Aimee and Shakila both heard the message and their blood went cold.

"How do we reply?" Aimee asked hurriedly. She started scanning the buttons, but nothing was marked.

"I don't know!" Shakila tried a button. It turned off the hallway lights.

"Hey, dont go pressing stuff!" Aimee snapped. "What if you shoot missiles at them?"

"Well, if we do nothing they're gonna shoot missiles at us!" Shakila snapped back.

Aimee opened a cupboard and found a book that looked like an operation's manual for the ship. "Oh hey, I found this..." her heart sank when she opened it to see the pages full of incomprehensible characters. "...but it's not written in English."

"Crap..." Shakila looked nervously out the window as their shuttle continued flying towards the Spire.

Nick22 · **Reply #4554 on:** September 26, 2018, 01:48:04 PM

Dixue entered the meeting room, with Utsa and the others ' sorry, I'm late, had some girlfriends and guy friends call me ' She said as she took a seat. ' Could I have a short recap of what we've discussed so far?" Utsa looked at her" certainly. those cards in front of you, will identify you as a reporter from Dramos 10, a Holovision station on my planet. You'll interview fighters, guards, anyone who wants to be on holovision. whgich is, nearly everyone. Ideally, you'll get tto interview some of your group that have been captured, allowing us a chance to rescue them. " Well, the problem is I've never reported the news before. I've been interviewed for things, such as my showboat career, and after saving Surf Point, but I havent reported the news myself>" Well, you;re really one of the few that have any experience in front of a camera, so you'll have to learn on the fly" Utsa said as Nick came in. ' sorry I'm late ' Nick said " Had a security patrol run long. " We're still waiting on a few others, so no need to apologize" Utsa said. " Are your dragonkind quadripeds or bipedal?' Gabuna asked ' I'm just curious?' Bipedal. so for Warfang, walking on only 2 legs will take a bit of getting used to. for those of you who aren't dragons, it will take even more getting used to. Again, normally, we'd have a couple weeks to get things straightened out. But unfortunately we dont have that kind of time. " I'd prefer staying in some sort of human form " nick said " Sorry .. Forgive me, what is your name?' Utsa asked Nick, mam " Nick said. nice to meet you, Nick. As to your comment. Humanoids are not an option, as this is a dragon holovision company, everyone in the company is a dragon. humans are not native to Dramos. So you'll have to learn how to be a dragon, and to stay as one for some time. Weeks, at the minimum. "

Serris · **Reply #4555 on:** September 27, 2018, 07:36:01 PM

As the shuttle continued towards the Spire despite the warnings it was receiving, the point-defense lasers on the great starship fired. An invisible pulse of energy lanced out and struck the shuttle. The rapid vaporization of a bit of its hull caused an explosion that threw the craft backwards. Another larger explosion indicated that the next laser shot had struck the engines.

Anyone nearby the starship would have seen a spacecraft trailing smoke and flames as it plummeted towards the ocean of Hoolefar.

---------------------------

Another shuttlecraft landed inside the vehicle bay and Mr. Bigmouth exited. He took off his spacesuit and summoned an electric taxi that would take him to Winterville. The remaining crew did the same. Captain Fairchild greeted the Saurolophus.

---------------------------

A few minutes later, the door to the meeting room at the Winterville Inn opened and Mr. Bigmouth stepped in. "I apologize for the lateness but I was off doing some recon." He took a glass of juice from the cart that was in the corner of the room.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #4556 on:** September 27, 2018, 08:36:12 PM

The shuttle crashed into the ocean, sending a brilliant splash of waves and water particles into the air. A light rainbow formed as it sank into the ocean.

————————

Hailey gritted her teeth as she continued playing the last level of Resident Evil 12. If she could just beat the final boss without taking damage and using only her starter pistol, she’d have 100%’ed the game...

“Yes!” With a whoop, the ending cutscene began. She kept her hands on the controller (there were a few final QuickTime-events to worry about,) but the real challenge was behind her.

Unfortunately, this was her last game she needed to 100%, and she was getting pretty tired of playing games anyway. It’s been a while since I trained... she thought to herself, finishing off her water bottle and glancing at the door. After this, I think i’ll Hit the gym. Don’t want to get soft waiting for Chong’s past to catch up to all of us.

——————-

Hapsburg and Mercy left the infirmary, their services no longer required.

‘Are ye sure ye want to get involved in alla this?” Hapsburg asked his colleague. “Nobody would fault ye for takin’ a bit o’ time recovering from wha’ ye’ve woken up to.”

Mercy shook her head. “I’ve never been one for leisure. I take what life gives me, and I find a way to improve it.” Her eyes steeled. “If people are going on a dangerous mission, I want to be there to heal them. I couldn’t live with myself if I were anywhere else.”

Hapsburg nodded. “Well, in tha’ case, we’d better get these signed papers tah Stripetail as soon as possible.” He led the way to Stripetail’s office to finalize their agreements to work for the Spire crew as mercenaries.

Nick22 · **Reply #4557 on:** September 27, 2018, 09:10:10 PM

As the Shuttle slowly began to Sink Tarrax Noticed ait and headed for wjere it had gone down " Checking out the craft" He spoke into his communicator ' before flying down to the slowly sibnking craft. Tarrax;s immense strength made lifting the shuttle a breeze , and he turned the shuttle so he could look inside ' The Shuttles serial number was visioble ' 346759-A. This shuttle was lost near Weynard.. carrying two passengers at the time of its disappearance!' Tarrax looked inside the shuttle And noticed Shakila and aimee sprawled on the floor of the cockpit ' Ancients preserve me!' Shakila! Aimee! Where in all the dimensions have you two ladies been!' The huge ancient dragon said, as he saw the pair slowly stir,.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #4558 on:** October 03, 2018, 03:05:06 AM

Shakila and Aimee freaked out at the sight of Tarrax. "W-where are we?" Amiee coughed water. "What the hell happened?"

"We can't remember anything," Shakila admitted to Tarrax. "We woke up on a shuttlecraft, and then the Spire of Winter blasted us into rubble."

Nick22 · **Reply #4559 on:** October 03, 2018, 05:40:03 PM

Nearly blasted you, as you are still alive." tarrax said ' you are now on a planet called MerdeGraw, which has something of a reputation in this galaxy aas a nice vacation spot. we are taking a short break from chasing chong to recharge our batteries. I'll take you to the ship, where you can get debriefed. You've been gobne for several weeks, we've traveled to a number of planets since then. but you're here now and that is what matters ' Tarrax said.