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A rift in the HDA?
DirkNotSoGently
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The bullets had stopped flying and a hush settled over the Northern Farmlands as HDA gangers hauled raiders, some still twitching - some not, from their cars and dumped them on the sand to face the tender mercies of the rad-beasts.

The Apache door slammed, blocking the wind that had brought stinging sand into the car and leaving Ruth 'Spanners' Fisher alone in the car with Sarah 'Wild Rover' Clark and Margaret 'Rapid-Fire' Vaughn - her most experience scout and gunner respectively. Now that the junior gangers had moved out she could talk candidly on the return journey about the situation with two of the few people she was certain she could trust.

"So," she started casually " suddenly we're just a training outpost of the gang, providing strength to send south. Honestly I'm not sure how I feel about that."

Margaret looked up from where she was reloading her MMG and frowned a little. "I think it stinks, but we have to face facts - our main focus has moved south to Badlands - they are bringing in the most loot these days and despite the lack of a training centre the gangers there are hardening much faster than we can bring new recruits up to speed."

Sarah kept quiet, focussing on scanning the horizon as she piloted the armored vehicle, but nodded slightly in unhappy agreement with the gunners' assessment.

"That's all true." replied Ruth " For now. But the sun that rises must also set and nothing stays the same forever. On a completely different subject - I've had some thoughts about how we can re-arrange some matters to best fill our new role in the grand scheme."

Both of the other occupants of the Apache looked at Ruth, interested in where this comment was leading.

"Yeah - I think this might be one of the last wilderness runs I make for a while. Margaret, I want you to lead the squads from now, focussing as much as possible on driving the training agenda. I'll be spending more time addressing our local rep and network of contacts so that we can attract the best possible recruits. I also think we need to focus more on morale and our standing locally. The junior members need a sense of belonging and that they can trust - us."

Neither of the others could argue that this fit with the way that Saul, the new boss, had ordered things - but they could equally see that the changes could be made to fit a different long-term agenda altogether. Perhaps interesting times lay ahead...

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Posted Mar 23, 2015, 2:59 pm
DirkNotSoGently
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"Mad-Man" Armando Speth, was cruising in his Voyager - Bessie - at a comfortable 27mph through the acid lands on return from dropping yet another v8 engine for repair at the Brickyard (OOC : several for trade @ BL, PM me). He would normally be running at the more conservative 18mph that the Boss had mandated as default, but for some reason Saul had asked him to get back promptly - and besides, at the slightly higher speed the v8 under the hood made a comfortable soothing rumble.

"A wand'ring minstrel, I!" he carolled to himself.

Saul started from his reverie guiltily, realising that his lack of attention - and the constant haze over the acid lands, had allowed cars to surround him before he spotted their tell-tale dust plumes. Damned sneaky muties!

Quickly scoping the scene Armando saw in his rear-view a Windsor and a Phoenix on the road behind, another Pho off the road on his right and a Vampire on the road dead ahead. Bringing to mind the local area he realised the left side only held a short set of hills before a sharp drop off, making that route impossible.

Cards on the table time then, he decided. Dropping the hammer and steering slightly to the left of the centre-line, Armando lived up to his handle and accelerated sharply straight at the startled Vampire. As he closed the distance he could make out the muzzle of a single HMG poking from the hood - If he could hold his nerve he would be past before the crew could get of more than a few shots - and yes! - the car held only a single occupant, some wild driving ought to throw off his aim somewhat.

Sure enough the first burst from the HMG went wild, but the second slammed firmly into the side of the Voyager, causing the whole of the light vehicle's frame to shudder and buck.

"C'mon Bessie!" Armando yelled as he corrected for the impact, turned the wheel oh-so minutely and flew past the right side of the Vampire, which was desperately trying to kill speed, turn AND fire all at once.

Two more bursts hammered by overhead but with the range growing and all his starting speed lost, it wasn't long before the Vampire driver gave up the chase - and the other cars had never really been a threat.

Humming a jaunty little number to himself, 'Mad-man' kept the hammer down the rest of the trip, knowing he could justify the fuel and tyre wear to the Boss thanks to the bullet hole now ventilating the right side quarter-window.

"The girl from Ipa-nema goes walking ..."
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Posted Mar 24, 2015, 8:41 am Last edited Mar 24, 2015, 10:43 am by DirkNotSoGently
DirkNotSoGently
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As Armando drove through the gates of Badlands Truckstop and veered right towards the gang's new garage space, his first sight of the gang was spotting the new gang boss - Saul - perched on the roof peak staring out north across the badlands. He'd been doing that quite often recently as the role of gang leader had piled more and more responsibility on his shoulders.

As the distance closed, Saul was clearly alerted by the approaching engine rumble and rose to make his way back to the ground.

The yard was bustling with repair crew, weapons loaders, refuelers and various fetchers, carriers and general labourers. Clearly the gang was once again making a spirited attempt to pay for Jet Black's retirement. Armando noted the particularly heavy damage taken by the command Buzzer, which Saul had nick-named Dreadnought One in line with his ridiculous obsession with old fashioned wet-Navy vehicles.

"And they call ME mad!" he thought to himself.

Parking his car at the side of the repair area he climbed out - patting Bessie good-bye as he always did after a run - and went to make his report.
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Posted Mar 24, 2015, 9:08 am
DirkNotSoGently
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The gang boss and the itinerant wanderer met just outside the bar - and Saul indicated his intent with a tilt of the head and a slight glass-raising gesture.

Armando grinned his agreement and wordlessly the two headed inside to find a cool drink and a quiet table for their chat.

With glasses charged and the first sip taken to ensure the quality of the brew, Saul led Armando to a booth in the corner - pausing to check that the nearby tables and booths were empty before sliding into a seat.

Armando might be mad - but he wasn't stupid - and he noted that the boss has made sure to take a seat facing the entrance, allowing him to see anyone approaching long before they could make out what was being discussed at the table. Interesting.

Saul's first words confirmed that something was afoot.

"I've got a bit of a change of tack for you, Mad-man. I'm taking you off the repair run - John's got that in hand and once the big pickup is sorted he'll be able to shift much more each run than in a voyager."

"That's okay boss,", replied Armando " but the damn muties are getting bolder all the time and the raider activity is like nothing I've ever seen. He'd be best sticking to the car for a while longer till his skills really develop, Right now a slower vehicle might be a death sentence."

"Hmmm" Saul hummed considering "Okay, I'll take that under advisement. Meantime I've had a message from Ruth and Margaret in Somerset. They've proposed some changes to the setup back there. And while there's nothing *overtly* out of line, I'm still waiting for a counter-punch to my takeover of the gang - and this could be it."

"Oh?" Armando queried - now understanding the reason for Saul's precautions. "What are they up to?"

"As I say, nothing obvious." Said Saul "Ruth has recommended she take a step back from combat duties, allowing Margaret to lead the trainees on the wilderness runs, while she focuses on recruitment and of course her original role as chief mechanic for the group. She's also requested we transfer some equipment to accelerate the training, specifically some of the spare heavy Gats and some lobbers to train ballistics crew."

"All of that makes good sense, Boss. And seems to fit in with how you saw their role developing in the future. What makes you worry?" Armando asked with a gentle smile and a tilt of the head.

"I don't know." Said Saul, frowning. "Maybe I just don't expect Ruth to give up so easy. But there was something about the behavior of the raider gang we faced yesterday. If I didn't know better I'd have said they singled my car out for special attention."

"Anyway, preparing a full cargo run will take time and organisation - if we're doing this we might as well schlep most of the spare gear back north and sell what we don't need - we'll get much better prices in Somerset than down here."

"Meanwhile, I've already got some guys loading a single heavy Gat and dropper into your cart and I want you to haul ass up there. Let Ruth know I approve her proposals and that we'll be coming north with more gear shortly - but also that I wanted her to get some of the stuff ASAP so she can get to work."

"Once there, stick around a few days, hang out ... listen. I need to know for sure that everything's on the up-and-up in Somerset before I start to consider expanding our operation down here - maybe out towards Texan even."

"Sure, boss." Armando said with a grin "I'm sure you'll see it's all settled."

With that the two rose from the table and the crazed mendicant headed for a shower and a good meal before mounting his trusty steed for the long run north to Somerset.
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Posted Mar 24, 2015, 9:48 am Last edited Mar 24, 2015, 10:40 am by DirkNotSoGently
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Ruth Fisher was in the Somerset hospital, recovering from a minor injury sustained out in the wilderness, when her oldest co-gang member and friend turned up as requested.

"Hey Margaret. Glad you could come. I wanted a quick word with you today on a slightly sensitive subject."

Margaret 'Rapid-Fire' Vaughn looked quizzically at the woman who had recruited her to the HDA as she sat down and waited to hear more.

Prompted by her visitor's silence, Ruth continued. "I've had a reply regarding my note to Saul in Badlands - the one requesting updated gear for the trainees. He says he'll be coming north shortly with a cargo - partly for us to use and partly to sell in the better markets up here. Ordinarily that would mean we have a few weeks to put our best face on for the visitors - but I've also had word from Gateway, just last night - 'Mad-man' has been sent speeding north in his courier with a couple of new toys for us."

Ruth paused for a second considering her next words carefully.

"I know you and 'Mad-man' have some ... history and that you're still quite close. I'd like you to stick with him while he's here."

"Ruth!" Margaret, exclaimed. "What are you suggesting! 'Mando and I are just friends now."

"No, no, no." Rush hastily cut in. "I don't want to ask you to do anything you'd be uncomfortable with - just spend some time with him, talk to him - basically find out if he's been sent to check up on us and maybe 'distract' him a little."

Margaret still looked a little unsure as she left the room after the conversation - but she & Ruth had agreed that she would 'hang-out' with 'Mando during his visit. The prospect was not altogether unpleasant after all...
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Posted Mar 31, 2015, 1:09 pm
DirkNotSoGently
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Armando 'Mad-man' Speth was coming to the end of a surprising easy run north. There had been one somewhat tense encounter, only avoided when he had described in lurid detail the fictional trade convoy he passed only an hour earlier - convincing the raider gang that one lone vehicle was beneath their interest with such a tasty prize nearby. Most of the other encounters had been avoided by spotting the tell-tale signs of approaching vehicles and detouring before they became aware of his own presence. After all, it was far easier for a single small car to hide it's presence than for a full squad of combat vehicles.

As the unrelenting desert gave way to occasional areas of greenery and even some cultivated fields, he started to relax and look forward to spending some time in Somerset. What had it been now - three months? No, closer to four. Although the northern triangle held it's own dangers, it was nowhere near as fraught as the Badlands proper.

The whimsical driver started to hum and before long was moving his car in lazy swerves in time to his singing.

"A British tar is a soaring soul, As free as a mountain bird..."

His arrival a short while later through the gates of Somerset was unimpeded and leisurely, driving to the HDA garage under the watchful gaze of the militia - who had of course already confirmed his gang membership and relieved him of a much reduced gate-fee, courtesy of the gang's long-standing service to the Civs faction that ran the town.

He saw Mags leaving the bar and crossing the dusty lot toward the garage as he slowed to turn and park, her purple-tipped, brown hair the only identifier poking between her ever-present hood and bandana. She always had been so careful to avoid the rads, giving her skin a soft and youthful appearance many who ran the wilderness lacked from exposure to the wind, swirling sand and harsh solar glare.

Once under the vehicle shelter she lowered the bandana and smiled and he was smitten all over again. It had been so hard saying goodbye, but his was the life of a constant wanderer - never knowing if he would return a whole man, or even at all. Pretending they could go on like a normal couple was unfair to both of them.

She cracked the car door for him with her usual greeting. "Hey 'mando. How's the road?"

He climbed out the car and gave her a brief friendly hug - that lasted slightly too long and was only broken with regret (on both sides).

Acting as though nothing had happened he replied "Actually I had a very quiet run, which is nice since I come bearing gifts."

Opening the rear of Bessie to access the cargo area, he clearly showed the heavy gatling gun and napalm launcher he had brought to help out with training of the gang's recruits in Somerset.

All awkwardness was forgotten momentarily as Margaret whistled softly at the sight of the hardware. She had always been a sucker for a well-kept gun and these two had been carefully restored between being ripped from a trashed raider vehicle and being sent up to Somerset. Margaret quickly called over one of the garage mechs, giving instructions for fitting of the weapons into a newly commissioned Apache SUV that the gang had received only a day or two before.

Business dealt with, Margaret gave Armando a playful shove and said "Come on, you must be parched. I'll buy you one of those odd mixed drinks you're so fond of."

"####tails." he replied with a feigned sigh. "They are called ####tails." He knew this would get a giggle from Mags, and sure enough she covered her mouth with her hand to giggle, before raising her bandana again and setting out for Dexter's to make good on her offer.

Armando smiled fondly and followed her, not missing the chance to admire the way she moved as he hurried to catch up with her.
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Posted Mar 31, 2015, 2:34 pm
DirkNotSoGently
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OOC : seriously? The board has a profanity filter against word portions like that? Dumb!
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Posted Mar 31, 2015, 2:37 pm
DirkNotSoGently
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Armando 'Mad-man' was out on a delivery errand for the HDA when Ruth Fisher paid a visit to Margaret Vaughn, finding her stripping and cleaning the new heavy Gat on the Apache SUV. Watching for a moment in silence, Ruth smiled at the obvious pleasure Margaret took in ensuring each part was properly cleaned and oiled before returning it to the correct place and checking for smooth working. Their high rate of fire made these weapons more complicated internally and more prone to problems - so the attention certainly wasn't wasted.

"I know you're there, Ruth." the gunner called from where she was still working "So you might as well come all the way in."

"How did you know it was me?" Ruth asked, coming fully into the garage area, stepping carefully to avoid the parts of the breech mechanism spread on a cloth across the floor.

"Easy." Margaret replied "Those two missing toes give you a very distinctive tread."

"Hmmm. Remember, smile and the world smiles with you. But nobody likes a smart-ass." Ruth quipped with a smile.

"I'll bear that in mind, hop-along." Margaret answered grinning nastily, rising and wiping her hands with a clean tissue. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Ruth's smile slipped a little as she said, "Saul and the rest are returning tomorrow. Of course I say returning - but of course there's about twice as many coming as left here four months ago."

Both women involuntarily glanced towards the massive temporary vehicle shelter that had been raised in front of the garage to house the weight of vehicles expected to arrive the next day. By necessity all it had was a large corrugated roof, supported by pillars and plas dust sheets forming the sides - enough to keep the rads and acid rain off the vehicles, but easy to break down later to free up space again.

"So, - I just wanted a word about how you think Armando will be reporting back to our new 'boss'?"

Margaret thought for a moment before replying, "Honestly, I can't think he has had time to see a single thing amiss during his time here. In between my showing him the training programme, spending time with him on our down-time - and of course the errands you keep finding - he hasn't really had any time to snoop around."

"To be fair," Ruth answered. "All of those errands were necessary. But do you think he knows about the fast car scouting you and I have been squeezing in while he's out of town?"

"No. There's no way he could know about those." Margaret said, shaking her head. "He's not had any time alone with the mechs, and those guys are the only ones who really know much about the Interceptor."

"Good, good." Ruth answered thoughtfully. "I don't know how long Saul and the others plan to be in town, but it shouldn't be long and provided we can keep it together for the duration, everything should be just fine. You might find it amusing that our roles are about to reverse, it's going to be my job to charm Saul during the visit to keep things sweet."

As she walked away, leaving Margaret to return to her work, Ruth looked far less happy with that thought than Margaret had several days ago when they discussed the Mad-man's visit.
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Posted Apr 1, 2015, 2:09 pm Last edited Apr 1, 2015, 2:13 pm by DirkNotSoGently
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Meanwhile, the convoy from Badlands had hit some difficulties on the approach to Gateway.

It seems the activities of the Blood Roses in Badlands, supported where possible by the HDA, had drawn the ire of some important people and yet another raider gang was trying to cash in on the bounty offered on the head of the Blood Roses contingent along with as many of their gangers as could also be managed.

The raiders had made a fatal mistake however. Despite setting their trap between the approaching convoy and the town, they tipped their hand too soon and provided the combined forces with room to maneuver and time to prepare.

This meant that as their attacking force approached - outnumbering the defender's combat vehicles by a comfortable two-to-one at least - they were forced to advance through a hail of mortar and napalm fire, directly into a well-drilled line of heavily armed Buzzers which targetted only a few vehicles at a time, hammering them relentlessly.

Once the HDA & Roses managed to get some terrain between them and the main force of the raiders, things went from bad to worse for the attackers. Collision impacts from their own friends now become almost as dangerous as the incoming fire.

Paint cartridges finally started to find their mark against the defenders, coating wind-screens and reducing accuracy - but by that time the ground under the raiders was a mess of burning oil, destroying tyres and car floor pans alike and the pounding of the mortars was ripping vehicle windscreens and roofs to shreds.

The cargo haulers moved off further down the road to safety as Saul conferred with the leader of the Blood Roses group, selecting the most dangerous targets first and reducing them to wreckage, while the other attackers slid, spun and crashed into one another. Each time an attacker broke free of the mess and started an attack run, the combined forces of the defenders singled it out and destroyed it utterly.

Despite taking repeated hits from rockets and MGs fired by the attackers, the convoy escorts held their nerve - and one by one the raiders quit their vehicles and ran for cover from the avenging fire until at last a single raider quit his vehicle and tried to turn his hand weapon on the defenders in a final act of desperation.

Hardly pausing, one of the Blood Roses tracked his heavy gatling gun, and downed the defiant raider with a single burst, ending the threat completely.

This close to town, the convoy forces took their time stripping the raiders vehicles of every item of value and where possible jury-rigging engines to allow them to limp into town for a quick sale - even if only for scrap value.

Saul stood by as this went on - nodding in a friendly manner as the Blood Roses leader caught his eye - but never failing to scan the horizon in case of new threats.
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Posted Apr 1, 2015, 3:31 pm
Tallus
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Love this stuff. In the DIY spirit of the game, I wonder if some of it could be repurposed for narrative missions.

One thing I realized, without radios there'd be a fair demand for vintage CDs and tapes... Perhaps the stuff of some courier missions...
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Posted Apr 12, 2015, 3:20 pm Last edited Apr 12, 2015, 3:27 pm by Tallus
DirkNotSoGently
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Tallus said:
Love this stuff.  In the DIY spirit of the game, I wonder if some of it could be repurposed for narrative missions.

One thing I realized, without radios there'd be a fair demand for vintage CDs and tapes... Perhaps the stuff of some courier missions...


I had started setting some of the intra-gang tension up as a Narrative Mission - but frankly I got a bit frustrated by the tool

It would be good if there was an example Narrative Mission that you could view in the editor - to see how the steps progressed one to the next
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Posted Apr 13, 2015, 2:58 pm Last edited Apr 13, 2015, 2:59 pm by DirkNotSoGently
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