Posts by neuromancer

    Sorry, I thought you meant chain mail <i>armor. </i> My bad...<img src=smilies/icon_smile_big.gif width=15 height=15 border=0 align=middle> ---<i>&quot;Smoke me a kipper, I´ll be back for breakfast.&quot; </i>

    Well...it took a while, but here it is. Chapter 15. Hope you like it. Chapter 15 Well, this is it, Deckard thought to himself, the ultimate bummer. He stood, bound and shackled, in front of a large doorway which presumably led to where his execution would take place. He had resigned himself to his fate. At least, he thought to himself, I won´t have to worry about where my next payday is coming from. The door opened and Deckard had to close his eyes to shield them from the blast of light which poured through. When he had recovered, he opened his eyes and saw an arena filled with thousands of people. In the center stood a platform on which a strange device had been erected. The device stood about three meters in the air and had a simple rope attached to it. A large loop had been tied at the lower end of the rope. Deckard looked at the strange contraption and realized what it was. He was going to be hanged. The guard at his back gave him a shove and he walked forward toward the platform. The arena exploded with noise as Deckard made his way to the platform. The guard stopped Deckard just before he was about to ascend the stairway and took off the shackles. &quot;The crowd loves to see ´em kick and flail,&quot; the guard explained with a hearty laugh and shoved him up the stairs. The crowd grew louder as he reached the top and was led to the rope. The guard gave him a final shove and walked back down the stairs as a large man wearing a black hood over his head came over and looped the rope around Deckard´s neck. He felt a sudden tug at the chains that bound his arms behind him. What happened next was a complete surprise. &quot;Listen carefully,&quot; the hooded man said quietly as he worked, &quot;I have released the bonds on your arms. The rope has been sabotaged to break as soon as I release the trap door. Under the platform is a plasma pistol. Take it and run like hell. You will be met by one of my associates who will assist you further.&quot; &quot;What...&quot; &quot;Just do what I tell you if you want to live.&quot; The man turned and walked to the lever that operated the trap door. The arena exploded with noise as the crowd cheered what was about to happen. The man took one last look at Deckard and said, &quot;Good luck.&quot; He pulled the lever. Deckard felt the trap door disappear under his feet. The rope snapped and Deckard crashed to the floor under the platform. He looked around, and sure enough there was a plasma pistol lying on the floor. He picked it up and ran down the corridor, grateful that he was running through it alive rather than being carried through it limp and dead. He heard voices behind him and turned to see a guard jump down the trap door into the corridor. He loosed a plasma shard from his pistol, dropping the man dead in his tracks. He turned quickly and ran down the corridor, looking for the person who would help him next. He turned a corner and saw another guard. He raised his pistol, then stopped as the man waved to him. He ran down the corridor into the room the man had just entered. &quot;Glad you made it. You all right?&quot; &quot;I´m fine. You gonna tell me what the hell´s going on?&quot; &quot;No time. Quick, up into the ventilation system.&quot; The man gave Deckard a boost into the ventilation shaft in the ceiling. &quot;This shaft leads to a landing platform not far from here. There is a ship waiting there, a Dagger. Take it and get the hell off the planet. Warn the Order that they don´t have much time left if they want to help. Take this.&quot; He handed up a neural net data card. &quot;It has navigation information to get you out of Omicron Alpha. Good luck.&quot; The man replaced the vent cover and was gone. Deckard crawled through the ventilation shaft for what seemed like an eternity until he reached the end of the shaft. He kicked out the cover and jumped down to the tarmac. &quot;You continue to be a thorn in my side, don´t you?&quot; an eerily familiar voice said. Deckard spun around to face the wrong end of a blaster pistol. Standing behind the pistol was Samuel Maddox. Deckard didn´t even think twice. He launched himself at Maddox, who was so surprised at Deckard´s reaction that he hesitated. It was enough time for Deckard to tackle Maddox to the ground, knocking both men´s weapons away as they wrestled. Maddox was the stronger of the two and landed a punch on the side of Deckard´s head which sent him sprawling to the ground. Maddox reached for the plasma pistol, but Deckard managed to kick it away. Maddox shot out his foot, aiming for Deckard´s face, but he rolled away and grabbed Maddox´s foot, sending him crashing to the ground. Deckard rolled toward the pistol and grabbed it just as Maddox dove for it. The two men struggled to gain possession of the weapon as they rolled around on the tarmac. Deckard finally landed a punch on Maddox´s face, stunning him. Deckard pushed him off and rolled on top of him, pointing the plasma pistol at Maddox´s forehead. Maddox looked up at Deckard and smiled an evil smile. &quot;For king and country, then?&quot; he asked mockingly. &quot;No,&quot; Deckard replied. &quot;For my brother.&quot; He pulled the trigger. The plasma shard plowed through Maddox´s skull, emerged out the other side and buried itself in the tarmac. The mocking look on Maddox´s face was replaced by one of surprise, and his eyes became lifeless marbles. Deckard stood slowly as the rush of adrenaline caused a wave of nausea to overcome him. His stomach heaved for several seconds. After he had recovered, he ran toward the Border Worlds dagger, climbed into the cockpit and powered up the ship. He lifted off the pad just as a squad of Outcast soldiers ran onto the pad. ---<i>&quot;Smoke me a kipper, I´ll be back for breakfast.&quot; </i>

    I thought another update was in order. Chapter 14 Deckard was escorted by two guards into a small room sparsely furnished with a table and two chairs. One guard motioned to a chair and Deckard sat down while the other guard placed Deckard in restraints. Deckard noticed the room looked very similar to the interrogation rooms he had used during his stint with the Liberty Police. The guards finished restraining Deckard and left the room leaving Deckard alone. Several minutes later the man with the flowing red cape appeared in the room, accompanied by the same two guards. &quot;Hello again, Mr. Deckard. How is your shoulder?&quot; he said as he sat down across from Deckard. &quot;It´s fine.&quot; Deckard had been very impressed by the technology used to mend his shoulder. The wound had been completely healed in a twewnty-four hour span, but the downside was it itched to high heaven. &quot;Excellent. Now then, I believe we have business to discuss, do we not?&quot; Deckard nodded. &quot;So, what is it you wish to tell me?&quot; Deckard took a deep breath and began to explain. &quot;Maddox is the one behind the slaughter at Ruiz. He has created a biological agent that can attack the genetic structure of the Outcasts while leaving unaltered humans alone. I was hired by him to deliver it to Malta, but was intercepted on the way by members of the Order. They determined that whatever Maddox was sending to Malta was actually a toxin designed to exterminate every Outcast on Malta, and eventually all of Sirius.&quot; &quot;And why would he do that?&quot; &quot;I don´t know, but either he has a vendetta against you or he´s working with someone who does. Some of his associates were Corsairs. There were several of them with him on Ruiz.&quot; &quot;And what were you doing on Ruiz?&quot; &quot;I went in to find my brother, who had also been hired to deliver the same toxin, probably for reasons of redundancy. Apparently his curiosity got the better of him and he accidentally released the contents into the air.&quot; Deckard´s interrogator sat back in his chair and was silent for a moment. &quot;So, are you currently in the employ of the Order?&quot; Deckard hesitated, and nodded his head. &quot;I see. Well, Mr. Deckard, your story does have merit, if only as a work of fiction. I find it very difficult to believe your words, even more so as you have admitted to me your affiliation with the Order. Secondly, I have serious doubts about Samuel Maddox´s ability or desire to kill my people. I am afraid I am not convinced. You will be returned to your cell and you shall be executed tomorrow in public for the crimes you have committed against us.&quot; He began to stand. &quot;Dammit, I´m telling you, Maddox is going to kill everyone of you!&quot; Deckard exclaimed. &quot;Well then, why don´t we ask him?&quot; The man motioned to one of the guards, who left the room and returned moments later with another individual. Deckard watched them enter. His jaw dropped. Samuel Maddox entered the room and looked at Deckard. An icy smile slowly spread across his face as he stood next to the man in the cape. &quot;Ah, Mr. Maddox. Mr. Deckard here seems to think you have plans to exterminate us.&quot; &quot;Complete nonsense,&quot; Maddox replied. &quot;He is obviously misguided, or most likely a complete liar.&quot; &quot;As you can see, Mr. Deckard, Samuel Maddox is a valuable friend. He is providing us with the means to defeat our old adversaries, the Corsairs. It´s a shame that you will not live long enough to see out ultimate victory. Goodbye, Mr. Deckard. Guards, please remove Mr. Deckard and return him to his cell. He must be well-rested for the execution.&quot; The guards removed the restraints from Deckard and escorted him from the room. ---<i>&quot;Open the Pod Bay doors, Hal, and I´ll give you a cookie.&quot; </i>

    Damn you! Damn you to the lowest depths of hell! Just kiddin´. Stuff like that happens to writers. I admit I´m a little sad to see it go, but I agree wiht Love Shark: Kill the main character. That´s what I did in Armageddon...granted it was at the end. Anyway, I do look forward to seeing your latest effort! Good luck with it! ---<i>&quot;Open the Pod Bay doors, Hal, and I´ll give you a cookie.&quot; </i>

    Sorry for the delay, but I was unavoidably detained. Here´s chapter 13. Sorry, it´s a little short. Chapter 13 Deckard tried to regain consciousness, but it eluded him. He could hear only faint voices around him, and could see only hazy shadows. Am I dead? he thought to himself. Unable to grasp consciousness, he retreated back into the darkness. ------------- He groaned and opened his eyes. Where he was, Deckard could not tell, but it was definitely not the floor of the control room on Ruiz. As he took in more of his surroundings, he decided he was in some kind of medical facility. He looked at his injured shoulder and saw it had been bandaged and his arm immobilized. A series of tubes emerged from the bandages and connected to a small device near his bed, which hummed slightly. A door opened and three men entered the room. Two of them carried blaster rifles and stationed themselves on each side of the door, while the third came over to where Deckard lay. He was dressed in a business suit and wore a brilliant red cape over his shoulders. The man looked at Deckard for a moment before he spoke. &quot;Mr. Deckard, I presume?&quot; Deckard nodded weakly. &quot;And you are?&quot; &quot;That is of no concern to you. What is of concern to you is a certain package I believe you were hired to deliver to me.&quot; What the hell is this universe coming to? Deckard thought to himself. I´m in the custody of the Outcasts, and they think I have their bloody package! &quot;Do you have it?&quot; the man asked sofly. &quot;No.&quot; &quot;I see.&quot; The man stook up and turned away. It was a moment before he spoke again. &quot;Understand, Mr. Deckard, that you are in a very difficult position. You have failed the task you were hired for, and my associates, I´m afraid, are not as forgiving as I am. I shall leave you to heal. We would prefer you healthy before we break you.&quot; He motioned to his guards and made for the door. &quot;Maddox betrayed you.&quot; Deckard said quietly. The man stopped. &quot;I beg your pardon?&quot; &quot;Maddox betrayed you.&quot; The man turned back and faced Deckard. &quot;Why would he do that?&quot; &quot;Do you have any idea what he was sending you?&quot; &quot;Of course I do.&quot; &quot;Then you know that what he was sending you was responsible for the death of everyone on Ruiz?&quot; &quot;You lie.&quot; Deckard smiled. &quot;I can prove it, if you give me the chance.&quot; The man stood silently, his eyes fixed on Deckard in a cold stare. &quot;Very well. I will give you the chance to explain. Understand, Mr. Deckard, that if you are indeed attempting to deceive me your suffering will be greater than that of my brothers on Ruiz.&quot; He turned and motioned to his guards, who followed him out of the room, leaving Deckard alone. ---<i>&quot;Open the Pod Bay doors, Hal, and I´ll give you a cookie.&quot; </i>

    Revenge is a dish that is best served cold---Khan, <i>Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan </i> ---<i>&quot;Open the Pod Bay doors, Hal, and I´ll give you a cookie.&quot; </i>

    Sorry for the delay, but here´s chapter 12 for anyone who´s still interested. Chapter 12 The hangar bay was still functioning, but it was completely devoid of activity. Deckard checked his instruments and saw the life-support systems on the station still seemed to be functioning. He climbed out of the cockpit, drew a blaster pistol out of his jacket and looked around. He could see only two ships in the hangar: his and what looked like a Hammerhead parked in a far corner. That meant that someone was still here, but who? He tightened his grip on the blaster and made his way to a corridor at the far end of the hangar, his footesteps echoing ominously in the eerily quiet base. Deckard made his way down the corridor where it ended at a T-junction. He paused for a moment, turned to go down the left corridor and stopped dead in his tracks. On the ground, ten feet in front of him, lay a body, face down, in a pool of blood. Deckard approached cautiously, weapon at the ready, but nothing happened. He stooped down and rolled the body over. What he saw nauseated him. He had seen the video of the Outcast and what the contents of the case he had carried had done, but nothing had prepared him to discover a real victim of the poison. The man was definitely an Outcast, as his cardamine inhaler lay inches away from the body. His pale, cold skin had the same melted look that the test subject had, and the last of the man´s blood was oozing from several open sores that had appeared all over the body. It was all Deckard could do to keep from vomiting as he got up and walked away from the man. He came across several other bodies as he made his way through the deserted corridors of Ruiz, each one suffering the same fate. Deckard´s thoughts raced through his mind. Somemone had obviously released the toxin here, but had they moved on to Omicron Alpha, and Malta? Was he too late? Deckard found himself in a control room looking out into space. There were two Outcasts slumped over computer terminals, their blood coalescing in pools under their chairs. He looked around and decided to check the station logs to see if they could offer any clues. He found an empty terminal and began to work the unfamiliar controls. As he worked he suddenly felt that he was not alone in the room. He gripped the blaster pistol tighter and swiung himself around and found himself looking into the cold dark eyes of his brother, who pointed a blaster pistol at him. &quot;Well, well, well,&quot; John Deckard said. The two men faced each other in silence. &quot;What the hell are you doing here?&quot; Matt Deckard demanded. &quot;I was just about to ask you the same thing,&quot; the elder Deckard replied, &quot;but I think I already know the answer.&quot; He moved to an empty chair, sat down, and motioned with his weapon toward the dead Outcasts. &quot;Pretty amazing stuff, isn´t it? I never thought I´d be a part of something this big.&quot; &quot;You mean genocide?&quot; &quot;That´s your opinion. I prefer to think of it as a greater cause.&quot; &quot;You think mass murder is a greater cause?&quot; &quot;Jeez, Matt, they´re only Outcasts! What´s your problem? Did you find religion or something?&quot; &quot;Look, John, this stuff doesn´t just kill Outcasts, but anyone who´s ever dosed on cardamine! This will kill innocent people, you hear me?&quot; &quot;How the hell do you know what this does?&quot; John Deckard said as he pulled out a vial from his pocket containing the blue liquid. He held it up between them. &quot;Because Maddox hired me to deliver the same stuff to Malta! Don´t you get it? We´ve been had!&quot; &quot;That´s a crock of bull!&quot; &quot;Oh, no,&quot; a third voice said from behind John Deckard. &quot;It isn´t.&quot; From out of the shadows of the corridor beyond a tall figure strode in, accompanied by several other men. As they emerged into the light of the control room, Deckard found himself looking at the imposing form of not one Samuel Maddox, but three. Two other men followd them into the room, dressed in the combat fatigues of the Corsairs. &quot;What the hell...&quot; Deckard muttered. &quot;So, here they are, my two couriers,&quot; one of the Maddox doppelgangers said. &quot;And brothers, no less. What irony. It really is too bad you both have failed. I had high hopes for you. Now if you will please drop your weapons...&quot; Deckard cursed and did as he was told. John hesitated, then did the same. Maddox smiled a cruel smile, then pointed a blaster pistol at John Deckard, firing a single shot that hit him in the chest. He fell out of his chair and lay silent on the ground. &quot;You bastard!&quot; Deckard yelled as he shook with rage. &quot;Don´t worry, Mr. Deckard. You may very well be joining him. I only shot him first because his curiosity got the better of him and he opened the contents of the case here rather than deliver them as I requested. I will spare you, for now, and give you a chance to explain your...delay in delivery and your arrival here.&quot; &quot;First of all, which one of you is the real Maddox? Second, why the hell are you with Corsairs?&quot; &quot;You are not in a position to demand answers to anything,&quot; Maddox said coldly, &quot;however, you do make a point. There really is no need to have three of me.&quot; Swiftly and methodically he loosed a single round into each of the two Maddox doppelgangers, who dropped instantly to the floor. Deckard looked at the remaining Maddox, shocked. &quot;Leave us, please,&quot; he said to the two Corsairs. They saluted and left the room. &quot;Now then,&quot; Maddox said. &quot;As I said before, I will give you a chance to explain before I decide whether or not to kill you.&quot; Deckard knew he would have to do some fast thinking and even faster talking if he were to get out of this alive. He quickly came up with an idea, and hoped to high heaven it would work, or at least buy him some time. &quot;I was jumped on a Freeport by an Outcast. He stole the case from me, and I´ve been on the run because I knew you´d find me.&quot; Maddox smiled in a way that Deckard didn´t like. &quot;I see,&quot; he said softly. &quot;So an Outcast overpowered you and stole the toxin. That is understandable, as the Outcasts have great physical strength granted them as a side effect of the cardamine. I can only wonder what this Outcast thought he would find.&quot; Maddox sighed. &quot;I´m afraid I must leave you now. I can´t say I´m convinced. Goodbye, Mr. Deckard.&quot; Deckard knew what was about to happen, but was too late to react. As he tried to jump to one side, the shot from Maddox´s weapon hit him in the left shoulder. He felt the searing pain lance through his body as he hit the floor. His last conscious sight before blacking out was of Maddox stepping over the body of his brother as he left the room. ---&quot;Open the Pod Bay doors, Hal, and I´ll give you a cookie.&quot; Edited by - neuromancer on 8/29/2005 6:24:54 PM