Red Sands (Closed, IC)

[bowiespoon]

Hello! This RP is my second, and though is post TWW and SD, I won't object to you using any pre-SD characters you might have. This RP is also directly influenced by the events of my first RP (The Unthawed Lands), but you shouldn't need any knowledge of it to participate. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a pm.

Rules:

- No god moding/OP actions

- No metagaming

- keep your OC count in check. The max number of characters per person will likely change based on how many people participate, but for now let's just say 3. I may allow a 4th, but I'd like to give approval before you do so.

- keep your characters serious. This doesn't mean that your characters can't tell jokes or quips, but rather that your character has to be able to be taken seriously.

- Don't be rude to other players. 

Setting:

The Gradivus Dilemma is known as one of the most fierce and bloody moments in the ongoing conflict between the Corpus and Grineer Empire. At the urging of Alad V and Sargas Ruk, respectively, both factions sent out massive fleets to claim Mars for themselves. To ensure their victory, both sides also bought the support of tenno. For both monetary and ideological reasons, these mythical warriors agreed to fight in the conflict. By the time that the Corpus board grew tired of bankrolling the conflict, hundreds of ships had been wiped out in the conflict, quietly orbiting Mars. Over the years, these ships would be pulled to the planets surface, forming a great expanse of half-buried, half destroyed ships.

Now, as events in the outer planets of the system draws the attention of the major factions, people seeking a quick fortune quietly smuggle themselves onto the planet to salvage these ruined war vessels for rare and valuable components. These salvage teams have created small settlements hidden amidst the colossal ruins of warships, where they can trade or spend their findings on a small assortment of goods and services. Due to the nature of these settlements, there is an alarming amount of crime taking place. Shootouts and back-alley murders are commonplace, and you walk around unarmed at your own peril. Only a solitary figure keeps any semblance of order, moving from settlement to settlement to bring his own version of justice to the populace. Needless to say, the gallows are always full when this man leaves town. Despite the risks this environment presents, people still flock here in droves, drawn by the allure of wealth. The ecstasy of gold is hard to resist in times like this. There is a sense of urgency and desperation in the settlements, for it is only a matter of time before the grineer turn their attention away from the fringe planets and back to Mars.

But this 'gold rush' is not the only thing going in these ruins. Deep within these fields of wreckage, several salvage crews have reported seeing figures wearing unfamiliar uniforms in the distance. Who they are is unknown, but teams who have ventured too far from the settlements rarely return.

 

Now that we've got all that out of the way, let's get started!

 

As the sun grew low in the sky, scavenging crews began to enter the settlement of Deadwood, eager to return after a hard day's work, but also warily watching for anyone who might want to take their hard-earned salvage. They moved in a group, for safety in numbers. All of them had some kind of weapon on them, and more than a few hands rested on the handles of pistols. At this time of day, most of the shops and buildings had closed down, except for the bar - which had drawn in a large crowd that night. Seeing that the coast was clear, the crews broke apart, carrying their finds to small buildings made of metal removed from nearby ships. Bleary-eyed guards stood watch over the buildings, to discourage anyone from trying to steal the valuable salvage. Their work done, the crews happily walked over to the bar, chatting quietly with each other.

Dalton Vochester watched as the salvage crews entered to bar, quietly sipped his drink. He sat alone - as he always did. People always called him rude and grouchy, but Dalton just liked to think that he had a low threshold for stupidity. Typically, that meant that his table was empty. Well, that was fine with him, he preferred it that way. As the scavenging crews walked past his table, he eyed their weapons with distaste. Poor craftsmanship, likely the cheapest weapons they could find. Nothing like the masterpieces he used to make. He sighed wistfully. After making that tenno a new pair of pistols, he'd decided to travel back to Mars. Before the Grineer had taken over, he'd sold guns here - and damn good ones. He had heard that his weapons sold for quite a hefty sum on the market these days. If he'd have half a mind to do it, he could make a small profit selling to these scavenge crews. Paranoid and rich, the perfect clients. But he'd put that life behind him. Only...

Dalton grunted in annoyance, and drained his cup. His mood was already sour enough without thinking about that. Best that he try to salvage what remained of the night.

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

The next morning, Arraz whistled cheerfully as he left the bar, leaving a few credits on the counter to pay for his room. He always found that it paid to be cheerful - especially with his current appearance. After a near-death experience on an unnamed rock, he'd decided that his old line of work was far to dangerous. Now he worked for salvage crews, offering protection from the bandits and thieves in exchange for a cut of the profits. Trustworthy guards were at a premium these days, and Arraz was never out of work. The bundle of sniper-rifles clattered on his back as he walked down the small selection of shops, browsing the 'window' displays. They didn't actually have any glass out here, so a few guards stood watch nearby. A few of them recognized him, nodding to him as he passed.

The earliest crews had already left to begin their work for the day, so the settlement was quieter than usual. No matter when your crew left, however, you always returned at the same time. Early on, the salvage teams had learned that returning as a large group under the cover of nightfall was the safest choice. Arraz's crew wasn't leaving for a few hours, so he figured he may as well kill some time. There was a group of people who had been eyeing the crew under his protection for a while now, and it might be prudent to deal with them now before they became an issue. However, Arraz was loathe to reveal his skill. Drawing any attention to himself in a place like this would only bring him trouble.

Arraz continued to walk down the gravel road, feigning interest in the wares of the shopkeepers. Sooner or later something of interest would happen, and Arraz would be there. 

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

The Constable left the settlement of Tombstone, heading in the direction of Deadwood. Behind him, a large amount of corpses dangled from nooses. The Constable had quickly run out of room for the criminals, so he had been forced to get creative and hang them from various signposts and buildings. He had refused to cut the bodies down, knowing the effect it would have on the populace. Once, he would have decried such methods, but recent events had driven home to value of making an example of those who fell out of line. Because of his actions, an entire city had fallen, and he would not let order collapse here. Not that there was much order here to begin with. These settlements were infested with the kinds of people who detested the structure and stability of law.

Well, the Constable didn't mind. He was happy for this clear-cut assignment. Kill the bad guys, protect the good. Nothing like his assignment on Pluto....... He shuddered, glad to be rid of that mess. He increased his pace, eager to arrive at Deadwood. Out here by himself, there was little to do but reflect on the past. As the Constable faded into the expanse of derelict ships, a slight breeze blew through the now-quiet town of Tombstone, causing the corpses hung on the nooses to move slightly.

Edited March 13, 2017 by bowiespoon

[Daakjenaar]

(First response yet again!)

A formorian's wreckage laid in the sand, standing out among the relative emptiness surrounding it. Unlike much of the surface, this place wasn't covered in the remains of entire fleets. Instead, this Formorian had been brought down by different means.

It lacked the scorch marks that covered most of the wreckages on Mars. The only part that appeared damaged would be the engines, which seemed to be caused by precise explosives, instead of the more uncontrolled damage caused by ship-mounted weapons. Between the damage (or lack thereof) and the isolation of the crash site, it was likely brought down by Tenno.

For anyone passing by the crash site, they would hear a distress call originating from close to the center of the formorian. It wasn't Grineer, however. The distress call seemed to be from a group of Perrin Sequence operatives, likely scavengers.

(Time for the obligatory Tarnas side-story.)

[bowiespoon]

15 minutes ago, Daakjenaar said:

(First response yet again!)

A formorian's wreckage laid in the sand, standing out among the relative emptiness surrounding it. Unlike much of the surface, this place wasn't covered in the remains of entire fleets. Instead, this Formorian had been brought down by different means.

It lacked the scorch marks that covered most of the wreckages on Mars. The only part that appeared damaged would be the engines, which seemed to be caused by precise explosives, instead of the more uncontrolled damage caused by ship-mounted weapons. Between the damage (or lack thereof) and the isolation of the crash site, it was likely brought down by Tenno.

For anyone passing by the crash site, they would hear a distress call originating from close to the center of the formorian. It wasn't Grineer, however. The distress call seemed to be from a group of Perrin Sequence operatives, likely scavengers.

(Time for the obligatory Tarnas side-story.)

((Welcome! Hopefully Tarnas doesn't try to blow up any cities this time! xD))

((I'm assuming you want me to reply, but just let me know if this is a solo thing.))

A scavenging crew stood in the distance, staring at the massive warship jutting out of the sand.

"Huh," the leader grunted, "Wasn't aware that the Grineer fielded any fomorians during the battle for Mars. Well, in any case, it seems fairly intact. If the insides are in as good a shape as the outside, we may have just made a major score."

The men grinned, dragging several sleds behind them as they walked towards the monolithic ship. They were far from the settlements, where most of the ships were already picked clean.

"Hey, I'm getting something," one of the men said suddenly, "Some kind of a distress signal coming from the ship."

The men's expressions soured fast. A distress signal meant that they weren't the first ones to find the ship, meaning the prime salvage was already likely removed.

"Damn," the leader said, "Well, we came this far, no point in turning back now."

he laughed, "Besides, we can probably charge them for the rescue."

Edited February 28, 2017 by bowiespoon

[Daakjenaar]

4 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

((Welcome! Hopefully Tarnas doesn't try to blow up any cities this time! xD))

((I'm assuming you want me to reply, but just let me know if this is a solo thing.))

A scavenging crew stood in the distance, staring at the massive warship jutting out of the sand.

"Huh," the leader grunted, "Wasn't aware that the Grineer fielded any fomorians during the battle for Mars. Well, in any case, it seems fairly intact. If the insides are in as good a shape as the outside, we may have just made a major score."

The men grinned, dragging several sleds behind them as they walked towards the monolithic ship. They were far from the settlements, where most of the ships were already picked clean.

"Hey, I'm getting something," one of the men said suddenly, "Some kind of a distress signal coming from the ship."

The men's expressions soured fast. A distress signal meant that they weren't the first ones to find the ship, meaning the prime salvage was already likely removed.

"Damn," the leader said, "Well, we came this far, no point in turning back now."

he laughed, "Besides, we can probably charge them for the rescue."

Once they got closer, they would see something pretty disturbing. There were Grineer skeletons, still inside of their armor, the flesh torn away by years of sandstorms. It seemed they had tried to get away from the wreckage before succumbing to injuries or starvation. Strangely, some of them seem to have drawn their weapons before dying.

Relatively close to the ship, there was a dropship that appeared to be of Perrin design. There were footprints leading to the Formorian. Since the footsteps were intact, it seemed that they had arrived very recently.

Finally, there seemed to be an object partially buried by sand just outside of an opening in the hull. It seemed almost humanoid, but was more intact than the Grineer corpses.

[bowiespoon]

14 minutes ago, Daakjenaar said:

Once they got closer, they would see something pretty disturbing. There were Grineer skeletons, still inside of their armor, the flesh torn away by years of sandstorms. It seemed they had tried to get away from the wreckage before succumbing to injuries or starvation. Strangely, some of them seem to have drawn their weapons before dying.

Relatively close to the ship, there was a dropship that appeared to be of Perrin design. There were footprints leading to the Formorian. Since the footsteps were intact, it seemed that they had arrived very recently.

Finally, there seemed to be an object partially buried by sand just outside of an opening in the hull. It seemed almost humanoid, but was more intact than the Grineer corpses.

The crew continued walking, remarkably unfazed. Most of these ships had a large amount of remains aboard, seeing corpses was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Those'll be our guys," the leader said, indicating the dropship. "Perrin Sequence. Hah, those guys are loaded. Well, they aren't getting out of here without unburdening themselves of a few credits. Nothing out here is free, after all."

while he spoke, another member of the crew began to walk towards the half-buried, eyeing it curiously. Most bodies outside of a ship were little more than bleached skulls - so it was either recent, or not a corpse.

[Daakjenaar]

9 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

The crew continued walking, remarkably unfazed. Most of these ships had a large amount of remains aboard, seeing corpses was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Those'll be our guys," the leader said, indicating the dropship. "Perrin Sequence. Hah, those guys are loaded. Well, they aren't getting out of here without unburdening themselves of a few credits. Nothing out here is free, after all."

while he spoke, another member of the crew began to walk towards the half-buried, eyeing it curiously. Most bodies outside of a ship were little more than bleached skulls - so it was either recent, or not a corpse.

It was neither. If the scavenger were to brush away the sand covering the body, they would see the body of a dead Tenno. A Loki, to be more specific.

(And no, it's not Tarnas.)

[bowiespoon]

6 minutes ago, Daakjenaar said:

It was neither. If the scavenger were to brush away the sand covering the body, they would see the body of a dead Tenno. A Loki, to be more specific.

(And no, it's not Tarnas.)

The crew member stumbled back, face pale

"G-guys!" he stammered, "Look at this!"

the others walked over, eyes widening as they saw the dead tenno. On black markets, tenno parts sold for millions. The only question was if they could sell it before someone killed them for it.

"Take the tenno, then let's get out of here. We'll bury the remains under junk salvage and tell everyone that we couldn't find anything. Then we take the next flight off this planet and sell this thing."

The leader walked over to the sled and tossed the others shovels.

"Come on, let's get this thing dug up and onto the sled before anyone sees us."

[Daakjenaar]

6 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

The crew member stumbled back, face pale

"G-guys!" he stammered, "Look at this!"

the others walked over, eyes widening as they saw the dead tenno. On black markets, tenno parts sold for millions. The only question was if they could sell it before someone killed them for it.

"Take the tenno, then let's get out of here. We'll bury the remains under junk salvage and tell everyone that we couldn't find anything. Then we take the next flight off this planet and sell this thing."

The leader walked over to the sled and tossed the others shovels.

"Come on, let's get this thing dug up and onto the sled before anyone sees us."

The distress call inside of the Formorian began broadcasting again. It was clear that the Perrin scavengers inside were in desperate need of help.

[bowiespoon]

2 minutes ago, Daakjenaar said:

The distress call inside of the Formorian began broadcasting again. It was clear that the Perrin scavengers inside were in desperate need of help.

The leader chewed his lip. It wasn't that he wanted to leave the Perrin scavengers, it was just...... how often did someone run across a find like this!? With a sigh, the leader motioned for the men to follow him, leaving one behind to stand watch. One man wouldn't be able to dig up the body before they came back, so unless someone else came along, the loki probably wasn't going anywhere.

"Damn," the leader swore as he stepped foot into the ship, "Nobody mention the tenno. If they ask, pretend you have no idea what they're talking about."

he spoke softly, in case they were nearby.

[Daakjenaar]

2 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

The leader chewed his lip. It wasn't that he wanted to leave the Perrin scavengers, it was just...... how often did someone run across a find like this!? With a sigh, the leader motioned for the men to follow him, leaving one behind to stand watch. One man wouldn't be able to dig up the body before they came back, so unless someone else came along, the loki probably wasn't going anywhere.

"Damn," the leader swore as he stepped foot into the ship, "Nobody mention the tenno. If they ask, pretend you have no idea what they're talking about."

he spoke softly, in case they were nearby.

The inside of the ship was relatively unscathed. The corridors exposed to the outside were worn and full of sand, but the further they'd go in the ship, the less damage there was. Due to the ship being in good condition, it would be easy to get salvage and spare parts.

The lights inside flickered quite a bit. It was surprising that the power was still on. Between the flickering lights and the abandoned look of the ship, the situation was very unnerving.

[bowiespoon]

1 minute ago, Daakjenaar said:

The inside of the ship was relatively unscathed. The corridors exposed to the outside were worn and full of sand, but the further they'd go in the ship, the less damage there was. Due to the ship being in good condition, it would be easy to get salvage and spare parts.

The lights inside flickered quite a bit. It was surprising that the power was still on. Between the flickering lights and the abandoned look of the ship, the situation was very unnerving.

The men didn't seem particularly bothered by this either. Again, they'd spent a lot of time in derelict ships, many a lot worse than this. They continued deeper into the ship, heading towards the source of the distress signal. Most of them had drawn some kind of firearm, warily scanning their surroundings.

[Daakjenaar]

6 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

The men didn't seem particularly bothered by this either. Again, they'd spent a lot of time in derelict ships, many a lot worse than this. They continued deeper into the ship, heading towards the source of the distress signal. Most of them had drawn some kind of firearm, warily scanning their surroundings.

In the next room they entered were several Grineer corpses. Due to them not being exposed to sandstorms and whatnot, they had only partially decayed. The room was covered in old bloodstains, covering most surfaces. Additionally, it appeared that whatever had killed these Grineer wasn't Corpus, as the holes and slashes in their armor were from bullets and not energy weapons. Finally, it seemed that they had tried to draw their weapons, but had been disarmed and torn apart.

[bowiespoon]

1 minute ago, Daakjenaar said:

In the next room they entered were several Grineer corpses. Due to them not being exposed to sandstorms and whatnot, they had only partially decayed. The room was covered in old bloodstains, covering most surfaces. Additionally, it appeared that whatever had killed these Grineer wasn't Corpus, as the holes and slashes in their armor were from bullets and not energy weapons. Finally, it seemed that they had tried to draw their weapons, but had been disarmed and torn apart.

"The bodies are old, nothing to be worried about." the leader said, walking past them.

[Daakjenaar]

5 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

"The bodies are old, nothing to be worried about." the leader said, walking past them.

Eventually, they would end up in another room covered in blood. However, this time there were no corpses. Additionally, the blood was very fresh, a day old at most. It was smeared all over the floor and wall. It was clear a struggle had occurred recently.

[bowiespoon]

8 minutes ago, Daakjenaar said:

Eventually, they would end up in another room covered in blood. However, this time there were no corpses. Additionally, the blood was very fresh, a day old at most. It was smeared all over the floor and wall. It was clear a struggle had occurred recently.

"Ah hell," the leader muttered, "Alright boys, safeties off!"

The leader had a sinking feeling that whoever sent that beacon was already dead. He drew a vasto, giving the cylinder a spin. Tentatively, he continued onwards

 

Edited February 28, 2017 by bowiespoon

[Daakjenaar]

1 minute ago, bowiespoon said:

"Ah hell," the leader muttered, "Alright boys, safeties off!"

The leader had a sinking feeling that whoever sent that beacon was already dead. He drew a vasto, giving the cylinder a spin. Tentatively, he continued onwards

 

They wouldn't encounter anything else until they reached the entrance to the source of the distress signal. The door wasn't locked, but had several long slash marks running across it.

[bowiespoon]

4 minutes ago, Daakjenaar said:

They wouldn't encounter anything else until they reached the entrance to the source of the distress signal. The door wasn't locked, but had several long slash marks running across it.

The leader cautiously cracked open the door, just enough for him to see.

"I'm buying myself a damn drink when I get back, that's for sure."

[Daakjenaar]

1 minute ago, bowiespoon said:

The leader cautiously cracked open the door, just enough for him to see.

"I'm buying myself a damn drink when I get back, that's for sure."

There were three people wearing Perrin uniforms (body AND face) walking around, weapons drawn. The moment the door opened, they each aimed a tetra at the opening.

 

[bowiespoon]

2 minutes ago, Daakjenaar said:

There were three people wearing Perrin uniforms (body AND face) walking around, weapons drawn. The moment the door opened, they each aimed a tetra at the opening.

 

"Whoa, don't shoot!" the leader said, stumbling away from the door, "We're friendlies! We heard your distress call, came right over to help!"

[Daakjenaar]

2 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

"Whoa, don't shoot!" the leader said, stumbling away from the door, "We're friendlies! We heard your distress call, came right over to help!"

"Finally! Between the three of us, and however many there were of you, we might be able to escape before he gets us." Said the Operative.

[bowiespoon]

Just now, Daakjenaar said:

"Finally! Between the three of us, and however many there were of you, we might be able to escape before he gets us." Said the Operative.

The leader nodded to his men, and two stepped forward to pry the door open.

"There are five of us here, and another standing guard outside. But more importantly, what the hell happened here? What are you doing here? And who is 'he'?" the leader asked, chewing his lip. He didn't like this. They should have left with their prize and forgotten about this entire thing. Well, too late now. The only way out was through. The salvage crew began to form a small circle, their backs to each other.

[Daakjenaar]

2 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

The leader nodded to his men, and two stepped forward to pry the door open.

"There are five of us here, and another standing guard outside. But more importantly, what the hell happened here? What are you doing here? And who is 'he'?" the leader asked, chewing his lip. He didn't like this. They should have left with their prize and forgotten about this entire thing. Well, too late now. The only way out was through. The salvage crew began to form a small circle, their backs to each other.

"We aren't sure who he is. We saw him once, when he took one of the other people we had with us. We only got a glance, but I'm pretty sure it's a tenno." Said the Operative "the other two think it's a manic, but they're nowhere near as precise as he was."

[Sharpstriker]

((Just throwing my hat in the ring for some fun))

Two cloaked individuals walk through the town. One had a vulkar wraith strapped to his back, while the other had nothing noticeable. 

((By the way, is there an OOC where I can put both of their weapons and abilities in or should I do it here?))

[souldrive11]

(he makes a good point. can you edit the title for TUL, or do you have to make a new one?)

[bowiespoon]

On 2/27/2017 at 10:50 PM, Daakjenaar said:

"We aren't sure who he is. We saw him once, when he took one of the other people we had with us. We only got a glance, but I'm pretty sure it's a tenno." Said the Operative "the other two think it's a manic, but they're nowhere near as precise as he was."

The Salvage crew was already at the exit.

"Whatever you did to anger a tenno," the leader said quietly, backing away, "We want no part of. We've unlocked this door for you, and we're going to leave now. Without you. There are several settlements within a day or two's journey of here. If you move at night, you might be able to make it before dehydration sets in. I wish you luck, but you're on your own."

Several of the crew had weapons trained on the operatives as they all backed away. They weren't fools - these operatives were already dead men. No sense in joining them.

"Eric, don't touch the dead body outside. We're leaving. Now." the leader said.

Eric sounded like he was going to object, but something in the leader's tone made him stop.

"Got it boss."

Edited June 23, 2017 by bowiespoon