Glory Day

[Dabblez]

Dabblez absentmindedly pats her robot as she the battle raging around Newland City regards from a vantage point. The city’s militia has engaged Loren Warr’s mercenaries hoping to bring to an end a year of fear and intimidation. “Maybe tomorrow promises to be brighter day for this neutral town," she reflects, "but today there will be blood on the streets.”

Meanwhile the robot attentively scans the battlefield, analyzing and processing the incoming data, constantly running projections and simulations on the probably outcomes. In a sense this was very battle this robot was created to fight. The ‘ST50 GuardMaster G’, as the model was known, had jointly developed by RUR and Circle G specifically for the defense of Newland City and engineers from both organizations had really put everything they had into it.

Except that, in the end, even that had not been enough. The Newland City Council had received a better offer from J.A.M.E. Powerful weapons based on strange, alien technologies had been put on the negotiations table and, in one fell swoop, had made the GuardMaster robot utterly redundant. Without a buyer, the proud, hulking robot next to Dabblez was little more than an expensive heap of scrap metal. The economics of the situation dictated that the bot would have to be promptly decommissioned without it ever having seen active duty.

With a faint smile on her face, Dabblez turns to the robot. “What do you say, big guy? Want to go out in style? Show the world what you could have been; fulfill your destiny, so to speak?”

The robot responds with the slightest of nods.

“Okay then. Let’s do it.” She draws a deep breath then says “Pet, attack!”

[Demenzia]

The protective helmet was greatly muffling the sounds of the battle raging around her, but no matter how hard her efforts to ignore them and focus on her own survival, it seemed to Jen that the gunshots and screams would never cease. Screams - calls to attack, agony whispers of those who were falling on the ground. Gunshots - her own chemical streamer, the Soldier's guns, the Militia's new, alien weapons. She was pressing the triger, again and again - shoot, reload, shoot, reload, not out of a dark desire for killing, but because if she stopped, she'd be at the mercy of the lions... and the slim Fixer didn't wish to face one of Warr's thugs without being sure that said Thug would remember her fight before sending her to Reclaim.

After a while, it was simply becoming too hard to clearly think. She had lost sight of Jessia and Ari in the fight, vaguely hearing Commander Hekkat's calls at certain points, vaguely aware too of others of her friends and colleagues trying to defend their lives. To ahrd to think. Just fight, for stopping even for a second could mean her death and the death of others too.

Need to reload.Once again, the mechanical thought popped into her mind, and she paused to reac h for an other clip at her waist. Perhaps she did pase just a little too long? The Thug appeared behind her, as if out of nowhere, brandishing his bat, and...

A massive silhouette. Crossing the absent, reddish gaze of the GuardMaster for a brief second. Then the metal giant caught the Thug off-guard, its huge fists crushing his skull with a terrifying ease. For another seco nd, Jen simply went on staring at the robot, already turning to another opponent. For a second, she watched its massive bulk, a temporary shield between her and the raging fights, a solid shelter...

And, perhaps for the first time, the yougn woman grasped "what it could have been"...

[SinisterCake]

What a mess it was, the chaos of the throngs of civilians, Thugs and Newland Militia… Crattyjack couldn’t contain his fear and excitement whilst looking around for where his Boss Dabblez was. He had to remind himself that the blood was indeed not blood but red Syrup used in films, (deep down he knew it was, but was the only thing to contain his fear, to want to run away). He saw the Guardmaster charge into battle, and he found the strength and courage to open fire himself at a Hired Killer. "DOOM BUNNY POWER!!!!" He shouted as Harry his Android ran forth to attack his target.

Cratty executed his offensive nano, which seared through the air itself, only to be absorbed by the enemies shielding. The Hired guard turned to look at Crattyjack, then started to weave about as Harry started to swing its fists at him. The Killer expertly batted Harry a few times, bits of Android started to fly off Harry’s chassis, which only angered Cratty more, as helplessly fired the whole clips of his two guns. After Harry was in pieces on the floor, the enemy charged towards Crattyjack, who’s face suddenly dropped realising that death would come soon.

Suddenly, a shadow flew past him as the Guardmaster jumped to land in front of the Killer who ran into it and fell back to the ground, the Bot in one swift movement crushed down onto the killer with its right foot, slowly grinding it down upon the struggling opponent. When the life was gone from the killer, the bot turned its huge frame, and with what looked like a smile said, "All in a good day’s work… Stay safe now Citizen." Crattyjack jumped up in the air in triumph, "Whoopie! Thank you, and you have an Okily dokily day." He smiled sadly at the ST50, tapped its shell and crawled along the ground to retrieve Harry’s QPT brain, shooting now and then at any Thugs that came near.

[Virta]

"Master, killing without a license in progress. Number of violations: 9." Omni-Pol Robocop walks alertly next to Lt. Virta, who is staring much farther than the battlefield in front of him.

"Robo, how do you think people will remember this day?" he says and steps absentmindedly over a body of a fallen hired thug.

"Who do you think will claim victory, Robo?" A spray of bullets thud into the Robocop as he hurriedly rushes in front of Virta to shield him.

"Number of unlicensed killing violations: 23."

"Remember our first fight together? Oh how exciting it was!" More thuds and and a small wisp of smoke rises from Robocop's armor as it anticipates another stray shot from the fighters and moves to protect his master.

"This day is different though. Poor Loren. I can imagine how betrayed he feels." Virta continues his tour of the battlefield at a slow but steady coppers pace.

"Violations: 129 and rising."

"The long talks we had... She was ok when you got to know her you know. You Robo have a lot in common with her." Virta sighs as he remembers the brontoburger eating competitions early in the morning after his shift. Now she is gone, perhaps for good. Perhaps she knew she will meet her end this way. Fighting for money takes a special kind of person. Virta knew many of those... killers and cowards. Loren was not a coward.

The fight intensifies as the violent charge of the fallen mercenary's troops attack the Newland Militia. "Officer! Get down!" One of the younger militia-men is shouting while hurriedly firing his weapon.

"Ah, to be young again Robo!" Virta sighs and looks at the nervous militia-man. "Do not worry my friend, you can't believe how many times I get shot at during the normal working day of m...."

A deafening blast tears through the air and just barely misses Virta's head as he is quickly yanked to the left by his robot. "..of mine."

"I just hope the fighting does not get into the city Robo. That would mean serious casualties." Virta resumes his pace towards a better vantage point.

"V-i-o-l-a-tions: 1013 and rising" The Robocop stutters a little as a weapon discharges a full-auto attack on its back.

"Oh look Robo, the ST50 Guardmaster is in action. It seems to be able to hold its own after all. You remember the poster I have on my workshop wall? Next to the neutron displacer?"

Another machinegun hits a nearby tree cutting it in half in less than a second.

"Which reminds me, your monthly maintenance is overdue." Virta says and turns to face his robot. "My gods! How did you get into that kind of shape?! And where did you put your left arm!"

"Let's get you out of here before you get hit, silly Robo!"

[Dabblez]

Father Langton's retelling of the history of the Neutrals today at Rompa brought back memories of the day we chased the Warr mercenaries out of Newland.

So here is a bump from the past.

[Boltgun]

Father Langton's retelling of the history of the Neutrals today at Rompa brought back memories of the day we chased the Warr mercenaries out of Newland.

So here is a bump from the past.

Oh man, this bring back memories. We kinda lost contact with Loren Warr after that, and Ian is... not very chatty.

For memory, mercenaries have trained hecklers in a JAME demonstration of the nonpartisan armor and an unclear perma-murder occurred after the replacement of Loren Warr was announced.

All for the best today if you ask me.