[Thermo]

Mean Boris hears the report of the cannon and immediately runs for cover. He tries to find a place where he can return fire from a protected position.

[Interrupt action: Run for Your Life (moves 8m), -5 initiative, costs Free Action]

[inca1980]

Your boosted reflexes sizzle and you book-it to the far end of the bar and get behind some tables.  The grenade takes out the front entrance and leaves behind a 5x5 foot whole where the entrance used to be.  Now both of you can see the dirt road, Revanche and Requiem very clearly. 

OOC: Boris and Stake's turn.  You both have partial cover and are 20m from Revanche and Requiem.

IP1, CT1:  Boris-23, Stake-26, Rev-22, Req-14.
Wounds:
Edge: Stake-3/3, Boris 5/5, Rev 2/3, Req 3/3

[Thermo]

Before Mean Boris runs across the room to escape the blast of the grenade, he uses his boosted vision to analyze the two assailants. His cyber systems begin feeding him info through his AR system.

[Mean Boris rolls Int(5)+Perception(6)+Vision Enhancement(3) - Invisible Castle is down so if you're ok with it he'll "buy" 3-4 hits depending on how you calculate it]

[inca1980]

@Mean Boris:
You analyze the Revanche and Requiem and see that Revanche's two most obvious weapons are a giant cyber-chainsaw and a forearm cyberarm-gun.  Requiem only seems to have a cyberarm snap blade. 

[spoiler]OOC: Mean Boris has a simple and a free action left and Stake has his whole turn left.[/spoiler]


IP1, CT1:  Boris-23, Stake-26, Rev-22, Req-14.
Wounds:
Edge: Stake-3/3, Boris 5/5, Rev 2/3, Req 3/3

[Csjarrat]

Stake sprinted through the shrapnel of the blast and headed straight for his mark, hoping Boris could distract the big guy for a few seconds.
He pirouetted and lashed out with a beautiful but deadly arcing swipe, following up immediately with a brutal thrust to impale requiem with.

[spoiler]

Sprinting {if needed, disregard if not}:
running: 10d6t5 4

Iajutsu attack roll on requiem:
: 22d6t5 7
Spend edge to do a finishing move:
: 22d6t5 6
[/spoiler]

[inca1980]

@Stake:
[spoiler]OOC: Revanche is within range for an inntercept (-5 init) interrupt action since you're not attacking him.  He will also do a Protecting the Principle (-5 init, 1 edge) action.  I'll allow your attack to go first so you don't have to modify your rolls with wound.  First is intercept attack w/ monofilament chainsaw hand.  He is very large so he has +2 reach, so take -1 to defense.  14d6.hits(5)=7.  Base damage is 12P, AP-8. 
Then he will soak your attack meant for Requiem.  Incoming 15P, AP-3.  22d6.hits(5)=9.  Takes 6P.  Since you would need to damage Requiem to do your finishing move  I'll let you use your finishing move on Revanche instead of wasting it.  He does get to roll def. for this one though.  Def 9 + Wound -2 = (7d6.hits(5)=1).  13P, AP -3 incoming.  22d6.hits(5)=9.  He takes another 4P. [/spoiler]

You bolt through the settling dust straight at Requiem and suddenly Revanche lunges and swings for you with his monofilament chainsaw.  You're blade cuts into his flesh and fresh blood squirts out, and you decide to reposition and take another artful swing to try and finish him off which slices him again across the ribs.  He yells out in a bellowing voice.

@Mean Boris:
[spoiler]OOC: your turn.[/spoiler]


IP1, CT1:  Boris-23, Stake-26, Rev-12, Req-14.
Wounds: {Rev 6P,4P}
Edge: Stake-2/3, Boris 5/5, Rev 1/3, Req 3/3

[Thermo]

Quick-draw [2]: Rea(7)+Pistols(7) (14d6.hits(5)=2)

Mean Boris pulls his Savalette Guardian from its holster and his smart-link instantly connects to the massive handgun. He points at Revanche and aims for the head. The gun bucks in his hand as the Ex-Explosive round travels towards its target.

Agi(8)+Pistols(7)+Smartlink(2)-Called Shot(4) (13d6.hits(5)=6)

Base damage: 10P -2AP plus 4P for called shot to vitals

[Csjarrat]

Stake's heightened combat awareness routines picked up the beast's intent as its muscles flexed to bring the chainsaw into play.
He adopted a defensive stance and pushed the arm wide of the mark, though only by a fraction of a hair...
[spoiler]Ok lets go with parry, takes a -5 ini if i recall correctly and spending edge to push limit and have exploding 6's
parry: rea 7, blades 8, combat sense 1, edge 3: 19d6h5 7 7 hits, so blocked that attack.
Do i get to use riposte (counterattack) martial art technique here?[/spoiler]

[inca1980]

[spoiler]OOC: Def 9 + Wound -3 = (6d6.hits(5)=2).  Incoming is 10P + 4P net hits + 2P vitals = 16P, AP-2.  In 5e called shot does +2DV.  Soak 25 + AP -2 = (23d6.hits(5)=7).  Takes 9P head damage.  He's down.

Requiem acts.  He casts reckelessly Manabolt force 7 at Mean Boris.  18d6.hits(5)=6.   Resists drain: 8d6.hits(5)=5.  Takes 2S drain damage.  Casts 2nd Manabolt.  18d6.hits(5)=7.  Resist drain: 8d6.hits(5)=3.  Takes 4S.  Boris resist both with Willpower, first one is 6 hits, second one is 7 hits.  Take Net hits DV as stun damage. 
Next IP.  Stake and Boris can act.
 [/spoiler]

Boris's round hits it's mark with a load pop and you see chunks of metal and flesh fly off the top of Revanche's head and the juggernaut buckles before falling face-down into the gravel.  Requiem stretches out both his hands toward you and a violet flash of arcs of mana sizzle through the air from his outstretched finger-tips towards Boris. 


IP2, CT1:  Boris-13, Stake-1, Req-2.
Wounds: {Rev 4P, 6P, 9P}, {Req 2S,4S}
Edge: Stake-2/3, Boris 5/5, Rev 1/3, Req 3/3

[Thermo]

[OOC: Mean Boris uses two points of Edge to help resist the two stunbolts]

Resist stunbolt(6): Wil(2)+Edge(5) (7d6.hits(5)=2) 4S
[rule of 6 does not help, rolled no 6's]

Resist stunbolt(7): Wil(2)+Edge(5) (7d6.hits(5)=4)
Rule of 6 (2) (2d6.hits(5)=0) 3S
[rule of 6 applies but did not roll additional hits]

[Csjarrat]

The spatter of blood from the rounds' impact coated Stake's face and left a bitter tang in his mouth as he swirled his blade artistically and viciously towards Requiem, its arc as beautiful and graceful as it was deadly
[spoiler]attack: 22d6t5 5[/spoiler]

[Thermo]

Mean Boris is done playing around with this digital abomination. And he wasn't about to let it have another chance to stun him out of the battle. He aims his Savalette Guardian at Requiem and places two shots.

Called Shot: Shake-Up; Spend 1 Point of Edge: Push The Limit
Pistols(7)+Agi(8)+Smartlink(2)-Called Shot(4)-Wounded(3)+Edge(5) (15d6.hits(5)=2)
Rule-of-six Edge Reroll (2) (2d6.hits(5)=1) 3 hits total
Base damage: 10P -2AP, -5 init if it hits

Called Shot: Shake-Up; Spend 1 Point of Edge: Push The Limit
Pistols(7)+Agi(8)+Smartlink(2)-Called Shot(4)-Wounded(3)+Edge(5) (15d6.hits(5)=5)
Rule-of-six Edge Reroll (5) (5d6.hits(5)=3)
Rule-of-six Edge Reroll (3) (3d6.hits(5)=1)
Rule-of-six Edge Reroll (1) (1d6.hits(5)=0) 9 hits total
Base damage: 10P -2AP, -5 init if it hits

[OOC: wooooow.. 9 hits and they all count since Boris used Edge, which ignores limits]

[inca1980]

[spoiler]OOC: Requiem's defense: 7d6t5: 2 [7d6t5=4, 5, 4, 6, 4, 4, 2].  1 net hit.  Incoming 11P, AP -2.  Requiem soak: 10d6t5: 4 [10d6t5=2, 4, 6, 6, 5, 2, 3, 5, 3, 3].  Takes 7P.  Loses init.  Next defense roll: 6d6t5: 0 [6d6t5=3, 3, 3, 2, 3, 2].  Incoming 19P, -2AP.  Soak: 10d6t5: 1 [10d6t5=3, 6, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1].  Takes 18P. 

We're out of initiative.
[/spoiler]

Boris's bullets enter Requiem's chest and exit out the back trailed by a red cone of guts.  It knocks him straight down on his back and he lies there still, the only sound is a gurgling coming out of his mouth as he tries to say something you can't quite hear.

 Suddenly the cantina, the street, the sky, Revanche's body, everything, all disappears and you find yourselves floating in nothing-ness.  A pitch-black nothing-ness that somehow provides enough resistance below you so that you feel you are still standing on an invisible ground.  All you can see are your team-mates avatars and where Requiem used to be laying you see a different form quite changed from the creature Boris just downed.  The green matrix construct lies there in the same position Requiem was, as if all the detail had been stripped away and all that was left was what you see there before you, his true form.  As he dissipates he keeps mouthing a word inaudible from where you're standing and he reaches up as if trying to grasp or caress something or someone. 

[Thermo]

Mean Boris sprints to Requiem's dying form, using his last point of Edge to get there in time to have a few final words with their antagonizer. Mean Boris, and really Storm by extension, certainly understood the need for revenge, and she had gained a grudging respect for the AI construct. Her only qualm was that it's revenge was blind and wasn't guided at the people who had caused it such grief. Blind revenge was really nothing more than a helpless rage, which made Requiem something to pity rather than fear.

[inca1980]

As you approach you can start to make sense of the electronic gurgling sound Requiem is making. 

"<<Dr. Tara Lowenstein......it was an honor serving with you.   Proceeding with Bootcamp final decommission sequence 2313.232......Dr. Tara Lowenstein.....it was an honor serving with you.  Proceeding with Bootcamp final decommission sequence 2313.232.  Dr Tara Lowenstein........>>

The message, as if it was a glitched trid-chip, just keeps playing over and over.  Once his construct fades completely to black, you lose consciousness.

You wake-up and find yourself laying next to the computer terminal on the top floor of Tacoma Veteran's Hospital.  You feel a draft and sit up, taking the trode array off your temples. 

It's just the both of you, the dwarf Stake and the elf Storm.  Where Zach was laying there is only a dangling trode set and no trace of him. 

You walk out of the secret chamber, into the large pillared room and out into the dark hallway, a hole in wall on the far side let's light shine in and you walk towards it. 

Standing on the fire-escape landing and breathing in the cool afternoon air, you feel a sense of emptiness as you start to process all that has happened in the last few days.  As the last rays of sun fade away, the two of you look at each other and nod.  It feels like business from now on should start to pick up. 

The End