Name - Richard Williams Slater Age - 31 Home planet - Houston, Texas Old Job - Newspaper Director Current Ship - AP-18100 "Manta" Bounty Hunter Very Heavy Fighter Ship Nickname - Sheffield Buckshot.
Slater as he is known in the Bounty Hunter Guild, is really named Richard Williams Slater. He had a decent life on Manhattan, he worked when he had to, and played when he had the chance. But in the end, he could not quell the thirst for adventure. He had to satisfy his thirst for adventure.
One day in his Manhattan Newspaper Office, he received an e-mail from a Bounty Hunter recruitment office in the lower downtown of Manhattan sector 4. He decided that he may as well take a look since he had nothing else to do.
Upon arriving he is greeted by a rather luscious receptionist, Richard took a shine to her immediately, what man wouldn't? She explained the back story and current affairs in the Guild that would interest me. Good pay, one of the largest factions around, good ships, and dental. I Richard was sold. The downside was, he had to get his own ship, but thankfully the Guild gave him a contact the he could talk to on Battleship Missouri. Taking his personal Starflier he left for the Missouri.
Meeting the contact, Richard bargained his way to getting himself a Liberty Defender, it was a bit rough around the edges but still in good working order. Smith as the contact was named told Slater to get himself to Sheffield Station in the Manchester system once he earned enough scratch.
After completing a few bounties Slater left for the Manchester system. After getting through the Border Worlds and picking up a few bounties on the way, not to mention a brand new Barracuda Slater finally got onto the Sheffield station where he was greeted with animosity. In the end, Slater was nothing more than another wannabe Hunter looking to take another mans money, or life.
Slater enjoyed the bar on Sheffield, good drinks and if you find the right company a good laugh and gaining new information helps. Slater gained a rapport with a few hunters slowly.
Right now, Slater is taking missions for the Guild and has written himself a self governing policy...
Respect other Bounty Hunters and do not take what is theirs.
Only take bounties from the law or other hunters.
Never attack criminals unless there is a price on their head.
Should anyone attack me, I will defend myself with all my power.
Never disrespect anyone, they may have friends in high places.
Be advised this character bio is now out of date and deemed void. Yours sincerely, Fletcher.
4th March 2012
Getting the Hammerhead
After a few days of taking and completing bounty contracts on Sheffield station, Slater built up a fair amount of credits in his net account. He was now planning to upgrade to a far better ship, with weapons an' all. But he didn't know where to get this new ship, he had limited knowledge of the Siruis geography. Then after fulfilling a bounty on behalf of an IMG miner, he gratefully 'added a bonus', he gave Slater information on where the 'Hammerhead' ship is sold. Apparently its in a base called Freistadt Base in the Omega-7 system. Sadly, the miner never gabe directions to this system.
Glad yet annoyed at the same time, Slater picked up his equipment, and got into his ship and bid farewell to Sheffield. He was toying with the thought of whether to hit on the Dock Control Director on the communications before he left, but then he realized she also had control of the station turrets, which would rip him up quickly, so he left it at that.
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Slater after a long time, found his way to the Omega system after gaining information from a local police officer he helped out in a bounty mission in Manchester. It seems Slater has gained some reputation among the officers in Bretonia. But some see him as just a hired gun, this gets Slater down sometimes, but then he realizes "At least I get payed more and get dental unlike some Bretonian officers!".
After getting to Freeport 1 in the Omega-3 system, Slater came across ships and pilots he had never seen before. The Red Hessians and the Corsairs. Slater has heard all about the Corsairs, "Never get in a fight with a group of them or your finished" rang through his mind. The Red Hessians he never heard much about, all he knew is they are a rebel group from Rheinland. Slater made sure he was a good distance from them in the bar. He asked the barman for his check and left the station, the barman warned him, "be careful, its very dangerous in these parts, and this is only the tip of the iceburg. Good luck hunter."
Getting into his ship he departed from Freeport 1 and made speed for the trade lanes and the Omega 7 jump gate. When he got through he to the Omega 7 system he was baffled by what he saw. Nothing but orange gas. He never came across such a system before, then his radar lit up with Corsairs coming right at him, so he quickly fired up his engines and raced for Freistadt Base. Eventually he got there and docked.
Upon docking in the Freistadt Base, Slater was greeted my an IMG weapons dealer, the dealer apparently was the cousin of the miner who gave Slater the Hammerhead information. Getting his hopes high, he followed the dealer into the Freistadt hangers. Upon entering he saw a gleaming fresh of the production line AP-8050 "Hammerhead". Slater immediately wanted to purchase it, after a bit of haggling with the dealer ho managed to purchase it with special add-ons. The add-ons included 2 pulse weapons and 4 rapid firing laser cannons that the Guild produces. Eager to test them out, he took a bounty in the bar bounty list.
Jumping into the new ship and installing his personal information and running routine checks, the Hammerhead was ready to fight. He bagan to depart from the Freistadt hangers.
Sadly, upon departure, Corsairs were waiting to rip him apart, feeling the pressure and excitement, charged the weapon systems and retaliated with a flurry of pulse and laser fire. The Corsairs were as skilled as he was told, they were using cunning tactics and maneuvers to draw fire away from their damaged comrades so they could escape and confuse the weapons systems. But eventually, the Corsairs were forced to retreat. They just couldn't match the firepower of the Hammerhead in their light fighters.
Knowing not to outstay his welcome, Slater purchased information of the Deshima station in the Kusari system, this time with directions. With enough fuel Slater raced for Kusari space.
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After near on a week, Slater made it to Kusari space after a few stops and battles along the way. It got a bit hairy with the Hessians and Unioner bounties he picked up. But he finally made it to Deshima. Upon docking he asked if there were any quarters up for rent. Apparently there were a few, so Slater picked the one nearest to his hanger, you never know when something may come up...
Currently, Slater is taking bounties in and near Kusari space. He is thinking of going back to Liberty to take on the bounties there, but he is waiting on that shiny new shield generator that he ordered from a Zoner transport ship. Who knows when it will arrive...
Be advised this character bio is now out of date and deemed void. Yours sincerely, Fletcher.
4th March 2012
Achieving Fighter Dominance
Slaters time in Kusari space was particularly slim, the local hunters and cooperations seemed to despise him. After taking stick from the local police forces, whose lives Slater saved in a mission, he felt badly depreciated and wanted to leave very quickly.
Once the Zoner transport finally arrived at Deshima, Slater asked if he could tag along and learn of new systems and bases to explore and possibly profit from. After much bargaining (and drinking) the Zoner agreed to the deal. Slaters protection, for the Zoners knowledge. The Zoner got into his Train and Slater got into his Hammerhead, where they both left for the Sigma systems. This route was chosen to avoid any Hackers, Liberty officers and the pesky Xenos.
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The Sigma systems were interesting... Outcasts were tricky to get past, you never knew if they were going to attack or leave you along, or rob you blind. We had to keep up the speed and keep trekking on to the Omega systems.
Eventually the pair reached Freeport 5 in Omega 41. The pair were then immediately greeted by some tired looking Doctors, it seemed we had to be treated for radiation poisoning we had 'acquired' from the friendly Omega 41 system... The nurses were nice:)
But my time on this Freeport was short, as I have acquired information to the whereabouts of Rostock base from a fellow hunter. It seemed my reputation reached Rostock and they had a Manta waiting for me, I heard rumors of these ships, very powerful for their class. As long as I had the funding, which off course I did. I rushed to my ship and left a nice tip for that friendly hunter.
Getting to that jump hole was tricky, I was greeted by a pack of Centurion fighters, seriously, what did I do to annoy them? Well I guess I did have a fling with that nurse they had an eye on, but thats not the point whats with them? A fight broke out and I just managed to get out of it. Feeling annoyed I left the escape pods out there, but I send a beacon towards the pods to let the Corsairs know where their brethren are, but I 'forgot' to set it the the Corsair only frequency... I wonder who picked them up?
I managed to get to the Omega 15 system quickly after that and I was shown a binary suns in my face as soon as I jumped in, by Christ they were blinding. If I knew they were that bright I would have kept my visor on. I fired up the nav map and set the autopilot to go to Rostock.
I approached the station and docked with it soon afterwards, those freighters take ages to dock, and they ramble on about the pirates that 'supposedly' pirated them. I mean come on, if you get pirated don't brag about it.
Upon docking I saw the arms dealer I was told to meet. He seemed like an experienced sort, rough around the edges, but the size of a giant, not the sort you want to mess with in the bar. We walked to the hanger bay where I saw a gleaming Manta, I was in love, screw the Hammerhead. This ship had the best power plant and shielding system and to top it off a bigger hold. I could now fit my air hockey table! I was happy to see it and wanted to make it mine. I asked the dealer the price, it was high, but if I sold my ship to him it would be a decent deal. I accepted it. I then christened the ship, I called her the Sheffield Buckshot. It marks where I began as a Hunter and where I got most of my help. A nice tribute don't you think?
I stayed at Rostock for a short while, then I overheard on the BHGNS (The Bounty Hunter Guild News Serveice), it would seem the LPI wants people to hunt down criminals in the Liberty systems. About time I earned some scratch at home...
*At this time Slater is making his way home, to Liberty*
Be advised this character bio is now out of date and deemed void. Yours sincerely, Fletcher.
4th March 2012
Sigma Shenanigans
Slater spent some time in Liberty earning some bread, and visiting his old home on Texas, looked like some freeloaders moved in on his home. He was stressed out and needed time to think.
Slater left for the Kusari border systems of Sigma, apparently they are the best thing to see if you want to unwind, turns out the Hawaii is stationed there too, the jewel of the Orbital Spa and Cruise company.
Going through Kusari was always a pain for Slater, the Farmers Alliance were still sore after he blew away a few of their ships in a skirmish a month or two back. They had a good memory, luckily their equipment didn't reflect this... The repair crews would be happy at least. Once Slater got to the Honshu system, he found the Sigma 19 jump gate, he gated through after entering the codes to open the gate.
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"Welcome to Sigma 19, system of the blue fuel". This is what the GMG auto announcement said once he gated through to Sigma 19, all that you could see was blue gas, its like flying through a Bretonian Aquas Ale, blue and cloudy. Upon finding the nearest trade lane, Slater flew to the Gas Miner Ogashawa, what a sight. A pocket in the gas allowed him to see the splendor of the Ogashawa's spider-like conduits and walkways that make it one of the largest structures he has ever seen.
"Sheffield Buckshot to Ogashawa Control, Sheffield Buckshot to Ogashawa Control, this is Bounty Hunter Slater, I am requesting permission to land, refuel and re-arm if possible. Over"
"This is Ogashawa Control we read you loud and clear Sheffield Buckshot, welcome to the Gas Miner Ogashawa, finest station in the Sigma's. Our repair engineers will be standing by and be ready to pay the fee's when asked to. You are cleared to dock in Dock 2, over."
"Uh that is affirmative Control, wouldn't expect anything less. Coming into docking pattern, autopilot engaged. Over and out"
Slater docked with the station where he was greeted by a pair of engineers, they appeared to be twins. They looked, dressed, hell even talked the same. It was kind of eerie, but they seemed friendly and skilled enough. I asked them to give my ship the level 2 treatment, refuel, re-arm and any repairs that are necessary. They quickly got to work and I headed for the station's bar.
The bar was pretty decent enough, it had a good stock, a nice view through the heavy space window conduit, and the bar had many customers from what seemed to be all over Siruis. There were Bounty Hunters, Mercenaries, Gas Miners, Kusari Officials and many transport pilots from various Houses. Its like taking a few people from each house and throwing them into the cauldron.
Slater went to the bar and had a few drinks to myself, he always did that. You can't make friends as a Bounty Hunter, never know when you will get back stabbed. Slater got a call from the engineering bay, turns out my ship is ready for launch. He paid the fees in the stations credit account machine, and left to get my ship.
The twins told him that his ship had a few damaged engine components, they replaced them for him which is handy, Slater inspected the engines and they are in tip top shape. He thanked the repair teams and left the station soon afterward.
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Slater began exploring the Sigma systems, and true enough, there were many beautiful and dangerous sights to behold in these parts. Tri star formations, the 'green' planet, the Hawaii and the skirmished between Outcasts and Corsairs, the true pirates. Never tangle with them.
Flying through Sigma 17, Slater picked up alot of comm chatter on the unsecure frequencies, he listened in..
"We got him, come around and rip his wings off of him!"
"Ha-hang on my weapons are fluctuating, compensating"
"He's com-ming around for another attack!! Ev-ev-ade!"
Looks like a battle was going on, Slater was curious, and decided to slowly get closer to the battle. The sight he saw was incredible, a major fight was unfolding between the Corsairs and Oucasts. From what the scanner told him, 60 ships were in the battle, big and small. A few gunboats and a whole fleet of fighters for both sides, seemed evenly matched. Feeling cautious, Slater backed out of visual range of the fight and turned off his tracking systems, effectively running silent...
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The battle had been raging for hours, and no victor had been decided yet, the gunboats on both sides were on fire and still firing at each other, and the fighters were almost all gone, either from exhaustion or lack of fuel.
In the end both sides retreated, ending up in a draw. If only Slater kept in range to actually see the fight, watching the radar wasn't good enough. When the hostiles were gone, Slater approached the battlefield of pirates, many ships were derelict, life pods destroyed or damaged beyond repair. There were no survivors in the wreckage...
Slater began to pick through the wreckage, hoping to find viewable gun camera footage to see the fight... But in true fashion, all the computer components were shot. From what he could tell, half these pilots were fighting un-aided by the computer systems. These were damn good pilots, its such a waste to see them die like this, but they went out fighting.
Warning, ships inbound The computer sounded off.
Junkers... Typical vultures. They got in visual range of him. "Attention Bounty Hunter, this is the Junker Sigma group, you will vacate the battlefield are now, we lay claim to this wreckage. You will leave all the salvage and not take any with you. Failure to comply will result in termination"
"This is the Sheffield Buckshot, you have no right to lay claim to this wreckage, I was here first, not to mention since when do lowly scrappers give orders to Bounty Hunters?"
"You've just made a big mistake Hunter dog, all pilots, fire at will! Take him apart!"
"Prepare to be taken down Vultures!"
A skirmish ensued between Slater and about 7 Junker ships, a few collectors and a pirate transport comprised the Junker group. Slater decided to focus on the pirate transport, hit them in the pocket and take out the commander of the group. However those Barrager turrets were pretty accurate, not giving him the chance to get clean shots on the engine bays, the Collectors were a hassle with their Lancer missiles too.
Eventually, the Buckshot guns he had managed to rip into the Junker's transport's fusion core, another salvo would spell doom for the transport.
[i]"All right, all right already! We surrender! Don't breach the core!"
"Good choice Junker, take yourself and your group with you, go now!"
The group left in a hurry. Slater picked up some left over weapons from what could be salvaged and left for the 'green' planet of Kurile. He needed to repair and refuel. Not to mention rest, he's been awake for too long now.
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Slater managed to land on Kurile with no incident, but as soon as he opened the cockpit to the air of Kurile, he was in a sense of euphoria, the air was so clean and pure. It turns out the planet's microorganisms turn some elements into oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. An Earth like air quality its rumored.
Slater loved the air here, if only the scenery was the same. Nothing but murky water which was populated by trillions of these organisms. Pretty weird.
He then paid the repair crews to repair his ship while he went to the local health clinic, turns out the Kusarian girls there are great! Not to mention, Slater was hooked on the air here, and the food. the food was great, none of that Synth Paste junk.
This story and character has now been discontinued. I came to this decision since Bounty Hunter style of play no longer appeals to me and I've not had a good stint with him for a long long time.
This character has been deleted which will make room for a new character.
For those who have read the story I think you and I hoped you liked it.
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