There he was, with the 5th´s John.Armada 100meters from his cockpit. "I see you remain clean now, after the little accident and incident happening yesterday. Good, Mr. Gambit."
Gambit had one rule above others he tried to live by, -You don´t crap where you eat- He was finding it hard to live by.
"Clean? Hell I ain´t had a bath in weeks...and like I said...then..the Stabline was for personal use...and I swear I did not know the software was bogus" Since he got busted, he decided that he would have to stay out of NY with contraband as much as possible. For a while he had to let the Fuzz get use to seeing him as legit as possible. But it did not leave a good taste in his mouth, having to stroke the pole. "anyways....you have a safe one."
"Unfortunately, not knowing the illegal state of your property does not mean you are freed from the consequences, I am afraid." said Officer Armada.
"Copy that understood," The guy must be studying to be a lawyer mused Gambit as he lined his ship up with the tradelane.
"Good, take care!" He wondered why the navy was doing LIP´s work, but it did not matter, the officer had made his point. Regardless though, he made his way over to Detroit Munitions and picked up another load of contraband ammo from his contact there.
He was on his way to Leeds, when Gambit got a text comm, telling him to meet up with Sonny, it was an honor to do the Prez a favor. They would be making a run to outfit and shakedown some kinda Race Ship Transport the club had purchased. In the excitement, he forgot about his illegal cargo and that it would be best to ditch it. Passing through the California system, he had gotten some very strange readings. Ships with an unknown IFF signal. He was a bit on edge.
The AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P], appeared as a new contact on his text screen. Gambit hit the mic on his transmitter. "Nice name Prez...where you at....Ill head that way.."
He could see the ship from a distance, before it came up on his scanners. "Wow..that is big.. I call dibs on Shotgun.".
"haha!" AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P] flashed on his contacts screen, and came alive over his headset.
Gambit figured he would play a card on the good mood. "So Prez....I know I´m knew and all..but I want the job of being your personal shuttle when you bring that thing out to play."
{AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P] "Ha sure why not hehe. Onwards!"
He fell in behind The Chick Magnet, and they both docked with the lane. They were back around the area he had tracked the UnSigs. He hit the voice activation option on his comm unit. "We had some strange signals on two ship....." Before he could say anything else, D9|Overlord showed up on his contact screen. "...and there they are." Gambit said as he looked out his cockpit window, the trade lane sweeping them past the two ships of unknown origin.
A transmission bleeds through over local frequencies from D9|Overlord "What the hell was that." and was lost. Gambit was not entirely sure if the comment was directed at him and his Prez. Before he could react to anything else.
"nomads?!?!??!"{AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P] Shouted over the comm unit.
"wut the" The lane closed down and both ships fell abruptly out of speed. Gambit was finding it hard to react to all the signals and warnings going off in his cockpit, and he started taking fire.
"GOGOGOOGOGO!!!!!"{AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P] came through loud and clear over his headset. Gambit got as close to the The Chick Magnet as he could, setting his counter measures to auto fire and hitting cruise. The Magnet did the same. Eight seconds later and 60 countermeasures spent, his ships engine went silent. He could see The Chick Magnet speed off ahead of him. He had blocked enough of the incoming disruptors to let The Chick Magnet get away. He started dodging fire and spooling up his engines again. He made it to the Cali gate and managed to get through, but he had lost sight of his Prez.
On the New York side of the California gate, it was more of the same. He caught sight of a Hegemon getting shredded to pieces, and thanks to him he managed to dock with the lanes and head to West Point. He still had no signal on his Prez and the AFCs race ship transport.
He tapped out a message on his text screen. -- did you make it out?-- Before he got an answer, he came within range of WP and the radio chatter was heavy. There were ships of all kinds all exchanging info in the confusion. He was glad to see The Chick Magnet come up on his contact list. He turned the volume down on his headset, and read the comm translations on his text screen.
[25.04.2015 22:20:05] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Nomad invasion!!!!
[25.04.2015 22:20:26] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Don´t go to the Cali Gate!!!!
[25.04.2015 22:20:34] Kevin.Arenson: nomads?
[25.04.2015 22:20:43] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Yeah go see
[25.04.2015 22:20:50] Legate.Lanius: Aye let's get these.
[25.04.2015 22:20:57] Counterfeit.Coin: Green: Time to write the list of damages done by those ships.
Gambit saw The Chick Magnet make its way to the next set of lanes, he moved his ship to follow in behind her. He opened a channel and turned the volume back up on his headset. "They just ate that hegemon like it was lunch"
"yeah" Sunny replied driely. "Onwards!"
"Understood...all clear here." Gambit was more than pissed off now about having lost his stash of stabaline to Officer Armada. He was having problems fighting off the need for sleep. After the encounter at the California gate, he thought for sure they would dock and let things simmer down.
A System advisory transmission flashed on his text screen unit.
".. we have received reports of a large, unknown structure in California..."
Sunny´s voice broke Gambits concentration on reading the advisory notice. "Nomad base!!! Bet that is what it is that is... spawning all the nomads...*kicks the hull of the ship*"
A computerized warning voice came over the his headset.
---Attention! Stand clear. Towing {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]---
Gambit realized that his Prez had to be flying that ship almost solo, with a skeleton crew. He offered a little assistance, "Catching your right fin on the trade lane power ring Prez"
"Light fighters are still better..." Sunny´s voice could be heard bleeding through an open mic, as if he was having a discussion with someone on board. His mood sounded sharp.
At first Gambit thought it was just a lack of sleep. But the got closer to The Chick Magnet he saw something that concerned him. "Sheeeeeeeaaaat...we been running around with no gunz....??." he blurted out not realizing that his mic was hot.
"Yeah man.....I got a shield...but no guns." Sunny´s tone was one of what´s-it-to-ya-got-a-problem? Gambit figured it best to keep his trap shut. He turned off the auto voice transmit option. He fell in behind his Prez and did what a [V] was supposed to do, shut up, stand in the back and bring up the rear. They lined up to take the next set of lanes.
A computerized voice came over his headset.
---Attention! Stand clear. Towing {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]---
"Oh Come ONNNN" Sunny's voice came through again in angry desperation.
--Attention! Stand clear. Towing {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]
Gambit said nothing. Kept silent, but to himself he was slightly amused. The convoy of two made its way towards the Texas system. Where they met up with Silver.Fox, and after some discussion were underway again. Gambit needed sleep badly. But, he knew that for hard core lane racers, setting up and shaking down a transport for the clubs Racing Ships was a must do run. Other club members would be showing up. He set his ship navigation controls to form up on The Chick Magnet, Silver Fox having docked with the the ship, was now on board with the Prez. The lane song put Gambit into a semi sleep trance.
Gambit had drifted off somewhere, when a voice in his headset bleed through the haze.
"Entering Omega 7" It was Sunny, but Gambit was left with the confusion of the moment. Snapping out of it. He reached for the ship controls, and gave a quick look at his contacts list. But it was to late.
"Guten Tag pilot of the ship Frank.Gambit[V], this is Rhineland Federal Polizei, please stop for control!" A husky female voice creating a void in the pit of his stomach.
He was to busy to formulate a sentence, Gambit scrambled to hit the buttons to eject his cargo of BMM´s, something he should have done systems ago, he thought to himself in hindsight.
"Evening Officer." Sunny´s voice, a much smoother silkier voice came across the comms.
"Stop!" The officer said.
"We stopped." Replied Sunny.
Gambit saw his cargo drift way, but it was gonna be hard to play it off. "Sup sir.." He said, forgetting he was talking to a miss and not a man.
"Those black market munitions, that is up." said the Officer.
"Wut Munitions..?" He went into standard not-mine-didnt-do-it-don´t-know-nothing protocols. "That stuff was there when I pulled out of the lane sir" Using sir again, still nervous about the possibility of getting the whole Club busted in Rhineland with contraband.
"Ah, that one which was in your cargo hold just minute before." The officer laughed amusingly. " I have cargo scans which says otherwise."
Gambit kept up the denial. "Probably fell off some transport headed for Leeds.."
"You were too slow my dear. You dumped it late." she said.
Gambit was about to fess up. Before he could say anything else.
"Sooo...... I guess you want a fine?" It was Sunny, asking the question as if a fine were a very dirty game played by two.
"Clever guy. Ja, definitely I want a "FINE." She replied answering Sonny in the same tone.
Gambit spoke up not wanting his Prez to pay for his own mistake. "Well...then...can I interest you in anything I have on board?...or maybe pay the fine...Not admitting they are mine...but..."
"We can pay a fine." Sonny cut him off again. His tone sweet and silky.
"Gut." said the officer. "Let me count it." It was clear to Gambit that Sunny and the lady officer were having a conversation all of their own. "Freighter with 382 cargo units of cardamine..."
"Wut....No cardamine..." Gambit interjected. He hoped she was not going to pin a bum rap on him. The club hated cardi, he could be voided out of an airlock for dealing in it.
"Cardy!??!?!" Sunny dropped the seduction and was back to being all business.
"I don't touch that stuff..." Blurted out Gambit.
"Uhm, I meant contraband." clarified the officer, much to Gambits relief. "I don't know why but these two words somehow mixes from time to time....Anyway, fine is one million credits."
"Alright, Is it ok if i pay?" Offered Sunny.
" Ja, I don't care who of you bunch pays it." Not intimidated by the fact that 3 other AFC members had shown up on the run.
"Mam...could you do a direct transfer or open a link with me?" Gambit realized the voice transmissions where stepping all over each other, and it seems Sunny had it under control. He was sure he would get chewed out later by the club. Busted Twice in two days. Not good he thought to himself. He turned the volume down on the speakers a bit, and started to read the text screen translations of the voice and text traffic between the ships in the area.
[25.04.2015 23:24:38] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Done.
[25.04.2015 23:24:42] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: You sent two million, I asked for one.
[25.04.2015 23:24:50] {AFC}-Silver.Fox[K]: Just take it...
[25.04.2015 23:24:55] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Well...... i have a big heart.
[25.04.2015 23:24:58] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: But now you are the one in the light spot.
[25.04.2015 23:25:05] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: So what we have hier...
[25.04.2015 23:25:13] {AFC}-Silver.Fox[K]: A Liner?
[25.04.2015 23:25:19] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Yeaaap.
[25.04.2015 23:25:45] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: It seems kinda big for a liner.
[25.04.2015 23:26:08] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Well you know.... big things..... big boys and big toys.
[25.04.2015 23:26:16] {AFC}-Silver.Fox[K]: Torrio: No... they are at the same size as the normal OS&C liners
[25.04.2015 23:26:38] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: Ja, I definitely heard enough about why guys need big...well, everything.
[25.04.2015 23:26:47] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Yeah.
[25.04.2015 23:26:57] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Cant get enough of it.
[25.04.2015 23:27:17] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: I guess that is the reason why you named it Chick Magnet...
[25.04.2015 23:27:28] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Well... you know. *grins* Is it working?
[25.04.2015 23:27:41] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: As you can see, it is.
[25.04.2015 23:27:50] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: Why there are no guns on it?
[25.04.2015 23:28:39] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: And what type of weapons is mounted on this magnet?
[25.04.2015 23:28:47] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Eerr....
[25.04.2015 23:30:00] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: Oh, another one...
[25.04.2015 23:30:04] {AFC}-Run.For.Love[K]: Henry: Guten tag all!
[25.04.2015 23:30:10] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: Are you going to party or what...
[25.04.2015 23:30:13] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: Guten Tag.
[25.04.2015 23:30:18] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Party? Always.So... Laura.... can I call you that? Officer Laura.... Are we good?
[25.04.2015 23:31:22] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: Nein, I'm officer Carsten for you.
[25.04.2015 23:31:25] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: Ah Well then Officer Carsten
[25.04.2015 23:32:45] {AFC}-Chick.Magnet[P]: We good?
[25.04.2015 23:32:51] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: You can move. Your big magnet cant.
[25.04.2015 23:33:00] RFP|Pdt.Laura.Carsten: I'm still evaluating it.
Gambit fell asleep again. Exhaustion taking over. He was woken up by the sound of other ships getting ready to spool up their engines.
"ONWARDS GENTLEMEN!" Sunny's voice was faint in his headset, Gambit turned up the volume to better hear what was going on. There was still a discussion going on with the lady officer, but finally they were moving on and continuing the run.
While club waited in 07, the other members had a chance to feel Gambit out. It was the first time any of them had met him.
"Hey Frank!" it was Torrio coming across the comms.
"Yo Boss,.. what ya need?" Gambit snapping to attention.
"Already now which chapter you want to come to?"
Frank had not thought about it. But figured Barrier Gate was more familiar to him than Ames or FP2. "Coronado....most likely...if that doesn't offend anyone."
"Forget Coronado! Come to Kepler! Then you get into the fun of Blackport 66!" Offered Torrio.
"Oh come now, Cor is where it all began..." Countered Antares. Laughing a bit as he did.
"Frank, can your Voyager carry a Nova?" Frank answered them as best he could.
Once the modifications on the clubs Race Ship Transport were done, the club set a course for Liberty, and once there each went their separate ways. Frank was 12k from Barrier Gate. Setting up a docking sequence. Nothing had fazed these guys. Not nomads or RFP. He was going to have to up his game if he wanted to loose his [V] and get patched. He was looking forward to a warm shower, some food and a few hours in the sack.
The chirping sound of his text screen letting him know he had a new message, was unexpected.
"So Leeds run?" It was a message from Sunny.
"Was just about to dock in Coronado..." Gambit tapped into the text unit.
"ha so no?....its ok if you cant" showed up on the screen.
It did not seem to Frank that it would be OK. He was sure it was the club testing his metal. Seeing if he had the endurance needed to be in the FC.
"I'm game if you are Boss..." He tapped back. He turned his ship around and headed back towards Liberty to the rv coordinates.
Once they loaded up on cargo and headed out, there was radio silence for most of the trip. In his state of mind, having slept minutes between hours at a time, Frank became paranoid. His two recent mishaps of getting scanned and busted might count him out.
Gambit had been following the Blazing Angel for two systems with no contacts. "I read a lot of targets in Texas...good we took the Negras." With no return answer.
"Four targets unknown in Berlin." Giving the Blazing Angel any Intel he came across.
Sonny kept radio silence, and to add to Gambits uneasiness he managed to loose Sunnys ship at a trade lane junction.
"You good?" Sunny's voice was all business.
" ahh...lost ya..which way we going" Frank hated saying it.
"Stuttgart"
"Looks like Popos in Stuttgart Bro." advised Frank
"errr.. ok get off the lanes"
"Roger" Gambit had a bad feeling, and it had been a day of bad feelings.
" ok it is just RHA" Sunny sounded calm. "don't worry"
New contacts popped up on his scanners. He hit the record button on his text unit to make sure he had a copy off what was about to go down.
[RHA]Nefarius.Karlen: Mhm...
{AFC}-Blazing.Angel[P]: Oh nooo...
[RHA]Nefarius.Karlen: I'm interested... What's that?
{AFC}-Blazing.Angel[P]: So how much from my pocket do you want?
[RHA]Nefarius.Karlen: Mhm...
[RHA]Nefarius.Karlen: Well...
{AFC}-Blazing.Angel[P]: Well?
[RHA]Nefarius.Karlen: What do you thing herr von Bartels.
{AFC}-Blazing.Angel[P]: How does 5 mill sound?
[RHA]Raoulf.von.Bartels: They are mongrels who dared to pursue us
[RHA]Nefarius.Karlen: I think...
[RHA]Nefarius.Karlen: I think more
[RHA]Raoulf.von.Bartels: And we still need to make even for some of their stupidities...
[RHA]Nefarius.Karlen: As I know... You have hunted Hessians?
{AFC}-Blazing.Angel[P]: *yawn* yeah yeah yeah...
[RHA]Nefarius.Karlen: 10 from each vessel... Ist gut herr Bartels?
{AFC}-Blazing.Angel[P]: Hmmm...
[RHA]Raoulf.von.Bartels: Ja, hessen will have its due.
{AFC}-Blazing.Angel[P]: hmmm welll
{AFC}-Blazing.Angel[P]: Na. Suck it.
[RHA]Nefarius.Karlen: As you wish!
[RHA]Raoulf.von.Bartels: Shed its blood!
It had happened faster than he could react. Suddenly the Blazing Angel spooled up its engines and made a run for it. Gambit was way out of position this time to block the disruptors, and the guns on his ship were doing little to nothing against the two RHA ships. They were slowly blowing the Blazing Angel to pieces. Gambit got as close as he could to the crippled ship.
"Frank take me and run" Sunny shouted over the comms. "Run Man!!" A computer 2voice warning came over Gambits headset. "Warning!!! Life Pods Ejected."
Gambit came flying in over the now aptly named Blazing Angel, and tractored in the life pod of Sonny and the small crew aboard the soon to be junker scrap ship.
"Alright I´m in *****" Frank could hear Sunny yell from the back of his Voyager. Gambit fired off his cruise engines, and had just enough time to make some distance while the RHA ships killed off what was left of the Blazing Angel.
Frank caught the flash of a ship full of Black Market Munitions blow up and it almost blinded him. He had made some distance, maybe just enough. But the RHA pilots were not about to give up.
"And who'll tractor yours?" said the RHS pilot.
" Just run" Sunny sat down in the co-pilots seat.
"Yea...Ill get away..no problem" Gambit tried to assure the FC Prez, that he had it under control, but he was not to sure about it himself. He kept looking at his scanners and his rear camera screen.
"let me know when you are good" Sunny not sounding convinced Frank had it under control. "20 mills was not worth it."
"Nope, Nope it was not" Frank said agreeing with him. He had the engines maxed out. He dropped the rest of his cargo to lighten up the ships load. He checked his scanner and looked at his camera screens again, they could still catch him, he thought to himself. He was becoming at expert at -When things just didn't feel right-.
[RHA]Raoulf.von.Bartels: Suit yourself
[RHA]Nefarius.Karlen: Understood herr Bartels... Returning to the base.
Gambit heard the comm chatter between the two RHA ships, but was not convinced. He kept the ship moving like a bat out of hell.
"ok...I lost them...now to find a way out." Frank looked over at Sonny, but he became fixated with the ships rear camera. He could almost sware he could see an engine trail off in the distance, but no ship was registering on the his scanners.
"All good" Asked Sunny with a raised eyebrow.
Frank Gambit ignored his Prez..getting as close to the monitor as he could.... finaly he had put it all together. "Fracking cloaker" Frank yelled.
"He cloaked on me...been following me the whole time" He started a series of short fishtales setting off countermeasures at the apex of each turn.
"Just get to the planet." Sunny barked out.
"Man that was nice move" Gambit was impressed with the tactic the RHS had used. He turned and smiled at his Prez.
"Oh wow" Sunny finally taking a look around and to the position they were in. "You are way off plane." He snapped again.
Frank kept smiling at the Prez and said nothing.
"Good luck.." he said menacingly. "HEAD TO THE PLANET....That is your best chance." Sunny put his hand on his gun.
Frank held up his index finger, as if to say wait for it. Seconds later. **Incoming Missile" The Voyagers sensors pickup a set of two disruptors coming at them, but they were to far behind, and his countermeasures were doing their intended job. Sunny took his hand off his gun.
"I had to keep it in a straight line...or he would have got me...any turning cuts down the distance when your only weapon is speed." Frank´s attention was back to flying the ship. He was tired, hungry, sleepy, no smoke, and the Prez almost shot him. If he was gonna catch a bullet, he was gonna say what he thought.
"True" Agreed Sunny,
"We should have planned that better" Frank cut him off. He had no filters anymore. ..."I could have taken one on with a sunslayer at least."
"How are you dodging and talking at the same time?" Snapped Sunny, more out of annoyance than anger.
Frank set a course for Kepler he did not have to ask where Sunny needed to go. They said nothing rest of the trip back.
