The origins of the wing of Bounty Hunter ships known simply as “The Pack” are humble: two Hunters teaming up to take out a notorious criminal. Esther Carson was given one directive – to hunt down Jason Moore with the grim efficiency of a wild dog. He was a man of legend, Moore. One that wasn’t whispered in too many corners. He was a capable man, and was known by other capable people. No more, no less. Former LPI, former Freelancer, former Hellfire Legionnaire; current mercenary with a bone to pick with authority.
She knew that despite her skill, it wasn’t a task to be undertaken alone. Hubris is the start of a fall, as the old saying went. So she called an old friend, Jordy Meller. When he heard the bounty, his exact words were, “Jason Moore? Let’s do it.”
And so they hunted. Moore was a man of no roots, having severed all ties with any previous existence for reasons known to none but himself. Some reports had him scouring the deep Omicrons, looking for something. Others swore on their mother’s grave that they had seen him in some seedy bar of Liberty. All four Houses were implicated, even the nation of the Outcasts. It was a hunt that took the better part of a year. Eventually, however, they found him: Freeport 11. It was a showdown that started with a spectacular bar fight and spilled out of the Freeport and into open space, the two Hunter ships dog-fighting with the Sabre. Nomads materialized in the defense of Moore. Mental assaults tried to slow the Hunters, but they remained focused through sheer force of will.
Jason escaped into a thick nebula, far from what counts as civilization in Omicron Delta. More Nomads came. His ship was falling around him, flames licking the surrounding space. Small pockets of gas in the nebula ignited, leaving a trail of explosions in his wake. In the distance, as a lightning bolt cut through the nebula (which was reminiscent of the Badlands), was the silhouette of a Liberty Cruiser. Ice chilled the Hunters’ veins: rumor spoke of such a ship in the Edge Worlds. A harbinger of the end of everything – humanity, space, and even time itself.
Or so many an aged Zoner will tell you over a cup of something strong.
Luck was on the Hunters’ side, as Jason’s ship went up in an explosion that seemed, oddly enough, to be very anticlimactic. Such a long hunt, such a distinguished career – all ended in a single, small detonation. The pod escaped, but before the Nomads could rescue him (as surely he must be one of them), Jordy steadied his ship and took off several shots, disintegrating the escape pod.
Back on Freeport 11, after the kill had been reported and confirmed, Jordy and Esther sat at a dingy table in a shady corner of the bar, sipping a Zoner brew.
“You know,” she said out of the blue, eyes looking straight ahead at nothing, “when I took that job, the Guild told me to hunt him down ‘with the grim efficiency of a wild dog’. But that’s not true. Jason was the wild dog. Dangerous, deadly even. But with no control. Wild dogs need to be put down, especially if they attack humans. No, we were more like… wolves.”
Jordy shrugged.
“Getting philosophical after a job, Esther? Enjoy the pay.”
She just smiled and took a pull from her drink. It was the beginning.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[font=Impact]The Pack
Mission statement: We hunt things down. We strike from the shadows. We make Sirius a better place, one drugged-up punk or malcontent at a time. And make a nice amount of money while at it, too.
ID: Bounty Hunter Tag: Bounty Hunter Tech: Civilian, BHG, and codenames Uniform Lights: All small, slow flashing red lights (as opposed to the normal blue of the Manta).
To change, go to the Southampton ship dealer, type /pimpship and then /setitem ## <ID of SmallSlowRed>. For the numbers, do 01 to 10. Then type in /buynow
Jordy Meller
Adrian Shepard
Oliver Goodman (Southside Hunter)
Gordon Fallon
Charlie Siringo
Dominique Alelis
Current Contracts
GMG Contract Zone: Sigmas 13, 17, and 19, Okinawa, Omicron Beta Targets: Outcasts, Hogasha, Corsairs, Cardamine smugglers (Sigmas 13 & 19 only), and 'unaffiliated' pirates (must have proof of them engaging in unlawful acts). Also includes Freelancer/Mercenary GMG bombers/fighters engaged in unlawful actions. Restrictions: BHG Gunboat restriction lifted. ID and kill-cam shots required, as usual. Warn targets before attacking. Pay: 1,000,000 credits for fighters/bombers, 1,500,000 for gunboats, 2,500,000 for cruisers. 125 credits per each unit of Cardamine destroyed.
BAF Contract Zone: Bretonia, Magellan, Cortez, Omega 3 [If highlighted in red, also collectible in the Taus, Omegas 5, 49, and 50 as well] Targets: Mollies, Gaians, Lane Hackers, SCRA, generic pirates, Corsairs, Kusarian (KNF/KSP/Hogosha/FA/Samura/Kishiro), Colonial Remnant Restrictions: Be sure to include 1) the target's ID, IFF and ship type, 2) your ship type, 3) the location of engagement, 4) proof of your engagement notice, and 5) visual proof of the destruction of the enemy vessel. Pay: We receive a 500,000 credit bonus on all bounties.
700,000 credits for transports
1,100,000 credits for [KNF] [OPG] Buc| or [MR] tagged transports
750,000 credits for fighters or bombers
1,250,000 credits for [KNF] [OPG] Buc| or [MR] tagged fighters or bombers
1,000,000 credits for gunboats or cruisers
2,000,000 credits for [KNF] [OPG] Buc| or [MR] tagged gunboats or cruisers
1,500,000 credits for battlecruisers or battleships
3,500,000 credits for [KNF] or [OPG] tagged battlecruisers or battleships
If you'd like to cut a contract, put in a message here with details and pay rates. We reserve the right to refuse any contract based on a conflict of interests or insufficient pay.
Adrian Shephard stepped into the smoke-filled room of a smaller, yet somewhat busy pub in New London. The general troubling presence of the bluish coloring and the various demonic statues used as wall decoration in addition to the crowd of merchants, off-duty soldiers and mercenaries would have further influenced Adrian's mood in a negative way, but he was so exhausted that he simply collapsed into an empty leather sofa. He leaned backwards and placed his legs on the table's supports, in hopes of spending the following hours in that rather comfortable state and with a cup of tea in his company.
"Welcome to our tavern, humlbe sir," sounded a robotic voice, "what may I serve you?"
Adrian's sights fixed upon a waiter or bartender droid of some sort, wearing a comical-looking and otherwise entirely unfitting black suit. Adrian always wanted to try the famous Bretonian tea, which has become quite a custom over the centuries, an Armed Forces ensign he met earlier recommended him this specific place to try.
"I'd like to try that famous Bretonian tea of yours. Please bring me a cup," Shephard replied.
"Understood, sir. Expect service in a minute."
With that, the waiter robot walked away. Adrian's exhausted state quickly made him forget about the outside world and get lost in his thoughts.
"What a job this was. I sure didn't expect all this when those Kusarian lunatics showed up," he whispered to himself.
However, the fact that he was richer with five million credits easened his thoughts. It was a reward for taking out a dozen asylum escapees flying the most dreadful of ships to be found around Sirius, in cooperation with the Bretonian Armed Forces. The operation stamped as a 'routine cleanup' soon turned into a bloodbath as the Bretonian forces approaching Southampton Shipyard found themselves outnumbered by a battalion of heavily armed lunatics. Adrian was one of the several Bounty Hunters contracted to assist the forces of law enforcement, but he soon found himself backed by only by a sole BAF commodore. The two managed to hold the line long enough for the calvary to arrive, a Battleship with some ace Bounty Hunters arrived to pull Shephard and the Commodore out of trouble. What followed afterwards is what the Bretonian Intelligence would describe as "never happened", the only thing that could be said is that the cleaning staff of Southampton were then collecting remains with military supervision.
The waiter robot came, placing Adrian's cup of tea on the table. Adrian nodded and the machine walked away. He took a sip from the drink and lit a cigarette. Just as he was about to loose focus of the outside word again, a figure approached his desk.
"Adrian Shephard?" the man asked.
Adrian paused for a moment. He was too tired to think, so he replied with a simple "yes". He had no idea what the man's intentions were or how he knew his name, he didn't even care. The shady figure smiled and sat down in front of Adrian.
"Good. Allow me to intruduce myself," began the person, "the name's Jordy Meller. I saw you flying out there near Southampton. Let's just say, the Armed Forces is not the only ones you impressed.
Adrian was surprised by the compliment. The name Jordy Meller was somehow familiar, unfortunately he couldn't put the pieces together. He did a short, unintentional smile, but only responded with a nod.
"Very well. Does the name "Esther Carson" ring you a bell? Meller asked.
Yes, the name was familiar. Adrian opened his eyes wide as he heard miss Carson's name. Eshter and Shephard ran some small-time jobs together back in Liberty, some time ago. With that, Jordy Meller's name occoured to Adrian too, he was the guy who flew wing with miss Carson, the two of them and Oliver Goodman, another Bounty Hunter were the calvary brought in to finish up the Southampton job.
"Yes, indeed. I do know miss Carson," Adrian replied, "I also remember you, sir. Truly an amazing job you did at Southampton an hour ago."
"Well, we missed the main deal, but that's irrelevant. Miss Carson has a proposal for you, she tried accessing you on your ship comms, but as it seems, you already left your vessel."
"A proposal? Of what sort?"
"Basically put, today's events have proven that your piloting skills are adequate to fly with us. Us being a wing of the Bounty Hunter Guild, known as The Pack."
The Pack. It wasn't the first time that Adrian has heard about the small group of Bounty Hunters of measurable skill to consider. The Pack hasn't really been an organisation, more like a gathering of former loners who found each other in the roughest corners of Sirius where only madmen would wander. Actually, hunting those madmen brought them together. Whenever there was such a Bounty placed, the Pack was always there first, pursuing their target to the bitter end. Adrian had no idea who gave the name though or who thought of labelling them as a permanent group first, the hunters or their enemies. He wasn't aware of miss Carson not only being a member, but the head of the fighter wing.
Following a brief moment of pause, Adrian threw his cigarette into the ash tray and replied.
"I'd be interested. In fact, I am honored by your offer."
"Very well then," replied Jordy with a smile on his face, "Miss Carson is currently in Dublin with Goodman, going after some flying money. I will arrange your meeting, in the meantime, enjoy your relaxation. You've earned it.
Jordy stood up, shook hands with Adrian and left off torwards the door...
"C'mon Shepard, lets finish this guy, finish him!" BOOM!
"Haha, nice shot, Shepard another one bites the dust!"
Oliver Goodman had come all the way from liberty to bretonia to help Adrian Shepard, a fellow bounty hunter, a BAF commodore and a few BAF ensigns against the master criminals and terrorists known only as the Jokers. He was contacted and was told that the bretonian forces were thinning and that if they didn't recive support soon, Southampton Shipyard in the New London system would be under the control of the Jokers.
"Goodman, i've got one on me, can't shake him"
"I've got yer back".
He fired a cruise disruptor and immediately the fighters engine kill was disabled, giving Shepard some time to turn around and take down his attacker. Soon after a Mr Bill Hickok, also a bounty hunter in a 'Bottlenose' class gunship was assisting us, though his ship was destroyed by the Jokers outcast gunship but not before he was able to take out another fighter.
"Hickok, i've got you in my hold, you ok in there?" Goodman asked. "I hit my head, but yeah i'm good"
Finally, some real support, the HMS Kent, a bretonian armed forces battleship, made quick work of one of the Joker gunships.
"Nice shot Captain. Guys, i'm picking up multiple contacts on my scanners, they read as hostile" Goodman paused in disbelief. Nomads! Damnit, they seem to be in some type of bomber vessels, they're attacking the Kent, they are helping the Jokers!"
"To all vessels, this is captain of the Kent, the nomads are acting hostile, take them out! They're attacking us. Life support on deck 5 is down!"
Then the cavalry arrived for those of us who had still been alive in this epic battle. Esther Carson and Jordy Meller, both hunters engaged the nomad forces which were quickly pushed back with the skill of the hunters. BOOM! Another nomad ship taken out.
"Yeah, thats right, back home to mama!" Goodman taunted "Damnit got one of these nomads on me, shields are down" He was quick to regenerate his shields but not to the full, his shield battery capsules were down to 0. With a quick use of engine kill and a sharp turn he was able to return fire on the nomad forcing it to turn away.
BOOM! Another nomad ship was destroyed, the rest fleeing away, noone dared to cruise distrupt them because all of their last drops of energy were used in that final fight.
"Nice work everyone" Announced the commodore as he gave each hunter a hefty reward of 5 million which Goodman thought was too much, but he wasn't complaining... He landed on Southampton for repairs and caught word from Carson and Meller talking to the mysterious individual Shade. Yes, Goodman remembered the name, he had helped some pirate take out his Orca, and he wanted his credits back... He approached Shade, who was obviously outgunned, trying to escape. He tried to make a deal, and left it to chance, heads, he'd kill the xeno pilots in his hold, tails, the libery navy pirates would. The alternative being they all die. Goodman and Meller engaged the monster, Shade, though he had enough time before the fight to kill all the pilots and escaped to the Leeds gate, Goodman didn't like that, it made him angry, suddenly, he was dodging Shade's SNAC and gun fire, ripping his shields and hull apart when the oppertunity came and Shade's ship was destroyed in a matter of minutes, none of the hunters managing to find an escape pod. He landed on planet Leeds for repairs and him, Carson and Meller went into the Leeds main bar.
"Say, Goodman, has Jordy here told you about out little club?" Carson enquired. "What kind of club?"
"We, Goodman are what we have named as the pack, a group of loosely affiliated bounty hunters taking down pirates and getting specially paid contracts in the houses. So, we recons you're a good fighter, good enough to join our little group, whaddya say?"
"Hmm, i'm in, so long as i get the good feeling of cleaning space of petty, stupid thievs or big time crime bosses, and i get paid for it.....i'm in...."
Esther Carson and Jordy Meller, the names that have given me a lifetime of oppertunities, i, intend to take them.
Gordon sat staring out of the large bar windows of the station.
Ships flew past, some convoys, and what looked like a Cruiser formation could be seen in the distance. "Gordon? Gordon Fallon?" Gordon looked up to see an unfamiliar face, that of a woman standing behind him. "You're looking at him. And who are you?" Gordon replied, with a hint of hostility. "The name's Esther Carson." "Esther Carson? Where have I heard that name before..." Gordon tried to remember, the name was familiar, he was sure of it.
"Nevermind that! I've got a proposal for you. I'm looking for a new member of my group, and you're it."
Gordon looked at her straight in the eyes, to see if it was a lie or not. "Oh?" Gordon sounded surprised, but having little fame or fortune he was left wondering why she would pick him at all.
Perhaps it was a job, perhaps it was the incident outside Leeds, involving the Kusari Naval Forces.
"'Oh' Is that all you've got?" Esther looked disappointed. "We're known as 'the Pack', and you're lucky to get the chance to tag along."
Gordon didn't take lightly to Esther's attitude, nevertheless, a new source of income was just what he needed. "I've got little else to do so the answer is 'Yes'..." "Excellent, I'll meet you out in space." She replied quickly and walked off.
As Gordon watched the Cruiser fly out of the window view he thought back for a moment, on times past.
The last battle almost had him, and he was reluctant to let it happen again.
The station had provided him shelter, and time to recover from his injuries, but it had also left him dried out of money.
Living like a rat was not the life he wanted, and it was about time he got back in the game. "Let's see if the old bird can still fly..." He mumbled, and headed out towards the docking bay.
The rather old and beaten up Manta rolled out into space. Side panels were falling off, lights flickering.
It had always been like that, yet Gordon couldn't just scrap it. It was a part of him.
As promised, Esther was waiting for him just outside.
A bright beeping noise came out of the comm-system inside Gordon's ship, and a few irritated bangs directed at it corrected it to audible words. "There you are, Gordon. Ready to head out?" "Good to go." "We'll be swinging by the rest of the team, I'll introduce you when we get there."
Dominique slammed on the afterburners, making the Manta lurch forward from its stationary position, as she slammed the flight stick to the corner, its shaft brushing along her inner thigh.
The Manta came into the fray at an angle; the sharp body of the ship slicing through the battle with a swiftness afforded only to a few ships. Engine disabled momentarily sent the Manta sliding, turning to face an unsuspecting Sabre whose focus had been on the other bounty hunter.
"Gotcha." she breathed, as her fingers gracefully tightened on the trigger. Blue trails of the buckshots left her cannons, propelling themselves into empty space, only to make contact with the unshielded Sabre, sparks appearing on its hull, only to be replaced by what was now charred metal.
Dominique pulled her Manta and cut across the other, neck straining to catch every possible glimpse at the hostiles. Timing correctly, Dominique yanked on a small lever, Manta suddenly pulling backwards. Quickly, her index finger danced and landed on a small button. Just below the cockpit, several ripper mines were ejected.
"Let's go down in some fireworks, shall we, boys?"
Sending the Manta forward again, leaving the trail of blurred afterburner residue, she spun the ship around, crosshairs locked at the shieldless Sabre that was behind her mere moments ago, on a path that would put it where she just stopped. A path with mines.
A smile appeared on her face.
"Bye bye."
Once more, her fingers danced, and the dance let loose a cruise disruptor, on a dogged path for the Sabre. Missile and target met, and the third party exploded.
The Sabre disappeared from the face of the universe, leaving only the bright colours of the mine's explosion, slowly dying down.
Dominique softly pulled on the flight stick, bringing her Manta face to face with the other.
"I want you in." piped in the unmistakable voice of Esther Carson. "Let's talk over dinner."
"A wolf is first of all efficient, second of all stealthy, third of all ruthless. It tracks its prey from the shadows, and never gives up until its maw is around the throat of the prey. I am a wolf. The wolf will not fail."
A background noise of telepathic assaults buzzed around Esther's ears, but the mantra repeated itself, and she would not be swayed.
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