A dark crevice at the bar's edge shifted unexpectedly, as if like an egg hatching it cracked open slowly.
Ross pulled himself out and slunk back towards the nearby barstool, dreary-eyed and lethargic as if he'd awoken from a long cryo-nap.
"Rooooiiiighhty....."
His voice crackled and slowly smoothed into its normal grungey self.
"You lot. Yeah, you lot," he almost drunkenly mumbled to himself;
"You lot are a lot o' fat lazy nits lyin' aboot loike t'is." He seemed disgruntled and still dozy, yet certainly not his angry self.
"oI ain't seen hoide er hair o' yew oot in t'e fields, an' what've oI gotta do t'ese days ey? Amuse me bloody self!"
His drink slips from the bar and smashes to the floor. He glances down on it with his drooping facial expression and looks back up, his focus loose, and continues unfazed.
"oI ain't 'ad barely anyt'in' tah do whoile t'ose Free bloody Tradin' buggers ar'runnin' 'round bloody strippin' oor fields, and t'en t'ey put me in bloody charge o' you lot!"
He looks down, suddenly saddened and sobbing slightly:
"oI ain't even been oot wit' Geoffy in sooch a long toime... oI miss the bloighter, even 'f 'e were a sloimy basterd..."
"Well t'en." He straightens himself and is back to more himself, seemingly resolute.
"S'pose oI'll 'ave tah be startin' tah droive you lot oot tah work too!"
"An' dannae get me wrong, som'a yerselves 'ave been making good work, good examples. An' soon, we'll even 'ave t'is new Kings Cross t'ing t'ose lasses 'ave been workin' wit' in Bowex..."
His eyes suddenly glisten.
"WE'LL BE SELLIN' ORE 'ROUND T'E CLOCK AN' oI DANNAE EVEN 'AVE TAH BE OOT SELLIN' TAH THE BLOIGHTERS!"
Ian's ecstatic face remains, almost picturesque and as bright as the spark in his eye as he turns around and continues scribbling on napkins, furious with enthusiasm.
One face in the bar looks up from a table, toward him as he turns, noticing something may just have happened.
Ian looked around the bar, searching for any sign of life. He ignores a scurry in the corner and the glistening of a beady eye.
"Dang it, Dink must've built a better bar on that damned Port Smallwood of his. Took all the blighters with 'im."
He looks around the bar again and back blankly towards the wall behind the bar, as he begins chatting to himself.
"Well lads, you'll never know what I saw today. Runnin' 'round Dublin, keepin' out a keen eye fer mollies, an' I spot somethin' diff'rent! Spotted a bloody base oI did! 'Ere, 'ava look at her."
He lays two printouts of images on the bar and leaves them, glancing at them to his side briefly, pausing to remember.
"Got closer, had a look, an' it's somethin' called the "Goldern Coin". Don't have a bloody idea who says golden loike that, and I ought to bloody know!"
"Got to tell you, oI'm a little scared... Dublin ain't got many friendly people in it these days, an' that base is bound to be bad news..."
"BUT I'LL BE DAMNED IF I LET THOSE BASTARDS TAKE ANOTHER FIELD FROM US!"
He settles, returns to his lonely mumbling and slowly slumps over the bar as the lights automatically dim...
Michael steps into the bar with a smirk on his face
Ey there mining laddies! Guess what??? Ye're right! Christmas is closin'! And I've got to give my wife a nice gift...
...all this year I mined harder than ever! Got tons and tons of ore every mornin'! Hauled loads of super alloys to Port Talbot! Killed lots of mollies in Dub' and cannibals in Cam' 'nd Omega 3!!! Ye can see I am a genuine breton moiner. I do 'em all and bloody well!
'Dat bein' said.... maybe I really worth a fair bonus! Ye kno'. For my family, my dong and... me' throat.
So Boss!?!? What ye waitn' for! It's giftin' time!
I am Robert Kent, a BMM miner. I was at the bar of the Battleship Essex when the alert sounded. Two BMM miners were being attacked by 2 Bombers, Red ` Flare and Chrome`Flare at the Independent Gold field, at sector F3 of the Dublin system. One Corsair Gunboat engaged too later.
I took my BMM eagle VHF and engage them. That action allowed the retreat of the BMM miners closer to the BS Essex.After an hard fight The corsair Gunboat was disabled with help of the Battleship Essex. Later Red`Flare was destroyed. After that Chrome`Flare left the battle.
Battle Report: Red`Flare- Destroyed Chrome`Flare- Left the batlle
Nothing really cheered up Geoff like a successful romp around Dublin.
He'd been flying with Connor Hoskins, a man he'd known but never been fully acquainted with. If he'd known him, he might've skipped out on those races he'd run with him around the Hood. It was embarrassing to see a man in an Eagle eating the dust of an Arrastria, twice, on a course where his ship's superior maneuverability should secured an easy win. Maybe the guy was a pro racer on the side. Geoff liked to think that. Sure felt a helluva lot better than thinking he'd been scrubbed by a miner in a clunky ship.
Hoskins was a good wingman, though. After bumping into some fool of a Molly, who proceeded to take one look at them and run (Geoff liked to think it was 'cause he had some sort of reputation in Dublin,) he'd come across some ancient wreck from before the War, probably 'round the time of the Molly revolt. It was strange, seeing history like that. Like walking through a graveyard.
The trip into O-49 was well worth the risk, though. They'd bumped into the hole while looking for the runaway. Oh, how beautiful that light was! It made up for a thousand smog-filled days back on Leeds.
He'd been promised a drink by Hoskins. He turned to the bartender, ordering a whiskey. Of couse, none of today's events would go on the official record. He heard he might be getting a bonus today. No need to ruin a good thing, he thought, as he let the drink run down his throat.
Rose is helped to stand on the table, she looks around and taps her glass to get attention from the gathered miners in the Golden rock.
“Fellow miners.” she says with a firm voice.
“It has been a time i was in this pub and i must say nothing has changed. Except for the occasional shift in the office BMM still does its job and delivers ore as never before.” “As you have heard or known” *she grins and rolls her eyes.* “Jack Porter refuses to enter the office to do his job as paperpusher so thats where i will take over from him.”
She looks around the room for a second and takes a breath. “Even with the fall of Leeds and the loss of two of our main refineries we still stand strong. Birmingham station has taken over the main role as MOX production. With the opening of Bristol refinery we have increased the mining operations in Cambridge and i must say our efforts have result.”
Miners start to clap and cheer.
“As you all have heard” rose starts when the noise settles down “The construction of the new carrier class warship called the Agincourt class is underway. And here i need your help. We have been asked to deliver a vast amount of Beryllium and Gold ore. Off course we will deliver this.”
“On another note rumors say that Stan Graham has decided to stand down as spokesman of BMM." She smiles a second and crowed laughs ”These are lies…….. We can confirm this is apparently a joke from a group of his fellow miners Davy Bolt, Jack Porter and Peter Faredale.” Laughter again “Well done guys but prank is over now. The old chap is still doing his job." She gets handed a new glass of beer. "So lets drink… Enjoy. See you in the field…”
Connor is sitting in the bar on a barstool. He looks into his glass of whiskey, his hands are shaking.
He knows that he had luck that his ship did not fall apart. He thinks of the fight with the Molly and a flashback fills his head with thoughts that he could have died. And the fact that he killed the molly or the fact that he had broken his personal record of 1 minute and 4 second at the race track in dublin, did not make it better.
He takes a sip of the glass
But perhaps these rounds on the race track helped him to dodge the firepower of the Werewolf. But still, thinking of the moment, in the fight where his ship nearly gave up on him, lets a cold chill run down his back
He drinks the last sip of his whiskey before he gets up and leaves the bar
Introduction (supplementary short biography):
Ed Thaw is a miner and hauler for BMM with a 'chilly' past. Having little to no sense of humour, and appreciating loyalty and assiduity toward friends and colleagues, he has the tendancy to get peoples backs up; Always in the cause of righteous justice of course.
*clink* *clink* *clink* the distant clatter of old boots on Thames outpost's steely floor is heard as the bartender makes out a figure approaching from the hangar.
In enters an average looking gentleman with bristly white whiskers casting what looks like a weeks shadow upon his remarkably smooth chin.
"Errr is this the bar" he murmurs under his breath
*He pauses a second to straighten his tie; a bright gold silk windsor making a bold statement on his crinkled black shirt*
*Walking at a reduced pace now, he grins as he notices that the liberty ale pump is dismantled on the bartop, but the rheinbeir taps are shining resplendantly*
*The bartender, a slim fellow with coarse blonde dreadlocks steps towards the bar, drying his hands as he approaches
"A drink for you is it mon bruv?", The bartender enquires cheerfully.
"Absolutely sir, I'd best have your finest rheinbeir" Ed Replies
"Stuttgarter or Nuremburger sir?", asks the barkeep.
"Surprise me!" Quips Ed in a low tone, knowing full well that any bartender worth his saIt will choose the Nuremburger.
*Ed stares intently as the bartender manually draws out a pint of deep golden ale.*
"The Nuremburger then!" Ed remarks happily, chuckling quietly to himself.
*Ed slowly turns and heads towards a tired looking leather sofa, sipping at the froth on his pint on his way*
"Ahh" he sighs quetly as he sits down, at first tentatively, and leans back into what turns out to be a very comfy seat.
"No wonder they still have this worn out sofa!" He thinks to himself. "It's probably the best seat here"
"No table though!" He grumbles, at a volume he did not believe to be audible.
*A passing patron hears the grumble and hums so as to concur* *Ed looks up briefly and smiles softly*
"Should i have another?" He thinks to himself. "I'm starting to like this place"