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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Viktyr Gehrig" data-source="post: 1236490" data-attributes="member: 9249">Bluefall, in the Aegis system of the Verge: In a dimly-lit, seedy bar, five people sit drinking, spending the last of their Concord dollars on watered-down drinks as they try to figure out how to make some money. With the increased Concord patrols in the Verge (helping to mediate inter-colony disputes that threatened to break out into brush wars), they had been unable to find a merchant vessel vulnerable enough to be taken-- especially in the beaten prison transport bus they were using as transportation. The money from ransoming the pilots (and some of the more important prisoners) was rapidly dwindling, and they needed to come up with something quickly. Deakon Cross, the nominal captain of this ragtag operation, spotted a couple of gullible-looking men playing billiards in the corner-- loudly and drunkenly. A larcenous gleam shone in his eyes and he strode to the billiards tables. He slapped a couple of coins on the table and challenged, "Play you boys for the table." The large man whose turn it was to shoot smirked unevenly at this newcomer-- a pretty boy in a fashionable polymer jacket worn over a pink t-shirt with the words "I (heart) TOXIC WASTE" stenciled in. "Heh. Feel free." He made his shot, sinking the eight-ball, and Deakon paid for the new game. Deakon played a good game, but carefully controlled himself to let the other player win... He graciously conceded defeat as the larger man sunk his last, striped ball into the pocket and then took a simple shot at the eight ball. Deakon shook his head and ventured back to the other pool table. Rex McCullough, a seasoned veteran of the Second Galactic War and hardened frontier colony ex-Sheriff, quickly picked up on Deakon's plan and, excusing himself to his drinking buddies, stood. He straightened his hat, an old brown duster, and walked in the direction of the pool tables, his frontier-styled CF longcoat trailing behind him. Also trailing behind him was Zero, a fluid, graceful Aleerin in an expensive, well-tailored suit. Rex walked up to Deakon's table, and, tossing two coins on the table, shot a glance back to Zero and winked. "Watch me show this boy how it's done." He racked the balls and Deakon broke them-- and within five minutes, Deakon finished the game, leaving most of Rex's balls still sitting on the table. Deakon turned to look at the barflies again. "You up for another game? I'm not so rusty anymore." The larger man, remembering his easy victory, readily agreed. Deakon smiled, "Let's make this more interesting." Taking the last of his big bills, Deakon laid three hundred Concord dollars on the table. The large man nodded, and they set up the game. Again, the larger, drunker man took an easy victory from Deakon, and moved to collect his money. Again, Deakon smiled. "How about double-or-nothing?" And, again, the larger man agreed. Deakon allowed himself to play a slightly better game, and won a close victory. However, when he went to collect his funds, he only found his original three bills. "Hey! I thought you said you could cover this!" Deakon shouted angrily, pointing to half of his winnings. "Where's the rest?" The large man shrugged dumbly, and weakly offered, "But I put it on the table... you saw me put it on the table..." Rex stepped up to the large, drunk man and put a finger in his chest. "Now, you bet the man, fair and square, and you lost, fair and square. You're gonna have to pay him the rest of his money." Meanwhile, Zero smiled to himself. The drunk man shoved Rex, and demanded, "Yeah, and what if I don't wan--" Rex punched the man in the mouth and he collapsed into a blubbering heap on the floor. The drunk man's friends stopped for a second, and then threw themselves into the melee. One in the far corner grabbed a cue and advanced on Deakon, while another threw a sloppy, drunken punch at Rex, who easily ducked it. Deakon deftly swiped a billiards ball from the table they had been playing at, and, backpedalling, heaved it at the cue-brandishing man. The ball connected solidly with the man's shoulder, and he staggered back. Rex wound up and threw another solid punch, this time at the man approaching him. Another solid hit, and the man had to lean against the pool table for support. When he came back up, he had a knife in his hand, and he stuck it in Rex's side, just under his ribs. Zero sprung into action, his freshly activated Fast Chip speeding his reflexes to superhuman levels. He cartwheeled over the table, picking up a cue along the way, and as he landed, he swung it upwards into the knife-wielder's groin. The man fell down, and before he could get up again, Zero whipped the pool cue savagely into the side of his head. The man went down again, this time for good. Deakon grabbed another pair of pool balls from the table, and again whipped them at his attacker. A hit in the stomach, followed by a solid hit in the face, and that man, too, dropped. Deakon collected what was left of his winnings, and the three men quickly walked for the exit of the bar. The bartender was speaking rapidly into a comm unit, but a one-hundred Concord dollar bill made sure that the description he gave the police was nothing like the three men who left the bar. As the three walked towards their aircar, Zero's subdermal comm gear picked up a transmission from Samuel, the Earth-raised T'sa who served as ship doctor, engineer, and science officer. "Fat Tony's got another job for us." Music to a young pirate's ears.</blockquote>

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