Feb 27 23:26:18 108 PA - A Surprise Request for Education
From Chronicles
Feb 27 23:26:18 108 PA.
KINGSDALE CITY MUSEUM
Having contacted Gabriel on his private frequency with a message to meet him in the Library, Terrance waits, walking slowly through the exhibits, looking at the exhibits with the various spectrums available to him. He stands before the 'Super Mastiff' examining it through the glass.
Gabriel has been coming here to the Library far more frequently than he had in the past, asking the librarians about various topics having to do with magic and combat, among other things. Nevertheless, it's not exactly well known that he does this, and certainly not by a relatively new acquaintance. Coincidence, probably.
The sound of Gabriel's boots clicking against the tile of the exhibit room echoes in Terrance's ears, and even bow.. he knows that sound. He turns to face the way Gabriel approaches from, offering a wave and a beckoning gesture to the other man. As he comes closer, he calls out, "Gabriel!" Simply to ensure he got the man's attention.
C*click* *tap* *click* *tap* The soft sounds of someone with a hard soled shoe and some sort of metallic sound hitting the stone. Into view comes a short man, his arms full with a few notebooks, and an odd book or two. His face is down, and he uses a smart cane to walk.
Indeed, Terrance got Gabriel's attention, though the man was somewhat distracted by the unusually loud clicking noise coming from his boots. Hopefully it's only audible to those with enhanced hearing. He immediately turns toward the invitation, offering a quiet wave, feeling no need to actually shout himself. Still, a "Privet kak ty," will be uttered which may slide across the otherwise quiet tile. Or not.
Terrance frowns as his hearing betrays him as he see's Rasputin come around the corner, when he was expecting Gabriel. But then Gabriel himself appears from another direction and Terrance chuckles to himself. And makes a mental note to have his ears checked.
Rasputin apparently is completely oblivious to anyone around him, it is later in the evening after all. He seems to be muttering to himself in an bizarre combination of Russian, Dragonese, and another language. He walks, *click* *tap*, towards the library section of the Museum.
It's always a tough thing to decide whether or not to interrupt someone, even a friend or acquaintance, when they seem to be doing something already, as Rasputin seems to be doing. For now, Gabriel remains the quiet man that he really is, doing nothing to interrupt the man's soft concentration and muttering to himself. After all, Gabriel's been known to mutter to someone next to him from time to time as well. As he approaches his other friend, his hand is lowered. "Hey, Terrance. You coming from lunch? Whaddya need?"
"Bit of your time is all.. And I'm going well, thank you. I asked you here because I think we can help each other.. You are a skilled and experienced soldier.. from a time where strategy was more use than upsetting a stalemate.. Something I can benefit from. I on the other hand.. have lived here my whole life.. in this world that is.. And can provide likely invaluable insight into things. And I've got the uh... factory extra's.. I think is the term I'm looking for, to keep up with you." He says, turning toward Rasputin, and raising an eye at the mutterings of the magically inclined.
Rasputin is so focused on his self mutterings, he runs into one of the displays. He drops his note books and then begins to curse as he picks them all up again. One at a time, muttering as he does so. Still off in his own little world. He seems very distracted and focused all at the same time.
With his light overcoat hanging over his left forearm beneath his chest, Gabriel can't help but look up at the noise of falling books. As the concentration is now broken, he has no trouble making conversational decisions. As he stands near Terrance, off toward the center of the room, a hand is raised. "Just a second, Terrance." He looks over to the dwarf. "Rasputin, you okay?" In point of fact, just to be safe, he starts to move toward the little guy.
Terrance heard the crash of course, but he doesn't know the little man, has never seen him before. As there was no secondary crash, or a thud of him falling he assumed he was fine. But as Gabriel turns towards him, his attention shifts to him as well. His eyes shift to a deep crimson red pupil, as he looks over Rasputin. "He's not bleeding that I can detect.. Unless he's a hemophiliac." He says aloud, his pupils shifting back to sky blue.
The echoes of fallen books and cursing dwarves aren't exactly fanfare, but they are what greets Leonard when he comes into the museum. He's even brought a browsing companion, in the form of a black-feathered raven that some might know as Edgar. The corvid is perched on Leonard's shoulder and peers out at the museum-goers as much as the displays.
Rasputin shakes his head and looks up, dropping his notebooks again. He mutters a bit and then chuckles, "Net, net. Mink OK. Justink distracteds." He chuckles, "How is goink Gabriel?" Rasputin begins to pick up all of his notebooks and writing tools again. "Dhats brinkink you to da libraries dhis late?"
The older man - though very unusually, not the oldest man in the room - nods politely to Rasputin and bends to assist with the picking up of the books. "I'm well. He brought me here." Gabriel jerk his head slowly in Terrance's direction. "Very mysterious and everything, I feel like he's proposing to me." The man offers an amused and friendly wink to both the dwarf and the man who'd invited him here. As for Leonard? Another man entering the room could probably have been overlooked. A man with a bird on his shoulder cannot. Another hand is raised in greeting, and he also looks over his shoulder, mouthing, "I'll be right back," to Terrance.
Terrance raises an eyebrow as he is unceremoniously abandoned, his.. 'proposal' going unanswered and seemingly unheard. But he has patience.. to a point. The youngish looking man settles back against a shelving unit, which in turn rests against a wall, and he watches and listens, absorbing everything around him.
"Was there a tragic accident?" Leonard asks with some jest, since no one seems harmed. "Hello, Gabriel, dobre ...vocha?..., Rasputin, and evening to you. Or is it morning, already?" If he's been introduced to the proposer before, he doesn't immediately remember.
Rasputin shakes his head and chuckles, "Dis seemink like a large gatterink for suchink a late time in da evenink. Secrets meetinks in da safest building in town?" He nods to Gabriel and smiles then looks to Leonard, "How are you doink Leonards?" He kind of shifts his gaze over to Terrance and then back to Leonard waiting for a reply, his note books now tucked safely under his arm again.
Gabriel makes to leave, reaching to pat Rasputin on the shoulder. In a laughing tone, "What? No, if we wanted to be in the safest building, we'd all be together at my place." He winks then moves swiftly back to Terrance. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to leave you hanging, but, you know -" he nods subtly over his shoulder in Rasputin's direction "- can't let an even older man fall down without stopping to help out. So." He exhales quickly and nods once. "You were saying? I have the experience, you've got the worldly intelligence?"
Terrance has been standing silent as Rasputin tries to tackle the exhibit, and Leo makes his entrance, along with his jet black bird. But Terrance's attentions return to Gabriel at his questioning. "Yes.. among other things. I was suggesting we teach each other things.. watch out for each other on the battlefield. I've a sneaking suspicion that I'm more durable than you are, with or without armor. but you know things I haven’t worked out for myself yet."
Leonard chuckles as he continues towards Rasputin. "I'm quite well, I'd say, and there's no great secret for my being here. If more than a few days pass and I'm /not/ here, that's when you should worry. Are you here for a little light reading, also?" Terrance gets a second glance, but any more might be interrupting two conversations.
Rasputin nods to Leonard and waves bye to Gabriel, "Da, you are beink heres too for researchink, da?" He smiles a bit the looks at Terrance again, then back to Leonard, "Perhapsink, dis magiks? Mink was ponderinks how I should be focusink my researchink nextink. Healinks, da." He smiles and doesn't look back to Gabriel and Terrance now.
After searching carefully, Gabriel finds a safe place on the end of a nearby exhibit of collectable ceramic plates with AFC helmets on them to deposit his small amount of snow gear. Then, with elbow cupped on one hand, chin resting lightly in the fingers of the other, his eyes narrow in questioning interest. "I've no doubt that you're more durable than me. In fact, I'd wager decent money I'm probably the most easily killable person you can find 'round these parts." The man seems amused at the thought of his own easy demise.
Terrance rolls his eyes slightly at Gabriel. "Ok.. I'm probably more durable than anyone else here.. Probably.. However from what you've told me you make up for it with the ability to NOT get shot. Or stabbed or.. whatever. Which is likely a better option. You have skills that I don't. Skills I'd like to add to my repertoire. I probably know things you don't.. You help me I help you type thing. He tells Gabriel before shifting his gaze to Rasputin, the to Leo. "Magic users huh.. interesting.." He says aloud, though from his tone it's clear he doesn't think much of magic.
"Always," Leonard nods to Rasputin, "and healing is quite handy. Something everyone wishes they knew when they need it. I'll always try to avoid needing it, but it can't hurt to be prepared. I really should look into such things, myself."
Rasputin chuckles softly and nods, "Shall we beink goink in to da library dhen? To beink continueink?" He smiles a bit, then begins to walk towards library, his leather shoes and cane clicking and tapping.
If possible, Gabriel would take the opportunity to reach and offer Terrance a friendly slap on the shoulder. "Hey, I'm just bustin' your balls, man. What're you looking to learn? You talked about strategy. That really isn't a classroom type of lesson. I mean, sure, you can teach fundamentals. Never attack uphill. If you're strong, make your enemy think that you're weak, but if you're weak, make him think you're strong." Then he shrugs slightly. "But experience teaches strategy, which is why every strategist through history has had a different view of strategy." The older man then offers another possibility. "How to throw a proper punch? Where to put a knife for best effect?" Hands are slightly out at this point, palms up, offering suggestions to a question that he's not entirely sure how to answer.
Terrance frowns at Gabriel, and shakes his head. "I didn't mean right now.. and I didn't mean the basics.. I mean battle strategy.. how to coordinate forces under my command. I've got the uhm.. ability to take control of machinery within line of sight.. Strategies on using that.. stuff like that. I can kill just fine on my own. Unarmed, armed and packing only a Fusion block."
Leonard moves to follow the tapping cane, glancing back over a shoulder to give the man with Gabriel some bemused advice. "Watch out for the old ones. They've already survived longer than we have, which means they've had to be more conniving and devious than everyone else." He doesn't even try to say it with a straight face before heading into the library. Rasputin chuckleas, "Da, da. Age and trechery," He trails off and heads towards the Library.
There's an exaggerated, amused eye-roll on Gabriel's face at Leonard's words, though he offers no retort. To Terrance, "Okay, okay. Strategy. I'll happily be an instructor. The way to learn to do things is to do things. The way to learn a trade is to work at it. Success teaches how to succeed. You begin with the determination to succeed, Terrance, and the work is half done already. I know how I was indoctrinated into early strategy, so to speak. There's a record of a famous Chinese strategist named Sun Tzu. I've read him six ways from Sunday, so I can start with that, too. Finally, and much more recently, there was a fellow named von Clausewitz. Prussian guy - so, that's German, to you. I know his teachings, too. I'll think of something. Incorporating your machine-control will be interesting." He smiles and asks, "Am I finally on the right track?"
Terrance chuckles as Leo and Rasputin take their leave, focusing his attention fully on Gabriel. "More or less. I know how to fight one on one.. or two on one.. or whatever on one. I know myself and my capabilities. But commanding others in battle, using their skills and abilities to the fullest advantage.. I don't know." He says, then lowers his voice. "I have tech built in that allows me to link into and take over machinery.. whether it's a vehicle or a weapon system. Or a weapon system ON a vehicle. I can tap into nearly the entire UHF spectrum with another implant.. and I'm trained for counterintelligence. I'm built for more than being just a front line soldier. It's time I learned how to be more than that."
"Okay. When do you want to get started? Due to my cost of living, I don't have any regular scheduled jobs. It's amazing how little you have to go out and lift bricks when you really only have to pay for bullets." Gabriel smiles. Perhaps he's quite the woodsman. "I'll happily offer up what I can, for free. No guarantees though that I'm history's greatest strategist. But I will give myself a little credit for staying alive this long. You mentioned a tit-for-tat kind of thing. I don't need it, but if you really want to pay me back, I'll think of something." As an afterthought, he says, "I wonder if I can hire a bunch of prostitutes, too." Where the hell that came from is anyone's guess.
Terrance laughs a little at that, perfectly shaped and white teeth flashing. "I meant like.. teaching you to use energy based weaponry, as projectiles don't do much in this world. For the most part. I can teach you the basics of medicine, first aid.. how to fly a chopper.. any number of things. But we'll see how it goes. As for the pay.. this should help a bit. and consider it a down payment on future lessons." He tells you, reaching into a pocket and pulling a wad of bright blue 1000 credit notes from the stack, and peels five of them off and hands them to you.
Gabriel backs away holding his hands out so that Terrance should clearly see the palms, shaking them side to side. "Oh, no no no no no. You can show your appreciation by buying me a meal now and then, something like that. Of course, I will make you cover any incidental expenses for training yourself. But no way I'm going to take that money. In fact, here." He slips some money out of his quite-empty wallet and makes change, ending up so that he has a 100 credit sum. "I'll eat at the Silver Fork tonight, my friend. Period. The rest of your money is no good here." Gabriel seems very set about that idea. Happy with what he has, determined that he will take no more.
Terrance frowns as you give him nearly all his money back. "Gabe.. I've got money. The guy who gave me my second chance left me with everything you see. And in the inside pocket of one of my changes of clothes.. he left me nearly half a million credits, half in bill form. I've gotten a few extra upgrades than he gave me.. but I'm still pretty wealthy. But .. I'm not gonna force it on you. I'll feed you when and what you want, when you want it. And I'll cover any expenses." He agrees, tucking the returned cash back into the wad and slipping it back into it's secret pocket again.
A smile crosses the older man's face as his monetary insistence is accepted. "Thank you, Terrance. Giving me more would just be, well... you know, where I grew up, in my town there was no money. People helped out other people with whatever needed to be done. The carpenters helped fix walls, so the baker would make them bread, which they would give to the farmer in exchange for a bottle of milk. The elders taught the children, the older children looked out for the younger children." Gabriel shrugs. "It was just a different time. So thank you. I'm just trying to continue a little bit of my world in this new one." There's a short pause, then, "Do you have any particular date that you'd like to sit down and start? A time that you're available? I'm afraid that I don't know how you spend your days."
Terrance shakes his head. "Not really.. but I'd like to get in one one of these investigations.. Or maybe manage to be around the next time the military needs a helping hand. I've been going over the archives in the Library.. adventurers have done so much for Kingsdale.. I'd like to be counted among that number. Even if it means the CS realizing I'm not dead."
The other man's first comment clearly catches Gabriel's interest, and not necessarily in a good way. Not in a bad way either. Just... a way. "What kind of investigation are you talking about? Do you... have one in mind that you're interested in helping with?"
Terrance thinks for a moment. "Well not too long ago.. there was a call for adventurers to help with a military effort involving the CS. I think One or two of the group died on one of the missions. Scouting or some such. The details were a little sketchy. But that's the type of mission I'd excel at. Using my built in upgrades and skills alike to keep my party safe, and bringing the hurt to the enemy at the same time. I read that the one guy was taken down by a turret. With my implant I can take control of the turret and turn it on the enemy. Or run up to the emplacement, toss a primed fusion block and be gone before they realize I was there. any number of things."
"Hmm," Gabriel says, looking possibly relieved. "That one must have been before my time. But you said that you're fast, you've got good eyes, and we already agreed that you're heavily built." The older man seems to stop to consider options for a moment. "Those lungs of yours, you mentioned filters. Does that mean that I could throw you into a cyanide chamber and you'd just sit there playing tiddly-winks until I let you out? And if you're fast with your legs, how fast are you with your hands?"
Terrance grins at the sudden surge of twenty questions. "As to the gas, yes. According to the cyber doc I consulted about my extra's.. My filters are effective up to and including nerve agents. 99 percent effective on everything. And even if I didn't want to risk the one percent, I can hold my breath for half an hour. O2 storage tank." He tells you with a slight shrug. "I can run flat out for days at ninety miles an hour, jump fifteen feet high, and I've hit a thirty foot long jump from a standing position. No doubt with practice and a running start I could hit higher distances. My hands aren't any faster than yours I don't think. More stable maybe. Why do you ask?"
After listening to Terrance speak, Gabriel gathers his snow gear and simply uses the "come here" hooking finger on the other man. "I'm suddenly feeling homesick, let me show you my place. C'mon." With that, he'll turn and start out the building, taking no further questions on anything more important than current tabloid news about who's boning who and the latest up-and-coming band-of-indeterminate-gender.
Terrance raises an eyebrow and follows him. "Uhm.. Ok. I seriously hope this doesn't involve a scapel and a wrench.." He teases, but he follows regardless.
GABRIEL'S SMALL CAMP
At a casual civilian's pace, it might take forty-five minutes or more to reach the little area that Gabriel calls home. For two fit military men, it would take far less, though the snow would add time, at least to Gabriel. Despite his ability to just keep going and going, the fact is that he's on the short side, and two-foot snow drifts can't help but get in the way. Nevertheless, when the two men break through the shielding wall of vegetation - after having followed the carefully prepared and proper turns and steps - he invites the Terrance to sit or stand, as he prefers. The half-canopy overhead and the woods have helped to shield his little glade from having much more than a dusting of snow on the ground. Indeed, despite the sub-freezing temperatures, his overcoat is removed and tossed over a convenient branch near the hammock. "I apologize for the cloak-and-dagger routine, my friend, but the museum is a very open place. In fact, the whole city is a very open place, and if you're interested in an 'investigation,' as you put it, I have one that you might be perfect for. But I have some concerns, so I thought it best to discuss it where no one even knows anyone exists."
Terrance grins openly, sitting against the trunk of the tree sheltering them both. He made no mention of hardship or irritating at moving so slow, instead concentrating on where he was being led so he can find it again, making mental notes of the readings his compass was giving him. The internal one. "Ok.. now that we're outside of ears dropping eaves.. talk to me. I'm very interested in any type of work you can throw my way. And you can trust that I can hear both you.. and anyone approaching, long before they hear us." He tells you, smiling.
A nod. "This mission of mine isn't actually any kind of secret or 'classified' or any other term you want to put on it. The problem is that I have a lot of questions about its actual intent - problems that I believe I have properly recruited someone who can help me identify. But you don't need to hear about that right now." Gabriel moves off of the tree and pulls a simple flint-and-steel out of one of his light jacket's pockets as if it were a magic trick, then gathers some stowed tinder together and scrapes a few times. Fire. As he fans the flames, "Again, this is the intelligence that I have. Its authenticity, I can't vouch for. Word is that entire towns are being destroyed up Tolkeen's direction. Not that far, maybe halfway, somewhere in Iowa. Honestly, no one is forthcoming about it, which is one of my issues. Myself, I've only seen one town destroyed, and it was truly destroyed. Just about everyone dead, dying or seriously wounded, if they were still alive." After a short pause, he looks to Terrance. "The place had been defended by a platoon of Coalition soldiers and an unknown number of skelebots. Not many soldiers survived, and they were bugging out."
Terrance simply listens, intent on gathering what information he can. "I'm not too concerned about dead CS. After what they did to me, I'm only too happy to add to the body count. But destroying towns I can't abide by. What is the actual mission though? Verifying the intel to act on at a later date? Give me a map or the coordinates and I can find out in a week or two, with no one the wiser. Or if i can find a chopper I can find out in a day or so."
"The man who hired us claimed that it was a new weapon being fielded by someone, and he wanted to investigate it, learn what it was, and stop it. His words. But our recon was absolute shit. They listened to the fucking magic users to plan it, instead of the two of us there who were actual military. Anyway, we apparently turned up something other than a weapon. Of course, I need to rely on the word of those same dumbfuck magic users." Gabriel is clearly disgusted, shaking his head angrily, but sticking to business. "Supposedly, we're up against something called 'Mystic Knights.' Combatants who can only be hurt by physical impact. No magic, no energy weapons. Just good old fashioned slugs that I've always enjoyed. If this is true, and you can do what we both hope you could do, I have good use for you." He addresses the man's other comment very briefly. "Like I said, I don't even know where we were, I had to take the word of the magic user who sent us there. Couldn't send you on recon even if I wanted to."
Terrance thinks on this for a moment. "Ok.. what about swords? I'm pretty good with a vibrosword.. But vibroswords use energy, E clips to function. Otherwise they are simply steel with a few moving parts. But if you need another sword.. my muscles are up to it. Both mental and physical." He tells you, not grinning quite so much now. "I know a thing or two about weaponry and it's upkeep. I also happen to know that a company local to Kingsdale.. one NTI.. makes and sells weaponry, specifically projectile. You may want to look into that. They make weaponry that packs a punch equal to any energy weaponry I have."
Gabriel chuckles. "Oh, my friend, I'm an old soldier with quite an arsenal behind me. I'm quite prepared to put physical hurt on them." He jerks a thumb toward the small weapons cache. "That's only the visible stuff. Anyway, yeah, vibro-swords should be fine. They may be powered, but they still physically thump. The reason I asked about gas and speed of hands is that - again, apparently - these guys don't usually go into battle in full environmental armor. Someone rips off a helmet, maybe gets in fast enough to thrust a knife under it? Even something as simple as me lending you my roll of duct tape so that you can run in and smother their optics - believe me, it has a thousand uses, and one of them is being a bitch to get off when you're in combat. But they have their magic, and they're soldiers, too. It wouldn't be an easy thing for anyone. As per your psychic stuff? I've no idea. Suppose I'd need to ask around."
Terrance thinks on this, and thinks hard. "I don't know. If they don't use environmental armor.. why not use something like bait.. or even running up amongst them and setting off a gas grenade. Even something like a stun grenade. If I have to I can stun them myself. Another implant.." He explains. He holds out his left hand, palm up. He points his first two fingers at you, and you can see, very likely.. two tiny metal pads on his finger tips. You'd miss them if he wasn't pointing them out. "Basically.. I have a neural mace in my fingers.."
"Tactical details can really be left for later. I just wanted to bring you up to speed on what I know - or have been led to believe that I know. I'm only bothering to tell you about this, quietly, because right now I *don't* trust the client. A problem which I intend to be remedying in the next week or two." Gabriel smiles. "Like I said, you have your sword, I have my tricks. So if a man named Bennet approaches you for a job with conflicting information? Thank him, and come find me. In the meantime, sit still, don't make a big fuss about it, because we do already have a team in place. Someone else randomly raising the issue could raise other questions and bring on scrutiny that I don't want, though the fucking mages are too dumb to realize it. But.. not to be rude, but unless there are any other questions that I can answer for you, I think I'm going to turn in."
Terrance nods, and pulls his hand back. "Not a problem, I can keep my information or.. uh.. lack thereof.. on the down low. Not a problem. Just uh.. you'll let me know when you guys are ready to go right?"
"Sounds good. Two things before you head off." Gabriel holds up two fingers. "First. I change the route in here regularly, so unless you want bad things to happen, call first and ring the doorbell. Second, your first lesson of battle strategy. If you find yourself in a fair fight, then you didn't plan it properly." He nudges his head toward the current exit. "Get outta here, my friend." With that, it's now time for sleep, more likely than not. Terrance can see himself out.
