Ready, Aim, Fire! (Round 8) (Boonta Eve Memorial)

[Silkenfist]

Many people like to say that the universe was endless. Some of them think of a lack of physical borders while the rest uses it as a metaphor to describe the number of possible outcomes in any given situation. However, even though they will never realize this, both groups are wrong.

This is the Outer Rim of the galaxy. It is the border between the vast nothingness and the space known to humans and the thousands of other sentient races. The planets of the outer rim were last to become inhabited and the species originating from there uphold a reputation of being underdeveloped, brutal and reckless. Likewise, the planets of the Outer Rim have always been subject to small wars, insurrections and occasional power struggles of various tribes and criminal organisations.
Tatooine might be one of the best examples for an Outer Rim planet. Its inhospitable landscape, its parching climate and its predaceous wildlife have made it the home of outcasts, criminals and refugees. Tatooine’s inhabitants make their living as good as they can as moisture farmers, scrappers or smugglers while they try to avoid the constant danger of the savage sandpeople and staying out of the schemes of the Hutts. To the big picture of galaxy-wide politics however, Tatooine’s inhabitants are mostly oblivious… which is noteworthy, since the fate of the entire galaxy would be decided on this small system more than once.
Still, even though Tatooine’s population did not care about galactic politics, the planet has been changed by the recent events. Fifteen years ago, shortly after the end of the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic had been overthrown. Through years of undermining and plotting, the aspiring politician and Sith Lord Palpatine had caused the downfall of the Republic. In its place, he created the Empire with him as head of state. Together with the Republic, the Ancient Order of the Jedi had been attacked and nearly wiped out by a sudden strike of the Empire. In the following years, the emperor met little to no resistance as he shaped the empire. While the last rebellious forces were persecuted by the vast military army of stormtroopers, the construction of gargantuan planet-sized superweapons had begun.
In its bid for power, the Empire increased pressure on the local systems, imposing strict laws and installing large military bases among them to keep the systems under imperial control – and in order to find the rebels and the few remaining Jedi. Tatooine has been no exception. A few years ago, an imperial base had been established in the orbit while stormtroopers keep pestering the few major towns with random searches and strict departure limitations.

This is Anchorhead. To most observers, it is not more than any other of the small settlements scattered across all of Tatooine: A small group of moisture farmers clutched together inside the remains of abandoned military bases. Even the persistent imperial troops are only seldom investigating Anchorhead – the bad supply routes and the extraordinary high number of sandpeople ambushes have always driven them back to the big cities sooner or later. This made it possible for the Rebel Alliance to establish a few hideouts and a small number of trusted ones inside the settlement. As more and more systems became occupied by stormtroopers, the Tatooine hideout grew in importance. But there was even more to the location on Tatooine that drew the Rebels to Tatooine and Anchorhead: There had been records and rumours about the time of the Jedi Purge, about the time when the Galactic Republic was overthrown. Many members of the resistance believe that some heroes of the Old Republic had been able evade persecutions and went into hiding. One of them was rumoured to be hiding on Tatooine: General Kenobi, Jedi Master of the Soresu and Negotiator during the Clone Wars. With the rebellious forces slowly growing in numbers, it might be the right time for him to return and reform the order of the Jedi again.

This is the Genesis. One of the few intact starships in the possession of the Rebel Alliance, it had been selected for this mission. One of the contacts in Anchorhead had informed the Alliance of a possible lead to the hidden Jedi and requested a capable team to perform an expedition into the Jundland wastes. The Alliance in Brigia quickly put together a team of young, yet battle-hardened soldiers to be detached to the desert planet. The perils on the planet itself, were not the only ones to be faced, though. After all, Tatooine was still surrounded by imperial forces on the hunt for the very members on the Alliance who would be walking straight into the lion’s den. Still, the presence of the Empire’s troops were not considered a severe risk if the planet was approached without crossing the enemy’s detection.
It had all been planned well by the rebels and in the end; they failed because of a mere coincidence. One imperial airship had been pursuing a smuggler, which brought it on a course away from the usual routes – and towards the point where the Genesis’ exited hyperspace.
Within seconds the mission turned into a disaster. The crew of the Genesis’ barely received the first intelligence of the surroundings, when the first shots from imperial laser cannons stroke their hull. Apparently, the enemy’s crew had been quick to react and gave up the smuggler for the important target. Even with one ship, the Genesis could be pinned and even more backup was available within minutes.
Surprised and flatfooted, the crew of the Genesis tried to avoid the opposing lasers while plotting a new course to escape through hyperspace. But the bad luck did not time out for the Genesis. Another salvo emerged from the turret of its pursuer, demolishing the hull and damaging the hyperdrive fatally. Barely able to manoeuvre, the crew come to a desperate decision. They revolve the ship and fire up the ion engine, sending it towards collision with the enemy starship.

This is one of the many unnamed settlements on Tatooine’s surface that does not appear on the planet’s maps. Even though it is significant in size, its inhabitants have taken steps to prevent too much attention to their domain. From above, it is not more than another abandoned base and over land; the harsh surroundings would repel unwanted visitors.
Atop one of the flat buildings, the large shambling shape of a full-grown Hutt can be seen. Proudly, it oversees the small area, he had made his own. Like many of his Hutt brethren, he had used his powers of bargaining and coordinating to create himself a small fortune and a personal realm – even it was comparably small and secluded. But things went well for the Hutt lately. He could keep raising the price for his spices constantly for the last years and his latest acquisition could prove interesting if he found someone to use it on.
It is then, that he notices small shapes high in the blue sky. The Hutt tries to focus, but he is barely seeing details beyond the two small moving points in the air. But then the two points suddenly merge into one, then turn into a tiny cloud. Just as the Hutt is about to shrug and walk away – metaphorically – a thundering noise startles him. He turns around and sees the likely cause of the cloud. From high above them, an entire starship is falling from the sky just into their general direction. The Hutt doesn’t move at all, following the trail of the ship with fascination as it just barely fails to hit the settlement itself and undergo an emergency landing in the dunes behind.
With a quick, bellowing command the Hutt orders one of the workers to fetch him the telescope. There might be a good scavenging to enjoy. But when the Hutt observes the remains of the ship and spots battered survivors slowly crawling out of their destroyed vessel, a wicked smile appears on its large mouth. This could become a really amusing day.


Previous Winners
Round 1: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26710) DarkLightDragon (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=7519) (14 contestants)
Round 2: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27939) B-Man (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=2002) (8 capos)
Round 3: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28305) Bookman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=14935) (12 pirates)
Round 4; (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28632) Alarra (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=7141) (16 cowboys)
Round 5: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29474) Bookman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=14935) (17 cavemen)
Round 6: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30904) Deckmaster (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=10143) (20 hackers)
Round 7: (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31739) DarkLightDragon (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/member.php?u=7519) (27 shinobi)


Registration for Round 8 ends Moday, 1 AM Eastern


Possible Themes for Future Rounds

Star Trek
Highwaymen (Richard Turpin, Tom King)
Fighting Jackie Chan style (Drunken Mastery & arbritary use of improvised equipment)
Royal intrigue (Roman senate, Hamlet scenario, Japanese daimyo...)
Snipers
War (England-Scotland, American Civil War, Thirty Year's)
Blaster Mages
Swashbuckling
Roman Gladiators
Jungle Fight/Amazons
Horse to Horse Combat/Huns/Goths/Mongols/Romans
Vikings
Archaeologists Indiana Jones style
007 Spies
A-Team Agents


Contestants: 28

Alarra
alec
Atreyu, the Masked Llama
B-Man
Bookman
Captain van der Decken
DarkLightDragon
Deckmaster
Destro Yersul
El Jaspero
evnafets
faerwain
Fredricus
Gezina
Gnome Barbarian
Ink
Khantalas
King of Griffins
Krursk
Lord Fullbladder
Lord Herman
Lord Magtok
Lucky
purple gelatinous cube o' doom
Selrahc
The Chris
Thes Hunter
weebl

[Lucky]

Do I even have to say I'm in anymore?

[Bookman]

I'm in.

Cause I wanna be the winningest

[Khantalas]

Well, appearantly Lucky, we do.

Though it would be nice if 'Fist remembers us and writes our names down.

[Lucky]

Maybe we should make a contract binding our souls to this game so Silkenfist has to sign us up each time.

Though this is assuming none of you want your soul all that bad.

[Selrahc]

In.


Blah. minimum character limit. I suppose I should be more eloquent in expressing my intent to join.

[Khantalas]

Maybe we should make a contract binding our souls to this game so Silkenfist has to sign us up each time.

Though this is assuming none of you want your soul all that bad.

Souls? I gave that up for my Random Banter.

[Lucky]

Souls? I gave that up for my Random Banter.
Actually... Come to think of it, Ego still has mine...

Damn, that could have been so useful.

[Silkenfist]

Sorry Lucky. No soul, no subscription.

[Atreyu the Masked LLama]

ooooh, I'm in. I don't have a llama avatar for this one. hmmmm odd

[Ink]

Pick me! Pick me!

[Bookman]

ooooh, I'm in. I don't have a llama avatar for this one. hmmmm odd
3 words.

Just.

Plain.

Scary.

:biggrin:

:wink:

[Destro_Yersul]

I'm in for this one too. Star Wars? Oh, heck yes.

[King_of_GRiffins]

This will get very interesting. It will be quite odd to read a starwars story without force or lightsabers.

Oh, yes, and I'm in.

[Atreyu the Masked LLama]

3 words.

Just.

Plain.

Scary.

:biggrin:

:wink:

I will see you dead by the end of this game! you will be bantha poodo!

[Thes Hunter]

How do you play this game? Is there rules somewhere?

[DarkLightDragon]

It's on, Booky!

((I'm in))

[Alarra]

Count me in.

[Captain van der Decken]

In again!

Curse you DLD!

[evnafets]

I'm with you too

[Lord Herman]

Sign me up!

[Silkenfist]

How do you play this game? Is there rules somewhere?

At your service, madam.

The Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26710)

[Fredricus]

Im in. Hope I survive more than the first round.

[DarkLightDragon]

In again!

Curse you DLD! Thwacky time!

[faerwain]

Braafff Hrrrf Grooall HRRRR MRHRHBRRRF ORRRRHG

(translated from Wookie: In as always, and scared of all the Llamas)

[alec]

I'm in. I've got a title to keep.

[InaVegt]

Lemme play

[Krursk]

In for this one

[Silkenfist]

Oh, almost forgot:

Registration for this round will End, Monday 1 AM Eastern.

[Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins]

I'll try this. Sounds like a wee bit o' fun.

[Deckmaster]

I'm in. Extra text.

[Gnome Barbarian]

I am in. Thank you.

[Weebl]

Contestants: 5
Alarra
alec
Atreyu, the Masked Llama
Bookman
Captain van der Decken
Destro Yersul
DarkLightDragon
evnafets
faerwain
Fredricus
Gezina
Ink
Khantalas
King of Griffins
Krursk
Lord Herman
Lucky
Selrahc
In as usual and i believe you have this wrong...

[Thes Hunter]

Thankies Mr. Silkenfist.


Yay! Sounds fun! I'm in.

[El Jaspero, the Pirate King]

Sign me up, rebel scum!

[Lord Magtok]

Magtok was based off of villains like palpatine and vader.
How could I resist?

[B-Man]

I.am.not.missing.this.round!

[Lucky]

I.am.not.missing.this.round!Someone's confident about their aim.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

I'm definitely getting in on this one. My first (and maybe my only) action of the round will qualify me for stats. Yay!!!

Edit: for another idea for future rounds. For a team oriented game, you could try doing a red vs. blue taken from Halo. I had another team idea the other day but I forgot it. If I remember it, I'll be sure to let you know Silk.

[Silkenfist]

New awards are installed. Including one customly made for the Llama.

[TheChris]

Hey you can count me in on this one! This is always a lot of fun.

[Krursk]

could I get a link to the support thread?

[Silkenfist]

Among the vast desert of the Jundland wastes, there is not much cover. Even in the settlements, there is not much refuge from the radiant heat as the small houses and narrow towers fill themselves with dry air quickly. The hangar is the not only the one exception but it also offers light work for the slaves, compared with the spice farms in the open fields where the less trusted thralls of Goorba, the Hutt were located. Working in the hangar was reserved for the one who proved to be both intelligent and loyal; not only because of the better conditions but rather because of the hangar’s precious content. In the dim twilight, dozens of pod racers lie mounted on their pedestals.

For decades, Pod Racing had been the most popular sport in the Outer Rim, deriving its popularity from the power of the racers and the immanent danger to the pilots. Crafty presenters knew how to turn the races into spectacles for the masses, establishing cult around famous racers, like the famous dug Sebulba, and creating an annual schedule of podracing events. The Galactic Republic had always frowned upon the sport, considering its danger and the amount of foul play the arbiters were willing to overlook. However, the races still took place, drawing large crowds towards them each time.
Tatooine was one of the planets to host a big podracing event. The Hutt clan Desilijic had organised the annual Boonta Eve Classic. They used the event to establish contacts to crime lords, bounty hunters and smugglers, who where drawn to the tournaments and enjoyed outwitting each other while gambling on the racers, often using the services of said bounty hunters to ensure a favourable outcome. Thus, the sport became even more dangerous when the accidents could be caused not only by mechanical or operator fault, but also by sabotage or open assassination.
These days of podracing are over, though. With the rise of the Galactic Empire, a stricter jurisdiction had begun and one of the first laws to be passed by the Imperial Senate was the prohibition of podracing. While this act alone would’ve hardly troubled the Hutts, the ever increasing deployment of stormtroopers to the Outer Rim ensured the end of the large events. While the crime lords still schemed in the background, they didn’t want to risk open infractions that would needlessly draw attention towards them.
This has been 15 years ago. The old idols are dead and Boonta Eve has been abandoned by its hosts and its fans. However, the memories of the race are still alive and with Goorba Desilijic, one of their proudest fans is still waiting for their return.

Right now, Goorba is resting in his audience chamber. The last hours have been strenuous, but the result would be well worth the effort, he put in. Before his divan-like throne, a miniature model of Goorba canyon has been laid out. Together with his assistant Cor Murena, Goorba looks down on the model.
“Cor?”
The aged Twi’lek turns to his master: “Yes, Lord?”
“I want confirmation on a few issues. Did you send a team to inspect the canyon?”
Cor fumbles with the papers, he is carrying: “Yes. No obstructions found”
“Good. Sandpeople?”
“One smaller tribe has camped north about twenty miles. We don’t expect them to attack”
“Invitations?”
“Written and ready to be sent, Master”
“The machines?”
“Intact for all we know. However, most of them are heavily customized. We can start all of them, but there might be hidden defects.”
“Good enough for me. They just have to accelerate properly.” A smile is formed on the Hutt’s face. “And now the most important feature: The champions?”

In the lower caverns of the Goorba settlement, the rebels of the Genesis are reflecting the events of the past hours. Sure, they were Lucky to survive a forced landing with little causality and at least it weren’t stormtroopers to find them. However, their ship has been trashed completely and during the landing, they had completely lost track of where they were. Also, with the captain and most of the original crew deceased, when the bridge collapsed during the orbital fight, the rebels are still in disorder. And the place, to which they have been brought, does not look promising either. The small estate doesn’t seem to be connected to any of the major cities and the commando that brought them here was friendly but they made themselves clear that they would not accept the rebels to deny the invitation. The small group looks at the exit out of the cavern. They are not visibly guarded but where should they run to. Around them, there are only hundreds or thousands of miles of desert filled with beasts and savages. And without constant water supply from the stationary moisture evaporators, they would not last long out there.
The rebels recall the open quarters of the thralls and the little force the guards were using. The desert is doing a better job than chains or blasters ever could. Still, they would need at least one of them to escape to Anchorhead and report, so they could send reinforcements and continue the mission. Glooming, they watch a Twi’lek enter the cave without guards.
“Lord Goorba wishes you in the audience chamber. Please follow me.”

The audience chamber has been rearranged in the meantime. Goorba the Hutt knew about the effect of the first impression and he didn’t want his champions to resist cooperation. He removed the usual ornamental slaves and placed two of the older advisors in their place. The guards were ordered to stay in the background and the model of Goorba canyon was placed in the centre of the room, brightly illuminated.
As his guests were led into the room, Goorba tried his best to sound both warm and convincing.
“Ah, there you are. I bid you welcome to my modest home. I am Goorba Desilijic and I would be glad to hear about you and your destination.”
The rebels seem dumbfounded for one second but one of them manages to answer: “We are crew and passengers of the starship Genesis on our way towards Anchorhead. We ran into smugglers on our way out and they felt threatened enough to use their weapons on our bridge, causing our rapid descent”
The Hutt, hearing the explanation, furrows his face. “A smuggler you say. They are not known to carry lasers that could do this amount of damage – other than stormtroopers if I may add this. Also, I wander what your business in the secluded town of Anchorhead would be. Please don’t treat me like a naïve huttling. It is certain that you are evading the Imperial Army for some reason. Maybe you are part of this Alliance that is rumoured about?”
The gasps of his guests confirms Goorba’s suspicion. Satisfied, he continues: “Well…whatever the reasons for your appearance are: I guess you want something from me. You might want to reach Anchorhead and you might want me to not call the stormtroopers. Am I right?”
Hesitatingly, you answer: “Yes. We have to deliver a message to Anchorhead and time is an issue. And we would want to avoid the stormtroopers.”
“I could arrange that, I guess. I’m not fond of their presence on my planet either if you allow me this statement. But if I consider all aspects…why should I help you? There might be a bounty on your heads, if the Empire is searching for you. Or maybe someone else would pay ransom. And even if I let you go, you would need vehicles to reach anything. Vehicles, I am not likely to get back.” He sighs demonstratively. “Tell me: If it is the easiest and most lucrative for me to just have you arrested by the troopers, why wouldn’t I do so. What could you possibly offer?”
You stand there, looking at each other, unable to speak. There is one answer in your head but it takes time until one finally speaks it out loudly: “We have seen your… workers out there. It takes only one of us to deliver the message. If you would provide one of us with the equipment to reach Anchorhead, the rest of us will be at your service to pay it off.”
The Hutt pretends to think about it, then replies: “A noble suggestion, I guess. But why would I do that if I could just enslave you right away?” He leaves his guests in suspense for a few seconds before spontaneously continuing: “Have you ever heard of podracing?”
“What?”
“Podracing. It has been popular on Tatooine for some time. Untamed racers in powerful machines, racing over the scattered surface of Tatooine. We would make great events out of it, cheering for them and choosing our champions. Most of my clan were only there for the bets but some – like me, if I may add this – were true fans of the race and the show. I know some people who crave a race as much as I do. I would be sure to grant a favour to those who participated.”
Goorba gestures for the rebels to come nearer and inspect the model of the Jundland Wastes. “This is the Goorba canyon. Many millennia ago, before the endless draught, two rivers have formed it. I have acquired and secured the canyon and the land around it because I have seen its purpose. This is, where I want to have a race to remember the old days.”
The Hutt looks at the rebels and tries to add authority to his voice. “You might not know but in the good times, there were many cases of this. One master would enlist his slaves in the races. If a slave won for his Lord, he would be rewarded with his freedom and the racer itself to make a living with it. I think we can roughly adhere to this tradition. In three days, there will be a race in this canyon. The winner will be granted a craft, equipment and directions to reach his destination. The rest of you… will stay here. On the fields, I could use more men anyway.”
The rebels gulp, then form a huddle to confer with each other. But they fail to find another way than the one, Goorba had suggested. Their mission was too important and there was not other way to leave. The rebels turn to their host again: “We accept these conditions, but we have to inform you that not one of us has experience in the competition you want to put us in.”
“Oh, this will not be a problem. Right after showing your new quarters, Cor will take you to the hangar, where you can choose your racers. You have three days to make yourselves familiar with them.”

The rebels leave Goorba’s chamber and head towards the hangar to get all the preparation they needed. In the galactic politics, they might have a shared goal but none of them was eager to accept a fate as desert farmhand. Or worse. When the starting signal was going to be heard in three days, they would become rivals.

Contestants: 28

Alarra
alec
Atreyu, the Masked Llama
B-Man
Bookman
Captain van der Decken
DarkLightDragon
Deckmaster
Destro Yersul
El Jaspero
evnafets
faerwain
Fredricus
Gezina
Gnome Barbarian
Ink
Khantalas
King of Griffins
Krursk
Lord Fullbladder
Lord Herman
Lord Magtok
Lucky
purple gelatinous cube o' doom
Selrahc
The Chris
Thes Hunter
weebl


The round starts now and ends Tuesday, 6 PM Eastern.


:vaarsuvius:: The almighty Player Statistics thread. Check out your adversaries (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29553)

:roy:: The Hall of Fame (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1686881#post1686881)

:durkon:: The Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26710)

[David94]

Don't tell me I just missed signups AGAIN? That's 2 for 2 now! Is there a record for most missed signups? Because if I keep this up, I might set a new one.

[Silkenfist]

Which is a shame, since you are pretty much running advertisements for me. I'm considering to allow registration during the final actions of the previous round already to avoid this.

[David94]

But I DID try to register last round... I said that I wanted to get in the next round. Well, I'm still pleased that I'm on your good side because I like your games. I'm already watching for OOTS Showdown to end so I can get in that too.

[Silkenfist]

David: Yes, but until now I kept ignoring these statements and looked into the registration threads only. That's what I am going to chage.

Announcement: Deadline for sending your action is extended (because of the server problems) until Wednesday, 6 PM Eastern

[David94]

So, I can't enter this round, but you are going to sign me up for next round. Right?

[Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins]

Whoah.

I am reminded of a half dozen tales of similiar style, in non-Star Wars format. You make novel-style posts good Silky. Real good.

[Silkenfist]

It is Tatooine noon. With one sun each shining from East and West, all of Tatooine is basked in a warm yellow light and even though there is no shadow, the climate is easily bearable. In the old days, podracers were sent to compete in various times of the day, from night to the scorching evenings, when the greater sun had reached its vertex, just to provoke errors and see spectacular crashes. But today, there is no need for this. With his pilots being mostly amateurs, there would be enough spectacle and casualty to witness. No point in making the day uncomfortable for him and his guests, Goorba thinks as he observes the area. In the last days, he had his slaves erect improvised grandstands to accommodate his guests. Even though he sent the invitations to this secluded place on very short notice, many podracing fans followed his call. Some of the old gamblers have dusted off their equipment and are now scurrying between the stands, shouting out their ratios and offering last minute bets, waiting to see a gesture from the Hutts. A large part of the clan Desilijic has assembled. They don’t want to miss a spectacle that could easily ensue in a black market or new trade cooperation. Or at least take opportunity of the bets once again. In addition, Goorba had contacted some of his old friends or known podracing lovers individually and even reached the famous commentator, the two-headed Troig Fodesinbeed, offering him the chance to once again comment a big event. Deeply satisfied, Goorba once again looks at the grandstands with the assembled guests. Maybe he could even call in a few favours based on this. Of course, this would depend on how well the contenders performed.

The contenders themselves are just being led into the canyon by Goorba’s workers. They had spent the last few days trying to grasp the mechanics of their assigned racer and preparing themselves for the race itself. Of course, this is not everything, they did. Many alliances have been formed to take out the rebels that seemed too likely to have the skill and engine to win. And in some cases, countermeasures had been implemented already. The workers in the hangar didn’t care about the result of the race, so they were willing to overlook when the rebels installed additional gadgets in their crafts or balefully modified their counterparts’ vehicles.
These preparations are done and the next hour would prove who was successful with them. The racers have already been put in the starting lines and the newfound racers are being led to them. On the way to their crafts, several blinks and nods are exchanged. Faintly, they can hear loudspeakers above announce the race and introducing them.

“So these are our 28 heroes, Ladies, Gentlemen and Others. As we have been told, their cumulated podracing experience accumulates to roughly one day, give or take two. We might have lost our touch on podracing, but this lack of experience will hardly be an advantage for them in this course. They will be racing through the narrow canyons east and south of your stands, with the track completed by the two short strips of sand desert, that connect the canyons with each other. Let’s hope for our racers that they see the obstacles in the passages timely. The race will take part over three rounds; the winner will be whoever crosses the finish line first. Preferably still being alive and inside a racer, but we’ve seen some acceptable exceptions in the past. Now the flag bearers have taken position on the track to give the signal. They are raising the flags AND THE PODS ARE UNDERWAY”

Hastily, the flag bearers dive for cover as the podracers start up and head towards the end of the canyon. Weebl takes the early lead, closely followed by the King of Griffins and a DarkLightTrandoshan. Behind them, Lucky and Lord Magtok are racing, in between them probably the weirdest contender of the race: Atreyu, the masked tauntaun. But not everybody has a good start. Several Racers fail to ignite at all, among them B-Man, Ink, Krursk and Khantalas. The racers of Destro Yersul and Deckmaster are not accelerating either, but neither of them seems concerned by this. Instead, they look at four rebels who have started their engines at a low pace, bringing them into a small formation at the starting line. Krursk, failing to start his podracer ceases his attempts and watches the four of them with interest.
Alec, Gezina, faerwain and the purple gelatinous cube have arranged this as soon as they realised the situation. They had no intent to become enslaved in the desert, but a simple suicide might not cause the Hutt to let go the victor. Thus, they had decided to put at least some show into it and they rigged their vehicles to explode shortly after they were started. Now they have brought themselves in a perfect line, waiting for the explosives to go off. They exchange glances for a last farewell, when suddenly Krursk runs up from behind. He doesn’t know why they are not starting, but he doesn’t have the time to care. With a quick leap, Krursk hoists himself onto the cabin of the nearest podracer, grabs the pilot and flings him away before taking seat. Krursk grins, but just as he is about to accelerate, the explosives in the cabins go off, killing the four pilots instantly and causing cheers from the crowd above. Only faerwain is mildly dizzy from being thrown out of his racer. Dazzled, he looks at the remains of the four pods. He shrugs and runs back to Krursk’s empty racer to catch up with the others.

At the other end of the sequence, weebl has left the others behind, when he suddenly realizes what the events mean. Why strive for victory if it only meant misfortune for others? The dilemma could only end badly for the rebels, but who is to blame? Weebl immediately knows the answer: “Van der Decken”, he curses. Wasn’t it the Captain who had the highest rank and failed to bring order? Wasn’t he responsible for this mess? Weebl decides, that the Captain shall not be able to walk away unpunished or even win the race by chance and be rewarded for his failure. Cholerically, weebl uses a rock formation, to turn around his craft violently, then power up the engine again to head towards the field in order to find the Captain and bring him to justice.
Weebl is not the only one who decided to assault a certain contestant, though. Previously, at the starting line, the eyes of Fredricus and Thes Hunter had met. Together they would pick off their opponents one after another. Now they are racing next to each other, gesturing at the lone racer in front of them. Evnafets would be the first one to be disposed. They accelerate and start to move to either side of their chosen victim.
Evnafets, however, doesn’t notice his pursuers at all. He is driving carelessly through the canyon. He has lost both his will to compete and to live, yet he can’t force himself to race into one of the walls. But there were other opportunities. He had overheard the others to plan ambushes and if he drove himself into one of these, he might save another rebel. Evnafets has fallen back intentionally, now he increases the power of the repulsorcrafts to gain altitude and attention of possible attackers. But just as he has pulled his craft up, he suddenly sees two other racers appear by his side. He looks into them and sees Fredricus and Thes Hunter smiling at him viciously as they close in on him, trying to crush his cabin between their armoured ones. Thes just strikes out with her racer for the final blow, when the sound of a blaster echoes through the canyon. Atop the canyon, the masked tauntaun has taken sniper position and sent a bolt clean through the head of his rival. With its pilot dead, Thes’ racer becomes out of control. It undergoes a backflip over evnafets’ craft and slams into the podracer of the puzzled Fredricus. The resulting explosion of the two podracers makes evnafets lunge forward, out of the tauntaun’s range of fire.

Several miles ahead of evnafets, the canyon opens out into the desert. After weebl had turned around, King of Griffins and the Trandoshan had taken lead. As they are exiting the canyon, they realize that nobody is following them closely. As they look at each other’s racer they suddenly notice the large ion blasters mounted at their sides, pointing in front of them with deadly prospect. Both of them start decelerating, unwilling to become victim of the others’ cannon. Merely several hundred yards after the end of the canyon, they come to a complete halt, looking at each other grimly. There would be only one way to break the deadlock, but just as they are about to use their blasters, they hear the sound of engines coming from the canyon. They nod to each other and decide to kill off the competition first.
However, both of them did not notice Lucky and Lord Magtok who had decelerated before the end of the canyon already, to carry out their own ambush plans. They stop their racers just outside the canyon, Lucky on the ground, Lord Magtok on the plateau above. They had planned this ambush to perfection: First incapacitate the racer, then kill of their rival when he was flatfooted. They both draw their blasters and wait for their victim.
As the two of them wait, Lord Herman approaches the end of the canyon. He had been trying to take place in the suicide plot at the starting line as well, but there were only explosives for four crafts. Instead, Herman had to use a different method: He had sabotaged his own turbine engine to overheat and eventually explode, which would surely prove both deadly and worthy of the event. The soughing sounds from ahead tell him that his plan is just about to work. Surely it would not be long until they snap, Lord Herman thinks, when he suddenly hears blaster fire. Lord Magtok has found him and taken aim at the engines and the cables to bring him down. The blaster rays miss the engines themselves, but they cut straight through the steel cables that connected the cabin to them. The cabin, having lost its engine, becomes destabilised and heads into a dune ahead – just where Magtok’s accomplice is waiting. Lucky takes aim at Lord Herman’s head, but he doesn’t get to shoot. The turbines land right next to him and the sudden impact causes them to finally explode and riddle Lucky with deadly shrapnel. Lord Herman seizes his chance to live another day and sneaks away to highjack Lucky’s podracer. Meanwhile, Lord Magtok, having witnessed the events, rushes down the cliff to help Lucky. He stops his podracer and runs towards his confederate when he suddenly realizes that he is just crossing through the race track. He turns around, but it is too late. With barely subsonic speed, Alarra, Lord Fullbladder and the Gnome Barbarian rush out of the canyon with low altitude. Their combined airstreams easily picks up Lord Magtok and thrusts him into the engine of Gnome Barbarian.
Gnome Barbarian curses. He was just about to catch up on his adversaries, when the accident happened. From out of nowhere, something had hit his engine. As his racer decelerates and comes to a halt, he sees the mangled remains of a human in it. Disgusted, he abandons his racer and heads towards the craft conveniently located just next to where he stopped. Shortly after, Gnome Barbarian climbs into Lord Magtok’s original vehicle, when the sound of blasterfire startles him. He cups his eyes and sees smoke ascend from somewhere in the desert. Alarra and Fullbladder were not harmed by the incident at the exit of the canyon, but as they kept racing, they ran straight into the ambush, laid out by the DarkLightTrandoshan and KingofGriffins. In the middle of the desert, two wrecked remains of racer and pilot produce the smoke to be seen even at the grandstands – to the delight of Goorba and his guests.

Behind them, weebl had finally found his target. As he turns around a curve, he sees van der Decken at the opposing end of the track section. He accelerates again heads towards the Captain. Van der Decken, however, had spotted the racer in front of him. He doesn’t know who the guy is or why he is driving against the track but he surely could not allow that lunatic to endanger the others. He accelerates in order to force the other one to back down.
Behind van der Decken a small group of contenders has formed who hadn’t received a quick racer or kept themselves in the back intentionally. Driving next to each other, Bookman, Selrahc, The Chris and El Jaspero turn around a corner and twitch as soon as they are able to see into the gorge before them. Right before their eyes, two podracers head towards each other at highest velocity. The four can only stare dumbfounded as the racers of weebl and Captain van der Decken smash into each other. Instantly, the steel cables cause the turbines to yank around and slam into the wreck in midair. The resulting explosion sends shrapnel through the entire canyon, closely preceded by a massive shockwave that causes the podracers of the four followers to capsize violently.
As they get to their senses again, the quadruple tends to their racers, trying to get them started again. But the massive shockwave and the hard impact have taken a hard toll on the racers. Three of their crafts are completely immobilized and resist all attempts to get running again. Bookman, however, has been entering the gorge as the last one and has taken less impact than the others. Therefore, he is able to power up his podracer again, albeit slower than normal.

Jealously, the three others stare at the engines of Bookman slowly powering up and the energy bands forming. El Jaspero is the first to react. He jumps out of his cart, runs up to his rival and drags Bookman out of his cart. Bookman tries to struggle, but he is overpowered and thrown down again. But still Bookman does not give up and tries to engage El Jaspero in melee again. But this time, the former pirate has fed up with his opponent. He grabs Bookman and throw him into the Energy Bands.
Grimly, El Jaspero looks down on the carbonized corpse of Bookman, not noticing that he has come dangerously close to the energy bands as well. The Chris seizes his chance, quickly sneaks up on El Jaspero, lunges forward and pushes him into the deadly bands.
The Chris, not willing to commit the same error as the pirate, backs away immediately, then climbs into the cabin. But just as he is about to haul himself in, several laser rays hit him in the back. Bleeding, The Chris falls to the ground. As the borders of his vision already grow dark, he sees Selrahc step over him and climb into the podracer himself.

At the starting line, Destro Yersul and Deckmaster exchange glances again. Finally, they nod to each other and start up their engines. With a loud roar, their podracers propel forward to reach the others. B-Man, Ink and Khantalas behind them still fail to power up their crafts, though.

[Silkenfist]

(Note to self: If the story doesn't fit in one post, I shall take it as a sign to cut down the length)


Actions:

Alarra: Lord Magtok
alec: Self
Atreyu the Masked Llama: Thes Hunter
B-Man: Timeout
Bookman: Air
Captain van der Decken: weebl
DarkLightDragon: Lord Fullbladder
Deckmaster: Air
Destro Yersul: Air
El Jaspero: Bookman
evnafets: Self
faerwain: Self
Fredricus: evnafets
Gezina: Self
Gnome Barbarian: Lord Magtok
Ink: Timeout
Khantalas: Timeout
King of Griffins: Alarra
Krursk: faerwain
Lord Fullbladder: Lord Magtok
Lord Herman: Self
Lord Magtok: Lord Herman
Lucky: Lord Herman
purple gelatinous cube o' doom: Self
Selrahc: The Chris
The Chris: El Jaspero
Thes Hunter: evnafets
weebl: Captain van der Decken


Racing: 13

Atreyu, the Masked Llama
B-Man
DarkLightDragon
Deckmaster
Destro Yersul
evnafets
faerwain
Gnome Barbarian
Ink
Khantalas
King of Griffins
Lord Herman
Selrahc


Dying: 15
Alarra
alec
Bookman
Captain van der Decken
El Jaspero
Fredricus
Gezina
Krursk
Lord Fullbladder
Lord Magtok
Lucky
purple gelatinous cube o' doom
The Chris
Thes Hunter
weebl

The round starts now and ends Friday, 6 PM Eastern.



Announcement: Player Statistics and Hall of Fame will be updated later (tomorrow). DM needs sleep badly.

[Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins]

Short version of story for lazy people:

It was sunny. Cleverly renamed forumites raced a bit. There were explosions. People died.

I realize how rude it is to put up this short form.

Also, check out that blast of death! Woowee!

[Atreyu the Masked LLama]

SHOCK! I'm in round 2....what do I do now??

[Lord Fullbladder, Master of Goblins]

Ummm.... Shoot Darklight, Llama! Keel her! Keel her with fire! Preferably before she breeds!

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

and with that, I now have 5 actions, and will now be entered into player stats. YES!!!!! In fact, I should take over as one of the suicidal titles since I have shot myself with all 5 actions. (Note to self, stop doing that with the first action of the game. It only works the first time. )

[Lucky]

(Note to self, stop doing that with the first action of the game. It only works the first time. )*mumbles about being the one it worked against...
and about dying this time too*

[Thes Hunter]

*raises a blaster stick above her head like a sand person and screams*


I should have known that Llama had it out for me! :smallfurious: :smallbiggrin:

[DarkLightDragon]

Kehehehehehehe BOOKMAN DIED Kehehehehehehe!

[faerwain]

Bwwuhahahah...nice anti-theft devices they have in the new pods, aren't they?:smallbiggrin:

Silken, your story-telling rules. I was amused by the renaming of the members, but somehow I laughed most at : The dilemma could only end badly for the rebels, but who is to blame? Weebl immediately knows the answer: “Van der Decken”:smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin:

[Lord Herman]

Woooooooooo! I survived the first round! And racked up two kills!

The story is great, Silkenfist, but I think it's a bit too long.

[Destro_Yersul]

Alright! I'm alive! What now though? What now...

Great story Silkenfist.

[Khantalas]

Actually, I couldn't send PMs because my net connection had gone wacko. Well, nothing changed, I would race fair and clean (shoot in the air, in other words), but that means I can't afford to miss the next round.

No exceptions, you say? Gotcha.

[Lord Magtok]

Wow, I'm really despised. I was shot more than the air! Yay!

[Deckmaster]

I survived! Yay! Maybe I'll win this one, as well.

[Thes Hunter]

Woooooooooo! I survived the first round! And racked up two kills!

The story is great, Silkenfist, but I think it's a bit too long.

Mah. Not too long. I think it is Le Awesome.

[Gnome Barbarian]

Thank you Lord Magtok for getting caught in my engine for I would have been blown to bits like Alarra and Lord Fullbladder. I know will have five actions and be in the standing woot

[Silkenfist]

Stuff is updated. Also, I have to issue a correction. The round doesn't end in a few minutes, it ends FRIDAY, 6 PM Eastern


:vaarsuvius:: The almighty Player Statistics thread. Check out your adversaries (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29553)

:roy:: The Hall of Fame (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1686881#post1686881)

:durkon:: The Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26710)

[Weebl]

ARGHHH! I lost my sucidal tital! Oh well Cube o' doom can have it, hes a nice guy/girl/thing.

On a more serious note I am glad I am now top of the pops Grudges!

[Captain van der Decken]

Awesome!

I died, but, still. Great!

[Silkenfist]

Cheers, curses and catcalls echo through the stands at Goorba Canyon. The guests of the first podracing event in years are receiving Fodesinbeed’s live comment from the areas not visible to them. They spectators enjoy the event, even though most of the good crashes seem to have happened in the far end of the track. But other than that, it has been a good race so far. Assassinations and accidents had been part of podracing’s charm and it is nice to know that the amateurs, Goorba provided, had the decency to follow the tradition. More than half of the racers have lost their pods and their lives on the first round already and not all of the remaining racers are still seated in their original crafts. All in all, there is no reason to be dissatisfied with the event – unless of course, you had betted on one of the casualties. Tension builds among the spectators as the two-headed commentator announces the first racers to enter the long gorge before the stands.

The first ones to approach the home stretch is the duo of Lord Herman and faerwain. Their earlier attempts to disembody themselves honourably have not worked. This time, however, they joined their attempts to make their death for the sake of the alliance certain. Just before the curve to the home stretch, they power down their engines and stop their podracers right next to each other at one side of the canyon. They then improvise a banner out of their podracers’ padding and wet sand as paint. As they are about to finish painting and tying their banner to both of their racers, they are overtaken by two other racers.
These two are Deckmaster and Destro Yersul, who had earlier decided on a common strategy to feign a launch failure and then attack the others from behind. They had been able to avoid the earlier shootouts and have overtaken their opponents. Now that they have taken the lead, they are able to exploit it. Deckmaster and Destro Yersul drive onto the home stretch, then stop their racers as well, parking them only a few dozen yards down the line. The audience in the stand mumbles a bit, but they quickly recognize an ambush when they see one.
Deckmaster and Destro Yersul proceed to manoeuvre their pods, so that their mounted ion blasters are pointing down the home stretch. But they are not quite finished when they already hear the sound of turbines. Around the corner, Lord Herman and faerwain are approaching at a slow pace. They are not attacked by their rivals, mainly because they haven’t readied their weapon yet, but also because of the banner, which the two have suspended from their racers. As Lord Herman and faerwain drive down the line slowly, side to side, the entire audience stares in disbelief at the banner tied between them. In yellow and brown, there are several lines written on it, all of them very crude comments comparing the race of the Hutts to several non-sentient wildlife species. Conveniently, the insults are written in Human and Huttese.
Even the elaborate Fodesinbeed is knocked out for a loop. Of course, the Hutts are first to react. The patriarchs of the Desilijic clan bellows a number and gestures down at the two racers. The skilled bounty hunters in the audience are in no doubt as to what it could have meant. Moments later, several dozen blasters and lasers perforate faerwain, Lord Herman, the banner and their pods.

Destro Yersul can’t help but chuckle as he sees faerwain and Lord Herman die. Together with Deckmaster, he is now in the lead and ready to take out the pursuers. He whistles a jaunty tune and waves the public above, knowing that he might become a crowd’s favourite with this style. When he hears the sound of the racers coming near, he quickly sits down again, takes the controls for the ion blaster and aims into the home stretch, waiting for the victims to appear. But instead of one target, three podracers thunder around the corner. The DarkLightTrandoshan has taken the lead, but it is closely followed by Khantalas and Selrahc.
The trio rushes towards the finish line, immediately greeted by cheers from the audience. The Trandoshan, Khantalas and Selrahc feel honoured and wave the audience. However, they could not have realized that the crowd is not cheering for them but for their rivals lying in ambush. Selrahc is the first to notice that the crowd’s cheers sound uncannily hostile but he doesn’t get to voice suspicion. A salvo of ion projectiles tears his cabin, including Selrahc himself, to pieces.
Destro Yersul looks satisfied at his victim. His bolts had hit but the other pods where out of his range. But Deckmaster had a better range with his laser cannon. He should take care of them. Without even looking at his accomplice, he commands: “Now. Shoot them. Quickly, before they are around the…”
The lack of reply or gunfire perplexes Destro Yersul. He turns around to look at Deckmaster. Suddenly he realizes that he should have done so earlier. Deckmaster had not aimed into the stretch at all. The lasers, mounted on his podracer, are pointed firmly at Destro Yersul’s cabin.
“…corner”, Destro finishes. Then, accompanied by the frenetic cheers of the crowd, he is riddled by Deckmaster’s weapons.
“Sorry, old chap.” Deckmaster says, while powering up his engines again. “But you are too dangerous for your own good”

As Deckmaster continues the race, Ink enters the canyon. As he sees the result of the ambush, he stops his racer to avoid hitting debris. But while he steers around the wreckages, he gets an idea himself. Why not prepare an ambush himself? As nobody else is around right now, Ink considers that he has the time to prepare an assault. He stops his podracer and gets out.
“Now to verify if it is true what we have been told about podracing” Ink thinks, as he waves to the crowd, showing his empty hands. Sure enough, one of the seasoned spectators realized what the gesture was supposed to mean. From high above, one blaster becomes thrown into the canyon to the feet of the grateful racer. Ink takes the weapon, gives the audience a Thumbs Up and continues his preparations. He drags the wreckages to the centre of the track to form a barrier that could be passed only by following a winded track through it. If anyone approached the barrier and slowed down to pass it, he would jump out of hiding, taking them out. Ink smiles as he looks at his work again, then hides right behind the main barrier, waiting for a victim to appear.
He doesn’t have to wait for long until he is able to hear the engines of evnafets approaching. He had run through the course at top speed for the last miles and turns around the corner with a lot of momentum. As evnafets sees the heap of smouldering wreckages, he spontaneously reassumes his suicidal plans. Adding himself to the funeral pyre of already dead comrades in front of the audience would certainly be a decent way to leave. Instead of stopping, evnafets accelerates again to hit the barrier with top speed.
Behind the barrier, Ink is alarmed by the fact that the engine noise has not died down but becomes louder instead. He climbs onto the barricade to see what is going on and is immediately confronted with a podracer approaching him and his barrier at full speed. Ink has to act in a split-second and – in a reflex – he shoots at the podracer approaching him. The bolt of his weapon hits the turbines, its strength multiplied by the energy bands between them. The front engines of evnafets’ racer are ignited by the pure energy and burning they smash into the barrier on which Ink is standing. The resulting explosion tears Ink to pieces, but evnafets is saved by the length of the cables that kept his cabin just far enough from the explosion to survive the shockwave. Evnafets’ cabin becomes ripped loose from the engines while the explosion propels it over the burning heap of wreckages.
After a few seconds, evnafets regains consciousness. He climbs out of the remains of his cabin and looks at the destruction in his wake. He shrugs and turns around. Before him, he sees to his surprise an intact abandoned podracer. Evnafets doesn’t precisely know what happened but he is not questioning his luck. He adjourns dying and continues the race.

The pile of burning debris is left behind, still being an obstacle for the racers to follow. Next to run onto the home stretch are the Gnome Barbarian and the Masked Tauntaun. They have fallen behind and in an attempt to catch up, they are running through the canyon at high speed. When they turn around the corner and see the wreckages blocking their way, they are both deciding that it would not be good to lose more time manoeuvring around. Instead, they accelerate to run straight over the debris in the hope that it won’t do their crafts any harm.
Unfortunately, they are wrong. Both of their engine arrays hit smaller heaps of debris which clutters up their turbines. Whining, their racers decelerate more and more, failing to get rid of the debris, blocking their engines. Finally, Gnome Barbarian and Atreyu come to a halt just before the end of the canyon.
The two rebels leave their vehicles and move them to the side of the canyon to free their turbines. Gnome Barbarian tends to his engine and starts working on it, when he hears the masked tauntaun bleating.
“Hey, steady girl. What’s the matter, you smell something?”
*bleating*
“Oh, them.” The Barbarian looks at the two podracers, they had shaken off earlier. B-Man and King of Griffins had reached the gorge as well and are just about to carefully steer around the wreckages. “We should have done the same thing. Now get working if you want to continue.”
*bleating*
“No. I don’t think, they are going to help us.”
*bleating*
“Well, remember how we overtook them earlier, almost pushing them into the rocks. They might remember.”
*bleating*
“No. No, I really don’t think this is a good…”

B-Man and the King of Griffins have just finished steering around the debris and are punished by the bloodthirsty audience with whistling. Between the obstructions, the audience and the need to catch up, they both are fierce and raging. They power up their engines again to continue racing, when they see something further down the track. A masked beast is standing right in the middle of the canyon, waving its arms at them. B-Man and King of Griffins merely nod to each other, then keep accelerating. With Mach 0.7, they run over the hapless tauntaun without looking back.
Atreyu, caught in the airstreams is flung away and hits the rocks behind with deadly velocity. Gnome Barbarian, having witnessed this, just shakes his head and continues tinkering.


List of Actions:

Atreyu the Masked Llama: Timeout
B-Man: Atreyu the Masked Llama
DarkLightDragon: Air
Deckmaster: Destro Yersul
Destro Yersul: Selrahc
evnafets: Self
faerwain: Self
Gnome Barbarian: Timeout
Ink: evnafets
Khantalas: Air
King of Griffins: Atreyu the Masked Llama
Lord Herman: Self
Selrahc: Air


Racing: 7
B-Man
DarkLightDragon
Deckmaster
evnafets
Gnome Barbarian
Khantalas
King of Griffins

Dying: 21
Alarra
alec
Atreyu, the Masked Llama
Bookman
Captain van der Decken
El Jaspero
Fredricus
Destro Yersul
faerwain
Gezina
Ink
Krursk
Lord Fullbladder
Lord Herman
Lord Magtok
Lucky
purple gelatinous cube o' doom
Selrahc
The Chris
Thes Hunter
weebl


Send in your actions until Monday, 12 PM Eastern


:vaarsuvius:: The almighty Player Statistics thread. Check out your adversaries (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29553)

:roy:: The Hall of Fame (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1686881#post1686881)

:durkon:: The Rules (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26710)

[Khantalas]

You know, I should have more than 5 actions by now.

Hey, I survived the second round! I rock!

[Silkenfist]

Khantalas: I don't count actions where the player timed out. Counted that way, both you and Gnome Barbarian still lack one.

[Destro_Yersul]

Yay! I got to have a cool death AND take someone with me! :smallbiggrin: This is awesome.

[faerwain]

Gaah!!! Why did I oppress the need to shoot evnaf someone??

Ah, what the heck. I got a smooth badass death scene!

*highfives Lord Herman*

[Deckmaster]

Destro didn't see that coming. Now, what to do next...

[Gnome Barbarian]

Wow Im in the thrid round...woot

[Lord Herman]

Well, at least I made it to the second round this time... and I got a great death scene.

[evnafets]

Damn it Faerwain! I'm supposed to be the one who kills you!

[faerwain]

Yeah! And I trusted you doing your job!

(Still, I love my death scene)

[Silkenfist]

Sorry, I don't have the time right now and still have not all actions. Day spontaneously extended until 1 PM.

[Silkenfist]

OK; got all actions now. Unfortunately, I am dumped in work and won't be able to do the next post. Hang in for 1-2 days. I can promise a spectacular result.

[Atreyu the Masked LLama]

It was nice to taste round 2. Excellent job, Silkenfist. My apolgies for timing out that round. I had Canada on the mind.

[Deckmaster]

I can't wait to see if I'm still alive or if I'm a stain on the racetrack.

This is so exciting!

[Silkenfist]

The two suns are standing on either end of Goorba canyon, bathing the finish line of the race track in shades of yellow and orange. The stretch leading towards the line is lined with scorched wreckages and corpses while the fine sand is trickling down to fill a small crater. On the plateaus, high above the race track, several stands accommodate an assortment of spectators. The spectators had seen a great spectacle, but now they are quietly looking into the canyon. They see one shape moving towards the finish line in small steps.

A few minutes ago, the race had already seemed to be over. After the battle at the home stretch, the field was so dispersed that the rest of the race was conducted without further collisions or ambushes – to the disappointment of the fans. However, there still were the burning wreckages, clogging up the home stretch. Still they were forming a dangerous barrier that had to be passed carefully with one racer at a time. But with the barrier standing right in front of the finishing line, it had become an interesting tactical element.
When after three rounds, Khantalas and evnafets closed in on the finishing line, they suddenly realized the problem. As they were driving head to head, no one of them would be able to squeeze through unhindered. After several unsuccessful efforts to outmanoeuvre their rival, both racers come to a halt, their crafts firmly wedged in the barrier. Khantalas and evnafets get out of their cabins and look at each other. They realize that the rules didn’t state, the winner would have to be in a pod while crossing the finishing line. They start climbing the barrier, when they suddenly hear a loud “Stop!” followed by two bolts of an ion blaster fired straight over their heads. They turn around and look at Gnome Barbarian, who had used their quarrel to catch up. Now he points the weapon mounted on his racer at Khantalas and evnafets, nervously switching from one to the other.
“Don’t climb the barrier. And now: Start removing the rubble.”
“And why should we do this?” Khantalas asks. Gnome Barbarian merely responds by shooting another bolt over their heads. Undaunted, Khantalas continues. “Well, duh. If I have to choose between your blaster and slow death in enthrallment, I choose blaster.” Gnome Barbarian looks at his adversaries irritated, when the sound of engines from behind announces the arrival of the other racers. B-Man, King of Griffins and the DarkLightTrandoshan approach the canyon in the expectance to find the winner of the race already waiting. Instead, they see the way to the finishing line clogged entirely with wreckages. Before the barricade, their former comrades are already threatening each other. The four contestants, still seated in their racers, drive up to the barrier, trying to spot a passage in it. Failing to do so, they bring their engines in a circle.
“So what do we do now?”
“The finish line is right behind the pile. We just climb over it and the quickest one wins”
“Oh no, you won’t. Whoever touches that thing won’t survive it.”
“Well, if we approach the barrier with enough momentum, we might jump over it with the racer…”
“Go ahead and try. I’ll be here with my blaster.”
“Have you lost your mind? With the engines around here, we’ll all go ballistic?”
“So don’t try and do anything hasty and we all live.”
Quickly the tempers start flaring between the six of them. Whoever was to try and reach the finish line, would face an immediate suicide attack. And while the debate between the rebels doesn’t near a conclusion, the audience above becomes impatient. Inside the canyon whistles and screamed insults can be heard. It would only be a matter of time until they would resort to rather violent methods to ensure the continuance of the race.

Faced with this prospect, the DarkLightTrandoshan comes to a decision. She backs away from the others and turns her craft around to face back.
“Do what you want. I’ll gather speed and breach the barrier. Feel free to try to stop me if you dare.” she announces before driving off. After turning around the corner, she keeps moving for a few hundred feet, then starts manoeuvring to turn around her craft again. “This should suffice as start-up”, the Trandoshan thinks, when she hears a voice from behind.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Deckmaster shouts, while running through the canyon towards her.
“Uh…what have you done with your racer?” DarkLightTrandoshan answers perplexed.
“Engine defect. Say, who has won the race?”
“Oh, the race is not over. In fact, nobody has crossed the line yet. We…”
“Thanks. That’s all I wanted to hear.” Deckmaster replies before drawing his blaster and sending a stun load into the hapless Trandoshan.

The Trandoshan awakes in darkness, her arms pinned at her side. Someone had pulled a bag over her had and tied it taut. With a lot of effort, she sits up. From somewhere behind the bag, she hears Deckmaster’s voice. “You’re up so quickly? Not bad, but not good enough, I am afraid. Now if you will excuse me: I have a race to win. I’ll deal with you afterwards.” DarkLightTrandoshan hears Deckmaster laughing, engines starting and her own racer driving off.

Deckmaster cheers internally. He almost had given up hope, but the Trandoshan came along just in time to grant victory to him. His mind wanders off to think of a suitable execution for his opponent left behind, when he turns around the corner and sees the barrier with the pods standing in front of it. He can’t see details, but this could only mean, the others have left their cabins and are just climbing over the obstacle. There was only one way for Deckmaster to win: Smash through the pile and hope for the best. He accelerates and heads towards the barrier.
A few hundred yards before him, Khantalas, evnafets, Gnome Barbarian, B-Man and the King of Griffins are observing his action.
“She really had to try…”
“Well, we can’t allow ourselves not to keep our word, right?”
“Right, I guess”
The five turn towards the tribune of Goorba. “Moritori te Salutant” evnafets and Khantalas call up to their tormentor before they look at the approaching racer again. Just as their opponent has almost reached them, evnafets and Khantalas power up their engines. The energy bands of their intertwined racers start to form, but become erratic as they touch each other. Within a heartbeat, sparks hit the burning heap and the intact crafts around. Gnome Barbarian doesn’t even hit the barrier before the explosion. At a moment’s notice, the large heap of wreckages, the six contestants and their pods are no more. Only a charred crater has remained of the scene in front of the finishing line. Slowly the sand from the canyon trickles down that crater to eradicate even the last evidence.

The crowd above takes their time to recover. The explosion had been amplified by the echo of the canyon and stunned most of them. As they look down into the canyon again, they see that not all of the racers have died in the explosion. One small figure below has just entered the canyon by foot. Stumbling, it hits the walls repeatedly but slowly it approaches the finish line.
The DarkLightTrandoshan, not wanting to wait for Deckmaster’s return, has decided to run away. With small steps, she moves alongside the canyon wall, trying to bump into it not too often. With her main concern being to get away, she is entirely surprised when suddenly applause is heard all around her. Startled, she falls to the ground, only to be helped up and freed by Goorba’s assistants moments later. As the bag is withdrawn from her head, the DarkLightTrandoshan sees, that she had just crossed the finish line – apparently as the first one.

“So, this is what happened?”
“Yes, Sir”
“No survivors other than you?”
“No, Sir. They died in the crash.”
“And how did you escape?”
“Trandoshan Physiology. And the luck to find a smugglers nest to rob.”
“Very well, recruit. You may leave now. We will send you back with a message asking for reinforcements. And a badge of honor for your deeds. Dismissed.”


List of Actions:

B-Man: Self
DarkLightDragon: Self
Deckmaster: DLD
evnafets: Self
Gnome Barbarian: Self
Khantalas: Self
King of Griffins: Self


Congratulations DarkLightDragon for winning Round 8 of Ready, Aim, Fire!


Player Statistics/Hall of Fame to be updated tomorrow.

Round 9 won't start before the 13./14. to leave the room for faerwain's Tjosting tournament and my OOTS Showdown planning threads. If you want to register early, you can do so now (There will be signups later, too.)

[Bookman]

DAMN YOUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

[Deckmaster]

I knew I should have known better than to try to take out DLD.

If I had shot the air, I'd have won.

[DarkLightDragon]

DAMN YOUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! ...

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

EDIT: *re-reads actions*

...wow...

[Khantalas]

Well, I want in for the next round.

[David94]

Me too. I'm not missing three in a row.
And, what happens in case of a tie? Like if each person attacks another person, and no person is attacked twice? Or if everyone attacks themselves? (That actually could've happened this time)

[Silkenfist]

David: The round is repeated until there is a decisive result.

[Fredricus]

I'd like to join the next round too!

[Deckmaster]

If you're already taking people for the next round, count me in as well.

[Captain van der Decken]

Uhh, I'd doubt Silkenfist would be recruiting already without starting a new thread. Anyway, in case I'm wrong, I'm in too.

[Khantalas]

If you want to register early, you can do so now (There will be signups later, too.)

You're so wrong, Captain.

[Kantur]

Round 9? I'm in!

[Weebl]

If the capitan is in, I shall kill him in what is hopefuly a valentime's special.

(ie: We are all cherubs with little heart shaped arrows...)

[Zar Peter]

I would like to play, too!

[Selrahc]

In The red hadock flies at midnight. Be outside the British Museum at 12midnight. Our agent will contact you from there. Password: Swordfish

[Alarra]

Umm...aren't you opening up a new thread for sign ups?

Anyway...I'm in.

[Bookman]

I'm in ya'll

[Gnome Barbarian]

I am also in I will win it too.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

First, I'm game for the next one. Second, it seems we need to find a way to stop DLD, she seems to be on a roll. I suggest everyone ganging up on her, but I doubt that would work since all she'd have to do is shoot herself and bring down everyone with her.

[Silkenfist]

Alarra: The new thread isn't going up before Wednesday (Tuesday, I write my last exam). But I was told several times to include more time for signups and/or allow signups during the end of the previous round as well. So I am going to try it this time.

[purple gelatinous cube o' Doom]

Hey Silk, do you have an inkling of what the next theme will be?

[Silkenfist]

Next round will start Tuesday/Wednesday to give room for my exams and for faerwain/Selrahc's Valentine tournament.

[Lord Magtok]

I'm in, and hoping to not be shot down in the first round.

[Krursk]

I'm in, and now I have a goal in sight. Won't tell anyone what it is though

[David94]

Maybe the problem is that too many people are attacking DarkLightDragon. Deckmaster handed DarkLightDragon the win by being lured into attacking DarkLightDragon. So a strategy might be to leave DarkLightDragon alone. (And since nobody ever listens to me, even when I'm right on that occasional occasion, everyone's still going to keep attacking DarkLightDragon, aren't they. :smallannoyed:)

[evnafets]

>everyone's still going to keep attacking DarkLightDragon, aren't they
Except if you look at her earlier actions in this game they have been

1 - Shoot (Lord Fullbladder)
2 - Shoot in air
3 - Shoot self

Nobody HAS been attacking her until this round.
I guess we're all paranoid suicidals. Its just that DLD was justifiably so.

[Captain van der Decken]

Oh, right.


Gee, DLD keeps winning. You should all attack her.

[DarkLightDragon]

*evil laughter*

6th sense for the win, people!

*grins evilly at Bookman*

I wish to join the next round as well >:]

EDIT: Oh, and Captain Decken?

I AM THE DEVIL! LONG LIVE 4TH DEGREE!

[Destro_Yersul]

I'm in for the next one. I'll post in that thread too, but just in case I miss it...

[Lord Herman]

Congrats, DLD!

And sign me up for next round.

[Khantalas]

I am loved by everyone! Woot!

[Captain van der Decken]

Damn you DLD.


For the Blue Serpent!

[Lord Herman]

I shoot Lucky out of boredom.

[Captain van der Decken]

You know, there is a reason I made a blue snake-thing avatar.

*grumble*

[Atreyu the Masked LLama]

please include me

[Ink]

I want to play too.

[El Jaspero, the Pirate King]

Gah! Me too!