Nights on the Maltese

[mrblah]

"Ah, Matera. Good ole' Matera, the best city in New America. It has everything; money, fame, people, women, high tech, good drinks, and fast cars. What more could ya want from a city? You can have all of this and more... at just the price of your safety, and maybe just your life. Matera's great, but it's the weirdest city in the world, and the 4th most dangerous in New America. Living there ain't exactly gonna be all peaches and cream. Their are small-time gangs crawling around to see the crown, and big-time crime syndicates duking it out to see who gets to have it. Matera's only defenses are the mass-produced Copy Cops armed with their variety of weaponry, and the badass SETF ops that'll kick your ass to hell and back. Shame for the common folk they ain't too numerous.

The nights of Matera are the most dangerous on the "Dolorosa" - a long strip of land famed for being mostly under mafia control. If you live near there or in there, you must be crazy, 'specially around these times when the Romanos and the Alfonsis are killing each other. It's pretty hectic stuff nowadays... and it all started in one of the dumbest ways ya could think of, y'see? On a flyin' cruise ship called the Maltese..."
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Chapter I: A Night to Remember
It all started with a party. A rare truce between the Romano family and the Alfonsi family who, while they weren't warring at the time, still had a tense relationship. Various guests from both families were bought, including the sorry saps we'll be focusing on today as the 'protagonists' of this story. Raelia Lucia Romano, the pink-haired young lookin' girly with half a brain. Aesha Romano, the taller girly who thought for Raelia. Jenny-Lee Pettimore, the hot 'n cocky super getaway driver. And Lia Raidne Romano, the much smarter sister of Raelia who liked fuckin' with her sibling.

On the Alfonsi side; we had some pretty great charactas too. Henrietta Rosewood, the big-boobed master whore of Alfonsi's brothels. Rosella Alfonsi (also known as Thorns), the also big-boobed muscle hired to protect Henrietta. Charli Alfonsi, the just as big-boobed bombshell who might blow you up if you tried to fuck her. And Olivia Alfonsi, the... significantly less big-boobed? Dealer of prostitutes, drugs and whatever else ya needed. These eight're important to this story, see? So we're gonna focus on them. Try to remember those names.

Anyways, this whole get together was for a beautiful Ms. Juliet named Aria Alfonsi, and a lucky Mr. Romeo named Luca Cesarino Romano. These two were the children of the crime bosses Crazy Al' and K.K, and were meant to be married on the Maltese as a token of faith and a sign of their truce. It helped that the two seemed to really get along well with one another. The marriage would unite the two families and act as the bond between them, where they'd start a new family that would control the entirety of Matera's underworld. Naturally, such a marriage was kept on the hush hush from their enemies. In fact; only trusted advisers and some guards were allowed on the vehicle. All of 'em either apart of one of the families or closely affiliated enough to get an invite.

At the moment of the ceremony, everyone was allowed into the big room fashioned for just that occasion. The pastor... or father... whoever, was reading their vows while the lovebirds looked into one another's eyes... but just before they could say "I do" - tragedy struck in the form of two bullets.

Nobody knows who fired them. Both shots were fired at the same time, both bodies dropped at the same time. Chaos was quick to erupt. Tables were knocked over, guns were pulled out, and men and women painted the ceremony red. The few who were smart enough to run were the few who survived... unless you were crazy Al', who just stayed and killed everyone he saw. It was a terrible night for peace, and a great one for chaos. And this is where we start our story. Here, at the worst night on the Maltese.
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RandomRoninKitten and Littlemankitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

As soon as the chaos had started, Raelia knew to get to Aesha and get out of there as fast as possible. The shit was really hitting the fan in this ceremony, and there was no stopping it once the two fiances started dying. The two had met up, and when a moment in the gunfire showed itself - they ran for the exit, not looking back or thinking of anything but survival. [Agility checks; Hard. Raelia = 11. Aesha = 17.]

Neither of the two could escape unscathed. Raelia took most of the brunt of the attacks as she was behind Aesha, but both of them took some amount of damage. [-0 to Raelia! Good thing she had her shield. -3 to Aesha!]

Once they left the room, they discovered that their standard-issue Romano ComChips were being jammed! More and more, this situation seemed totally planned... the idea of the Alfonsi setting them up was the first thought they had. Knowing how crazy Grandfather Alfonsi was, it seemed plausible that he'd kill his own daughter for the sake of being the biggest crime syndicate in Matera... but whether or not they dismissed this thought as untrue after some deliberation, one thing was for certain; the peace between the two families was destroyed, and it'd never be fixed.

Now, they were in a relatively safer area, away from the action. They had time to plan... and think. Both girls had their sub weapons, but they left their main weapons in their rooms. It was safe to assume all Alfonsi mobsters were hostile. Their shields were working and active, and... either their allies at the ceremony escaped or they're dead, but their position may end up flooded with people. The two were only in a resting room a walk away from the ceremony.

Raelia Lucia Romano
Health: 28/28. | Shield: 8/8.
Status: No effects.

Aesha Romano
Health: 30/30. | Shield: 9/12.
Status: No effects.

exalted and NPC

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Jenny had been sitting calmly in the back row, when the shit hit the fan. Guns... bullets... people were dying everywhere. She was one of the few quick to duck under a table, where she met Lia. The girl recognized her as a fellow Romano, and signaled for them to make a break for the right door. Jenny agreed, and at their first chance... they ran for it. [Agility checks; Hard. Jenny = 13. Lia = 10.]

Neither of the two could escape unscathed. Lia was too slow, and got hit a good couple times. Jenny too... though less so. [-7 to Lia! That's gotta hurt. -5 to Jenny!]

Once they left the room, they discovered that their standard-issue Romano ComChips were being jammed! More and more, this situation seemed totally planned... the idea of the Alfonsi setting them up was the first thought they had. Knowing how crazy Grandfather Alfonsi was, it seemed plausible that he'd kill his own daughter for the sake of being the biggest crime syndicate in Matera... but whether or not they dismissed this thought as untrue after some deliberation, one thing was for certain; the peace between the two families was destroyed, and it'd never be fixed.

Now, they were in a relatively safer area, away from the action. They had time to plan... and think. Jenny couldn't bring her car onto the Maltese (something about weight restrictions), so she brought her S&M instead. Lia only had her sub weapon on her. She seemed insistent that they should head back to her room so that she could get her TR3 Assault. It was safe to assume all Alfonsi mobsters were hostile. Their shields were working and active, and... either their allies at the ceremony escaped or they're dead. It was best to think quick and move quick; they weren't that far from the ceremony.

Jenny-Lee Pettimore
Health: 28/28. | Shield: 7/12.
Status: No effects.

Lia Raidne Romano
Health: 26/26. Shield: 5/12.
Status: No effects.

Mark3000 and CondorBoH

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Both Henrietta and her assigned bodyguard had been allowed in the front row, thanks to Henrietta's prestige... but this would soon turn out to be the worst position to be in. The two were closest to the bodies when they dropped, lifeless eyes staring up as the clean floor was dirtied red. Some of it got on Henrietta's heels... but thankfully, Rosella proved herself more than capable of protecting her charge. Grabbing the woman, she had immediately bulldozed right through gunfire to the nearest door, using some chairs and tables that were in the way to shield her. [Agility checks; Hard. Henrietta = 16. Rosella = 8.]

Despite Rosella's attempts, she couldn't protect herself from the gunfire, but shielded her charge with her body. [-0 damage to Henrietta! Excellent service, bodyguard! -8 damage to Rosella!

Once they left the room, they discovered that their standard-issue Alfonsi ComChips were being jammed! More and more, this situation seemed totally planned... the idea of the Romano setting them up was the first thought they had. K.K was a mysterious and cold woman, it seemed plausible that she'd kill her own son for the sake of being the biggest crime syndicate in Matera... but whether or not they dismissed this thought as untrue after some deliberation, one thing was for certain; the peace between the two families was destroyed, and it'd never be fixed.

Now, they were in a relatively safer area, away from the action. They had time to plan... and think. Both girls had their sub weapons, but they left their main weapons in their rooms. It was safe to assume all Romano mobsters were hostile. Their shields were working and active, and... either their allies at the ceremony escaped or they're dead, but their position may end up compromised. In her mad sprint, Rosella had brought the both of them closer to the Romano's part of the Maltese. Which can't be good.

Henrietta Rosewood
Health: 29/29. | Shield: 10/10.
Status: No effects.

Rosella Alfonsi
Health: 29/29. | Shield 2/10.
Status: No effects.

The Third Triumverate and lilbooth

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Charli and Olivia had both been seated next to one another, more due to a lack of available seats than out of specific desire. The ceremony was boring to both of them, and probably neither of them were really interested in what was going on or had any real reason to be there... but for the sake of plot, they were. When the chaos happened, Olivia realized shit was getting too hot to handle, and though Charli would have preferred to revel in the destruction and chaos - Olivia was insistent. Probably more because she needed an expendable body rather than out of being friendly and helpful. When the opportunity presented itself... the two dashed for the exit. [Agility checks; Hard. Charli = 2. Olivia = 9.]

It was probably the worst escape attempt ever attempted. Charli spent more time dodging into gunfire rather than away from it, and she kept bumping into Olivia.[-12 damage to Charli! That's alotta damage! -8 damage to Olivia!]

Once they left the room, they discovered that their standard-issue Alfonsi ComChips were being jammed! More and more, this situation seemed totally planned... the idea of the Romano setting them up was the first thought they had. K.K was a mysterious and cold woman, it seemed plausible that she'd kill her own son for the sake of being the biggest crime syndicate in Matera... but whether or not they dismissed this thought as untrue after some deliberation, one thing was for certain; the peace between the two families was destroyed, and it'd never be fixed.

Now, they were in a relatively safer area, away from the action. They had time to plan... and think. Both girls had their sub weapons, but they left their main weapons in their rooms. It was safe to assume all Romano mobsters were hostile. Their shields were working and active, and... either their allies at the ceremony escaped or they're dead, but their position, well... they were actually in the hall leading to the ceremony. Never mind - they did NOT have time to plan and think.

Charli Alfonsi
Health: 24/28. | Shield: 0/8.
Status: No effects.

Olivia Alfonsi
Health: 29/29. | Shield: 2/10.
Status: No effects.

NOTICE

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

For the duration of this encounter, I'll be treating it as if it's one long combat. That means; your shields won't recharge (unless their passive allows them to do so), you won't get a chance to rest, hostiles are everywhere, and there's a small chance of death if things get really bad for your characters. After this section is complete, things'll smooth out in intensity for a bit and we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming.

[Littlemankitten]

Aesha knew it! She knew it from the start! The moment the two lovebirds were meant to be married she knew there was something fishy going on. The two families have been at each others throats for longer than she's been born, and it's not like their relationship had improved at all in all that time. Even know it was more of a cold war than anything. Aesha had tried to warm her family members, especially Luca Cesarino that this was all a bad idea. But no, Luca just had to stick his dick in the Alfonsi hottie, and the rest somehow even worked themselves into the illusion that this would somehow be a smart idea. Like HOW does anyone think that the Alfonsi would be true to their word. Crazy Al literally has crazy in his name for pete's sake, of course he'd do something like this. Aesha was also sure that no Romano took the shot, the Romano family has always been much more trustful than the other families, they were by no means saints, but they weren't a run of the mill gang who got off on killing.

Once the lovebirds dropped dead, Aesha's first instinct was to look for Raelia, and it seemed Raelia had the same idea. Raelia found Aesha first, and before Aesha knew it she was being led to the nearest exit. Going as fast as she possible could, she ran for it. She heard the telltale sign of the electric crackle of her shield getting hit, then again she heard a lot of that from pretty much every direction, it was like a mini lightning storm was in the area. Once she was out of the main hall, Aesha bolted for the nearest closed room and, dragging Raelia along with her, went into it and slammed the door behind her, panting heavily.


"G-g-godammit! T-t-this is why y-you let your c-c-comrades-s take their g-guns with them! B-but nooooooo, w-we have to s-show 'a sign of good will and not d-do anything that might p-p-provoke hostility'" Now that Aesha was away from immediate danger, the stress of the situation immediately started to take hold. She was meant to hack computers and solve complex tasks for the family, not be right in the middle of a gun fight! This was way beyond her call of duty. Clutching and shaking her head, she started to sweat and think. What to do what to do. Obviously find a way to get out of here. Any normal means out would be suicide, the Alfonsi goons no doubt though of making sure any escape pod was secured. Jumping off would be suicide, but there was no other way.... Wait. That's it! She'd take the control of the control room of the airship, and pilot it to Romano territory and set it down, and the rest of the family would take care of the Alfonsi goons stuck in enemy territory! Yes yes that might work, it was the only plan her terrified mind could think of right now anyway.


"R-Raelia, we... We have to get to the control c-center. I-I'll p-pilot the airship to our t-t-territory and try to l-land saftley, then the rest of our f-family can take care of the remaining A-alfonsi. A-also we should p-probably get our w-weapons first." Aesha's face was pale and panicked, but now determined, she had a plan, she just had to inact it, but she couldn't do it without Raelia. But this wouldn't be the first time her and Raleia where in a bad place, and she trusted her.

[exalted]

Goddamnit, she just had to go ahead and break the rules didn't she.

Ya see, this right here... this... this was why the rules existed, she though as she ducked beneath the row of chairs in front of here. Rule number 6, never get out of the car.

Grumbling to herself she crawled forward on her elbows and heavy slugs thundered into the chairs and people, wondering how it had all gone so badly.

The day had started so normally with a simple pick up and drop off job... but no, she had to break the rule and get out of the car.

She'd nearly called in her sick when she saw the job sheet in the morning, pick up the Mute, the Geek and the Sadist and take them to a wedding. It sounded like a title of bad movie, and then she realised she didn't get sick days and saddled up. She'd driven for the three Romanos before, nothing serious, but she knew K.K. would put her back in that hotel room with the thugs if even a hair was put out of place on one of the girls' hair because of her. Aside from dealing with the bitching in the car the job hadn't been too bad, and she'd nearly been content to just drop them at the air ship and leave until she found out from the crew they had no ideas when or where the booze cruise was going to end.

Should have stayed in the car, she thought, flinching as another round splintered the wooden chair above her and showered her in splinters.

Damnit, it had been such a nice wedding until everything went This is America up in here.

Scambling to her feat, she bolted for table loaded with drinks and slid underneath as the glasses atop shattered from another random burst of fire. She nearly lashed out with her fist as someone dived in after her, but pulled back as she realised it was Lia. Pausing a moment to swig a quick mouthful of the sweet, sticky drink trickling down through a hole in the table, she grabbed Lia and collar and pushed her out in front of her as made a break for the door, keeping the Romano doubled over and interposing her own body between Lia and the madness behind as they ran.

She winced as she felt several rounds impact on their shields and splinter the door in front of them just as they reached it, but kept going and burst through, dragging the Romano down the nearest corridor to put angles between them and the shooting, and caught her breath. Unzipping her jacket, she pulled her old revolver out of the shoulder holster concealed underneath and checked it quickly.

You see, right here, this was why everyone should have handed over their guns before coming on board.

Rolling her eyes as the little Romano princess started to whinge, she pushed a finger up against her lips to shush her, and knowing she would probably pay for and regret it later.

"Zip it Fairy Floss," she hissed, scolding the woman like child wanting a toy, "Only thing we are doing is getting off this floating slaughter house."

Spinning the pink girl around in front of her, she put a hand on her shoulder to guide and control her as they moved towards the ships life boats. Pulling back the waist band of the girl's skirt, she tucked cold barrel of the revolver down the gap, concealing the weapon but keeping it in easy rich as she programmed her jacket, making it imitate the ships crew uniform. With any luck, from a distance someone would just confuse them a for a crew member and passenger trying to evacuate peacefully.

[RandomRoninKitten]

Raelia sat, smiling, with her hands clasped in her lap, as she watched the wedding, thinking to herself how pretty the bride looked in her wedding gown, and couldn't wait for the two to kiss. They just looked so happy.

That is, of course, until two shots rang out. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew this sound well, and hit the floor immediately, then began sliding across the floor, beneath each seat, looking for Aesha. Seats splintered around her, but she had been in gunfights before, and managed to duck them.

She finally saw Aesha, and leapt out from beneath the line of chairs, grabbing Aesha by the hand mid flight, then said to her over the chaos the most profound thought she had in the last few hours "They're shooting at us!" then she yanked on her hand, pulling her towards the nearest exit, placing her own body next to Aesha's to try to block as many shots as she can, and as a result, she felt her shield fizzle and fire out arcs of electric current as it attempted to stabilize itself. Once they were through the door, she kicked the door shut behind them. She spun around and started to break the lock, but stopped, muttering to herself "Friends need that door..."

Raelia listened to Aesha explain that they need to do... a thing, and another thing, and some stuff, then just nodded slowly. Aesha then mentioned that they need their weapons, and she nodded her head "I miss Mister Thunder" she said, scanning the area while she pulled out her Cold Gun and flicked the safety with her thumb. She then stepped in front of Aesha and guided her hand to her right shoulder so that Aesha will guide her in the right direction, while also staying safely behind her. "There... now they shoot me instead if they find us." she said, smiling over her shoulder at Aesha, with her gun at the ready.

[The Third Triumverate]

Charli just sort of... Stood still while hellfire tore through her shield and ravaged her leotard. It was already a thong, yes, but now it was a... super thong? She realized she didn't have time for internal debates about her sluttiness. She gazed around and admired the chaos, but a hard tug from Olivia forced her to lethargically stroll off to safety. Once in the hallway, Charli announced

"Well this sucks."

Yes, she was emotionless and all that, but can't a girl appreciate something sappy now and again? Of course it had ended with the newlyweds' brains on the floor; how could it have ended any other way? Charli put her bets on the cops setting the whole thing up, but maybe even that was too simple for the truth...

Still confused as to how she managed to get a flamethrower into a wedding, she whipped it out and prepared to incinerate anyone in their way. Bleeding and bruised quite badly from the hailstorm of bullets moments ago, Charli ran on rage-fueled... Rage.

Charli refused to let some unforeseen violence ruin her day; oh no: she was about to enjoy herself. The hiss of her flamethrower erupted to a burning whoosh as she prepared herself for whatever onslaught faced them. Charli tried to find cover and turned herself around to face the main enterance to the ceremony room.

"'Liv, they'll be coming through here any minute. I'll toast anyone we don't know and you finish 'em off. Once our rear is secure, we should book it out of here. Ready to light it up?!?!"

[mrblah]

Today wasn't the best for Lia Romano. She had been invited to some stupid wedding between the boss's son and the boss's enemy's daughter, she was forced into a car with her annoying little sister who was being a brat the whole ride (as was usual for Raelia) and she couldn't discipline her due to being in polite company, her crush was ignoring her advances - and the cream on the cake was that she was now in a shootout under a table with some lowly getaway driver. Without her gun. Could the day really get any worse?

Yes. Absolutely.

The bitch had the nerve to grab her and use her as a shield! If Lia was stupid, her anger would've gotten the better of her and she'd have been screaming expletives at the woman and painted them a target. Or worse; she'd try to throw the driver into the gunfire, then she'd lose a valuable ally or weapon. So instead, Lia was pushed along to the door, her shield taking heavy damage from stray bullets - though no one seemed to go after them specifically.

Once they were out, she glared at the selfish bitch hypocritically. "That was really nice of you to do. No, really. I appreciate you using me as a human shield -" Before she could even snark out a sarcastic reply, Lia was again pulled away by Jenny to God knows where. She was even more irritated now, but before she could try to strangle the woman with her bare hands - she calmed herself down by reminding them of their situation. Calm... calm... she was Lia Raidne Romano. One of the smartest in the family, no question about it. And now she had to think her way out of this situation...

"The first thing we have to do is get back to our rooms. Then; we'll get our weapons. Odds are we'll find a lot more resistance as we stay, so with my TR3 Assault, we should have a decent chance in a gunfight -" Once again, she's interrupted by the driver.

... Lia almost pulled a gun on her. Her hand was close to where her concealed firearm was, but she stopped herself. In... out. In... out, Lia. Don't kill the bitchy driver. You need more bodies in a possible firefight. "Look, you stupid goddamn ingrate. If we don't get my gun back, we're gonna be severely disadvantaged when we come across enemies on our way to the escape pods. And what of the others in the family? Do you just want to jump ship when our boss is somewhere around here in need of help? Just goes to show your cowardice in the face of -"

How. Many. Times. Would she be interrupted? Even as Jenny was pushing her in the direction of the escape pods, Lia wanted so badly to just grab her and show the bitch her place, via a variety of different and violent methods. "This is a terrible plan! We're gonna get killed because of you, you fucking idiot! A-and pull that out of there!" A shiver went up her spine as the cold metal rubbed against her backside. She hated this woman. She really, really did. If only Raelia was here so that she'd have someone to take her frustrations out on.

[Mark3000]

Henrietta let out a deep breath once she and her bodyguard had found a safe space. "Good work as always Rosella" she said as Henrietta took in her surroundings. Of all the Alfonsi Enforcers, Rosella was her personal favorite. Not only was she reliable, she had quite the body. Looking down at her heels she grimaced. "Well this is a fine mess" Henrietta say as she checked her Laser Pistol. In her line of work, she needed something to protect herself.

The wedding had started out fine enough. She had forgone her usual attire for a sleeveless gown that still showed off her buxom figure. Henrietta had spent the night sweet talking Alfonsi and Romano family members alike. She didn't know either the bride or groom that well. Neither frequented her brothels ... to her knowledge. But Henrietta had to ensure her position in this new situation.

And now all that work was for nothing. She gave the closest wall a swift kick. "Fuck!" She shouted in a fit of rage. It was only after that when Henrietta realized they were on the Romano's section of the Maltese. The last person Henrietta wanted to run into was K.K, especially if the stories she's heard were true.

Trying to regain her composure, she turned to her bodyguard. "I don't know about you Rosella, but I wanna get the hell out of here. Let's find the closest escape pod and get off this ship. Unless you have a better plan" she said looking for the closest escape route

[exalted]

OOC:

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Sorry, reread what I posted before and realised it was a bit confusing. Edited to say "interposing her own body between Lia and the madness" as originally intended

Jenny-Lee rolled her eyes as the brat tried to accuse her using her as human shield and then called her an ingrate. Shaking her head as the girl continued to yap she kept pushing her forward towards the life boats.

"So you plan, if I'm hearing this correct, is to stay in the place of danger longer, exposing us to more danger, in order to slightly minimise the steadily growing danger," she sighed as the girl continued to prattle about getting her toy and even bringing up the boss, "Do you see K.K. anywhere? No, that's because she had the goddamned common sense to get out of here 5 seconds before everything went tits up."

Jenny-Lee gnawed on her lip as she turned down another corridor. She'd heard the stories of Lia's... proclivities... and knew poking the bear would only work for so long before it bit back. She just hoped she could get off this boat before that happened.

"Quit shouting and looking like that... cry a little will you know, sell the whole you're a scared girl who just saw a massacre look.. you know, not a pyscho," She whispered into her ear, "We gotta sell this whole innocent girl being escorted by a crew member look if we meet anyone."

[lilbooth]

Olivia actually quite liked weddings. In was leftover from her childhood of peace and prosperity. The fancy dresses and the big cake and flowers and all that. It had a place in a heart. Despite the fact that she would likely go to any of the Alfonsi's weddings, it was a bit strange to be invited to such a prestigious event. Sure she gets invited to parties all the time, usually to bring drugs or girls to liven it up. But as it turned out this party didn't need any livening up...

"Charli, sweetie, this is not the best place for an ambush. I say we barricade this door and get back to our rooms. Ain't no way I'm leaving my gun on this ship as it goes down." She said as she pulled out her laser pistol. She hoped Charli would listen to her, but as she watched the flame lick out of Charli's makeshift weapon, she was ready to start shooting. Olivia too searched for any semblance of cover in the long hallway. Hoping that they hadn't run out of the ceremony room into a shooting gallery.

[CondorBoH]

Weddings were nice, probably the best place a bouncer or bodyguard could end up was guarding a wedding. More of formality than an actual proper guard, but you were still there. Got to see it all happen, the tying of the knot and all that malarkey. Got to wear the nicer suits too, even if the padded vest was more obvious underneath it, you still got to look good.
Now, normally showing up to weddings to watch the gig is nice and all, but not in this town. It was, admittedly, a first to be in a shootout while at a wedding, but hey that's life.

When shit hit the fan, Rosella had opted to get her current employer out of the most immediate line of fire, even if it left her shield on its last legs. It was a good idea at the time, made sure neither of them didn't get killed, but her rush got her to the exact opposite end of the boat that they needed to be on. Not the best thing to do, hindsight and all. Scowling, the bodyguard pulled out her own Laser Pistol and got it ready.
"I sure as fuck don't have a better plan, since my last one got us on the wrong side of the fuckin' boat. Do the thinkin' and the pointing, boss. All I know is the first Romano fuckers that try to stop us are getting their faces melted off."

As Henrietta began searching for a way out, Rosella began scanning the way they had came for any Romani goons, training her gun in the general direction. This place was not secure in the slightest, and any second now someone was going to be trying to add more bullet-holes to her suit.

[mrblah]

It was quietin' down in the ceremony room, now. Brawl ended in favor of the Alfonsi, thanks to their superior numbers and guns. Old Crazy Al' had really done a number on those poor souls, riddling bodies and bodies with so many bullets that some of them looked like pincushions. Guess that's just the power of a mad dad... but don't let this make you think the Romanos lost. On the contrary; a lot of important Romani mobsters escaped the carnage. K.K, Manny Pac-Man, Amanda, and even our important charactas survived. Shame about the other guys though.

The chaos had spilled out of the ceremony room as well. The sound of gunfire and carnage spread like wildfire, despite the lack of communications... or maybe that only added to the panic. Family blamed family for the situation, and more killin' followed as bullets were flyin' into bodies and through 'em. Blood was spilled everywhere. The Maltese was painted red... yet, the one thing that'd strike anyone as odd was the lack of staff or warning to the passengers about this bloodshed. There was no security. No alarms going off from all the killin' and gunfire, no. None of that, almost as if there couldn't've been any of it. Looking back, the situation seems somewhat planned, like... it was some kind of play, and everyone was playing their part, ignorant of what they were really doin' and whose agenda they were pushin'.

With no escape allowed thanks to the ship's VI being goddamn stupid and both families blaming each other for the death of their next-in-lines... there was certainly no shortage of action anywhere. Our memorable 'heroes' of this story better tread carefully. Shit might've already hit the fan, but there's always a hotter boiling pot than the one you jumped out of. You keep jumpin', and you'll end up soup.
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RandomRoninKitten and Littlemankitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Encounter roll; 34.

The two girls made their way through the ship's halls, following the helpfully offered signs that thankfully weren't stolen or anything as they journeyed to the Romani rooms. They had to dodge a few groups here and there, but the two got there relatively unimpeded. Both of their rooms were located besides one another, with Raelia on the left and Aesha on the right.

The rooms were well decorated and properly furnished, with a lavish bed and nightstand to the side, a large window providing easy access to the beautiful night sky the Maltese swam through, a large closet capable of fitting half a spoiled rich girl's wardrobe, and access to the Maltese's special VI assistant, who can voice activate the lights, fans, provide directions and the day's daily activities, and basically anything else you'd need from a VI. But now wasn't the time to marvel at the Maltese's expensive rooms. Their weapons were in wherever they had them last, and it was important to retrieve them.

exalted and NPC

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Encounter roll; 85.

Jenny and Lia were on their way to the pods, with Lia unwillingly leading the way. She had given up resisting, realizing that half-assing the job would only make things worse and that Jenny wouldn't budge, so she could only go along with it. Thankfully, they didn't even have to put the ruse to the test as very few people seemed to be heading to the escape pods just yet. It was kind of odd that this was the case, in fact...

Just as they got there, Jenny and Lia discovered the first hurdle of their plan. The pod bay doors wouldn't open, even as they asked the ship's VI. Apparently, as the ship wasn't in a "state of emergency," the doors were locked unless overridden by the appropriate staff members or the emergency alarms are sounding off... which they weren't. This could only have been apart of the Alfonsi's plans to keep them shuttered up. Lock off the escape route and pick them off...

Either way, unless they found a staff member with a high clearance or got the alarms working, those doors were staying shut.

Mark3000 and CondorBoH

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Encounter roll; 53.

Henrietta didn't have to search for long... or rather; all she had to do was turn her head. In some specific parts of the Maltese were small touchscreen windows that provided access to the ship's VI assistant who was more than happy to help her find the route to the nearest escape pods... but they weren't the only ones that had this idea. Especially as they were in Romano territory, the two had to duck behind many walls to dodge passersby Romano mobsters armed and ready for battle. It was really only a matter of time until others noticed the gunfire, and it seemed now they were responding.

When the two got to the escape pods, they were dismayed to find a particularly annoying problem. The pod bay doors wouldn't open, even as they asked the ship's VI. Apparently, as the ship wasn't in a "state of emergency," the doors were locked unless overridden by the appropriate staff members or the emergency alarms are sounding off... which they weren't. This meant they'd either have to find a staff member with the suitable clearance necessary to perform the override, or get those alarms working properly.

The Third Triumverate and lilbooth

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

Olivia got into cover behind a nearby couch, with Charli staying out in the open with her flamethrower. The two didn't have to wait long as the doors were kicked open, and even before their enemies could get into the room - they launched their assault, firing bullet after bullet right at the two goons stepping out. Their shields allowed them a brief moment to react, and they fired back as they dashed into the room. With Charli out front, she took most of the gunfire, and without her shield, well... suffice to say, she took a number of damage. [-11 to Charli!]

Olivia on the other hand received the barest amount of attention as the goons sought to take out the biggest available threat first, only taking a few rounds to her cover. [-4 to Olivia's cover!]

Of course, focusing their fire was the same plan had by the Alfonsis. They aimed at one of the two mobsters and rained down hell upon him, until Charli got tired of the farce and pulled a grenade. The flung explosion was too quick for either enemy to respond to, and the subsequent explosion killed off one of them. The last Romano mobster was still up and active, and he gave it his all... before a well-timed shot to the head cut him off.

The short combat didn't last long. The two Alfonsi women had just enough time to search the bodies for some rewards before they'd need to flee the scene. And afterwards, Charli got a little excited and roasted the most intact one. [Gained; 120₡ for Olivia. 150₡ for Charli. Olivia found 4 rounds of Normal ammunition.]

[exalted]

Jenny-Lee bit her lip to stop herself from cussing out the VI in front if the client.

Taking a moment to calm herself and think... AND HOW THE F**K DID THIS NOT COUNT AS AN EMERGENCY! She screamed in her mind.

Grumbling to herself, she glanced up at the sealing and got her plan. Okay, if VI wanted an emergency she would give it one. She'd heard of hackers interfering with stuff like this before but most system had an automated fail safe for when things really hit the fan... she just needed some cloth...

"I have a plan... you're not going to like it." she said matter of factly to Lia.

Quickly grabbing part of the girl's fancy gown, she yanked a strip of cloth free and rolled it up in her hand. Taking her lighter, she lit a cigarette before igniting the scrap of cloth, waving it at the fire sensor above her head, hoping that would set it off and start the alarm. If not she would have to go find a cleaning closet to give these bastards a real fire after all.

[Mark3000]

Henrietta let out a sigh as she tried not to cuss out the damn VI assistant! "How is this not an Emergency!" she hissed under her breath. So she either had to hack the panel or find someone who could operate it for her. Looking to Rosella, Henrietta pounded for a moment. "Thorn Dear, do you think you could try and force these doors open?" She said with a playful tone as she turned back to the VI Assistant.

Going through the touch display, she looks for a staff room or Command Centre. Their best chance might be to just find a staff member. Even if they can't open the bay doors, they might know what the hell is going on. You don't just shoot up the Maltese without help from someone inside the crew. Of course if Rosella actually manages to open the bay doors, they'll make a hasty escape.

[CondorBoH]

Rosella made the occasional glance at Henrietta, just to make sure she wasn't adruptly geting shot, as she stared down the hallway. No one was coming this way, which was a good start. If things didn't get any worse, they could make it out. Then she heard the VI's comments.
"Fuck, yeah this is deffinetly a setup of some kind. I'll give it a try, but if you hear anyone coming, let me know and find a place to hide."

Speaking quickly and daring another look back, Rose dashed to the door and began to try to force her fingers into the middle of it and try to wrench the heavy metal aside. She knew how hard these things were when it came to security, practical experience told her a proper set of detonation equipment would be ideal. But this wasn't ideal, and she was turning her back on the danger area AND her current charge, which was also REALLY REALLY NOT IDEAL. Biting her lip, the bodyguard set in to try as hard as she could, honestly not expecting much from this effort.

[Littlemankitten]

Aesha stayed completely quiet during their trip to their rooms. Any form of noise could potentially attract attention they really didn't need right now. Thankfully, they didn't run into anyone else. Once they reached their room, Aesha quickly rushed towards were she stored her weapon, which was right next to her night table for easy access in case something bad happened. Once she grabbed her weapon, she went into Raelia's room and waited for her to grab her weapon. As she waited, she spoke to the VI. "VI, please show us the fastest route to the bridge of the Maltese."

[The Third Triumverate]

Charli limped away from the bodies, quite literally half-dead.

"Next time, you're the meat shield. As much as I would love to sit around and waste more mobsters, we should find our weapons and get the hell out of here. Maybe we should find Al."

Charli knew it would not be just that simple. This whole fiasco was clearly a set up, and by now she was convinced it was by the cops. The fight now over, her adrenaline came down, and her smile turned into a frown. She sighed.

"This sucks."

<passive shield regen +1>

[RandomRoninKitten]

Raelia hefted Mr. Thunder off her bed and hugged it tightly, rocking it side to side and smiling "Oh, Mr. Thunder, I missed you so much!" she said, planting a kiss in the side of the weapon. She then sat on her bed, with Mr. Thunder on her lap and waited for Aesha to let her know where to go next, so that she could take the lead and as a bullet shield while Aesha coordinated her.

[lilbooth]

"Two thing darling; One, I have never acted in the capacity of meat a shield. And I certainly never intend to.And two, you've got a lot more meat than I do." Said Olivia cupping her breast and giving Charli a wink. "I've had worse girl, and you're still kicking.I'll take lead though if it'll make you feel better." said Olivia as she took off down the hall towards their rooms. She kept her eyes peeled, both for more mobsters and for signs for the emergency exits and lifeboats. The Maltese was still in the sky and they couldn't exactly jump ship.

[mrblah]

Lia was just as confused as Jenny-Lee was about the doors. Without a doubt, one would consider their current situation an emergency... yet, the emergency doors weren't opening, nor were alarms blaring. It made this whole thing reek like more of a trap... one too elaborate for the Alfonsi family to manage, rather. It's no secret that the Alfonsis were all just dumb muscle, with the Romano family being the more intelligent of the two superpowers. Killing their own wasn't something she'd put above them for a nefarious scheme... but even then, why do that too? It just seemed strange to her.

Lia was lost in contemplation as she stared up at the emergency lights, and didn't register Jenny's words in time to stop her. The sound of fabric tearing and the smell of cloth burning made her turn around.

"You - you can't be serious right now. I don't care about the stupid dress that I didn't pay for, but do you really think whatever mastermind set this up would let their plan be foiled so easily? All this is, is just a distraction you dolt! Your plan's failed, so let's go back to our rooms, get our guns, find whoever we can, and... maybe try to get some parachutes or something." Urk. Even she knew that idea was flawed, but this was a fairly tough situation... separated from their allies, chaos around with their boss probably in the wind, and weaponless. At the very least, she wanted her big gun instead of the stupid pistol.

[mrblah]

Seems like things've been gettin' strange around the Maltese... well, stranger, rather. Locked emergency doors, alarms ain't workin', and worst of all - there's hardly anything to explain it all. The whole thing reeks of a trap, and without a doubt - everyone's trapped with no exit in sight... but there's some glimmers of hope, or rather, leads to follow. One of our important characters are on their way to the staff room, where they just might discover a secret or two that could help solve this mysterious situation.

Elsewhere; chaos and panic ensues. More deaths on both sides... more blood and bullets fired... but even despite all this, a real odd gunsmith was dancing alone in the dining hall, where he'd be encountered by some allies of his. Here's to hoping he can put his Frank Sinatra on hold to deal with the real problem of their situation.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
RandomRoninKitten and Littlemankitten

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

"Certainly, User #240397." Responded the VI. It then relayed directions to exactly where the girls needed to go, directing them perfectly via using signs within the ship and other methods of direction. Should be a simple, straightforward path, in fact. While the Maltese was a very large and expensive cruise ship (roughly the size of a quarter of your average city), the rooms where positioned very close to the center as it was, so it was just an elevator ride up to the bridge. Their ETA was merely a 7 minute walk from there to their destination.

The two got moving, with Aesha in back and Raelia taking point in case of enemies. And soon, they arrived, with no trouble in between.

The central area of the Maltese was a large dining area, with an old classical song from the reeeeally old days playing. The walls were replaced with windows showing the night sky outside, and the room was filled with dining tables and elaborately designed dark wooden chairs. It had a chandelier hanging in the center of the room, lighting it and the second floor up... and for all the space in the room, it was sadly mostly unoccupied.

Mostly. A man was in the room, dancing to the old tune while on top of one of the tables. He twirled to the music, mouthing the words and jumping from table to table without a care in the world... thankfully, Aesha recognized him as a friendly.

His name was Mattia, a close friend of her older brother's. He was an eccentric man with many eccentric tastes, but like many Romanos, the man was exceedingly intelligent and dangerous with even the fewest of tools. He's been lauded as one of the best engineers of his time, and supposedly he even modified the Romano headquarters... truly a mysterious fellow. As he turned his head and opened his eyes, Mattia noticed Raelia and Aesha at the door. He hopped off the table and bowed formally. "Good evening, fair maidens. Care for a dance? There's still time in the song for one."

exalted and NPC

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

The small fire seemed to make enough smoke for a sensitive smoke detector to notice it... but apparently, the Maltese's smoke detectors weren't. That could either mean they, too, were tampered with, or the smoke wasn't enough. Not even VI made a peep about it...

Mark3000 and CondorBoH

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

[Strength check; Harder. Rosella = 16.]

Try as she might, even despite her considerable might, Rosella couldn't get the doors open. They were just as heavy and unyielding as expected, proving themselves to be properly secure. ... Which was a bad thing right now. But on the other hand with Henrietta; she in fact did get directions to the staff room, which was closer to the Command Center. With the size of the Maltese being as big as it is, multiple Staff only rooms had been set up around the Maltese for the use of those specific staff members, not to mention each was probably fitted with their own personal comm systems to interact with one another or something of that sort, one would assume.

Either way; it was their best bet, and so the two got moving down the hall. VI gave them a 9 minute ETA, and in just around that time... they arrived to the staff room.

The door was an unassuming one, with STAFF written on the top center in bold red letters. As Rosella attempted to open the door, she found it... stuck. Not locked, but just hard to open, like it was jammed.

The Third Triumverate and lilbooth

Spoiler (click to show/hide):

[Encounter roll; 61.]

Olivia took point down the hall, with Charli following behind her. Their rooms weren't too far from the ceremony room and it was just a few minutes of walking, but there was still the chance of encountering any more opposition...

Luckily, that didn't happen. The two managed to get back to their rooms without any problems in particular. Charli's shield also turned back on! [+1 to Shield.]

The rooms were well decorated and properly furnished, with a lavish bed and nightstand to the side, a large window providing easy access to the beautiful night sky the Maltese swam through, a large closet capable of fitting half a spoiled rich girl's wardrobe, and access to the Maltese's special VI assistant, who can voice activate the lights, fans, provide directions and the day's daily activities, and basically anything else you'd need from a VI... but more importantly, their rooms also had their guns. Their important weapons they'd use to defend themselves. Better grab those.