2150/Steambike Bandit Busting

Steambike Bandit Busting
Date of Scene:	03 May 2015
Location:	Loadstar Depot
Synopsis:	Steampunk bandits hijack nothing but trouble.
Cast of Characters:	43, Corona Arclite, 750, 770

---

Corona Arclite has posed:
For Corona it had started out as a fairly typical day. She had spent most of it out at one of the mining stations repairing steam drills and minecart rails. Not that the most intricate of jobs, but it did mean she had a nice big load of scrap she could smelt down rattle around in the cart being towed behind her tri-cycle.

Unfortunately while she was on the trail heading home someone else took an interest in her stockpile and now she had a bunch of steambike riding bandits trying to chase her down across the ash stewn desert!

Good thing Brimsteel isn't advanced enough in personal communications to have laws against driving and messaging at the same time, or Corona would be in a heap of trouble for multitasking! Considering she's using a -foot- on the handlebars to steer while sling her shotgun in one hand and trying to send a distress call through her comm unit with the other.

Target Sparktail (770) has posed:
Bandits are a pain. The most annoying sort of scavenger that rides around beyond Loadstar. Lots of room to manuver and ride around, circle a target, get what they want, probably put a few fists into the poor sap, and then take off with what they want, only to leave behind a battered, scared, and embarrased merchant of some sort.

        NOT TODAY, AND NOT MY PARTS SUPPLIER.

Familiar voice, familiar frequency, familiar area for said voice to be in, and a new place for some bandits to be in. Well. That just won't do. Not. One. Bit. With how much Corona is multitasking, she may not even notice the 3 foot silvery sphere surging across the flatlands toward her. The hell is that, anyway?

Rebound (750) has posed:
    If Corona wants help, she'll get it. Rebound doesn't know how much help she'll be in this weird steampunkish world, but at least she can try. She manages to get coordinates for a warpgate ahead of where Corona is running to.

    The 'roo finds herself in a dusty, unhospitable world. She wraps something over her face to keep the dust out and then looks for a rock cropping to set up and ambush. Now to wait for Corona to drive past.

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
In all this brown and orange of the dusty frontier that is Brimsteel, it's probably rather unusual to spot a flash of bright color that isn't involved in something exploding. In this case, it's more like a streak of color. Or rather, all of the colors of the rainbow, speeding out of the warpgate and into the steampunk wasteland.

Rainbow Dash doesn't even hestitate to pull down her goggles. She sweeps a forehoof up, mid-wingbeat, and pulls them down over her eyes to blot out the sandy mixture of wind that starts assaulting her face. Then stretching both forehooves out in front of her, she flattens her body out to put on the speed. Like a silent, colorful missile, stealthily coming up behind the bandits!

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona Arclite would probably hear the 'sphere' before she sees it, but the repeat gunfire back and forth and the roar of her own ride drown pretty much everything else out. Normally she'd just outrun the punks, but the trailer full of metal is slowing her down. At least she doesn't have to veer around the rocks her pursuers do, since the serrated 'fenders' flanking the front mono-tread just tear through them.

Not that the bandits notice the approaching forms either, or the one lurking on the rocks ahead. They have their hands full as it is. One pulls up alongside the bigger chopper, only to get the butt of Corona's shotgun to the face for his troubles, wiping out spectacularly as he looses control of his steambike.

But at the same time one is flanking the other side, leaning over to try and grab the handlebars from under the vixen's boot.

Not to mention the one's just trying to grab at stuff rattling about the trailer in general. Even scrap parts could be black marketed for some hefty cash if they're made out of the right materials. "Get yer grubby cogsuckin' mits offa my stuff!"

Target Sparktail (770) has posed:
Once that sphere gets a bit closer, it's very possible Corona may recognize it. Even if she doesn't, she's going to at least SEE it very shortly for a very obvious reason. What reason? Well, it's speeding straight toward the front of her bike. With all that pointy business on the front, that probably seems like a HORRIBLE IDEA. Thing is, a mere moment before it'd slam into her, the thing actually jumps, -bounces- off the front end, and then goes sailing straight toward the bandit jerk that was trying to come around on her other side.

Thing is, immidately after the bounce, there just this -NOISE- of a whole lot of clockwork spinning at a massive speed. The sphere seems to just unfold, all the panels sliding all over each other before a very angry VEX Ranger attempts to introduce all the claws on both his hands to the Bandit's face. The 'sphere', meanwhile, continues to fold in and all over itself, looking like nothing more than a duster with a whole lotta clockwork on the inside of the coat. . . for a second.. until more panels hide all the inner workings again. "THE -'ELL- YOU THINK YOU'RE DOIN' TO MY SUPPLIER EH?!"

Rebound (750) has posed:
    That guy trying to grab the handlebar from Corona's bike is going to find himself in for a rude surprise as he rides forward. With one leap, Rebound is in front of him and Corona, shifting to the side just a few inches, she jumps and spins around, to deliver a flying jump kick to the bandit.

    Now if she times it right, she should land on the bike. She just hopes she knows how to drive one of these things, because it's weird alien technology and it might not be built for her dimensions.

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
Compared to the thrum of the engines, Rainbow Dash's wings are near entirely silent. Who'd really be able to hear the beat of a wing over the gruttle roar of those high powered beasts? Well, the bandit that Rainbow Dash is flying up behind probably doesn't. She speeds in, just a blur of colors on the wind. And comes up right at the Bandit's shoulder. Hoof reaching out, she taps at his shoulder.

Then when he turns to look, there's a pony shaped disturbance in the usual duststorm, and nothing else.

Because Dash has flitted around to the other side, flying right up in front of him, so that when he turns back, she's flying RIGHT THERE, almost face to face. Flying backwards. "Hey! Cool bike! Buuut I don't think that stuff's yours."

Wings flicking back, Dash brings her backside forward, hind hooves outstretched to plant them squarely in the bandit's chest.

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona Arclite stomps her boot on the bandit's hand, trying to get him to let go as much as she is steering. Days like this she almost wishes she actually wore spurs! But even as one wipes out and his bike explodes in the background another is pulling up in his place, and now she's got grabbing hands on both sides. Corona happens to glance ahead and seeing the glint off the high speed sphere though, and drops back down onto the seat of her chopper properly. "Looks like we're gonna have a ball now."

The bandit only gets a moment to look at her in confusion... The shrieks in a mix of surprise and pain as he gets a small but VERY angry Ranger to the face in glorious slow motion.

The other side follows a similar fate as a flying kick plants kangaroo foot upside the head and bowls him off the bike. Rebound would find that, other than the steam-powered engine and not really porportioned for her roo legs, it works much like any other motorcycle does.

The bandit bringing up the rear is just taking aim with an oversized clock-driven revolver at the back of the vixen's head when he's tapped on the shoulder. He turns to look, but sees nothing by a closing horse shaped hole in the dust clouds, and turns back to resume aiming. Only for a small brightly colored FLYING pony to be right there! He's outright too shocked to shoot, more than long enough for Dash to slam her hooves into his chest and send him veering backwards.

Corona glances back a moment at the sound, and then smirks a bit. "Would ya look at that. The calvary's here, and even brought a horse this time!"

The reinforced walls of the Depot can be seen rising ahead; they're almost there.

Unfortunately there's also a few more bandits riding in from the sides of the trail, trying to pinch off their path in front. Though one quickly spins out and explodes after Corona puts a hole in it's mini-boiler with her shotgun, but there's still a few more!

Target Sparktail (770) has posed:
Claw Rip Rend Tear Bite, then bounce. That fella is going to have bandages all over his face for a week! The bounce, however, results in the ranger vaulting back to Corona's chopper, ending up just behind her seat, "Honestly, C'rona, can't you go anywhere without'n escort?!" he hollars out before tugging the sawed-off from his back only to put the buckshot to the tire of a bike that was closing in. "Yer lucky I got a radio from the Union, now!" BLAST. Ratchet. BLAST. Ratchet. BLAST AGAIN.

Rebound (750) has posed:
    The team seems to have things relatively under control as they rush towards the gates, but it'll be a little bit of a rough patch before they get there. Still, Rebound rides the bike as best she can, having to stand up to accomidate her long legs, "Whoa, okay. We got this. Hey guys, looks like more trouble ahead! Get ready!"

    She could probably move just as fast as these bikes without one, so she thinks she'll use tht to her advantage. She revs the engine and angles the bike towards the approaching bandits, and then kicks off of the bike, using her momentum to haul it around over her head and release the bike like a throwing weapon towards the approaching bandit crew, "Better duck!"

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
Grinning, Dash lifts a forehoof to her forehead to wave the bandit off as he goes flying back the other way. She flicks her wings, and in one swift movement spins around to face around the right way, leaving him in the dust as she speeds off ahead towards the rest of the pack.

"Hey! That's pony!" She sticks her tongue out, and immediately regrets it when she gets a mouth full of flying dust. "Pbbbttth, pbbtth bbhbtth!" She sputters, "Ugh, I got sand up my everything." There's a brief pause, as she spots the bikes riding in. "Great, more jerks." She grins. "Yeah, what the kanga-lady said. We totally got this!"

Wings push down against the sand ridden wind, and Dash speeds ahead, blasting ahead towards the incoming ambush. The sandy, dust ridden wind follows in her wake, almost seeming to build up in a storm behind her wings. She speeds right at a pair of riders... And blasts right past them. Just as she does, both forehooves reach out and yank their goggles/masks off just as she passes. "Yoink!" Then she's gone, flying past. And leaves the bandits to deal with the sandstorm that was following her.

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona Arclite rolls her eyes behind her goggles. "Reckon they gotta be buncha greenhorns or somethin'. Most gangers stay 'way from seein' muh chopper these days." With the kobold taking up riding shotgun (literally) behind her Corona can steer properly once more after stowing her own weapon. With both hands on the handlebars, she gives a nod towards the 'roo. "Target, Rebound. Rebound, Target." You wouldn't think they were in middle of a high speed gunslinger chase with how casually she makes the introductions. "He's one of the Rangers stationed outta Loadstar." Cocks her head just enough to watch Dash speed along. ".. No idea who that pony is, but she's pro'ly a friend of the purple unicorn I saw once."

Said entirely with a straight face that last part is.

And then Rebound goes and -throws- the bike she had hijacked into the oncoming bandits. It crashes into two others, resulting in a rather brilliant explosion of sparks, steam and shrapnel that others have to veer away from attacking to avoid. And Rebound can just jump onto the trailer behind Corona's chopper before she's left behind.

On the other side Rainbow Dash whips up a minature sandstorm in her wake. Normally not a problem... Except that she yanks off a couple of bandit masks as she speeds by. Abuprtly getting a face full of hot wind and sand causes them to loose control, and the entire little cluster ends up going down like a stack of motorized dominoes.

By the time the stragglers get back in order and on their bikes Corona's already speeding past the Depot's gates.

Target Sparktail (770) has posed:
    Another blast from the sawed-off is sent ahead before Rebound would get a quick nod out of the Kobold, "Howdy. Busy. We'll get to that later!" he hollars, whistling as the bike is heaved into the others. "Well, that's somethin'," he says. In truth it IS a compliment. It's about now that he stands up, trying to take a look around, "See any more of'em?"

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
Rainbow Dash pauses in mid air, grinning as she watches the motorcycles fall over like dominoes. "Aww yeah, and Rainbow Dash scores!" She pumps a forehoof in the air, and then flips around to speed straight towards the gates of the Depot. She swoops past Corona and Target, and comes down for a landing just past them. "Talk about lameos. Those guys didn't stand a chance when we showed up!"

Rebound (750) has posed:
    Sure, motorcycle projectiles work once, but she's got to close in and try to catch up with the rest of them. The 'roo hops and bounds to catch back up to the others, watching the team take down the rest, "Looks like we might be clear!" She calls out to Target, as she jumps again.

Corona Arclite has posed:
As the small group passes through the gates the click-a-clack of gearworks can be heard somewhere overhead, followed by an explosion in the distance. Which just makes Corona smirk as she brakes her chopper and stops. "We are now. That woulda been one of muy turrets pickin' off anyone laggin' behind us." She pauses a moment to tug her own bronze-framed goggles off her face, leaving them to dangle around her neck along with her bandana. "Glad y'all came long when ya did." Pause. Then a stifled snicker. "Granted, it's yer job, Target."

Target Sparktail (770) has posed:
The tailing comment earns Cornoa a little snort. "I coulda just went on patrol in the other direction 'stead of comin' your way, but nah, gotta help out my supplier, y'know?" He blinks, considering a moment, then he actually tosses a few coins her direction. "S'why I knew you were missin' to begin with.." Wait, what?

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
It's actually kind of a wonder that Dash can even see through those goggles. The lenses are practically caked over with dust and grime from the sands around the place. She grins regardless, pushing the goggles up off of her face. "Been meaning to check this place out since Twilight told me about it. It's waaaay cooler looking than she made it sound!" She spits out a bit more sand. "Blegh, weather sucks though." She gives her entire body a bit of a shake, wings flaring. It ends up almost creating another sandstorm right there.

"So who were those jerks anyway?" She asks, once settled again.

Rebound (750) has posed:
"Probably the same kinda punk ass gang bangers who're always trying to take advantage of people." Rebound says, "Hopefully they'll limp home and reconsider their lives, but I doubt it."

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona Arclite snatchs the coins out of the air with a sigh, stuffing them into the pocket of her vest without bothering to count. It has a very 'routine' feeling to it in general. "Somehow I ain't surprised. Please tell me ya at least didn't try t' dismantle one of the automatronics this time." She puts her chopper back in gear, though this time just putters slowly towards her workshop. "They weren't wearing black hats, so they musta just been a buncha wannabes or somethin'. Pro'ly thought it was just a travellin' trader or somethin'. Easy pickin's."

Past the depot at the gates Loadstar looked like your typical frontier town, other than it was a whole lot larger. And there was a lot more brass and copper involved along with the titanium alloys and clockwork machinery.

Target Sparktail (770) has posed:
    "I didn't take apart anything! I was rummagin' around one of the back area spots, nothin' to dismantle, I kin promise you that, alright?" the kobold insists while he has a seat near the back of the chopper. "Been some talk of a few troublemakers stealin' some bikes, probably thinkin' they can make a quick buck. Was probably that lot there. So much for their bikes."

Rainbow Dash (43) has posed:
"Sooo basically losers," Rainbow Dash says, cutting it down short and sweet like usual. "Good thing we came and kicked total tail!" She takes off again, miming kicking one of the bandits in the chest. Which takes her in a complete loop, since there's nothing there to actually kick. She tries to make the flub look cool by turning it into what almost looks like an on-purpose, quick, mid-air summersault. "Name's Rainbow Dash, by the way! Best flier in all of Ponyville!"

Corona Arclite has posed:
Corona Arclite won't tell Target she purposely leaves certain things lying around the scrap yard for the kobold to find so he leaves some of her other things alone. "Well, ya'll can make yerselves comfortable 'round town iffen ya like. I've gotta go dump out this trailer. Thanks 'gain fer the help."