Posts: 124
Threads: 1
Joined: Aug 2014
Reputation:
0
Thorchan Eraden
He was born Thorchan Eraden. His father, Drexxga Eraden, was a bounty hunter and his mother, Eliv Lisarap, was a famous dancer/smuggler. She kept her name because Drex was a bounty hunter and wanted to keep his family safe. (Thorchan wasn’t allowed to use the name “Eraden” till he had passed a rite of passage from his father.) Also people had known her as Lisarap and she didn’t want to have to explain why the name change. So it worked out for the both of them. Before Drex went into bounty hunting he was a sergeant with the Wolf Clan. He went into bounty hunting because it paid more. At first he did it as a side thing. Then he started to realize just how much more he could make doing it full time. He got in good with all types of fences, smugglers, and one or two crime bosses. Or that’s what he thinks they were. They never said what they did and he didn’t ask. The less he knew about his employers the better. Every good bounty hunter knows that. Yet, he never forgot about his friends and clan mates still in Clan Wolf.
When Thorchan had passed the rite of passage set forth by his father, he was introduced to some of the people he still knew with Clan Wolf. They tested Thorchan over and over to see if he was really Wolf material. If so where would he fit in? Each test he passed easily. For you see his fathers “rite of passage” was the tests they gave him only harder. Impressed with his dedication and the ease with which he passed the tests he was given one last test, although he didn’t know it was his final test. He was introduced to his clan mates and in front of everyone it was announced that this “new blood” would be given the rank of 3 points. All the tests had shown he could be a great leader of men. Now was the time to prove it. This was one test his father hadn’t prepared him for. He had to earn the respect of his clan mates, not over time but right here, right now. As soon as it was said what his rank was the most elder 2 point stood up immediately. “Hey! That aint fair! If anyone is going to be 3 point, it should be ME!” And he pointed at his chest with his bony finger. We was rather tall but not very bulky. He really did remind Thorchan of a broom. Then the elder spoke. “So. What are you going to do about it?” and shoved Thorchan at him. They just stared at each other. The older guy was clearly a foot taller than Thorchan. If not a foot and a half. He thought maybe he was training to be an elemental. He had heard they can be pretty tough. He guessed it was time to find it out. He threw a quick punch to the stomach bending over the larger guy. Then a two handed chop to the back. He was still standing so he sent a knee to the face of the older guy. With that the other guy collapsed. With that he looked around to see a bit of shock on the others faces. Their stares switched between him and the Elder. They had been taught that fighting was not allowed in front of the Elders. No one moved. No one even made a sound. Then from the back you heard a chair move and someone said. “Well, if we are going to fight for the right to command then this unit belongs to me!” Then another man stood up. He wasn’t as tall as the first but he was twice as bulky. If anything he really was the one that commanded the unit, but from the shadows. Now it was time to make it known to everyone. Including the “new blood”. He shoved people aside looking to get to the front and meet his challenge. As he reached the front he saw Thorchan standing there and he instantly charged. Thorchan crouched down ready to flip him over. Just as the bigger guy reached him Thorchan slid out of the way. The older guy ran right into the Elder who had been standing behind Thorchan the whole time. The older guy had no time to react and continued to bring his arms around the elder and bring him down. The older guy quickly got up to apologize but before he finished his sentence Thorchan had kicked him in the knees causing him to buckle. As the older guy knees hit the pavement, Thorchan grabbed him by the hair and held his fist above the older guy. When the older guy saw he wasn’t going to hit he made his move. He took his arm and swept Thorchans legs from under him. This had caught Thorchan completely off guard. Usually the fight would have been over. With Thorchan down and confused the older guy had time to get up and started to kick him. He had gotten three kicks in before Thorchan had realized what had happened. As the forth kick came in, Thorchan got caught it and held the leg. This surprised the older guy as no one had done this before. Thorchan used his arm to chop at his knee sideways. The knee buckled a bit and Thorchan used his weight to finish bringing down the old guy. Thorchan used that opportunity to stand up and rush on top of the older guy. He knew he would try this, since it’s what he would have done also. Thorchan had forgotten that the other guy was taller than him and so he had longer legs. Next thing you know Thorchan had two large boots being pushed into his chest. Thorchan fell to the ground but rolled over and was able to get to one knee. With a pain in his chest it was clear that he might be in over his head. It was time to fight smarter, not harder. This was not a practice fight. There didn’t seem to be any rules here. The first one to surrender, tap out, or die was the loser. Since this was no rules he thought for a second. Then he could feel small rocks and dirt in his hands. So he palmed his fists with rocks and dirt and waited to see where he could put them. The older guy had seen where Thorchan had landed and started to charge at him again but careful to watch his speed. Then just as he reached Thorchan he hopped a bit, landing on his feet sliding towards Thorchan. Thorchan had seen the older guy charging at him and thought he would throw the rocks and dirt in his face when he reached him. Yet, just as Thorchan was jumping at him, he had changed his attack. Thorchan had no other choice but to continue with his attack, releasing the dirt and rocks in the air. Thorchan had jumped above and the other guy had slid below while this cloud of dirt and rocks seem to appear in the center. Both guys came to a stop and quickly turned around to face his opponent. Yet, all they could see was the cloud of dirt. Then from the cloud came a voice that said “Throwing dirt? You seem to be desperate.” Then the cloud started to fade a bit. As both guys came back into view the older guy said “Beware the desperate wolf. He will fight to survive. Will you?” Thorchan responded “I have no previous quarrels with you fellow wolf. But I will fight to stay alive.” Then the older guy stood up and said “Then concede your fight for alpha wolf. For you are still just a pup.” Thorchan hated being called a pup but that is what he was. He hadn’t been a full wolf for even an hour. Then he said “I did not come to become the alpha wolf today. I came to train with my fellow wolves. Then some day in the future I will be the alpha wolf.” This wasn’t the response the older guy was hoping for but in all truthfulness, he didn’t know what other tricks Thorchan had up his sleeves. They agreed that while Thorchan was a 3 point the older guy would be the true Alpha wolf of the unit. When they shook hands the elder just turned around and walked away.
Thorchan continued to train with his clan mates and he did eventually become the Alpha. Then when the call went out. He followed Kal Ridick and joined up with the Steel Wolves when they were formed. While he may not like Anastasia Kerensky, he agrees with how she took power. He both likes and hates what she has done lately. He likes the aggressiveness that she has displayed. He would like to see the Wolves have more influence in the galaxy and Anastasia Kerensky looks to think the same way, at times. Yet, one thing that really upset him was how she cannibalize Wolfkin Keshik to strengthen Crusaders Cluster. Then when he was denied a transfer to Crusaders Cluster he had enough. He decided to leave and pursue other ventures. He often says he has not abandoned the Wolves, the Steel Wolves or Wolfkin Keshik. He is waiting for a time when the Wolves, ALL the Wolves, are united in a common goal.
So after he left it didn't take long for him to find work. Unlike the military, the private sector was more than happy to have him lead teams into mines and forests to gather the resources. While alot of those jobs paid well they were mostly contract jobs. And he did crave for excitement of battle. Fighting trees and mountains was much excitement. Either you conquered nature, (you got the resources) or nature conquered you. (cave in or a tree fell on a person or equipment. ) So when he had saved enough he bought himself a Timberwolf and went into the bounty hunter business. He left the military on good terms. The higher ups didn't care or didn't notice he was gone. He did have one or two lower ranking officers that he talked to and drank with. So he could get information from them about pretty much anything. As for the grunts, those he called Clan mates, they saw him as a hero because they understood what he was talking about. A few stayed with Wolfkin Keshik. Those that were chosen to go to Crusader Cluster gained glory and rose through the ranks. Some even continued to keep in contact with Thorchan.
Once there was a bounty that offered such a huge reward, if he brought it in he could retire and live out the rest of his days in comfort. Or at least till the Wolves needed him again. So he took the bounty. Two phrases come to mind here. "There is no such thing as a sure thing. “and " Don't bite more than you can chew." But then for the right amount of money, a man can be convinced of anything. But he wasn't stupid. He knew this could be a trap. Or at the very least he had a hunch. That is probably how he survived. The only question that he could never answer was this:
Was the trap set for HIM or just any bounty hunter crazy enough to take the job?
It seemed to be tailor made for him but then again he wasn't the only bounty hunter out there. So what actually happened? Well he tracked his bounty to an old, run down shack in the middle of nowhere. It was on a deserted planet light years from anything resembling civilization. This was one of the reasons to cause concern. The other was the ease with which he found it. A hiding place like this should have taken a year at the least to find. Yet, within a month he already had the location down. That, for him, is the smoking gun saying this was set up for him alone. Another thing was the location. It was way back in a deep valley. Only one way in and one way out. An old saying says “Hindsight is 20/20”. This may be true. But then again if you are good enough you can turn any disadvantage to an advantage. And he was one of those guys. So here he is walking through this long valley. Now remember Mech’s aren’t big on stealth. You can feel them coming from miles away. Knowing this might have also helped with his survival. Then he sees the shack on the horizon. As he gets closer he can tell it is in an opened area. Then he starts thinking:
“Don’t do it, man. This is a trap as sure as shit comes out my ass. Maybe we should double back then come in from above. That way we have a better chance of coming out of this alive.”
“But if we leave they are sure to know it and might escape. They sure know that SOMEONE is here.”
What is it that makes a person go down the dark hallway that he just heard a noise. Or just choose to do something they know in there heart “this aint right.” Could it be Arrogance, Ignorance, Curiosity, Fear, or maybe even Bravery? Maybe it’s a combination of some of those? Maybe it all of them at once? Whatever the reason, our boy decided the best idea would be to continue going forward. Then as he exited the valley and entered the clearing he heard explosions behind him. Then from above he saw two Mechs jumping into the area. It took him a moment to figure out was going on since the radar wasn’t showing up anything. Now our boy aint much for talking especially when he knows he is in a trap and outnumbered. Now granted the bounty did say “dead or alive” But something told him they weren’t going for the “capture alive” part. So even though the radar couldn’t detect anything he could see with his own eye that there was something out there. If fact, there were two somethings. So using his best judgement, he aimed one large laser at each one of the “somethings” and pulled the trigger hoping for the best. The “best” would be destroying both Mechs. But if he could get it so that the radar would also see that something was out there that would also be “best” also. The shots were fired, and there was a small explosion out in the distance but as the smoked cleared he saw that both Mechs were still there, bad news. Good news was that the radar could now see something. The target identification system kept switching between tanks, APC’s and Helicopter. Then it went away and the radar was blank once more. He must have hit something good since the radar detected it for a short bit and they didn’t seem to be moving. But he thought to himself “No smoke, no fire. Those things are still active.” So he used that time to move around and try to figure a way out of there. As he moved he saw what the explosion was. Just as he had thought. The entry/exit had been blown up. The only way out is going up. At that moment his Mech rocked and jolted. He could tell it was a laser hit but it was coming from the opposite direction of the other Mechs. Then he thought “Oh you have got to be kidding me.” Sure enough as he turned around and looked up there they were more Mechs on top of the nature-made arena and they weren’t just spectators. They also weren’t showing up on the radar. “Whats going on here?” He said out loud. He did a quick count and came up with 6 Mechs as he started to run around the “arena” trying to make himself a harder target hit. Then another hit rocked and jolted him. This one seemed to come from lower. It seemed like his two new “friends” had woken up again. Then he realized what he had to do: run and shoot all without radar. So that’s what he did. He would run around; zig zag, circles even run straight just to try and throw them off guard. And if a Mech would get in front he would pull the trigger and hope for the best. After doing this for a while he realized something. They have been shooting at him for some time and while they have hit a few times it was nothing really bad. They have missed more than hit, just like him. With as many Mechs as they have he should have been dead a while ago. Unless, they are also firing blind. That’s when it hit him. They must be using a damping field. Then another hit jolted him. There is something here that is blocking ALL radar signatures not just his. He tried to figure out how to get out this but piloting a Mech and trying to fire laser cannon required a lot of concentration. Not to mention trying to avoid getting hit. The good news is they can’t get a lock on him. While doing all this for a few min. He was able to remember that damping fields work from the inside out. Now unless one of ground Mechs is carrying it, there isnt anywhere else it could be. Just then a laser beam hit just in front of him. “Lucky shot.” He said to himself. Then just as he was making a turn he saw something in the corner of his eye. He turned his Mech hoping he was going to get another good shot at one of the ground Mechs. Instead he saw the old shack. As he started to run towards it he saw part of the roof collapse and fall to the ground. What he saw inside the building surprised and shocked him. As he ran by it he could tell it was machinery. Working machinery. That must be were the damping field is coming from. So he straighten his Mech to line up with the “shack” again and fired with both lasers. There was a loud boom followed by flames bellowing from what used to be the shack. Two seconds later all his sensors came up. A quick scan shows the two on the ground are Koshi Mechs, “Yeah, knew that already knew just by looking at them.” He said to himself then continued “The other four Mechs are, wait not four but five Mechs. Oh this is just great. Could this get any better?” Then shock came back to his face. “A Vulture?! Seriously? Why not just bring out the Atlas while you at it?” Just then his Mech was rocked several times and his sensors began to flash. “Shit, Fuck. YOU!” That was when he realized that he wasn’t the only one that had gotten his radar back. “So five Mechs up top and two down below. Ok fine.” He grunted. A look of relief came over him as an idea came to him. But it was short lived as his Mech was rocked several more times. He lined himself up straight with the Vulture and fired everything, not at the Mech but just underneath it. As the rockets and lasers exploded on the rock wall all he could see was fire and dirt fly into the air. Then from underneath the smoke flew out a Mech headed straight to the ground. It landed on the ground with a giant crash. It hadn’t exploded but he was pretty sure if anyone had survived that, they wished they hadn’t. The sound and vibrations were so loud and violent that for a moment the battle seemed to come to a standstill. All the Mechs had come to a stop and He was rather proud that it had worked better than he thought. Then all of the sudden his Mech was rocked back and forth from all sides. Lights flashed as alarms went off. Then he realized these might not be military trained Mechs but they do have enough firepower to take him out. So he started moving again but it was quite obvious those last few hits had gotten him good. But now he knew how to take care of some of these Mechs. He started shooting high up on the walls. These were smaller Mechs; Puma, Dasher, Uller, Dragonfly. So they had to get close to the edge if they wanted good shots. And taking out, what was probably their leader, might have stirred them up enough they would get closer to the edge for even better shots. Which they did get. One by one they fell down. But one by one his systems were shutting down. By the time his knocked the last Mech off the wall his legs couldn’t move. He turned his Mech around to face on of the Koshi and fired all his rockets. It blew up in glorious flames. Yet once again, victory was short lived as his Mech was rocked once more. His Mech started to tip over as he hit the eject button. The thing about ejecting is, it’s great when you are leveled. At an angle you have a chance of hitting something. Mainly, the ground. And that’s what happened. As the seat ejected, instead of flying into the air, it arched and slid into the rocks. Coming to rest a few feet from the rock wall. He quickly got out, or as quickly as he could having gone through that. Then covered himself in dirt and rocks close to the wall. He looked to see what the other Mech was doing. He saw the last Koshi standing over his Mech as his Mech blew up. While he was happy it was over with he was also upset to have lost his Mech. Well “upset” is putting it nicely. Afterwards, he crawled to one of the other Mechs that still had a working radio and called for a pick up. In the end the original bounty was a fake but there WAS a bounty for The Glad Gang. They were just a group of guys, maybe a family, that had found some Mechs on a battlefield and decided to make a name for themselves. One of the guys, probably the father, used to be a dropship captain. So in the end he HAD scored a good load of credits. Unfortunately, most of the money went to med bills and replacement of his Mech. He did make a small profit, but not the “landfall” he was expecting. Also, he can’t drive around in Mechs as often as he would like. The sudden and rocky movements of riding around in a Mech makes his muscles and joints hurt afterwards. Is it from age or seeing combat, no one really knows. So now he spends more time in a comfy chair on his dropship. But there are times when he will get behind the seat of one of those “massive beauties” as he puts it either for a job or for fun.
Thorchan Eraden
