Trouble on the homefront

[brokenxdreams]

Finally, time off...
Gregory never thought he would ever get the chance to head home for a day or so to relax.
After all, he was apart of the unit that was being charged with a massive crack down on bandit activity.
The crack down was inevitably successful, but it took awhile before completion, and the battles between the bandits and soldiers were tiresome.

According to his commanding officers, a few-day break was well deserved, so they allowed him to take a miniature vacation in reward for his platoon's efforts.

He arrived at Bester shortly after 12:00pm, and immediately visited the old residential area, if one was able to actually call it that.
To be honest, the area was more abandoned buildings than actual occupied ones, but it was still a residential area nonetheless.

He found himself being among the only law enforcement figures on the street, save for a few leather-clad Fire Bloodz vigilante corp members.
Gregory payed them a glance, and they glanced right back at him, as if to say,
"Whaddya want, Feddie?"
"Feddie" was a term used by Bester locals, the non-military ones, that merely meant any type of soldier, state or federal.

Gregory continued down the sidewalk, which was a little worse for the wear, obviously having seen better days, like when Bester was first founded.

He stopped at a coffee shop, with a tattered and barely legible "Fire Bloodz" sign. Yes, this was the favorite hang out of the sometimes-corrupt Fire Bloodz vigilante corp that struggled to keep Bester in order along with its military forces.

The group itself was actually a group that detatched itself from the main vigilante group in Bester, Ice Lips, who ran a lift shop on the other side of town.

As if he belonged there, Gregory walked to the doors of the shop and opened it, a little bell sounding in unison with the door's opening, and all eyes of the bustling shop were turned on him.
Gregory felt a little unwanted, but he was local, and he did know quite a bit of Fire Bloodz members from his childhood.

As expected, he was confronted almost immediately after entering.
"Yo Feddie! The hell you think you're doin' here? This is Fire Blood turf!"
Gregory remained silent, his green eyes calmly trailing from the one who just spoke to two of his buddies that came over.

"Yeah! You think you gonna just barge in here as if you own the place? Feddie, please! You belong at the base with all those other government dogs!"

Gregory spoke calmly but clearly and loudly enough for the Fire Bloodz members to hear.
"I do belong here, citizens. I'm a local."

"Look feddie, I highly doubt you're here to get anythin' to eat or drink. Why are you really here? You arrestin' somebody?"

"No, I want something to drink. I-"

He cut himself off, the apparent "leader" of the trio of vigilantes grabbing his arm with his left hand, pulling his right back.

"Tired of havin' to deal with you government dogs!"

"Yo! Do you even know who you're roughing with? Can't you even read?!" A new arrival into the conversation shouted, walking over from his table.

"Huh? I'm just puttin' a snot-nosed feddie in his place!"

Gregory's arm was released as soon as the new arrival punched the one who grabbed it.
"Read here! Gre-gor-ee Tom-sohn. You remember him, right? High school 77? He lifted with us all the damn time, for God's sake!"

"Gregory?! You mean...our Gregory?"
"That's right!"
"Oh... Greg! I'm sorry man, heh. The soldier's are all uptight around these parts nowadays, we're used to being hassled by them."
"Not a problem. You wouldn't be the first to give me a 'warm welcome.'" Gregory said, brushing off his sleeve.
"So, Vinnie, why are Bester's forces so uptight?"
"I'll tell ya later." Vinnie replied, motioning for Gregory to follow him over to his seat.
"For now, let's just enjoy Bester's famous coffee!"

Gregory grinned at this, it brought back memories.
Bester outsiders would never drink Bester's coffee even if their life depended on it. It gave the word "bitter" a new definition.
Of course, only those who weren't used to the coffee, or outsiders, would call it that.
To locals, there were no replacements for Bester's coffee; it was, to them, the best coffee on the planet.

[brokenxdreams]

Gregory held a mug in his white gloved hands, part of his military uniform. He never did understand why the white gloves were a requirement, but he didn't really care anyway.
"So, Vinnie, tell me about what's been going in Bester lately."
"It's crazy, man! That damn mafia pretty much took over what was left of the place. Their boss has our boss in check, so we can't really do anything unless we want this place bombed or something, and the military is having trouble finding them 'cause nobody wants to say anything."
Gregory nodded in understanding, "I see. So Bester's in some mob's hands now..." He thought outloud, slowly losing himself in thought. "Not for long, though..."
Of course, as was with every city, two separate forces of the same government held power. The Federal Military, and the State Military. The State Military was just your local government force, regulating what was done in each city.
The Federal Military, however, was the force that ran the entire show all together; the government itself and Gregory was apart of this force, apart of the force that stepped in when the state military couldn't handle a problem.

Gregory took a sip of his coffee, and looked to Vinnie.
"Screw what your leader says. Screw the mob's orders. I may require your help, along with anybody else you can find, in gathering information on this mafia."
Vinnie's head perked up, ready to listen to what the soldier had left to say.

"It's quite simple. Gather sufficient information. Like, their leader's identity and location, their assets, how they obtain arms and/or LFO's, and anything else you can gather that can be of use to the military. Say nothing of my involvement with this op, got it?"

Vinnie nodded, and a grin appeared on his face. "Yeah! You can trust me to get that info for you, no problem, I got connections." Vinnie took a sip of his own coffee, and continued, "After that, you'd know when to step in and all dat, right?"

Gregory smirked slyly, "Precisely. That is, if all goes according to plan. Bear in mind that I cannot pull off arrests and raids of my own free will, I require an O.K. from my commandant. I expect you to not act violently until I give you the O.K. to do so either, clear?"

"Clear as crystal, Greg! You can trust me, I'll get you that information, no problem! Just tell me when you get your permission to act after I gather up all the stuff, and then we can bust some mobster ass!"

Gregory finished his coffee and stood up, leaving a tip and the payment for the coffee.
"I will play my part in gathering information as well, but you have more flexibility in doing so, that's why i'm relying on you to get more of it."

Vinnie nodded, "Like I said, man, I'll get you your info, rest assured!"

Gregory stood infront of Vinnie, and shook his hand, "Very well. Report back here a week from today at 2000 hours."

Vinnie thought for a moment, forgetting for a split second about the relationship between military and normal time. "Oh! 8pm, got it!"

With that said, Gregory left, adjusting his black hat on his dark brown hair covered head, also checking to see if his hand gun was in its holster tightly. After confirming this, he opened the door of the shop, greeted by Bester's gloomy atmosphere and not-so-fresh air, and stepped outside, walking along the sidewalk.

It was time to liberate Bester from the clutches of these defilers of peace and order one step at a time.
The final steps of the operation would bring Gregory more enjoyment than any other.
After all, who wouldn't be happy to free their home town from the clutches of a dangerous criminal organization?

[Kitsune]

Raiku walked along a large alley way that had a little ways until she would meet up with the streets. Her legs moved slowly as she gazed around the alley's deathly scenery. Her dark coralian eyes looked at the alley path and saw a seven large muscel heads in front of her, holding weapons. She was amazed that they would even dare look at her but she didnt think that they knew who she was. She tilted her head to the left and looked at them for a little bit longer and began to walk forward. She heard creepy laughs coming from them and tried to walk right past them.

"Hey babe why dont you come with us for a second?" the one on her right whispered to her as she was just passing through.

She felt a shiver go down her spine and held one finger up to her head.
As tempting as that sounds I dont think soooo. she said back with a grin stretched on her face.

"Why not....maybe ou dont know who we are.." Another said as Raiku began to walk again.

Raiku began to walk faster until a guy who was at the end grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. She felt disgusted when he touched her. He held her next to him whispering in her ear "You seriously dont know who we are do you?" Raiku raised her leg backwards in a fast strike kicking him off of her.

No I dont now get away from me ya creeps!

She screamed at them and began to run. She saw the muscel head gang running after her drawing out their weapons. She clenched her fist and her glove spreaded thorns on the knuckle point. She could see the street up ahead a few more guys were guarding that way and had weapons in thier hands. Raiku jumped as high as she could and landed on a guys face and pounced off running up the side walk.

"Get back here ya wench!" One of the guys yelles after her.

Raiku turned past what looked like a coffee shop and ran down another part of a sidewalk. She stopped ran up the wall almost falling off until she grabbed a nearby pipe. A guy came under neath wondering where she went and Raiku leaped down onto the guy with her claws out and punching him in the face. His nost bled and he had four holes in his face. The others took up their weapons and charged her. Raiku smirked and began to run away again, only to run into some other guy.

[brokenxdreams]

"What the fu-!?" Gregory was knocked down, and slid across the sidewalk after being struck by some force.
There went the cleanliness of his pearly white uniform pants.
He looked to see what ran into him, and noted it was a girl, donning the Ice Lips' jacket. Picking himself up, he looked beyond the girl, and found that she was being pursued by a few thugs.

Drawing his gun, he shot at the ground before their feet, and spoke, "All of you, disperse at once!" He ordered, firing another shot, not caring at that moment about his uniform's status.

[Kitsune]

Raiku held hr head from where she ran into the other guy and looked up to see a military pesonal. Her heart jumped when she saw him pull out a gun and shot it past her head. A tear came out of her eye from the fear and she got up ignoring all of the guys were chasing her.

What the HELL are ya thinking boy. Are you trying to shoot my head off?! She pratically screamed at him frantically.

"Hey boy hand over the girl now. We don't obey some dog of the government...." The guy said pointing at Raiku.

She felt more enraged than she had ever been in her entire life. first a guy who thought he was saving her shot a bullet that just barely missed her head, and second a bunch of thugs treated her like as if she were nothing more than some chick on the side lines. She let go of the guy and began walking past him with her head down and an evil aura just rose from her. She turned to face them all and looked up with an extremely scary look on er face. She popped her knuckles and ran at the thugs first. She hit a guy in the gut and twisted her fist into his stomach and set him flying backward. his stomach bleeding from the thorns on her gloves and she began cracking them again.

Whos next?! She asked with a demons face.

[brokenxdreams]

"I wasn't aiming for you. Calm down, citizen." Gregory turned to the girl, then back to the thugs.
He grimaced as he watched the scene unfold, and shook his head after.
The thugs were downed, that was the good thing.
Sighing, he walked over to the criminals' bodies as they writhed on the ground, and spoke into a communicator that he had taken from a slot of his utility belt of his military uniform.
"This is Lt. Gregory Thompson. Federal Military, Alpha division. I request Bester State Military assistance..." He continued on, telling the state soldiers the location.
"Roger that, Lt. We'll send a wagon over immediately to apprehend the criminals. Please hold your position."
"That's a roger. Lt. Thompson out." He tucked the communicator back into its slot on the utility belt, and looked to the girl.
"So, you're an Ice Lips member?" He asked, putting away his .45, crossing his arms across his chest, glancing at the girl's blue track jacket.

He took a look at his uniform pants, and muttered to himself, "Shit, I just washed these too..." Brushing off what dirt he could, he looked back up to the vigilante. "Name's Gregory Thompson, you probably know what faction I belong to, so I believe I don't require any more of an introduction."

[Kitsune]

She looked at Gregory as he introduced himself. She stared at how picky he was about his pants and she cleared her throat trying not to laugh. She didnt forget about his assistance either. She looked at him and stared when he just said she was a member of her people.

Ya whats it to ya boy? She said putting one hand on her hip and slanted.

She began trying to get the blood off her gloves after a while and scraped them agaisnt the wall a few times, leaving long slash marks on the sides.

Man this is why I don like takin care of morons. Raiku pouted as she tried to get any left overs off. The blood just wouldnt come off in some area no matter how hard she tried to get it off. She sighed and looked back to the military man.

Why are you here boy, ya know its dangerous and youll dirty yourself down here instead of your little head quarter place. She said to him while starin at his pants. Are you down here to help those Fire Bloods? or maybe your down here to try and catch some idiots who think their big shots? Which one is it hm? She asked mockingly not caing that he was in the military.

[brokenxdreams]

"I'm a local here." Gregory said, shrugging. "and besides, I know how to handle myself around these parts. I grew up here and i'd appreciate it if you didn't call me "boy", I'm not that young." Gregory paused for a moment, and continued, "I am friends with quite a few fire blood members, so I figured I'd visit them along with my hometown."

Gregory took a glance at his uniform pants again, and sighed. "Atleast it isn't my only pair..." He thought outloud, looking back up. "Dirt is why soap was created. This is nothing a good washer can't handle."

The squeak of breaks sounded, and Gregory turned to a rather large van that pulled up on the street beside them, the back doors opening up.
Four state soldiers came out of the van, two from the back and two from the passenger and driver seats, and saluted to Gregory, who was higher ranked on the ladder, remaining in that position until told otherwise.
"At ease. Continue with your objective, which I would assume is the apprehension of these would-be criminals?"

"Yes, sir! That is what we were ordered to do, sir!" The leader of the small quadtuplet of state soldiers said as the other three handcuffed the thugs, moving them them over to the van.

"Good work, Lieutenant!" One of the three soldiers said as he threw one of the criminals in the back, helping his comrades.

"I wasn't the one who neutralized them, though. This Ice Lips vigilante did."

"Oh? Good effort, ma'am." The soldier said, looking to Raiku, nodding.

"That's all of 'em, sir."

The State Soldier quadtuplet leader looked to his subordinate and nodded. "Alright, let's take them to the base, so they can join their fellow low lives."

Gregory saluted as the four soldiers drove off after shutting the van's doors headed for the prison.

"Heh, you should be a little relieved. The military seems to be a bit more... stressful than the vigilante corps that operate here." Gregory joked, watching the van move away.

[Kitsune]

The soldier complimented her and all she could do was shrug. She watched as the morons were loaded onto the van and drove off toward the prisons. Raiku looked at where the van left and back to Gregory. She was amazed that non of his Fire Blood buddies were with him much less them being his friend which sorta made no sense to her but she let it slip through her mind.

So gun-boy watcha gonna do now. You held off the guys who where chasing me how do ya want to be repayed back? Its a bi deal helpin me trust me on that. She asked seriously

She leaned against the wall, her dark carolian eyes looking off ino space until she got an answer. She twindled her thumbs and taped her foot lightly against the ground. When she thought about it she couldnt help but think why would he save her but she saved that question for later.

[brokenxdreams]

"I'm a soldier, law enforcement. It's my job to intervene in things like that..." He said, shrugging. "I don't require any payment from you, I'm not a mercenary." His gaze moved over to Raiku's eyes, and he uttered something out of thought and remembrance, "Uh!" Those eyes!
Quickly, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a photo, a picture of a wavy sky-blue haired girl, with lavender eyes and a red streak through the middle. "...You have the same eyes as Her..." He said, looking up at Raiku, then back at the picture. "Yeah..."

[Kitsune]

Raikuglared at him quetioningly at the picture that he took out of his pocket.

What is there something with my eyes. She stared at him with a questionin glare and walked over and looked he picture.

Oh ya mean I have the same eyes as that carolian? I dont think so, mine are darker than hers but nice try. We are however the same in probably more ways than one. she mumbled to him making sure that she didnt speak loud in public.

Make sure ya dont raise a big fuss about it though i dont need any scenes.... She whispered in his ear.

She knew most people didnt like carolians that much and she frowned and turned and leaned back against the wall. She heard a sound of breaking glass in tthe distance and began to move toward that way.

[brokenxdreams]

"Well, it's not like you're helping your situation any by stabbing people with claws." Gregory said, putting the picture back in his jacket pocket.
"Huh?" He looked up at the sound of breaking glass, and quickly drew his .45, holding it upward in both hands, following behind Raiku.
Gregory wondered if this incident had anything to do with the thugs they just had to deal with. Hopefully, they weren't heavily armed or anything. After all, Gregory only had a handgun on him, with no body armor.
He was a bullet sponge with barely anything to defend himself with.

[Kitsune]

Raiku walked toward the noise which was a few blocks down and saw two guys fighting, one was one of her guys the other was some Fire Blood. Raiku glared for moment as they tumbled all over the place and grabbed the Fire Blood who was on top and through him off. She gave her own a glare as he stood up trying to avoid eye contact with her.

And what happened here? She asked her guy with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Well um....." The guy tried to reply

Raiku could feel her blood boil and looked around. She stared at the window they burst through and saw surprise and frightened people. She would be happy if her guy was winning the fight but he was being beaten into a pulp which pretty much PO her. She looked over to the Fire Blood and turned to face him.

If ya wanna fight your taken me on. She warned him and began cracking her knuckles.

She didnt pay any attention to the military guy for the moment while she gave evil stares to the both of them. She could see that hr guy was ashamed of something, probably himself as he kept his head down.

[brokenxdreams]

He sighed,
and walked up to the three, speaking,
"All of you, just stop the senseless violence now and we can try to resolve the problem in a more peaceful manner. First of all, I'd like it if you /didn't/ start a fight, Ice Lips member, it could make this situation a lot better. Second," He turned to the Fire Blood member, looking to the Ice Lips member he was fighting, "How exactly did this start?"

[Kitsune]

Raiku looked at the soldier boy stupidly and trned back to the Fire Blood. She crossed her arms and leaned on a railing waiting for an answer from the very ones her people did not like.

"That Ice Lip was speaking trash about our boss and saying that their boss could beat ours any day and startedacting all high and mighty!" The Fire Blood said with anger in his eyes.

"Thats not true you gus said that your boss could beat mine any day!" Her guy spat back at him

The two began to argue and Raiku yawned. She walked in the middle of them both keeping them from fighting by pushing them back when they tried to get closer. Her fists itched to punch them both but she did her best to hold it back.

Why does this alays happen.... She said aloud and took a deep sigh. It would be easier if I just knocked them boh out ya know... She said to the soldier turning her body to face him and keeping the two apart.