A Man and his Gun

[Max Dirks]

SoloThe voices are of a man and a woman. The man speaks first and the woman second. They follow this pattern as the conversation deepens.

“Are you sure you want give IT back to HIM? Your archives suggest he's a bit of a wildcard.”

“True, but recently we had…an incident…that will be very hard to recover from. We lost one of our best members. Besides replacing that fallen member, I could probably think of a dozen other reasons why his presence would be helpful.”

[Max Dirks]

“A sort of moral and intimidation factor I would expect.”

“You are very perceptive, but it's more than that. In light of our current situation it would be beneficial to have a powerful ally on our side. No one can use it as effectively, and I won't touch the thing. Plus, he's a legend. It would certainly be an advantage to have a living legend on our side.”

“Yes. I assume that you want the traditional smithing then? This technology is very complex. We would have to guess the fit and purpose of several of the missing parts.”

[Max Dirks]

“I understand that you are capable of doing what you have just described?”

“Not personally, but I have an apprentice who could assist in such a procedure. Do you have the parts in your possession?”

“Yes.”

“Hum, actually I believe that I may have a reasonable alternative to the traditional smithing.”

[Max Dirks]

“Oh?”

“My group has just…acquired…some new technology from Alerar that might augment rather than repair the item. What would you say if I could restore it to full functionality with a 90% chance that he would never even notice it was different?”

“I would ask how...”

“Its simple really, we use magic. The technology is called Magicyte. Charged runes power the item, but it would load like it once did.”

[Max Dirks]

“Alright. How soon could this process begin?”

“You are fully aware of our policies, we will hold nothing back from our allies. This means that if you choose this as a favor, we will begin as soon as you deliver the parts.”

“Then you’ll have them within a day. Our resent move has brought us much closer to your present location.”

“Then I take it your interest still remains? Would you like us to do you a favor?”

“Yes, let's give Max Dirks back his PSG-1.”

[Kyle Xandran]

“I do enjoy our little talks, Jackal,” a voice, soft but bold, spoke out. The voice belonged to Kyle Xandran, the reclusive owner of Xandran Arms. He sat intently with his hands folded. His eyes were locked on the Jackal and he had a light smile on his face. “But I doubt that they are without purpose.”

“You’re very perceptive, Mr. Xandran,” the Jackal responded. He sat opposite of Xandran with his right leg folded over his left.

“And did you find it?”

The Jackal lowered his leg and leaned forward. “I did.”

At this, Xandran raised his eyebrow. “It was with the Order?” The Jackal nodded again.

“And they suspect nothing?”

“No.”

“Good. We shall continue our conversation later. Make preparations for it's arrival.”

The Jackal nodded, and then Xandran faded into nothing.

[Max Dirks]

“It’s…” the Jackal folded his hands together, “more complicated than I thought” He was intentionally lying, but his demeanor remained steadfast. He doubted the woman could tell the difference at this point. “Do you recall me saying we could augment the weapon with Magicyte?” The Jackal took a moment before arriving at his point. “Well, the process failed.”

The woman appeared disappointed.

“I assume you'll be wanting the parts back?”

“Indeed.”

“We'll ship them tomorrow. I'm sorry...”