>>819181
>>Stop and make camp

>>819181
>Stop and make camp

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>>819181
You get off your horse, and quickly set up camp by the riverside. As you lie there in your tent, you pull out a small gold coin with a silver skull emblazoned on it, and you think back to that day.

--------------

You were only a child back then…

Your sight slowly drifts into darkness before the events of that day vividly flow like a holofilm. The late noon sun shining brightly as you last remembered, and the sound of joy and laughter echoing all around.

Practicing Kung-Fu with your Pa on the ranch, the scent of Ma’s sweet Caramapple Pie filling the entire ranch, family and friends laughing and singing at the table…

But that’s when all colour seeps out of the world as if someone took water to a finished painting.

Dark riders with a Shattered Star…screams and fire…hiding inside a hay bale with hands against your ears, Pa lying on the ground, and those words from the top-hatted leader as he held out his glowing plasma pistol.

“Sorry for the mess, pardner. Here’s something for the trouble.”

The top-hatted man flips a coin onto your Pa’s chest before slowly pulling the trigger.

If only you had that down and dirty bastard in your hands, you’d…you’d…

>Roll 1d20

Rolled 18 (1d20)

>>819315

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>>819315
Quickly grabbing your gun, you wake up at the first sign of danger scanning all over to intercept the threat only to be received by a scream, and the sound of scrambling.

In front of you is a young kid on the ground, frozen in place, and clearly startled at your sudden rise from slumber.

Your eyes slowly get accustomed to the bright morning sun as you carefully step outside with your pistol drawn.

>“What the hell are you doing here, boy?”
>“Don’t you know it’s against The Code to come upon someone without a warning?”
>Other

>>819434
>Don’t you know it’s against The Code to come upon someone without a warning?”

>>819434
>“Don’t you know it’s against The Code to come upon someone without a warning?”

>>819434
>>“Don’t you know it’s against The Code to come upon someone without a warning?”

“Don’t you know it’s against The Code to come upon someone without warning?” You holster your gun after checking that the immediate area.

The boy meekly and quietly replies, “I-I’m t-terribly sorry, sir. I-I-I just wanted to follow you and be a cowboy like you!”

Oh jeez, just what you needed, a hero worshipper.

“Look, son, tell me where you’re from.” You extend a hand to pick him up onto his feet.

The boy quickly takes your hand, and you pull him up.

“Neo Tuckson, sir. Name’s Lex, and I w-wanted to learn from you after seeing you handle those no-good bandits and I thought that you could teach me, and needed help. I even brought my own piece!” He pulls out a revolver that looks a bit too big for him.

You could turn him away, but his face is positively beaming at the chance to learn from you.

>“Look, Lex, head home. It's far too dangerous.”
>“Alright, I’ll teach you a few things, but stay out of trouble.”
>Other

>>819584
>>“This is not a path one should take so willingly, I’ll teach you a few things, but stay out of trouble.”

>>819584
>“Alright, I’ll teach you a few things, but stay out of trouble.”

>>819584
>>“This is not a path one should take so willingly, I’ll teach you a few things, but stay out of trouble.”

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>>819584
Well, there was only one real way to get this kid off your back…

Looking him straight into his eyes, you say, “This is not a path one should take so willingly, I’ll teach you a few things, but stay out of trouble.”

Lex jumps higher than a kangaroo at a circus rally the moment you finish.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” you mutter under your own breath as you get prepared for the impromptu lesson.

Standing in the calm flowing river, you begin teaching the very basics.

------

Time flies as you put him through your father’s patented training technique: Montage of Hard Labour, a technique that allows what would normally be an hour’s worth of practice being fitted within a three minute timeframe.

“Remember, your body must flow like the waters of the river to channel your inner Ki. Do this every day, and only use violence as a last resort.”

The both of you bow as you conclude your lesson.

“Thank you so much, sir!” Lex jumps, “I promise to not be all hat and no cattle, and practice. I can’t wait to tell Ma about this!”

Getting back to his motorcycle, Lex waves goodbye as he starts the engine, “I can’t wait for the next lesson, Mr. Steele!”

You wave back, and he rides off into the distance, andoddly enough, you sort of find yourself liking that kid.

Activating your holoHUD, you consider your options in your approach to Fool’s Gold Gulch.

>Head directly to where the mining town where the Black Stars are hiding.
>Head to the mines where the Black Stars are most likely hiding their loot.
>Other

>>819793
>>Other
Check if you can enter the town from a unexpected angle

>>819793
Supporting >>819822

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>>819793
Riding further down the gulch with the sun against your back, and in the distance, you see the small abandoned town that the Black Stars now occupy.

Deciding that subtlety was the better half of valour, you dismount from your trusty cyborg horse, and close the distance on foot. Hopping into the river, you carefully avoid most of the patrols as you swim further into the heart of the town.

Last you remembered, the ghost town of Fool’s Gold Gulch was abandoned much like the other boom towns that popped up during the initial resource rush. But as the mine dried up, people started heading to more well established towns and cities while outlaws took up residence.

Popping your head out of the water, you get onto dry land and quickly take to the cover of a few empty crates. Peering out the side, you see a well-lit building with a few outlaws dressed in finer clothes, perhaps their headquarters. Perhaps you should pay them a personal visit.

On the other side, you see a few burly men carrying boxes of fusion batteries to another building, probably acting as an armoury. It would be a mighty shame if those fusion batteries completely glassed the town with their known safety issues.

>Sneak into their Headquarters
>Sneak into the armoury
>Other

>>819972
>>Sneak into the armoury

>>819972
>>Sneak into the armoury

>>819972
>Sneak into the armoury

>>819972
> Armory
Dynamite?

>>819972
>Sneak into the armoury

>>819972
Waiting for an opportunity, you quickly run to the back door of the makeshift armoury, and quietly enter the house.

“Mother Mercy…” you whisper to yourself.

Inside the house, the walls were lined from wall to wall with rifles, pistols, and other assorted weapons. Most of the interior was gutted and replaced with ammunition crates, reloading benches, and other workstations.

On one of these workstations, you pocket an IED for later use in your plan.

If you had more time to look around, you’d probably find some hand-held nuclear weapons hidden away somewhere.

Quietly going upstairs, step by step, you find the fusion batteries in the master bedroom.

>Roll 1d20

Rolled 7 (1d20)

>>820117

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>820117

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>820117

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>>820117
Planting the IED by the crates of fusion batteries, you set the timer to glass the town in nine minutes. As you’re about to leave, you see a plasma rifle strewn across the king’s size mattress. Closely inspecting it, you see that it’s in rather good condition despite being rather worn and used. You sling it over your shoulder just in case you find yourself in a fight.

The sound of a door opening echoes through the old rotting house as you hear footsteps downstairs.

“Alright boys, gear up and prepare to go hunting some scum! Jim, grab a couple few fusion batteries upstairs.”

Now you were stuck between a rock and a hard place, you could try sneaking out the window, running to the hills to escape the soon-to-be crater, and risk them finding the bomb in their home; or you could fight your way out and distract them from the tampered batteries.

>Flee
>Fight
>Other

>>820233
>Flee

>>820233
>Flee

>>820233
>Flee

Time to bravely run away!

>>820233
>>Flee

>>820233
>Flee

Looking desperately around the bedroom for another way out, you spot the window and quickly work on unlocking it.

The sound of footsteps grow steadily louder as they get closer, but you made it!

You slide the window open, and quickly dive headfirst back outside.

Landing hard on the rocky ground was not exactly one of the highlights of your day, but you persevere, clambering back onto your feet and making your way back to the river.

Stalking low to the ground, you notice two bandits with fishing rods by the river. They were probably trying to catch dinner while their leaders drank and ate the finest cuisine.

>Take out the guards silently
>Shoot them
>Sneak around them
>Other

>>820346
>>Sneak around them

>>820346
>Other
One of the older tricks in the book, throw a rock away from the direction that you're traveling so they think a fish jumped or something and pack up and move over that way.

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>>820346
Reaching into your pocket sand pocket, you feel for a small rock that had been bothering you for quite a while during your travels. After finding one suitable for your needs, you toss it further downstream of the river.

The guards quickly notice the splash in the water, and relocate to set up their new fishing spot while you silently swim back upstream unnoticed by the patrols.

Once you’re a safe distance away from the town, you activate your holoHUD and summon your horse to your current location. Only a few minutes go by before you hear the sound of your companion’s motor in the distance.

Quickly running to your horse, you leap into the air and grab the reins. As you were about to hightail it out of there, the whole world goes white, and a massive explosion erupts from Fool’s Gold Gulch.

Rummaging for your dust goggles, you pull them over your face just as a wav-no, a wall of dust quickly envelops you. For the next few minutes, you find yourself barely able to see a foot in front of you while you try to barely make silhouettes in your environment.

But when the dust settles, you remove your goggles, and look back to the ghost town only to find a smouldering crater and a smoky mushroom cloud rising to the skies as if clawing its way into the heavens.

Pulling out that gold coin, you think back to the day when your life changed forever. So much destruction, and for what? Money?

>Throw away coin
>Keep coin
>Other

>>820574
>Keep coin
>Other
contemplate the meaning of life, power, and responsibility for a little bit, why you do all this and who you do it for.

>>820574
>>Keep coin
Should that ass of a leader survive

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>>820574
Gazing deep into the face of the skull, makes you think about all you’ve done in your quest for revenge.

For all the people you just killed; were you just as bad as the Black Stars for abusing their power?

What were you fighting for? To protect the weak and vulnerable, or was that just an excuse for you to lash out at those who wronged you?

Realizing that fallout radiation would be coming down soon, you wrap your duster around yourself tightly before telling your horse to ride forth.

The dawning sun rises above the horizon as you ride back to Neo Tucson, and place the coin into your breast pocket.

A new day had dawn….

-----

A kilometer away from the crater, a lone rider upon a pale horse oversaw what had occurred. Turning back, he rode past his men, “Looks like we need to kick things into high gear. Next stop, Neo Tucson!”

With a mighty cry from his assembled men, he rallies his men to march upon the small town.

>And that's it for tonight! Final thread will be next week at the same time.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Suns%20Stars%20%26%20Sins

https://twitter.com/Venator_QM

>>820888
>A kilometer away from the crater, a lone rider upon a pale horse oversaw what had occurred.
As I tought