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Internet Message Format | 1996-01-20 | 12KB

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From: [e-mail] (Harry Flashman)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.archives
Subject: STORY: Ian McManus: Freelancer
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Date: 18 Jan 1996 16:40:56 -0500
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INTRODUCTION

    Ian was born in the city of Fukido, the son of a poor=20
shipping agent, Patrick MacManus, who worked his whole life=20
for the Imperial Corporation.  Patrick=D5s blood ties to the=20
MacDougall clan were tenuous at best, thus he never attained=20
the lofty positions available to others in the Clans.  However,=20
he was loyal to the MacDougalls and served them honorably.  It=20
was this honor, and the want to feed his destitute family,=20
which enabled clan members to manipulate Patrick into a part-
time occupation as a clan assassin.  He became well known for=20
his acting and disguise ability allowing him to change his=20
appearance with remarkable skill.
    However, during one of Patrick=D5s less successful=20
missions, he apparently made some powerful enemies.  He died=20
just days after his return from a mysterious, painful disease. =20
Ian=D5s mother, Fionna, had no idea of her husband=D5s other=20
occupation and was surprised when agents of The Brotherhood=20
came calling.  Rumors spread of Patrick=D5s involvement with the=20
Clans and his possible death at the hands of Dark Symmetry=20
infiltrators.  The full story has never been determined and in=20
fact investigation by an obsessed Inquisitor named Lucan,=20
figures prominately in his son's Ian=D5s life. =20
    The unfortunate death of Patrick left Ian without a=20
father just months before his birth.  His mother was forced to=20
become a maid and cleaning lady for several years until finally=20
getting a position at the household of the Honorable Frederick=20
Tarkinton an Imperial corporate judge. =20
    The Tarkinton Family was very well to do.  The Judge had=20
worked his way up from corporate lawyer to district judge and=20
had some powerful connections to Clan MacDougall.  His wife,=20
Emily,  had died many years before leaving him with four=20
children.  But, Judge Tarkinton was not known to be much of a=20
family man.  In fact he appeared to have little interest in his=20
children=D5s welfare, apart that they should not be an=20
embarrassment to their station in life. =20
    At the age of six, Fionna and little Ian moved into the=20
servants quarters of the large mansion that Judge Tarkinton=20
owned in Fukido.  Here Ian grew up with few friends, apart from=20
the children of the other servants, and was the brut of many=20
pranks and insults by the Tarkinton children.  He was especially=20
singled out and humiliated by Moira Tarkinton who was only a=20
year younger then himself. =20
    However the tables were soon turned.  It was revealed=20
that Judge Tarkinton had got Fionna with child.  The judge=20
decided to marry the young lady instead of going through the=20
harangue of court proceedings and to avoid notice of a scandal=20
by his corporate superiors.  The marriage was a shock to young=20
Ian, who had never even seen his mother with the man who was=20
soon to be his step-father.  It was even more of a shock to the=20
Tarkinton children who despised the idea of Ian becoming their=20
=D2brother=D3.  It was decided that Ian would be sent to Luna City=20
to stay with the Judge=D5s sister and her husband.  So at the age=20
of eight, Ian was packed onto a shuttle and sent to Luna City.
    Robert MacDougall was the chief negotiator for the=20
MacDougall Clan.  His element was the bargaining tables and=20
conference rooms of Imperial Corp. and having married Mary=20
Tarkinton he felt obliged to assist in the advancement of the=20
Judge.  However, Robert MacDougall also remembered the loyal=20
Patrick MacManus, whose services the negotiator sometimes=20
required.  Therefore, even though Ian had no MacDougall blood in=20
his veins, in the MacDougall household Ian was subjected to=20
rigorous training in how to act a Clansman.  He was taught=20
manners and Clan history, as well as the history of ancient=20
earth clans, something Robert MacDougall considered important. =20
Young Ian even took up the ancient bagpipes and learned to play=20
beautifully.  Robert knew the boy would never be a clansman,=20
but Ian showed an absorbing interest in clan history. =20
    Mary MacDougall, on the other hand, found Ian=D5s=20
precocious nature endearing and warmed up to the boy=20
immediately.  Having no children of her own, she doted on him=20
and made sure he received exemplary tutoring and education. =20
Ian enjoyed spending time with the elderly woman who told him=20
lots of interesting stories.  She insisted that he call her =D2Aunt=D3=20
and never doubted his position as one of the family.  Ian=20
blossomed under this attention and began to develop a shrewd=20
wit and capable mind hitherto unexpected.  Apart from his=20
mother, Mary and Robert were the only other grownups he ever=20
loved. =20
    Then one night a tragic event occurred which was to have=20
far reaching ramifications for Ian the man.  While=20
accompanying Mary and Robert to a function in Luna City the car=20
was attacked by terrorists.  The Imperial troopers send to=20
protect the car were detained by a well timed road block and=20
the limousine set upon by armed soldiers.  The valiant=20
chauffeur/bodyguard could not drive away from the scene and=20
instead put up a valiant fight to hold off the marauders.  Soon,=20
however, he was cut down and the car subjected to heavy=20
caliber fire.  The bullet-proof rear door buckled under the fire=20
and became so twisted it was easily ripped open by the=20
mercenary leader. =20
    With careful precision the mercenary captain raised his=20
pistol and slammed two slugs into Robert=D5s head.  As Mrs.=20
MacDougall lay screaming under the weight of her collapsed=20
husband, the soldier took careful aim at her face.  But Ian=20
screamed and grabbed the pistol by the muzzle deflecting it a=20
few, critical inches.  As it fired, mangling the boy's right hand,=20
the slugs passed harmlessly into the cushions of the rear seat. =20
Then, before more damage could be done, the mercenary captain=20
was ruthlessly taken out by the late arriving Imperial soldiers. =20
    Ian recovered quickly from serious burns and a deep=20
furrow through the palm of his hand.  He was, for a short time,=20
a recognized hero in Luna City as the brave boy who saved Mrs.=20
MacDougall=D5s life.  All of Luna City=D5s television and radio=20
stations carried his story, and Imperial stations carried it=20
through out their territories in the solar system.  Robert was=20
laid to rest in regal Imperial fashion, and Ian was a forefront in=20
all of the video and photograph coverage of the event. =20
    Soon after this Ian was called back by his vengeful step-
father who, saying it was because Fionna missed him=20
desperately and desired his company, was more likely=20
motivated by his desire to manipulate the boy=D5s fleeting glory=20
for his own gains.  Never the less, Fionna was very glad to have=20
him back, not agreeing with the Judge=D5s decision to send him=20
away in he first place.  Mary Tarkinton was upset and lonely and=20
missed her =D2little man=D3 very much.  But, she visited as often as=20
she could and Ian wrote her frequently. =20
    Interestingly enough Moira found she also missed Ian=20
while he was gone.  She began to find that although she had=20
teased the young boy ruthlessly it was only due to the pressure=20
of her three brother's, and her personal embarrassment=20
concerning a deep seated crush on the poor young man.  To the=20
increasing dismay of her brothers and her father, she began to=20
spend lots of time with the boy, and they developed a deep=20
affection for each other.  Then on the day of Ian=D5s twelfth=20
birthday, under the guise of celebrating the occasion, they both=20
officially experienced their first kiss. =20
    It was only a matter of time before the other members of=20
the family discovered Moira and Ian secretly holding hands and=20
walking alone, confused about their new found emotions.  When=20
they were finally discovered kissing in a little used room of=20
the mansion, the judge flew into a rage and accused Ian of=20
debauching his daughter.  But instead of punishing the young=20
man, perhaps out of the sense of his own indiscretion a few=20
years earlier, he packed up the young girl and sent her off to=20
private school in Luna City.  Apart from holidays they rarely=20
saw each other and even during the times school was in recess,=20
Ian found it difficult to be alone with her.  Eventually, as he=20
entered adulthood, he was excluded from family reunions=20
altogether.
    In a rebellious frame of mind from the loss of his=20
childhood sweetheart, and the lack of affection from his step-
father, Ian took to hanging out with the rougher element of=20
Fukido.  In time he became a member of a gang of street kids=20
who roamed the city stealing, mugging and fighting =D2turf=20
wars=D3.  For a time kidnapping became a =D2fashionable=D3 crime for=20
these gangs to commit.  They would pluck hapless people from=20
the street and force them to call their relatives for ransom.  At=20
times these sums were low enough and the victim=D5s families=20
frightened enough, that the ransom would be handed over=20
readily.  Soon the ransoms became higher and the fate of the=20
victims more violent. =20
    Ian was involved in this sort of crime for about a year=20
after joining the gang.  Then one evening they snatched a ten=20
year old girl from the streets and made her call her family.  The=20
frightened girl easily convinced the parents to leave the money=20
at a secluded drop off point, the child to be released later.  Ian=20
was completely in the dark about the gang=D5s intended operation=20
and was acting as look out during the drop off in exchange for a=20
small cut of the profit.  At the appointed time he watched=20
Derek, the leader of the gang pick up the sack dropped off a few=20
minutes earlier by the obviously nervous father of the girl. =20
    Ian returned to the hideout and was surprised to see the=20
girl and the two guys left to guard her gone.  He waited as he=20
usually did for Derek to return and pay him off, but he never=20
arrived.  The next day he heard that the girl was not released. =20
The crackdown by the Imperial police soon became unbearable. =20
Ian decided then and there to go straight and spent several=20
agonizing months in fear that he would be fingered as a member=20
of the gang.  But, Derek and the others were never caught and=20
the girl was never returned. =20
    Never the less the judge, with connections to the judicial=20
system, had heard rumors of his step son=D5s exploits and figured=20
he was involved in criminal activities of some sort.  To put an=20
end to his criminal career once and for all the judge pulled=20
some strings and got Ian an appointment to take an entrance=20
exam to military school. However to his shock, Ian scored so=20
high, possibly due to Mary and Robert=D5s tutoring, that he was=20
invited to attend the MacDougall Clan=D5s military academy, a=20
right reserved usually for clan members, or especially bright=20
children of corporate employees.  Surprisingly, Ian excepted=20
this appointment with little argument.  In fact he looked=20
forward to a military life, partially due to boredom and lack of=20
any clear idea of a future and partially just to be free of=20
dependence on his step father. =20
    It actually turned out that Ian flourished in military=20
school and enlisted in the Imperial Defense Force after=20
graduation.  He served a total of eight years in the Air Cav and=20
took part in four major battles.  Then, during his last tour of=20
duty, Mary Tarkinton-MacDougall died.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Conceived and written by Scott D. McGinnis
Based on the Role Playing Game Mutant Chronicles by Target Games.
First posted, 1/9/96