Dust-Up

Log Title: Dust-Up

Characters: Duke, Major Bludd

Location: Cote D'Ivoire, West Africa

Date: 17 May, 2012

TP: Recovery TP

Summary: Duke drops out of cover to take a shot at Major Bludd.

Cote D'Ivoire - West Africa
The Republic of Cote d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of 322,462 square kilometres (124,503 sq mi), and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was estimated to be 20,617,068 in 2009.

Through production of coffee and cocoa, the country was an economic powerhouse during the 1960s and 1970s in West Africa. However, Cote d'Ivoire went through an economic crisis in the 1980s, leading to the country's period of political and social turmoil. The 21st century Ivoirian economy is largely market-based and relies heavily on agriculture, with smallholder cash crop production being dominant.

The official language is French, although many of the local languages are widely used. Since 1993, Cote d'Ivoire has experienced one coup d'etat, in 1999, and a civil war, which broke out in 2002. A political agreement between the government and the rebels brought a return to peace. Cote d'Ivoire is a republic with a strong executive power invested in the President. Its de jure capital is Yamoussoukro and the biggest city is the port city of Abidjan, which was submerged during the global flood event in 2011. (courtesy Wikipedia)

Major Bludd stands in the meagre shade offered by a stand of trees, observing the movements and work of a mixed group of Tele-Vipers and local volunteers as they haul equipment to and fro. "Pick up the pace," he calls. "This station's gotta be operational by the end of the week, and we've got a lot of work to do!"

Duke glances back over at Bludd from under his low-slung floppy hat, studying him darkly for a moment as a hoists a heavy equipment bag over his shoulder before moving towards the station.

Major Bludd pauses to remove his beret and wipe the sweat from his brow with a coloured handkerchief before venturing out into the blazing sun. He claps the man in the floppy hat none-too-gently on the shoulder as he passes by. "C'mon, get a move on! Y'want power, y'gotta put some effort into it!"

For months, Duke has been quietly toiling in the sun, waiting for his chance to get close to Bludd. Figuring there's no better time than the present (and being a man of action), Duke uses Bludd's proximity to his advantage, attempting to grab that clapping-arm and slam Bludd into the ground before he (and his Vipers) can react.

>> Duke strikes Major Bludd with Throw. <<

Duke says, "Major Bludd, for crimes and outstanding warrants in Libya, Zimbabwe, and the United States, you are hereby under arrest. If you come along quietly, you will not be hurt. If you choose to resist, it will get... ugly. I'm bringing you in to hold you for extradition."

Major Bludd is taken completely by surprise by the sudden attack. The impact with the ground drives the air from his lungs. He springs to his feet, his face contorted in a snarl. "What th'hell're you --" He stops short as he recognises Conrad Hauser, perhaps the man he most wants to separate into his component atoms. "Hauser!" he cries, swinging a fist at the blond man.

>> Major Bludd misses Duke with Punch. <<

Duke ducks, grinning. "Yes, Hauser. And I was hoping you'd make this difficult." Duke moves in with a punch of his own.

Duke steps close to Bludd, both to give him a hard jab to the solar plexus, and in an attempt to keep the Vipers from shooting at him for fear of hitting their boss. For Cobra, that might be a strong assumption.

>> Duke misses Major Bludd with Punch. <<

Work around the scuffle has come to a halt as Vipers and locals alike put down their burdens to watch on. Bludd seems not to notice, his focus entirely on cleaning Hauser's clock. He sidesteps the return attack, snatching up his combat knife with his left hand. The blade slashes out toward Duke's midsection.

>> Major Bludd misses Duke with Knife. <<

Duke jumps back, laughing. "Ho, ho! You want to do it that, way, eh?" He pulls a knife of his own (where was he keeping it in those tight jeans?!), and steps in to return the attack, grinning murderously.

>> Duke strikes Major Bludd with Knife. <<

The volunteers stand and gape, not sure exactly what's going on. Is that Max, the burly quiet guy? Why is he trying to kill that nice Major Bludd?

Major Bludd yelps as the knife impacts his kevlar, scraping along the armour and glancing off its edge. "Dammit, Hauser, I'm sick o' yer interference!" He reverses his own knife and slams its metal pommel toward Duke's pretty-boy face.

>> Major Bludd misses Duke with Bash. <<

Duke says, "Hey! Watch the face! I don't need another scar -- I'm handsomely rugged enough." Duke twists away from the attack, and turns the movement into a spinning reverse kick at Bludd's midsection. "Come along quietly, serve your time, and I'm sure you'll be out again in, say, 300 years?"

>> Duke strikes Major Bludd with Kick. <<

Major Bludd smiles, a sarcastic retort on his lips when Duke's kick slams into his abdomen. The smile vanishes and he staggers backward a few steps. The separation gives him a brief wider view of the situation and he remembers the Viper troops present, as well as the partly indoctrinated locals. "The Americans've sent in an assassin t'take me out," he gasps, clutching his midsection, pointing with his combat knife at Duke. In the next moment the knife flies from his hand to hurtle toward the American.

>> Major Bludd strikes Duke with Throw. <<

Duke realizes his mistake is kicking Bludd away from him, and immediately rushes back towards Bludd, trying to close the distance before the Vipers have the sense the shoot at him. In his haste, however, he makes the further mistake of charging in a straight line towards Bludd, and catches Bludd's knife in the shoulder in the process. Grunting in pain, Duke ducks low and spins again, lashing his foot out at Bludd's knees.

>> Duke strikes Major Bludd with Roundhouse. <<

Duke's kick lands squarely on Bludd's troublesome left knee, which buckles immediately, sending the mercenary to the dusty earth in a heap. Bludd rights himself quickly, coming up on his good knee, his sidearm in his right hand. "Kill him!" he cries, pulling the trigger on the .45.

>> Major Bludd strikes Duke with M9 . <<

>> Major Bludd retreats from the area, leaving himself open to Duke. <<

Duke cries out (manfully) as a bullet tears though his tight T-shirt, which is now stained with blood (not Bludd). Pulling out his own gun (where was he keeping THAT?! "You don't want to know!"), he fires back wildly as he hits the ground and scrabbles back for some hope of cover.

>> Duke strikes Major Bludd with Pistol . <<

Spurred on by their commander's cry, the Vipers converge on Duke. Some of the locals surge forward as well, eager to help subdue the perpetrator of this heinous attack on their benefactor.

Bludd snarls in pain as a bullet lodges in his right leg. He crawls backward away from Duke as the Vipers arrive to deliver pummelings as only Cobra cannon-fodder can. A few less bloodthirsty locals help the wounded mercenary to his feet and away from the ensuing beatdown.

Duke curses, throwing anger and adrenaline-fueled punches at the locals and Vipers who've descending upon him. "Bludd!" he calls out impotently. "You'll never get away from me!" However, as more and more Vipers pile on with fists and boots, his threat, for the moment, is empty.

Medical personnel come to Bludd's aid as the Vipers work Duke over. "Get me a chopper," Bludd growls to one of the Medi-Vipers. "I want off o' this accursed continent."