Just so that it's handy again:



From left to right:
1 - Engine
2 - Tender Car
3 - Express Car
4 - Passenger Car
5 & 6 - Freight
7 - Caboose

---

Billy and Finny both have good positions where the would-be train robbers have a difficult time seeing them. Both Mr. Arthur Charles and the happy-go-lucky conductor (Smiley) are back here as well and each have gotten down on the floor just in front of the last seat. Arthur is on the side with Billy and Smiley is on the side with Finney.

Smiley's happy expression is gone and he looks pale as a ghost, pressing himself to the floor.

Arthur is obviously frightened as well, but not as frozen as the conductor. "I am surrounded by barbarians..." Billy might hear him mutter.

One of the bandits, a shorter figure riding a brown and white pinto steed, upon seeing the fellow in front take a bullet to the chest, fires a shot in the general direction of the back door of the passenger car then backs off slightly... not as confident as a moment earlier.

"Shit! How damn many guards are there!?" one of the bandits (the one that Sergio recognized as Fred Linch) yelled. They're getting more resistance than they bargained for.

Misti, Taylor, & Sergio head toward the front of the passenger car. The aisle is only comfortably wide enough for 1 person at a time. Misti gets to the door first. With Taylor hot on his heels.

Zeke seemed shaken out of his stupor as Sergio grabbed him. "You gonna shoot 'em?" he asked without any hint of being upset by that idea.

Crack! The guard who had his rifle pointed out the frontmost window, literally standing over the woman with the baby, cries out as a bullet strikes him through the forearm. He curses something terrible as he retreats down to the floor, clutching his injured arm.

Bobby and Sparrow have brought their horses up beside the little platform at the back of the express car. The Navajo man grabs hold of the railing and makes the transfer from saddle to train with surprising ease. Bobby, still in his saddle, points his revolver toward the passenger car door...

@BingTheWing @Kelewen

SERGIO WESTWOOD

“Your goddamn right; just keep your head down while me and others get these bastards” Sergio reloaded his revolvers keeping himself crouched while making his way towards the cargo car. Firing a few shots at the bandits that were coming that did not notice him; With the others Sergio once in a while fired off a few shots out of the window towards the horse riders. Noticing that one of the bandits was coming inside of the passenger car; He waited making note of the man's heavy footsteps.

"Git moving, you lumpheads!" Taylor yelled as the three of them advanced further up the train. He then noticed Sparrow leap onto the platform in front of them as Bobby provided cover. No time for nonsense. If he didn't shoot at Bobby now, he and Misti would both be Swiss cheese.

"Hey Indian, we gotta move!" In one swift movement, Taylor quite rudely shoved Misti onto the platform where Sparrow is as he turned to fire directly at Bobby.

Mistihkoman spotted the two riders making their way forward. And narrowed his eyes. Then was shoved forward. It's then he spotted Sparrow. He caught his balance and shouted, "You! You mock the honor and the pride of the First Nations people! I am Mistihkoman! Big Knife! Scout, Hunter and Brave of the Plains Cree peoples!" He then started to run, his gunstock club held low, "Your scalp is mine to take Traitor!" He shouted as he stumble-ran onto the platform, lowered his stance then unleashed an almighty rising upper cut with his heavy club up at Sparrow Hawk's jaw. The weapon, shaped literally like the stock of a rifle, with a mean looking arrow-head spike on the angled leading edge almost whistles through the air.

One of Sergio's shots hits a masked bandit riding in front of his old acquaintance, Fred Linch. For just a moment, Fred seems to look right at Sergio and then spurs his horse hard and lowers himself over the animal's neck, pushing it ahead. He's not headed for the express car though... he's headed toward the engine.

---

The moment someone stepped out through the doorway and onto the platform, Bobby squeezed the trigger on his revolver, sending a shot in Mistihkoman's direction.

But he didn't get a chance to follow up with a second one before Taylor's bullet slammed into his thigh. He didn't scream, but he drew his arm back in, trying to keep himself from falling out of the saddle. His one good eye landed on Taylor, sending him a murderous and pain filled look. And there was also a sudden recognition there. Was there anyone less likely to be guarding a train than Black Jack Jackson?

"Black Jack! You got 2 f*ckin' seconds to change sides!" he was pulling the hammer back, readying to shoot again.

Meanwhile, the Navajo turned in time to face the oncoming threat. While he was obviously armed with a six-shooter as well, he had a knife in his hands at the moment. He tries to dodge the blow and is only partially successful. What was intended for his jaw strikes him in the shoulder instead. "This steel horse mocks us all," he said as he retaliated by slashing his knife toward Misti's stomach.

---

The short figure on the pinto puts two fingers to their lips and whistles loudly. Finney and Billy suddenly lose sight of the riders that had been shooting at the passenger car as 4 of them drop back slightly. But just a few seconds later the pinto horse reappears, still galloping alongside the train, but now riderless. Are they boarding the train on one of the freight cars? Or possibly even the caboose?

---

(OOC note: Dice are NOT required. I just like them for NPCs! My roll results: roleplayerguild.com/campaigns/750)

@BingTheWing @Kelewen

SERGIO WESTWOOD

The bounty hunter was kept suppressing fire with his revolvers; once in a while he would poke his head out to see how many were still riding on the outside of the train. “Don’t let them get to the engine” Yelling out to the others; ducking back underneath the seats watching the others combating the bandits. Starting to move closer towards Mistihkoman, firing his own shot at Bobby. He wondered if he intervened in the native’s knife fight; but he thought if anything he would only get in the way.

For the time being he was going to cover the others; He noticed from the corner of his eye the other outlaws inside of the cart. Firing a careful shot to the native american fighting Mistihkoman.

Taylor saw Bobby cock his hammer and immediately dived as he pulled the trigger on his rifle, still aimed at his adversary. "Go fuck yourself, Bobby!" he yelled as he hit the floor.

Shit. He had used his real name.

Mistihkoman dodged back, but not fast enough, the knife slicing across his hip. He grunted then let out a sound that sounded more animal then human, that shot, a big thick .40 round from a revolver hit him high on the shoulder, oh the pain. But somehow the squat powerfully muscled native man only staggered back. His eyes closed in pain. But when he opened them, they almost glowed. His mouth cracked open, his teeth grit in a rictus of pain...and feral rage, "This Steel Horse mocks us? These white men mock us more then this Train does cousin!"

The squat native man slung the gunstock club from his shoulder, and despite the pain draws his own knife, long, heavy like a short sword almost, and the deadly looking tomahawk, "You and me nistes. We dance the Koman dance." He charged, any man cut, and shot should have run, but no. Mistihkoman charges, catches Sparrow up under his ribs and drives him back. The door into the next car thumps, cracks then shatters as Mistihkoman and Sparrow fly through it. The tackle lays the Navajo man on his back, as the Cree man sails past him rolling then back to his feet.

Mistihkoman grins, "I'm going to cut you, and you're going to cut me. And when the dust settles someone will lay here in a pool of blood. Maybe me, maybe you. Maybe both of us even. But when this is over, one of us will have gained a new scalp. And I like your hair nistes. It'll look good hanging from my belt!" With a war whoop Mistihkoman launches himself at Sparrow, tomahawk already whistling down through the air at the grounded Navajo man's head.

Bobby squeezes the trigger on his gun just as Taylor is dropping to the floor, but the leader of the bandit crew doesn't stick around to see if he hit the fellow outlaw. Instead, he abandons his efforts to gain this platform and pushes his horse ahead. Maybe to try to gain the express car from the front side. Maybe toward the engine where Fred Linch is headed.

Sergio takes out one of the bandits riding alongside the train and the remaining ones (other than Fred, Bobby, & Sparrow) drop back.

Other than the pieces of the broken door now decorating the floor, the express car currently has 4 barrels that make the whole car smell like coffee beans; several sacks filled with mail; 2 boxes filled with paperwork; a crate about 5 feet long, 3 ft wide, locked with a padlock; and a safe about 2ft x 2ft. There are also two guards in here: one is lying on the floor bleeding. A lucky shot through one of the small open windows must have got him. The other is popping off shots at Bobby as he rides by.

The wind is knocked from Sparrow Hawk as he's slammed backwards and he gasps once. Just barely in the nick of time, Sparrow rolls to the side as Mistihkoman's tomahawk connects with the floor where Sparrow's head had just been. "Then why do you fight to protect their money?" he asks, forcing the breathless words out, still struggling to fully recover his breath. But that doesn't stop him from regaining his feet. Even getting pushed back through the door, he hasn't lost the knife in his hand and he lunges at Misti, intent on embedding that blade in the Cree's stomach.

---

(OOC: Here's where I think everyone's at right at the moment. Please tell me if I got it wrong. Or if you'd like any of the other NPCs included on the map. :)



blue - Phineas & William
green - Sergio
purple - Taylor
red - Misti
orange - bandits. Sparrow in the express car. Bobby riding toward the front of the express car. Fred Linch riding toward engine. Others fell back to board train at caboose and freight cars.

)

@BingTheWing @Kelewen

SERGIO WESTWOOD

The bounty hunter made his way forward towards the entrance of the next car with Taylor; Firing off a few shots at the bandits around the next train car. Turning towards William and Phineas before he left the car: “Come on you two; let’s shake up some dust. He could see Mistihkoman was in a fight with another native; he was not sure how to proceed and help his native ally. “What should we do?” He asked Taylor not to fire and accidentally hit Mistihkoman.

William noted the reluctance of the outlaws to show themselves around the sides of the train. He considered moving through or over the freight cars to get a shot at who was back there. He did not know how many were left. He figured there couldn’t have been too many; maybe three or four? It would have been nice to know the answer to that question.

“Come on you two; let’s shake up some dust.” Sergio yelled from the front of the passenger car. William and Phineas looked up at Sergio acknowledging the invitation to join the others in their push into the Express car. William knew whoever was towards the rear would be slow in moving forward along the train and decided it might be more important to protect the cargo in the Express Car, since that was what they were hired to do.

“Finney,” Billy muttered. “Let’s join the others. You’ll do fine, kid.” Billy got up, trotting toward the other end of the passenger car with Finney on his heals. When he reached Sergio and Taylor, he saw Misthikoman wrestling with the Navajo man. There wasn’t a lot of room in the Express Car. He then considered his idea of climbing onto the top of the car to shoot the men towards the rear. “How about we go up on top of the car here and stop anyone from entering the express car from the other end or from hitting the engineer? There isn’t a whole of room to get by Misti and the Navajo.”

Billy became squeamish on the idea of riding on top of a train while moving. Maybe Sergio or Taylor would join Billy. It certainly would not be prudent for all four of them to go up there. Two could do the job.

@EvilEdd1984@BingTheWing

@Eviledd1984 @Landain

Taylor obliged, he figured that the native could probably handle himself. "You, uh, Sergio! That's your name, right? We gotta catch up with Bobby!" He also turned to Finney and Billy. "Uh, you two.. yeah, that sounds good. Try head them off from the back!"

He pointed upwards, at the roof of the express car under which Misti and Sparrow were fighting. "We can climb over this car to get to the front!" He started to climb the railings, intending to fight Bobby from the roof of the car.

Finney became a bit squeamish at the idea of climbing over the top of a moving rail car. “Maybe we could just shoot the Indian Misti is fighting with?” He mumbled when William and Taylor spoke of the climb.

William looked at Finney, he grabbed him by the shoulder and spoke directly into his face, “one of these days, son, you are going to have to prove to someone you have a pair of balls between your legs. Quit being a Nancy and do something!”

“I could shoot that Indian,” Finney uttered again. “Then no one would have to climb over the rail car.”

“you really think you can hit him? You’ve been shooting a pistol for one week and you think you can do it without hitting Misti?” William was concerned for Finney, but knew the kid lacked confidence. “If your heart is not in it, stay on this platform.” William turned, climbing the ladder onto the roof of the Express car. He looked to see if anyone was going to join him.

He crouched low. Low enough to drag a hand along the top of the rail car. He had slung the Henry rifle over his body, as he didn’t want to drop it, but did draw his Colt .45, ready to use it against Bobby or Linch or whomever he might have to kill.

@BingTheWing

The tomahawk missed.

It missed!

And left stuck in the floor.

Sparrow Hawk surged to his feet, and lashed with his knife. Driving Mistikoman back from his axe. The outlaw native man grappled for his pistol. At the same time that Big Knife grabbed up his gunstock club. The pistol fired, but not before the big heavy wooden weapon Big Knife held connected with it, sending the bullet into the wall. And the pistol shattering into a few pieces.

And then they stood.

The pair of First Nations Warriors. Mistihkoman, Big Knife, club in hand again, held low and with ease. Sparrow Hawk, flexing his gun hand shaking feeling back into it. They traded looks. Before Sparrow nodded. It'd be down to fist and blade and club then.

No room to circle. Little room to dodge. But when they both charged there is little sound. The knife of Sparrow Hawk missed by a hairsbreadth. Cutting through Mistihkoman's vest instead. Big Knife turned at the last moment to slam his shoulde rinto Sparrow's chest knocking him back. A hissing slash nearly caught Mistihkoman across the neck, but he dodged back and the tip glanced his cheek.

It's so close. There's an economy of movement that has to be used. Mistihkoman's club comes whistling up, catching Sparrow between the legs. The Navajo man gasping in pain. But before he can capitolize, Sparrow headbutts Mistihkoman on the bridge of his nose. The first true blood isn't from knife or club but Mistihkoman's nose bursting as it bleeds. The butt of the gunclub comes up and catches Sparrow in the chin, a cry of pain. And a tooth, trailing blood sails off to clatter among the boxes. Both men bleeding.

They stand apart now. Mistihkoman snorting blood clear, and wiping his upper lip. Sparrow spitting a gobbet of blood-saliva to the side. The pair look at each other. Then charge, but Mistihkoman isn't going to let this go much longer. As that knife Sparrow holds hisses through the air. Mistihkoman ducks, rolls and...

No one outside the car would hear it. But Sparrow shows it. He gasps and staggers. The strike that Mistihkoman placed on his lower back...it'd broken something. Sparrow can feel his legs beginning to go numb. Ht turns and tries to stab again. Mistihkoman catches the swinging arm on the inner edge of his club, there's another snap. And Sparrow looks at his broken elbow.

Sparrow gulps and looks at his cousin Mistihkoman, born in differing tribes, to different creeds, but cousins none the less. The Navajo man nods, and lets the knife slip from numb fingers. He spits blood tinged saliva to the side the falls to his knees. He grunts, "It was a good dance cousin. Don't make it long. The Great Plains above...they are waiting." Mistihkoman nods, "You fought bravely cousin. Under other circumstances I'd be proud to call you my Raid Brother." He wipes his lip again, "They'll be waiting. On the other side." Mistihkoman takes a have step back, turns a full 360 degrees, then...

This time the crunch can be heard from outside. The spike on the outer angled edge of the gunstock club having punched right through Sparrows throat and out the back. As Mistihkoman pulls his weapon free the body of Sparrow drops to the floor. And then and only then does he react to the fact his shoulder is still bleeding from the bullet to it. He coughs, "Hah...okay..." He can collect his scalp later. He heads back to the passenger carraige, "Need to find my bow." He growls, throwing open the door to see how things are going outside.

(Again, let me know if I've got a character somewhere other than where you intended them to be!



light blue - Phineas
blue - William (atop express car)
green - Sergio
purple - Taylor (atop express car)
red - Misti
orange - bandits. Sparrow (dead, in express car). Bobby boarding at front of the express car. Fred Linch boarding the engine. 3 coming through freight cars (inside, not on top). Pinto horse rider remains at caboose platform.

)

---

Bobby steers his horse close to the front of the express car where he swings himself over the railing and onto the small platform, unaware that his right hand man has just suffered defeat. Or that Taylor and Billy are trying to get the advantage from above.

Meanwhile, Fred Linch, with a pistol drawn, is working his way onto the engine. He yells something to the engineer and the fireman (who keeps the firebox on the steam engine stoked), but with the roar of the train on the tracks, his words are lost to Billy and Taylor.

Inside the passenger car, Mistihkoman sees that most of the passengers are still huddled under the seats. The baby is wailing as her mother shields her and is desperately trying to quiet her. The guard at the front with a bullet hole in his arm is pale and looks like maybe he's going into shock. As soon as Zeke sees the bloodied Misti, he breaks from his cover and rushes toward the man. "Did ya get 'em?!" he asks breathlessly. Through open door at the far end of the car, he might catch a glimpse of the other 3 bandits opening the freight door car.

They each carry a sack in one hand, a pistol in the other, their faces covered below their eyes with bandanas.

Mistikohman grunts looking at the boy, and he's about to say something when he spots the three at the end of the car, he grabs Zeke turns and places him firmly in the corner of the car, behind a large desk, "I'll tell you later. Stay here. Do so, and I'll reward you later." He then turns, for all his kindness in that moment, the gentle look in his eyes, the almost fatherly tone, the war cry he gives out not just to try and scare the three at the far end of the car but to psyche himself up, reverberates through the air!

The squat native man is then charging down the car, taking the distance to his bow still up above his former seat, in a about five long striding steps. His quiver of arrows is quickly hung over his shoulder. The beaded and feathered bow in hand. And quickly he's in the middle of the aisle, an arrow nocked, then flying. The first arrow punching into the wooden frame of the train right next to the first of the bandits near the door. The arrow itself is nearly a yard long. The Bow a good almost 4 feet long. It may as wel be the predecessor to the the rifles some of the bandits carry. And he's already got another nocked to the bow as he stares the three down. And yet another arrow held in the forward hand.

He chuckles darkly, "I can nock and fire twenty arrows in a minute compared to your pistols and rifles. Do you dare come this way? Or maybe you'd be safer just leaving the train."

Phineas watched the fight in the car between the two natives. It was fascinated. His respect for Mistikhoman fortified by his bravery and durability. The man was beyond reproach. He would immortalize the Cree Indian in the tome he would someday write. When this event finishsed, he would scribble as many notes as he could remember including the feelings of terror that gripped him from moment to moment.

Misti entered the passenger car they had just exited. He watched him with the child, then glanced back at the dead Navajo. While staring at the corpse, Misti had reached his bow and loosed two arrows in the other direction. The second arrow garnered his attention. He drew his pistol as he rushed to Mistikhoman’s side. He ducked behind one of the seats, thrust his right arm out, aimed down the top of the barrel and squeezed off two rounds in rapid succession.

While Mistikhoman and Phineas were fighting in the car behind them, Taylor and Billy covered the distance on top of the express car quite rapidly. Billy saw Linch board the locomotive. He dropped to one knee, held his pistol out in front of him, cupping the firearm in his left while steadying his firing platform with direct contact between his elbow and knee. He aimed precisely at Linch and squeezed off a well-aimed shot from a moving vehicle. The projectile ricohcheted away from locomotive about one centimeter from Linch’s head. The man heard the whiz of the bullet alerting him to the men on the car. Billy quickly squeezed off another well aimed shot looking right at the man’s face. He felt he bullet would strike true.

Fred Linch … Sergio’s one time friend … flinched as the bullet hit near him. He turned briefly and his eye’s found Billy’s for just a fraction of a second before the second bullet tore through his hat and the outlaw dropped like a sack of potatoes, his plans to gain access to the train’s engine thwarted.

Meanwhile, Taylor had the advantage over the one-eyed bandit leader and fired down toward where he was just entering the express car. A grunt of pain confirmed the man had been struck, just as he disappeared into the express car. Was he dead? Or just injured? A bullet tore up through the roof of the train car only a moment later, right between the pair riding on top. “You working for the train now Black Jack? Did ya tell 'em bout that job in Mexico?” Bobby yelled, barely audible, his voice strained, hinting that he had been badly injured.

---

There had been a short reprieve in the passenger car while the bandits were more focused on boarding the train. Several of the passengers had tentatively poked their heads up. But as Misti’s arrow was quickly followed by the two pistol shots from Phineas, nearly all of them were quick to again get as low to the floor as possible.

Petunia Krump was on the floor in the seat beside Mistikohman and in front of Phineas, trying to stifle her sobs and she yelped in fright as Mistikohman’s war cry and then Finney’s gunshots were almost directly over top of her. The baby in the front is still squalling loudly.

Finny's second shot hit the man in the lead square in the chest and the other two were quick to back off, though one of them fired several times into the passenger car as they tried to retreat. …

“They’re runnin’!” Zeke cheered from behind.

A random bullet fired from one of the departing outlaws, drew a bead in Phineas’ direction. Its path was straight but not enough to strike Phineas in a vital area. The bullet would leave a small scar as it tore through his flesh along his left jawline. The bone was enough to deflect the projectile, up and away into the wooden structure of the car. Finney’s head snapped away from the impact in reaction. He quickly felt warm blood oozing from the slight laceration along the left side of his face, as it trickled down his neck. He pulled a handkerchief from a pocket and pressed it against the wound. He dropped back into the seat behind him. He looked up at Mistikhoman. He tried to smile at the Cree man, but could only muster a placid look; signifying relief the attack was finally over.

Billy helped Taylor with Bobby in the Express car below. It appeared Sergio’s former partner had passed and there would be nothing to save the man. Billy stepped over the corpse of the Navajo man, Mistikhoman killed and walked into the passenger car. He saw the native Cree man in the aisle and Finney sitting in one of the seats holding a rag up to his face.

“What happen’ to you, kid?” Billy asked Finny.

Finny slowly turned his head to the side, recognizing Bill Kingsley. He sort of nodded to the man, struggling to get out a word. “Got hit,” he mumbled.

“Anything serious?”

“No,” Finney stated as he shook his head slowly from side to side.

“Did you kill anyone else?” Billy asked him as he took a seat behind and to the side of him.

Finney nodded his head up and down. “yes” The young man wasn’t happy about that and knew he needed to see a priest when they arrived in Odessa. His sins were egregious, and they troubled him desperately. He had killed two men. Maybe the law in the west would try to put him in jail?

“Don’t fret, kid. You make your peace with lord and you’ll be fine. Get a nice trophy out of it too.” Billy patted the kid from Boston on the shoulder, giving him a smile. Billy knew Phineas O'Connel would be fine. He just needed to keep an eye on him. "Why don't you pull out your scribblin' pad and write yo' story?