Grappling Spectator Gazette

[Slashmaster]

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

EPISODE I: The Masked Menace

Michael. T. Wolf opens his eyes, instantly becoming aware of the intense sunlight that seems to be burning a hole through the back of his head. He sits up and looks around. All there is around him is sand, as far as the eye can see. He doesn't like sand. It's all course, and rough, and irritating. And it gets everywhere. He needs to get out of here. Michael wants something to drink and shelter from the sun. The heat is probably already making him hallucinate. It seems like there are two suns...

After wandering around for what seems like an eternity some sound can be heard in the distance. Michael makes his way towards it and finds what seems to be some sort of saloon. He drops down near the water trough and takes a few big gulps before heading inside and finding a seat. Most of the other patrons seem like rough and dangerous people. Leo always told him to avoid places like these, describing them as wretched hives of scum and villainy. Unfortunatly there aren't many other options on the table at the moment. He needs to find out where he is, how he got here and how to get back to ABCW.

As Michael is lost in thought a large man bursts through the door and falls flat on his face. The helmet he was wearing rolls away from him, giving Wolf a clear look at the familiar face underneath it. Michael lets out a bellowing laughter and walks over to the man to greet him.

"Overload, buddy, am I glad to see you!"

Michael suddenly notices that the room has gone silent and takes a look around. The other people are looking at them with an expression that is a mixture of fear and amazement. As he turns back around he is greeted with a devastating right hook to his jaw.

"The name is Overshock," says the big man as he puts his mask back on: "and I have no idea who you are, nor does it matter. You're a dead man anyway."

- Overshock vs. Michael T. Wolf: Overshock takes another wild swing at Wolf, but he sees it coming this time. Michael ducks and lands a few quick jabs on the big man's side. It doesn't seem to faze Overshock. The masked menace charges at him and Michael narrowly dodges it once again. Even though this man looks like Overload, it is becoming increasingly clear that this is a completely different person. His speed, strenght and intensity are way beyond that of the Canada native. This becomes even more clear when Overshock gets a hold of his ankle and swings him into the wall. Michael is dazed and his opportunistic enemy quicly picks him up for a powerbomb. Michael goes trough one of the solid stone tables and he loses conciousness once again. Overshock defeats Michael T. Wolf via knock-out [***]

Overshock is a bit winded, but quickly recovers. He walks up to the bar and turns his attention to the bartender.

"I know he was here. Tell me where he went or else you are going to end up like that sorry S.O.B."

"I..i...i...d-d-d-on't k-k-know..."

"You better start remembering right now!"

Screams can be heard coming from the cantina for hours, not stopping untill long after the twin suns have set. Overshock walks out, once again falling over and landing flat on his face. This time no one is laughing. He knows where his target is going. This bounty is his.

[Slashmaster]

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

EPISODE II: Attack of the Gladiators

Three cloaked figures flee across the desert, with their pursuers just a few hundred metres behind them. The person leading the three man unit suddenly stops walking and turns to the smallest person in his party. Whatever he says is inaudible in this violent sandstorm, but from his gestures we can infer that he wants his friend to go ahead. The smaller man protests at first, but the other does not seem to take no for an answer, so he finally gives in and moves along while his friends stay put.

The two figures take their cloaks off and their identities are revealed. The leader is the legendary outlaw Chance Solar, famous for making the Kezzif Run in less than 12 parsecs.  His partner, Hairy, lets out a roar to signal that the twosome that has been chasing them has arrived. The Gladiators of Aethra have been gaining ground on them ever since they left the cantina, their unique alien physiology making them extremely suited for desert traversel. Brute has always been the strong silent type, so it is Massacre that does the talking.

"Move aside Solar, our business is not with you! We don't want to fight you!"

"Is that right? Well, I was just talking to my partner here and he doesn't seem to feel the same way. Isn't that right, fuzzball?"

Hairy lets out another loud roar. The big man is ready to throw down. Massacre sighs and lights his sigar.

"Why do always have to make things so difficult Solar? God, I hate you..."

"I know."

- The Gladiators of Aethra vs. The Scoundrels: Chance swings first and hits Massacre in his chest. Brute charges in to save his partner, but gets intercepted by Hairy. The two big men start throwing eachother around and their brawl takes them behind the sand dunes, obscuring their hostilities from sight. Solar has the upper hand, so Massacre resorts to underhanded tactics, putting out his cigar in the scoundrel's eyes. Chance is blinded and cannot defend himself against the barrage of punches that follows. He falls to the ground and takes a hand full of sand, throwing it in Massacre's direction. The sand misses the Gladiator's eyes and all hope seems lost. He sets Solar up for the Decapitator, but is pulled back pulled away from Chance by a big, hairy claw. Massacre gets Sasquashed and Hairy pins him to the ground. The Scoundrels defeat the Gladiators of Aethra via pin [****]

"Alright Massacre, let's have a chat. How did you find us?"

"Drop dead, Solar!"

Chance gives Hairy a nod, prompting the hulking sasquatch to hit another Sasquash.

"Alright, alright, I'll talk! Stop throwing me around, ya mutt! It's the boss, he's got the droid."

"Well then, let's go pay the big, greasy a-hole a visit. Hairy, make sure these two aren't coming after us."

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Back in the cantina looters are ransacking the place. The bartender is a notorious tough guy, but cannot hold two people off by himself. The noise the scuffle produces wakes Michael up. The blow that knocked him out causes him to have a splitting headache. One of these days he is going to have to start making better decisions. Unfortunatly, this is not that day. He gets to his feet and comes to the bartender's rescue.

- Michael T. Wolf & Beer Can Man vs. Destruction: A flying dropkick hits Chopper in the back of his head. His skull bounces of the bar and his body drops to the floor. Cutthroat turns around for a moment to see what has happened behind him. This turns out to be a big mistake. Beer Can Man reaches under the bar and pulls out a Singapore cane. He lays in heavy strikes on the wasteland wanderer, as his target crawls towards the door. Chopper has given Wolf the slip and blindsides Beer Can Man with a chop block. With their enemies momentarily incapacitated the terrified twosome turns tail and runs out. Michael T. Wolf & Beer Can Man defeat Destruction via count-out. [**]

Michael walks over to Beer Can Man and extends his hand, trying to help him get back up. Beer Can Man brushes him off and scoffs.

"I could've handled them on my own."

"Sure, it really seemed like you were kicking their asses before I saved you."

"What do you want, kid? A thank you?"

"How about you tell me where the tub of lard that knocked me out yesterday went?"

"He was looking for someone, but I didn't know where that person was. I told him to go to the palace. The big man there has recently aqcuired the strange droid that turned up here the other day. It is supposed to have some kind of tracking capabilities."

Could it be? Michael's first instinct was to get revenge on Overshock, but if the Annihilator is also there he could kill two birds with one stone. The android is the one who is responsible for getting him stuck in this desert in the first place, so he can probably get him out as well.

"Tell me how to get to this palace..."

[Slashmaster]

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

EPISODE III: Revenge of the Wolf

A lonely, windswept road meanders through the desolate desert terrain. We hear a familiar roar before catching sight of the Scoundrels making their way to ominous palace to confront an all too familiar crime boss. Chance confidently walks up to the massive gates and taps the button to signal their arrival. A small hatch opens and Silvergod pokes his head through to see who the unexpected guests are.

"Open the gate Silvergod, we are here to speak to your master."

"The Great Sumo San has no desire to speak to you Solar."

"What's that pal? I couldn't quite hear you. Why don't you come a bit closer?"

Hairy reaches through the opening in the door and grabs Silvergod by his throat, pulling Sumo San's servant towards him. Silvergod's head is smashed into the solid steel gate multiple times, until he finally relents and opens the gate. The Scoundrels are taken to the throne room, where the imposing Sumo San is having a drunken, raucous party with several bounty hunters. Chance recognises the infamous Overshock, but there are also many unfamiliar faces. Sumo San is lustfully learing at the chained up women that are being forced to dance, so he doesn't notice the new arrivals. Chance is shocked to find out that one of the women is Sgt. Shipley, the missing rebel leader who was presumed to be dead.

"Excuse me, master..."

Sumo San turns his head towards Silvergod, his facial expression immeadiately changing into an furious grimace. He bellows something in a language Chance can not understand.

"I know sire, but they were quite persuasive..."

Silvergod's response seems to anger the collosal crime lord even more and he gets to his feet.

- Sumo San vs. Silvergod: Sumo San grabs Silvergod by his head, his massive hand engulfing his servant's entire cranium. He throws him towards the wall near his throne and Silvergod's body bounces off it. Sumo San runs after him with a speed that should not be possible for a man of his size and hits the Sayonara Drop. Sumo San defeats Silvergod via pin [**]

Sumo San takes place on his throne as Chance and Hairy walk closer. Chance has his blaster aimed at Sumo San's head, while Hairy covers his back and keeps his eyes and bowcaster trained on the bounty hunters.

"Alright big man, I'm here for the droid and I'm also taking the girl. Hand him over and no one has to get hurt."

Sumo San's laugh is mean and loud. Shipley tries to warn Chance, but Sumo San pulls the chain around her neck to shut her up. A big greasy finger pushes the red button on the throne's arm rest and the floor under Chance and Hairy suddenly drops away, sending them into the pit below. The crowd in the throne room gathers up around the edge of the pit as the door on the other side of the pit starts to rumble open. One of the bounty hunters lets out an elated shriek as a giant, fanged creature emerges with his handler right besides him. The Reptile Ranger gives his beast a command and the fight is on.

- The Scoundrels vs. Reptile Ranger & The Raptor: The Raptor charges right past Hairy and attempts to bite Chance with his razor-sharp teeth. He is stopped in his tracks at the last moment as Hairy has taken a hold of his tail and slams him down. Solar makes a beeline for the beast's handler and drops him to the floor with a clothesline, knocking him unconcious. Meanwhile Hairy has the Raptor in position for a Gorilla Press and launches the scaled menace out of the pit. The Scoundrels defeat Reptile Ranger & The Raptor via count-out [***]

With Reptile Ranger no longer being able to give commands, the Raptor no longer knows what to do and starts attacking the bounty hunters, who scatter throughout the room, trying to get away from the savage beast. In the ensuing chaos Shipley sneaks behind Sumo San and chokes him out with her chain. She then proceeds to walk over to the pit, but before she can get the Scoundrels out she is stopped by one of the other women, who seems to be quite upset over Sumo San's demise.

- Sgt. Shipley vs. Femme Fatale: Shipley dodges the initial attack, but catches a right hook to her eye. She is knocked down, but quickly gets back up and returns the favor. Her opponent proves to be just as elusive as her as she dodges Shipley's second attack. This heated exchange continues, their chains getting more entangled with every move, untill neither one of them has any room to move anymore. Shipley makes on final desperate dive over her opponent and the chain gets stuck around Femme Fatale's neck. The Sergeant applies pressure as her opponent flails around wildly, forcing her to give up the fight. Sgt. Shipley defeats Femme Fatale via submission [***]

The Scoundrels have escaped the pit and rush towards Shipley, helping to free her from her bondage. The rest of the room has gone silent as the Raptor has met his maker, taking all the bounty hunters with him. All except for one that is...

"Hands where I can see them. Now!"

Overshock is covered in blood, sweat and saliva and appears to be missing at least one finger, but Chance knows better than to underestimate this dangerous opponent. The bounty hunter's blaster is aimed straight for Hairy's face and it seems like their problems are only getting worse as a second bounty hunter walks up behind Overshock. The second bounty hunter takes his helmet off and, to Chance's amazement, thwacks Overshock over the head with it. The wolf-like creature charges in to dole out more punishment.

- Overshock vs. Michael T. Wolf: Overshock is still dazed and takes the full force of Michael's dropkick. He staggers, but doesn't fall down quite yet. He takes a wild swing at Wolf, but Michael has learned from their previous encounter and knows not to underestimate the big man's speed. He also knows that punches and kicks did next to nothing the last time they met, so he decides to bust out the big moves early. A spear takes the bounty hunter down and a frog splash from the throne inflicts further damage. Overshock gets back up and Michael swiftly moves behind him for a gravity-defying trio of suplexes. There is still some life left in Overshock, but the Howling changes that for good. Michael T. Wolf defeats Overshock via knock-out [****]

An exhausted Michael T. Wolf gets back up, turns his head and stares right down the barrel of a blaster. Despite coming to their rescue, it seems like Chance Solar and Hairy still don't trust him.

"Look man, I don't want any trouble. I'm just looking for a certain droid and then I'll be on my way."

Shipley returns to the throne room, with the recently freed Robolectro right behind her.

"This droid is mine. What do you want with it?"

Michael is flabbergasted. This isn't the droid he was looking for. Where is the Annihilator?

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Electrical discharges bathe the walls of the barracks in a blinding bright blue light. The once empty room is now occupied by a familiar murderous machine. The Annihilator runs a diagnostic check. There is a lot of damage done to his system. He needs to repair himself as soon as possible. The android scans his enviroment. It appears he is on some kind of military base. This will do fine...