Sherry Bailey is a cyclist living outside the law - and hating every minute of
it. Our field reporter caught up to Bailey in her "hideout" - actually a
pleasant little cottage-style cabin somewhere outside Monroe, Louisiana.
HTMLized by Francis Greenaway.
Sherry Bailey is a cyclist living outside the law - and hating every minute of
it. Our field reporter caught up to Bailey in her "hideout" - actually a
pleasant little cottage-style cabin somewhere outside Monroe, Louisiana.
"I do all right," Bailey said, taking a coffeepot of the stove and pouring two cups. "I grow some vegetables, do a little trading with the area gangs...and there are a few folks back in Monroe who help me out now and then." In fact, Bailey has become something of a cause celebre in Monroe, and her story has started to gain attention throughout Louisiana.
Bailey was a moderately successful cycle duellist in the northern Louisiana area with a small but loyal following. She supplemented her income by day work as a courier, carrying small packages throughout the area. "I was never too picky about exactly what I carrying, if you get my meaning," Bailey said. That's what started all the trouble.
"I was totin' some cigars to Shreveport, you know, the kind without the tax stamp? Well, I'm not four miles out of town when I get pulled over by this sheriff's deputy, name of Jackson. Somebody had tipped him off about my trip," Bailey said. "Anyway, he searches the sidecar, finds the cigars, and then offers to let me go in exchange for certain favors - if you get my meaning.
"I've known some people to deal with the law that way, but it's never been my style. I told him what he could do with his suggestion. That's when he got violent. He drew his pistol and told me to start running. I made it to my cycle, but then he got in his patrol car and chased after me. I took some damage, but the rear wheelguard kept me from wiping out. When he got close, I slammed the brakes and as he zipped past, I gave him all three rockets point blank. That finished him off. I tried to explain, but Sheriff Fellers decided to make an example of me - he was running for re-election after all. So I hide out here."
Sheriff Fellers has made no secret of his desire to "bring that cop-killer to justice," but would not talk directly to our reporters.
Bailey continues to do courier work, and her current "outlaw" status has made her a friend to many local bikers. But her greatest wish is to return to Monroe. A small, vocal group is bringing increasingly pressure on Fellers to drop his pursuit of Bailey, but until they come up with enough evidence, Bailey will continue to travel the back roads and highways of northern Louisiana, always looking over her shoulder.
Sherry Bailey's cycle, lovingly called "Fred," is fairly easy to build. The stats:
Fred - Cycle: Heavy Cycle, heavy suspension, super cycle plant, 2 PR tires, driver only, RL front, SD back, 2 10-point wheelguards, armor: F20, B10, Accel. 10mph, HC2, $5,810, 1,295 lbs.
Sidecar: Heavy Sidecar, light suspension, 1 PR tire, 3 linked HRs Right, Jettison Joining, armor: 2 points in all locations, HC 0, $1,750, 735 lbs.
Cycle/Sidecar combination: Accel 5mph, HC 2, $7,560, 2,030 lbs.
Sherry Bailey would make an interesting NPC to encounter. As a courier, she may be hiring additional firepower on a particularly dangerous mission. Or the players may be hired to track Bailey down and "intercept" her cargo. Bailey is Cyclist-1, Driver-0, Mech-0 and Gunner-1. She has some arena experience, but not enough to be an Ace. When encountered on the road, she will manoeuvre adjacent to an opposing vehicle and launch the linked heavy rockets, preferably at point blank range, in an attempt to quickly take out one vehicle and even up the odds. If badly outnumbered, Bailey will run - jettisoning the sidecar for better acceleration. She will also jettison the sidecar after firing the rockets. Bailey usually carries her small, valuable cargoes in a backpack or in her jacket. She will, if necessary, remove a heavy rocket from the sidecar in order to make room for larger cargoes there.
Bailey is a level-headed practical woman who values her own skin highly and will not risk it for petty reasons. Not a tremendous fighter, she knows her rocket tactic can make one vehicle's life very uncomfortable - but she's also smart enough to run if out-numbered.
Other scenario ideas revolve around Bailey's ongoing feud with Sheriff Fellers. The players could find themselves attracted by a bounty offered to hunt down Bailey, or they could be hired by Bailey's supporters in town to dig up evidence to exonerate her.
In Autoduel Champions terms, Sherry Bailey is a 50-point "talented normal". In addition, she has 14 points of disadvantages that give her a total of 64 points to work with. Bailey's characteristics are as follows:
She also has the following skills:
To compensate, Bailey has two disadvantages:
Her other related stats:
To get the Autoduel Champions statistics on Fred, refer to the Vehicle Record Sheet in this article. One Item, the Jettison Joinings, is new for ADC. It's stats are identical to the Car Wars stats: $300, no weight, no space.