| Author |
Janson Trilogy |
The Reaper
Cadet
Joined: December 09, 2002
Posts: 234
From: Eternity
|  Posted: 2003-07-01 05:31
Yeah yeah, so I've already posted them before, and I haven't finished 'Defiance' yet, but so what?
Here they are again:
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Janson's First Command
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A DarkSpace 'Fan Fiction' Short Story
© Copyright David Pitts 2003, reproduction permitted
with credit to the author.
Chapter One - A Rude Awakening
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Vice Admiral Derno Janson looked wearily at the chronometer on his wrist. More than two days had passed now since the last communication from the Captain of the 'Eagle's Eye', a stealth scout ship sent into Delta Pavonis - a system well known for K'luth activity. This was most likely because of it's proximity to the only known location of K'luth command activity, the Sirius system.
An additional worry was that Delta Pavonis was just a few days long jump to the Lalande system, usually frequented by UGTO patrols to help early detection of any hostile incursions.
Janson leaned back into the firm leather of his command chair, temporarily letting his mind wander. . . He felt secure on the bridge of his Assault Cruiser, the 'Vindicator'. He also felt pride in the fact that this was his first command of a Fleet Battle Group.
He glanced at the tactical display to his left, the Tacts-Officer working fervently at her console.
"She knows I'm looking at her station. . ." he mused. "As I recall, her performance evaluation is coming up. I think the term 'attentive' might slip in there somewhere." Janson smiled, he appreciated a crew who were tuned into his moods. They made for a smooth running ship.
The tactical display showed a 'Cruiser-Class' designation in the centre, that would be the 'Vindicator', surrounded by two others, the 'Anvil's Fire'; a fellow Assault Cruiser; and the 'Loki'; a Missile Cruiser. Three other, smaller blips held formation around them on the screen, 'Destroyer-Class' ships. Janson glanced over the names displayed above them, the 'Hornet', 'Rapier' and the 'Bull's Eye'. Two Combat Dessies, and a Bomber.
He thought back at the reluctance of the 'Work-Horse's' Captain to come this far into enemy territory, the convenient "Tachyon Drive malfunction" that developed right after the rest of the group had begun to enter the inter-system jump gate between Epsilon Ind and the BD-43*44A star-systems.
A lone supply ship wouldn't stand a chance if jumped by an enemy force, so a Carrier Cruiser offered to tow and escort the ship back to a friendly planet for drydock repairs.
"Would have made for a respectable Battle-Group," he thought to himself.
"Sir!" A young ensign spun on his chair, jerking Janson back from his distractions. The officer sat forward, looking into the fresh recruit's eager face, "What is it Berkley?"
"A communication from the 'Eagle's Eye', Sir!" Berkley responded.
"Put it on the main viewer, Ensign."
"Sorry Sir, only audio - the signal's too weak."
"No way to boost the reception?", Janson pressed a key on the arm of the chair, "Engineering, can we boost power to the communications array?"
A gruff voice crackled over the ships' intercom, a steady hum was audible in the background, generated from the power on the Engineering deck. "Sorry Sir, no can do. We're pumping all we've got into the ECM emitters. If you want us to power-up the reactor, and risk being detected
I'll go right ahead. . ."
"Negative Engineering, continue silent running. Alright Berkely, put it
on speakers."
"Roger that, Sir." replied Berkely.
His fingers worked over his console, then static filled the room, and a voice was heard inbetween the bursts of white noise:
"----eporting. We've disco---------at seems to be a K'luth traini--------o way to get out in time, we've lo---------yon jump drive, down to fifty percent hull, we-----------rvive another volly, recommend immediate strike before reinforcements arrive. Repeat: This is Captain Salmerz of the ICC-GDC 'Eagle's Eye' reporting. We--------,"
The speakers fell silent.
"Signal lost, Sir. They must have. . ."
"May they find peace among the stars." Janson bowed his head, and the bridge crew followed suit.
"Navigation!" Janson waited a split second for the Nav-Officer to reply before continuing.
"Sir!"
The officer began barking orders, "Plot a course for Delta Pavonis! I want us 3000gus from the 'Eagle Eye's' last known location! Comms, instruct the Group to form up, and divert all available power to the Jump Drive! We jump as soon as all ships are ready!"
"Roger, Sir!"
He waited impatiently for the replies from the other ships to come in, but knew there was no point jumping before the rest of the Group were ready - it could mean suicide. He remembered that HE was in command now, there were more than just his crew to take into consideration.
"All ships ready, and course laid in, Sir. Tachyon Drive charged and ship secured for Faster-Than-Light speed."
The Vice Admiral gazed at the cut-down navigation screen on the arm of his command-chair. Looked at the fleet's Identify Friend-or-Foe tags showing their locations around his ship.
He looked to the navigation officer, "Activate Jump Drive."
The lights on the bridge dimmed slightly and the ship shuddered as in an instant the 'Vindicator' and its Battle-Group were propelled through the light-barrier and towards the location of their fallen comrades.
Chapter Two - Discovery
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As the ships hurtled through deep space, Janson looked out through the permaplas window in his personal quarters, at the rings formed around the group. He knew the rings were simply the fluctuations as light reflected around the cone behind them, created from travelling faster-than-light, but he felt they seemed more like markers – each one reminding him that he was further away from home, and any chance of reinforcements.
A buzzing brought Janson back to reality. A light was blinking on the console set into his desk. He walked back over to it, and depressed a key next to it. "Yes?"
A young male's voice was heard over the speakers, Berkely the communications officer.
"Sir. We've managed to intercept a K'luth transmission from Delta Pavonis. It seemed to be directed at the Epsilon Eri system."
"Hmm." Epsilon Eri was the system they had just begun the long FTL jump from half-a-day earlier. "Seems there must have been some bug activity there after all. Good job we came with heavy ECM cover."
"Sir, I believe the preferred term is now 'lobsters'." the ensign corrected.
"Thanks Berkely, I'll remember that. Have we been able to decode and translate it yet?"
"No Sir, seems they're using a new encryption algorithm, but we've sent back a copy to Exathra for analysis."
"Very good Berkely. Is that all?" Janson added a hint of finality in his tone, not wanting to further the conversion more than necessary.
The ensign sounded ruffled, "Err. . . No Sir, there is something else."
"Very well, out with it then." Janson looked at his brandy decanter, would have to wait a little longer it appeared.
"I've been looking over the last communication we had with the 'Eagle's Eye'."
"Yes, and. . ." Janson sounded a tad impatient.
"When the signal cut off, it wasn't because they stopped transmitting. They were jammed."
"My God, Berkely - you mean they could still be alive?" the officer leaner over his desk to look at the screen with Berkely on, he looked excited.
"Yes Sir, the probability is quite high that they were simply disabled and boarded." The ensign finished his sentence with a flourish, he was proud of what he'd discovered.
"Excellent Berkely, inform the rest of the Group that we're going in to recover the crew of the 'Eagle's Eye'!"
"Roger that, Sir!"
Janson depressed the key again to end the conversation, and looked back over to his brandy decanter, "Looks as though I'll be saving you for a celebration!"
Captain Salmerz slowly opened his eyes to the dim light around him. He grimaced as he remembered the wounds to his back and legs, the disrupter burn on his left arm. It was starting to come back to him now.
He was on a reconnaissance mission. . . in DeltaPav. Yes! That was it. He was running in full 'stealth' mode, with total ECM cover and silent running. The tactical officer; what was his name, Rignor yes, Rignor; had just reported a complete scan of the planet Zayd, and had found it to be a K'luth training camp. There appeared to be minimal forces in the area, and the camp looked to be full of recruits.
He'd ordered his comms officer, Eely, to open a secure channel to the 'Vindicator' at her last known co-ordinates, when a blast shook the ship. He'd called out for a status report when another, more violent blast hit them. He remembered Eely telling him that the channel was open, and then the status report scrolled across the display on his chair-arm.
As he'd begun to transmit his status, Rignor had shouted out that three 'Scale' class K'luth cruisers had de-cloaked around them and destroyed their ion drives.
Salmerz winced as he recalled what had happened next. Just as he'd begun to repeat the transmission to the 'Vindicator', Eely had informed him that all communications had been jammed, and Engineering had come over the ship-wide comm to inform him the Tachyon Drive was disabled. That's when the ship reverberated with a sound he was not wanting to hear. Rignor re-iterated the point, "Sir, K'luth 'Infector' class ram-ship detected off the port side. We have been boarded."
Janson felt comfortable back in the command chair. He felt confident his crew would do their duty to the fullest. He was certain that the rest of the Battle-Group were with him one hundred percent. What he was not trying to think about was that this was still his first command of such a group, and he was leading them deep into K'luth territory with no hope of assistance arriving in time to be of any help.
"Navigation, how long until we revert to sub-light?"
"Another three hours, Sir." came the prompt reply.
"Engineering." Janson waited for the response from the deck chief.
The Engineering chief came back over the comm, "Sir?"
"How fast can you get that reactor installed and fully charged?"
"Give me thirty minutes Sir, and I'll give you your reactor."
"You've got three hours to get that down to ten minutes." Janson clicked off the comm before any smart reply could bite him.
Salmerz moved his head from side to side, (it was the only part he could move), and glanced around the dark room he was in. The floor seemed to be dirt, and the walls were blackened stone. There were blood stains on the floor, the dirt had dark brown patches here and there. He seemed to be the only one in the room, he could neither see nor hear anyone else around him, but. . . There was a feeling. . . He did not FEEL alone. . .
He realised then, that he was finding it difficult to breathe. This may have been due to his injuries, but Salmerz realised that it was the atmospheric make-up. K'luth required denser levels of carbon dioxide.
He lifted his head upwards, trying to get a look at the only source of light in the room, but he did not have enough energy to complete the movement. His head fell again to his chest, and he gasped with the sudden pain he felt as it did. His eyes made out a tall, slender figure when it stepped forward from one of the corners of the room. It was humanoid in stature, but that was where the similarity ended. It had two sinewy legs, but they were double-jointed, and had claws at the end instead of feet.
It also had four long arms, two of which held what looked like an electro-whip taught. The dim light seemed to display changing colours on its surface, as though its 'skin' reflected to the light somehow. As it stepped forward, guttural noises emanated from it. It was then that Salmerz realised he could understand those noises, it was as if he could hear words in his head right after the thing stopped grunting.
"I am Kel'Tareth." The words said to him. "You are a Child of Sol."
Salmerz shook his head, "No, I am ICC. I have never been to Sol."
The K'luth lashed at him with the whip and searing pain erupted across his stomach. Salmerz cried out, and the K'luth roared at him. "SILENCE!"
Salmerz looked at the whip, hanging down by the K'luth's side. It was no electro-whip though, it was more like an eel or a snake of some kind. Electricity could be seen coursing through its length.
He glanced at his fresh wound, there were bite-marks and burnt flesh surrounded them.
Kel'Tareth continued, "You will not offend my aural receptors with your blasphemous speech. You can only understand me because we have shaped you."
Salmerz wondered to himself, "Shaped? I remember something about this back in Tactics Training, we were covering the K'luth background.
Shapers mess with DNA, that's how they have all their bio-tech."
"Correct, Child of Sol. You have been shaped and so we can understand each other, if only for a short time. . ."
The Captain thought, "Short time?"
"Indeed, unfortunately for you, the master shapers have been unable to successfully alter you 'humans' to enable communication for more than a few hours before you go, what's the human term," Salmerz thought the alien seemed to be glad, "Oh yes, that's the word: 'insane'."
Chapter Three - Breaking Point
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Janson sat in the command chair, impatiently drumming his fingers on the arm. "Navigation!" He said, a little too loudly, "How long until DeltaPav?"
"Thirty minutes remaining until sub-light revert, Sir."
The reply was a tad strained. Janson realised he had been asking the same question every half-hour since the discovery of the 'Eagle's Eye's possible capture.
"Engineering," the comm crackled with the buzz of the Tachyon Drive in the background, "What is our current status?"
The Engy Chief, Fields, answered coarsely, "I can get you the reactor on-line in fourteen minutes, no less Sir. That's without running full diagnostics before startup."
"No chance we can cut it down? I'll need that energy ASAP when we power down the ECM emitters, Fields." Janson thought it was worth a shot, engineers were known for 'conservative estimates. It made them look good when things came out before time.
"No Sir. I'll have all available personnel on it as soon as you need it, but I can't make the damn thing charge up faster than its capacitors allow! I'll be running it at 120% as it stands! Any more and we risk immediate over-load and a core breach!" The Chief sounded exasperated.
"Understood Fields. Thanks for the effort."
Janson clicked off the comm, and switched to ship-wide. The whistle came on the speakers all over the cruiser, notifying the crew that the commanding officer had an important announcement. "Berkely, transmit this to the group."
"Roger that, Sir."
"All right everyone." Janson paused and took a deep, calming breath before continuing. "The situation we are heading into may well be a trap. We are relying on the fact that the enemy is complacent. We are relying on the fact that they will assume the scout was just that: a lone scout. We know we can get to our friends before reinforcements can come from any enemy outposts in neighbouring systems, so we are also relying on the 'Eagle's Eye's report, which indicates a minimal guard force in the system. On sub-light revert, we will be dividing into three attack groups. The 'Vindicator' and 'Anvil's Fire' will jump in ahead of the group, and will refit all ECM emitters with the reactors and ECCM emitters carried in cargo.
Upon contact with the enemy, the 'Loki' will provide long-range support as the 'Hornet' provides escort for her, and additional ECM support.
Once we are confident the enemy have dispatched all available ships to intercept the assault group, the 'Rapier' and 'Bull's Eye' will jump to the inner-system and scan the planets for the crews' locator beacons.
Upon detection of the crew, they will jump to the planet, where the 'Bull's Eye' will commence saturation bombing of the training camp to distract any planet cover from the 'Rapier', who will orbit the planet and dispatch ground troops to recover the crew.
Upon successful recovery, the 'Rapier' will withdraw to a safe distance out of the system, while the 'Bull's Eye' continues to provide distraction. Once the 'Rapier' is clear, the 'Vindicator' will lead the jump to different coordinates in case of Jump-Vultures.
Once we are clear of the system, we will rendezvous with the 'Rapier' and once any repairs are complete, and ECM refitted, we will begin the long-jump back to Epsilon Eri.
"Are we clear?"
Affirmative responses came back through the comm system..
Janson cut the communication, and turned to Temula, his navigation officer, "Navigation, time to revert?"
"Fifteen minutes, Sir." She replied.
Janson felt the adrenalin beginning to pump, "Let's get ready to rock, people." He whispered under his breath.
Kel'Tareth stalked out of the room through the aperture in the wall, it quickly closed behind him.
Salmerz reeled from the fresh pain that had been inflicted upon his body. He was strong, but the whip-like reptile the K'luth torture drone unleashed upon him time after time was taking its toll on his flesh. He could see muscle through the blood now, parts of the flesh on his stomach had been flayed almost completely away. If he wasn't held to the wall by some sort of binding gel about his wrists and ankles, and around his throat, he would be crumpled into a foetal ball on the floor by now.
This was worse than anything he had been shown back in advanced training, once he had been given command of his own ship. He tried to remember more, but. . .
"They don't want to hurt you, you know. You should just tell them what they need to know."
Salmerz was startled, but had too little energy left to jump.
He was sure that was a voice, there were no grunts, no guttural tones. . . He lifted his head to where the voice came from.
Another man was held to the wall in the same manner as he was. (Was there someone else here before? He couldn't remember anymore.) "What did you say?" Was all he could manage.
"I said: They don't want to hurt you. Why don't you just give in? It'll be easier."
Salmerz couldn't grasp what was happening, "I. . . I don't understand. . . What. . . What are you talking about?" Each breath was a labour.
"I first thought like you, I refused to help them. I stuck to my training. But then. . ." The stranger paused. "Then I was. . . enlightened." The stranger suddenly dropped to the floor, free of his bindings.
Salmerz' eyes widened at the event. "I. . . I could be free too?"
"Yes, friend. You too could be like me." The man smiled, it was not a warm expression.
"Yes. . . Yes I could be like you. . ." Salmerz moved his head slowly around from side to side, seeming to look at unknown objects around the room, perhaps persons?
The captain's mind was starting to falter. He had already lost most of his short-term memory functions, soon his long-term memory recall would be affected. The stranger turned to his side, where Salmerz could not see his face, and closed his eyes. "Kel-Tareth, this is DeathScythe. He is becoming
co-operative. Soon he will be ready."
The edge of the Delta Pavonis star system. Two bright flashes expand into waves of light, but slowly dissipate as they do.
"Engineering, get me that reactor online, NOW! Tactical, what's the status of ECCM?" Janson was in full flow now, all worries left behind him in the FTL tunnel. All that mattered now was the task at hand.
The tactical officer, Ulians, replied, "ECCM powered-up and fully functional at ninety-eight percent effectiveness. 'Anvil's Fire' reports ECCM powered-up and at ninety-nine percent detection rate."
"Comms, what's the status of the other two attack groups?"
Berkely responded to the order immediately, "The 'Loki' and 'Hornet' are in position and under ECM cover, the 'Loki' reports current energy signature of -0.2 and the 'Hornet' reports a similar figure. The 'Rapier' and 'Bull's Eye' have charged Tachyon Drives, and are ready to move at your signal."
"Thank you Ensign. People, now it's up to them."
DeathScythe walked around the room, looking Salmerz up and down. "What a detestable species. Was I really once like that?" He wondered to himself.
"Yes, pupil you once were." Kel-Tareth's sombre tones were inside his head. He remembered the K'luth's psionic communication method was not exactly 'specific' in operation. A simple thought and anyone within three hundred metres knew what you wanted for breakfast.
Emotions were more complex, however. As far as he understood, they just came across as static - white noise.
"Of course, Kel'Tareth. My thoughts mean nothing."
"This I am aware of, 'human'." The K'luth's tone was condescending. DeathScythe imagined his superior gloating over his lapse of control.
"Thank you for the correction, I will observe more caution in my thoughts." He looked hard at Salmerz. "Will you help them now? I *promise* to tell them that you meant no disrespect before, and were simply 'confused'." He added a hint of brotherly concern to his tone.
Salmerz was nodding now, belying the obvious pain it must have caused him to do so. "Yes, yes! I will tell them all!
I want to be like you, my friend - free! Yes, yes. . ."
"Excellent, my friend. A wise decision."
The traitor turned and walked from the room. He knew his work was done. This human would not see the light of his homeworld again.
Chapter Four - Meltdown
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"Berkely! Get me a status report from the rest of the group!"
Janson rocked in his command chair as the shields sustained another volley of disruptor fire.
Berkely's hands flew over his console, "Sir! The 'Anvil's Fire' has received moderate damage to her secondary hull, but shields are back up and holding. The 'Loki' and 'Hornet' are still under ECM cover
and are undetected at present. The 'Rapier' and 'Bull's Eye' are in position in-system, and are scanning the neighbouring planets for the 'Eagle's Eye' crew locator beacons."
As Janson listened to the update, he looked at the report scrolling across the screen on his chair-arm. The 'Vindicator's shields were holding, as he had the engineering deck working double-time keeping the reactor cooled and supplying fresh juice to the emitters. One of their chemical laser cannons, and two fusion torpedo launchers were damaged though, due to a lucky shot by one of the 'Scale' class K'luth cruisers who had hung off to the starboard side of the ship, cloaked, while it's two companions had poured hot laser fire into the port shields. Once the alien ship had detected more power diverted into the opposite shields, they had unleashed an Alpha-Strike into the weakened defences of the ICC ship.
"Tactical! Give me a heads-up of the field!"
His tactical officer, Ulians, worked at her station, patching in the necessary information to display the tactical map onto the ships' main viewscreen. The screen was soon lit with the IFF markers of each detected ship in sensor range. The 'Vindicator' was flanked by two of the K'luth cruisers, while the 'Anvil's Fire' was slugging it out with the third. The 'Loki' and 'Hornet' were both still out of standard sensor range, and providing long-range missile support.
Thank God for the 'Loki's ion-tracker missiles. They were the only things keeping the K'luth from dominating this encounter..
Janson looked further in-system and saw the two destroyers flying around the planets closest to the systems primary, slowly working their way outwards, scanning for the crew beacons.
The ship rocked again as the shields withstood another impact.
Janson sat forward, "Return fire!"
Kel'Tareth shook his head in exasperation. "No, no you pathetic human. Why were you in this system? What was your mission here?"
Salmerz lifted his head from the dirt floor. He was so happy they had let him down from the wall. That gel was starting to hurt him, and he knew they didn't want to hurt him. He was sprawled out on the floor now. His congealed blood hardening across his stomach.
The K'luth torture creature's venom contained a fast coagulant. It prevented victims from dying of blood loss too quickly.
He couldn't understand all these strange words in his head though. They were very confusing. 'Why?' this and 'Who?' that. He just couldn't understand how it was so important to answer all these questions. He'd told them he would help them, and so he would. As soon as they wanted him to shoot something. That's what he was good at. He remembered that much. He got his first las-rifle when he was just fifteen. His Mom thought he was too young, but his Dad knew he would be careful. He'd take his rifle, and climb up the tree in the yard, and. . . He reeled from the blow to his ribs as the K'luth's bone-covered shin collided with his side, and rolled into a corner of the room.
The alien's words bit into his thoughts, "Damn you paleskin scum."
He thought towards where his commanders were awaiting his report.
"This one is of no use to us now. We have discovered that a force was with him, and this force has now shown itself at the far side of the system. We need him no longer."
The thoughts of his fellow Artisens were mingled with that of his own. "Yes drone, we are in agreeance. Do not waste any more of your time with this Sol-Child. Leave him to his madness, the
shapers did well with his primitive mind. Soon we will have further success. DeathScythe was just the beginning."
Kel'Tareth walked from the room, not even glancing at the creature which was once a man cowering in the corner, mumbling to itself nonsense that only it could decipher.
"Sir! Report from the 'Rapier'. They have found the remains of the 'Eagle's Eye' -- It is in orbit of the planet Laban!"
"What? Is the crew still aboard?" Janson held his breath for the answer.
Berkely answered with a sombre tone, "No sir, the ship has been completely hulled and stripped, no-one is aboard. The 'Bull's Eye' reports a brief flicker from the planet Zayd, but there are no further transmissions from any of the beacons."
Janson slammed his fist on the arm of his chair, "Dammit! We took too long! Tactical, status!"
"Shields down to twenty-three percent, hull breaches on decks four and five, three torpedo launchers are disabled, one of the CL five hundreds is destroyed, and the Tachyon Drive has sustained minor damage, Sir."
"How are the rest of the group faring?"
The communications officer sent out a status request, and quickly received the reports from the rest of the friendlies. "The 'Anvil's Fire' has had it's shields completely disabled and has diverted all remaining power to engines and weapons, their hull is currently holding at ninety-seven percent; the 'Loki' and 'Hornet' have had to retreat to a position out of IT missile range due to a lone K'luth
scout ship; and the 'Rapier' is currently covering the 'Bull's Eye' as she makes a bombing run at one of the training camps on Laban. The 'Rapier's shields are also down to forty-three percent, and she has sustained damage to her ion engines due to planet defences."
Janson only had two options. "Berkely, get me the 'Anvil's Fire's commanding officer on screen."
The First Rear Admiral appeared in the top-right corner of the main viewer. Janson addressed him, "Emnas, we've got a couple of choices here. I think you've got an idea which one I'm in favour of."
The other commanding officer looked Janson in the eye. "The crew of the 'Anvil's Fire' is with you all the way, Sir. We might be going to Hell, but we'll make damn sure we take some of those bastards with us!"
Janson looked to Berkely, "Group comm Ensign."
The comms officer switched to the groups' transmitting frequency.
"They're ready and listening, Sir."
"Okay people. In all probability, we won't survive this encounter, those of you who can retreat are hereby given leave to return to Epsilon Eri and make the trip home. The 'Vindicator' and 'Anvil's Fire' will remain behind to cover the retreat. Janson out."
He waited for the responses to come back over the comm.
"'Mandible' class dreadnaught jump signature detected!" shouted Ulians the tactical officer.
Janson's face dropped, "Dear God, what have I brought us into?"
Chapter Five - End Game
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The K'luth dreadnaught de-cloaked directly aft of the 'Bull's Eye' as she began her bombing run. The destroyer's captain didn't even have time to give the order to abort the run, as tera-watts of energy slammed into their shields. The alien's disruptor cannons sliced through the rear armour of the ship, breaking through the outer covering of the ion-engines and causing secondary explosions throughout the engineering section. Flames spewed from the holes in the ships' rear as another volley of charged energy beams ripped into the inner hull of the ship. The bomber began to drift as her propulsion systems were blown to pieces. Parts of the hull and internal components began to rip away from the ship as its momentum carried it on towards the planet.
The dreadnaught powered-up its own sub-light engines and began the chase. As it closed, several torpedoes blew from their launchers, and sped towards the gaping mess that was once the 'Bull's Eye's rear section. As the projectiles smashed into the ship, the anti-matter detonated with its intended target, wrenching the insides of the ship from their fixings. The front of the craft suddenly separated from the rest of the ship and began to come apart, as a massive internal explosion tore the ship in two. The bombers' payload had been detonated by the torpedoes.
The Mandible turned away from the bright explosion and aimed towards the other destroyer.
The 'Vindicator's shields bucked, crackled then failed completely as they took another attack from the two K'luth cruisers. The ship turned and fired its three remaining torpedo launchers at the cruiser in front of them. The three torps streaked through space, then exploded into the side of the enemy vessel. It lurched to one side with the impact, but continued on its path.
The 'Anvil's Fire' again lined up its chemical laser cannons at the alien cruiser in front of them, all three beams hit simultaneously at the same point, melting the living-ship's outer hull instantly and vaporising everything in their path until they ruptured out the other side of the ship, skewering it on the beams of energy. Fire erupted from inside the craft, it was suddenly visible as the cloaking device faltered from the lack of energy.
The 'Vindicator's engines flared as they were suddenly ramped up to full-power, the ship bore down on the wounded enemy and, before it could jump to safety, fired all its remaining weapons at the sleek alien craft. Long gashes were cut along its length as the lasers burnt through the outer armour. The fusion torpedoes impacted an instant later as two of them exploded on the outer of the ship - one flew straight into one of the gashes in its side and detonated inside the command centre of the ship. As the explosions were tearing through the inside of the craft, it began to spin end over end, the navigation controls suddenly lost.
As the 'Anvil's Fire' turned from the 'Vindicator's path, the three streaks of energy from the friendly ship sliced into the damaged 'Scale'. The two remaining enemy cruisers formed up and came about to concentrate their fire at one ship.
The 'Rapier' came around again and fired upon the K'luth Mandible. The ships' outer armour was barely scorched by the light vessel's weapons. The human ships' navigation officer was good, he was using the ships' speed to keep out of the alien ship's firing arc, but they were still receiving a sound thrashing from the larger craft.
The 'Rapier's captain received the order to assist the cruisers, and so slowed to jump to their position. Just as the ship powered-up its Tachyon Jump Drive, the Mandible came around enough to let loose some anti-matter torpedoes. As the ship generated the tachyon field, the torpedoes slammed into the back of the ship through the weakened shields, instantly destroying the sub-light engines. Then the destroyer propelled itself faster than light towards its allies.
As soon as the 'Rapier' came out of the FTL-tunnel, it was adrift. The engines were a mass of tangled parts and flaming fuel.
The Mandible appeared less than one hundred galactic units behind it, and fired almost immediately at the helpless ship, tearing through the smaller craft's hull. The destroyer was engulfed in a fireball, as it exploded from the rear forwards.
The alien ship emerged from the fireball, and changed course to intercept the two remaining cruisers.
As soon as the 'Loki' was confident the K'luth scout had been lost, she and the 'Hornet' jumped back into range of the battle. A quick survey of the scene proved that the aliens would soon dispatch her allies.
The 'Hornet's engineers quickly refitted the ECM emitter with the Pulse Shield carried in cargo. When it was almost charged, the 'Hornet' jumped into the fray, coming out of FTL mere tens-of-meters from the 'Anvil's Fire'. As the enemies' torpedoes hurtled towards her, the ship activated its Pulse Wave Shield - instantly detonating the projectiles before they could impact. The two K'luth cruisers turned away, disoriented at the sudden reinforcement. The Mandible, however, continued to approach.
As the 'Vindicator's engineering crew worked frantically to get the shield generators back on-line, the ship accelerated away from the now derelict alien cruiser, turning back towards the 'Anvil's Fire'.
The K'luth cruisers quickly realised that there were no more human ships jumping in with the destroyer, and resumed their attack on the weakened cruiser. As they neared, the 'Hornet' flew top-speed towards them firing as soon as they were in range. The small ships' weapons scored across the larger vessels hulls - already damaged from the skirmish with the cruisers - as the destroyer overshot the two ships, the Mandible loomed into view.
The 'Hornet' turned quickly away from the dreadnaught, before the torpedo launchers could obtain a lock, but the disruptors hit the port and aft shields as the ship flew past, some of the beams cutting through and blowing great crevasses into the side of the ship, and damaging the port stabilising jets.
The 'Anvil's Fire' withstood round after round of fire from the two enemy cruisers, trading blow for blow with one of them, but the fight was fruitless. The cruiser received a volley of torpedoes from one of the 'Scale's which impacted on the forward section of the ship, completely destroying the beam weapons. The other 'Scale' was concentrating on the rear of the ship, pounding away at the engines and torpedo launchers.
As the 'Vindicator' completed its turn, the 'Anvil's Fire' exploded in a massive supernova of white flames. One of the two alien ships turned towards the Assault Cruiser, and received white-hot chemical lasers for its lapse in concentration. As the beams sliced through the front of the vessel, ion-tracker missiles from the 'Loki' suddenly slammed into the ship, ripping the whole forward section open, and leaving a widening hole which the lasers continued to fire into, tearing through the delicate innards of the craft. The cruiser flew onwards, hulled and dead in space.
That left just the 'Vindicator', 'Hornet' and 'Loki' against the remaining K'luth cruiser and the approaching Mandible.
The 'Hornet' closed again on the Mandible, firing as soon as the weapons were in range. The dreadnaught's outer armour was scored by the smaller ships' weapons, but they had no chance of breaking through. As the destroyer flew past, the K'luth ship unleashed an Alpha-Strike into the side of the vessel. The impact alone blew the craft off-course, but the attack was not in vein. For as the K'luth ship fired on the destroyer, the 'Vindicator' closed fast and fired all her available weapons at the starboard side of the dread.
As the lasers ate through the armour, and the torpedoes slammed into the ship, the 'Loki' fired the last of its IT missiles at the same side of the alien bio-craft. The tracking missiles closed fast, and as the 'Vindicator' turned and sped away at maximum speed, the projectiles pierced the side of the craft, penetrating the weakened armour. The missiles detonated within the vast ship, causing explosions within its hull.
As the ship recoiled from the attack, the fatally damaged 'Hornet' flew directly into the wounded side of the ship, already counting down the self-destruct sequence.
The 'Vindicator' fired one last volley of torpedoes at the K'luth cruiser before engaging the jump drive. The flash of the Tachyon field was dwarfed by the explosion from the side of the K'luth Dreadnaught as the destroyer self-destructed. The explosion wouldn't destroy the massive alien ship, but it would cause enough damage to deter them following.
Vice Admiral Janson sat wearily in his chair. He was in his personal quarters. Sparks popped around his head as cables flapped around in the air from loose panels, and burns marked most of the electrical points on the walls. He thought about the status report. Berkely was dead, his station had exploded in his face, burning him beyond recognition. There were similar events all around the ship. A lot of good people had died today. A lot of people Janson counted as 'friends' had died today. The loss of the 'Eagle's Eye' was not least among those losses.
Janson stood up, and walked to his brandy decanter on a wall unit. He poured himself a large glassful. The 'Loki' was visible out of the viewport to his right, travelling alongside the 'Vindicator' back to Epsilon Eri, and then Home.
[ This Message was edited by: The Reaper on 2003-07-01 05:33 ]
_________________
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The Reaper
Cadet
Joined: December 09, 2002
Posts: 234
From: Eternity
| Posted: 2003-07-01 05:34
And now Part Two:
======================================
Testing the Waters
======================================
A DarkSpace 'Fan Fiction' Short Story
© Copyright David Pitts 2003, reproduction permitted
with credit to the author.
Prologue
-------------------------------
The deck resounded with the unified thundering of boots. The Elite Shock Troopers were storming their way towards the dropship pods.
As they poured into the pods, the cargo bay doors began to open, revealing the orange-tinted haze of the atmosphere below. As soon as each pods' door was sealed, its jets fired, launching the craft out through the magnetically-sealed aperture, and towards the arid desert world below. The UGTO transport sat in geo-synchronous orbit of the gigantic sand-planet, releasing pod after pod of troops.
As each pod descended through the outer atmosphere, flames began to appear on the underside of them, friction caused by the tremendous speed they were cutting through the air was generated into unbelievable heat, which was in turn absorbed by the re-entry panels on the bottom of each ship.
The troopers sat inside each pod, sweaty in their hyper-dense armour. Once sat with his arms crossed, (as much as he could in the excessive protective shell he was wearing), and the constant buffeting of the air currents hitting the ship relaxed him as he nodded off to sleep.
Desert. Peaks of sand dunes lead off into the horizon. Thin winds blow the peaks of sand from the tops of the dunes, making waves across an ocean of dust. The sun is high, and because of the haze,
the coronas are fuzzy and blurred.
The boy peeked over the dune closest to him. He could see the doogle-rat now. It was scurrying around, trying to find some moisture beneath a dry, lone bush it had found. The boy crawled slowly over the top of the dune, quietly, carefully so as not to disturb too much sand and warn the rodent of his approach.
The rat suddenly stopped and its ears began to twitch. The boy stopped moving - had the rat noticed his approach? A sudden rumbling disproved that theory. The doogle-rat scurried under the bush, digging and scrabbling into the harder dirt beneath. The boy felt the loose sand underneath him begin to vibrate, he stood up to steady the feeling of nausea that suddenly came over him.
In the sky ahead of him, far off in the distance, two small dots could be made out growing larger by the second. As they approached, the rumbling became louder. The boy shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked upwards to the strange objects.
As they came closer the boy suddenly became afraid, they were hurtling towards him, flames all around them. Were these comets from the stars? Come to punish his Father's outpost for its poor harvest? He turned and ran. But not fast enough.
The dropship pods sped threw the lower atmosphere now, the thin desert air aiding their decent, and accelerating the ships further.
The boy looked behind him; one of the 'punishers' seemed to be coming straight for him. He ran faster, as fast as his legs would go. As he scrambled up one of the soft sand dunes, he tumbled into
it, falling onto his front.
As he turned round and spat dust from his mouth, he saw the sun- bright flames upon him.
The pod smashed into the ground, the heat from its entry instantly melting the surrounding sand into liquid glass, and reducing the boy to atoms. As the particles around the craft settled, coolant was
flushed from vents in the sides and around the underside of it, cooling the ship enough to avoid burns if a crew member 'accidentally' touched the hull on evacuation. A long panel on the pod lifted up, and slid to the side to enable the crew egress hatch to blow. As soon as the hatch was partially open, UGTO troopers began pouring forth, weapons at the ready.
Janson sat in his study; the late afternoon sun illuminating the room in lines of deep red through the blinds; watching reports of similar attacks all across the Luyten 726 system. The UGTO were getting confident in their attacks now, capturing multiple planets simultaneously to divide the system defences. By the next night on Exathra, the system would have fallen to the Imperials.
Chapter One - A Welcome Return
-------------------------------
Three months later - Exathran time.
Automated worker drones buzz around the contoured exterior of the ICC Assault Cruiser 'Vindicator', sparks flash here and there as they pause to spot-las imperfections on the armour. Tiny figures can be seen floating around the ship, giving it a final going-over before being classed Ready for Duty.
Vice Admiral Derno Janson stood in the turbolift as it sped along, looking out of the viewport at his starship with pride. Upon return from his last mission, the cruiser had required extensive repairs, and Janson had used this time to refit the ship with the latest technology.
The ships' heavy laser beam cannon had been upgraded with one of the new 'CL-two thousand' range, and the two light beams had been replaced with 'CL-five fifties' which Janson's Chief Engineer, Captain Grogan Fields, had wrangled from a Combat Dreadnaught about to be retired and stripped.
The shield emitters had been removed to make space for extra heavy armour, and it had also been applied to the exterior of the ship. This meant an extra million tonnes had been added to the ships' mass, but Janson felt the armour was necessary until a more efficient deflector shield system could be developed for close-range combat. Especially since his encounter in Delta Pavonis a few months back,
shields were just not strong enough to withstand close-range attacks from K'luth ships, their beam arrays could break through them in mere minutes on the smaller ships.
Janson recalled the Delta Pavonis incident with regret. He pushed the memories to the back of his mind. Painful, unwanted burdens, but useful in the long term. They had provided advanced intelligence on the K'luth's whereabouts and caused an inconvenience to the enemy by having one of their troop training camps discovered, necessitating a relocation and scourge of the system.
The Vice Admiral brought his mind back to the present. He began to mull over the further modifications to his ship. The ion-emission sublight engines had been refitted with the new prototype atomic fusion drives. They used a little more power to accelerate, but they did so faster and smoother than the old ion drives, and additionally provided a higher energy output when fully warmed up and running.
Janson smiled. He could remember when he was back in basic training, when they were shown the old pioneers of the Interstellar Cultural Confederation. Back when they were considered rebels and pirates, and flew under the banner of the 'FarStars', separatists from the UGTO imperials.
He let slip a small laugh, how things had changed in the past few years. His smile tightened, the UGTO would discover just how much these 'rebels' had changed.
As the turbolift slowed to a stop, the doors opened with a hiss of compressed air. Janson stepped out onto the observation deck of the orbital shipyard. The corridor was a ring of transparent plas-steel.
Only the edges where the panels met broke the illusion of standing in open space. Stepping out into the seeming nothingness was a little disorientating at first, but after a few times you could really
appreciate the feeling of freedom it allowed.
To the left was a beautiful view of the planet Lilly, slowly spinning beneath the shipyard. On the right was a view of the spacecraft currently docked and under repairs or in for refit.
Janson looked out towards deep space. He saw the smooth outline of an ICC Missile Dreadnaught emerge from a brilliant flash, as a wave of tachyon particles expanded from the end of a faster than light tunnel.
The ship was badly damaged, it must have only just made the jump to Lilly. Janson watched the rescue tugs approach the dreadnaught and lock tractor beams onto it. The vast ship slowly started to move towards the shipyards.
As Janson turned to walk down the corridor, two more ships jumped in behind the missile boat. A heavy cruiser and heavy supply ship limped up to follow the crippled dreadnaught into the safety of the orbital platform.
The Vice Admiral placed his hand onto the ident-panel, and a line of red light-emitting diodes to the right of it slowly lit green. As the topmost of them did so, the door in front of him slid open to reveal the security officer sat at his desk. He was a large man, obviously a gen-tank from Ghadjwero, his large muscular frame was barely concealed beneath his armour.
"State your business." Came the expected greeting.
"Vice Admiral Derno Janson; Officer ID number six-three-two-seven-eight-seven. Commanding officer of GDC M-two-four-five-A class Assault Cruiser designation 'Vindicator'." Janson's exhaustive reply was demanded by a recent overhaul of protocol within the navy ranks.
"Don't move." The security officer leaned across to his desk, typed in Janson’s credentials, and waited for the reply to be displayed - all without taking his eyes off the ship commander.
"All seems in order, proceed Vice Admiral." There was no attempt at courtesy by the man, his department answered only to the Security Council on each governed planet, the navy had no authority over them.
Janson felt the need to lighten the mood, "Why thank you kind sir. You have a good day now!" He nodded to the guard as he passed, and threw a sloppy salute. The guard blinked once, this was the only indication he'd even noticed Janson as he walked past.
The walk down the docking arm was a long one. At least it felt that way to Janson as he watched the Missile Dread being towed to a vacant bay in the vast station. He marvelled at the accomplishments his fellow man had reached in only the past few decades. When in deep space it was hard to really judge the size of objects due to the lack of references, but when you were up this close to these pinnacles of technology it was hard not to gasp in awe of their size.
The airlock doors at the far end of the docking arm parted with a hiss at Janson's approach. His own, more familiar security officers snapped to attention at his presence. He made his way quickly to the bridge, there would be time for a deck-by-deck shakedown later. He always liked to walk his ship before taking her back out into service.
He knew this cruiser better than the streets around his apartment back on Exathra, if anything wasn't right - he'd know.
The turbolift sped him up to the bridge, on the topmost deck of the ship. As the door slid open, his tactical officer, Lieutenant Commander Terri Ulians sprang from her chair, "Vice Admiral on the bridge!"
The rest of the bridge crew jumped from their stations and stood to attention.
"Stand easy people, as you were."
They all sat back down, and continued the pre-flight checks on their systems. Janson walked over to his command-chair, another familiar sight. The tight leather of it freshly buffed, the smell of it detectable as he came closer. As he sat down, the chair seemed to conform around him, moulding itself to his shape, then becoming firm as it asserted itself into its new form. Janson was glad his chair hadn't been damaged during the refit - he had won it in a game of poker during a shore-leave visit on Atlantis in the Tau Ceti system.
It was made from very rare mogable-hide. The mogable was a large, elephant-like creature, with very elastic skin, and minor morphic control over its epidermis.
This enabled the animal to camouflage itself very effectively, as if it rested upon a rock, its skin became like the surface of the rock.
Ulians came over to Janson once he seemed comfortable.
"Sir, the ships' repair and refit is almost complete, the crew are aboard and the station personnel have departed. The 'Vindicator' is all yours again, Sir."
"Thank you Terri, as you were." She walked back to her post, and resumed her diagnostics of the ships tactical systems.
Janson tapped a key on the arm of his chair, "Engineering, status?"
His chief engineer, Captain Grogan Fields answered the request with his usual tact and politeness.
"The Tachyon Drive is refuelled and ready to bring on-line, the systems are all operating within normal parameters and these AFE drives are giving me one hell of a head-ache warming up."
"Thank you Engineering." He clicked-off the comm. "Navigation, power on the jump drive. Tactical, power up the. . ." He almost said:
Power up the shields, but recalled at the last second there were none on his ship anymore. Ulians looked up from her console and met him with a smile, "Power up the integrity field and activate ships' gravity, aye Sir."
Janson almost laughed, "Thank you tactical."
The ship was surrounded with an audible hum for several seconds, as the on-board gravity generators spun up and the external hull integrity fields were generated.
As the hum died down, Janson looked to the communications station.
His previous Comms Officer had been killed in the Delta Pavonis incident, a power surge to his station overloading the circuit breakers and blowing the front of his display screen off, burning and mangling his face. The new officer was a man originally from Jocasta, a planet in the Epsilon Caranie Aa star system. A system which had only recently been re-liberated from the K'luth. He was a good man, a Lieutenant Commander who was previously stationed on the 'Carpathian', one of the most recent designs of cruiser-class ships, and also the only class which could successfully house a Tachyon Interdiction field generator.
Several designs of the Interdictor Generator had been tried out in the field. Unfortunately due to the relatively new technology of the Tachyon Jump Drive, some of the designs had failed miserably.
Janson recalled a particularly bad test, where the gravity-based design had been tested out. It worked on the principle of creating a 'gravity-well' - basically emulating the spatial mass of a small moon. In theory, this would cause the Tachyon Drive to fail a jump due to planetary approach, typically dropping into sub-light approximately two hundred and fifty galactic units from the target.
That however was the problem. Because of the interaction method between the navigational computers and the jump drive, unless the Interdictor was selected as the target itself, the Tachyon Drive
could not register the gravity-well as existing. The ship in question carried on straight at the Interdictor and collided with the ship, resulting in a catastrophic explosion, destroying both ships and causing the loss of all hands aboard.
The newest method created a 'disruption field' approximately nine-hundred to one thousand gu's around the interdiction vessel. This caused any ship entering the field to immediately drop out of faster-than-light speed, as the jump drive's positively-charged Tachyon particles reacted with the negatively-charged ones created in the field shutting down the drive.
Janson called to the Comms Officer, "Caymans, patch me through to Station Command."
"Aye Sir." His fingers moved over his console.
"Station Command here, ready to leave already Derno?" The woman on the comm was a friend of Janson's.
"Definitely Termel. If I have to attend one more 'motivational' summit I think I'll defect! I hear some of the Uggy fleet leaders are handing out free dental for higher ranks!"
"Very funny. You'd better watch the joking though, I don't think some of my superiors would take too kindly to a sympathiser!"
The bridge crew began to laugh. The comment was a joke, but they all knew too well of the recent stories of a ship full of supposed 'defectors' that had been destroyed in the Epsilon Ind system, apparently en-route to meet with UGTO traitors.
"Roger that Termel. I'll watch my chatter on open channels from now on. We good to go?"
"Yeah, that damaged M-three hundred is docked and the crew are now debarking. The two ships which came in after have been towed around to the depots on Lilly's surface, so the skies are clear at the moment. You are clear to undock and leave the no-weapon zone."
"Roger that Command, we will leave as soon as the AFE's are hot."
Not very long later, the Assault Cruiser 'Vindicator' had undocked from the orbital shipyard and was turning around. As the ship began to point towards open space the sub-light engines began to glow, and the ship started to move forwards.
Light reflected from the surface of the ship as it left the inside of the vast station. The navigation officer, Temula, suddenly announced,
"We are clear of the 'Safe Haven' and have clearance to power-up weapons."
"Thank you navigation. Tactical, you heard the woman."
The laser batteries and torpedo launchers resonated with the sub-sonic hum of energy charging their systems.
Ulians reported, "All weapons charged and ready, Sir."
"Thank you tactical. Temula, take us out. Set a course for the Cygnus Jump Gate and jump when ready."
The ship slowed to a standstill as the navigational computer lined up with the set coordinates for the inter-system gate.
A flash brighter than a sun surrounded the ‘Vindicator' for an instant as it broke the light barrier, and darted towards its destination.
Janson sat back into his chair. It felt good to be back.
Chapter Two - Unexpected Results
--------------------------------------------
The small ship darted left and right, zigzagging it’s' way through space. The ion-tracker missile kept on its' course, following the ionised particle trail left from the sub-light engines of the UGTO fighter.
The pilot glanced at his sensor display, the missile was gaining on him, he broke a hard left - felt the inertial dampeners cushioning the G-forces so as to protect his body from being crushed into his flight-seat.
The missile arced after the fighter, cutting through the yellowish -orange glow left from the ion drives of it’s' target.
As the pilot looked up he saw his intended destination ahead. The Carrier Dreadnaught 'Treguardia' loomed in front of him, its' laser batteries coming to bear. But the pilot had nothing to fear, this was his base-ship, a second home to him and many of his fellow pilots. Indeed, to most it was their first home.
As the tiny ship sped on, shafts of light lanced out from the mighty dreadnaught, detonating the IT missile before it could get any closer.
"This is STK-four-two-twenty, requesting permission to land."
"Roger that STK-four-two-twenty, you are cleared to enter the hanger. Please use port seven for entry, and next time try not to attract so much attention."
"Thank you Control. I'll bear that in mind."
As the fighter approached port seven, one of the entrances to the Ships' main hanger, an iris opened in front of him, the shimmer of a force-field indicating that the hanger was pressurised.
As the ship passed through the entrance, the carrier began to turn. Heading away from the rebel-liberated planet it was orbiting.
A rebel missile cruiser in the distance could be seen fleeing from the battle-scene, the ship commander satisfied he had covered the escape of the transports who had attempted the re-capture of the planet.
A lone UGTO engineering ship emerges from a Tachyon jump in orbit of the planet. A second later two more ships appear behind it, torpedo cruisers, and assume defensive positions around the vessel.
As the engineer assumes orbit, large bay doors open in its' sides, and hundreds of construction drones begin pouring from the ship.
They head down towards the planets' surface, each tasked with rebuilding the damage caused by the rebels' attack. Structures are on fire, the remains of families' homes lie in ruins and the dark
shadows from MiRV detonations can be seen all over the surface of the world.
Troops lie dead all around, Two hundred thousand Farstar units had been dropped onto the planet, and now almost all lie dead.
Vast piles of corpses can be seen being taken to incinerators, the government not wanting any memories of this event.
UGTO shock troops patrol the streets of the remaining cities, on the look-out for rebel sympathisers. Many of them wanting to find some, just to take out their anger and frustration on a foe that cannot fight back.
The world had been retained by the United Galactic Trade Organisation, had been rescued from the evil rebels and their untrustworthy regimes. The world would remain a part of the great empire of humanity.
But at what cost.
Janson turned to his communications officer, "Caymans, patch me into the fleet-wide comms."
"Roger that, Sir."
"This is Vice Admiral Janson, commanding the Assault Cruiser 'Vindicator'. What's the situation, and where are we needed?"
He waited for the reply. A large round-faced Admiral came on-screen. "'Vindicator', this is the 'Raven'. We're currently in orbit of Azchu and are awaiting some stragglers to come through from Cygnus. When they arrive, we will be heading into Epsilon Ind to assist with the systems' defence. There is a major K'luth force invading the system. There are also some ships heading back from Luyten."
Janson thought for a moment, "What about the UGTO still present in Luyten?"
The Admiral seemed bored, "The imperialist presence has been deemed minimal. They will not attempt anything stupid. We both know they aren't inclined to assault systems any further than Luyten, they haven't tried so for quite some time. And now they also have the K'luth to deal with, I think we'll be quite safe from those self-righteous gas-bags for now, 'Vice' Admiral." The officer emphasised the word 'Vice'.
Janson used the same expression in reply, "Thanks for the heads-up, 'Admiral'." He signalled to end the transmission, and thought to himself, "Hmm. With such a diversion in Epsilon the time would be perfect for an UGTO assault of the home systems, but he was right. They very rarely attack any further inwards than Luyten."
The Vice Admiral spoke up, "Tactical, what do the long-range sensor buoys in Luyten report?"
Ulians, his Tacts-Officer, replied: "There are currently seven detected ships within the Luyten system, Sir."
"How many are we expecting back from there?"
"According to the 'Raven', there is one missile cruiser and two heavy troop transports returning from a failed mission."
"Navigation, take us to the Luyten jump-gate. We'll sit and watch their backs when they come through, don't want any surprises sneaking in behind them."
"Yes Sir."
The ship slowed to a halt and turned towards the coordinates laid into the navigational computer. As the Tachyon Drive began to charge, the ship hummed with a sub-sonic tone and then was thrown forwards into a Tachyon tunnel, faster than the speed of light, leaving a wave of charged particles in it’s' wake.
As the missile cruiser flew through an FTL tunnel towards the jump-gate into the Ross 248 system, the heavy transports emerged from Tach-space before it. As the Tachyon particles dissipated, the sensors came on-line on each of the two ships. They immediately registered the Elite Assault Dreadnaught to their port sides.
The massive ship, the most powerful the UGTO had to offer, was feared by all but the most brave, or foolish. Bright, thick, yellow lines were instantly drawn between the dreadnaught and the nearest transport as flux cannons were unleashed into its' shields. As the shields to the side of the ship failed, power was shifted from the other emitters to compensate, but it was not enough. Proton torpedoes detonated against the weakened energy field, and more ripped through the unprotected ship, exploding inside the hull and tearing the superstructure apart from within.
The transport turned away from the attacker, and shifted all its' available power to shields and propulsion. The second ships' ion engines flared as it sped on towards the jump-gate, attempting to escape certain destruction. The dreadnaughts' commander was no fool however, he had already begun to move away from the path of the transport, making a line for the gate itself and hoping to intercept the other fleeing ship. Another wave of flux particles slammed into the smaller craft, blowing apart the internal systems, and rendering the ship inoperable. Small explosions ripped across the rear of the craft, and it sped on. Another volley of torpedoes help speed the ship on it’s' way, as they exploded against the back of it, accelerating the transport further, just before it broke apart into a growing fireball, which quickly faded into the blackness of space.
The second transports' engines were straining now, pushed to their limits, and quickly draining the energy reserves, but the UGTO ship was too close, and began firing on the small, almost defenceless craft. As torpedoes impacted against the transports' shields, the missile cruiser appeared in a flash of light.
Instantly assessing the situation, the cruiser launched all its' missiles at the dread, and powered up its' own sub-light drives, hoping to get between the two ships. As the larger ICC ship closed on the friendly, another flash registered off to the right.
An UGTO Battle Dreadnaught loomed into view, and fired all its' weapons on the cruiser. Unable to return fire, its' beam cannons not yet in range, the cruiser could only divert power to the shields and await the impact. Just as the projectiles approached the ship, a pulse-wave emanated from the cruiser, destroying them before they could come within a dangerous range.
The transport was almost at the gate now, the EAD closing on it from the left, holding fire until a clean shot was available. Just as the transport got within range of the inter-system jump-gate, a spread of EMP mines were detected around the gate.
The electro-magnetic mines spread around the perimeter of the gate exploded as the craft hit one, and detonated them all around it. Crippled, the ship flew into the gate, and was catapulted towards the Ross 248 system.
Janson walked from Sick-Bay towards the turbolift which would take him back up to the bridge. He rubbed his arm where the ships' doctor had given him another dose of anti-biotics. That excursion to Thypho in Kapteyn's Star had been a bad idea. He'd contracted some kind of virus from one of the botanical garden spheres on the surface. He kept getting a recurring rash on his chest that was really getting irritating.
The ship-wide comm crackled into life. "Janson to the bridge."
He pressed a button located on a panel on the wall. "Affirmative, I'm on my way."
As soon as the lift doors 'whooshed' open, Janson started with: "Report!"
"Sir, the heavy transport 'Jezebelle' has come through the gate, or at least what's left of her."
"What? Put her on-screen." Jason sat into his command chair.
The wreckage of the transport came into view. The frame of the ship was visible, but the entire outer-covering of the hull had been blown away. The ship had literally been torn apart from the inside out. Debris surrounded the ship, as the smaller parts floated away, inertia carrying them farther from the explosion.
Ulians continued, "As soon as it came through the gate, a catastrophic drive explosion destroyed the ship, Sir."
Janson sank further into his seat. "Damn. Have any further ships come through?"
"Negative, Sir."
No sooner had Ulians spoke, than a blip indicated another vessel coming through the gates' massive transfer generators. The missile cruiser, seriously damaged appeared; smoke pluming from its' interior, fires flaring then going out as they were exposed to vacuum, sparks jumping around the nose of the ship.
Janson leapt forward, "The crew, what is their status?"
Ulians looked dejected, "Minimal life signs, Sir. The life-support has failed, and the internal hull has been breached. The crew will be dead within minutes. There's nothing we can do."
The ship commander looked at the viewscreen, the cruiser floating slowly away from the gate, dead in space.
Janson spoke to the Tacts-Officer, "Ulians, record this, I want a high-definition playback for the Fleet Admirals." He spun to his navigation officer, "Temula, plot us a course back to Exathra,
I'm taking this to Central Command."
Chapter Three - The Edge of the Storm
--------------------------------------------------
The missile cruiser slowly drifts away from the jump gate. Fires visible within the vessel fade and die out as the air inside the ship is sucked out into the vacuum of space. Sparks jump around the hull, indicating electrical shorts all across the crafts' systems.
Looking in closer, twisted metal can be seen, melted plas-steel and reinforced outer-hull armour fused into one indecipherable mass. The image pauses on the screen.
Janson turned to address the people seated behind him. Across from the immense display sat the Central Command of the Interstellar Cultural Confederation. Leaders from all of the leading worlds within the CD36 star system sat nearer the front rows of the vast auditorium, ambassadors from each of the worlds within the Home Systems sat further back. To the front of the congregation were seated some of the most venerated of the Fleet Admirals of the Stellar Navy. Alongside them sat the Grand Admirals with their aides. All were silent, waiting for Janson to speak.
"You see before you the remains of a combat support starship. The M-247M class Missile Cruiser 'Inferno'." He paused.
"This vessel came through the inter-system jump gate between the Luyten 726 and Ross 248 star systems. It was returning from an attempted escort mission. There were two troop transport ships in the process of recapturing the system who came under attack from an UGTO defence force. The missile cruiser was providing cover fire for those transports to enable escape after the unsuccessful troop drop. The drop was unsuccessful because the UGTO had many more troops on the planet than was first anticipated. It was later discovered from the cruisers' computer core that upon return to the jump gate, all three ships were ambushed by a force of dreadnaughts.
It has been a long time since the UGTO have been so bold as to strike so close to ICC space. They are becoming more confident in their attacks also, as a recent report from Ross indicates."
The display screen behind him changed from the paused cruiser shot to a tactical display of the known universe. ICC owned space was illustrated by each star having a blue hue to it. The systems to the right of Epsilon Ind were glowing red, to indicate K'luth ownership. The systems to the bottom of the display, below Ross 248 were lit white, the colour of the UGTO.
Janson continued. "As many of you will realise, the UGTO have just recently made a foothold in the Lalande system, one which has been in contention with the K'luth for many months. If we look closer at Ross 248. . ."
The Ross 248 star blinked for a second and the display seemed to zoom in rapidly towards it. In a moment the screen was filled with a simplistic view of the system. One of the planets was displayed as UGTO occupied.
"The system came under direct attack earlier this week from an assault force the likes of which we have not seen for a very long time. Immediately after the long-range sensors detected a hostile
incursion, Re was surrounded by a fleet of UGTO ST-211 Heavy-class troop transport ships. These came under fire from planetary defences, but were quickly joined by a strike force of ST-10 Gunboat destroyers, who provided ample point defence for the invading ships. When system defence forces responded to the attack, many were destroyed before arrival at the planet, due to an ST-75 Interdictor cruiser positioned in-system, accompanied by a large force of ST-76 Battle cruisers and several ST-111 Elite Assault Dreadnaughts."
Several gasps were audible in the acoustic hall. Janson ploughed on. "Something else of note is that immediately before the fall of Re, the remaining planetary sensors detected a small group of ST-80 Bomber-class Cruisers accompanied by ST-106 Command Dreadnaughts. It is clear that this is no strike and burn raid, Re would have simply been bombed if that was the case. The UGTO are planning on making a base of operation in the system to allow for further raids as soon as possible. They are attempting an assault of the system."
The ambassadors in the room were visibly shaken now. The naval officers began talking to their aides, and the FAs amongst themselves. The UGTO had not struck so close to the Home Systems for almost a year now, the hope was that the unspoken 'truce' between the rival human factions would hold true, and they could combine to destroy the alien K'luth.
Janson waited for the room to quieten slightly before going on. "We cannot let this invasion stand. It has been too long since we last demonstrated our power to the imperialists. They still believe us rebels and wayward traitors." He raised his voice, "They have waited, ignorant of us for too long. The attack by the K'luth in Epsilon Ind was the catalyst for them. They have seen this as the sign to finally rid the thorn from their side!"
He watched the reactions around the room. The ambassadors were mumbling to each other, clearly not wanting to advocate any violent actions, the look in the Admirals' eyes were the ones he was looking for. Fire was stirring there.
"We have sat too long in our complacency. The unspoken truce with the UGTO could not last, of this we were ALL clear! They have declared their intentions, now we must show ours!"
Some of the naval officers were on their feet now, some of them cheering, others applauding the young Vice Admirals' tenacity.
He lowered his tone before he continued. "The main bulk of our fleets are still in Epsilon Ind, holding the K'luth at bay."
He took a breath. "I call for a full-scale attack on the invading UGTO force. All available ships should be recalled to CD36, and all combat-ready vessels equipped. Ambassadors, Admirals. I leave it in your hands." The Vice Admiral saluted the officers present before turning sharply and marching quickly from the room.
All Hell broke loose behind him.
Janson tapped his glass on the counter, indicating to the barman he wanted another whisky. The vendor poured him another double then slid it down the bar towards him. Janson caught the glass in one hand and downed the double. His hands were shaking. He'd never been granted an audience before the Central Command before. The way he'd laid down the law, he didn't expect to get another anytime soon. Another navy officer came into the bar, the doors' opening causing fresh air to waft in from outside, and make shafts of daylight cut through the thick smoke. The officer walked over to
Janson, and sat beside him at the counter.
"Naixian ale, barman." The barkeep nodded and reached for a large glass.
"Heard the latest, Janson?"
He lifted hid head slightly, "Nope."
"The Navy's been authorised for a full-scale attack. Everything we've got is gonna be thrown at those bastards. I don't know how you managed it, some of those station-hugging Fleet Admirals must still have some balls after all, but it looks like we're going to show those Uggies just how much us 'rebels' have moved up in the ranks!"
The jug of ale thudded onto the counter in front of him, some of it slopping out over the rim. The officer looked up to the server, the large, hairy barman looked displeased.
"Fantastic. You guys go get yourselves killed why don't ya? Wars are very bad for business, I'll have you know."
Janson smiled, then got up from his stool and walked towards the exit. He looked back, and said over his shoulder, "They aren't too much fun for us either. . ."
Around the same time, in the Sol system. An UGTO Fleet Admiral, in full dress uniform, stands looking out of an observation port on a command deck. Technicians and other officers are busy all around him, doing final checks and double-checks. The FA looks out of the port, glances at each ship as they pull into formation.
As the view follows the Admiral's gaze through the transparent plas-steel, an interceptor fighter buzzes past, revealing the size of the vessel he's in.
The full picture of the UGTO fleet comes into view now, Scouts and Frigates; Destroyers and Cruisers. The massive Dreadnaughts are dwarfed only by the enormous Support Station the Fleet Admiral is stood on the command deck of. He smiles to himself. "Finally," he thinks. "The self-proclaimed 'free' terrans will pay for their insolence. They will pay for the long years of conflict they have caused with their separatist attitude. They will pay. With blood."
Chapter Four - A Surprise from Afar
---------------------------------------------
Barnard's Star system. Two days after the ICC Central Commands' decision to assemble the remaining Stellar Navy for the defence of Ross 248, currently under attack from an UGTO fleet.
The small outline of a scout ship streaked past, the system stars' light reflecting from its' smooth panels. As it approached the K'luth ship the stealth scout slowed to a crawl. Although the energy signature of the craft was minimal, and its' size alone was tiny in comparison to the mighty Mandible-class ship before it, the Captain was still cautious.
The Mandible seemed inert. There was no activity around the exterior of the ship, even though it was severely damaged, and more importantly: the ship was not cloaked. The scout ships' commander had seen K'luth ships decloak in the heat of battle to conserve energy, but this was out in deep space. It seemed. . . Pointless for one thing. A trap was the other possibility niggling at the back of his mind.
The scout stopped within one hundred galactic units of the dread, and fired a high-powered locator beacon at the enemy craft. The small transmitter sped towards the ship, the end of it blossoming out into an ultra-dense corrosive-tipped point. The beacon slammed home, instantly piercing the outer carapace-like shell the K'luth used for hull armour.
As the beacon became lodged, the corrosive tip ate into the hull plating, and once firmly in place, latches erupted perpendicular to the tip; (these contained powerful magnets, but since the discovery of the organic nature of K'luth spacecraft, other latching methods had been devised.) The latches' covering quickly became super-heated, and began to melt the carapace beneath them. As soon as the beacon detected the latches sinking into the pliable carapace, the heating stopped.
The cold vacuum of space almost instantly froze the armour around the securing latches, creating a very secure attachment to the enemy ship.
The scout began receiving the return signal from the beacon. At least if the scout was destroyed, the Mandible would still be detectable within the system to friendlies. The small recon ship turned away from the dreadnaught and jumped to a safe distance from it. Boarding craft and combat support ships would be here soon enough.
Janson sat back on the bridge of his Assault Cruiser, the 'Vindicator'. The ship was in orbit of Exathra, in the CD36 star system - the Home of the ICC. Joining the cruiser in low orbit of the planet were a medley of other craft. Other cruisers were nearby, different loadouts to the 'Vindicator's Assault class though. Some were Missile Cruisers, some Heavy Cruisers, refitted with heavy armour to assist in close-range firefights. Even some of the Interdictor class cruisers were present, accompanied by a few of the less popular Fighter Carrier Cruisers. Destroyers and Frigates buzzed all around the larger craft, Minelayers and Bombers; Sensor ships, and Assault craft. Further out, in high orbit of the Capital planet were the support ships. Heavy resupply craft, and Transports were joined by Engineering craft, and resource Extractors; (the latter of which some were refitted with ECM emitters. Recent testing proved modified Extractors to be excellent additions to planet capping tactics.)
It was the ships farthest out which interested Janson, though.
The Dreadnaughts. The largest spaceships built by man. Only stations could make these mighty vessels seem insignificant. The vast silhouettes cast shadows over the planet, some of them visible from the surface with the naked eye. The massive craft sat in high orbit, supply drones dancing over them, making final preparations before leaving for duty. The curved, almost aquiline shapes of the Missile Dreadnaughts and Command Carriers were a stark contrast to the more angular, vicious seeming Combat and Bomber dreads. Janson had his eye on some of the ships in particular, though. They looked almost identical to the Bomber and Combat dreads, but they were the most powerful ships at the ICCs disposal.
The Assault Dreadnaughts. At close to mid-ranges, these ships were almost unmatched for continuous firepower. The UGTOs Elite Assault Dreadnaughts were formidable, and the K'luths Ganglia class Mantis dreadnaught, as recently discovered, were almost unbeatable at close range. The array of heavy beam weapons mounted on the front of the craft could decimate fleets in minutes, if given the chance. (More intelligent ship commanders had quickly learned to stay out of the frontal firing arc of K'luth dreadnaughts. Unfortunately, due to the cloaking device all of their ships carry, until they have fired it's usually quite difficult to determine their facing direction.)
The ICC Assault Dreadnaught though, was in a class of its own. The mixture between medium and close range weapons, coupled with the array of beam weapon mounts led to a well-rounded combat ship that could sustain fire on enemy craft for prolonged periods. In groups, this type of ship was almost unstoppable. On its' own however, the ship could be quite quickly disabled by several smaller craft.
Destroyers were the bane of the ICC dreadnaughts. Cruisers could be given a pounding, but destroyers were simply to fast for a dread to deal with successfully. The dreadnaught was truly a Fleet weapon. Without support, the ship was a prime target.
The fleet began breaking orbit, the frigates and scouts heading out to the front of the group. The combat cruisers followed next, heading out behind the smaller ships. Once they were clear, the dreadnaughts and support craft moved away from Exathra, flanked by the remaining destroyers and support cruisers, and prepared to jump to the Cygnus transfer gate. As each ship aligned for the short tachyon jump, 'Ready' affirmations came across the fleet-wide comm.
In an instant, almost a hundred tachyon waves rippled through the blackness of space, and they were gone, leaving nothing but streaks of blue flame through the void.
The boarding hatch smashed into the side of the K'luth dreadnaught. Cutting lasers immediately slicing through the thick carapace of the outer hull. The intense power of those lasers enabled only one use before the emitters and focus lenses were completely shot. This usually meant that boarding parties were one-way missions. Specially bred Suicide Squads were normally loaded onto the boarding skiffs, intensely trained for one purpose: To cause as much damage to hostile spacecraft as possible before detection and elimination. Not on this particular excursion though. This time the ramship was packed with Elite Troops. The best of the best when it came to infantry combat.
The lasers stopped cutting, and a loud blast followed by a resounding thud indicated that the hull on the dreadnaught had been breached by the directional fusion pack launchers at the so-called 'mouth' of the skiff. The large door at one end of the troop-bay slid open, revealing the interior of the K'luth vessel. The troopers immediately began to pour out of the boarding craft, and into the enemy bio-ship.
As the fleet of ships hurtled through the Cygnus system, Janson headed down towards the ships' infirmary. He was due for another dose of the ointment that was keeping his viral rash at bay. He could do without something like that distracting him in the middle of a firefight. He stepped into the turbolift as the doors parted for him, and pressed the appropriate button for his required deck. The doors closed smoothly again, and the lift began to descend.
Janson thought to himself, "Things had changed so much in the past few years."
Ever since the appearance of the K'luth, the two warring human factions had toned down their attacks tremendously. It was many peoples' hope; (mainly the politicians, polls had discovered); that the UGTO and ICC could put aside their differences, and unite once again for the common good of humanity. Indeed, many temporary alliances had been formed - most during intense battles in contested systems – which had succeeded in driving the aliens back. But these never lasted.
Janson had seen first-hand what one trigger-happy Captain could do to wreck a cease-fire. Each common alliance which had been made had been broken just as quickly. Their ideals were just too different to set aside. Years of training and indoctrination aimed at developing a healthy hatred of the opposing faction proved too strong to simply ignore for prolonged periods of time. No, the UGTO would never simply allow the Farstars to come back into the fold. They were too elitist to just let rebels and traitors come home. Also, the ICC were to idealistic to accept the rules and constraints of the imperialists, many had been born and lived free, and they weren't about to give that up.
Janson knew all to well, just as the others who had seen serious action, the United Galactic Trade Organisation would never let them come home; just as the Interstellar Cultural Confederation would never lay down arms and be dominated as they once were.
The point-man signalled back to the troopers behind him that the corridor was clear up ahead, then kept an eye out for anything as they moved up ahead of him. They were all still wary, due to the lack of resistance so far. They had not encountered one live K'luth all the way up to the bridge. The bio-ship seemed dead itself, and the crew had either all abandoned ship, or been vented from inside along with most of the internal flesh covering the walls. Two troops each took positions beside the door (/mouth/orifice/hatch?) to, what was according to reports, the nerve-centre of the ship; basically the bridge. One more troop stood opposite the door, while a fourth withdrew a nerve-impulse generator from a pouch in his armour, and a fifth readied a stun-grenade. The commander spoke into his mouthpiece, "Breach, bang and clear!"
The troop with the nerve-gen slapped it onto the side of the door and, gripping a special dampening clasp, depressed a large button on it. The muscles surrounding it immediately convulsed and caused the sphincter to retract the fleshy hatch enough for the trooper with the flash-bang to lob it into the bridge area. As the grenade detonated, each troopers' visor dimmed to almost black to compensate for the blast, and each armour-suits' aural signal processor cut out the intense white-noise generated from the sound wave.
As the flash dimmed, the troopers burst forth onto the nerve-centre of the ship, las-rifles flashing every which way, searching targets. In the centre of the room, a lone man lay in a crumpled ball, unconscious from the grenade, a K'luth hand-held psi-weapon lying at his side. He was surrounded by dead K'luth warriors.
Chapter Five - The Hammer Falls
------------------------------------------
Immediately after the fleet emerged from the inter-system gate from the Cygnus to Ross 248 star systems, the comms system came alive with confirmations of successful arrival, and status reports. As the chatter died down, the Assault Dreadnaught 'Leviathan'; commanded by the Fleet Admiral James Cortega, Head of the ICC Stellar Fleet charged with the defence of Ross 248; transmitted a status request to the ICC colonies in the system. The last report they had received from Ross 248 was before the fleet had jumped into Cygnus.
The UGTO had begun tentative assaults on the other planets. Re had already fallen, and must now be the staging post for the enemy. Gofbag and Quinin were now under mild and erratic bombardment; Azchu obviously their final aim. The ice planet was an easy choice for ship repairs and would enable the imperials to refit their ships with the vast resources it would provide. After Gofbag and Quinin, only Hadabba and Anklo would slow their progress, the two planetoids being heavily fortified with defences and shield generators.
If Azchu fell, the rest of the system would be taken easily, and then Cygnus would be just a short jump away, which would give access to CD36.
Janson studied the reports now as they came streaming in. As they scrolled across his display, he couldn't help but feel a little wary. Unless the rest of the UGTO fleets were engaged with the K'luth, (which no reports had indicated), there was indeed a mighty array of ships present, but nothing like what was available to them. He had expected more reinforcements for the imperials by now.
All accounts held to the appearance of several more support ships, but no further combat craft had arrived through the Luyten gate. He shifted uneasily in his command chair. Something wasn't right.
The large guard once again prodded the man in the chair with the butt-end of his las-rifle. He opened is eyes to the bright lights above his head. The thin, almost skeletal man sat across from him over the surgical-looking desk smiled with thin, bloodless lips.
"So let's just go over this one last time." The skeleton man tilted a folder on the desk towards him and began to read.
"Three days ago, you were found in the Barnard's Star system aboard a derelict enemy bio-ship. You have no recollection of how you got there, or what you were doing there. Is that correct?" He looked
over the folder at the tired, slightly ill-looking man secured to the chair. The man nodded.
"Upon cursory inspection, you were found to have been injured from K'luth psi-weapon burns. You were also found with one of these weapons beside you. Can you explain to me how you actually used one of these bio-weapons? Our best engineers have been unable to operate one of the creatures successfully. As far as we have been able to ascertain, they function at a sub-conscious level with the K'luth they were mentally bonded to at birth. So, the question remains: 'How did you use this device?'" The skeletal interviewer slammed the folder down onto the desk. The ill man did not even flinch.
"I do not know, Doctor. I have told you this. I do not remember how I got onto the alien vessel. Neither do I know what I was doing there. Please Doctor, I do not even know my name, attempting to recall where I was a few days ago, and what I was doing is not at the top of my list, I want to know who I am!" He pulled against the straps binding him to the steel chair, his muscles bulging with the strain.
The guard took half a step forward, lowered his rifle from his shoulder. The doctor held up a hand, shook his head at the eager guard.
"Very well. We will continue this later, after you have rested." The doctor stood up and walked to the door, leaving a wide berth around the strapped man, and held his palm against the reader-panel on the wall.
Once the doctor had gone, the guard removed the man's straps and also left. The now unrestrained man rolled from the chair onto the floor, and the security door slammed home behind the guard, several locks were heard sliding into place inside it.
DeathScythe stood up straight, the tight muscles popping in his back, and shoulders as he rolled them to relieve the tension. He clenched his fists, the thick sinew of his forearms crackling with the power of genetically-enhanced K'luth technology. Soon they would begin to believe him. Once he had gained their trust, he could begin his plan. The K'luth warriors he had killed on board his Mandible Dreadnaught were unfortunate, but necessary. His ship had been detected by a passing ICC sensor frigate on a routine mapping mission, in the BD43 star system. Unfortunately (for the frigate) an over-zealous weapons operator drone had opened fire on the enemy, further confirming the K'luths' presence, and causing DeathScythe to 'discipline' the drone. The resulting battle between his Mandible and the systems' defence ships had meant his retreat into the Barnard's star system, the closest jumpgate available. DeathScythe had considered the act of the drone a direct violation of his authority and proceeded to tear the drones' upper limbs from their sockets. Regrettably, the drone was one of many from a particular brood on his ship and took their brothers' death quite badly. The damage to the Mantis-class dreadnaught and the internal fighting eventually caused an anti-matter explosion within the main propulsion systems. (This was actually caused by the Manipulator drone, the equivalent of a human Chief Engineer, throwing one of the more mentally-undeveloped brothers of the weapons operator into the bionic housing for one of the anti-matter sublight drives. His thick head caused a crack in the housing, which with the drives already damaged from the battle in BD43, caused the drive to go critical.)
The following explosion tore a hole through the propulsion deck, and the sudden decompression evacuated the crew more quickly than they would have liked. If he had not sealed himself into the Nexus; (the K'luth version of a bridge, the Nexus housed the main neural centre of their bio-ships, or the crafts' brain basically); with the remainder of the rebelling warrior drones, he would surely have been overrun and killed.
He looked around his 'cell'. Surrounded by metals and plastics, he felt disgusted to be trapped within this mechanical box. He remembered what it was like before he had become 'enlightened'. Before the K'luth had successfully 'shaped' him into what he had become.
The doctor looked through the one-way plas-steel at the strange man, watched him stand in the centre of the room, seemingly deep in thought. He looked down to the report sheet in his hands. The mental evaluation had been conclusive, the rescued man was in perfect mental health, other than his amnesia which was most likely brought on from: 'the trauma of his treatment by the aliens' according to the analyst. His medical and physical evaluations were much more interesting however. His muscles were several times more dense than a man of his size should have been, and some kind of growths were present in his skull - attached to his brain by nerve couplings and neuron receptors which should not even exist in a human body. They were not cancerous, or even harmful as far as they could ascertain, they were made from hyper-dense brain matter.
The doctor looked up again, straight into the face of the stranger. He jumped back, suddenly afraid. But then the doctor calmed; the plas was one-way, he could not be seen. He settled back down into his seat, shuffled it away from the view-port a little, and began to re-read the report.
Janson looked over the last transmission from Epsilon Ind. The K'luth had called reinforcements, it seemed. The main force had now been joined by a group of Ganglia dreadnaughts, and the planetary assaults had been aided by a second Hive, the aliens' equivalent of a support station, only much more deadly.
The ICC forces were calling for more help, the K'luth were beginning to push them back across the system, and losses were high. The Fleet Admiral, Cortega, had ordered some of the supply ships and cruisers to head in to the system to help.
That was over twelve hours ago now. The fleet had been separated into three main groups. The main force was stationed around Azchu and Anklo, this comprised of the main combat ships: mainly close and medium-range ships were stationed there, as well as most of the Command ships. The second battle group was in orbit of Ebraham and Hathache: these were the long-range missile and fighter craft along with some combat destroyers, frigates and a few cruisers. The third group were stationed around the Luyten jumpgate. These were the close-range craft: Combat Dreadnaughts, and Assault Cruisers, Assault Frigates and Combat Destroyers. Minelayer ships laced the area with Thermo-Nuclear
mines - ready to detonate them when the UGTO fleet came through.
Janson was in this battle-group, sat in his personal quarters on the 'Vindicator'. He felt a little more reassured about the presence of the Interdictor Cruiser in his group, at least the enemy would not be able to run further into the system when they came through the gate, the interdiction field-generator would prevent tachyon jumps for almost one thousand gu's around itself. Janson was sat smack-bang right in the midst of the second largest fleet the ICC had available. He should have felt more secure. But he did not, something was still not right. Suddenly, the lights in the room dimmed and changed hue to a deep red. Klaxons sounded on all decks, the ship was on alert.
As the lift doors opened, Janson walked quickly over to his chair, and called: "Report!"
His tactical officer, Ulians answered. "Sir, the forward scout ships have returned from Luyten, a large fleet is approaching the gate."
Janson tapped a key on his chair-arm, "All stations, red alert. Prepare for battle."
Ulians leaned forward, her knuckles tense over the edge of her console.
"Sir! The Sensor Frigates have detected a lone UGTO anti-sensor scout attempting reconnaissance. It must have come through the gate a while ago, Sir it's around the rear of the fleet."
Janson sat up, pressed his back into the firmness of his command seat. "Bring us about, and line us up just ahead of the gate. The others can take care of that spy."
Caymans, the communications officer butted in just then, "Sir! A long-range message has been intercepted from the scout, the UGTO fleet are aware of our positions."
It was then that the heavens were filled with a blinding white light, as the front row of mines were detonated from an impact with ships emerging from the jumpgate. Several of the smaller UGTO ships that came through were destroyed instantly, their destruction damaging the larger cruisers as they appeared from Luyten. Once the smaller ships were clear of the gate, the larger dreadnaughts began coming through, first in ones then in greater numbers.
Janson was about to announce the attack, when Ulians interjected with: "Sir! Report from the 'Indomitable', a Carrier class dreadnaught has been caught in her interdiction field - at the extreme edge of it!"
Janson instantly understood the situation, "Communications, patch me into the Fleet comms! Cortega! This is Janson, we've caught a dread at the edge of the 'dictor field - the gate's a diversion, they're long-jumping from Luyten!"
Cortega came back straight away, "Roger that, Janson. This was not an unexpected eventuality. Remain at the gate, units will be despatched from group two to interce. . ." The Fleet Admiral broke off.
"Cortega?" Janson waited impatiently for the commanding officer to come back.
"Oh dear God. . ." Cortega trailed off again.
"Goddammit James! What's wrong?" Janson was almost shouting into the comm now.
"Janson, switch your comms to the Command Channel." His voice told the Vice Admiral the 'something' he had been waiting for had arrived.
He nodded at Caymans to switch over to the secure channel. Another FA Janson recognised came over the speakers, the picture was full of snow and interference. The audio was full of static; jamming signals attempting to cut off the powerful military transmitters.
"We couldn't hold them back. . . They came from nowhere. . . We weren't ready, we weren. . ." The signal cut off with a pop.
Cortega came on again, "Janson, that was from ICC Central Command on Exathra. The Uggies must have begun a long-jump from Luyten when our fleet set off. Exathra has fallen."
_________________
|
The Reaper
Cadet
Joined: December 09, 2002
Posts: 234
From: Eternity
| Posted: 2003-07-01 05:35
And a taster of Part Three:
======================================
Defiance
======================================
A DarkSpace 'Fan Fiction' Short Story
© Copyright David Pitts 2003, reproduction permitted
with credit to the author.
Prologue
------------------
Super-heated chemical laser fire tears all around. Ripping through the blackness of space. Torpedo explosions erupting against the reinforced hulls of battling craft, each fighting for survival.
The nimble Destroyer-class ships buzzing around the gigantic Dreadnaughts, attempting to defend the wounded from destruction, while the more heavily-armed Cruisers slug it out at the front lines.
Fighters screaming around in formations, each wing dedicated to different tasks; some helping to protect the larger ships by intercepting missiles and dogfighting with enemy fighters, some aiding the assault on the enemies' capital ships and support craft. Him, sat on the bridge of his ship, barking commands at his crew, jostling in his chair at the impact of projectiles. Tactical displays illustrating the carnage happening all around him and his fellows, the display slightly behind as data streams in from the external sensors and is decoded.
Status reports reeling in across the arm of his command-chair, showing the damage to his ship and the casualties to his crew.
The ships' main viewscreen, awash with UGTO ships decimating his ICC friends.
A static crackle, as the emergency communications channel screams into life as the Fleet Admirals begin to order the retreat.
A blinding flash as a support station explodes within the battle group, causing the destruction of other ships close-by.
The erratic surges of tachyon waves, as one after another the jump-capable ships begin to retreat.
The suicidal warcries of ship commanders over the fleet-comms system; too damaged to escape, sacrificing themselves so that their friends can carry on.
Small resupply craft, vainly attempting to repair their companions faster than the enemy can damage them, only to come under the hammer of destruction themselves.
The rocking of another torpedo hit on the ship brought Janson awake with a jolt.
It took a few moments for him to remember that he was no longer in that Hell, but in a recovery bay on a medical frigate. It took a few more moments for him to recall that he was on the frigate because
his ship had been boarded, and most of his crew killed, during the UGTO invasion of ICC space two months ago.
Janson looked around him. He was surrounded by others, some more wounded than himself, others lucky to be alive at all; their bodies a seeming tangle of bandages and synth-skin; the results of UGTO flux weapons' molecular breakdown on human tissue.
He slumped back into the comfort of the recovery bays' bed, the effort of sitting up causing his back to ache, and his stomach to begin negotiations with his throat on the return of his last meal.
Sleep seemed a preferable locale.
The Interstellar Cultural Confederations' Stellar Navy was in
disarray. The pre-emptive attack by the UGTO two months ago had
caused the evacuation of their home system, CD-36. With the majority
of the fleets away defending against the impending alien force known
as the 'K'luth', and the remainder of the ships staging a defence of
the Ross 248 star system from an intercepted UGTO strike force, their
home was essentially undefended against such a devious attack.
The main fleets could not return in time to prevent the invasion. The defence force in Ross didn't flee the system without taking heavy casualties. The Confederations' naval force had been decimated
from within, as the enemy had expanded into the outlying systems to rally support, and chase down the rebels.
Only the main fleets' return from Epsilon Ind had slowed the UGTO assault, but only then could it be slowed. The fleets, already weakened by the K'luth, could only aid the retreat into the backwater systems. The remainder of the ICC had fled before the might of the UGTO war machine.
Undistracted by the K'luth, a vast armada had poured forth from Sol and its' neighbouring systems; CD-36 its' target, Exathra – the location of the ICC's Central Command its' goal.
And its' goal had been achieved.
===============================
Soon I will hopefully be able to proceed with Defiance, as I know many of you want to see the conclusion of the trilogy.
Enjoy!
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[ This Message was edited by: The Reaper on 2003-07-15 18:54 ]
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Deathscythe
Admiral
Joined: November 30, 2002
Posts: 420
From: The netherlands
| Posted: 2003-07-01 21:55
Great to hear and i still lov ethem other 2 storys
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The Reaper
Cadet
Joined: December 09, 2002
Posts: 234
From: Eternity
| Posted: 2003-07-15 14:57
======================================
Defiance
======================================
A DarkSpace 'Fan Fiction' Short Story
© Copyright David Pitts 2003, reproduction permitted
with credit to the author.
Chapter One - Out of the Frying Pan. . .
-----------------------------------------
Janson held a hand to his aching head. The synth-skin covered his
wounds well, but the tissue beneath was still sore. It would take
time to heal. His mental scars, however, may never heal completely.
He continually had flashbacks of his crews' slaughter at the hands
of the UGTO shock troopers. They had killed without reason, without
cause. Indiscriminately shot down every person they had found, until
Janson had ordered the Self Destruct sequence to be initiated, and
the remaining crew to abandon ship.
He had then been knocked unconscious by an explosion on the bridge,
and carried to an escape pod by an ensign. He had come-to just in
time to see his ship break apart from the aft forwards. The tachyon
jump drive must have been ruptured by flux-fire from the Imperials'
dreadnaughts.
The Vice Admiral closed his eyes, squeezed his lids together
tightly, trying to push the images from his head. He succeeded, at least
partially, to return his mind to the present. When he opened his
eyes again, the familiar halls of the medical frigate were before him.
Three weeks he had spent within the confines of this ship. Two of
those he had been bed-ridden; able to get about, but chastised
whenever he was caught trying to. It felt good to finally be allowed
to move about the vessel. A quick scan of the patient database had
produced the information he had feared. None of his bridge crew had
survived other than himself. In fact almost none of his crew had
survived at all.
Grogan Fields, his Chief Engineer had managed to get off-ship, and
was luckily on the same frigate as Janson, but the majority of the
people on board the 'Vindicator' had been either killed, or captured
by the enemy.
Janson stepped into the turbolift as its' doors parted for him.
When he depressed the key for the 'Burns' deck, the doors closed
again, and the lift began to move downwards. "It will be good to
see a familiar face again." He thought as the lift accelerated
downwards. That made him grimace. The public report he had read on
Fields led him to believe that his face might not be that familiar
at all. He thought about the report, and wondered how Grogan had
managed to get out at all.
The report had said: "Patient has received major plasma burns
to abdomen, legs and right arm. Further damage has been caused by
molecular disruption around the left shoulder and armpit region, and
the patients' head and shoulders have received excessive radiation
burns, which has caused the bone structure beneath to need facial
reconstruction." It went on to give medical statistics, and test
results.
The lift slowed, and the doors once again parted for Janson. The
smell of antiseptic and disinfectant wafted into the small capsule,
and he had to take a step backwards to stop himself from falling over.
As he walked out from the elevator, the withered mess of each patient
became visible. He needed every ounce of his military training to
prevent staring at some of the 'people' lying in each of the bays.
Grogan's bed was nine along and one over, according to the floor
plan shown in front of him. Janson steeled himself, and walked over
to the bay. He purposefully avoided looking at Fields until he was at
the end of his bay. He took a deep breath and looked up at his Chief
Engineer. The man before him looked as though he had been sat astride
a MiRV as it had detonated. His body was covered with layers of synth
-skin, and he was immersed in a transparent hyperbaric chamber. His
face was a leathery miss-match of synth-skin and epidermal grafts, the
radiation damage clearly visible from his uneven cheekbones and chin.
His nose was just a gaping cavity in his face - obviously the surgeons
had not had time to fashion a prosthetic yet.
Janson looked into the man's eyes, as Fields opened them. A wheeze
proceeded each sentence.
"Now then laddie."
"Grogan, it's good to see you awake."
"Aye. Been nappin' a lot lately, I reckon it's those nurses,
you know.
They keep spikin' me drugs with scotch!"
Janson laughed, Fields simply wheezed louder. The young Vice
Admiral looked at him a moment longer, then continued.
"How are you doing Grogan, really?"
"Honestly lad? Not too good. They reckon my chances'll be
better if this gammy synthetic crap takes, but there's not enough of
me real skin left to graft it on to. So it's up to the Big Guy upstairs now."
"I see. I wanted to ask you Grogan, how the Hell did you get
out at all? Engineering was blown to pieces - I saw it myself tear apart
the 'Vindicator' from the inside."
Fields put a lot of effort into this next breath, the strain evident
in his eyes. "Well lad, once the alert had been sounded, you
know when we got boarded by the Uggies, I got all me crew and sealed
up the drive room. We all took positions around the doors, and I locked
out the main computer." Another long wheeze. "We waited
and eventually they found the drive room. When the doors began to heat
up, we guessed they must have been using a cutting torch of some kind,
(good job they'd decided against using explosives I thought. They
ain't so thick after all!), so we all got ready to open fire.
Unfortunately, they just cut a hole through the doors, and pushed
through a stun grenade, damned crafty bastards! Well, as soon as I
saw that canister pop through, I buggered off behind one of the AFE
control consoles."
Janson turned sideways, and perched on the edge of Fields' bay for a
seat. Fields carried on.
"Just before the flash-bang went off, I jammed me fingers in me
ears, opened me gob and closed me eyes so tight I thought they'd pop!
I heard it go off, which still gave me one Hell of an 'eadache, but I
was okay. I got up, and saw that the rest of me guys were out for the
count, so I grabbed ther' ammo, an' tooled up with a couple o' ther'
pistols." Fields was beginning to look tired now, the effort of
speaking for so long must have been taking its toll on the wounded man. He continued.
"Well, once the doors were busted open, they casually walked in;
musta thought we were all sparko from the stun-grenade; so I just
smiled at 'em and opened fire. I musta got four or five of 'em before
they even realised I was there! Ho, the looks on their faces, it were
priceless! Well, that's when they all scrambled out o' the way, and
returned fire. We kept at it, to-in' and fro-in' for a bit, then one
silly bugger managed to hit an AFE drive control console and the
damned thing blew up right in me face! 'Course when I rolled away from the bloody thing, they all started shootin' at me and blew through the
main bulkhead with a tripod-mounted flux-cannon. I mean come on! There
was only me in there!"
Janson managed a smile at the thought of all those so-called 'Elite'
troopers, using that much firepower for one man, and a wounded one at
that. Grogan took another laboured breath and carried on again.
"That's when one of the AFEs went up. The initial blast took
most o' the Uggies out, and gave me this dashin' appearance. After the
fires had been put out by the auto-extinguishers, I managed to get up
and haul me sorry ass outta there an' into an escape pod. Engineering
went up just after I'd jettisoned; the shockwave took me further away
from the ship - bloody lucky too, 'cos the pods' engine was scrap.
Next thing I know I'm in 'ere."
Janson looked contemplative.
"What is it lad?"
"The rest of the crew. They didn't make it."
"Aye. I guessed as much. How's the front?"
"The Uggies seem to have stopped at CD-thirty six. We've got all
available fleets regrouping in Tau Ceti for the push. There's been
some small border skirmishes, but nothing major. The K'luth seem to
have quieted off for the moment too.
Fields took a breath. "What're you gonna do now?"
Janson stood up, and straightened his jacket. "I'm good for
active duty. The medics've given me the okay."
Fields closed his eyes slightly, "Ah. You're off then, eh?"
"Yeah. I've been assigned command of the 'Independance'."
Grogan looked more interested now, "Oh, she's another Assault
Cruiser, eh. You'll be at home on her lad."
"I suppose I'll have to be." He took a step back from the
bed. "Time for me to be going, Grogan. It was good seeing you
again."
"Aye lad. Be seein' you." A minute nod of his head was
the most Fields could manage. Janson saluted him, then turned and walked from the bay.
Fields heard the lift doors close behind the Vice Admiral, and knew
that he would very likely never see his commander again.
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The Reaper
Cadet
Joined: December 09, 2002
Posts: 234
From: Eternity
| Posted: 2003-07-15 14:59
======================================
Defiance
======================================
A DarkSpace 'Fan Fiction' Short Story
© Copyright David Pitts 2003, reproduction permitted
with credit to the author.
Chapter Two - Ashes to ashes
-----------------------------
Janson glanced around the bridge at his new crew. He looked from
station to station, taking in their minute mannerisms with each
glance.
They were all the same, throughout his new ship. Only one word would
sufficiently describe them in his mind: children.
"Not one of them could be over twenty years old," he thought to
himself. The Vice Admiral had not even served on a ship by the time
he was twenty, and yet here he was, commanding an entire crew of
green cadets. The second-most senior officer on the 'Independance',
after himself, was a Lieutenant named 'Ceri Kansu'. He was
transferred from an Assault Frigate to the 'Independance' on short
notice.
He was also very nervous.
Janson looked at him now. He was sat at the tactical station; (a crew
shortage throughout the ICC's naval forces had meant severe
multitasking had been enforced); running through a simulation. Again.
Now preparedness was indeed a useful addition to anyones' skillset,
but this was the eighth time the Lieutenant had run through the very
same battle-sim. And every time the outcome was the same. He
panicked at the critical moment, and was defeated.
Janson shook his head slowly as the screen in front of Ceri, once
again, turned red, and a message was displayed superimposed onto it.
'Your ship has been destroyed. Begin simulation again?'
The ships' commander thought solemly to himself, "We'll be lucky
if any of us survive this."
The 'Independance' sat approximately five-hundred metres from the
port side of the Assault Dreadnaught 'Relentless'. In his personal
quarters, Admiral Stuart Dencaso leant back into his leather recliner,
and downed another shot of Mycopian whiskey. The expensive liquor
slid easily down the back of his throat, the sweetness of the imported
drink caused his tongue to twinge slightly, and warmth began to spread
in his barrel-like chest. Dencaso was a very large man. He had
begun his adult life in the heavy-metal mines of Rigel, and it had
shaped his young body into the muscular frame he now carried. But it
was his mind which had enabled his progression through the ICC's
ranks; and in a relatively short time.
The very fact that the Interstellar Cultural Confederation was still
really in its infancy attributed to the many young and inexperienced
men and women who made up its armed forces. Fortunately, Stuart
Dencaso was not one of them. He had been present at most of the ICCs
major battles in the past few years, and had emerged from them all.
He leant forward as a quiet, polite almost, beep eminated from the
console to his right. The Admiral quickly scanned the overview.
Contact had been re-established with the listening outpost in CD
thirty-six.
Janson re-read the orders once more. The implications were obvious;
the repercussions inevitable. Once contact had been made with the
small 'snooping' post, the full picture of what the UGTO had been up
to was revealed. Exathra had been razed to the ground. Nothing had been spared from the surface in the initial attacks. Rather than simply
destroying the planets' defences and attempting a military takeover,
the ICCs homeworld had been annihilated from orbit. Vast numbers of
long-range bombers had taken care of the planetary shield, and power
generators. With most of the planet in darkness and without power,
defence was almost impossible. Once the massive ground-based defence
domes had been rendered inoperable; their backup generators unable to
cope with the demands of repelling the enormous volume of ordanance
being poured from the bays of the bombers in space above; a fleet of
dreadnaughts had moved into close orbit of the planet.
Wave after wave of superiority fighters had surged from the bases
stationed on the planet; hundreds of pilots flying straight to their
deaths.
Nothing made by man had ever before been witnessed with as much
destructive power as the weapon the UGTO had then unleashed upon the
ICCs capital.
No-one had ever even contemplated how much energy would be needed to completely destroy the surface of a planet. The gigantic solar-
collectors mounted to the hundreds of frigates, and the relay emitters
fitted to the tens of destroyers between the systems' primary star and
the ships in orbit of Exathra gave a good indication.
The loss of almost all the solar energy collecting frigates, and
most of the destroyers through system overloads seemed inconsequential to the UGTO command, as they had not even paused to collect the remnants of the dead once their objective had been met.
The heart of their enemy had been ripped right out from the still-
living body of the ICC. Obviously the imperials had decided that this
surgical strike would be enough to deal with the 'rebels'. That this
defeat would be enough to tear them apart from within.
Obviously they had assumed incorrectly.
As Janson had relayed the relevant; and partially edited; report to
his crew, they had immediately begun preparations for the ships'
long-jump back to their home system. (With the UGTOs extended visit
in the system, all of the jump-gates had been heavily mined.)
The small battle-group had then broken away from the main bulk of
the remaining ICC fleets. The battle-scarred ships still under repair
that were left behind with the rest of the naval forces seemed dead in
space, as many of their brethren had been when they fled CD
thirty-six.
Admiral Dencaso sat on the bridge of his dreadnaught. His tightly-
fitting uniform dirty with grunge and sweat. The sleeve-ends torn,
and frayed. But still the officers around him could feel a certain
aura of authority about him. It was an exceptional person who could
instill such loyalty and admiration, even in such a troubled time as
this. Dencaso gripped the arm rests of his tall chair, felt the
leather give under his vice-like grip.
As he looked around the vast bridge at his experienced command-crew,
he felt a certain amount of admiration himself. They had been
defeated in the eyes of the enemy. They had been defeated, and more:
they had been broken.
Dencaso looked into the eyes of each officer as they nodded at his
scrutiny. He could not see defeat there.
Only defiance.
A bit of a short chapter this one, but I'll get back into the swing of it soon. 
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Axianda The Royal
Fleet Admiral
Terra Squadron
Joined: November 20, 2001
Posts: 4273
From: Axianda
| Posted: 2003-07-15 18:29
MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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- Axi
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Deathscythe
Admiral
Joined: November 30, 2002
Posts: 420
From: The netherlands
| Posted: 2003-07-15 21:32
Nice work mate
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Deathscythe
Admiral
Joined: November 30, 2002
Posts: 420
From: The netherlands
| Posted: 2004-02-17 14:39
nice other storry better get back to this or i gona hunt ya
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[ This Message was edited by: Deathscythe on 2004-02-17 14:54 ]
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Deathscythe
Admiral
Joined: November 30, 2002
Posts: 420
From: The netherlands
| Posted: 2004-03-04 11:58
seem he gave up sad this jason series were great
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UberBrooksie
Cadet
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: August 23, 2002
Posts: 433
| Posted: 2004-03-17 20:09
Darn YOU POWERSURGE !!!!!!!!! I thought we had a new chapter posted oh drat 
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Meko
Grand Admiral
Joined: March 03, 2004
Posts: 1956
From: Vancouver
| Posted: 2004-04-15 03:26
... as meko gaspilly sucks in air..... "moooooreeee" then he falls into an asphixiation induced slumber.........
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DragonWarrior
Cadet
Joined: July 05, 2003
Posts: 90
| Posted: 2004-04-15 11:32
any1 ever read STAR HUNT by David Gerrold? thats a great book if any1 is looking for a good read. talks a lot about space warfare tactics and quantum physics and the reality of space travel. not like STAR TREK were there is an exposed bridge on the outside of the hull and the ship magically goes through warp whenever it wants. this is a good book. also talks about the human mind.
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The difference between a fighter and a warrior lies in the mind and the spirit. The fighter, regardless if the fear death or not, embraces it. Also, they hold no wisdom, regardless of knowledge. The warrior is wise and neither fears nor embraces death.
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Deathscythe
Admiral
Joined: November 30, 2002
Posts: 420
From: The netherlands
| Posted: 2005-08-20 19:49
**Bump**
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