DiD: When you can't do it your way... do it the Yaki way. (Pt.II Ch.2)(Open to ALL!)

[LordForrester]

On the long flight back Alex considered the happenings of the last evening. Alex had sent off his messages to his wife and most of his pay check along with it. This turned out to be a good thing.

Sitting down next to Derrik at the bar he picked up a menu. Derrik took it out of his hand and said he was ordering. Derrik ordered up some drinks. Alex was not a drinking man. He had a little wine here and there but never heavy drink. He had decided to give it a try. He remembered it tasting really strong. Things started getting foggy after his second glass of something that tasted like sweet tea. The last thing he remembered was he and Derrik standing up and singing in the karaoke and Derrik helping him back to his seat.

The next think he remembered was waking up on the ship with an epic headache. After talking to Derrik he pulled himself into the pilot seat. His vision was clearing up but his head was killing him. He remembered something that his fighter pilots use to tell him. Oxygen is a sure fire cure for a hangover. Alex pulled down the Oxygen and turned the mix to 100%. It took only a moment for his head to ease off. Alex said a quick thanks to his God and swore he would not do that again.

He swung the fighter around and headed home. He smiled and turned to asked Derrik.

"how did we do with that song we sang last night Derrik?"

[RyuKazuha]

The pilot called Luckshot sat in one of the bars scattered among the Yaki-Station, panning a jigger filled with spacefuel, whilst gazing outside the stations window to his right. He let his view slide from a bypassing Susanova to one of the giant Ryus floating near the stations.
He never longed to fly one of these giants, but he happend to admire their majestic stature and seeing there weapons spitting fire in battle gave him the chills out of pure excitement.

An annoying, high pitched bleep catched his attention. The small PDA was his only asset besides a small pistol for personal defense and had received a message for his owner. Ian opened it and smiled. A few moments of typing after that, and a message was send to his prince.

Assignment confirmed. Stand-by and ready for pick-up.

along with his typical signature about his pride, body and loan all belonging to the goals of the kingdom. Pathetic in a way, but deep felt.

Derrik Dream. He did know the name, all to well, this man of the argon federation, already a hero when Ian entered the military. A man he remembered to indirectly serve under, but that was more of an assumption. Either way, he wouldn't recognize him as that soldier, but probably as one of the pilots who fought against him. Meanwhile, the name of Alexander Corstorphine was completely alien to the Pilot. He was sure never to have heard about anyone going by that name, it didn't even seemed Argon.

[Eod Nhoj]

Just wanted to say that it's a really awesome and creative thing you guys have going here, and I'm totally tuned to see how things are going to unfold.
If I were at home, I would've gone to Home of Light immediately and took pics of all the intel required! Too bad I won't be going home till weekend
In particular I love the interactive stuff that require other pilots/players to participate.
Keep up the good work!

[EmperorJon]

INTEL REPORT

Hello, Derrik Dream, I have the requested intel for you.

Who am I? I'd rather not say. Know only that I am willing to provide these 3 pictures for you.

It would appear that your original intel was not quite adequate enough.
The ships listed are, indeed, correct, however much of the extra information has been left out.

For one, one of the Centaurs is a new Prototype heavy, there are also several prototype Novas, and most of the Novas are special variants. The Mercury is also a heavy-duty superfreighter.

Picture 1:
Here can be seen the Collosus, and behind the 4 larger ships. (2x Centaur, 1x HCP, 1x Mercury SF)
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx22 ... 1266684392

Picture 2:
Here it can bee seen that the fighters are in-fact spread over a reasonable area as opposed to tightly packed, this could cause problems.
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx22 ... 1266684371

Picture 3:
Here shows the list of ships I collected in total. I instantally highlighted the HCP as a major threat, but the wide spread of Novas capable of their different roles are dangerous indeed.
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx22 ... 1266684353

Please also be aware, all the ships were fully shielded and armed with efficient weapon layouts. Both of the Prototype Novas, the 3 Centaurs and the Collosus are carrying high-yield thermo-nuclear warhead missiles.

The Mercury does appear to have a large cargo of weaponry and tech, well worth the entire hassle if the escorts can be distracted.

Also note, the proximity to TerraCorp HQ may prove to be a significant hazard to any attacking forces, as they usually have 2 Orbital Defence Platforms and a reasonable defence force in the area.

Best regards.

[TTD]

Finally caught up with the story so far.
I like the intrigue that has entered it.

[dragondream]

INTEL REPORT

Hello, Derrik Dream, I have the requested intel for you.

Who am I? I'd rather not say. Know only that I am willing to provide these 3 pictures for you.

It would appear that your original intel was not quite adequate enough.
The ships listed are, indeed, correct, however much of the extra information has been left out.

For one, one of the Centaurs is a new Prototype heavy, there are also several prototype Novas, and most of the Novas are special variants. The Mercury is also a heavy-duty superfreighter.

Picture 1:
Here can be seen the Collosus, and behind the 4 larger ships. (2x Centaur, 1x HCP, 1x Mercury SF)
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx22 ... 1266684392

Picture 2:
Here it can bee seen that the fighters are in-fact spread over a reasonable area as opposed to tightly packed, this could cause problems.
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx22 ... 1266684371

Picture 3:
Here shows the list of ships I collected in total. I instantally highlighted the HCP as a major threat, but the wide spread of Novas capable of their different roles are dangerous indeed.
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx22 ... 1266684353

Please also be aware, all the ships were fully shielded and armed with efficient weapon layouts. Both of the Prototype Novas, the 3 Centaurs and the Collosus are carrying high-yield thermo-nuclear warhead missiles.

The Mercury does appear to have a large cargo of weaponry and tech, well worth the entire hassle if the escorts can be distracted.

Also note, the proximity to TerraCorp HQ may prove to be a significant hazard to any attacking forces, as they usually have 2 Orbital Defence Platforms and a reasonable defence force in the area.

Best regards.

The Yaki Prince personally thanks you for this act of service for the Kingdom, you will shortly be rewarded what has been promised. We, however, are still willing to accept further Intel reports that will be rewarded with 50.000cr. All Intel, once handed to us, will come into our possession and you will no longer be responsible for this sensitive information. You will also be obligated to sign a confidentiality contract (aka a gag-order) to keep this and any related material silent to avoid any suspicion from within the Argon Federation.

We thank you once again for your act of loyalty and hope to deal with you again at a later date, if not soon.

Note: Any copies, sketches or data of these images must be destroyed immediately or you will be held responsible for these and will have bounty placed on your head. DO NOT pass this letter on.

[X1000]

Loving the story, and the interactive parts. Only wish i posted in time for that second pilot spot, but if you ever need a Tactical Supervisor, tactics is my specialty.

[Eod Nhoj]

Greetings and salutations, Yaki Prince Gobanis Gustiosanis IV. As a show of good will, the Duke had decided to provide you with assistance regarding your current endeavor.
I am the buccaneer agent Awanckalot, and I have been assigned for this mission. Posing as a breakdown assistance pilot in the sector Home of Light in the unholy Argon beasts' space, "shraing" our Paranid technical expertise with lesser life, I had gathered the following information, which I will now transmit.

Not quite the best news, A Yaki vessel apparently scouting as well was spotted and attacked by the local police. The pilot had managed to jump away, however his ship was fairly damaged before the jumpdrive could charge.
[ external image ]
Here seen a mercenary flying a technologically inferior, unholy Argon ship. It seems to be assisting the convoy while it gathers.
[ external image ]
Here seen an Argon superfreighter. It is a slow target, and it is alone. No doubt a decoy ship placed to lure possible pirate scouts, making them think this is the main transport. The superior Paranid intellectual might sees clearly through such pitiful deceit.
[ external image ]
Shortly after my arrival I have been summoned to assist a damaged fighter.
[ external image ]
A Nova Sentinel with a chatty pilot. Best find for a spy.
[ external image ]
It appears that this ship was damaged in a previous pirate run, with a heavy corvette damaged as well, which had to dock at Argon Prime to repair it's main reactor. Another Nova was destroyed, and this ship required repairs of it's severely damaged docking clamps.

The unholy Argon's lesser intellect allowed me to pry additional information on the convoy while performing necessary repairs.
This is the main convoy lead. A Colossus battleship.
[ external image ]
Three Centaur type corvettes guarding the flanks and rear.
[ external image ]
Three Nova type fighters in turn provide protection for the Centaurs,
[ external image ]
Needless to say, the Centaurs come heavily armed and eager for a fight.
[ external image ]
The convoy freighter has been located. Small and fast. It's escort fighters monitor the surroundings carefully.
[ external image ]
A closer view here... not as vigilant as one might expect, those fighters are.
[ external image ]
The freighter's full escort is seen here. Four Nova Vanguard type fighters.
[ external image ]
The convoy ships have assumed formation positions.
[ external image ]
It is reasonable to assume that the convoy is getting ready to move out.

Yaki Prince, this intelligence is provided free of charge.
Courtesy of the Duke,
buccaneer agent Awanckalot.

[dragondream]

To Eod Nhoj: The Yaki Prince thanks the Paranid empire for their cooperation by delivering the additional intel. However, we must state clearly that this gratefulness does not affect any diplomatic status or standing relations between ours and your kingdoms. The following information is extremely confidential and therefore may not be passed on:

The Argon have been continuously using small transporters to deliver highly sensitive prototype weapon and ship blueprint design across the Commonwealth to highly guarded Military sectors. Until now, we have been not been able to track down these transporters, but now with the clear information channel this particular fleet has caught the attention of our Military and we plan to board this ship and capture these blueprints for our own use. If you will offer your assistance in capturing this ship we will gladly give you 10% of our captured blueprints and you may keep the transporter and any other guarding ships for your own usage.

Honour the Prince!

[dragondream]

Chapter 12 – New Guy, New Ship

Derrik swiveled gently on his stool inside the Yaki Shipyard’s only bar. He was seeing a lot of these lately. The wall was in a deteriorated condition and the bar table was sticky with the greasy finger prints of pilots that had befallen a similar fate. Derrik looked solemnly at his half-finished glass. Just at that moment Ian “Luckshot” Oldrin, looking more cheerful than a Teladi that had just won the jackpot and with smile so broad it could be held as a spectator event, came wandering to the table where Derrik was miserably tapping his glass.

“Good day, matey,” he said, his smile remaining in its stiff unnatural position.

“No, not really. Are you the new guy?”

“If by new guy you mean the capable pilot that the Prince begged to join then yeah, that’s me.”

Derrik gulped down the last of his drink in one shot, then looked at Ian. “What’s your name?”

Ian helped himself to a table and leaned forward, his elbows placed firmly on the surface. “Name’s Ian Oldrin,” he said, offering a handshake with his hand but was rejected by Derrik. “People call me Luckshot. Say, there isn’t a chance of you buying me a drink by any chance?”

“There isn’t.”

“I see. Well, contact me on the comm. when you’re ready for takeoff and I’ll be there. Here’s my contact number to call me when you’re taking off.”

Derrik pretended to be distracted by his empty glass. “I won’t need it. Just get to your ship now, we’ll be leaving soon.”

Ian’s smile was persistent and he merrily wandered back out of the bar and through the maze of passages to the hangar. Derrik kicked the table hard. His hands scratched the side of his face and the sudden jerk on the table with his knee unbalanced the empty glass and it fell to the floor, shattering into uncountable pieces. Tears of anger and frustration blurred his vision until the table was nothing but a vague haziness.

“Why am I doing this?” he whispered angrily to himself. “Why do I put myself through this? Just stick to the plan, Derrik. Stick to the plan.”

__________

As soon as Derrik was onboard the brand new Raijin he headed straight for his cot. Alex who was eagerly awaiting takeoff at the copilot’s seat looked at Derrik wonderingly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.” Derrik’s tone was anything but reassuring. “Just fly the ship, you’re flying today.”

Alex did not have to be told twice, he quickly shifted into the pilot’s seat and rubbed his hands cheerfully before punching the throttle to full and shooting out of the hangar. Following closely behind was Ian Oldrin who was slightly less thrilled with his ship.

[ external image ]

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he thought.

The size and abilities of the Yaki Fujin, though, was not nearly as displeasing to him as the single fact that it was armed only with 4 IRE’s. To him, a swarm of spaceflies had a better fighting chance in space than he did. But his disappointment did not last very long and soon he was back to his persistent cheerful self.

Alex pressed the comm. button and contacted Ian. “Protect ship. Follow us and kill anything that gets nasty with us. Understood.”

“I can’t, I’ve got no Fight Command Software,” Ian replied.

There was silence for a few minutes. “Okay, just follow along. We’ll get you a Fight Command System later.”

“Aye aye, Captain.”

__

Alex made it a personal goal to inspect every part of the new ship and compare it to “Fudge”. First, he checked the weapons. Three Pulsed Beam Emitters, powerful weapons, or at least more powerful than IRE’s. However, he was disappointed to see that the weapon only fired at its full rate for a few seconds before diminishing the weapon’s energy. It would need to be properly balanced before using it in capping scenarios.

The shielding was a full 2x5MJ set that was the maximum capacity of the Raijin, quite a bit of shielding for an M4 class fighter. It would be sufficient for lasting against a ship slightly bigger than itself, but perhaps it would be better not to, considering the firepower.

The top speed was a measly 83, slower than some TS ships, but could, with a couple of extra credits to spare, be replaced to a more impressive 195. The speed would balance out the parts that the Raijin did not excel in, and would certainly need to be upgraded for aggressive combat situations.

The cargobay was a fairly small one, 69, but could also be upgraded to a more decent 126. Not enough for any serious illegal smuggling runs, but good enough for some more spacefuel trades in Herron’s Nebulae. Also spacious enough for collecting any “goodies” along the way, if there was any to pick up. The Medium Container capacity now also meant being able to deal with a slightly larger variety of weapons and missiles.

Alex finished his examination and decided to he would follow in Derrik’s footsteps by continuing some more “space runs” in Herron’s Nebulae until further orders were given by the Yaki Prince. He accelerated his ship through the north gate, being closely followed by Ian Oldrin. The trip to Herron’s Nebulae would be long, but most assuredly rewarding…

[ external image ]
[ external image ]

__

Alex was rubbing the sleep from his eyes when he jumped to Emperor Mines, but the sleepiness soon drained from him when he saw four juicy missions he could accept. One of them was a “Return Ship” mission. By now, he had learned to see things Derrik’s way, everything is an opportunity. He accepted the mission and docked on board the nearest Trade Station to give him a chance to stretch his legs before entering Argon space.

Derrik peeked out of his half-closed eyes until Alex had left the ship. He quickly sat up, opened a small book he had hid underneath his pillow and busily flicked through the pages until he stopped and glared at the page with satisfaction. He took out a pencil and added a check near the top of the page, a smile appearing on his face, something he hadn’t done in a very long time…

Assets:

1 x Fujin “Fudge” – Ian “Luckshot” Oldrin
1 x Raijin – Derrik “the Dragon” Dream & Alexander Corstorphine

Credits: 30,780
Game Time: 11:57:40

[dragondream]

Tip Of The Day 1

When manually flying through gates, keep to the edge to avoid collisions with oncoming ships. Most "DiDers" use this technique to prevent unwanted deaths when simply passing through gates, thus ending their game... permanently.

[ external image ]

With larger ships the same applies, but use External View to watch that you don't get too close to the edge and crash into the gate. Do not use SETA when flying through gates, especially when you have wingmen. If you use autopilot (which I do not advise with bigger ships), then remember not to use SETA, as your ship will have a less accurate autopilot and will on occasion either crash against the protruding parts of the gate or oncoming ships.

REMEMBER: ships always arrive at the middle of the destination gate in IS. So always stay clear of the middle unless you have a death wish or it's all part of your evil plan...

[Eod Nhoj]

Greeteing and salutations Gobanis Gustiosanis IV. On behalf of the Duke's buccaneers I can only state that the mighty Duke is not so gullible to presume that such a minor act of good will might change the relations between our two factions, especially considering the unpleasant, at times, history.

Furthermore, the buccaneers will not take direct action at this time, as this will endanger my undercover position.

Duke's regards,
buccaneer agent Awanckalot.

[X1000]

Yet another great chapter.

[RyuKazuha]

"Fudge". Quite a name for a Fujin with a couple of IREs. Ian allowed himself to interpret the follow order somewhat more freely, quickly accelerating and stopping the ship a few times and steering it in different directions to get a feeling for it.

Derrik Dream really wasn't the most blithesome guy to be found in the universe, but Ians "as long as they let me fly"-Attitude burrowed most of his thoughts towards the unpleasantly cold character of his new employer.

The small wing set course for Argon Space as Ian finally returned to his designated position and from there on just steered his ship with two fingers slightly nudging the control stick into the right direction, while the other hand fetched his PDA to open one of the terran E-Books released in Argon Space not long ago. I'd be a canny trip, so there was no use to really concentrate on the flying part. And even if a fight had occurred, without a single Bit of FightCommandSoftware, the ship was even mor useless as unable to provide any kind of linked fire for the toy guns.

[dragondream]

Thanks for the additional bits you guys have been posting for the DiD, it helps when I haven't posted the real chapters for a while . But I am halfway done with the next chapter and I'll post it here as soon as it's finished.

I also warn the readers: I am serious about the "exploit" warning at the OP. The Yaki way is certainly not the "traditional" way. They have their ways and means.

[X1000]

Post post post post!

[RyuKazuha]

Still alive dragon? ^^

[X1000]

Still alive dragon? ^^

Dragons never die. Unless you shoot them with a silver bullet.

Or was that zombiez?..

[dragondream]

Still alive dragon? ^^

Yeah, sorry folks, been busy with some other things this past week. I'll try and get the game up and running tomorrow or so and get this DiD back on track.

[dragondream]

Chapter 13 – Abandoned Ships For the Taking, Why the Fuss of Buying?

Balancing the Weapons

Derrik was now sitting back behind the controls of the slightly bigger Raijin, using the term “bigger” loosely of course. It was still a flying box (or brick; whichever you prefer), a bigger box, but still a box. The cockpit still felt cramped – much like the bathroom and the bedrooms – and the feeling of having your face pressed against a thin layer of glass that protected the oxygen rich environment on the inside from the deadly vacuum outside was still there. Perhaps he was spoilt by being in full command of titanic monsters that roamed the empty sea of space, either way he would have to get accustomed to the more modest end of the ship classes. The word Akuma get popping into his head. Now that was a classy ship. The pirates in the Yaki end of space certainly knew what the word “class” meant.

Well, he was in a smaller ship and he would just have to deal with it. The first thing that is needed with a smaller ship – if you’re planning on using it for combat purposes – is the balancing of the weapons. A smaller capacity for weapons fire energy means a shorter time you can fire all your weapons fully. By arranging your weapons into groups balancing becomes an easy task. A short, but powerful, burst of Pulsed Beam Emitters should hopefully be enough to bring down the shields a TS, M4 or M5 by at least 75% (depending on how good they’re kitted out). Group 1, where all the weapons are assigned, represents the short powerful burst. Group 2 would have only two weapons assigned to it this time, a moderate burst to bring down the rest of the shielding. Group 3 would only have one weapon, to bring down the hull as slowly as possible, but would hopefully soon be replaced by a couple of IRE’s. The faster you bring down the shields and the slower you take down the hull the better. Of course, this only counts if you’re planning on capping the ship.

[ external image ]

Unuasal Activity

Right, now the weapons were properly assigned Derrik set off to the North Gate of Emperor Mines. However, he slowed down his ship when a Boron Thresher suddenly appeared at the gate’s entrance. Soon after a large escort group of Boron fighters closely guarded the more threatening Thresher.

[ external image ] [ external image ]

“What on earth is a Boron Military Patrol doing so far from home?” Derrik thought to himself. “What business do they think they have all the way here in Paranid territory?”

He kept a safe distance from them and sped his way to the gate as fast as possible, directly followed by Luckshot. At that same moment Alex walked up to the front of the ship (an obviously short walk) and took a seat next to Derrik.

“Hey, I think you’ll be pleased with me.” He grinned widely, much to Derrik’s annoyance.

“Tell me why.”

“I took a mission,” said Alex as he leaned comfortably back in his seat while grinning even more to himself.

Derrik glared at Alex. “You took a mission – without my knowledge?”

“Don’t you at least want to know what mission it was?” Alex asked defensively.

“Actually, I don’t. But I’m sure you’re going to tell me anyway.”

Alex straightened himself up. “It’s a Return Stolen Ship mission. A piece of pie. We’ve finally got the firepower to do these kind of missions!”

Derrik sighed. “Yes, but not the speed.” He checked the mission briefing. “At that reward price of 892cr it will be an M5. In this ship, which only goes 83 m/s, we will never catch up.”

Alex looked gloomy. “What about swapping ships temporarily with Ian?”

“Look Alex, I know what you’re trying to do, but I just don’t want to chase some random guy half across the galaxy in a tiny Fujin. I’ve learned the limits of that ship and I don’t want to push them.”

The conversation soon came to a stop and Derrik veered the Raijin towards the North Gate in President’s End. Alex asked where Derrik was going.

[ external image ]

“Herron’s Nebulae,” he answered. “We’ll grab a couple space runs there and make a few bucks for profit.”

A Mission to Derrik’s Liking

The fleet of two ships and three crew arrived at The Wall. The sector looked promising with plenty of missions available to any aspiring pilot. Derrik had to turn down several lucrative offers after reminding himself that he was now a pirate, a Yaki, and not an average Argon citizen anymore. One mission thought Derrik felt reluctant to turn down, a Return Ship mission, an abandoned ship somewhere in Menelaus’ Frontier. Derrik wasn’t interested in the ship (it was Argon), he was only looking for the money offer. A reward of only 1,389cr didn’t seem juicy enough for Derrik to want to drag his ship all the way into Boron space and back, but he knew another way to get a larger investment of cash with the same ship. The time limit of 1 hour and 33 minutes though was not to his liking, especially in such a slow ship. Upgrading his ship’s engine was at that moment not an option, so he ordered Ian to come onboard his while he and Alex got once more into the cramped Fujin.

He sped the tiny “Fudge” all the way to Menelaus’ Frontier as quick as he could and immediately jumped out when he came within a few meters from the abandoned Discoverer. After claiming and repairing it he jumped back into his Fujin and ordered the Discover to dock at the Shipyard in Senator’s Badland.

[ external image ]

“What are you doing?” Alex asked. “The mission ordered the ship to be delivered to the Trading Station in The Wall.”

“I know what the briefing said,” Derrik said impatiently. “I’m going to sell it?”

“Sell it? Why not keep it?”

“Such a newbie pilot.” Derrik shook his head and laughed. “All Return Ship missions are programmed to automatically call Police Fighters to pursue the ship if stolen. It would be destroyed in no time since we don’t have the resources to defend it and it certainly isn’t capable of defending itself. No, we sell it and the only thing we get is a rep loss but a whole lot of cash on the side.”

Alex threw his hands up in despair. “Okay, okay. I admit I don’t know everything. But there’s a whole lot of things I could be teaching you if you ever decide to fly ATF.”

“If ever.”

Derrik fell quiet after checking the stats of the Discoverer and the time limit of the mission. He reordered the Discoverer to dock at the Shipyard in Cloudbase Southeast.

“It’s shorter,” he explained. “The ship’s too slow at the moment to get to the Yaki Shipyard on time and if that mission time limit expires we can kiss that ship goodbye and all the sales money with it.”

“I understand perfectly,” Alex said confidently. Already he felt as if had been a Yaki pirate his whole life.

Derrik shot across the sectors back to The Wall and swapped ships again with Ian. He told Ian to sat behind while he and Alex went to Herron’s Nebulae. Only minutes later, using SETA, Derrik was in Herron’s Nebulae heading for the nearest Spacefuel Distillery. Derrik ran a couple trade runs between the Distillery and the Trading Station before checking the Universe map to examine the Discoverer’s progress. It had docked to the Shipyard. He quickly tried to access the trade command when he suddenly seemed very upset with himself.

“Idiot! I don’t even have Trade System Command software onboard,” he snarled. “I can’t sell the ship.”

“Can’t you quickly run and buy it somewhere?” Alex asked innocently.

“No. We’re in the Raijin again. It’s too slow to get to the nearest EQ dock in time – remember we’re not going to Argon Prime yet – and we only have 22 minutes left. Too much of a risk. No, we’ll just have to turn in the ship to its owner to get the smaller amount of cash instead. It’s better than getting nothing for failing.”

Assets:

1 x Raijin – Derrik “the Dragon” Dream & Alexander Costorphine
1 x Fujin “Fudge” – Ian “Luckshot” Oldrin

Credits: 37,992cr
Game Time: 14:09:41