Shoo t'Rgt: Honour and Reason [DiD]

[Master of the Blade]

Well, this is my third DiD. I'd better get the boring stuff out of the way first.

Mods/Scripts:
Cadius' Ship and Station pack (Mod)
Advanced Weapon Research Mod
NPC bailing addon
Cycrow's Salvage Claim Software script
Improved Races r15.something
Tatakau's Marine Repairs

While I actually have an expanded list of mods and scripts compared to last time, they should run more smoothly and less wierdly than in my other DiDs, since I'm actually using the right version of the Plugin Manager now.

Rules: DiD.
Reloads allowed for gatecrashes/autopillock stupidity.
Also reloads allowed for the new 'Vanguard Aldrin' Class of missile from the AWRM. It does 6Gj of damage with a fairly huge blast radius. It broke one plot mission while I was practicing and I had to actually script it out of the cargobay of the battleship which launched it to make the mission work.
Reloads allowed for (allied) AI misuse of other missiles like the Hammerhead.

Chapter 1/Prologue

The Split Great Families discussion hall was in uproar. Of course, Split being Split and therefore individually arrogant, selfish, argumentative and violent, this would be expected. The meeting of the Great Families had not yet begun, but the issues to be raised were hinted at by the representatives with either inconsequential parts to play or dangerously loose tongues, and the massive dining table was loaded with chelt meat, Ghok Dragon steak fresh from the deathmatch pits, scruffin fruits stuffed with various spiced fillings, and, of course, Chokh'an - the exclusively Split alcoholic beverage so dangerous to other races that an Argon would run the risk of death to drink even a small amount, and a Paranid would be hospitalised after a single tankard. Naturally, the Split took great pride in this fact, citing it among so many other things as proof of Split supremacy.

The discussion hall itself was a huge, bland rectangular structure in the centre of the Family Pride planet's capital city, and rumoured to have originated from the time of the great patriarch-emperor, Thuruk. Over the years (or, until recently, jazuras) it had been extensively upgraded and extended from the primitive - and relatively diminutive - Rinanium alloy building it had been in 2250, as a fortification for the Emperor in the Split civil wars.

Inside, however, it was adorned with Split hunting trophies, artifacts from pillaged settlements who dared oppose the Split Emperor, and the distinctive Split battle-mosaics constructed from damaged body armour plates recovered from the field of battle. The one taking pride of place was actually made from fragments of outdated Argon and Boron battleship plating, a relic of the Boron Campaign.

The structure's layout was typically haphazard, most rooms being blocky but not the clean-cut rectangles of Argon building - more irregular, and sporting the typical red-brown colour of Split materials. The largest room was, of course, the meeting hall itself, expanded somewhat from the ancient bunker it originally was.

The Judician, a chairman of sorts from the ruling family Rhonkar, called the crowded hall to attention, directing the attending Split to take their places at the family tables. Shoo t'Rgt of the T'Rhen family - an offshoot of the much-respected Thuruk line - bowed as custom dictated when adressed by a percieved superior (noting that there were few who observed the same courtesy) and took his place at the right hand of his patriarch - an honour he was given as the chief general and military adviser of the family.

He wouldn't admit it even if offered utmost secrecy, a substantial number of credits and his own Taipan superbattleship, but he was borderline terrified of the views he and his patriarch, Gyn T'Rhen intended to put forward in an attempt to right the wrongs against Split honour committed by the current ruling family and their supporters. The time came for discussion, and t'Rgt decided to let some debates run past before he made his speech.

The family officials had decided beforehand - with his consent - to allow all responsibility to fall on his shoulders, something which - while dangerous for his own career and recognition in warrior circles - was the least damaging way for the family to show its views: he had enough political clout to possibly cause some reflection on the part of the Rhonkar family, but was not vital to the running of the family if he was assassinated, imprisoned or banished. Very pragmatic, very Split, but not dishonourable. That was important.

Shoo t'Rgt resolved to raise the issue after the next representative, who was arguing for a change in Split military design philosophy towards a more balanced approach. While t'Rgt could relate to the family's ideas, he did not agree with the justification: he would have argued that, to be truly effective, a warrior needs to be balanced in his ways and style. He would have cited the Boron Campaign and the Split's crushing defeat at the hands of the Argon due to their better balance. No matter that their honour was questionable and their skill certainly lower than that of the Split, the balance of their style was what made them better.

Case in point - their Paranid allies had a great positive effect with a few of their well-balanced craft in the Campaign. They would have won the war if their numbers had been greater. Sadly, this case would be incompatible with his own - being that he intended to denounce the Boron Campaign and the actions of Split since.

The previous representative duly massacred, t'Rgt signalled his intent to speak. He walked to the podium, throat dry despite his mug of water back at the increasingly distant family table. He bowed to the ruling patriarch, his own patriarch and the Judician as was considered honourable, and greeted the congregation with his family's motto - again, according to custom. halfway through his greeting, however, he was interrupted by a member of the audience,
'Hurry up mister - we have other acts to see!' He stopped, partly out of shock and partly because this massively assisted his cause. The culprit was a member of one of the upstart families - y'Veri - one of many newer families founded as more systems were claimed by the Split. Their homeworld, if he remembered correctly, was somewhere in the region of the Family Njy sector. He addressed the entire throng, shutting out the dishonourable nervousness.
'Families, you have witnessed this breach of etiquette at a meeting of the Great Families. I ask you all, where is the honour of Split? It does not stem from this generation of families - this fool who interrupts my greeting likely knew no better - I have noticed that many of the so-called great families have done away with the traditional method of beginning their speech.

My belief is that the Split have moved away from the path of honour, and are merely becoming the thugs of the Universe today. We attack the Boron, a species unwilling to fight at the best of times. Where is the honour in fighting an unwilling foe? We are attempting to befriend the Argon - yet they would be more worthy foes than the Boron with their prowess and willingness in battle.

This loss of honour began with the death of the patriarch-emperor Ghus, who achieved more towards our advancement as a species in one curtailed lifetime than any patriarch since. Ghus proved that to act against our instinct and to show some respectibility is to progress in the right direction, and many of our supposed customs in the name of honour stem from his time. We do not still observe the credo that he set, to fight only the good fight, only against the worthy foe who is sound in mind and ability.

Instead, we pick on the weak and unwilling - the most appropriate foe we have fought in recent times is the Xenon, and we have negotiated a ceasefire with them when the Paranid didn't assist. Is that honourable? To give up because our reinforcements can't come? Yet we still happily beat away at the Kingdom of Boron's outer systems and unprotected outposts while they plead for peace. I do not call that an honourable practice.

I suggest we negotiate a ceasefire with the Boron, and instead work towards cleansing the Universe of the willing foes - the Kha'ak and Xenon who tear at our borders even as we blindly take out our anger with the Boron. Do away with the feuding, primitive Split of the year 50 and let us be honourable warriors.

I am finished.'

He bowed his head, and - as he had expected - was taken by Rhonkar officials. From behind, he noticed. How appropriate. He was taken away, and imprisoned while his fate was discussed. Eventually, he was told he was banished, and given a Jaguar fighter. His personal Drake class corvette, a new design by Cadius shipbuilding like the Taipan, was nowhere to be seen - probably either scrapped or taken to a storage sector far from normal space. Fortunately, his family had ensured he still had docking rights in Split space - just no money, a mere M5 and no ability to buy remotely useful equipment for his ship, never mind a better ship. He would leave the planet by Elephant TL the next time a materials shuttle lifted off.

Shoo t'Rgt drifted aimlessly in orbit around Family Pride, checking his newly-reduced assets. 1100 credits, one intact and fully-upgraded Jaguar with 2 megajoules of shielding and two Particle Accelerator Cannons, and -strangely - a Kha'ak Sting-class missile. Evidently this ship was a war veteran and the authorities hadn't bothered to check the cargo. That should be good for a few thousand credits at the local equipment dock... Hold on. A faint signal resonance from deep space, the ID looking suspiciously like his Drake's. Indeed it was, and though it had lost engine capability and all weaponry, it should be salvageable with advanced enough tools.

Assets:
1,100cr

1x Jaguar
1x Drake far, far away and inoperable as yet..

[Snowship]

interesting start, are you just going to battle the Xenon & kha'ak? or are other races going to be on the menu (as it were).

Also hope that after a reload from "accidental death by nuke" you will give yourself some type of punishment, maybe damage to you ship to simulate that you did get fallout from the explosion but survived at some cost (maybe also eject a few weapons/components to simulate systems damage)


I'll be watching

[Master of the Blade]

I will fight in these circumstances:
Random Pirates beeline for me as if to attack.
Mission pirates attack a station - they're attacking an unarmed target and must be punished.
Any Xenon or Kha'ak are fair game.

So, I can't attack peaceful Pirates or race ships, but I essentially MUST attack anything that directly assaults me or my property unless it greatly outclasses/outnumbers me - Shoo t'Rgt may be honour-obsessed but he's not stupid.


As for reloads due to misuse of nukes, if it's the special case where the V.Aldrin breaks a Terran plot mission I will NOT simulate ship damage. Any other instadeaths due to H.H or F.S missiles I will remove:
1 heaviest gun and 1 shield from an M5 personal ship I die in.
2 heaviest guns and 1 shield from an M4 personal ship
4 heaviest guns and at least one shield from an M3 personal ship. If it has 1 or 2 shields it will have 1 taken, 3 shields-->2 taken, 4 shields-->3 taken etc.
6 heaviest guns and enough shielding to leave me with 200Mj from a corvette

no reload for bigger ships except for in the case of the V.Aldrin, where I will follow the trend of increasing equipment damage.

[Master of the Blade]

So, the chapter where I actually do something. I'll be recounting it in third person, past tense for now as an experiment, but I may lapse back into first person, present tense if I find it too clumsy to use 3rd.

Chapter 2: Covert Operations

Checking the Universe map in his databanks, Shoo t'Rgt found that his Drake was stranded several hundred kilometres out in a North-Easterly unknown sector next to a Xenon sector lacking much of its remote interface equipment and jumpdrive fuel. He would ask one who knew more about salvaging as to what would be needed to retrieve it, but first he docked at the local EQ station and sold the Sting missile for about 5000 credits. Not exactly a fortune, but enough working capital to get anything vital. Sadly, his rather low clearance level prevented him from buying the advanced targeting software needed to increase his weapons' accuracy, so he set out to find missions to remedy that.

None could be found in Family Pride, so he set out West, into the Family Whi - Thuruk's Beard string of sectors. He first went North, until he found a station defence mission from an ore mine. Pirates attempting to ransom a station or destroy it - very distasteful, to attack an undefended station in peaceful space. The payout was low, but that was a non-issue: gaining reputation was first priority.

A single Pirate M5 entered the sector to attack the station, prompting some amusement - what did they hope to achieve with that? t'Rgt slotted in behind the fighter and opened fire, crippling the pirate with a few glancing shots but mostly missing. Combat software much needed... Letting his capacitors recharge some, he attacked again and destroyed the pirate. An unsatisfying victory, but at least there was some gratitude.

More missions to buy the software though - the government weren't going to respect him much more for vapourising one pathetic little scout, no matter how big its intentions were. A covert operation to find the base of a well-known smuggler, however... With a payout of about 6000 credits, it was a rather profitable thing too. No dishonourable combat, a very honourable aim and a nice reward as well. A no-brainer then. Well, actually, following a 150m/s Mako over five large sectors to find its operating base sounded a little frustrating, but a warrior in need couldn't be picky.

He found the smuggler, and entered a flightpath 13km behind it, noticing the rather large amount of hostile traffic - Boron and Argon. Such a mess of relations the ruling families had made. Still, the spoils of war go to any who risk dipping into the water, and some leftover missiles along the way were certainly worth changing course for: a Silkworm (5kcr) and a Wildfire (3kcr). He picked them up, keeping an eye on his distance from his charge, and resumed course. but then, disaster struck.

A large group of Pirate ships - M4s and M5s - had begun beelining for his ship. He tried to keep away while staying in scanner range of the Mako, but the pirates were gaining. Sighing, he broke away from his course and attacked the pirates - first maiming a Mako with a charge, but taking severe shield damage from its Ion Disruptor armament. He turned away to gain some distance and charged again, finishing the Mako and starting on a Buster. Against the slower ships, the fight software wasn't so important after all it seemed. Taking charge after charge, the pirate group was whittled down and destroyed by the Jaguar and t'Rgt collected the paltry ordnance left over. He'd taken some hull damage from the Mako's ID but nothing worth repairing yet. Return to following the smuggler...

At long last, the base was reached and the mission completed. The reputation gain was enough to boost his clearance level enough for that software, but on the way to the nearest equipment dock another two tracking missions turned up - one from a Boron and the other from a Split. Shoo t'Rgt took both - surprised that the targets were in the same sector as each other. Unfortunately, the mark the Boron requested him to follow was flying a freighter, the Split's target a fighter. He aborted the Split's mission - reducing the number of hostiles in the area would be a good way to not get killed by an overzealous Boron turret gunner. He smiled at the mental picture this conjured and settled down behind the freighter, a Caiman variant travelling at a painful 92m/s.

The journey was long and mostly uneventful, apart from another pirate attack group similar to the last which turned up halfway across the first sector and was dispatched with minimum fuss when it made its attentions clear, the lead ship opening hostilities with a badly-aimed volley of IRE fire. The group - of one Buster, a Buzzard and two Discoverers - was less difficult than the last due to a lack of instant hit weapons, and the roll-strafing technique used by the best fighter pilots around easily shook their aim.

The mission compete, the Boron government, obviously impressed by the self control t'Rgt had had to follow the freighter so far - across several of the large Split sectors West of Family Pride, granted him docking rights and the ability to enter Boron core sectors. So nice to have seen someone who doesn't hold petty grudges...

Refusing to put it off any longer, he flew to the Family Whi equipment dock and bought fight command software Mk.1, allowing him access to the level three computer targeting system for his weapons, allowing easier aiming. He set a course for Thuruk's Beard and the Pirate sectors beyond.


Assets:
~12,000cr

1x Jaguar
1x Drake. Still unreachable.

[Snowship]

Interesting 1st day, don't get killed in those pirate sectors

[Master of the Blade]

I'm actually writing these some time after they happen - I'm actually around the 1Mcr mark for credits with a couple of (Salvaged as bails from the NPC bailing script.) M3s to my name now, and am exploring the Southern Paranid sectors. No fear of death, don't worry. I'm aiming to get my Argon rep up at the moment, because although I've done a mission or two for them, they're not trusting me.

Chapter tonight, I think.

[Argon tactican Justin]

Good start so far, but I noticed you accidentally switched from third person to first person and back again at least once. This is the example I found:

[Master of the Blade]

@Argon Tactician Justin, good spot with the perspective shift. Fixed.

As for a chapter, yes I know I'm a liar. I wasn't exactly well then and I'm not now, so thinking straight is rather difficult, not to mention NOT writing in first person. Nevertheless, a chapter will come tomorrow, I promise!

[Argon tactican Justin]

Did you write both of your earlier DiDs in first person? Perhaps you have a habit of writing them in first person because of that. Sadly, its easier to develop a habit than it is to get rid of them most of the time, and when someone tries to avoid a habit (such as a specific schedule) they usually end up continuing with that habit without knowing, such as that one line written in first person right in the middle of a chapter that was written completely in third person. Might not mean anything, but if it does, then something like that should happen again. Either way, we can't know unless it DOES happen again or you get through to the end of this in third person witout it happening. I had to read through it a few times to find it, so it's not something easily noticed, either

[Master of the Blade]

@Argon Tactician Justin, yes both of my other DiDs were 1st person+present tense. This is just a test to get used to writing in 3rd person past tense.


Chapter3: Spoils of War Galore. Go on, kill me.

As he neared Thuruk's Beard's South gate, t'Rgt noticed something on his scanner: an abandoned Caiman superfreighter further North. Practically kicking himself for not being alert enough to notice it before, he moved to it and claimed it, repairing the minor hull damage it had sustained with his repair laser. He also picked up a 'very hard' patrol mission from the Trading station, and was asked to attack a Duke's Buccaneers dangerous materials freighter which he was assured was ferrying explosives to hostile pirates.

He attacked the freighter, ensuring he stayed out of the arc of its rear turret - the upgraded PACs used by all who could afford them could destroy his lightly shielded M5 in one hit, bringing his legacy to an early and abrupt end. Making attack runs and staying away from the turret, he eventually dealt significant hull damage to the Hermes-class ship, and the pilot decided he didn't want to die and bailed. No other enemy contacts in Duplex scanner range, t'Rgt used the repair laser to undo the damage he had dealt to this ship also. Two transports in such a short period of time. The forefathers were smiling on him that day.

Sadly, there were no subsequent enemies and he earned a reduced payout on account of not actually destroying anything. He decided not to argue that he had neutralised a hostile target, since the employer probably wasn't prepared to take any stick.

Continuing on his way South then West, through the Pirate sectors, t'Rgt found the curious sector Freedom's Reach, with a trading station containing many rich but useless people needing things doing. Fortunately the Caiman he'd salvaged had had a mineral scanner onboard, which he took, and allowed him to take the mission offered by an Argon, requesting asteroid scans from Freedom's Reach and the neighbouring sector, Danna's Chance.

This was easily completed, and he even had time to complete a few laps around the Freedom's reach racecourse in its asteroid field before the deadline was up. After he delivered the data, he also found a defence mission at the trading station, which was easily completed by quickly surprise-killing the trio of pirate M5s sent on their fruitless attack. No more missions here, he headed back North and then East, towards Nopileos' Memorial, where there was a less-than-friendly group of Pirate M3+ ships and their Caravel class mobile base attempting to quietly pursue him. While he may have been able to take a lone Nova or Falcon, the Blastclaws' turrets would shred him in an instant if he attacked.

His warrior's instinct preventing him from just fleeing, he frantically searched for a way to destroy his pursuers. Back to the West was the perfect weapon: a large Paranid task force containing an Odysseus, a Nemesis and many fighters was making its way through the sector. He entered formation with the Odysseus and waited for the pirates to arrive.

When they did, the results were rather tasty: several missiles were strewn across the area, for anyone to claim. He targeted a Hammerhead missile and moved towards it at 50m/s. It bounced off his shields, nearly detonating from the shock. Too big for the freight bay - M-class ware! Slightly shaken, t'Rgt checked the ware class of the other missiles and reduced his projected profit margins at the next equipment dock by about 250,000 credits. He salvaged what he could and travelled back West again.

North of Danna's Chance, in Brennan's Triumph, he found a Paranid (naturally, at an Argon Rimes fact owned by a Paranid) offering a brilliant pay for asteroid scans. They were quite far apart across several sectors, some of which he hadn't been to before, but he attempted the mission anyway.

The last asteroid, in Olmanketslat's Treaty, was scanned with two minutes to spare. Fortunately, the time for completion was expanded back to 19 minutes, more than enough to get back to Brennan's Triumph. An extra 25,000 credits banked, Shoo t'Rgt docked at the local Pirate base, surpressing a feeling of disgust - the best place to rest in Pirate territory is the place Pirates are unlikely to destroy - their own home. He set his ship's security systems to alert him of unwanted interest and slept.


Assets:
~150,000cr.

1x Jaguar
1x Drake, inoperable, 'Swift Justice'
1x Caiman Superfreighter XL
1x Hermes

[Snowship]

it's a pity your not running the Pirate Guild Al-plugin, would make some later descisions on wheater to ally with the pirate or not more interesting.

Score with the freighters... I'd have been tempted to sell them for the profit at such an early stage.

Awaiting the next installment

[Master of the Blade]

I still haven't decided what to do with the freighters, actually. I may sell the Hermes and make the Caiman a ST/UT, or sell the Caiman and use the Hermes to do passenger transport missions.

The Pirate guild is one I've always wanted to try but never got round to actualy downloading. What's it like?

[Snowship]

PG's nice, if you're friendly with them you can help pirates that are being harrassed by race patrol and get rep for it, sell pirates any ship you have for rep, do odd jobs for them and if you're a member of the guild help-out with specific strikes against races and specific targets.

Pirate bases are stocked with various items (and not every base has the same stock) and slowly build up their fleet and assets. There is a mobile mothership (galleon) plus if the guild gets big it'll build other capitals for defence against race agression.. (they also have their own shipyard).

If you're against them they can send bounty hunters out after you and target your operations as retribution. (so they're not without teeth)

I haven't fully delved into the mod but I've dabbled with it off and on (I've yet to progress substaintially with any modded game atm).

[Master of the Blade]

OK. Next time I start a game (DiD or not) I think I'll give it a go.

Now, I would post a chapter. I even had one right here, typed up and everything. But I pressed the back (as in, return to previous webpage) button on my keyboard( ), so there's no chapter any more and I'm too irritated/lazy to do it again. Blame IBM for poor placement of keys on their laptop keyboards.

[Snowship]

write 1 or 2 chapters ahead in a text document then post them as you want