Post
by Poseidon » Thu, 25. Jul 13, 04:30
For the record... you know how I was just talking about the gameplay changing my plans? Welp, here's an example.
-----
“Jackson, wake up.”
I heard some rattling from within his quarters, then the large black man stood before me at his door. He shook his head like it would wring the sleep from his eyes, then looked at me wearily. “Yeah boss? What’s up?”
“It’s go time.”
“Now?”
“Right now. My Op went south. At this point, I’ve got 3 counts of murder and an empty datapad to show for it. Every minute counts.”
He turned his back on me, and trod back into his quarters. I waited. From around the corner, I heard a rattle, a hiss, and a gasp. He returned, and handed me a hypospray. I looked at his questioningly. “Combat Stims,“ he replied. “You look like hell, and it sounds like it’s going to be a long night.”
I shook the metal cylinder, and pressed the nozzle to my inner elbow. There was a loud hiss, and my veins froze. I gasped. When the sensation subside, I could still feel the chemicals working their way through my blood stream. Yup. Definitely awake now.
“Go wake the men, and prep the teams. How many have we got?”
“We’ve got five fireteams as of yesterday. You lucked out; I’m number twenty-one.”
“Alright, see you in the docking hanger.”
-----
Creeping into the bedroom late at night was a familiar challenge: make enough noise so that Maddy didn’t freak out, but little enough to keep her dozing. I bent over and gave her a hug.
“Muu? Ah. Don’t forget the chicken,” she mumbled sleepily.
I kissed her neck. “I love you, dearest. Sleep well. I’ll be back soon.”
“Loves…” she wrapped both her arms around one of mine, and went back to sleep. I stayed that way for a moment, then carefully extract myself.
Thulhu was waiting by the bedroom door. I gave her a hug too.
-----
The Woden is confused. Nobody can tell if it’s a Destroyer or a Carrier. 36 guns, 30 dockable ships, 12GJ of shielding, and 90m/s… nothing compares to it. Now that my non-violent plans had fallen through, it was my intent to capture one. The hard part was finding one… or so I thought.
Jupiter had two, along with an Odin, surrounded by more M7s than I cared to count. This was not a wise place to engage. I made another pass through all of known Terran space, but found nothing. It appears I would be forced to do the capture in contented territory.
I hopped down to Asteroid belt, and flinched. Well, damn. Change of plan.
-----
Ban Rider had been in charge of an ATF Valhalla for six minutes when he made his first mistake.
“Jump to the Asteroid Belt. Upon arrival, turn Port 90 degrees, and set the throttle to -10m/s,” he ordered.
The helmsman was a fresh Ensign, but good at following orders. He did exactly as told. The jump went smoothly. A few moments after they arrived, there was a slight bump, and a minor explosion.
“What was that?”
The Ensign gulped, and looked up. “That was the Jump Beacon, sir.”
The new Captain paled. “All stop. We’ll guard this sector for the moment.”
“Yes sir.”
-----
Ban Rider had been in charge for 27 minutes when the AGI invaded.
“Please repeat that, Ensign?”
“I’m counting 20 Xenon Corvettes at the South gate, and moving our direction. PXs, sir. A brief scan suggests 800MJ shields and Pulsed Beam Emitters.”
Ban was not intimidated. He was captain of a Valhalla; the most dangerous warship of the Terran fleet. “All hands, Battle Stations. Incoming AGI fleet!”
-----
Tracy Brooks slammed the throttle, and dumped the Vidar out of the Valhalla’s docking bay. She’d been waiting to take the fight to the AGI all her life, and now they’d brought the fight to her. Her ship was no Vali, but it’d taken a lot of favors to get her assigned to an M6 at all.
The Valhalla was already taking heavy shield damage, so there was no time to be picky. She lined up with the first target she could find, and unload a persistent stream and Matter/Antimatter rounds. The PX absorbed the blows, but was not interested in dodging the incoming fire. She swung around for a second pass, and finished it off.
Her next target went down faster as she dumped a couple Spectre missiles from her meager cargo hold. If they’re not going to dodge, no reason not to use them. The explosion blinded her briefly, and from the corner of her eye she saw thrusters ignite on a near invisible set of projectiles.
Boarding Pods? The AGI are boarding the Valhalla?
-----
Jackson looked at me across the commlink. “This isn’t a Woden, boss.”
I shrugged. “The opportunity presented itself. It was this, or try to take a carrier while in the presence of two other carriers. Can you make it work?”
Jackson grinned. “Of course we can make it work. Probably.” His face fell as he finished his scan of the Hull. “Maybe.”
-----
Twenty minutes later, we were drifting towards the Federal Argon Shipyard in Argon Prime. It was difficult to find friendly sectors with Jump Beacons, and the Valhalla needed some minor repairs.
I was doing administrative work. Uncertain of the Terran response, I issued orders to all my freighters to pull back from Terran space. Once that was done, I pulled up my Messages.
***
From: United Space Command
To: Riordan Clery
Date: 768-05-27 03:26
A recent investigation has concluded at a Terran facility you recently visited. Station logs indicate that you have performed a great service to the Terran people by terminating a traitor and spy, Sir Tomes Nedley. In appreciation for this feat, and your outstanding loyalty and dedication, we are Promoting you to Hero of Sol and granting you Command Access. We are honored to have you representing our people and interests.
Thank you, and congratulations.
United Space Command
General James Randall
***
I stared at the message, and laughed. With Hero of Sol status, I had the authority to purchase a Woden, no questions asked. Too late for that now. I opened the next message.
***
From: AGI Task Force
To: Riordan Clery
Date: 768-05-27 08:53
Two ships owned by you were seen at the scene of an AGI invasion earlier this morning. Until further investigations can be performed, you are now considered an Insurgent and Known AGI Sympathizer. Your kind is not welcome in Terran space.
AGI Task Force
Agent Anthony Quinn
***
Oh well… easy come, easy go. I waited for the Valhalla to dock, hopped back to the Dearg, and set the autopilot for home. I needed a nap.
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