A Robbery never to be Forgotten[DiD]

[EmperorJon]

What setting are your Xenon on?!

They've taken over everything and yet you can easily take them back? I'm guessing you don't have response on them.

When I jump into one of their sectors I usually have 50-100 M3/4/5s and ~10 M2/M1s...


And then they barrage hammerheads.

[Snowship]

nice update there MotB, keep em coming

[Master of the Blade]

What setting are your Xenon on?!

Normal, but I'll turn the difficulty up when I have a destroyer so that I have some chance of holding them back and saving the economy in the North-East of X.

Update coming later.

[Master of the Blade]

Well, later seems to have become 'about three days', since I haven't really played much and all that I have done is boring missions. But soon, all that will change. I am going to earn enough for a TL, then use the sector takeover feature of Improved Races to claim a Xenon sector! Yes, the time for retaliation is nearly upon us! (That is, once I've saved the Boron. Again.)

[Master of the Blade]

Chapter, Finally. Bad news: My stomping of the Xenon must be... postponed due to irritating developments relating to the Boron...


A Few Things...

Yup. A Q has sneakily sidled up next to me, and has severely nuked my shields. I hit the jumpdrive with shields at 5%, and pray. Fortunately, I escape with about 10Mj of shielding left.( ) Close one, but hey, we're alive. Now, with my backside thoroughly spanked, I need a new plan, to stop the Xenon from swamping me with reinforcements. A cunning plan... Well, I'll get to that part later. Calling the crew for a bottle of Space Fuel to calm our nerves, I begin to earn money and reputation, by killing the scum of the galaxy and protecting helpless station owners. Hey, this 'good guy' stuff pays really well! The yaki can get stuffed for a while: To do any of the stuff they want me to I'm going to need massive cashflow, and to do that I need an infrastructure, preferably in a sector I can purchase bloodlessly. One out of the way, like the Unknown sector where I still haven't retrieved my Falcon Sentinel from. Yeah, there'd be a good place. Little close to the Xenon, but I can slaughter them easily. Incidentally, I may have to claim Savage Spur for myself too. The Yaki keep annoying me with messages that they are 'invading' the empty sector, but still, after about fifty attempts, they haven't succeeded. Obviously those asteroids can really fight back!


Anyway, with 28Mcr in the bank I return to the Ocean of Fantasy area, in order to retake the 'Xenon Hotspots' Menelaus' Paradise and Getsu Fune, both once again firmly under Terraformer control. However, with reconstruction well under way in OoF, the Pirates seem to want to intervene by nuking the shipyard: TWO separate Boron there are offering me missions to protect it. Of course I accept, entirely out of the goodness of my heart and certainly not because it effectively doubles the payout of the mission for only marginally more work. Yeah. Anyway, the stream of Pirate corvettes from the South Gate begins, and I pick them off one by one with my OHKO charged shots. Fish in a Barrel indeed. With a beautiful 6M total payout, I'm a Boron King's Knight and a 34millionaire. And being hailed by a mysterious Boron, whose friends went missing in Xenon space. Oh, fine. I've got nothing better to do right now, so I'll look into it. Maybe I'll even get more loot - I'm currently lugging around 60 assorted nukes, 50 anti-fighter missiles of various descriptions, and 40 Hornets. Oh yeah, and 9 Wraiths which I can't use but which are ridiculously rare, so...
Jumpdrive: Xenon sector 598, East gate to Xenon Sector 627! And 180 turn... And right into a freaking ambush. Bugger.

Four Qs and about twenty fighters are waiting for me on the other side of the gate, so I use the (very helpful) Mission Targeting system to jump to the opposite gate. But not before I nuke a Q and my rear (now FLAK equipped after picking some up from the wreckage of a previous Q) turret kills some M4s. I find ANOTHER ambush here, but it's only a K, placed 6km from the gate, which I dispatch easily. Then I continue through the gate, to 'Unknown Sector'. Well, that's where the guidance points, so...

Wow.

Big.

I enter a ridiculously large structure of pipes and scaffolds, with inoperational gates around its rim. It's a 'Xenon Hub' apparently, but the ship computer says it's of ancient design, and the Xenon are paying it no attention at all, just flying through and getting fragged by my turret. There's a wreck further in, possibly the remains of the Boron's friends. I move closer to it, and an automatic message from 'Julian Brennan' starts. I read in shock as the log details the escapades of the once-moderately-famous pirate and some Boron scientist, the acquaintance of whom is none other than the Boron who hailed me earlier: Mahi Ma. I jump back to OoF to report. The little squid seems more interested in the Hub thing than his friends, and asks to be taken aboard. I pick him up, then claim the enhanced Dolphin he left behind. What? He probably won't be needing it again. Too lazy to fight through the Xenon again, I jump there directly, and my little helper promptly hacks the docking gear of the HUB, even transferring the whole kaboodle to my control. We dock, and now it's my turn.

Mahi wants me to fetch 'a few things'. That sounds ominous...



Yaki demands: ON HOLD
Property: Hasn't changed since however long ago the last property check was.

34Mcr.

[EmperorJon]

Oh oh... A few things?

[Master of the Blade]

Oh oh... A few things?

Oh yeah. And this time, I actually intend to attempt to complete this plot, so long as my mildly suicidal jaunts into Xenon space and old age don't kill me first.

[EmperorJon]

Well I managed it, and the wild suicidal joints into Xenon space didn't kill me! Well, they nearly did, but the worst moment was getting down to 0% hull while Complex Building...

[Master of the Blade]

but the worst moment was getting down to 0% hull while Complex Building...

Yes, crashed into one of your own stations, didn't you?

[EmperorJon]

Slowed down and rotated a bit dodgyly whislt dragging a Silicon Mine...

[Master of the Blade]

It's always silicon mines! In my other DiD I got a silicon mine stuck in a field of debris and nearly destroyed it by trying to use it as a broom. It was on an asteroid of yield ~67. I WOULD NOT have been happy if it had blown up.

[ZOMBO6F]

Just letting you know.this is a great story.I'm still playing Reunion but this maakes me want to start TC.Its interesting how you can play both sides of the street,quiet good brinksmanship.

[Master of the Blade]

Hell, it's been a while. Anyway, I'm just back from a trip to Switzerland and am starting my summer holidays, so should finally have some playing time. Update will come... eventually. I apologise for the wait.

[Master of the Blade]

Okay, it's been inexcusably long but I'd taken a break from the game. But I'm posting a chapter now so it's all fine and dandy now, right?

Fame and Fortune

Now, I could just bring the Boron the 400 computer components he wants, but since he seems in no particular danger I'll leave him a while and go earn myself a decent pool of cash from which to gain some flexibility in my spending. I could get a destroyer, but for my solo jaunts the Lusca provides perfectly respectable firepower. I could get a light carrier and a fighter fleet, but that is an expensive thing to maintain. So I'll earn a couple of hundred million credits and build myself some infrastructure - a thing that I'd never have been able to do as a pirate and which will most likely give me a base with which to produce pretty much what I like. The first investments will be for energy, food and mineral loops, since they form the main base of production. Then I'll expand into whatever commodity I need, where it's needed - since my operations will be set up in a wide area, wherever there are promising resource yields. But, problem : I'm not exactly rolling in credits. I need to remedy that and my favourite way of doing this is via a 'pub crawl' of the Xenon sectors, taking any valuable loot like firestorm torpedoes and hammerhead missiles to equipment docks to be sold. I can get about 50 of each type of heavy missile per run, I think, which adds up to quite a lot. Then add in the inevitable side-missions I'll be doing for around five million each, and I'll have lots of cash in no time and since I'm getting rather proficient at surviving in Xenon territory it'll be fairly safe.

But we're getting somewhat ahead of ourselves here. I DON'T have all that money, I haven't done the missions, and I only have one TL. Oh yeah, the TL. During the intermission, I've claimed the unknown sector as I said I would, using a Teladi trading station, and the Split have built some stations there and are paying taxes to me, as they should. It's not much, but it's enough. Of course, this required a TL so I invested most of my liquid funds into a Mammoth. It's paying for itself slowly, doing build missions here and there, but it'll soon be put to a more demanding role. At least, when I have money again. So, to the Xenon sectors!

But wait. The scum of the universe may be easy to kill, but how will I make them cower before me? I mean, my ship's just called 'lusca' still, and that's not exactly awe-inspiring. How about something completely inappropriate like 'Peaceful Resolution'? Yeah, why not. Now that's out of the way, let's go beat up the Xenon.
*Insert cartoon fighting noises here*
Well, I've just sold 60 Firestorms and 30 Hammerheads, along with various other missiles, and my bank account's looking slightly healthier now. A couple more hauls like that and I'll be at 90 Mcr, where I could buy myself a destroyer and will have to restrain myself from doing just that - my money is now very valuable and I can't squander it. I take a break from the Xenon sectors and assassinate some particularly unscrupulous pirates involved in a hostage situation. I've been noticing more frigates recently during missions. Maybe I'm beginning to make an impression. The paper shielding of a Carrack won't save them though - I of all people should know that! Some more missions like this and I'm pushing the 100Mcr mark. Maybe it's time to take a break - artificial rejuvenation is beginning to get old - it's been at least a week since I last slept...

Yaki demands: ON HOLD
Property:
All the stuff from before, plus one Teladi trading station and ten Kestrels, to act as my eyes from some point in the week's worth of mission/Xenon grinding that went into this update onwards. Oh, and the Mammoth.

~98Mcr. Woot.

[thecrazybear]

Nice work if you actually survive this I'll eat my hat

[Master of the Blade]

Well, actually I'm doing pretty well still. I finally broke the 100 million barrier for credits, but then invested in a Shrike: I decided I need a more flexible boat to scout for missions in, then switch to the Lusca when I need its power. In other words, I'm running out of salvage insurance so need a ship with a hangar to facilitate easy saving. Sucks, but I like the shrike anyway - a good place to store loot!

Nice to see there's still interest in this old thing, thought I'd been deserted! Anyway, I'll be posting another chapter soon - I've taken a break from the Xenon and moved onto something more risky. Yes, that is possible. But it ties in well with my character's backstory:

Spoiler

Show

During the plot I'm advancing (OFF), I have picked up the two PALCs in the khaak sector where you find Jesan's sorry remains. That not only makes three games in a row where I've got them, but also means I have two sets of the experimental beam weapons.

After that, I'll try to get my original frigate released by the Yaki. Maybe some of those goals were a little fund-draining for my liking... Still, I decided them, gotta stick to it.

[Master of the Blade]

Right, time to get my sorry ares ( ) in gear and write this chapter before I leave the thing too long again. Incidentally, could anyone watching please just post... something, so I know they're reading? It's getting lonely.

Well, I did say... But it's like an addiction.


OK, first thing's first, I'm doing OK. I'm getting to the point where assassinations are worth nearly 10Mcr and XIs can net up to 26 million if I'm lucky with the forces they send. My financial situation is decent, having stabilised around 150Mcr for now. I would have more, but I invested in a Shrike and two skates for a little flexibility - my Lusca may be awesome, but it's just too slow at taking out fighters. It's really restricting my income when I have to kill M5s by shooting my precious mosquitos at them, then hoping they fly into the arc of my flak turret. The Shrike also has no energy troubles with its Gauss cannon capability, along with a gargantuan cargobay, a decent hangar and slightly better speed than the Lusca. I'll miss flying the Peaceful Resolution but it's beginning to show its inflexibility. Anyway, the Shrike isn't too expensive, just annoying to outfit: The Universe has a shortage of just about every type of frigate equipment possible, it seems, so I've had a cheap freighter go scouting for equipment.

Right, so I said I'd try to avoid splashing out. Circumstances changed, and I splashed out. I said a while ago that I wouldn't do much more Xenon splatting. Well, guess what? I've made an extra 10Mcr and two LXes from that very activity. But now that I'm moderately rich, I'll just boost myself up past 200Mcr and start my building project. I've been flying around for a while, and mapped out quite a large amount of the Universe, which is painful at only 95m/s, let me tell you. I also found something in a sector called 'Menelaus' Oasis' in the far South. It'll make a nice addition to my fighter fleet, and I think I've got an idea for a new elite fighter group. The Skate prototype is a slightly better version of the two I have already, and I think if I promote some of my crew (who have been rather quiet lately) to pilots, we'll have a nice trio: whichever lucky two get promoted into the standard Skates, then me in the Prototype, should be a good interception force. Anyway, it's actually what's south of Menelaus' Oasis that interests me more: A largeish unknown sector with large mineral wealth. Should be good for a base, so I'll sent the Mammoth along with a Trading station and claim the place. All in all, good.

But what exactly have I been doing? Well, I've met up with Operation Final Fury, an organisation trying to fight off the Khaak and done a few misisons with them to break the monotony of the Xenon. Long story short, I went on a scouting mission, deployed a satellite and scanned a station, nearly getting my backside toasted because my turret couldn't kill the nasty beam-equipped fighters quickly enough. Then I went to another Khaak sector to pick up the sad remains of the hyperactive fool who joined me up. Along with something that tickled my fancy VERY much: Two 'Phased Array Laser Cannons', a Split-designed beam weapon. I'm getting quite a collection! Hope nobody tries to take these away from me as well... Anyway, I grab them and my ex-comrade's black box and leave. But again, the fighter swarms of the Khaak are too much for my turret to handle; I leave with a little under half my shielding left. Thus, my time with OFF is cut short until I can get a decent Flak platform. (or better, a PSG platform. The Paranid Shipyard in Paranid Prime sells the Agamemnon, a nice offensive ship if ever I saw one.) Anyway, that makes about everything I have to say, so...

Captain Arsha, signing off.


Property:
~150Mcr! WOOT, y'all!

OLD STUFF:
1x Lusca, 'Peaceful Resolution'
1x Flower farm+freighter
1x Teladi trading station+Kestrel in UK sector in the North.
8x unassigned Kestrels
?x assorted captured fighters in varying condition
1x Vidar
1x Claymore
1x Mammoth 'Mammut'
?x assorted freighters in varying condition, but bought on the cheap.
1x Chokaro w/Thor, Cutlass and Venti 'Baptism of Fire'
1x Zephyrus, in quarantine with Yaki, need more missions to release
1x Carrack, same as above but with more missions.
1x HUB, 'Buccaneer's Refuge'

NEW STUFF: Shrike, two Skates and a Skate Prototype. Also, two LXes and a few Ls with good equipment I'm going to pick up later.


Yaki Demands: Possibly going to do them now that I have some money. Dunno yet, but their resource yields look pretty tasty for complexes and that's one of the goals anyway.

[Master of the Blade]

Somebody please say something... *pouts*
I'm accepting pilot requests now, too.

Time to DO something! Yeah!

It's a happy day for my crew and I: a 200Mcr account has been achieved and the missions show no sign of letting up. I've also finalised my decision to build complexes in the Yaki sectors: A big infrastructure in reasonably safe, friendly territory will be a huge boon to me. How'd I break the 200million barrier? Well, now that the Xenon seem to have calmed down a little, I've been able to do lots more missions without saving the Boron, Split and Teladi in the Eastern sectors every five minutes. Missions which pay over five million for less than five minutes' work, like assassinations, convoy interceptions and occasional Xenon invasions, though I haven't seen anything like the one a while ago which paid 26Mcr. Still, at around 11Mcr a pop and five million per battleship, they're nothing to sneeze at. My new elite fighter wing's been put to the test, with admirable results: the two standard skates provide covering HEPT fire for me, using a combination of HEPTs, EBCs and Ion Disruptors, to kill a target. This greatly simplifies the task of hunting straggling fighters which the Shrike, now dubbed 'Stalker', cannot catch. All in all, things are ticking over nicely on the money front. On the survival front, not so: I really need to get used to flying the Shrike quickly, since I nearly copped it trying to go close combat with a K which was assailing Black Hole Sun. I ended up with 0% on my shield display, but fortunately sustained no hull damage. Don't ask me how it happened, but it's certainly made me more wary and aware of how much the Stalker needs some IBLs in its main weapon array: All the more reason to build the Yaki their factories. So, time to fire up the Mammut and get building. Oh. After I've emptied the TL's and my cargobay of loot: There's about 10,000 units of low-value high volume goods onboard the Mammut and that needs getting rid of before I go to work. So, until next time, ciao!


Property:
Funds: 206Mcr! Yeah!

Stuff:
1x Lusca, 'Peaceful Resolution'
1x Flower farm+freighter
1x Teladi trading station+Kestrel in UK sector in the North.
8x unassigned Kestrels
?x assorted captured fighters in varying condition
1x Vidar
1x Claymore
1x Mammoth 'Mammut'
?x assorted freighters in varying condition, but bought on the cheap.
1x Chokaro w/Thor, Cutlass and Venti 'Baptism of Fire'
1x Zephyrus, in quarantine with Yaki, need more missions to release
1x Carrack, same as above but with more missions.
1x HUB, 'Buccaneer's Refuge'
1x Shrike, 'Stalker',
2x Skate, 'Gold wing elite squadron fighters 1&2'
1x Skate Prototype, 'Gold wing elite squadron leader'
2x LX, one in use.


Yaki demands:
I'm doing the infrastructure ones. Can't remember the numbers or anything...[/i]

[MarineMan]

"Something," said somebody.

Enjoying your DiD allot.

Might even sign up some day soon.

[Master of the Blade]

"Something," said somebody.

This made my day.
I really need to stop writing these things at midnight/later; I always end up writing something stupid.