[AP] PRODIGAL SON, A Rogue's Tale - Book II

[Triaxx2]

Truly awesome chapter SD.

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Talking to my sister is not always a pleasant experience. One does not become a Tiger captain without showing some aggressiveness. Vo'l'nt took that ideal to heart and seems to be aiming to end up in charge of a Python. I suspect that if she gets one before Ea't, we'll never hear the end of it. Of course, if Ea't has marines, he's probably got a better part of the Terran military command working for him by now.

You'll note I have no doubt Ea't is alive. I have no doubt that it will take more than a mere few Terajoules of missile to do more than seriously annoy Ea't. He's not known as the Black Scourge of the Boron Kingdom because he plants daisies. Which isn't to say he doesn't plant daisies, but that's not why he's universally reviled and instantly kill on sight.

In any case, I explained my actions to Vo'l'nt and asked if she'd heard anything.

"Split say: Hell yes." she chuckled. Vo'l'nt's not a big fan of the dialect, so when she uses it, she's either about to kill you, or she's annoyed. "Your boss is still messing around. We spotted him in Black Hole Sun, and that big elephant he jacked." I breathed a sigh of relief. Drake was alive, and the Endless was intact. I knew his mother was aboard, and he'd have probably gone ape shit if something had happened to. I suspect honestly that if it had, there wouldn't have been any force in the universe that could have stopped him from erasing the Terrans from existence.

"How did he get spotted?"

"He made a complete fool out of a Tkr Cobra Captain." she leveled an accusing look at me. I threw my hands up.

"He was doing that long before he met me. I don't think Ea't had anything to do with it either."

"Ah yes, our... brother. I'll get to him shortly." I winced. I didn't like the sound of that. "Anyway, the Tkr Captain, seeing Drake's ID on the Tenjin he was flying, decided, in the infinite stupidity of the Tkr Family, and at the very end of a long list of utterly imbecilic decisions, he emptied tubes at Drake." I winced. Among her other qualities, Vo'l'nt is a bit of a penny pincher, though no one sane would mention it to her. Naturally it's at the top of Ea't's list. She regards wasting money as much of an un-Split action as running away. I did a quick head calculation, and came up with a number.

"This captain... I'll bet he'd just popped into the south gate, right?"

"Got it in one." she shook her head. I knew from her expression that my thoughts on the matter were correct. He'd fired all Flails, which, in addition to being extremely visible even in the dark, cold depths of space, lacked the reach to hit a target that far between two gates, and even if they did get there, they wouldn't have enough time to maneuver before timing out and what didn't, couldn't have punched through the shields and armor on a Tenjin anyway. Not even counting Drakes skill piloting, nor the fact that the Tenjin has TURRETS.

"Any idea of where he's going?" she knew, and I knew that. She didn't hesitate or dissemble. Which said a couple of useful things.

"Argon Prime." I leaned back. "You know why?" I did, or thought, and I wasn't sure I wanted to say so. But she'd been honest.

"There are two possible reasons. One is that he's going to try and kill his step father. The other is that Argon Prime is where he started. He's probably going back to restart his criminal career. He's not stupid, so I suspect he has a cache of money, or ships hanging somewhere around there." I looked around. "Is there something to drink here?"

She didn't say anything, she just pulled a couple of bottles and a couple of glasses. I had to laugh. Both bottles were marked with Drake's Logo. I don't think he'd ever seen it, since his bottles were pulled off the lines before the labels were applied.

The label consisted of a double line, each edged with a saw tooth pattern, one facing inside, one facing outside. In the center was depicted a Panther, in the position described as Rampant. Behind it, extending out of the logo were the silhouettes of two ships, crossed like swords. A Tiger and Ares, appropriately enough.

I'm certain it's good he hadn't seen it though. I think he might have gone apoplectic, then done something precipitous when he found the designer. Vo'l'nt had poured while I laughed, and I raised my glass.

"To Drake, may he give the Terrans well deserved hearburn." Vo'l'nt chortled, and drank.

"To the Terrans, may they choke on what they have wrought." Vo'l'nt answered. I drank, and looked her in the eyes for the third.

"To absent friends." We drank in silence.

"To Family Goto." Again in silence.

"To RHONKAR!" she laughed uproariously, and we drained our glasses. I beat her. I think she might have let me win, but I'd never suggest that.

"Now you said something about Ea't." she stared at me for a long moment, and refilled her glass. To the brim.

"Your brother." That wasn't a good sign. "Has caused more trouble in the past 36 hours, than most Split manage to cause in an entire lifetime." I blinked. "In the time since he was rumored to have been destroyed by the Terrans, she's successfully raided four Split sectors, two Teladi sectors, one of them being Ministry of Finance, three separate Paranid sectors, including Paranid Prime, and EIGHT Boron sectors. Queen Atreus jumped into Family Pride orbit just four hours ago, and demanded we pry him out of Queen's Space. When we got there, there was nothing left in the sector, except for some debris, and a jump signature which, when we tried to trace it, erased our navigation computers, and left several rude words and three zettabytes of Boron Pornography in place of our navigational data."

I couldn't stop laughing. "It's NOT funny."

"Yes, it is." I told her what Drake had done to the Terran's. She snorted.

"So I'll add that to his list of crimes against sentient life then." she managed it deadpan.

"What did Ea't steal?"

"Not much. Just a lot of freighters. More than a hundred as far as we can tell." she paused. "And one of the Gannet's out of Ceo's Sprite."

"Oh boy." I had to wonder how he'd gotten through the Hull on a Gannet, but I suspected that he might have just gone up and knocked. It was the sort of thing he'd do. I realized after a moment that she was waiting for me to keep talking. "Drake will, once he's finished whatever he's doing, be getting ready to start building up his infrastructure again. If for no reason beyond the inability to maintain a large combat force without an infrastructure.

I know Drake was never really happy with the somewhat haphazard way that his previous empire was put together. It ended up with him being left exposed in a lot of ways he didn't like. And ultimately it led to the Terrans being able to find and attack him. So he's going to be looking to make his infrastructure as stable and rock solid as possible. Which means it might be a while, before he's ready to get a military up and going. So Ea't is taking care of that for him."

"Why all the freighters then?"

"What goes for more, fighters or freighters?"

"Fighters."

"What shoots back less."

"Freighters."

"So chances are he's going to scrap most of the freighters, probably at an Argon Shipyard, because that's the only place he's not going to be shoot on sight. He'll probably keep two or three, because the Tiger isn't exactly a large capacity warship."

"So, Oh Brilliant sibling, do you have any suggestions?"

"Yes. Keep your capital ships somewhere safe. Somewhere he can't get them."

"Which would be?"

"I'd suggest another dimension." She glared at me, and emptied her glass.

[stads]

nice chapter triaxx

good to hear out trouble maker is stil making trouble

[Knucles2]

:::Walks by the darkened windows of the Drakar Thread, sees it's still dark, sighs and thinks, 'maybe tomorrow...':::

[Gosnell]

I have a beautiful Rose,everyday you fail to post i will cut one of its leafs off while whistling singing in the rain.

[Gosnell]

Damn the safety scissors cant cut it(fra@@@@ck

[Nathancros]

Damn the safety scissors cant cut it(fra@@@@ck

SCion your making 1 of us mentally unhinged, I'd say 2 but i was already crazy to start with
WOOP WOOPPPPP XD

I wanna see some destruction from Drake, payback for such a foolish and rash attack by terrans and co.


FIRE ALL!! EVERY WEAPON EVERY MISSILE EVERY SINGLE CREWMEMBER AT THE ENEMY UNTILL NOTHING BUT A LIFELESS SOULESS HUSK REMAINS!!!

The terrans....

Will pay..

With their lives....

[Neeros]

So....who's ganna write the Miseryesque story involving GOSNELL and Scion?

[the_chalk_outline]

Just got caught up at last.

Brilliant SD just Brilliant!

@ Triaxx. Sooooo glad Eat is still alive and kicking (lots), you're a genius mate.

[Deeparth]

Ive finally caught up. Spent the whole night doing it. Great work, people! Always waiting for MOAR!
Rest assured the crew of the Sirrush is still alive. Things have gone horribly wrong, though.
Im just waiting for a reply to the pm I sent Kirlack. Well, thats going to take time due to his RL...issue(its not really an issue but i dunno what to call it).

[Triaxx2]

Like Wil-e coyote, it's on my card. Certified genius.

And yes, pretty much everyone has had things go horribly wrong. However, we are Pirates, and we thrive on things that have gone horribly wrong. It's the best time to make the most profits.

[Gosnell]

I do hope nothing has happened to scion,unlike him not to update.Maybe he had a breakdown and is now trying to make a hyperion in his garage.
Or possibly he is vladic and is on trial in the hague.

[sjones25]

I do hope nothing has happened to scion,unlike him not to update.
Or possibly he is vladic and is on trial in the hague.

I guess the only option available to us, then, is to go to the Hague and break Vladic out of prison, just in case he's Scion.

Does anyone have a grappling hook gun? ... where'd I put those gas grenades?

[Triaxx2]

Journal of Commodore Ea't s'Quid: Pirate/Captain/Tactician.

I have been detached from Drake's command for more than four days. Without express orders, I have been allowed to make my own fun. Such fun I have been having. There has been no contact from H'nt or Morgan. Somehow though, I suspect both of them are alive and quite well. I have in fact, no doubts whatsoever about it.

News of Drake's whereabouts have come through, via channels official and illegal. He is heading west towards Argon Prime. Meanwhile I have begun a campaign of violence, terror and destruction. My favorite kind. Ch't has begun hitting freighters, mostly in the north sections of Haktikvah's Faith, and through out Loomanckstrat's Legacy.

Except for two hits in Teladi Space, one on some fools rumor of a Gannet in Ministry of Finance. Fortunately the Teladi were nice enough to have several TP's waiting for us, and ready for the taking. Among them, only two had jump drives, but that was enough. The Osan'Gar ducked and bobbed and weaved and lit up two Shrikes that jumped in to counter attack. Shrikes are dangerous up front, but hit them from behind, or the top or bottom, and there's nothing they have that can touch you.

From Ministry, we hit Ceo's Sprite. There was a Gannet this time, so the fool from before was given a reprieve. And sent along with the marines who boarded the ship. He survived. The Gannet lost it's jump drive, so one of the TP's had to sacrifice it's to get it out.

With repairs on the Gannet being more than I had to hand, I engaged in multiple acts of piracy. Striking fast has always been my preferred tactic and working alone, I can do that. Jumping into Queen's Space for my last fight of the day, I found myself with a plethora of freighters and the local carrier to capture and demolish. Encoding the jump signature was a stroke of brilliance I think. Anyone trying to track me is in for a rude surprise.

I'm currently holed up with the Yaki, down far from the gate in Weaver's Tempest. I'm not sure the Yaki even realize I'm here, though, I sent a message that I was going to hide out down here. As soon as Ch't returns from his mission acquiring boarding pods, I'm going to go see what the Terrans have that I can... borrow.

End Log.

[Falkirion]

The crew of the Rebirth Flame is also still around. Hiding out with the Goners somewhere in the galaxy. Just waiting for Scions call to bring them out of hiding.

[the_chalk_outline]

Welcome back Ea't s'Quid!

We've missed you.

[Triaxx2]

Ea't would miss you, but Ea't never misses.

I seriously enjoy writing Ea't. I don't have to worry about Character Development or if it fits within his character. His character is such that whatever he feels like doing fits in his character because he's decided it fits within his character. And anyone who doesn't like it risks ending up on the menu. It's tons of fun.

[Max1045]

I'm starting to get concerned, it's rare Scion is gone for so long.
I hope he's not dead!

[Deeparth]

Im guessing his condition has gotten the better of him for now.

[Kirlack]

I sent him a PM a little while ago just to say hi. I know he's seen it, as it's in my sentbox rather than my outbox, but I'm kinda worried about him as well. It's not like SD to not reply, even if it's just to say he's doing ok.

[Gosnell]

To be honest i dont know him at all other than his writings but he has always spoke to us,if there is a delay he lets us know.If someone knows his reallife details drop him a call see if he is ok.
Scion we will wait take your time.
P.S i am still going with the theory he cracked and is building a hyperion in his garage out of pizza boxes
Best wishes
Gosnell