Ronny Fiesty,son of Norman.A new era begins.(Terran/Aldrin economies saved)

[TTD]

Next up was Neptune.

All that could be added,beyond what was already supplied was Crystals and Protein Paste,so factories were added.
He needed yet another product that was not produced in any purpose built factory so he added Vita Kai to the production to the Flavour Packs in Pluto.

An LT3 was added to the sector,but it was at this point that he realised he was running out of LT3 traders.

"Time to take a break from this project,I thinks." He said as much to himself as anyone within earshot.

"Sir? " Dylan's ears pricked up.

"Yes Dylan? How long have you been in here?"

"Sorry sir.You were very busy and engrossed in your screens,so I just sort of waited.But I heard you say something about breaking from our project?"

"Yes Dylan,and since you happened to be here...why are you here any way?... I think I may well have something to keep you occupied for some duration."

" I had come to say I had finished looking at that new EQ software sir.I set up a few experiments ,but so far can't seem to activate it.I need more time on that,but if you have another job for me,I am sure I can appoint someone to continue working on it,sir."

"Yes,ok. This new task involves Commonwealth travel again,for which you are most suited,except you need to change that Yaki uniform for a more traditional Trader's style.
I need you to visit some Boron Shipyards and get me a deal on Boron Angels.
I've heard in passing that these have interesting qualities most suited to CAGs.STs/LT3s.
When you have them,train the pilots up and let me know when they are ready to be deployed in the Sol System."

"I'll get straight on it." replied Dylan Pickleworth.

Ronny returned to his console screens ..."Still here Dylan?" he asked as he heard the door slide.

[TTD]

Comms from Dylan to Ronny...

"Sir We are too low on credits to secure a deal.A batch of 10 S variant will be over 18.4M.
L Variants will be over 21.7M.

And that is without upgrades and extra EQ etc..

I remain at Queens Retribution until further notice."

End transmission...

Ronny read the message.There was no chance of Terran help with this.Without funds his project was stalled.
Time to follow in his father's footsteps and get a coffee to help his brain think...

He sat, coffee in hand at the lounge,thinking.
Not enough for a small fleet...Terran stations need supplies... a steady income...Just about enough for a standard Springblossom plus fitments...Good for large Terran sectors...reasonable cargo hold,...fast...good fire power if fitted...

Yes...That is what he would do...do some trading himself again and supply Terran stations and the others he'd placed...Yes,as soon as he had his coffee...

[TTD]

This what he did,until he was satisfied with each sector.Then he returned to the Ozias,passing control of the SB to another pilot who then did Sector trading in Pluto.

He then parked up near the Sat in Uranus 3 and monitored Pluto.One by one he relinquished control of the many stations he had put there,except for the SPP XL.
This was the only SPP in the sector and very profitable.He needed credits badly now and this was proving to be a real earner.

[TTD]

Since Commonwealth space was a no-go for him personally he sent word to Dylan to advise him to find some diplomatic attire and negotiate with the Split for military training etc for his Marines and support for his home sector,which was to become his own Race sector in due course.

The Split were a bit suspicious ,but as relations was good they saw no real reason why not.So a Military outpost was installed in Twisted Skies for the express purpose of training and supplies of Shields and e-cells.

The Split ,on the other hand ,used the opportunity to Monitor sector activities,much as the Teladi had done with his father many years earlier.

[TTD]

Having accomplished that task Dylan returned to Queens Retribution to find the fleet of 10x Angel L were ready for purchase.
A quick calculation revealed that initial requirements could be met.They were sent to Atreus HQ for Jumpdrives etc and then sent to Terracorp HQ for the trading softwares etc.

Having done this Dylan escorted them to TUK 1 , where they were then set up in pairs for sector trading through to Oort Belt.

After reporting to Ronny of task completion,he retired to more mundane duties on the Ozias.

Meanwhile the marines had each done two triple courses in basic training,But Ronny soon found this to be expensive,so limited training for a while,until his funds built up again.

He had no more funds left for station purchases so he decided to experiment with the other Goner gift,and see what lays in the gate-less sectors.

[TTD]

Ronny carried some well trained marines with him.
He explored many UK sectors with his UFJD.
Some were very dark places. Some very bright . some probably more suited to the Boron.

He encountered a lot of Kha'ak and Xenon,almost losing to a Q when he was not concentrating.
So his fight rank went up.

Then suddenly something looked out of place.
He used his goggles to look more closer.
The angle was such that from the distance it nearly passed as another 'roid.
He seen many roids,silicon,Ore,Nividium...
But this looked a bit brighter for a few seconds as he had been surveying.

A ship?
"Take us in for a closer look."
"Dylan?Take a look at the scanner.Tell me what you see out there."

Dylan sauntered over to the scanner.
"Nothing Sir!"

"What do you mean ,'nothing' ?"

"Just what I said sir.Nothing showing on the scanner except those xenon behind us,but they are occupied with our sats."

"Then what am I looking at? An apparition ?"

"Don't know sir.Let's wait until we get close by."
Dylan had a thought..."Don't do anything until I get back sir.I might have the answer in my cabin.I have a record of spacial anomalies . I'll go check,"
With that he left,completely forgetting why he had come to the bridge in the first place.

[TTD]

Dylan rummaged around his workspace.Eventually he found a rough looking box inside of which were some old data storage chips.
He loaded them up in his terminal.
After spending a good 20 minutes scanning through them he uploaded the relevant information to the ship's data banks and sauntered off to the bridge.

They were quite close to the ship by the time he got there.

"Sir,may I request you do a geometrics scan and display the result on the holographic projector?" asked Dylan almost before the door had closed behind him.

A little while later they were viewing a 3dimensional representation of the ship outside.

"Add in a representation of our ship,to scale" commanded Ronny.

"Please if you will," suggested Dylan, "check the data I have uploaded,sir. It appears to be one of the lost Goner Arans.Not a very fast ship,barely able to achieve 12m/s.Has three unusable turrets,but has good shield capabilities and masses of storage for all classes of ship that I can think of at the present.Seems like it can dock to other Arans too."

Ronny looked at the information."Once used for ship production and repairs.Makes an ideal mobile headquarters and Fleet Outpost.Also used to collect lost ships. So how did they come to lose such a big ship?It seems there are many out here if we keep searching....Ah...I see...experiments in cloaking device went wrong so was aborted. That would explain why it does not show up on our Triplex Scanner...."
He continued reading...

"Now if we could capture it and get it to our HQ,we could Reverse Engineer it and rebuild with a few improvements.Speed for one...our tugs can tow it faster than it can travel at the moment...."

He turned to Dylan.

"Dylan . How do you feel about leading boarding ops? You need to find a way to disable that malfunctioning cloaking device first.The work your way through the decks to the central computer core.Be careful.there may not be anyone on board yet,but there may well be sentry devices there."

"Thankyou sir." And on this occasion the excitement got the better of him. He collided with the door before it had completely opened.

As he staggered back he heard Ronny ask ,"Still here Dylan?"

[TTD]

Dylan eased himself into his spacesuit.
He never really liked spacewalks.
One mistake and he was as cold as ice in the vacuum of space.
But the opportunity to be one of the first to enter the Aran,after how long?!Well that was a prize worth going for.

As they arrived the rest of the team got to work cutting open the hull.
It seemed to take forever and he was getting nervous just waiting in space where just one small speck of rock could pierce through his suit.

"We're through!" shouted the lead mercenary as they all entered the first deck.
As suspected Laser sentry EQ was still functional and all hell was let loose for a few seconds before the first was put out of action.
They all examined the unit and the type of location so they were more aware of where the next ones may be.
Deck by deck they went through loosing just one member of the team.They let him lay there until operations were complete.
Dylan narrowly missed sentry fire .That shook him a bit ,but he continued ...a bit more carefully after that.
Finally they entered the main terminal room.Now the moment he had been waiting for.
All that electronics training and bio-computer studies were about to be put to the test.

Mercenaries stood guard,ever alert for any other dangers.
A few minutes later and he gained control of the ship and deactivated the malfunctioning cloaking device.

" Well done Dylan and boarding team.We now have the Aran targeted . Prepare for docking procedures.We need to get these ships back to our own sector before those red blips get stronger on our scanners." Ronny said.

[TTD]

Later,at the HQ Ronny had all the technicians assembled and of course Dylan just happened to hear of something going on ,so he sauntered into the meeting too ,out of curiosity.

He never knew just where he fitted into this establishment,but found his employer all too willing to send him on errands which he normally enjoyed...not space walking though.He did not want to do that again in a hurry.

"...now a top speed of 12.1 m/s is not good enough.I could probably be able to tow it at 80m/s.So something has to be done about it." Ronny was saying ,as Dylan entered.

"I want you all to work together on this and see where we can improve it's speed.Our friends the Split have a Turbo Boost technology,but this eats into resources that could be used elsewhere.But perhaps we could develop a hybrid tech with them ,to overcome this problem.Meanwhile I want the engineers and shipbuilders to repair the Aran from our intrusive surgery and maximize the storage capacity....Get some shields and usual EQ fitted too."

Ronny paused and saw Dylan shuffling in at the back."Good timing again Dylan...Could you pop down to the Split Military Outpost and negotiate a co-operational development...such as they would also benefit from anything we develop between us?"
Dylan nodded,but stayed until the end of discussions before leaving.

[TTD]

Expansion in the cargo hold under went work.
It was expanded from 20,000 units to 120,000 unit capacity.
The technicians got to work with the engineers.
Close collaboration with the Split continued for weeks on end until they made a breakthrough.

Chief Engineer Robert Alexander Fealty called in on Ronny to explain...

"These are very old propulsion systems on the Aran sir.We have tried to bring them more up to date , and with the help of the split we have improved over the towing speed by a small margin." Robert explained.

"By how much?" asked Ronny.

"We have managed to increase the speed to 95.1 m/s.That should be adequate for most sector navigation."

"Good.I want the #deca to dock at the Aran.then for the Aran to dock to the Military Outpost.Please see about making the same engine adjustments to the #deca too."

" Why docked in this manner sir?"

"One...it will give easier access to both ships.Two it will enabled sifting of trained Mercenaries to ships docked at the Aran.(More ships will be added as needed.Three it will clear a docking bay at the HQ without taking up the remaining Capital docking bay at the MO."

[TTD]

...Sector Observation Analysis...Argon Scout...Split High Tech Transporter...Boron High Tech Trader...

Ronny was reading the reports from his adv Sats.He was not happy about Argon visiting his sector,but the fact that the Split have a presence ,may deter any military or other covert ops.
High Tech traders were ok.They were usually opportunists,and were probably selling to the MO,which could only mean good news for all parties concerned.

Now having one Aran,he was wondering if he could find any more. Credits were slowly rising,but at 11M was still a little low for the continuation of his Terran contract.He contacted the Commander,told him of recent incursions by the Argon,and informed him about recent discoveries and innovations.

"I am sure our government would pay you well if you offered to share this technology,especially if you could provide us with the Aran..."

"Haha...you jest,sir." Ronny cut in,"but I could look for another for you and then negotiate.This advancement in thruster technology is primarily owned by the Split,so you will have to negotiate that bit from them,but I will give my consent to any deal they agree with."

"...er.ok Fine.We are a bit concerned about the fact that you have in your possession the #deca. Certain government quarters were abit perplexed about it....you know how they feel about AGI?"

"Understood,sir.We have taken the precaution of fitting remote self destruct ,just in case of any malfunction.It's surprising how we can accidentally lose a few warheads on such a big ship!"Replied Ronny.

[TTD]

Further away at Argon High command...

Report from universal scout ships.
Monthly update...

...Sector E,then N of Zyarth's Dominion...
report. A number of adv Sats in what appeared to be an empty sector.
...upon turning round to exit,notice a large shipyard with Boron design features.
Orca docked.
Ryu docked
Terran ships docked.
A rare Griffon docked
Ozias docked...Goner interests?
other ships also.

Below that a Split Military Outpost.
AGI M1 docked to a Goner M1 ,which in turn is docked at the MO.

Just seemed strange to have that mix of ships and docks in an otherwise deserted part of the universe.
...

The Commander in Chief read out the information to his advisers.

" The Boron are our allies."said one.

"We need to proceed with caution.The Goner have got a lot of backing now ,since the Terrans made themselves known to every race in the universe." said another.

"I don't like Split involvement either." said another,to the echoed agreement of others around him.

"And what about the Yaki involvement? Is this a previously unknown Pirate or Yaki sector?" asked another.

"Terran ships and AGI ? I don't like what this looks like." said another,with even more noise from other advisers.

The Commander in Chief told them that there would first be communications with the Boron to find out how much they know."We can call upon the other races if needed later. For now Getsu Fune and Belt of Aguilar are going to be our listening posts."

[TTD]

"#Deca
Current Max Speed 25.2 m/s
upgradable to 36.0 m/s"

"...SOA reports OTAS presence.Two Solano Escorts and an OTAS trade vessel...
Argon Weapons dealer"

"Fine. Just let them go to the MO and do trade with the Split. The Split are not a talkative race,so it may be ok.Keep an eye them though."

[TTD]

"2nd Aran captured.Sent MO.Future of this vessel undecided.RE or sell to Terrans?"

"Marines training ...More Scabberds docked at MO for collection of marines and re-issue of training orders."

"Credits built up to around 24M. Need more before I continue working for the Commander."

Ronny was watching the sector and the ships entering etc. Making notes for later reading , and giving commands to those that required it.

It was less stressful,sitting in his office looking out at the blue cloudy planet below,than traveling out to the unknown,never sure if the areas a were safe or not.
This way he had time to think of future plans and get to grips with what he had achieved.

For now he was allied to the Split ,but "paying off his dept to society" - the Terran's, for his involvement in the "Argon Affair".
Yet he had to watch his back as far as Argon was concerned.So seeing Argon scouts and trade ships entering his sector was worrying,to say the least.

If he declared all Argon as "foe",then he would have war on his hands,and that without a full navy.
True he "worked" for the Terrans,but would they openly protect him from the Argon?
True he was allied with the Split who disliked the Boron who were allies with the Argon,but was he valuable to the Split?
He considered the answers were in the negative.

[TTD]

He got up from his desk and went to the observation lounge.Security was about to follow,but he dismissed them.After all,this was his station and only his staff was welcome here,unless by special invitation.
No trading was done from the HQ.
When he was ready to go into full production ,he would have another station set up for resource trades.There was no need for alien vessels to get anywhere near ,unless visiting the Split MO.
All ships entering the sector were routinely scanned for "contraband",and anything unusual was investigated by Split police,upon docking.
One does not argue with the Split Police.They have very little patience for non-Split races.Hence one reason why they have their own station ,rather than sharing the facilities of the PHQ.

Upon arrival he wandered over to the vast window panels. He could almost feel as if he could just walk out into space,because the angle of the panels and special lighting negated reflection.

Not many colonists there yet.Not even enough to show up on the planets data as population.But he had a team of prospectors down there,analyzing the minerals etc.
So like other inhabited planets from this distance , yet so different when you visited.It seemed more natural than the terraformed planets that he had visited. The gas make-up of the atmosphere was not perfectly suited to Terrans or Argons yet.

The planet needed investment.There were plenty of mineral 'roids in the sector,but he did not want a trading yet.

[TTD]

He sat down at a lounge suite,low coffee table,and a discreet slot for retrievable computer comms pad.
An attendant brought a mug of coffee for him as he reached for the pad.

"Now then.Need to check personal stats..." he thought to himself as he relaxed against the back of his seat,coffee in one hand and the pad in the other.

He tapped in his authorization and requested the relevant data.

He had nearly 30M credits now,plus extras at various stations.
Trade Rank was Capitalist 37%
Fight Rank had improved since ufjd sector battles.
He now stood at Master Chief 20%.
Not that he was too concerned about that.Most of that had been acquired using his Hyperion.But he needed to raise a Navy at some point.No good declaring yourself an independent race when you have nothing to protect you.
The Alliance with the Split was ok for now,but things would change ...once he could get himself untangled from the Terrans.

Race rep was a bit more interesting
The Argons "officially" thought of him as a Federation Guardian at 98%.
He still maintained his licence,despite his being on the "wanted dead or alive" list .
Well there's duplicity for you!
Similar with the Boron...Queen's Guard 70%.
Licence and open invitation with the Queen,but there are allied with the Argon.

Now the Split made more sense...
Privileged Associate of Rhonkar 26%
Full licence.Privileged alright.He did not know of anyone else whom the Split were so willing to assist.Still not to be fully trusted though.There are still rumors floating around about some liaison with mutual enemies of all races.

Paranid Friend of Emperor 0%
Licence held. Good to be on good terms there as they are at loggerheads with the Argon.
His friendship came about with the continued trade he has done in the central south of the universe,which is mostly run by them.

And thanks to his contact in PTNI HQ he is now a Majority Shareholder 26% ,with full Teladi licence.
They know thing or two,and not always willing to share,unless they can "make good profitsss with you".
He had little if any dealings with the Goner.
Had ATF Command Access...Most useful with the current task and the Commander's Letter of Marque.
Even the Terran Government seemed to be somewhat forgiving now,honoring him as Planetary Senator 67%.

And he still had the Honorary title of General 100% for his part in reducing the Kha'ak threat.

He then checked trading data for the Western edge of Sol System.
Plenty if TS's trading through to Neptune and Uranus.But Uranus 2 and 3 needed attention to bring up trading.
However the was one slow spot.That was the sector where the Commander was.There was enough trade to keep things "ticking over",but that was about it.This sector needed another look at.

All in all he was quite happy with his current achievements.But as was often pointed out on education status reports ..."Could do better."

[TTD]

He glanced up,as he took another mouthful of coffee.
Walking in was a tall dark-skinned human guy,wearing what appeared to be Split uniform,but with Teladi insignia on his lapels.

Who ever it was,must have satisfied the security personnel at the docking posts.

Ronny kept a mindful eye on him as he continued to study the information.

All of his station factories were making profit.Some quicker than others.
He juggled station balances around and he now had over 40M credits ,plus at least 1M at each factory."Now we are getting somewhere",he was thinking." double that and we are back in business with the Terran commitments again.

The stranger talked briefly to the assistant who nodded in Ronny's direction. The stranger looked towards him and looked back at the assistant and continued what seemed to be polite conversation and eventually picked up a mug ,before walking towards where Ronny was seated.

Ronny closed the screen,logging off in the process and returned the pad to it's home...

[TTD]

The dark tall stranger walked "with purpose".Tall , proud ,almost arrogant but with a soft smile that belied a soft nature beneath the outward appearance.

Ronny could not help but look up and watch him approach."Can I be of assistance?" Ronny asked,rather like his Teladi friend in PTNI HQ.

"Maybe we can assist each other?" came the reply in a friendly,courteous manner.

Ronny looked puzzled .Who was this guy? What would he want and for what in return? Teladi insignia showed that he was by no means just a casual wannabe trader or mercenary looking for adventure,but what with the Split uniform? He was obviously more than just a scout pilot.

"It all depends on what you have on your mind,stranger.Excuse me,but I normally know everyone who walks in here.Anyone not in my employ usually has to wait to see me at the holding bay.You obviously know who I am,but who are you and how is it that my security did not at least forewarn me of your visit,if not accompany you here?"

"Oh.Security? I came with my own security,but yours are outside the door exchanging knowledge with mine ,by all accounts.Feel free to debrief them later,if you will.As for who I am...or what I am is irrelevant for the purpose of this meeting,but all will be revealed in due course."

Ronny was taken aback by the response and was about to call for security when he heard in his head..
"No you don't need to do that.I am no danger to you."
...but the guy's lips had not moved!
Ronny just stared at him for a brief second ,when the implications of the experience hit him.
Here was a man who could read the minds of others and communicate without voice!

"Oh!" exclaimed Ronny.
The assistant looked across,but seeing no physical trouble continued his duties.
Ronny fixed the stranger a stare. " I have heard of your people . Long ago in stories as a child. I thought you were just creatures of fantasy.But why do you think I can help you,when you have done all but transcend?" Ronny asked .

"That my friend is the reason we need your help."

"How so?" asked Ronny ,now more puzzled than he was when the stranger had entered.

"Our home world is no longer safe.We have searched the universe for a safe sector that in otherwise uninhabited.We know you have possession of this sector and only interested in the main planet you can see from here.But we are interested in the ringed planet.Do you understand what I am suggesting to you?" He smiled,knew the answer,but was polite enough to let Ronny express his thoughts vocally.

"So you want a safe haven and in return you will assist us when in negotiations with other members of the universe?" Ronny queried.

" Got it in one. We offer Advisers for diplomatic and business matters and you protect the ringed planet from intrusion."

" Just one request..." Ronny offered.

"Yes ,that is fine.We will always assume humanoid form when in your presence." came the words in his head again.

....Some time later he was woken from sleep in his quarters.For a moment he thought he had been dreaming,but on his desk , the far side of the room were freshly signed agreements between him and the "old ones".

[TTD]

He pressed the comms button.

"Yes? Why are you disturbing my sleep?"

"Sorry sir.Was not aware..." he paused,not want to dig a hole for himself,he went straight to the matter on hand. "About 500 ships have just appeared at the far eastern reaches of our sat network in this sector sir.They appear to be a mixture of first and second generation Commonwealth ships.Not what we usually see these days sir.They are heading to the ringed planet."

"That is fine.Just monitor them to be sure that that is their destination.If so,then they are our guests.Just deny any knowledge of this to any Split inquiry.Our guests are to be left in piece,protected if necessary.They will be working closely with us for the foreseeable future."

"Thankyou sir.Comms out."

Ronny laid back down."I hope I have done the right thing." he thought to himself as he drifted back to sleep.

[Scion Drakhar]

I'm curious to see where this tale goes. At the risk of being presumptuous, however, may I suggest spaces after your punctuation? It allows for an easier read.