Ascension, Chapter 1 in a new series from a new writer

[God_of_Crabs]

Ascension Chapter 1
Fiction in the X2 game universe.

I presume you know a bit about X2. If you don’t get it, it’s because I’m a horrible writer :) . Tell me what you think and I’ll see how far the series continues.


Chapter 1
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Such a small stroke of pen could gain so much.

Rolk smiled politely as the contract was taken up by the Shipwright’s accountant. It was a practical decision after all, lease a ship to a budding pilot who had hopes of carving out some niche in this universe. Hopefully, enough of a niche to pay off the ship, otherwise the government guarantee would pay in forced labor. Either way, the shipmaster won.

Rolk reflected that neither option should worry him. Well, there was a far worse but more unlikely option, but best to not worry on the details. It is just deserve for working myself to the bone in a mine, right? I’ve screwed up once, made up my debt, plus bonus, now I’m entitled to start afresh! Damn it I deserve this shot! With that thought he rose from the chair shook hands with the shipmaster, smiled graciously, and walked off.

Oddly enough, he didn’t feel any different now that he owned his own ship. He remembered a childhood goal that he had. Dreams of being one of those superhero pilots the news exhorted in the last Xenon conflict. The nonchalant swagger, the darkened eyes that shielded some confident inner light. Yea, Elite pilots were gods at the time, now they’ve replaced them with “Ancient” crap. Cracking a smile at his boyish foolishness, he strode down the corridors to the equipment deck. Stepping off the lift, Rolk looked around the pseudo—pavilion for some bearing to were the Equipment Master’s dock was. Not finding a sign he asked a nearby person, and was not so nicely told to inquire to a nearby machine.

“Welcome to the Free Argon Federation Public Database, How may I assist you?”

A program referring to itself in the first person, great. “Give me a map of this deck.” Why civility with circuits?

“Processing...Request unknown.”

“Stupid code cows, Display command help.” See just how this command need be ‘phrased.’

“Command Help…Opened. How may I help you?”

Didn’t I just do this? “Help me with a cartography request.”

“Cartography request can be requested by stating in a clear and even voice: Please open map of …sector. Or you can say: Please open map of…station. Or you can say: Please open map of deck.”

Forced politness. I hate computer techies. Rolk capitulated and stated, in a clear and even tone: “Please open map of equipment deck.”

“Accessing…”

Rolk quickly download what he needed onto a Flexy. Rather odd thing, not much more than a super—thin Rime type of sheet with the ability to download and display many forms of 2D media. And most importantly, very cheap. Referring to it once or twice, he found himself in the Equipment Master’s office. Not much to say. A typical techie, clean, organized, entirely metal, a nice workcenter. Some electronic analyzers hummed in the background next to some type of weapon.

“Anything I can get you?”

The sudden appearance of an overly perky clerk made Rolk flinch a bit. Regaining himself, he stated that he had a Buster on order and needed to talk to the Equipment Master about the actually delivery and options on it.

“Ah,” the young clerk responded, “the boss personally deals with ship buyers, so he’ll be out soon!” And with a quick smiled, she walked off. Rolk reflected on his asking to talk to ‘the boss.’

Soon enough, a stout balding man walk out. “How ya doin, I’m Daye Keppel, I’m the gear guru. I understand you’re one ‘Rolk Fischre’ you bought a Buster, and have a two thousand credit allotment for options, that right?” A quick nod and knowing smile from Rolk confirmed. “Great Mr. Fischre, the highers up says to give you a bit of leeways on that option amount. Seems your processing was extra expedient or somethin’ like that.”

Rolk’s smile broadened, “Great, can you get me as many engine tweaks as you can fit on it?”

“In a hurry eh? Yea, I can get you up to about 85 or so meters a second. Al’right?
This order comes down to a Buster plus one 1 megawatt shield plus a couple tunings. That should be it. Okay?”

“Yea, that’s the sum of it.” Rolk nodded to be redundant and sign the release. The ‘guru’ turned away, grabbed something from a shelf behind him and handed a small card to Rolk.

“This is your first entry card, after entering, and from then out, your ship should recognize you. I wouldn’t suggest trying to jump in to just anybodies ship.” Handing the card over the counter, Mr. Keppel added, “Now a bit of advise, don’t leave the core systems until your ship is in a non suck condition. Learn to fly there, harass Goners or something. The Buster as is okay for flyin’ back and forth and crap, but you can’t do anything but that and expect to live, Okay?” Rolk nodded, and again smiled that knowing smile that seems to pervade his life of late.

Rolk turned away toward the bulkhead exit, casually shouting his thanks to Mr. Keppel. Slipping the card into one of his many pant pockets he strode off to the hanger. Which port did he say it was again? Wait, he didn’t, damn. Turning quickly while muttering an oath he started back toward the office, and ended up wrapped in a Boron’s body.

After a very polite beg your pardon, and a quick reciprocation on Rolk’s part, he headed off to the office. After having to hassle the clerk to pull up the dock number instead of getting ‘the boss.’ Rolk headed off to the dock to get his ship and leave. Weaving through the maze yet again, he found himself looking at his Flexy, trying to find a lift to get him down a deck and into the hangar.

Once Rolk found the lift, and after quick trip down, he walked up and down the flight line looking for his new ride. Finding it five minutes later, the Buster, his Buster, was sitting nicely on a GravPlat and was literally waiting for him. After walking up and on to the passenger lift, he keyed the control panel to the ‘Buster’ hull type and it immediately took him up to the passenger entrance. Quickly pulling out his card, Rolk look for some sort of swipe to stick it in, but found nothing.

“Mr. Fischre!” Looking downward, Rolk saw Mr. Keppel standing, gazing up with a small grin and a small spanner in hand. “There is a small lense to the right of the door, stick the hologram in front of it.”

Rolk quickly shouted “Alright” as he performed the action. Then repeated the action with the correct side. Immediately the door flung into the ship, pivoted on it large hinges, and swung from view.

“Good luck Mr. Fischre, and the best life can give in your new ship!” Mr. Keppel turn and walk back to a bench while Rolk disappeared into his new ship.

Rolk started to consider what he needed to do from here. Hmmm…..I need to meet up with Kuli. Promised him I would after this. Rolk broke into a grin and started to laugh, “And I bet I know just were that bastard is!” Rolk quickly jumped into the Pilots seat and punched for the computer to disengage for the dock and exit the station.

He sat and watched as his ship was slowly towed from the interior docking bay by a GravPlat and a tow bot. Lining him up with a docking brace, he felt the GravPlat give way to the suspension of the docking brace, and then noticed the brace pushing him slowly out into the exterior docking bay and space. The ship’s new home.

Upon release from the transfer brace to exit the station royally, Rolk felt the shift from the stronger station inertially induced artificial gravity, to the ships own anti-gravity generator. “Not entirely pleasant,” he said as he felt his organs shift. A moment later, he became use to it.

Buckling himself in the cockpit couch, he punched up the systems interface, to be greeted by a very irritating voice over of the “Welcome to your ship” novice pilots tutorial. Rolk quickly knocked it off screen to pull up the sector navigation map. “Hmm….Just orientate myself to the horizontal…” pulling back on the stick he oriented himself to the horizontal plane of the map for his ease of reference. Rolk knowingly scanned the glass cockpit, looking for what he was told lay south. “Ahhh….so it is off to meet Kuli and company I should presume.”

Pointing his HUD direction of travel indicator into the middle of the distant circle, Rolk eased the throttle forward. Once done, he locked the controls down, set up the collision alarms that would indicate when something got with 500 meters, leaned back, and allowed himself a nap.

[FourFingers]

Thats a good start,
Descriptive and easy to read.

Keep the chapters comming.
More stories posted, the more to read..

(i better get back to writting my next bit.)

Awaiting for more.

[KiwiNZ]

good start, nice style! A few grammar hick-ups but nothing major.

Looking forward to the next installment!

[Gvork]

Thats good stuff. Keep it up.

[ched]

like it!!! when's the next bit