Post by mgc on Jun 13, 2009 0:10:22 GMT
so here i am.. engines half busted, shields critical and this
anoying pirate knawing at my hull.
What the heck was i thinking taking on this stupid bet.. Racing
through 10 sectors infested with hostile pirates for a lousy
50k's.. I swear, ill never touch that Split whisky again..
Guess those truckers wernt kidding when they warned me about
that stuff. Gave me a hangover that would put even old captain
Foreward out of commission for a cycle or two.
""Hull at 38% commander""
Yes, All damn it! I know.. Ok, launch fighterdrones eight and
nine.. im glad i stocked up on those last week.. Man, that was
a bargain, twenty drones for 15k's. Must have been hot. But hey,
who cares.. Not me. Not in these parts of space anyway.
Atleast theyre in good shape. As if to confirm my optimism,
the monotone shipcomputers voice reports:
""Class m5 pirateship destroyed. Hull at 37%""
To bad those drones are a one time use type of thing. Now lets
see. Ah, the next sector has a shipyard. Good.. atleast that'll
save me a detour. Computer, statusreport please.
""Hullintegrety at 37%, shields: 4%, ion pulse cannons:
malfunctioning, engines at 61% efficiency, reactoroutput:
99.74%, lifesupport status: green""
Hmmm.. could be worse. Plot a course to that shipyard in the
next sector and warn the greasmonkeys were on our way. Tell them
theres a 500 credit bonus if they can fix us within a cycle.
""Ay ay, commander""
Oh and run a continual scan for pirates on intercept course, Im
going to take a nap.
It felt like i was gone for maybe half a cycle when something
brought me out of my well earned coma.. i tried to ignore it,
but slowly regained consiousness and realised it was a level two
alarm. I must have slept right through my computers first
warning. Damn whisky.. wassup computer?
""were aproaching the shipyard commander. Your coffee is ready""
Hmmm,.. thanks. Request a conversation with one of the top brass
will u?
""Yes sir""
As i walked to the bridge of my Nova.. i glanced at my
reflection in one of the portholes. ""Make that audio only.""
""Ay sir, major Howser is onboard this station. Shall i put
him through?""
Howser here? Whats he doing in this by All forsaken sector. last
time i saw him he was training recruits back at the academy. yeah put
him through. I sit down in my chair and watch the shipyard
directly ahead getting bigger. A bleeb confirms the connection
is established and a raw voice echoes through the speakers.
""Good to see u Ace.. What brings u to my humble station?""
""Damned pirates, Sir. They picked up my trail two sectors back and
blew away my shields before i knew what was going on. The bloody
leeches ambushed me from out of that nebula over there. And
what about yourself Jack? Got weary training rookies?"" A sigh and
short silence.. ""its a long story Ace, have u eaten yet?""
A sudden rumbling in my stomach at the prospect of food reminds
me i hadnt for a while. ""No sir, i could eat a Mule."" ""Good, what
is your ETA?"" ""I should be docking in about 10 minutes sir.""
""Exelent, just in time for lunch. Care to join me? Its been a
while since i had the opportunity to enjoy some civilised
company"" ""It would be my pleasure sir. Oh, can u do me a favor?
im in a hurry and would apreciate it if u could give my ship
top priority?"" His laughter filled the cockpit. ""Ah, let me guess..
Special delivery? Consider it done."" I grinned ;""Thanks Jack. Nothing
illegal this time. Ill fill u in about the details at lunch.
Ace out."" I reach for my coffee, remember the state im in and
sigh. ""Computer, press my uniform and ready the shower. Have
the cargodrone bring me a bottle from that case of old cognac.""
""Ay sir"" i gulp down my coffee while walking to the tiny
shower and get welcomed by the sound of water hitting the floor.
i quickly undress and allow the hot water to calm my nervs and
wash away the body odour that accumulated over the past three
cycles as a result of heavy drinking, smoke filled bars and
intense fighting. Computer, airdry and shave. Leave the mustache.
I close my eyes while a blast of warm dry air blows away the
waterdripplets and enjoy the tickling sensation of tiny lasers
scanning my face and removing the excess facialhair.
""done sir. Aromate?""
Mildly. The usual. A pleasent scent fills the air in my tiny
bathroom as i step out of the shower. The smart looking uniform
of the Argon fighter pilot is suspended from the ceiling.
I step into it in one fluent motion as i must have done a milion
times and search my spare time clothing for the commander
insignia. ""docking in two minutes sir."" ""Thank you. Did that
cargo drone find that cognac already?"" ""yes sir, its
ready for you at the airlock"" Magnificant. I quickly brush my
hair with a few strokes and look in the mirror. Could be worse.
Chapter 1
Drilinstructor Jack " The Iron" Howser
Major Howser and I go back a long way. I remember the day we met.
Must be over 20 years ago now.. Yeah, I just turned 16.. My
parents were in the ore mining bussiness and although it wasnt
one of the safest occupations back then, it was far from exiting
enough for me. I was mischievous and broke just about evry rule
i could find on that little astroid. Later in life i regretted
the sorrow and trouble i caused my poor mom and dad (All took
them home. May they be reborn in a happier life), but back
then I couldnt care less. So on my 16th birthday my dad called
me to his small office and had me sit down on the chair on the
other side of his desk.. ""Son,"" He said, ""All knows u dont
deserve it, but I have no other choice then to give u what u want.""
I raised an eyebrow and tried to remember what the last thing
was i was nagging him about. A low grav speeder for my birthday?
Nah.. not in a milion years. He opened a drawer and took out an
info-pad. My heart skipped two beats because i recognised the
monogram: two wings with crossing particle accelerators, the
insignia of the Argon Fleet.
Then I regained my common sense and was dissapointed I even fell
for it. ""Ha,ha.. good joke dad. You know aswell as I do they
dont take boys my age."" My father sighed. ""Yes youre still a
kid and it hurts me more then you know to even allow this. But
its probably for the best. Maybe they can beat some sense into
you. All knows i dont seem able to"" If it wasnt for the sad
look on his face, I would have told him the joke lasted long
enough or something similar. But his expression made me feel
like when a nearby star shines its light on my face down the
length of one of the astroids long mineshafts. ""what are u
saying dad?"" He lifted his eyes from the pad hed been staring
at and said: ""You know the warden and I are good friends.""
Miners are a rough crowd and my father and the warden often met
for bussiness. ""He informed me about this outlet for youngsters
with an apetite for mischief bordering to the criminal as he
described it. its a military program for kids between the age of
16 and 18 with trouble adjusting to our society. And All knows
you qualify."" I jumped out of the chair, smiling from ear to
ear: ""For real dad?"" ""No kidding son"" He replied, partly
amused cause of my enthousiasm and worried about it at the same time i guess.
24 hours later i wasnt smiling anymore. Far from it infact. How
I longed for my comfy bed, the company of the rough and smelly
but big hearted miners and last but not least: my mom and dad.
The day started great. I was picked up by a large transporter
already filled with kids from all over the sector. Most
disgruntled, some in shock and a few, like me, overjoyed
to be there. Already I made two friends when one of the older
guys was picking on a fragile looking kid over a seat at the
window. One advantage of hanging around with miners is that you
can learn some great tricks. Not all nessesarily ""above the
belt"". Lets just say all that saw the fight that followed had
an inexplicable respect for miners from that day onward. The
small guy was apropriately named Tim, which soon earned him the
adjective Tiny. What he lacked in size, he made up for in
brainpower though. Something we found out a bit later. The other
friend i made that trip was the son of a miner from a
neighbouring astroid. we instantly connected and were swapping
stories untill we got in range of the academy. Tiny Tim saw it first and
pointed it out to me and my other new friend when it was no
larger then a speck in space. Ofcourse i asked him how he could
tell. He grinned, pulled a small pad from its holder in his long
sleeved shirt and said: ""well,.. lets say I have some inside
info."" He showed us the pad and I saw he hacked into the ships
boardcomputer. I liked TT emediately.
After we docked and were driven out of the transporter like a swarm of
spaceflies, we walked through a long brightly lit corridor with
our luggage and reached a huge spotless white hall. I asked my
new friends to stay close. Around two thirds down the length of
the hall stood a man. Although accustomed to strong fellows,
there was something about this guy that commanded instant
respect. Perhaps it was his statue: straight, feet slightly
apart, hands on his back, head held high.. Maybe it was the
expression on his face, or rather the lack of it. Or could it be
his eyes. Eyes that seemed to look right through you. Eyes that
seen it all and therefor didnt require focussing to be able to
see. I knew right away never to mess with this guy.
We were lined up in rows by the corporal that escorted us from
the transport. 40 long, 5 lines deep. my friends and I were on
the right side of the first line. When he was satisfied with
the (be it colorfull) order he created in chaos, he marched up
to the man and saluted. He returned the salute and the corporal
handed him a pad, saluted again and marched back to the far end
of the hall. Behind us. The sergeant (that much i could tell
from the signs on his uniform) red through the pad. At one point
he raised an eyebrow, sniffed, and the shadow of a smile briefly
ran across his face. ""Tim Gates, step forward."" TT almost
jumped out of his skin when he heared his name. He looked at me
and i saw the panic in his eyes. His already pale face looked
like al the blood ran from it to his toes. ""shit man,"" He
whispered to me from the corner of his mouth ""no wonder it was
so easy. It was a trap"" Though the sergeant must have been
atleast 30 feet away from us, he stopped reading the pad and
looked TT straight in the eye. ""Not a trap recruit. Rather a
test. One u passed flawlessly. Well, almost flawlessly. Now step
forward!"" TT quickly took a step forward. On the back of his
shirt was a complex drawing. I must have got lost in what to me
seemed the blueprint for somesort of highly advanced motherboard.
Because when the sergeant called out my name and ordered me to
step forward aswell after reading some more, it took two seconds
before I realised it. I took a step forward and lined up with TT.
He looked at me again and smiled. He probably already realised
what lateron became obvious: This was the selectionprocedure and
we made the grade. Eight more names were called out. Sadly my
other friend wasnt one of them. When the ten of us were lined up,
the corporal came forward and positioned himself in front of us.
""You maggots are A-Wing. Remember that. Pick up your bags and
follow me.""
anoying pirate knawing at my hull.
What the heck was i thinking taking on this stupid bet.. Racing
through 10 sectors infested with hostile pirates for a lousy
50k's.. I swear, ill never touch that Split whisky again..
Guess those truckers wernt kidding when they warned me about
that stuff. Gave me a hangover that would put even old captain
Foreward out of commission for a cycle or two.
""Hull at 38% commander""
Yes, All damn it! I know.. Ok, launch fighterdrones eight and
nine.. im glad i stocked up on those last week.. Man, that was
a bargain, twenty drones for 15k's. Must have been hot. But hey,
who cares.. Not me. Not in these parts of space anyway.
Atleast theyre in good shape. As if to confirm my optimism,
the monotone shipcomputers voice reports:
""Class m5 pirateship destroyed. Hull at 37%""
To bad those drones are a one time use type of thing. Now lets
see. Ah, the next sector has a shipyard. Good.. atleast that'll
save me a detour. Computer, statusreport please.
""Hullintegrety at 37%, shields: 4%, ion pulse cannons:
malfunctioning, engines at 61% efficiency, reactoroutput:
99.74%, lifesupport status: green""
Hmmm.. could be worse. Plot a course to that shipyard in the
next sector and warn the greasmonkeys were on our way. Tell them
theres a 500 credit bonus if they can fix us within a cycle.
""Ay ay, commander""
Oh and run a continual scan for pirates on intercept course, Im
going to take a nap.
It felt like i was gone for maybe half a cycle when something
brought me out of my well earned coma.. i tried to ignore it,
but slowly regained consiousness and realised it was a level two
alarm. I must have slept right through my computers first
warning. Damn whisky.. wassup computer?
""were aproaching the shipyard commander. Your coffee is ready""
Hmmm,.. thanks. Request a conversation with one of the top brass
will u?
""Yes sir""
As i walked to the bridge of my Nova.. i glanced at my
reflection in one of the portholes. ""Make that audio only.""
""Ay sir, major Howser is onboard this station. Shall i put
him through?""
Howser here? Whats he doing in this by All forsaken sector. last
time i saw him he was training recruits back at the academy. yeah put
him through. I sit down in my chair and watch the shipyard
directly ahead getting bigger. A bleeb confirms the connection
is established and a raw voice echoes through the speakers.
""Good to see u Ace.. What brings u to my humble station?""
""Damned pirates, Sir. They picked up my trail two sectors back and
blew away my shields before i knew what was going on. The bloody
leeches ambushed me from out of that nebula over there. And
what about yourself Jack? Got weary training rookies?"" A sigh and
short silence.. ""its a long story Ace, have u eaten yet?""
A sudden rumbling in my stomach at the prospect of food reminds
me i hadnt for a while. ""No sir, i could eat a Mule."" ""Good, what
is your ETA?"" ""I should be docking in about 10 minutes sir.""
""Exelent, just in time for lunch. Care to join me? Its been a
while since i had the opportunity to enjoy some civilised
company"" ""It would be my pleasure sir. Oh, can u do me a favor?
im in a hurry and would apreciate it if u could give my ship
top priority?"" His laughter filled the cockpit. ""Ah, let me guess..
Special delivery? Consider it done."" I grinned ;""Thanks Jack. Nothing
illegal this time. Ill fill u in about the details at lunch.
Ace out."" I reach for my coffee, remember the state im in and
sigh. ""Computer, press my uniform and ready the shower. Have
the cargodrone bring me a bottle from that case of old cognac.""
""Ay sir"" i gulp down my coffee while walking to the tiny
shower and get welcomed by the sound of water hitting the floor.
i quickly undress and allow the hot water to calm my nervs and
wash away the body odour that accumulated over the past three
cycles as a result of heavy drinking, smoke filled bars and
intense fighting. Computer, airdry and shave. Leave the mustache.
I close my eyes while a blast of warm dry air blows away the
waterdripplets and enjoy the tickling sensation of tiny lasers
scanning my face and removing the excess facialhair.
""done sir. Aromate?""
Mildly. The usual. A pleasent scent fills the air in my tiny
bathroom as i step out of the shower. The smart looking uniform
of the Argon fighter pilot is suspended from the ceiling.
I step into it in one fluent motion as i must have done a milion
times and search my spare time clothing for the commander
insignia. ""docking in two minutes sir."" ""Thank you. Did that
cargo drone find that cognac already?"" ""yes sir, its
ready for you at the airlock"" Magnificant. I quickly brush my
hair with a few strokes and look in the mirror. Could be worse.
Chapter 1
Drilinstructor Jack " The Iron" Howser
Major Howser and I go back a long way. I remember the day we met.
Must be over 20 years ago now.. Yeah, I just turned 16.. My
parents were in the ore mining bussiness and although it wasnt
one of the safest occupations back then, it was far from exiting
enough for me. I was mischievous and broke just about evry rule
i could find on that little astroid. Later in life i regretted
the sorrow and trouble i caused my poor mom and dad (All took
them home. May they be reborn in a happier life), but back
then I couldnt care less. So on my 16th birthday my dad called
me to his small office and had me sit down on the chair on the
other side of his desk.. ""Son,"" He said, ""All knows u dont
deserve it, but I have no other choice then to give u what u want.""
I raised an eyebrow and tried to remember what the last thing
was i was nagging him about. A low grav speeder for my birthday?
Nah.. not in a milion years. He opened a drawer and took out an
info-pad. My heart skipped two beats because i recognised the
monogram: two wings with crossing particle accelerators, the
insignia of the Argon Fleet.
Then I regained my common sense and was dissapointed I even fell
for it. ""Ha,ha.. good joke dad. You know aswell as I do they
dont take boys my age."" My father sighed. ""Yes youre still a
kid and it hurts me more then you know to even allow this. But
its probably for the best. Maybe they can beat some sense into
you. All knows i dont seem able to"" If it wasnt for the sad
look on his face, I would have told him the joke lasted long
enough or something similar. But his expression made me feel
like when a nearby star shines its light on my face down the
length of one of the astroids long mineshafts. ""what are u
saying dad?"" He lifted his eyes from the pad hed been staring
at and said: ""You know the warden and I are good friends.""
Miners are a rough crowd and my father and the warden often met
for bussiness. ""He informed me about this outlet for youngsters
with an apetite for mischief bordering to the criminal as he
described it. its a military program for kids between the age of
16 and 18 with trouble adjusting to our society. And All knows
you qualify."" I jumped out of the chair, smiling from ear to
ear: ""For real dad?"" ""No kidding son"" He replied, partly
amused cause of my enthousiasm and worried about it at the same time i guess.
24 hours later i wasnt smiling anymore. Far from it infact. How
I longed for my comfy bed, the company of the rough and smelly
but big hearted miners and last but not least: my mom and dad.
The day started great. I was picked up by a large transporter
already filled with kids from all over the sector. Most
disgruntled, some in shock and a few, like me, overjoyed
to be there. Already I made two friends when one of the older
guys was picking on a fragile looking kid over a seat at the
window. One advantage of hanging around with miners is that you
can learn some great tricks. Not all nessesarily ""above the
belt"". Lets just say all that saw the fight that followed had
an inexplicable respect for miners from that day onward. The
small guy was apropriately named Tim, which soon earned him the
adjective Tiny. What he lacked in size, he made up for in
brainpower though. Something we found out a bit later. The other
friend i made that trip was the son of a miner from a
neighbouring astroid. we instantly connected and were swapping
stories untill we got in range of the academy. Tiny Tim saw it first and
pointed it out to me and my other new friend when it was no
larger then a speck in space. Ofcourse i asked him how he could
tell. He grinned, pulled a small pad from its holder in his long
sleeved shirt and said: ""well,.. lets say I have some inside
info."" He showed us the pad and I saw he hacked into the ships
boardcomputer. I liked TT emediately.
After we docked and were driven out of the transporter like a swarm of
spaceflies, we walked through a long brightly lit corridor with
our luggage and reached a huge spotless white hall. I asked my
new friends to stay close. Around two thirds down the length of
the hall stood a man. Although accustomed to strong fellows,
there was something about this guy that commanded instant
respect. Perhaps it was his statue: straight, feet slightly
apart, hands on his back, head held high.. Maybe it was the
expression on his face, or rather the lack of it. Or could it be
his eyes. Eyes that seemed to look right through you. Eyes that
seen it all and therefor didnt require focussing to be able to
see. I knew right away never to mess with this guy.
We were lined up in rows by the corporal that escorted us from
the transport. 40 long, 5 lines deep. my friends and I were on
the right side of the first line. When he was satisfied with
the (be it colorfull) order he created in chaos, he marched up
to the man and saluted. He returned the salute and the corporal
handed him a pad, saluted again and marched back to the far end
of the hall. Behind us. The sergeant (that much i could tell
from the signs on his uniform) red through the pad. At one point
he raised an eyebrow, sniffed, and the shadow of a smile briefly
ran across his face. ""Tim Gates, step forward."" TT almost
jumped out of his skin when he heared his name. He looked at me
and i saw the panic in his eyes. His already pale face looked
like al the blood ran from it to his toes. ""shit man,"" He
whispered to me from the corner of his mouth ""no wonder it was
so easy. It was a trap"" Though the sergeant must have been
atleast 30 feet away from us, he stopped reading the pad and
looked TT straight in the eye. ""Not a trap recruit. Rather a
test. One u passed flawlessly. Well, almost flawlessly. Now step
forward!"" TT quickly took a step forward. On the back of his
shirt was a complex drawing. I must have got lost in what to me
seemed the blueprint for somesort of highly advanced motherboard.
Because when the sergeant called out my name and ordered me to
step forward aswell after reading some more, it took two seconds
before I realised it. I took a step forward and lined up with TT.
He looked at me again and smiled. He probably already realised
what lateron became obvious: This was the selectionprocedure and
we made the grade. Eight more names were called out. Sadly my
other friend wasnt one of them. When the ten of us were lined up,
the corporal came forward and positioned himself in front of us.
""You maggots are A-Wing. Remember that. Pick up your bags and
follow me.""