Caine
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Posts posted by Caine
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hmmm... how to fill nine days LOL!
[rp]
Nightstar carrier 'LEO'
Captains Quarters, deck two.
Caine was sitting at a small computer terminal in the dark of his room, thinking as the light of the monitor shifted and blinked it's glow into the corner of the room. It had been two days since their encounter and they lost track of the replacement medical ship.
The instant he heard the return message from the Invader he was set on edge, but he knew better than to push when Galcom had something classified. Last time he did that he wound up sucked into an underground rescue of Insurgent one, and it very nearly cost him his life, and his ship. The worst of it was he could share no information on it. ... if he did all sorts of hell would be broken loose. They had taken advantage of that fact and only gave him enough compensation to repair his ship, and allowed him to escape arrest so he could clear his name.
"Dominik, you're thinking too much again."
The soft voice of Jo flowed across Caine's ear along with the warmth of her breath. She let out a soft purr as he sighed.
Caine leaned back to look into the face of his unclothed partner. "I suppose I'm just considering it might have been better to press a little harder for what the Invader was doing. Something keeps telling me they... or that medical ship will be getting into some interesting trouble. And I'll also bet it has to do with what Elio said. People don't usually fight over downed ships unless there's something really special to them.
"Well..." Jo leaned down and nipped Caine's ear slowly. "How about in the morning we go back to that planet and see for ourselves then? ... In the meantime I'd like to get some of the attention you've been giving that monitor for the last hour."
As she spoke a furred hand reached along Caine's side and hit a button. in an instant the room was dark.
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Day three: Bridge.
Caine strode onto the bridge in a slightly more relaxed state, and nodded to a duty officer as the woman left his seat.
"Anything interesting happen Lyra?"
The female officer shook her head. "Nothing other than dust and rocks to look at for the most part. This area is pretty dead."
Caine nodded once. "And any sign of the med-ship?"
"Nada. but we've narrowed down their general course. The ports they've been humping through are the same pattern someone would use if they wanted to get into Gammulan space in the fastest route possable."
Caine sat in the captain's chair as the woman gave the rest of her report. When she finished he paused to think for a minute. "Huber, turn us about and take us back to that planet. Even Gammulans aren't the sort to attack a medical ship. At worst they would board and ransack it for supplies then boot them out of their space."
Huber gave Caine a quizzical look, then aye'd and laid in the new course while Caine fell back to thinking. He had lost three good men to that fight, which he pointed out to Elio before leaving, and now he was going to find out what it was over.
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Day eight: Polar orbit of Majoris
Cargo bay 1
Caine was striding in between a pair of shuttles as people bustled about on their duties. The place was near empty as usual and t gave him somewhere to pace and think. They had been searching the planet for nearly three days now and haven't found the coordinates for the Droidian ship from orbit. It's signal must have been blending in with the planet's normal radiations. They did however have the general area thanks to the records they reviewed of the other ships leaving the planet. After some hard research they narrowed it wown to a patch of land about a hundred Kilometers square. Now they would just have to comb it with shuttles. He wasn't about to make any stupid mistakes though. Each ship would be escorted by a pair of fighters. Two shuttles and four ships undisposed to find a lousy chunk of twisted metal.
Caine only hoped that the Invader didn't return while they were there. ... it would look a little conspicuous.
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[rp]
UCV 'LEO'
Main bridge
The LEO rocked hard as the concussive wave washed over her. The ship groaned as it was thrown off axis, the heavy thongs and clangs of debris impacts echoing through the decks. The main display fuzzed out as the EM radiation overtaxed the ship sensors, and a power surge erupted through the ship.
Within moments damage reports and displays flickered back to life, along with the main screen and tactical displays. Unfortunately the PTA had ceased firing, and gammulan fighters were closing fast.
"Johnston! get that PTA back up!" Jo yelled in frustration, and her hand tightened over the gunnery controls.
"It's no good, the targeting comp was hit by the power surge Jo. Reroutes are trying but they can't keep up!."
The engineer's information was punctuated by the explosion of a missile on the ships armored plating, sending another small shudder across the reinforced plates.
"And to make matters worse fore shields are down!"
Jo snarled to herself and squeezed the trigger, sending another volley of blue-white bolts to greet the cluster of small fighters. They banked as soon as the main cannons came to bear, knowing all too well what came from it's business end. The ships were forced to scatter, but none were hit.
"Port ten, starboard thrusters."
The LEO rolled as the ship engines burned bright, and it launched forewards towards the gammulan carrier. Jo let loose a stream of IOD fire as a pair of heavy warheads bolted from it's underside. The laserfire flared against the gammulan's fore shields again and again as the missiles closed, and Jo glared at the cruiser as if her look would make the shield drop faster. The dispersal flares across the shield face shuddered, rippling like water before finally giving way entirely. Jo breathed a sigh as she watched the pair of missiles slip to the banking carrier, impacting just below the bridge and ignighting in brilliant flares of oranges and reds. Just then IOD and missile fire erupted from above and to the side of teh LEO. It was the reinforcements. Again shields flared as now the gammulan ship's starboard side was brought down, and a volley of missiles soon followed to impact the cargo decks. In the wake of the explosions were obvious craters through the ships hull, and bits of debris that floated away from the ravaged steel.
"Enemy forces are retreating Jo, do we pursue?"
It was Huber. The man was sitting at his console, waiting for Jo's order. "...No, let them go. Issue docking clearance and get our forces back in here.
In the wake of the battle the LEO found Caine's ship drifting, and it was towed into the LEO as the three surviving ships entered their respective charge bays.
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UCV 'LEO'
Medibay
"We were almost clear when a piece of debris caught the main stabilizer and port engine. Everything died on me, including my co-pilot."
Caine was sitting on one of the med-bay's beds, his arm secured in a quick-cast and sling. He had a couple cuts across his face, and a large bruise on his left arm, but otherwise he wasn't the worse for wear.
"Not one of my best excursions huh, Jo." Caine managed a smile to his feline wife, who was standing nearby. "But, we have some answers to get."
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UCV 'LEO'
Bridge
"Huber, open a channel with the Invader." It had only been a few minutes after the battle, and thankfully his engineers had already gotten the ships systems back to 100%. The hull, however, would be more difficult to repair. As would their shields.
The man nodded and hit a few buttons.
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This is Dominik Caine, Captain of the 'LEO'. I believe you people have some explaining to do. Like why you were this far from home, checking out a dead planet, with Gammulan warships stopping by to say hello.
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As Caine awaited the reply he wondered what sort of response he would be getting. He was still a merc after all, and most of Galcom didn't like him. It was only because of Commander Foss that he was even still out of a penal-palace to begin with, which was Ironic because the man had been hunting him for two years before then.
[/rp]
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[rp]
Alfa-wing, UCV 'LEO' command.
Caine gritted his teeth as his ship bobbed and weaved along its flightpath. Laser-fire flashed past him and his wingmates as they closed, still holding fire.
"Whites of their eyes gentlemen. Don't give them a chance to blink."
The larger wing of gammulan ships suddenly broke their formation just as Caine reached combat range, and he cursed as three turned off to take out a shuttle that was trying to dock with the crippled Lusitania. Another three went towards the new arrival, while six maintained their course towards the Leo.
"Shit, Caine what now?" The voice chirped over Caine's comm channel as his wing threatened to divide.
"Maintain formation damnit! Ram those missiles down the lead group's throat, then we break to take the two of three. Jess, Kale, homes, you get the ones going after our new contestant. Lionel you're with me."
There was a swift aye as the range ticked down. They were only a few hundred meters away now, and the laserfire was getting more furious. An SS missile blazed past Caine's cockpit, and there was a flash as it impacted one of his wingmates. Jess' ship rocked and spun for a few seconds leving him to fall behind.
"Hold fast!" It was all Caine could say. His ship was straining to keep up with his constant course shifts. ... 200 meters... 100 meters... 50... 20.. "Fire!"
Five ships belched out five ship to ship missiles at point blank, each one locked onto a different ship ahead of them. The black-and-orange warheads streaked the distance between them in an instant as the gammulan fighters made to bank. Five missiles, five ships, five explosions in the coldness of space, and then Caine and his wing buzzed through the enemy formation as they fought to regroup. The missiles caused heavy damage to the enemy ships, disabling one and destroying the engine of another. Caine smiled as his own formation split.
Jess, Kale, and Homes veered right, pulling a 180 before burners fired and they started chasing three of the gammulan fighters. Caine and Laionel banked left, burning hard to get to the crippled cruiser. The gammulan ships were waiting for the shuttle as it rose over the hull line, weapons powered and trained. They weren't even bothering to watch their scanners, or their backsides. They -had- to be rookies.
A burst of laserfire erupted from Caine's ship, scoring shield-flares and then impacts on the lead gamulan fighter. It banked hard, but already the hull was sparking and near black with carbon-scars. It was a simple matter for Caine to finish off the ship. From the whooping over his channel it seemed his wingmates were having similar victories. Six down and five near crippled. Things were looking up.
"Caine! The Lusitania is about to-*"
Laionel's transmission was cut off as a flare lit up space to Caine's side, followed by a hard concussive force that launched debris in all directions. His ship was tossed around like a leaf in a storm, and a smaller flare among the flying debris told him that Laionel had been caught in the shockwave. Alarms and displays were going haywire in his own ship, and a cascade of sparks flew from behind him. His co-pilot yelled in surprise and started doing what he could while Caine fought to ride the wave out.
[/rp]
dangit ran out of time for this post! >_< I'll finish it off as soon as I can.
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heh methinks the gammie be dead. *wiked grin*
[rp]
The LEO spun about in space as maneuvering jets flared to life, IOD fire glancing just past the ships hull as it's PTA tracked missile after missile. Jo concentrated through the heavy weapons flashes, and the shudder of the ship as inertia and laser impacts took their toll. The gammulan ship came into line with the retical and Jo began fire. Blue-white bolts of supercharged plasma pulsed out of the ships four batteries, strafing along the length of the starcarrier. The starcarrier's shields flared in series from the stern to the fore as the LEO's reticle moved past the large ship. Huber didn't need any order as the counter came their way, and he fired the engines hard to get them moving.
"Shields are taking a beating Jo!"
The feline gritted her teeth as the thrumm of impacts echoed throughout the ship. A status display showed their starboard dorsal as red already, and their fore turned a bright orange as a missile made it through the PTA. "Once we're moving cut the engines, and use the thrusters to line us back up with our friend!"
Huber smiled to himself as he let out an affirmative "Aye." The maneuver let the ship use it's inertia to slide sideways through space while still firing on the enemy.
"Jo, we're clear of the bay and moving in. And it looks like reinforcements have arrived."
Caine checked his ship stats as he and his wing took a classic wedge formation. The other carrier had already launched its full compliment, and they were well on their way to the fight.
"Alright ladies you know the drill. Close and hard, one ship one missile then we blow through and make them chase us. It's almost three to one right now so watch your asses."
Caine heard a chorus of Aye's and a couple jeers as they all punched the throttle. He was already lining up with the gammulan lead. In seconds five missiles would be fired, and hopefully five gammie ships would take some damage before they would be passed by.
[/rp]
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[rp]
UCV 'LEO', Bridge.
Caine cursed as his ship slowed to enter the already raging battle. A Gammulan ship had decloaked, and was launching volley after volley of missile and laser fire despite already having taken heavy hits. The occasional glint of metal hull told that there were fighters involved as well.
"Bring us in from six, come straight down from above the mess so we can make the buggers worry. ... Huber, any ID's yet?"
Huber was furiously tapping commads as he scanned the battle that lied still several hundred kilometers away. "Not a problem. We have two Gal-contestants. A converted med-ship, and an old friend from our outlaw days. The Invader. The gammie has already lost shields, but nothing's red on it's hull yet. ... wait... there's another one out there I think."
Caine glanced towards Jo, who was intently watching the darts and flashes on the display. They were only two hundred clicks away now. "Well?"
Huber nodded once to himself. "I could have sworn I saw something else out there. It must have been an echo."
There was a dull thoom as the ship lurched suddenly, a spot of brightness illuminating the carrier's hull as a missile impacted. "Looks like there's no need to knock! The gammies aren't wasting iny time out here!"
Caine stood and began moving towards the bridge lift. "Get a signal to the two friendlies, letting them know that we're on their side so they don't shoot up our asses as well. I'm going to my wing."
Jo was already in the steel-and-wood captain's chair as the lift doors closed, and she said a quick voice-only message to the two Galcom ships.
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Galcom ships, this is first officer Jo Shtann speaking for the nightstar carrier 'LEO'. Do not fire upon us. We are here to help. Repeat we are assisting do not fire.-*"
A male voice suddenly cut into the communique. "A second cruiser has come to join the pa-"
*end transmission*
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"A second cruiser has come to join the party Jo!"
Jo twisted towards Huber after hastily ending the message. "What the hell do you mean? This isn't your ghost is it?"
The ship's rocking under a hail of missiles answered her question. It was a good thing that Jo knew what she was doing. Her prowess in this sort of large scale fight was near legendary ... at least among the Leo's crew.
"No, this is coming from the opposite direction! It's coming in at 30-30 degrees, and right up our backsides Jo!"
"Turn sixty port and uncouple the pta. I want that bugger in my arc now!" Jo barked the order as a hand slammed down on her mini-consol. In an instant targeting displays and power readouts of the four IOD cannons came to life. The cruiser was gammulan, that much she knew. But she hadn't seen the model before. At least it wasn't the biggest ship she had ever seen.
"Caine this place just got a whole helluva lot hotter! It looks like a Gammulan light carrier but the navcomp can't id it."
Caine had just strode into the already bustling flight deck when Jo spoke, and he placed a finger to the small blue jewel that rested in his ear. "Got you Jo. Keep the pta focused on missiles or we're toast. Out shields are still at only fifty and we're just entering this fight."
"Sir, saber is ready to do a little cutting. Fully charged and maxxed out." It was Caine's flightman, Johnson. He was standing beside an old interceptor. The model had a lighter missile load than the latest models that dotted the rest of the bay, but it was always his favorite.
The bay shuddered as the Leo was hit again, a warhead having managed to sneak through the PTA. "Launch damnit! Time's a wasting ladies!"
Caine climbed into the pilot seat of the two man ship and powered up while his 'co climbed in. In a moment they had launched, the first of five that made his combat wing. There were more ships nestled in the LEO, but they only came out when butts needed saving.
[/rp]
I apologise now for any mistakes I make. ... it has been ages since I got a look at the manuals. Caine is piloting one of the old (as in from 3000ad) interceptor-styled two man fighters. It was his first, and hasn't failed him yet. The other four are the standard attackers for the carrier.
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[rp]
January 27, 3010, entering Majoris space. 1210 hours.
The worn but strong hull of a nightstar carrier reflected the light of the local system's star. It carried no Galcom or insurgent markings, no military colors or motifs. It only had it's christening stencilled in decorative letters along it's port foreward prong. The rest of the 'Leo' was plainly battle-worn despite it's civilian appearance and the signs of frequent, though professional, repairs were evident.
"I've come across something interesting Sir..." It was Huber, a once ensign that has since become Caine's most trusted and skilled tactical offeicer. Several battles sharpened the man's wits and moulded him into a near brilliant tactician.
"Well don't keep me in suspense or anything." Caine was smiling. Most outside observers ould have thought he was laxx for keeping such a casual air on his ship. Ranks and proper names were rarely used.
Huber turned around in his seat after glancing at his console to double check. He was in his late twenties now, but still with chiseled features and a deceptively smooth build. "There are a couple ships in this system, and as far as I know there aren't supposed to be. None of our contacts on either side have said anyth-*"
The man paused as a lift door opened on the side of the bridge proper. It was Jo Shtann, first officer of the mercenary vessel. Her feline tail flicked to the side as she stepped into the bridge and to Caine's side, letting Huber continue.
"Neither side has told us about a mission here. ... and there is one more thing. They're fighting. The weapons discharges and energy flares are getting intense too."
Caine spent a moment in thought, running his fingers over the perpetual five o'clock shadow that clung to his face. After a moment he looked up at his feline wife. She could read his expression as if it was a theater-sized holo. He had been getting bored running minor errands for Galcom, and was eager for some action. Not that the last several months hadn't been interesting, having become an almost exclusive... business associate of the organisation.
"Bring us close enough to see what's happening Huber would you?" Jo's pleasent voice carried through the bridge, followed by the customary 'yes ma'am' as people returned to their tasks. It would only be a few seconds before they could identify the other ships. He only hoped he wouldn't have any trouble figuring who was on what side. Though if worse came to worse he'd save the one that was more crippled and sort it out later.
"How is our cloak?"
A relatively new officer immediately turned from her console. "Still inoperble sir. That pirate ship didn't do much damage, but what it -did- do was in the sweet spots."
Caine nodded once. "In that case I want active scans running when we arrive. I don't want to enter a schoolyard fight and find out someone brought their whole gang. Put the PTA on standby as well, missile-defence."
[/rp]
heh for the life of me I can't remember the name of the feline race! *slams head* Was it the Vesperons?
*anyways* It's been a loooong hiatus for me but I hope that these boards are still active!
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[rp]
Several minutes passed before the void gave way to Caine's ship, with the crossed sabers decaled on each wing.
"This is saber launch one, ship is clear."
"Roger that sir, try to bring it back intact ok?"
Caine chuckled from inside the cockpit. The only people that cared more about his ship was the engineering crew that had to maintain it after combat. Mostly because it was often in need of extensive repair. "I'll try. Besides it's quiet as the tomb it is out here. I'm heading to the center of the debris field to see what I can see. Out."
Caine flipped off the radio, and after hitting another command music began playing. A combination of concert and electric instruments played a classic symphony of the mid 2990's. One meant for war. Engines flared to life, and the ship jetted through the debris, weaving around at reckless speeds as he dodged about. He could already feel the tension running from him like water.
[/rp]
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Aah... combat. This is where I shine
[rp]
Caine was scanning the field before him when the man-down alert came up. Instantly he was looking for the target, yards flashing up and down as the scope fought to keep up with the rifle's motion. He saw a guard disappear around a corner, a hand to his helmet. But he was gone before Caine could take the shot.
"Caine! You got a bead?"
"Negative!" The merc was once again longing for his own equipment. Or at least the advanced thermographic scope he had collected during an early mission.
Blades' gun barked, and a piece of wall removed itself from the barrack where their target hid. Just then he remembered the tower, and cursed to himself. The scope swung around, and the auto-focus brought the pair to crystal clarity. One was firing up the radio while the other was scanning the area below through the window. Caine's rifle cracked, a sparking flash exiting the muzzle. The bullet bounced off the thick glass harmlessly, sending a spiderweeb crack centered on the face of the man that was observing. Caine cursed and fired again, three bullets barking as more cracks appeared in three other positions on the glass. Time was pressing, the radio had to be on by now.
A final bullet impacted the center of the cracked window, and the glass shattered inwards, showering the pair. Another bullet smashed into the radio, destroying the device and showering the officer in sparks and smoke as he was thrown back. A second and third shot rang out, dropping the two officers.
Once again he resumed scanning, and caught another oficer just as he was shouting orders to the few remaining nearby. He rushed the shot, and the hot steel of another bullet caught the man where neck met shoulder. He had to take aim again on the stumbling man, and a final shot tore through the chestplate, sending carbon-fibre shrapnel into his heart.
Caine lifted the rifle to his shoulder, and let out a hard breath. He didn't understand why, but a wave of weakness flashed over him for a moment. After shaking his head clear, he attributed it to the adrenaline high of combat and rejoined the others.
[/rp]
Come on guys! you're missing all the fun!
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A mystery indeed!... whatever happens I'll roll with it.
[rp]
UCV 'LEO'
Battlezone perimeter
Cargo-bay two
"What the hell do you mean Huber? ... in english this time?" Jo Shtann stood over the man as he dusted his hands.
"Exactly what I said. We can't open the damn thing because the edstruct is still active. All I did was cause a power-surge and force it to reset. It was a gamble, but it worked."
Jo straightened and slowly strode around the perimeter of the over-sized pod, hands clasped behind her feline form. "And you can't determine race, not even from the tech used?"
"No I can't." It was the third time she asked that, and he was getting frustrated. "The design seems to be purposefully neutral. The steel used is too common to narrow anything down, the energy sig is completely new, the cloaking device I can't even get at, we're up the creek untill this sucker gets cracked."
--*beep*--
Jo froze mid word, hesitating a moment before activating her comm. "What is it?"
Caine's voice came through from the other end, and by it's tone he had been having another conversation.
"The Ajax is heading home to report. We've been given baby-sitting detail to the ball of trash out there." Caine paused a moment, and the faint sounds of tapped commands came from his end. "We're going to alert status for the duration. It's likely we'll be getting visitors."
Jo Aknowledged and signed off, then returned her attention to the cursing Huber. "Have fun, just don't blow us up."
The man was half-gone inside a panel he managed to sneak off the pod, and his response was muffled through a few layers of plating.
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Bridge:
The lift doors slid open in front of Jo, and the Vesperon smoothly strode to her chair beside the concentrating Caine.
"What's wrong luv?" The tips of her canines showed over her smiling lips.
"The whole situation, Jo. What kind of a battlefield has no weapon or energy signatures? What is holding the trash where it is?" Caine couldn't stand mysteries. He was a fighter. There's an enemy so shoot it. Things like this grated on his nerves.
"I'm about to come on shift anyways. Why don't you have pea warmed up and go for a fly-by. I'll let you know if anything comes up." Her disarming smile flashed again. She read him like an open book. Such was the way with those you loved he supposed.
Caine smiled, then tapped a command in the arm of his chair. "Launch one, status on my ship?"
A woman's voice came from the other side. "Shields are at half specs still, but we got the holes out of her and power is back to nominal."
Caine smiled to himself. Indeed the last fight had been a doozy. At least he got three more kills to his name from the deal. "Good enough, warm her up would you?" An exasperated 'aye' came from the other end, then the channel was closed. Caine stood and left the bridge, leaving Jo in charge.
[/rp]
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Oh baby, a buncha nice ones!
[rp]
Earth mission-zone 13
“Now’s not the time to be a wiseass, Caine. You wanna bullshit me, do it when we get back. For now, pitch tent and count heads. Keep that trigger finger of yours steady and wait for orders.”
Caine couldn't help but glare at the man for a moment, even if his respect was raised a notch. Or maybe because of it. In either case it lasted only a moment. Then a half-smile broke out under his helmet. "Aye, I'll do that."
Crunching ground led off to Blades' right, and Caine slinked out of the cave opening. He had little trouble finding a comfortable spot. About ten meters off there was a tree that split about a meter up it's trunk. It rose at a steep angle from the hillside, and the merc braced one foot against the trunk, leaning back into the shadows. He wasted no time in scanning for targets, the range-finder ticking off the meters on his HUD.
Eight contacts, four to find. That was unacceptable to the merc. He had to find the rest before the first shots were fired. An unseen enemy was the bane of any op. As the merc searched he had to smile again at the irony.
"Caught two more contestants Blades. They just arrived on lookout 4. One at radio, the other at the window."
His voice was but a whisper, and as he spoke the scope zoomed to full 8X mag.
"They're isolated. Tag, watch, or drop?" His finger slid beside the rifle's trigger.
[/rp]
Battle mode... engage.
Tag= report position then ignore
watch= focus on them, as soon as the shite hits take them down
drop= Duh.
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I'm guessing this takes place a while after the bruha-ha involving the rescue of Akira.
[rp]
UCV 'LEO'
May 13th, 15:12hours
Bridge.
The going was slow as Caine and Jo maneuvered the nightstar-class carrier through the debris field. He had been hired to run escort incase a Gammulan ship was playing dead, and by the look of things he had nothing to worry about. Sparkling debris drifted away like shards of ice as the ship twisted on it's axis to avoid the bridge of a Galcom flagship.
"Leo, this is Ajax. The battleground is cleared. return to primary escort and prepare wait for further orders." The officer's voice was mournful, as could be expected considering the devastation.
"Aye, on our way."
They had hardly covered half the debris. something was up. The LEO's sensor-array might have been a little less in quality than the specialized scout ship, but odd energy signatures were being recieved here and there. After a moment of thought Caine decided to do a little 'independant research'.
"Huber, on the way out see if you can-*"
"Already selected one sir. If we come out plus 0.33 degrees even the scout won't notice. As far as anyone looking would be concerned it would be shattered against the hull."
Caine smiled. Huber was turning out to be a promising officer indeed. He had a knack of predicting an order before it could be given. The human looked down as a light blinked at his console, then Huber flashed a surprised look.
"Caine, Someone's still alive!... At least I think. A pod just dropped onto sensors from nowhere."
Caine ordered a link with the battlecruiser he was escorting. "Ajax, we might have a live one after-all."
"Life support is failing sir."
Caine paused a second. "... you get that? We have a pod still functioning, though it's crashing fast."
[/rp]
Every scene such as this needs a witness right?
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AHA! Finally going again! Now if only i can remember what team I was on... LOL!
[rp]
Earth, mission zone 13
Still in that infernal cave.
After the last of the team Caine was stationed with moved on, the merc took a last look at the new door and frowned. He didn't like things already and that was a bad sign. Turning smoothly, he resumed his position and pushed it from his head.
The next while was little more than drudgery. Climbing small slopes, scrabbling through narrow slits, and choking on dust the ionizer missed. At least he had the mixed fortune of having been in combat against his own kind. Of course in a fight it doesn't matter who the enemy is... especially in his line of work. They fought to kill you by any means necessary, and you did the same. Nothing personal, that's just the way it's done.
Finally the first nav was met, and he stood just within the slanting shadow of the caves mouth. After pausing to switch off the visual enhancers, he began checking his weapons. The red zone was just ahead, and he would be damned if a gun wasn't prepared. The safeties on his pistols were tripped, the rounds chambered, then he turned to his rifle. He turned it back to single-fire, and popped the caps from the scope. Then he turned to the commander that stood in the enterance, holding a remarkably dependable old model. One he knew well.
It's funny... I know guns better than my mission-mates. Caine had to disguise a chuckle at himself, then he piped up.
"I'll take a slightly different spot, in case you miss one... that is unless you have other plans for me." His tone was only slightly mocking... more of a silent challenge. After catching an order he casually switched his band, and waited for a reply.
[/rp]
[ 11-29-2001: Message edited by: Caine ]
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[rp]
Operation Golgotha
Earth, Mission Zone 13
Abandoned 23rd Century Mine Facility
Everyone had been waiting for too long as Diamond and Savage spoke amongst eachother, and for once Caine wasn't the only one getting antsy. But now that it was a combat situation, behind the lines, he was actually spending the energy to controll himself and focus of his tasks. So far things were going as had been planned, but the real fun was yet to start.
Finally the group ahead of him slinked into the cave and disappeared into the darkness. A minute later and the signal was given for them as well, and Caine stood from his place and made his way in. The darkness was overwhelming, and there wasn't even enough light for the enhancers to work with. That meant infra-red was in order. Touching a pair of commands into the armor's comp, the world turned grey and fuzzy, and an infra-red beam left the upper corner of his helmet to illuminate the barren rocks of his surroundings. The beams from his companions cut through the darkness as well and provided more than enough illumination to avoid any mishaps.
The group was only a few minutes behind Chavic's crew when their comms flared to life, and a calm monotone came to his ear.
"Fire in the hole."
Everyone slid to the sides of the cave and braced themselves just in time for a thunderous explosion to wash through the tunnel. The force-wave had been channeled through the tunnels and though weak could still be felt underfoot. Then the cave answered in kind with a rumble of it's own as dust and a few pebbles shook themselves free form the cavern roof.
*Great... if they didn't know we were coming, we just gave them a nice big friendly knock. I hope they don't monitor for explosions and tremors this far out or the game's over.*
Once the dust stopped falling and the ringing in their ears faded again, the clear signal was given and they moved on to find what the source of the disturbance was. A section of the tunnel gad been collapsed long time ago, and Chavic had just had it reopened. If that collapse had indeed been induced it would be guarenteed that there would have been monitors placed.
Caine was the fifth to scramble through the opening at the top, and he slid down the other side smoothly to wait for the last of the group before moving on.
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UCV 'LEO'
Medibay
Jo was relieved that Maddox was conscious, and apparently coherent. But the med couldn't find anything that would have caused the blackout. near as he could figure it could have been some residual effect of the narco-drug.
"Get him fit for duty as soon as you can. We'v still got tracking to do."
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sorry this one's so short... it's late, I'm falling asleep, and I can't think of anything else to write right now.
Although I could have sworn that I had made a post involving Maddox waking up already... but I think it disappeared on me. Was it deleted or am I just losing my mind?
[ 10-10-2001: Message edited by: Caine ]
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I think you'll have to go through the archives and do a bunch of reading... as far as I know there aren't any history summaries. (Though it might be a good idea to make one some time, kind of like writing a history-book or something )
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all too easy
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Caine smiled as he ghosted off with Chavic and the rest. He didn't envy what was coming for the trussed man though... the same ruse has been used often, sometimes with himself playing the main role.
Pushing fond memories aside, he followed the others, ducking from stone to plant, a shadow among shadows like the others. By the time the halt was called they were all already in position. Caine just hoped they would hive in without any tricks. He didn't want to have to take down his mark, but he would if he had to. It was business now, nothing personal.
Laying on his back along the ridgeline, he could see a merc on his left, and Chavic further down. He was on the tail end of the semi-circle, and was made responsible for covering the radio man. If a hand went to an ear, he'd blow it clean off. Thankfully, from what Caine could tell they were still out of shortwave range, so they only had to worry about the packer.
As he listened in to the brief discussion happening below them, and on the other side of the ridge, he checked his ammo silently. Others were doing the same. The readout was nominal. Then the signal was given, and in a heartbeat himself and several others had a weapon trained on every suit of armor, and the resounding clicks of chambering rounds stilled them utterly.
God he liked his job. It seemed that they were going to play by the rules after all. After only a few second's hesitation they complied with their new orders, though Caine was sure to make the packer aware of the one inch bore pointed at his faceplate.
In minutes the patrollers were subdued and cleaned of harmfull posessions... and things that could be used to send signals or otherwise jeopardise the mission. Caine was even sure to take lighters so fires couldn't be started. He then set about his duties of helping scan a perimeter, and take up a defensive position. He chose a section of the ridge where a large boulder met the ground at an odd angle, giving him something to tuck under. He slid into the deep shadow and lay prone on his belly, using the scope of his rifle to scan the area around him.
It seemed even the squirrels were unaware of what happened minutes before.
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[ 10-24-2001: Message edited by: Caine ]
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Earth, Mission zone 13.
"Saddle up people, we move out in two."
The orders rang clear through the earpiece of Caine's black helmet, and he promptly took his place with the others. Just as they were heading out, he finally activated light enhancement and allowed himself a moment to adjust to the changed display. He then took his rifle in hand, flipping it to mode two, and moved out silently. The only sounds around him were those of shifting dirt and armor from those around him.
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[ 10-24-2001: Message edited by: Caine ]
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I'm sorry guys, but I'm going to have to retract my joining this story. Schoolwork is just going to be too heavy for me to do anything of worth. That and also it would require serious re-writing of my character history...more things I won't have time for.
Again I'm sorry, and I wish I could have joined in. It promises to be a good story, and I'm going to follow it closely even if I can't actually post.
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UCV 'LEO'
Ready room
Huber waited at the door to the small weapon-laden room as Jo tapped off the terminal.
"I've come to give you the latest report Jo... Are you alright?"
Huber had noticed the disheveled, ragged look on her face, and when she absently nodded, rubbing the side of her face before running a hand through her red hair to smooth a few wayward locks. After a pause, he continued with his report.
"Maddox's plan to relocate the crew should buy us some time, especially if we periodically vent through controlled shunts to the aft dorsal valves, we can squeeze maybe another hour into the search. ..."
"Go on, Huber. I'm ready for bad news."
The communications officer took a breath before continuing, despite her urgings.
"We aven't had any more sign of Caine's signal in the last half-hour, but telemetry finally traced the last pair of signals to somewhere in earth orbit. We've narrowed it to a grid of about fifty clicks square. We're focusing the modified array there, but nothing has come up yet."
Jo took the chip Huber offered that had the fine detail and computer mathematics, but it would tell her nothing more than he had already revealed.
*Beep*
Jo turned to her consol at the camm request, hesitant to answer it in fear of more bad news.
*Beep*
Finally, she activated the in-ship. Her fears had been answered.
"Maddox is being brought to Medibay one, he collapsed at the communications consol. We're still trying to figure why."
Jo stood abruptly, her shair spinning full circle on it's swivel.
"Dammit, nothing ever goes any more. Huber, keep on the search."
She didn't register the instinctive 'aye' from the perplexed man as she passed him by, striding to the lift.
"Daal, you have the bridge."
The Vesperon duty officer nodded, and took his post as Jo barked her order into the empty lift.
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Huber stepped up to his console ad reinitiated the scan for Caine's frequency, and as the working symbol appeared, he took notice of a small flashing icon in the lower corner of the screen. It was a decoded message, but it's source was unknown. When he opened it, letters and symbols began rapidly cascading down the screen in an unintelligible jumble. Curious, he replayed it again and again, but he only got the same thing.
"Damn decoder is off.." He muttered as he checked the password it had found. all that came up was a set of numbers that seemed random.
--1280x1024--
Huber scratched his head, confused. But a quick glance to the array showed it was working properly, so he had some free time to fill, and happily set about cracking the meaning.
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Maddox, when you wake up Jo will be standing over you expectantly That is unless you are suffering from something that needs treating...
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Would it be possable for this humble merc to become the indie in your tale?
If you haven't seen my writing style, read the second page of ITF. the gunfight in the 'LEO's engineering was one of my good ones.
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Thanks...I aim to please
Oh, so that you all know, there is a chance that I will be unable to post over the next week. I'm heading to Winepeg for a week, then going home to get back to school (Yech, ugh, and all that ). But If I can manage to get to a computer, I'll be sure to do what I can so that I don't fall behind.
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UCV 'LEO'
ready room.
Jo leaned back on her chair and began staring at the ceiling as Maddox took his leave. Then she blindly tapped a few commands onto the consol before her.
--Jo Shtann mission log, the hunt, entry 4.--
*sigh*. "It's been a long time of it, but we're finally making a litle headway. Ken is still missing, but we've picked up a couple leads, and have narrowed down his location somewhat. But not nearly enough.
In the meantime, a group of mutineers decided to take advantage of our being close to home port and try to turn us in. During the brief event, Engineering was shot to hell, the ship nearly lost it's cloak twice from what Huber tells me, shields were almost rendered inoperable, and communications were locked down for nearly an hour before communications hacked the ban. But things have been stabilized, and we're coping with the loss of fine controll over the cloak and sensors."
"Maddox has been a real asset to us during this time, and I no longer regret bringing him aboard. He's proven himself to be trustworthy, and he seems to have the heart of a merc... even if he works for 'Com. I could see him going pretty far in our world."
There was a long pause as Jo collected her thoughts.
"I just wish this could be ended, soon, so that we can all get back to our lives...."
*beep*
"Yes?... oh, come in Hu-*"
------end log-----
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Very, Very nice Maddox.
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UCV 'LEO'
Ready-room
At the sight of the gleaming steel, the dark lines of te etchings plain to see, Jo could contain herself no longer. She fought against it for too long already. Her head lowered, and her eyes turned to the deck as the soft, short fur covering her face moistened with long unshed tears.
Looking back up at Maddox, she strode to his side, and gently took the knife from him. She sniffed as she cradled the object, holding it as if it could break at any moment. It was the gift she gave to her husband to celebrate their first year together. She still remembered the smile that lit his face as he read the inscription, the feeling of his perpetual scruff as they embraced.
She gingerly placed the blade back in the case before she would break down completely. Then she waved the commander to a seat, and took to the one behind the desk. It took her a minute to compose herself enough to be able to speak without a shake in her voice.
"I apologise for the show, Maddox. But normally things don't go the way they have been."
She leaned back, sighing as the last waves of grief finally resolved themselves for the time being.
"In our line of work, death is a constant... the only constant really. But at least there had always been a contract drawn up before hand, so we'd be aware of the risks...properly equipped...and prepared for the likelyhood of survival or no. But now, he is gods knows where, on a mission we know nothing about, with no trustworthy equipment, and unknowns watching his back. It just seems so likely he's not coming back this time..."
Jo was lost in thought for a few seconds as her words trailed off. But she began to feel herself drift back into the loss of controll, and went back to business.
"I called you in to apprase you of what's going on. We've reached moon orbit, and so far we've either been unseen or ignored. In either case we're beginning to get the preemptive rad leaks, and the counteragents have already started flowing through life-support. Within an hour...hour and a half, we'll have to start innoculating. After that... the casualties start coming in."
Jo leaned forewards on her desk.
"If the price get's too high, we pull out. Even if we don't find Ken. I called you in to hold me to that. Right now I'm still aware that even one person you love isn't worth the crew, and ship."
She wasn't sure if she saw protestations, or just imagined them.
"He's a survivor, and if he does get left behind... we'll find eachother again. But a few hours from now I may be incapable to give that order."
Her tone became more official, almost as if she was an officer of Galcom itself.
"Maddox, I am placing you among our ranks as Acting Second officer of the UCV 'LEO', and I am counting on you to keep me straight in this."
She leaned back in her chair again.
"You've already proven yourself by saving this ship from mutiny, even though you had opportunity to join the dissenters and leave us to float into a hole."
Jo gave the man a half-smile, her old mood finally returning since before this escapade began.
"But, I'm not giving up on him yet. I want you to focus on tracking his signal. We've already gotten two brief signals, but not enough to track beyond knowing he's not on the moon after all. The clock is ticking, let's not wait untill it winds down."
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how about that for a field promotion? From guest to second officer in one fell swoop!
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Nice touch Blades.
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EDZ 13
Perimeter scan.
Caine had spotted the slight glint of light off of armor just as the warning was issued, and he was in the process of getting lining his sight when the warning was promptly overriden. Lowering the rifle, the mercenary took a breath to relax himself. He had never been this jumpy before.
As he hooked the rifle back to it's clip on his armor, he attributed the shakes to being back on Earth gravity and pushed it aside. After all, he hadn't been here since leaving Galcom acad back in 02. Regardless, he had a job to do.
A Quick lookout from the ridge of their beam-down site assured that the path they were going to follow was clear of hostiles. Even on red and violet spectrums. Satisfied, he returned to where the others were gathering.
As he moved it was as if a shadow among shadows, the only signs of his passing the soft crunch of small pebbles, or the slight bob of a bush branch.
"Other than our contact, the field is clear for at least half a click. Not a blip on the hud."
Caine didn't bother to mention that there were ways to conceal ones' self, he was sure Blades was well aware. But at least there were no obvious hots, as he called them.
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Mercenary Dominik Caine reporting for orders, SIR!
[ 08-24-2001: Message edited by: Caine ]
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GCV Mckendrick
Transporter room
Drop time T-20
Caine was smiling again as time to drop finally came, and everyone made ready. The op was set, drop was imminent, and there was no turning back now. It was going to be a good day.
The man made sure his eqipment was secure, then casually took his place on the transporter. Just before beam-down, he slapped one of the others nearby on the shoulder. Then once again the world went dim. When it returned, it was still dim. As his eyes adjusted to the low light, they took in the barren landscape where he stood. He preferred to avoid using light enhancement as long as possable during the night... it helped keep him alert, and sometimes eyes see what electronics can't.
Even as the others were still coming down, he was moving low to the ground, making sure all was clear for the path they would take.
It was all business for him... a business he rather liked.
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Jo shtann stayed in engineering only long enough for the crews to be given their orders. The dead were to be treated with according respect, the survivors were to be hauled to the medibay, and a crew of the few remaining engineers were given the daunting task of rebuilding the thrashed engineering. Thankfully Huber had already transferred the controlls of the ship to Sciences on the bridge, otherwise there would have been a lot more to deal with. As it was, they were lucky.
When everyone knew what had to be done, Jo finally shed her armor, and returned to Med herself to have the burns on her chest treated. As she stepped in, she spied out Maddox as well. He looked a little ruffled...but none the worse for wear.
"So...what do you think of Merc life so far? As soon as we're done here, I'm heading back to the bridge to keep looking for Caine. We're running out of time, and we can't make the necessary fine adjustments to keep the cloak at peak anymore. From what Huber told me, we have maybe four hours left now...instead of six."
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Notice the timing anyone? I'm hoping if this panns right that we'll be able to cover your backs as you make a beeline for the deep black yonder
[ 08-21-2001: Message edited by: Caine ]
The Omega Six
in Role Playing Discussions
Posted
LOL not to worry I'm tha adapting kind. ... by the way one batlecruiser holding off forty ships... MAN you must have some nasty weapons! O_O
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February 5th, 11:45 hours
UCV Nightstar carrier 'LEO'
High polar orbit over Majoris
Bridge
"Sir! It's the invader... we just picked her up on passive."
Caine nodded to John, who was in Huber's place at tac-ops. The man was young and had a lot of energy, but sometimes a little too 'by the book'.
"You know the drill, Cloak us before they start scanning, and listen for communications." There were some advantages to having Galcom as his preferred client... their communication codes and frequencies being one of them.
"Aye sir, cloak activated and reading nominal."
Caine shook his head. "Don't call me sir... just 'aye' will do. We're mercs, not military. Just keep an ear cocked." He leaned forewards as he spoke, his eyes training on the small point of steel that was the distant Invader. It wasn't moving. It looked almost dead in space... as if it had been dragged in and left there. After a few minutes however the LEO's passive scanners listed a signal, and the ship neared the planet.
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Captain's log; entry 1153
February 5th, 13:30 hours
Well... so far things have been dull but intriguing. Another Nightstar-class carrier arrived a few minutes ago and it wasted no time in communicating with the Invader. We managed to catch most of it, and have avoided attracting any attention. Murphy is on my side for once it seems.
Shortly after the two made introductions a shuttle from that medical cruiser we rescued before arrived as well. It had almost no fuel left, and the pilot was in a mild state of distress judging by the voice. Now both the Invader and Andromeda (The new Nightcarrier) are preparing to embark. I've chosen to give the order to follow.
I don't know why though. It's not like we're going to be getting anything out of it. ... Damn Foss must have rubbed off a little on me after all.
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|end log|
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Caine ran the edge of his favorite knife over the whetstone a final time before checking it's edge. There really was no point in honing the laser-sharpened carbide edge, but he found the motions and sound soothing as he sat in the small room that served as his office aside the bridge. Decorating the walls in hangings and cases alike were several different archaic blades. Each one was different, using a variety of combinations of technology and tradition. Each one was a functional work of art, shining as if fresh from the forge. But of them all the one he held in his hands was his favorite. The hand-carved oak handle was smooth and polished, having been perfectly shaped for his hand and blending neearly flawlessly into the black carbon-steel of the triple dagger. The two side blades were a part of the main , folded in so cleanly there wasn't so much as a seam. It was given to him by Jo as her symbol of their joining, as was custom for her race.
"Caine, they're about to take off."
The com interrupted Caine's musings, and he slid the shining black blade back into the sheath in the small of his back before answering.
"It's about time. Follow them but make sure we keep our distance. For now I only want to observe."
A quick aye came back, and he leaned into his leather and steel seat to relax.
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Otura 9; 22:00 hours
Caine was starting to worry about the cloak field around his ship. it had been running nearly non stop for the last several hours and they would be beginning to absorb radiation soon. The model was a hell of a lot better than the ones used only a few short years ago... but they still had a finite safe running time.
Finally they saw the two ships they were following drop to a near halt, and they did likewise. In an instant their passive scanner picked up the aftermath of a warzone. Two Aestrom warcraft were floating as nothing more than debris in the cold black of space, along with several fighters. All of the destroyed craft were Gammulan, and the weapon signatures left behind weren't from any Galcom ship they knew about. By this time Huber was back at the tac-ops station and he was working to get answers... however being stuck with passive scanning meant that they wouldn't be coming any time soon.
"Whatever is going on, it just got big hon." It was Jo. Her tail was twitching nervously as she sat beside him. Even through the experience of large scale combat the look of the dead hulks and debris was... disquieting.
"Huber keep your eye out for any strange signatures. I want out ears up on this one. ... and have my ship readied. I don't care if the wires are still hanging half out the hull... something smells here.
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heh just thought I'd add my teensy bit of suspense *chuckle*