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Eternal Diligence


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[RP ON]

A man lay on his back staring up at the sky. He did not know what sky, nor did he care. He did notice that the sky had pearly white rings and a purplish tinge. He was also aware of a beach extending infinitely to both sides, and a green ocean coming ashore beyond his feet. The man was content. All was well. Then the man became aware of a sound. It was not a good sound. The sound was that of impending doom. Involuntarily the man identified the sound, and with recognition came the collapse of the universe. An alarm clock.

Commander Sev Badgerius of the Constellation class Battlecruiser GCV Diligence, one of the oldest active vessels in Galactic Command, lay staring at the many layers of white paint on the ceiling of his quarters, gathering his thoughts. His first thought of the morning was the same as every other morning: "I want a bed." The captainÔÇÖs quarters of the Diligence were quite large. Large enough for a desk, a dresser, a private washroom, and a bed. Unfortunately, The DiligenceÔÇÖs cargo bays were quite small, and so the bed had to be removed to make room for six crates of fresh coffee. "Although," he thought, extricating himself from the hammock that hung where his bed should be, "hammocks are more comfortable, itÔÇÖs just that itÔÇÖs harder to get up in the morning."

While he shaved, Badgerius went over the shipÔÇÖs status in his head. Current Location: Neptune space, orbiting one of the moons of the gas giant. Mission: Search and Rescue, looking for the wreckage of a LRT-10, the White Tigress, that went down 18 hours ago, cause unknown. Ship status: Hanging in there, barely. The last bit caused him to wince, and he almost cut himself with the shaver. The ship was supposed to be rotated in for an overhaul six months ago, but something had always gotten in the way. Either some other ship needed urgent repairs, or some emergency developed practically on top of them. It was beginning to get tedious.

"And dangerous," Sev thought bitterly, remembering the conversation heÔÇÖd had with his chief engineer the night before.

"Sir we need to take the hyperjump engines offline," the engineer had said. "The displacement field emitter casing is cracked, and we canÔÇÖt fix it in the field."

"Ok, fine," Sev had responded, "we havenÔÇÖt been using them except for combat, anyway, so that shouldnÔÇÖt pose a problem. WeÔÇÖll have to take any crash survivors to HQ by shuttle. Anything else?"

"Well"

Sev knew there was a list of things broken, or not working well as long as his arm, so he interrupted. "Anything major?"

"Just one, sir. The IOD is making an odd sound when we power it up, but I canÔÇÖt tell what the problem is without stripping it down."

"How long?"

"Maybe 36 hours to strip it down, and assess the damage."

Sev sighed. He hadnÔÇÖt liked having his main weapon out of commission, especially when the loss of the hyperjump engines effectively prevented retreat. But the thought of the IOD blowing sky high just as he needed it appealed to him even less.

"OK, do it," heÔÇÖd said.

Commander Badgerius walked the five steps from his quarters to the bridge, and looked around. The DiligenceÔÇÖs age was apparent in the design of her bridge: no chairs. The bridge followed the design of 20th century ocean going warships, although it combined the traditional bridge and Combat Information Center into one room. At the front of the bridge was the view screen, currently showing a detailed scan of the small moonÔÇÖs surface. About a third of the way back was the helm, a station with the flight controls for flying the ship in real space, as well as controls for firing the shipÔÇÖs forward firing weapons. Behind him was the map table, where the Tacops map was displayed. That was where Sev usually stood, as it had a small repeater console of that would show data from any station on the ship. On the starboard side, lining the walls, were the navigation, crew operation, and logistics consoles. On the port side were the engineering and flight deck operations consoles, along with comms. Currently, most of the officers were clustered around the map table, talking earnestly. Sev noticed that his engineer was not on the bridge. "He must be getting an early start," Sev thought.

The Comms Officer noticed him. He was standing at his console, directing the actions of the interceptors and shuttles scouring the surface below. "CapÔÇÖn on deck," he said loudly. Standing orders prevented the bridge crew from coming to attention. Sev had just gotten tired of saying "As you were" every morning. The executive officer, or XO, looked up and came over. She was a six foot tall Irish woman with flaming red hair. Those who didnÔÇÖt call her Sir or Lt. Commander OÔÇÖNeil, called her "Big Al."

"WhatÔÇÖs our status this morning?" asked Sev.

"WeÔÇÖve located the downed shipÔÇÖs thermal entry trace, so that narrows our search area considerably. WeÔÇÖre still searching a couple of hundred square kilometers, but at least itÔÇÖs not the whole planet."

"Good. Now for the bad news. The hyperjump engines are offline indefinitely, and the IOD is down for at least 36 hours to assess a possible problem."

Her eyebrows went up. "You mean, if we get in a fight, we canÔÇÖt run and we canÔÇÖt shoot?"

"Basically."

She spun around to face the helmsman. "Helm! Lower our orbit to 200km!"

The helmsman perked up. He hadnÔÇÖt had anything to do in three days. "Aye sir!"

The XO paused for a moment, then added "Helm! What day is it?"

The helmsman glanced at the clock on his console. Thursday. But he knew there was only one right answer to this question. "Monday, sir!"

Big Al sighed. "I knew it."

Commander Badgerius didnÔÇÖt comment on the change of position. His XO was as good as they come, and knew the three edged sword of combat as well as he. When faced with combat, run. If you canÔÇÖt (or wonÔÇÖt) run, fight. If you canÔÇÖt run, and you canÔÇÖt fight, that left just one option. Hide. Sev walked over to the map table repeater console, and had the computer schedule an Evac drill for sometime that afternoon. They might need it.

[RP Off]

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Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 07-28-99).]

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Good start, there. I'm not sure if anyone will object to you using a different design of ship, even if it is an 'oldie'. So are all the officer's stations on the bridge, then? in the Galactan, the chief engineer, Combat Officer, Medical and Research Officers all have non-bridge stations. Anyway, I like it. Keep it up!

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Commander Ben Zwycky GCV Svoboda

ISS Fleet

"Nakonec pravda vitezi" (in the end the truth wins)

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I'm glad you like it. I'm going on vacation for a week, so there won't be any new story until then, but after that I'm hoping to post every couple of days or so.

I suppose I'd better put down my assumptions early so that they can be corrected. The SC mentioned he might start us off in the MK 1 Battlecruiser for 3020 back in the "Introducing the Starion" thread in Development news. So I don't think I'm too off base putting myself in command of one. But, if anyone objects, let me know.

Stats for the Constellation are hard to come by. I've had to make some assumptions. If anyone has accurate data (like anyone on the Strike Pak team) it would be appreciated.

1 The MK1 has 2 main decks and a subdeck.

2 It has four shuttles

3 The renegade class interceptors are single seaters.

4 The crew of the Mk1 is about 2/3 that of the Mk2

5 I'm picturing one cargo bay, one crew quarters, etc. Basically, everything the Mk2 has two of, the Mk1 only has one.

6 There are bathrooms in the captain's and XO's quarters, plus one for every other bunkroom. (Thinking of you TAC)

7 The Mk1 is NOT equipped with a cloaking device

According to the ship stats, the PTA guns and interceptors are armed with Type02 lasers, but the weapons stats put that as more powerful than the Galactan's Type0. Anyone know if this is true?

In answer to your question, Ben, all the officers have bridge stations, except medical and research. However, the engineer and combat officer also have other stations.

The Diligence is a very old ship. Her bridge layout is probably different than other Mk1s.

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Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 07-28-99).]

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LOL! Bathrooms on the Captain's and XO's quarters only.. the rest can use the airlocks. Rank has its priviledges you know :-)

My old GCV Usagi is also a MK1 , you gotta love old, proven ships. Let the new, unsecure guys play with the new tech toys. *evil grin*.

What? MK1 has no cloak? *gasp*. Hope the SC says it does have one!

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Fleet Commander

Daniel "Tac" Londono

GCV Usagi

=Wraith Fleet=

"Hard,Fast, Furious...FIRST!"

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I just remember something in one of the manuals... "The details of the cloaking device technology are shrouded in secrecy, but it makes the Galactan class battlecruiser one of the most advanced in the fleet." or something like that. I just assumed that meant the Mk2 was the only Terran ship that had it. I could be mistaken.

Anyway, the Diligence was one of the first off the assembly line. No cloaking for her. (or if all else fails, it's broken!) smile.gif

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Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

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Guest Sebastian Vauban

I like...I was kind of waiting for someone to make a...well...for lack of a better description, Star Trek VS. Star Trek: The Next Generation. I look forward to your posts...This story has promise.

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Commander Sebastian Le Prestre Vauban

GCV Stabat Mater, Orion Fleet

GALCOM SpecOps Division

"Let your plans be dark and

impenetrable as night, and when

you move, fall like a

thunderbolt."

Sun Tzu, The Art of War 6:19

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Thank you. That's high praise from someone who's co-writing a riveting tale himself. And my belated condolences on your recent loss.

More's coming. I promise!

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Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-05-99).]

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Here it is! As promised!

[RP ON]

Sergeant Hans Peterson sat in the navigatorÔÇÖs seat of Shuttle 2, staring glumly at the cratered landscape streaking by below him. Four days. Four days theyÔÇÖd been searching for the downed freighter. Almost five since it had crashed. It was worse than looking for a needle in a haystack, they were looking for a particular crater on a planetoid of craters. About all they could do was look for large concentrations of Radine and hope for the best.

Hans had been morose all morning. It wasnÔÇÖt just that he had just about given up hope of finding anyone alive, but also that he was beginning to wonder what his own chances were. It hadnÔÇÖt taken long for the news of the engine and weapon problems to circulate through the ship, and the Evac drill the day before, along with the fact that the Diligence was doing her best to hide in the moonÔÇÖs shadow, left him with the feeling heÔÇÖd be seeing action soon.

Not that he would have minded action, normally. But the last time, things hadnÔÇÖt gone so well. Memories flooded into to his mindÔÇÖs eye, unbidden and unwanted. A different ship. A different star system. A different rank. A delaying action against intruders to allow as many people to Evac before the CapÔÇÖn scuttled her. Hans was the last off. The bridge crew hadnÔÇÖt even tried, staying on board to coordinate the crew, and then to manually blow the ship. Hans had gotten a promotion and a commendation, but a Marine shouldnÔÇÖt let his Captain die.

"Hold up a sec, got something," said Private Jackson from the pilotÔÇÖs seat. "Large Radine deposit, with radiation to match a post-critical reactor. This could be it."

"Affirm. Contacting the Diligence." Hans activated the Comms system. "Shuttle Two to Diligence. Good contact at grid reference 102 by 247. Investigating."

The Comms OfficerÔÇÖs voice was haggard. HeÔÇÖd been at this for a long time. "Roger, Shuttle 2. Good hunting."

The shuttle veered off towards the contact, slowing to allow the occupants to use their eyes to search as well as the shuttleÔÇÖs sensors.

"Tallyho!" Hans had seen her before Jackson. "Two oÔÇÖclock low. 700 meters. Hot damn, I think sheÔÇÖs intact!"

"Coming around," said Jackson, bringing the shuttle onto the new heading. "I see her. It looks like she came in pretty shallow. The bowÔÇÖs stove in, but I think the bridge is intact. Hey, whatÔÇÖs with the engine pod?"

Hans had seen it, too. The engines of the freighter were just gone. The twisted superstructure just forward of where the engines should have been gave silent testament to the cause of the ships demise.

"Good God," Hans whispered, "she was blasted out of the sky."

[RP OFF]

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Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

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[RP ON]

Lt. Commander Alison OÔÇÖNeil stepped out of Shuttle 1 and looked out across the barren landscape at the battered hulk of the White Tigress. Behind her, the rest of her team got themselves organized for entering what was left of the freighter. Four Marines, two systems engineers and a pair of medics stowed gear, tightened toolbelts and checked weapons, waiting for the word to go.

OÔÇÖNeil saw the suited forms of Sergeant Peterson and Private Jackson bounding towards her in the low gravity. "Report, Sergeant," she said crisply.

Peterson and Jackson came to a stop and saluted. "Sir, the main crew section is pretty much gone, crushed on impact. The cargo bay seems intact, for the most part, and the bridge is intact." Hans paused, preparing to give the bad news. "All sections appear to have decompressed, either on impact, or when the engines were destroyed."

OÔÇÖNeil absorbed the news in silence. There hadnÔÇÖt been much hope of finding survivors, but now there was none. Emergency shelter bubbles only had 48 hours of life support, and Space suits had only 12 hours. It had been over 80 since the crash.

"Understood," she said, finally. "Have you determined the best places to enter the hull?"

"Yes sir," replied the sergeant, wishing he felt as cool as the XO sounded. Of course, thatÔÇÖs why sheÔÇÖs the XO, he thought to himself, and continued his report. "Entry to the bridge is best accomplished through the emergency bridge airlock on the upper hull. As for the cargo bays, I figure we can go in through the spot where the engines were."

OÔÇÖNeil looked at the gaping hole that was now the stern of the vessel. "Good point," she said. "WeÔÇÖll check out the bridge first. Mount up!" The rest of the group fell in behind the XO, and began walking towards the derelict ship.

Alison stepped onto the frozen bridge deck. The only light was coming from her flashlight. Emergency power on the ship had long since died. She cast the beam of her flashlight along the deck plates of the bridge. There they were. The unmistakable forms of those who had died by exposure to hard vacuum. Alison had seen horrible, bloated corpses like these before, but that didnÔÇÖt keep the bile from rising in her throat, or keep her vision from blurring with sudden tears. She silently counted the bodies, slowly, to regain her composure. Twelve bodies. The entire crew had died on the bridge. By the time she had finished counting, her voice was once again crisp and cool, though the tears remained, hidden by the visor of her suit. "Medics, prepare these bodies for return to the Diligence. They are to be returned to their homes for proper burial. Jackson, bring the ATV over here. WeÔÇÖll put them in there." The medics moved forward to carry out the gruesome detail. "Techs, see what you can get out of the shipÔÇÖs computers. Sergeant, take the rest of the Marines and check out the cargo bays for salvage."

Hans and the Techs said "Aye sir" in unison and proceeded with their assigned tasks. That left Alison to report in.

"Ground team to Diligence," said over the Comms circuit. Sev took the call himself. "Report, XO," he said.

"No survivors, sir. WeÔÇÖre bringing the bodies and any computer data we can salvage back to the ship."

Sev closed his eyes. He hadnÔÇÖt been expecting a miracle, but secretly, heÔÇÖd been hoping for one. "Understood. Return to the Diligence when youÔÇÖre done. Diligence out."

Sev looked at his watch. It was time. He punched the comms button. "Chief Engineer Leonev to the bridge." Time for more bad news.

Lt. Andreii Leonev arrived at the bridge in his coveralls, covered in sweat. He didnt look tired, but Sev suspected he had worked the last 36 hours straight. I guess weÔÇÖre down to five crates of fresh coffee, he thought wryly.

"Report, if you please, Lieutenant." said Badgerius softly. "What is the condition of the IOD?"

The chief engineer was a no nonsense type. He got right to the point. "There are stress fractures in the laser array," he said, wiping his forehead with his arm, "and those fractures are transmitting vibrations throughout the whole system. The vibrations will eventually cause something to break." He wiped more sweat from his face, and continued. "Still, I see no reason why we cant continue to use the IOD until something does break. My team is already reassembling it. Id say well be done in about" He paused, calculating in his head. " 10 hours. Eight if were lucky."

Commander Sev Badgerius let a small grin appear on his face. At least something good was happenning today. "Good work, Lieutenant. Carry on."

-----------

Hans Peterson was perplexed. HeÔÇÖd expected the cargo bays to be empty, or at least empty of anything of value. The only reason a ship would have for attacking a freighter would be for her cargo, yet it was all here. Around him was cargo pod after cargo pod, full of everything from fertilizer to Surface to Air Laser batteries. HeÔÇÖd spent the last hour cataloging all of it, and according to the shipÔÇÖs manifest, nothing was missing except the cargo that was blown out of the aft cargo hold when the engines were taken out. The Marine SergeantÔÇÖs mind eye presented him with a list of two possibilities: Either they wanted just to kill the crew, or they took something that wasnÔÇÖt on the manifest. And if they wanted to kill the crew, he thought to himself, why leave the ship intact?

One of the corporals let out a long, low whistle. "Hey Sarge, this stuff is worth a fortune! How are we gonna get it back to the Diligence?"

Peterson fixed the corporal with a stern look. "WeÔÇÖre not, Marine. The cargo bay is full, remember?" Then the Sergeant relaxed, and let out a sigh. "Besides, the insurance underwriters have already laid claim to any cargo found on the wreck to offset their costs. So weÔÇÖll let them come and get it themselves."

Just then PetersonÔÇÖs suit radio crackled. "Sergeant, weÔÇÖre all done on the bridge. WhatÔÇÖs your status?" OÔÇÖNeilÔÇÖs voice had an odd edge to it.

"The cargo is cataloged, sir. All of the cargo appears to be here."

"ThatÔÇÖs strange." If OÔÇÖNeil was going to say something else, she changed her mind. "WeÔÇÖre taking Shuttle 1 back to the Diligence. Secure the area and return on Shuttle 2."

"Aye, sir. Peterson out." Hans eyed the marines lounging about the cargo bay, following the time honored marine tradition of catching rest where and when you can. "All right, you bunch of schoolgirls!" he roared in his best drill sergeant tone. "On your feet! Last one aboard the shuttle gets to walk!"

[RP OFF]

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Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

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Badgerius- Bravo, bravo!! Keep up the good

work. The little bit of intregue is great.

'MAX'

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Cmdr. Maxamillian (MAX)

GCV-Dreadnaught

ICQ#34741

GALCOMPRIME

Shipsmotto: "Retreat? Hell!"

[This message has been edited by Maxamillian (edited 08-06-99).]

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Bager, thats some pretty cool stuff.

Anyway, all intercetors are 2 (tandem) seaters.

You use of a first generation MK1 BC is fine and I can allow you some artistic freedom.

The cloaking tech is available on all BCs but are more advanced in the MK2 and even more advanced in the MK3 prototype.

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Thanks, everyone. I'm really enjoying writing this.

Thanks, SC, for clearing up those technical issues. I'll check to see if any changes are needed to the script.

More to come, soon!

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Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

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Guest Seeker

Seeker *claps his hands*,brave again,when are we going to see more chapters of this?

P.s. sebastain when are you and david foss going to continue writing yout stories?im really looking foward to that too.

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I'm writing this on my lunch breaks at work. So chapters should come every work day or two.

Yes David and Sebastian, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see how Commander Foss and his friend get themselves out of their present pridicament.

Hey, I just noticed that I'm now "Member", not "Junior Member." How'd that happen?

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Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-08-99).]

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Guest Mech3

you get to go from Junior Member to member when you post a certain # of messages

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Commander Mechwarrior of the UCV Black Panther...

"Chaos come from the depths of our souls, victory through our actions. With these we rule the galaxy unchalenged." Leader of the Soon-to-be Black Panther Mercenary Squadron.

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Anyway, back to the story.

[RP ON]

Alison OÔÇÖNeil closed the door of her cabin and leaned against it, leaving the room in complete darkness. She then took two brisk steps to the head and threw up into the toilet. Policing those bodies had been the most gruesome task she had ever had to do, but she knew that those under her took strength from the fact that "Big Al" never faltered. "On the outside, anyway," she thought grimly. "On the inside, itÔÇÖs a different story." In the darkness, she saw those macabre images dance in front of her eyes again, and she nearly threw up a second time. Slowly, as not to upset the uneasy peace in her stomach, she stood up and turned on the light. Something out of place caught her eye. A bottle of Rum sat on her desktop, with a note attached. Curious, she leaned over and read the note.

"Alison. This should help you sleep. YouÔÇÖre off duty for 24 hours. ThatÔÇÖs an order. Sev."

Despite herself, Alison smiled. There was one person on the ship that didnÔÇÖt draw strength from her ice cold demeanor, at least. Then she opened the Rum, drank a third of the dark liquid from the bottle, and cried herself to sleep.

On the bridge, Badgerius was playing back the log entries of the TigressÔÇÖs Captain, a man named Tor Levington. Silently he listened to the now dead Captain, wondering if some future Commander might do the same with his logs. He shivered, and concentrated on what the TigressÔÇÖs former Master was saying:

"weve got a good load for this run. We filled up to the gills at Tramis, and what weve got will fetch an especially good price at Starpath Station at Mars. Ive found a new First Officer for this run, replacing Jones, whos debts finally caught up to her. His name is Don Williamson, and he is just doing the job in exchange for passage to the Sol System. He seems to be a good officer, and Im inclined to believe that I got the better end of the deal. End Entry."

Sev scrolled ahead to the last entry, curious to see if Captain Levington had any idea of what was about to happen.

"Log Entry Begins. We passed through Pluto 20 minutes ago, and made the jump into Neptune space just now, enroute to Mars. Mister Williamson seems edgy. He claims it was something he ate, but IÔÇÖm beginning to wonder what made him desperate enough to leave Tramis that heÔÇÖd work for no pay. IÔÇÖm going to put us in orbit of Nereid and do a diagnostic before we jump to Mars, just in case. End Entry."

Sev stared at the readout thoughtfully for almost a minute. Who was this Williamson? Was the TigressÔÇÖs destruction caused by someone wanting to kill him? It fit the facts, but there werenÔÇÖt enough facts to be sure.

"Commander." The Comms OfficerÔÇÖs voice brok SevÔÇÖs musings. "Message from HQ. Congratulations on a job well done finding the freighter. We are to return to Galcom HQ at best speed for refit and new orders."

"Thank you, Sparks," Sev responded, using the age old nickname for Comms Officers. "LetÔÇÖs go home, ladies and gentlemen. Navigation, lay in a course for Earth. Helm, all ahead two thirds."

Watching the small moon diminish in the view screen, Sev wondered how well a job they had done. Their mission had been to find the Tigress, rescue any survivors, and determine the cause of the crash. His mindÔÇÖs eye flashed up a neatly typed table that listed his private evaluation of the mission:

Find the Tigress: Complete

Rescue Survivors: Failed

Determine Cause of crash: Combat Damage

Cause of Combat: Unknown

It was the "Unknown" that worried Sev. He couldnÔÇÖt shake the feeling that this wasnÔÇÖt just a random incident. He also couldnÔÇÖt shake the feeling that this would come back to haunt him, sooner or later.

------------------

Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

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[RP ON]

Travelling at two thirds speed, the DiligenceÔÇÖs passage to Galcom HQ, in Earth orbit, took about ten hours. Hans Peterson whiled away the hours winning all of Private JacksonÔÇÖs paycheck at acey deucy. Alison OÔÇÖNeil slept fitfully, her nightmares muted, but not obliterated, by the alcohol. Lt. Leonev made sure the damage and maintenance reports were up to date, in preparation for the upcoming refit. And Sev Badgerius, Commander of the GCV Diligence, stood on his bridge, watching the distant Earth grow large on the viewscreen.

This time fate was merciful to the Diligence. No critically damaged Galactan class battlecruisers swept in from the wings, taking up her dry dock spot. And no galactic emergencies occurred anywhere on the route from Nereid to Earth. Ten hours after leaving the icy moon, the GCV Diligence floated into the cavernous dry-dock of Galcom HQ.

"All stop. Away bow lines." OÔÇÖNeil looked somewhat bleary eyed, but felt up to the challenge of docking the ship. Badgerius stood at the back of the bridge, listening to OÔÇÖNeilÔÇÖs crisp orders, and his crewÔÇÖs equally crisp responses, and feeling pride in each.

"Bow lines awayand secure." Docking tractor beams shone from the Diligences bow, and locked onto docking hardpoints within the docking bay, securing the bow of the ship within the bay.

"Away stern lines."

"Stern lines awayand secure. We are docked. Gangway coming inand contact!" The helmsman relaxed. Docking the ship was the most stressful part of his job, aside from combat. He was glad to be finished.

Sev stepped forward. "Good job, everyone. Sparks, put me on in-ship address."

The Comms officer nodded. "Aye sir, youÔÇÖre on."

"Attention all hands, this is the Captain. We are docked at Galcom HQ for extended repairs and refit. All those who do not have conflicting orders are granted shore leave. Report back in two weeks, 0600 Monday morning. That is all."

He turned to OÔÇÖNeil. "XO, you have the con. Dismiss the ship." Then he turned and went to his quarters to pack. It had been a long time since heÔÇÖd had any time off, he wasnÔÇÖt planning to waste it.

The duffel bag was almost packed when his comlink chirped. Sev press the acknowledge button. "Go ahead," he said.

"Sir, you have new orders. A TacOps Commander Turner will meet you in briefing room 18 with the details in twenty minutes."

Sev sighed. "Acknowledged. Tell him IÔÇÖm on my way." So much for the time off.

Briefing room 18 was a small room with a podium, a wallscreen, and 5 chairs. It was designed for giving briefings to Cap Ship Commanders, either individually or in small groups. Turner was the only one in the room when Sev arrived.

"Hello Commander, IÔÇÖm Commander Turner, Galcom fleet intelligence, attached to Prime Fleet." Turner extended his hand to shake SevÔÇÖs.

Aw, hell, thought Badgerius, shaking the manÔÇÖs hand, I donÔÇÖt like where this is going.

"I want to thank you for returning the body of my agent, Don Williamson. It means a lot to his family."

"So thatÔÇÖs why the Tigress was shot down. To kill a Galcom Agent. That explains why no cargo was taken." Sev said, shaking his head slowly.

"Exactly. Although precisely who killed him remains a mystery. Don was investigating some arms shipments into Vesperon territory. The Vesperons have been quietly building up their military strength for quite a while now. Don was to find out their intentions. He failed, and IÔÇÖm in a bind. If the Vesperons are spoiling for war, theyÔÇÖre going to stomp on the Empirians. Unfortunately, the Empirians havenÔÇÖt built up their fleet for fear of provoking the Vesperons. In its current condition, their fleet doesnÔÇÖt stand a chance. If the Empirians fall, weÔÇÖll have an aggressive and militarily advanced race sitting on our back doorstep." Turner walked over to the wallscreen, and punched up a map of the Terran Quadrant. "To prevent them from taking Earth, the Supreme Commander will have to shift forces to counter the Vesperon fleet. But he wonÔÇÖt do it on a whim. I donÔÇÖt have to tell you that weÔÇÖre stretched pretty thin. Between tracking down the Insurgents, and defending our borders from the Gammulan threat, we donÔÇÖt have any ships to spare against the possibility of a threat. We need facts, and we need them fast. ThatÔÇÖs where you come in."

Sev was surprised. "Me, sir?"

Turner nodded. "The Diligence has been given top priority for refit. SheÔÇÖll be ready in 72 hours. YouÔÇÖll be sent into the Tau Ceti system on patrol. Keep a low profile. But find out if the Vesperon fleet is about to move."

Now Sev was shocked. "Sir the Diligence only has a Mark 1 cloaking device. Surely a Galactan"

Turner interrupted him. "IÔÇÖd love to send a Galactan class battlecruiser to do this job. The Mark 2 cloaking device is far superior to your Mark 1. It is also more reliable. That makes the Galactan perfect for a job like this. Unfortunately, none are available. Be ready to leave in 72 hours. Dismissed."

Sev saluted, then turned and left the room. "IÔÇÖll leave the crew on leave for 60 hours, then IÔÇÖll break the news to them." he said to himself. "TheyÔÇÖre going to need the rest. And so am I." and he headed for the nearest Earthbound shuttle.

[RP OFF]

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Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-09-99).]

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Three chapters and no comments? smile.gif Wow, I must have you guys speechless. Seriously, though, let me know how you think it's going. I'm enjoying getting feedback on a chapter by chapter basis. It's a lot different than other writing I've done. No pressure, or anything. I'm going to keep writing regardless, but it's nice to know someone out there is listening.

[RP ON]

48 hours later, a thoroughly contented Sev Badgerius sat at the helm of a 32 foot sailboat on the Pacific Ocean, waiting for the most beautiful sight that he had ever encountered to present itself. It had only taken him four hours to rent the sailboat and leave Vancouver harbour, in what used to be Canada. He had spent the last 40 odd hours working his way west. Today he had encountered a rain squall, a challenge Sev had accepted with almost childlike glee. There arent many storms in space. Now it was nearly sunset, and although it was still raining where he has, a small band of blue sky lined the western horizon. Perfect. Just a few more seconds

And there it was. The sun had set to the point where it was visible below the clouds. Instantly the clouds, the sea, and every raindrop glowed in soft yellow light. The air itself seemed to be shining in the reflected light. In every direction, Sevs world was colored a deepening golden hue, turning to red as the sun continued to set. Sev had experienced this phenomenon before, but it still captivated him with its beauty

And it was over. The sun had set, leaving Sev wet and cool in the deepening grey of night. Then he reached down and flipped the switch to start the sailboatÔÇÖs motor. He then set course for Vancouver. It was time to go back to work.

***

The barfight was in full force, having spread to every corner of the spaceport bar. Alison wasnt quite sure how it had started, except that she was vaguely sure she had had something to do with it. What had happened to that rude Lieutenant who had interrupted her drinking to insult her ship? Oh yes, she had thrown him into that table of rowdy Marines. Maybe that had something to do with it. Most of her moderately impaired reasoning ability was involved in kicking butt, without getting her own butt kicked in the process. She executed a perfect straight kick to the larynx of some poor individual with a broken bottle. He fell back, clutching his throat. A quick glance behind her revealed a blond woman with a bottle, this one unbroken, attempting to rectify that condition by hitting Big Al over the head with it. Alison grabbed her by the collar, and used her as a throwing weapon against a burly system engineer coming from the other direction. Just then a large heavy barstool was thrown in her direction. Alison jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, it was only after she jumped that her brain caught up to her. "Wasnt there a wall in this direction?" CRASH!! "Oh yeah, a window!" Alison landed on her back on the cracked pavement outside the bar, shards of safety glass landing everywhere. She opened her eyes, and was somewhat surprised to see a uniformed form standing over her, looking stern. Alisons thoughts were still muddled. Dont I know him? Lets see, tall, blue eyes, greying brown hair, Commanders stripes Oh, crap! Still on her back, at the feet of her commanding officer, ONeil came to attention and saluted.

"LeaveÔÇÖs been cancelled. Get cleaned up and get back to the ship." Sev wasnÔÇÖt surprised at the condition of his XO. She had taken the last mission hard, and shore leave like this was just what the doctor ordered. He just hoped she had gotten enough.

"Aye aye, sir," Alison paused. "Sir, what day of the week is it?"

Sev almost smiled. Yup, she had gotten enough. "ItÔÇÖs Friday, Lt. Commander," he said, and began walking towards the spaceport.

"Damn," said Alison to herself, "it must be Monday somewhere. Things like this always happen on Mondays."

[RP OFF]

More to come soon, and things are going to heat up.

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Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

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Guest Seeker

oh ,dont mind the rest they are simply so awed vy your writing skills that they forget how to press the "post reply " button,dont worry theyll get over it... smile.gif

seriously now,great job keep it up!

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CMDR Ehud Almog

Prime fleet

GCV-Black Phoenix

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Now this is a story to keep me bussy while waiting for bc32k.Thank you for this story and KEEP it on I love to read it...

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A fool chatters as the wiseman listens...

[This message has been edited by Chris Blair (edited 08-10-99).]

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[RP ON]

Sergeant Peterson walked into briefing room 2 and looked around. A large amphitheatre, briefing room 2 could hold the entire crew of the Diligence, which is what it was currently doing. Hans walked briskly to a seat and sat down, waiting for the arrival of his Commander. He listened to some of his fellow crewmates talking around him. They were mostly grumbling about the leave being cut short. Hans didnÔÇÖt particularly care that his leave had been interrupted. He was career military, and he didnÔÇÖt have much to do when he wasnÔÇÖt being a soldier. Mostly he would just train during his leave, so as not to lose any of his edge.

The stiffening of the officers at the front of the briefing room gave Hans all the warning he needed. He quickly stood and came to attention. Commander Badgerius walked in to the room and took up a position behind the podium.

Sev looked out at his crew, standing at attention, waiting on his word.

"Please be seated," was all he said. He waited until things quieted down, then he began his briefing.

"The refit of the Diligence is nearing completion. It will be complete in 6 hours. 72 hours after we arrived." Sev let that sink in. The reaction of the crew was as he expected: shock. A ship just didnÔÇÖt get that kind of treatment unless she was the most important ship in drydock, and all resources were taken from the other ships to work on her. Whatever was going on here, it was important, and they wanted to know what it was. Sev told them.

"This mission is classified, so do not mention our destination to anyone. Galcom Intel thinks that the Vesperons a gearing up for a war with the Empirians. Given the state of the Empirian fleet, and the suspected size of the Vesperon one, they could walk all over the Empirians and not get their feet dirty. Since that would put them one jump from Pluto, the brass is concerned, and so am I. However, the brass does not want to move forces away from the Insurgent and Gammulan threats until they know the Vesperons are coming, and they want to know about it before the missiles start raining down on Gazer 1. So, weÔÇÖre going to the Tau Ceti system, and weÔÇÖre going to get those answers for them. WeÔÇÖre going to find out if a large Vesperon fleet exists, and if we find that it does, weÔÇÖre going to find out where itÔÇÖs going, and what itÔÇÖs going to do when it gets there. And if theyÔÇÖre going to Earth, weÔÇÖre going to slow them down until the Supreme Commander can re-enforce Pluto." Sev paused, looking out at his crew, knowing that each was thinking about their chances. "We have been chosen to do this because we are the only ones who can. I have no doubt that you will make me proud. We depart in six hours. Dismissed."

As one body, the crew of the Galcom Vessel Diligence rose, and saluted their Captain.

Six hours later, Sev stood on his bridge, watching the Chief Engineer bring the ship to life from his bridge station. "Dammit, Riley, watch the reactor coolant pressure! It looks like the damn pump wasnÔÇÖt calibrated!" Leonev studied the readouts for a few more seconds. "Ok, thatÔÇÖs better."

Badgerius waited to see if the Engineer had any other immediate problems, then asked, "WhatÔÇÖs our status, Mr. Leonev?"

The Engineer didnÔÇÖt look up from his readouts. "It was a rush job, sir. It looks like things havenÔÇÖt been properly calibrated and integrated. By rights we should cruise to the Pluto jump point on normal power, just to break her in."

"No time, Mr. Leonev."

"I thought not, sir. DonÔÇÖt worry, IÔÇÖll keep her together for you. Things might be a bit rough around the edges for a little while though."

Badgerius sighed. He loved his ship, but sometimes he felt that she wasnÔÇÖt inclined to make his life easy. "Very well, Mr. Leonev."

At length, the ship was ready. Sev decided to pilot the ship out of drydock himself.

"Close all airlocks! Disengage Gangway!" Sev stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out the main viewscreen. Around him, each member of his crew was concentrating on his or her task, relaying information to the Captain, waiting for orders.

The helmsman complied. "Aye sir, Gangway is clear."

"Clear all moorings!"

The bow and stern lines vanished as the helmsman disengaged the docking tractors. "Moorings cleared, sir. We are free to maneuver. Thrusters at stationkeeping."

"Very well. All back slow, if you please, helm."

The helmsman moved the throttle slightly. "Answering all back slow, sir."

Slowly the Diligence backed out the docking bay, out into the open space that was her rightful home. Like a graceful bird, she glided out of her nest and into space.

"We are clear of the bay, sir." The helmsman stated.

"Station control wishes us good hunting." the Comms officer said.

"Acknowledge, Comms. Navigation, lay in hyperspace coordinates to the Pluto jump point."

"Course plotted, Commander," said the Navigation officer. "Hyperjump engines are at full charge. We are ready to jump."

"Jump."

Like the gaping maw of some wild beast, a hole in space opened ahead of the Diligence, crackling with raw energy. Then the beast swallowed the ship, and itÔÇÖs jaws snapped shut, leaving no trace that either was ever there.

Sev looked around. They were on their way.

[RP OFF]

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Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

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