Badgerius Posted December 3, 2001 Report Share Posted December 3, 2001 I'm writing this short story to fill in the blanks between "Eternal Diligence" and my appointment as Wing Commander of Gamma Wing. Although this story is not intended as a MP story, if you have MP ideas for this story, email me at [email protected]The Death of the CalypsoChapter 1: Lt. Hans Peterson was actually getting bored. He didnt quite believe it at first, since he was used to soaking up the quiet times between action, because soon enough, action came, and he would wish it was quiet again. So this feeling of boredom was new to him. But now he was pretty much sure of it. He was bored. Not that hed led a boring life. Oh no, hed led quite an exciting life, by most standards. By GalCom Marine standards, even, hed been quite busy. As a private hed been the last off a cruiser before the commander had scuttled her. Hans still didnt like thinking about that. A marine shouldnt leave his commander behind, was what hed thought at the time. He was older now. Maybe wiser. He could see why what the commander had done was necessary. It still didnt sit right with him though. After that hed served on the Diligence, as a Sergeant. A fine old carrier, the Diligence had seen more action in her time than most serving Fleet Commanders. Technically, he still was serving on the Diligence. She was undergoing a complete overhaul after an extended campaign against the Vesperons, a campaign that had cost the lives of Petersons entire squad. The Diligences commander, Sev Badgerius, couldnt stand being behind a desk during the refit, so he took command of the GCV Calypso. The Calypso was a Solnar class cruiser refitted as a research ship. Her main guns had been replaced by a super-sensitive sensor array, and her marine complement had been replaced with a science crew. Hans, now a Lieutenant, had taken the position of Combat Officer. Since then, things had been quieter. Not completely quiet, mind you, since scientists had all the common sense of children on Christmas morning when it came to new things. New and dangerous things. Hed pulled the scientists out of trouble more than once, and the thought of the last time, with the foolish technician attempting to get a blood sample from a Polarian sand dragon, brought a smile to his face. But that was three months ago. Thered been nothing since. Hans was growing bored. He stood up from the wardroom table and paced to the window. There was the usual beautiful backdrop of stars, but no planet. They were in deep space, hunting spatial anomalies. Not a lot for a marine to do. This does not bode well, he said to himself. Its been quiet for too long. This is the calm before the storm, and this storm is going to be bad. And with that feeling growing in his gut, he started down to the armory, to make sure hed be ready. Lt. Commander Allison ONeil sat at the Sensor station on the bridge of the Calypso. As Tactical Officer and XO to Cmdr. Badgerius, this is where she spent most of her on-duty shipboard time. Shed been sitting there for ten hours now, along with one of the technicians. ONeil stood and stretched, her hands brushing the conduits running along the ceiling of the bridge. Tall and well built, her stature, along with flaming red hair, currently worn up and out of the way, and a tough-as-nails demeanor, had earned her the nickname Big Al on the Diligence. Here, things were more relaxed. Most people here just called her ONeil. The technician looked up at ONeil. Time to call it a night? he asked. Looks like the phantom flux point isnt going to make an appearance tonight. ONeil nodded and stifled a yawn. They had been looking for this thing for three months; following scraps of probe data into the farthest reaches of the Rebelan region, at the edge of known space. A Flux point which appeared suddenly, swallowing ships whole, and then vanishing again. After three months of searching, they were certain it existed. They just didnt have any direct evidence. Not yet. ONeil looked at her watch: 1:27 am. Well past the end of her watch. The Comms officer had the conn, so she was not needed on the bridge. She waved goodnight to the bridge crew as she stifled another yawn, and headed for the turboshaft. She never got there. The Sensor console let out a single, attention seeking chirp, and the main viewscreen was suddenly filled with the green aura of a flux point. The technician sat up suddenly. Weve got it! Flux point forming! All criteria within search parameters. This is the one were looking for. Position he paled visibly. Jesus! Its 300 meters off our starboard bow! Allison was instantly alert. Ive got the conn, she said crisply. She turned and headed for the command chair, which the Comms Officer was vacating. Shields up. Hard to port. All ahead slow. She pressed a button on the chair which sent klaxons blaring throughout the ship. All hands, emergency stations. Commander to the bridge. All officers to the bridge. As Sev Badgerius came instantly awake, dressed and headed for the bridge, and as Hans Peterson rushed from the armory without putting down the rifle hed been cleaning, the Calypso continued to close on the flux point, drawn in by its distortion field. 300 meters had closed to 200, and 200 was rapidly dwindling to 100. At 132 meters, a bolt of plasma-electric energy erupted from the flux field, and struck the Calypsos forward hull. The shock of the impact threw Badgerius to the floor of the main corridor. He skidded a few meters and rolled back to his feet. As he did so, he saw Lt. Peterson heading for the bridge turbolift, a rifle in his hands. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as they both entered the turbolift. Dont you think thats a bit premature Lieutenant? he asked wryly, nodding at the rifle. Hans looked at his Commander and smiled. You can never be too ready, sir, he said. The lift opened to the sound of the Comms Officer. shields down, hull down to 63%. We have reactor damage Another shock shook the ship. The lights flickered and died, and then came back on. ONeil was using her command voice now: All power to the hyperdrive. Set course for Rebelan. Jump! As the Calypso disappeared into hyperspace, the flux point responded with fury, as if angered at its escaping prey. Half a dozen bolts erupted from it and struck the Calypsos aft hull just as the research ship finished its entry into hyperspace. The lights went out again, and this time they didnt come back on. The only light was from the bridge windows. Located as it was on a column above the center of the ship, the bridge overlooked the ships forward hull. Badgerius could see the air venting from a hull breach on deck 2, and the starboard nacelle looked seriously damaged. It was a wonder we could jump at all, he thought. Report, ONeil, he said as he took his chair. ONeil strode to the Logistics station. She examined the readouts for a moment, then said, Its bad sir. The reactor core has been ejected. Hull breaches on decks 2 and 3. Main engines offline. Secondary life support is gone. Communications is gone. The shuttle bay is offline. No radiation detected. Badgerius sighed. They would have to abandon ship. Activate the distress beacon, please, Lt. Arquette, he said, addressing the Comms officer. Arquette looked at her console and said, SOS beacon offline, sir. As Badgerius began to give orders to move any crew in areas covered by the secondary life support to safety, ONeil whispered Oh no Badgerius looked up in alarm. What is it, ONeil? he asked? ONeil was hunched over the TacOps display. Sir, theres a problem with our Hyperdrive trajectory. Were off course by 110 km. Were going to come out of hyperspace inside Rebelans atmosphere. The bridge was silent. Everyone looked at the commander, who was looking at ONeil. Finally he spoke. All power to auxiliary thrusters. Take the helm, ONeil. All hands, he said, pushing the intercom switch, prepare for emergency planetfall. Brace for impact in he consulted the navigation display, eight seconds. Rebelan was an uninhabited world, with thick jungle circling the equator. It was above this jungle, at 21 degrees North, 87 degrees west, that the Calypso exited hyperspace. Right in the middle of a tropical storm. Hans Peterson remembered the next moments only as flashes. The lightning outside the windows lighting up the bridge. ONeil shouting that the ship was still descending. The commander transferring battery power to thrusters. The sickening scream of metal being torn apart. And then, nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badgerius Posted December 11, 2001 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Chapter 2: Consciousness returned to ONeil in stages. First came the sense of smell. She smelled summer rain and lush plants, familiar but with an alien tinge. Then sound came back. Rain pelted on something hard, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Some time later, sight returned to ONeil. She opened her eyes, and was looking at soft rain falling on shards of glass on a cold, grey metal floor. Finally, touch returned to ONeil, and she realized that she wasnt in the most comfortable of positions. Actually, she was jammed under the sensor console. Moving slowly, still dazed, she began to extricate herself from the tight space. Some time later she stood, and took in her surroundings. The bridge wasdestroyed. Every window was shattered, leaving the entire forward half of the bridge open to the elements. The ship had come to a rest with a 15 degree down angle, and a slight starboard list. Rain was pouring onto the exposed bridge, not only through the windows, but also through the several meter-wide gashes in the roof. Grey mist swirled outside, concealing the terrain. Still numb and dazed, she walked to forward edge of the bridge. Warm rain fell on her, and she was quickly soaked. Looking down, she saw that the Calypso had reached her final resting place. The entire forward hull from the bridge forward was submerged. Black, brackish water lapped gently at the base of the bridge column and many bubbles farther forward indicated that the water wasnt limited to the outside of the ship. The starboard nacelle had been ripped away during the descent, and the port nacelle was battered and covered with vegetation. Fog obscured the far end of the lake, but it looked like the Calypsos aft sections might be on land behind her. A low groan brought her to her senses. She turned around suddenly to see Commander Badgerius standing up from his command chair. She quickly looked about to see who else was on the bridge. Lt. Peterson was sprawled on the floor, still clutching his rifle. He wasnt moving, but he appeared to be breathing. The Comms officer was slumped over her console, which had been smashed. As she approached, Allison realized that it had been smashed by Lt. Arquettes head. There was no pulse. There was no one else. No sign of the sensor tech or any of the other bridge crew could be seen. Badgerius was looking around as well. Finally he said, Well, these chairs can certainly take a lot of punishment. He shook his head. ONeil, are you ok? Feeling had been returning to Alisons shocked nerves for a few minutes now. A throbbing in her left elbow and a bump on her head told her shed been lucky. Yes, sir, she replied, amazed at how steady her voice sounded. Arquette is dead. Peterson seems to be breathing, and theres no sign of the others. Badgerius looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. And the ship? he asked. ONeil shook her head. Were not going anywhere except on foot, sir. At that moment, Peterson moaned, rolled over and came to one knee, wristlaser at the ready. Then he stood, a little shakily, and said, I take it weve landed, sir. Badgerius smiled. He was attempting to activate the console on the side of his chair. Nothing happened. Personnel Scanner is offline. He looked at ONeil. See if you can contact any survivors using personal comlinks. He turned to Peterson. Are you hurt? Peterson had retrieved the rifle. He was examining it for damage. No sir, he said, Ive been in worse shape after shore leave. Badgerius gave him another quick smile. He pointed to the holes in the ceiling. Get up there and get an idea of our situation. Peterson nodded, and began climbing. Allison had been trying to reach the crew using her personal comlink. After a few minutes, she gave up. No response sir, she told her commander. Just then Peterson jumped back down onto the bridge. Hows it look, Lieutenant? asked ONeil. Peterson looked out the front of the bridge. He said, Weve come down in thick jungle. Right at the edge of a lake. The forward half of the ship is submerged, but some of the aft section is on land. Armorys almost certainly underwater, as is the shuttlebay. The cargo bays might be ok though. He shook his head. The hulls in bad shape, sir. Badgerius sighed. Ok, people, heres the drill. We search the ship for survivors, salvage what we can, and move ashore. Lets see if we cant get this turbolift door open. Using the rifle, Hans pried the doors open. He peered into the black abyss below him. Allison went to a panel on the wall, and removed three emergency hand lights. Then, carefully, they stepped onto the ladder of the turbolift shaft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badgerius Posted December 13, 2001 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2001 Chapter 3: The turbolift was stopped on deck 2. Allison opened the emergency hatch, and shone the light down into the lift. It was flooded to chest level. She looked at Badgerius, who nodded. Nodding back, she jumped into the turbolift. Landing with a splash, she looked around. There was no light, other than her hand light. Emergency lights werent working. The turbolift door was open. Calling up to the other officers, she said, All clear down here. The waters quite warm actually. As she stepped out into the passageway, there were two large splashes behind her marking the two officers arrival on this deck. The downward angle of the deck was very noticeable, and just a few meters forward of where Allison stood, the water level reached the top of the passageway. Hans light was reflected off the still water and formed dancing reflections on the ceiling. Guess were not going that way, he said wryly. Badgerius was standing in front of his quarters. Im going to get a few things from in here that well need, he said, prying the powerless doors open. Go ahead to the cargo bays. Ill meet you there. As Petersons and ONeils splashes receded aftward, Badgerius shone his hand light around his quarters. A few knickknacks had been tossed around in the crash, but the furniture appeared to have stayed intact. Badgerius opened a cabinet above his desk and removed some items. Then he removed the power pack from his wristlaser and attached it to the computer on his desk. He waited calmly in knee deep water as it booted in stand-alone mode. Well, this isnt any use to us! said ONeil in frustration as she pried the top off yet another crate. Her and Peterson had been prying the tops of crates at random, being unable to read the bar codes on the crates. What is it? asked Peterson from the other end of upper bay 2. Bay 1 was completely destroyed, they had found, and the lower level of bay 2 was under eight feet of water. That left just the upper bay, which was simply a wide balcony that surrounded the cargo bay level with deck 2. There was two dozen or so cargo crates here. So far, none of them containing useful material. ONeil shook her head in disgust. Iron Ore! she yelled back. Peterson ripped the top off the next crate, and let out a whoop of delight. Alright! Combat Kits! ONeil grinned. Then started opening the next crate. WhatWeReallyNeed, she grunted, prying the top off, Is The top came off with a metallic groan. Nutripacks! she cheered, looking at the yellow packages within. Badgerius strode into the cargo bay. Hows it looking? he asked. ONeil wiped the sweat from her brow and gave a tired salute. Weve got food, and weve got combat kits. We can survive here. Badgerius nodded. Good, he said briskly, but were not staying Peterson interrupted him. What on Gods Green Earth is that? he asked, pointing to Badgeriuss leg. Badgerius pulled the gun Peterson was pointing to out of its holster. It was a huge, bulbous pistol, with twin 20mm snub barrels and a cylindrical power pack sticking out the back. It was made from an alien metal which was either naturally, or had been painted, a metallic green. This? he said, smiling. I won this from a trader in the Zelon capital city, in a game of chance. Its a Credian blaster. Used by their ground troops during their last war with the Gammulans. Thingll take out most of a hill, if youre not careful. He put the pistol back in its holster. Its completely illegal, of course, he continued, but I never could quite let it go. Always thought it would come in handy. He chuckled. I guess it has, after all. ONeil was pulling out a combat kit from the crate and opening it up. You mentioned were not staying here, sir, she asked, picking up a standard pistol, checking it, and putting it in a leg holster. Where are we going? Theres no civilization on this planet. Badgerius handed her a data pad with a map on it. Here, he said. ONeil examined the pad. An abandoned supply base? Badgerius nodded. Yes. We set one up here several years ago. Two years ago, we suspected that the Insurgents knew its location, so we abandoned it. Peterson was loading ammo clips onto a bandolier. But if its abandoned, why go there? It must be 250 km from here. Badgerius took the pad back. Generally when Galcom abandons something, we strip it down. But in the case of these supply bases, we wanted to use them as bait for an Insurgent attack. If they attacked them, wed know our intel on them was accurate. Wed have taken most of the supplies out, of course, to minimize our losses, but the base infrastructure was left behind to maintain the illusion of an intact base. They never attacked this one that we know of, so that infrastructure should be intact. That infrastructure includes long-rang Comm equipment, which we will use to call for a pick-up. ONeil was stuffing Nutripacks into a backpack. Right, she said, 250 klicks overland through alien jungle with nothing but standard weapons and that artillery piece of yours She nodded at the commander. sounds like fun. We do we leave? Badgerius looked at the two officers for a moment. He tried to think of something that would make this trek sound like less of a suicide mission. He failed. We leave tomorrow at dawn, he said. Get some sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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