Jon Ballinger

Happy birthday =) ------------------ Vice Admiral Ramon du Sandau ICV-Essenson, New Frontier Author, The Calm Before The Storm (location in transit) Official Tester Battlecruiser Series "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

Test of new sig ------------------ Rear Admiral Ramon du Sandau ICV-Essenson, New Frontier Author, The Calm Before The Storm (location in transit) Official Tester Battlecruiser Series "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

Registered in Bishamon as Jester. ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson Author, The Calm Before The Storm (location in transit) "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

*sigh* What a start. The URL for the story is no longer valid. I need to sort that out. Sorry. ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester CO: New America ICV Essenson (in dry dock) Author, The Calm Before The Storm (location in transit) "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

Well, things are certainly moving here, and I've left a lot of loose ends. I can certainly say that I didn't mean for my absence to be quite this long but it was. The good news is that I'm now back (well, I think it's good news ;-)) and just in time I think. I'll be registering for the Fleet asap and carrying out any and all other bits I need to. I figured the new commanders forum was the best spot for me, given the time I've been absent. ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester CO: New America ICV Essenson (in dry dock) Author, The Calm Before The Storm: http://jabsystems.co.uk/future/calmb4storm/ "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

/salute. Rest in peace. ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester CO: New America ICV Essenson (in dry dock) Author, The Calm Before The Storm: http://jabsystems.co.uk/future/calmb4storm/ "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

I'm more than happy with the guys that have been assigned to me. I'm also delighted with the Rock I'm on :-) ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson Author, The Calm Before The Storm: http://jabsystems.co.uk/future/calmb4storm/ "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

I'm here ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson Author, The Calm Before The Storm: http://jabsystems.co.uk/future/calmb4storm/ "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

I'm here ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson Author, The Calm Before The Storm: http://jabsystems.co.uk/future/calmb4storm/ "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

...he sat down on his bed and instructed the computer to open a direct link to Insurgent One, giving his security clearance. "Insurgent One is not available right now. Can I take a message?" He nodded, "Message follows: Rattler, Jester's home." ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson Author, The Calm Before The Storm: http://jabsystems.co.uk/future/calmb4storm/ "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

I am still here ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson Author, The Calm Before The Storm: http://jabsystems.co.uk/future/calmb4storm/ "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

Okies guys, This is the last post in this thread and I'd appreciate it if either Derek, Ron or Rich could lock it down. On Saturday I am going to finish off my post and will post it, I have a lot to absorb in the posts immediately before and after my apology but will get it sorted. Either late Saturday or early Sunday (UK time) I will be posting my post. At the moment it is six and a half thousand words but I will endeavour to trim it somewhat. This is what I will be handling: First th[****** censored ******]nd then finally th[****** censored ******]nd that's it. So that's what will be happening guys. ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson Author, The Calm Before The Storm: http://jabsystems.co.uk/future/calmb4storm/ "You can only love or hate something you truly understand" P.S. Hehe, sorry guys, couldn't resist teasing. All will be revealed this weekend. [This message has been edited by Jon Ballinger (edited 10-14-1999).]

Okay, first of all I'm sorry guys. This isn't a post, just an apology and an explanation of sorts. I haven't posted (or finished) the initial assault post and it will not be done this week either. The reason for this is that I've been swamped at work, and to cap it all am slap bang in the middle of exams. Revision, antsy clients, exams and antsy clients. Did I mention antsy clients? Anyway, I've taken two of four exams so far and have passed them both. I have my third on Friday but then I have a period of relative calm where I just have to deal with antsy clients until around the end of October. I will post my next installment before my fourth exam. Fortunately it seems that there are other good threads running on this site, so join them if you haven't already. ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson Author, The Calm Before The Storm: http://jabsystems.co.uk/future/calmb4storm/ "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

Massing of the Fleet 13th March 3008 Jarius Tren allowed himself a rare smile as he watched Gammula's surface grow smaller before him. He turned round and straightened up in the shuttle seat. "Not long now, sir," assured the pilot. "We shall reach Orbital within the hour." "Good," replied Jarius, before falling silent again. Jarius preferred to think on the flights from the surface to Gammula Spacestation, in high orbit around Gamma 2. There were many who would like to know what he was thinking at any one time and it was for this precise reason that Jarius Tren kept the majority of his thoughts unspoken and unrecorded. A finely honed memory, built up through a childhood of ridicule poured on him for his desire to learn. Those who ridiculed him were now worthless, unproductive members of Gammulan society, incarcerated or, in some cases, dead. Not one of the people who had taunted Jarius for his tendencies to learn new things was in a position to atagonise him further. Now Jarius was being chaffeured to Orbital so that he could oversee the final preparations for the Final Purge. Gamma 2 would sparkle as the jewel in the crown of the galaxy, surrounded by lesser gems. He waited, eyes fixed on a star twinkling in the distance, as the shuttle moved inexorably closer to the spacestation that was but a stepping stone bridging the river of his fate. "Xoriasis, clearance is granted, proceed to bay one." Jarius was snapped out of his thoughts by the voice of Orbital's flight controller. He listened as the pilot acknowledged the message and began the maneuvres that would place Xoriasis in line with bay one. The shuttle docked smoothly and quickly. "We're here, sir," the pilot said. Jarius bristled slightly, annoyed at being told the plainly obvious, but gritted his teeth and said nothing. He rose from his seat and left the shuttle after his two armed escorts. Insignificant personnel dressed in shiny suits stood to attention, two lines flanking his path to the station proper. Jarius suffered the annoyance in silence, it would not do to cause a scene when his masterplan was so near to being put into action. Jarius asked to be taken directly to his stormcarrier. Less than half an hour later, Jarius saw his flagship standing proud in bay four, held in place by mooring tractor beams. From the position Jarius was in, he could see out of the bay, into space. He allowed himself to smile; the galaxy and Gamma 2 were a fitting backdrop for the Red Lance. "Is she fully stocked?" Jarius asked the station quartermaster who was now beside him. "Yes, sir!" he barked, topping off the sentence with a quickfire salute. Jarius saluted quickly and continued, "Are all the other craft here and stocked?" "All the craft involved in the initial phase are here, save for the Fourth Order which should shortly be arriving from Sorius, and fully loaded. All the remaining craft are en route and will remain in a holding pattern outside. We shall restock the majority of them via shuttle and transporters. They shall be ready late tomorrow." Jarius nodded. This was good, the First, Second and Fourth orders were ready and the Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh would be ready tomorrow. Jarius boarded the Red Lance and headed for the bridge. Jarius appraised his bridgecrew and saluted them before sitting down. He spoke a few commands and once the computer had responded with an affirmative, Jarius began talking anew. "Crew of the Red Lance, this is your captain speaking. Within one galactic standard day we shall put into motion our future. If you are close to a viewport or a holoscreen please look outside and witness the rebirth of the Gammulan nation. Courage be with you." Jarius sat back and watched the bridge viewer screen. The target was the jump gate from LV-115 and it was not long before the lights surrounding it began to flash; an indication of an imminent arrival. The first stormcarrier of the Fourth Order emerged from the LV-115 jumpgate and slowed to a stop. Within minutes it had been joined by five others and, once they were lined up, they approached the spacestation in unison. "Launch," Jarius said, still watching the arrivals stream into the system. The Red Lance was the first craft to emerge from Gammula and as it settled into a holding pattern to the right of the spacestation, it was joined by more First Order craft. Shortly the Second Order craft began to leave the station too. The initial craft of the Fourth Order had by now reached the spacestation and they halted below Gammula spacestation. Jarius said, "Computer, take a message ..." ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson Author, The Calm Before The Storm: http://jabsystems.co.uk/future/calmb4storm/ "You can only love or hate something you truly understand" [This message has been edited by Jon Ballinger (edited 09-22-1999).]

quote:You don't know me, but wow, it is an honour to be the first to reply to a thread you've started. I hope you're not to disappointed with what we've done with this forum while you've been away. Thanks for the welcome back, Ben. I may not know you (or the others who have been posting to the RP forum) personally but I have been reading it. I may not have had the time to post but I certainly made the time to read. So, no, I haven't been disappointed. Quite the opposite in fact, the standards have been kept high and I hope I can match them. Gallion's offer for me to play the Head of the Gammulan War Council was too good to pass up and it also keeps me active on the forums and in the community while I work on CBS. Thanks again, ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson Author, The Calm Before The Storm: http://jabsystems.co.uk/future/calmb4storm/ "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

/ooc Well, this may or may not be a surprise to you all. Whether or not it is, I'm not going to spill the beans any further than I have in the introduction post below, I'll leave that to the gamesmaster, Gallion. None of the Galcom or affiliated nations know any of this yet. Gallion will introduce the elements that set that off. This post, so to speak, is simply setting the scene. --------------------------------------------- Prelude to the Dance March 12th 3008 The windows were tinted, so as to remove prying eyes. It would not do, Jarius Tren thought, to have them looking in on us. Jarius looked down on them, an angry mob of civilians baying in the streets down below, and felt disgust. "They sicken me," he said at last, the words barely audible. "Do they not know the effort it took for us to claim our place as rightful rulers of this quadrant? Do they yearn for the dark days again?" Thunder rolled in the distance, adding emphasis to Jarius' words. "No matter," he said, turning away from the window and locking eyes with a Gammulan Warrior standing before him. "Seek out a ringleader, someone at the front. Shoot him." Jarius reflected a moment before adding, "Or her." He walked back into the centre of the room and sat down at his chair. Jarius Tren looked around him, at the other four members of the Gammulan War Council. "So, my friends, we must show these weaklings our claws. We must bloody our claws and dance on the remains of who -- or what -- ever crosses us. We must show the galaxy just who we are." None of the other four spoke. "The Gammulan nation should not have fallen into disarray. We have allowed irregularities to creep into our hold on the populace. They even talk of possible diplomacy. The only diplomacy that will pass through this room is our acceptance of any surrenders that may be offered. Co-existence is out of the question. The Gammulan Quadrant will become just that, a quadrant for Gammulans only. "We shall stoke the fires of the populace again, while removing the dead elements on the way. Gammula will be the jewel of the Gammulan Quadrant and once we have achieved that aim, we have three more available quadrants to turn to." Jarius stood up again, rising to his full height of seven and a half feet. He appraised each of the four seated around the table, searching for signs of strength ... and also of weakness. "I have ordered the very public execution of twenty-two members of the public. They are to be chosen at random by the computer from a snapshot of the crowd that throngs below us. This will quieten down the dissidents and allow us to get on with the real work. Now --" "Sir, with all respect, you cannot be serious. Murdering twenty-two people just because they happen to be below us, registering their displeasure at how events are progressing." Jarius sat down slowly and examined M Inent Viktor carefully, looking for signs of treachery and subterfuge and found none. M Inent's emotions were clearly registered on his face and that pleased Jarius. This man could be trusted. "I agree, I have no desire to be a part of any council that would randomly slaughter members of our public. If you proceed with this ... insanity, then you will also accept my resignation." Someone else with guts, Jarius thought as he listened to Ki'l Dem'al. This council may yet be satisfactory. Jarius was careful not to allow any trace of pleasure to cross his face. He turned to the other two members of the council -- both of which had not said a word during this meeting so far -- and waited. Ilps Fergot swallowed loudly and looked mildly embarrassed. "Uh," he said. "I feel that ... an example ... should be made." He seemed to find conviction in his words, "Yes, we should remove twenty-two people from the crowd below." "Yes, yes," agreed Mind S'Ron. "That is surely the most efficient course of events." Ki'l snorted loudly, "You know nothing yet you do not even have the courage to say you disagree, or even to state that you are unsure of what you wish to happen. Bah, you sicken me." "I agree," Jarius stated, fixing Ki'l with his steely yellow eyes. They seemed to flare up a bright orange but when Ki'l looked again, they were yellow. "Courage in one's convictions is all that is required, whether they be wrong, or right. The coming events will test us surely and I needed to know if I had the correct people. I know I have." Jarius moved in his chair and was now looking at Ilps. "Guards." Two Gammulan warriors entered the room and saluted Jarius crisply. "Take these two away," Jarius said indicating Ilps and Mind. "Put them ... somewhere," he added, with a wave of his left hand. "Somewhere dark." After the door had closed and the wailing shrieks of the two expelled Council members had long subsided, Jarius stood up. "Now that is over, lets get down to business," he said, brushing out a crease in his jacket. "First, I must have your promise that you will not terminate twenty-two members of the public," M Inent demanded, glaring at Jarius. "Of course. I had no intention of doing so, but I had to find some way of discovering which of you were spineless metaks that would rival even the Terrans!" The members of the Gammulan War Council laughed at the comparison, first to an invertebrate occupant of the Gammulan swamps and then to the humans that inhabited the far side of the Galaxy. Jarius said, "Display map WM1021." An answering beep was followed by a holographic map appearing ten centimetres above the table. It was a two-dimensional rendition of the four quadrants of the Galaxy. "Isolate the Gammulan Quadrant and expand in three dimensions." Three of the quadrants winked out of existence and the remaining quadrant expanded to fill the tabletop. It then expanded upwards, showing the distance between planets and jumpgate links. Each system was enclosed within its own mini-sphere. "Look at it. This is our quadrant and yet, we do not control it all. This is a totally unacceptable state of affairs. Ki'l, I would like you to remove the Falkerie presence as well as ensure that the Valkeries are in no doubt as to who is in control." Jarius rotated the map and zoomed in on one system. "Cerberus Starbase. A particulary nasty thorn in our side. I shall need your help, Ho'Sal, in removing this stain." Jarius dismissed the map. "Ki'l, I estimate that the Falkerie removal should take no more than 2 days to put into action. After that you shall aid us in the reclamation of the Gammulan Quadrant." Ki'l and M Inent nodded. Jarius smiled and said, "After that, who knows?" [This message has been edited by Jon Ballinger (edited 09-16-99).]

Rattler asked for a female dress Uniform and so, with Echo's cooperation, here it is. Female Insurgent Dress Uniform ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

quote:can't help picturing all you guys in thigh-highs though. Hmm... was it you I saw sitting in the tree opposite my window the other night when I tried them on? I thought I saw someone... That lurid pink leotard, black boots and diamante choker was the first design to be disregarded. Too uncomfortable in cold climates. ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

quote:Hello Gents, I have tried to remain silent in regard to the uniform designs. No, Echo, silent is no good. Speak up, shout your opinions from every rooftop. Be like Derek... Um... Just say what you feel and disregard that last sentence. One of Derek is more than enough for this Universe! quote:I do like the dress uniform, however the work uniform seems a bit bulky to me... sorry just my opinion. I think mabey I was hoping for a slimer suit with higher boots (lol)... Okay, I am actually going to be working on another work uniform too. Akira and Rattler also thought the uniform was a bit bulky and told me in email. The colour is also changing to black as well. But I've gotta say this now: there will never be thigh-high, side-zip shiny PVC boots on the Insurgents. Ever BTW the boots are just over the ankle and are under the trousers. But remember, speak what's on your mind (but phrase it as politely as you can lest Derek introduces you to the airlock). ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

Okay, I've also mocked up the dress uniform. So now there's two uniforms to look at and critique. Insurgent Dress Uniform Insurgent Work Uniform BTW The Insurgent dress uniform doesn't have a hat as Rattler has a dislike of them Okay, have at 'em ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

Okay, I got round to the quick n dirty mockup using Ratt's photo as a starting point. Here's the link Insurgent Work Uniform mockup All comments (good and bad) welcome, this is just a starting point. ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson "You can only love or hate something you truly understand"

In answer to both your questions, it's similar to Ratt's nifty pic but not quite. You'll see sometime over the weekend, I figure it'll be easier to criticise and mould it if you can see what's there. Akira, no the jumpsuit bottom isn't tucked into the boots, it can be if the wearer wants it to but not necessary. The way I have it is the leg tapers to the ankle (we haven't got bell bottoms ) but rests on the outside of the top of the boot with two short slits, one at the front and one at the back. Chavik, I hadn't thought of a dress uniform, basically because well, a group that is in danger of being killed all the time and being hunted down isn't likely to have award ceremonies etc. Achievement is the reward, maybe when we finally remove the blue stain from our solar system we can have a dress ceremony. For a dress uniform I guess we could have a standing collar I'd still prefer a black/red combo for the uniform. Red symbolises two things: to Galcom it's danger, to us it's passion. As I said the badges are the choice of the wearer. IE Rattler would have his logo, I would have my Jester's head etc. Forearm marking for rank etc sounds good. ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson

Sorry to disagree but I've had a fair idea of what the Insurgent uniform should be and Rattler's given me the go-ahead as it is similar to what he feels it should be too. Here it is in words, I'm planning on doing a sketch of it and posting it on the web. For starters the Insurgents have no need to show off, our very existence strikes fear into the heart of the dictators of this solar system while lifting the souls of the opressed. So my initial thought was it should be recognisable but not flashy, after all we don't want to draw the attention of Galcom troops while we are on land or on stations. Insurgent commanders have to live on their feet, think on their feet and act quickly. Flustered commanders are very often dead commanders. This told me that the uniforms needed to be comfortable yet functional so that needless uniform changes don't happen. Identity is not as important as it is within Galcom. After all, the Insurgents are made up of hand picked commanders and most commanders know each other on sight, unlike in Galcom where the majority are faceless and nameless due to a rigid structure. People only know their immediate superiors or immediate juniors and a few notables within the command. With these things in mind I settled on a light brown/dark cream coloured jumpsuit and black boots. A simple chest badge shows your fleet or division allegiance. Galcom personnel on a station could mistake a lone Insurgent for a ship technician and not interfere with them. No flashy collars or cuffs or cloaks or anything, the Insurgents are all about ideals and our job is to turn those ideals into reality, not to parade around in smart uniforms saluting for half the day and achieving absolutely nothing. The Insurgents get the job done with the minimum of fuss. Unfortunately blue was out from the start as it is way too similar to the Galcom starched uniform. Some of our commanders may be ex-Galcom commanders but that definitely doesn't mean we're proud of that fact. So, in case you couldn't pick it out from that longish post, the current design for the Insurgent uniform is a dark creamy/light brown jumpsuit -- functional, comfortable and also with many pockets for our tools -- paired with sturdy, comfortable boots that hurt if used effectively. The only concession to identity we make is a chest badge that has your chosen insignia, be it your fleet, division or personal logo. We let our actions speak our words. ------------------ Jon "Jester" Ballinger Official BC3K Tester ICV Essenson