Ben Somerset

[RP] Somerset looked out the expansive window of the new GCV Swiftsure. The window was almost as wide as his old ready room had been on his old ship. It appeared to him that GalCom didn't do anything in small measures these days. Walking over to the food servitor, he ordered "Tea, Earl Grey, hot." As he waited for the tea to be sent to the servitor, he walked over to the painting hanging on the wall over the sofa. It depicted a Galactan-class Battlecruiser sailing majestically past the Earth, a light nebula in the background. She was such a beautiful ship, and carried a fine name passed down through the centuries. Behind him, the servitor beeped, signifying that his tea was ready. Retrieving the tea, he sat down at his desk. He activated his computer terminal and checked the schedule. Though all of his personal belongings were aboard and in place, the ship still hadn't left dock yet on her shakedown cruise. Their departure was to take place at 1400 hours. Looking at the chronometer, he noticed it was 1325. Snapping off the terminal, and grabbing his tea, Somerset headed for his cabin. The doors to his cabin slid open, and he stepped inside. He had been forced to purchase new furnishings for the cabin, since his old furniture didn't fill a quarter of these Commander's quarters. Somerset had kept his wall mounted desk, bookcases, and small cabinet that he used to store his beverages. He bought a new chair, since the old one had been ruined during the Gammulan assault. As he donned his white dress uniform, Somerset looked over and saw the holo on his desk. Even after 6 years, he had kept her holoimage on the desk. The image of his wife...ex-wife, he corrected himself. There was one mistake that he wouldn't easily forget. He took a sip of tea as he finished putting on the uniform. Returning to the bridge, he noticed the rest of the senior staff was assembled in their dress uniforms. He glanced at the chronometer seeing that it was 1355. Looking over at his first officer, Somerset said "Pre-departure checks, Number One?" "Complete, Commander. All systems are nominal. We are ready for departure," he quickly replied. "Excellent," he said, looking over at the navigator, Hikaru Ishikawa. "Hikaru, seal airlocks and disconnect umbilical support systems. Henry, clear all moorings. Jessica, contact traffic control," he ordered quickly. "Airlocks sealed, all umbilicals disconnected, sir. We are now on internal systems only." Hikaru said after the orders were carried out. "All moorings cleared, Commander," came the response of Allen. "Channel open, Commander." Jessica said. "Traffic control, this is the GCV Swiftsure, requesting permission to depart." Somerset said, ready to begin their voyage on this new ship. "Acknowledged, Swiftsure. Permission granted. Proceed at 250 kps until 30 kilometers away from the dock, and you are then cleared for hyperspace. Have a good journey. GalCom HQ traffic control, out." Right as the clock turned to 1400, Somerset gave the order. "Mr. Allen, thrusters ahead 1/10." "Aye, sir." Allen said from his station. The majestic Swiftsure pulled out of the spacedock for the first time. As she cleared the forward edge of the dock, her prow was hit by sunlight, illuminating the GalCom insignia and the name GCV Swiftsure emblazoned on the hull. To outside spectators, the departure of the sleek Battlecruiser was something to behold. It wasn't every day that people got to see a Galactan-class vessel. On the bridge, an elated Benjamin Somerset sat in the command chair removed from the last Swiftsure. He was glad to be in space again. [/RP] Probably not my best, but at the moment, the best I can do. Maybe this will breath life back into this thread. ------------------ Cmdr. Benjamin Somerset GCV Swiftsure ICQ 32545391 "Angels and Ministers of Grace, defend us." -Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV

[RP] Somerset stood on the bridge of the new GCV Swiftsure. Technically, he wasn't even supposed to be on board. But, he decided to take a look around the deserted Battlecruiser before it was filled with techs, and crew members. He thought that the Galactan had looked large from the outside... Compared to the "old" Swiftsure, this ship was huge. The vastness of the ship was mystifying. Nothing on this ship was done in half measures. It would easily be possible to fit nearly three Starcruiser bridges on this one bridge. Not too long ago, he had heard someone describe the Galactan-class as "expansive." He could now see that they were right. As he walked across the space of the bridge, he walked over to the command chair. He sat down, and his first thought was 'I need to get my chair put in. This one is so uncomfortable.' He got up, and began exploring the rest of the ship. Engineering, Medibay, Recreation Rooms, nothing on the ship was little, or underdone. As he looked around, Somerset got the sense that this was a state of the art, ship of the line. He used to think that the "old" Swiftsure was state of the art in GalCom technology. It was apparent that this ship was, to use the colloquialism, light-years ahead of her. She looked like she was a fine ship. After shakedown runs, they would know for sure. Although the ship was completed, her commissioning ceremony wasn't until tomorrow. After going on his "unauthorized inspection tour," Somerset decided to go home. He stopped at the turbolift which would take him to the transporter room, and pressed the call button. The doors whisked open, and to his surprise there was already someone in the lift. It was Jessica Michaelson, his comms officer. He stepped into the lift, and looked at her. The lighting must've been what did it. She looked absolutely radiant standing there in the semi-harsh light of the turbolift. Her golden hair seemed alight in color, and her eyes sparkled. 'This is a big mistake...' Somerset thought to himself. Next to him, Michaelson thought, 'This is a big mistake...' Somerset noticed that her blue eyes matched the color of the civilian clothes that she had on. And that those blue eyes were locked on his, and had a sparkle in them. Somerset couldn't help himself. Throwing protocol and caution to the wind, he scooped Jessica in his arms and kissed her passionately right there and then, without a single word passing between them. Her lips pressed back on his own, as she wrapped her arms around him. This had been a long time coming, both of them knew. Those glances across the bridge, a few too many late nights in the Officers Mess. Somerset had made it a personal policy to not get involved with a fellow officer. As he kissed Jessica, that policy went out the airlock. [RP] I admit, this post was shameless character development. I'll get around to the commissioning and shakedown soon. Let's hope this post brings this thread back to life, since it's nearly dead. ------------------ Cmdr. Benjamin Somerset GCV Swiftsure ICQ 32545391 "Angels and Ministers of Grace, defend us." -Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV

[RP] Somerset made his way to the Bureau of Ships office, located on GalCom HQ. Even after 15 years of service, he was still slightly in awe of the size of the massive starstation. He had just finished moving the last of his personal effects from the Swiftsure into storage. Somerset had the feeling that they would be there for awhile. He figured that all Bureau of Ships merely wanted to tell him something about the break up of his ship. Sign some forms, and other red tape. Somerset never did like paperwork much. As he entered the office, he approached the main counter. "I'm Commander Benjamin Somerset," he said, "I'm here about my ship, the GCV-Swiftsure." "Ah, yes," the person at the counter said "if you'd go to Launch Bay 74, the dockmaster is waiting for you." "Very well..." Somerset said, quite confused. 'Why the Launch Bay?' he thought to himself. Arriving at the Launch Bay, Somerset was greeted by the dockmaster, and they boarded a shuttle. "Exactly what are we doing?" Somerset asked. He did not like surprises, at all. "We're going to see your ship," the dockmaster stated. 'But my ship is in pieces by now.' Somerset thought. "Of course." Was all he could reply. As the shuttle headed to the drydocks, Somerset realized that they weren't going the right way to see the Starcruiser. 'Where are we going?' he wondered. "There she is," the dockmaster said, pointing at a large ship. "your ship." Somerset was shocked. In the drydock ahead of him, sat a Galactan-class Battlecruiser. It was obvious that she was in the final stages of outfitting, and the dockmaster just said that it was his new ship. He never expected it. He thought that after what happened, he'd be given a desk job for some time. Not to mention a possible court-martial. But instead, they had given him a brand new ship. The shuttle approached the graceful Battlecruiser slowly. He hadn't really seen a Galactan up close, and was amazed by the sleek design. It almost looked like she was moving, even while standing still. The ship was not quite complete, as Somerset looked at the solar panels, which were only structural girders at this stage. "How long until she's done?" he asked, wondering when he could take this beauty out. "There really isn't much left. She'll be ready in less than a week," the dockmaster replied. Even though Somerset tried to hide it, the dockmaster could easily see the amazement on the Commander's face. It wasn't every day that you found out you've been given command of a ship of the line. He tapped on the control panel, programming the shuttle for a close flyby of the bow of the ship. 'Somerset's surprised now...wait till he sees the bow,' the dockmaster thought to himself. 'He'll have a heart attack.' Slowly, the shuttle came toward the bow. As it closed on the ship, Somerset began to be able to read the name of his new Battlecruiser. At first, he could only make out the GCV designation, unable to read anything else. Soon, he could make out an S as the first letter of this massive ship. He wondered what her name was. The closer the shuttle got, the more he could make out. Second letter was a W. And the third was an I. 'It can't be...' he thought. But it was... The letters on the bow spelled out GCV-Swiftsure. "My ship..." he said, unable to complete the sentence. "Yes, your ship. We hadn't named her yet, and the name seemed to fit. The Galactans being so sleek and all. They look swift, so we named her Swiftsure," the dockmaster said with a smile. "Hope you like it," he added. "Like it? I don't think that describes it." Somerset said as a flurry of emotions went through his body. "When can I go aboard her?" he asked, wanting to set sail almost immediately. "It'll be a week or two yet. We've still got some outfitting to do. The comm system isn't finished, the solar panels are obviously not complete, and there's only life support for half the ship," the dockmaster told Somerset. "But after that, she'll be ready for shakedown, and that's your job," he said with a smile. "I think I can wait for another week." Somerset said with a wicked grin. In 3 weeks time, he had fought in a major battle, lost his ship, and been given a new ship that had the same name as the last one he commanded. At that moment, he remembered a line from an ancient 20th century movie 'It seems that destiny has...taken a hand.' [/RP] ------------------ Cmdr. Benjamin Somerset GCV Swiftsure ICQ 32545391 "Angels and Ministers of Grace, defend us." -Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV

Seems like this thread needs another jumpstart. [RP] He stood at the window of the ready room, for the last time. All of his personal effects had been removed. The old mahogany desk, small rosewood bookcase and books contained therein, real leather chair, the models of the HMS Victory and GCV-Swiftsure, and the painting of the ship that had been hanging since before Somerset first set foot on the ship. Now, it was coming down as he left her. Running his hand across the windowframe, he took one last look at the ready room and left. Stepping onto the bridge, Somerset found the bottle of Emperian Ale he had been drinking. Though it wasn't quite legal, he thought that the Swiftsure deserved a last toast with the best Somerset had to offer. Going over to his chair, he punched in a command for the last time, and spoke. "Commander's Log, final entry. This will be the last log of the GCV-Swiftsure. In a few hours, she will be decommissioned, and turned into scrap metal. A poor fate for such a fine ship. She has always gone above and beyond the call of duty, at times performing what could only be called miracles. It was a miracle that she held together long enough to make it home, only to befall this. After 20 years of faithful service to those who built her, this ship will not be honored, not be recognized, but be eliminated. This ship, that has been my life for so many years is lost. I, and all who have served aboard her will miss her deeply. The GCV-Swiftsure. Finest ship in the whole damn fleet." he said, ending the log. "And so it ends." he told himself, drinking down more of the Ale. "What ends?" a questioning voice asked, slightly startling Somerset. He looked over to the man who was standing on the bridge with him. "The Swiftsure." he said solemnly. "Taking one last look around too?" "Aye. I couldna help but take one last look at her." Shawn O'Malley said. "She sure was a fine lass. Don't think there'll ever be another like her." "I doubt that very much. Here, have a drink" Somerset said, handing O'Malley a glass. "To the Swiftsure. Fallen, but not forgotten." "May she one day find her name in space again" O'Malley added, as they drank the last of the Ale. "Indeed. Any mementos you want, Shawn?" he asked. "I've already got everything I want." O'Malley said. "Techs are coming to take the command chair for me. No matter what ship I fight in, that chair will be with me." he said. "A final get back at the bureaucracy, sir?" the Irishman said with a grin. "Precisely. Now for one more thing." he said, walking across the bridge to a wall. On that wall was a plaque, platinum in color. The writing etched onto it read GCV-Swiftsure. "You know, I remember a time when it read ECV-Swiftsure. No longer." They both knew where that plaque went. It rested on the headstone of their former Commander, Angelique Trouseau. He removed the plaque, saying "Wherever I go, this plaque will follow me." Somerset glanced at the motto which read: "Angels and Ministers of Grace, defend us." They had defended this ship and her crew well. With that, he left the bridge of his ship...forever. ------------------ Cmdr. Benjamin Somerset GCV Swiftsure ICQ 32545391 "Angels and Ministers of Grace, defend us." -Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV

I've saved the session. If you'd like a copy, I'd be glad to send it to you. ------------------ Cmdr. Benjamin Somerset GCV Swiftsure ICQ 32545391 "Angels and Ministers of Grace, defend us." -Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV

I have the feeling they won't. [RP] Somerset looked out of his window, as rain pattered across San Francisco. Though a native of England, Somerset had found San Francisco more to his liking and had made his home there. Even so, Somerset had always considered the Swiftsure his real home. But now... The rain hitting the roof was comforting. It wasn't often he was actually in San Francisco, and even less often that it rained while he was there. 'Not too long until the senior staff start arriving' Somerset thought to himself. Only yesterday he had learned that his ship, the Swiftsure, was being decommissioned, and scrapped. He thought the best way to break it to them was to just come right out and say it. No mincing words, or useless small talk. The first to arrive was his Communications Officer, Jessica Michaelson. She entered the home, and looked around. A great deal of oak and mahogany wood filled the home. Bookcases filled with old books, some centuries old. Everything having a worn, comfortable look. "Very nice home you have here, sir." she said with a smile on her face. "I try." the Commander replied. "Would you care for something to drink?" he asked, playing the host. "Do you have any brandy?" she asked, not knowing what Somerset had in stock. "Of course. Think I shall have some myself. " he said, pouring them both a drink. Slowly, the rest of the staff arrived. Soran, First Officer. Ian Kamarov, Tactical and Second Officer. Shawn O'Malley, Chief Engineer. Michael Pierce, Medical Officer. Hikaru Ishikawa, Navigator. Henry Allen, Flight Officer. John Nielson, Marine Commander. They all received drinks, and Somerset proceeded to tell them why he had called them there. "There isn't any easy way to say this, so I shall be blunt. You all know that the dockyard engineers recently finished inspecting the ship, for their repair estimates. We believed that the Swiftsure would be ready to go back out in around 12 weeks. They disagreed. The engineers decided that it was 'Too costly in terms of time and resources', and that the ship not be repaired." "Well, then what're they gonna do to her?" O'Malley asked in his Irish lilt. "She is to be decommissioned." Somerset said with finality. A flurry of voices emerged, with Kamarov's being above them all. "Vill ve get anoder ship?" "I can't answer that, yet. I hope to hell we do. In the meantime, I propose a toast. 'To the Swiftsure. May she rise again from defeat.' Cheers." he said as their glasses clinked together. "Commander, do you expect to know about a new ship soon?" Soran asked. "Bureau of Ships asked me to report to them tomorrow morning. Unless it's about the Swiftsure's breakup, I think they'll tell me then." he looked to all of them, and said "Tell all of your departments about the decision. They need to retrieve their personal belongings as soon as possible. After that, they're to go to Personnel at HQ, and get quarters before reassignment. Whether they will be reassigned to whatever ship it is we get...I don't know. I'll keep you posted." he finished, effectively ending the meeting. They all drifted out, Jessica being the last one to leave. "You think we'll really get another ship?" she said, eyebrow raising slightly. "We better. We've gone through too much to be tossed aside." he said, a slight bitterness entering his tone. She smiled, and said "Quite true, Commander. Quite true." Turning, she left the house, leaving Somerset alone. "She sure does have a pretty smile." Somerset said aloud, the thought entering unbidden into his mind. [/RP] Thought I'd stop there. It was getting a little long. Still see where it's going, Tac? ------------------ Cmdr. Benjamin Somerset GCV Swiftsure "Angels and Ministers of Grace, defend us."-Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV

The adventure continues... [RP] Benjamin Somerset tugged on his uniform jacket, straightening it out. It was only a short shuttle ride to the external dry-dock where his Starcruiser was awaiting repair. She had been so heavily damaged in the recent Gammulan attack that Shawn O'Malley, Chief Engineer had to cannibalize almost every part of the Swiftsure's 4 IC's to get her operational again. According to the stout Irishman, "The whole ship's bypassed like a bleedin' Christmas tree." He and the dockmaster were about to go make an external evaluation of the ship. There had been 8 hull breaches, 2 of them major. Internally, the ship was a mess. By taking the hyperdrives out of 3 IC's, O'Malley had made a marginally functional hyperdrive for the Swiftsure. IC lasers replaced PTA's, their comm units replaced internal and external units, their life support systems breathing life back into the Swiftsure. "Good evening, Commander." the dockmaster said, entering the launch bay. "Ready for the inspection tour?" he asked. "Of course." was Somerset's only reply. Within 5 minutes, they had arrived at the dry-dock where the Swiftsure was located. As a Starcruiser, the Swiftsure had been low on the repair priority list, and only now was the dockmaster inspecting her. Somerset had waited for this inspection for weeks, as he was eager to return to duty. They slowly approached the prow of the large Starcruiser. The first thing that came into sight was a gash that ran along the bow. While rather large, the gash hadn't gone through the outer hull. Moving up to the ventral side of the ship, they noticed a massive breach, cutting through armor, and going all the way from the port side to the starboard one. The dockmaster and Somerset both saw the name of the Starcruiser emblazoned on the hull. G V-Sw ft ure. Some of the name was unreadable because of the hull breach. The inspection tour continued, until all of the scarred ship had been examined. It wasn't every day that a ship went up against a Gammulan Stormcarrier, and lived to tell about it. They had managed to disable the massive ship, but not without being nearly disabled themselves. Somerset had wanted to capture the ship, but instead destroyed it. Though it was a prize the Swiftsure wasn't in the shape to go against even a barely effective Stormcarrier, or any other ship for that matter. Upon returning to the launch bay, the dockmaster exited the shuttle, pulling out his datapad. "According to your Chief Engineer, your ship can't be repaired and outfitted in less than 12 weeks. Do you agree with his assessment?" he asked matter of factly. "I'm afraid so, sir. We took such heavy damage that almost 75% of the ships systems need to be replaced, and 30% of the hull needs serious attention. Emergency forcefields held the atmosphere in, but that was only a stopgap measure. Personally, I don't see us getting out of dock in less than 14 weeks." the Commander replied. "Well, Commander, I have some bad news for you. The inspections only confirmed the reports by the Chief Engineer, and yourself. The dockyard engineers and I believe it will take at least 18 and as many as 26 weeks before the Swiftsure can be repaired. She's also over 20 years old. In our opinion, the time and resource cost to repair a ship of her age is far too much. The Starcruiser Swiftsure is to be stricken from service, and scrapped. I'm sorry Commander." Somerset felt his heart sink. They were going to finish destroying his ship. After all he and his crew had gone through to save her, the bureaucrats were going to scrap his ship. For over 20 years, the finest Earth had to offer walked her decks, and it was all going to waste. His head sank, and responded "Indeed." "We won't start to break her up for a few weeks, to allow the crew to gather their personal belongings and get quarters on GALCOM HQ until reassignment." the dockmaster said, trying somehow to lighten the blow. "Aye, sir." was all Somerset could say, before walking out the door, fuming. How was he going to tell the senior staff... [/RP] Maybe that will jumpstart things a bit. I was meaning to post this for a *very* long time but didn't get around to it. *mutters about accursed finals* Might as well introduce my character to this time frame, since he's in DeSylva's RPG. Gives me a good way to develop some backstory as well. Hope you enjoy. ------------------ Cmdr. Benjamin Somerset GCV Swiftsure "Angels and Ministers of Grace, defend us."-Hamlet, Act I, Scene IV [This message has been edited by Ben Somerset (edited 05-13-99).]

Mein, Gott. That is one fine looking ship. Many thanks go out to the engineers for the Starion BC. Can't wait until I get to take command of one of GALCOM's newest beauties. ------------------ Cmdr. Benjamin Somerset GCV Swiftsure "We choose to do this and more. Not because it is easy, but because it is hard." -- John F. Kennedy ICQ 32545391

Is the BC in Logistix going to be the static model shown, or will it be 3D, like the new PerScan? ------------------ Cmdr. Benjamin Somerset GCV Swiftsure "We sail into history..."

Yes, but how many people have actually gotten the RANDOM device?

Reducing AI and player speed to 10,000 kps might sound nice at first. But, you have to realize that you'll have to wait over 1.6 hours to get to that nearest jumpgate. If you're really into realism, then it's right up your alley. Otherwise, it'll be something to complain about. ------------------ Cmdr. Benjamin Somerset GCV Swiftsure "We sail into history..."

Plus, with Einstein's theory of relativity, the faster you go, the more energy it takes. Trying to get to light speed at relatvistic velocity is impossible, because you need an infinite amount of energy. BC's hyperdrive eliminates the problem. However, BC's are snails at relativistic speeds. If the hyperdrive were eliminated, as Tac suggests, the BC would need to go at a good clip, say .25c. It has been suggested that above .25c you encounter relativistic time dialation so going over that would be impractical unless in an emergency. ------------------ Cmdr. Benjamin Somerset GCV Swiftsure "We sail into history..."