Blades

Max, Do you have a deathwish or somthing? As a suggestion, I would quit using speed before posting to this message board. Overly manic posts are the surest way to get your ass banned at an ISP level. Do yourself a favor and ease up on the throttle a bit. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Work and Valentines day got in the way of any posting, but expect an update by this evening.

ATTENTION! Due to real life issues, Commander James Hamblin, executive officer of the Orion Fleet has stood down from his position and has been granted an extensive leave of abscence. It is hoped that when he is able to return, he shall resume his duties as Fleet XO. In the meantime, commander Greg *GMAN* Miller has accepted reasignment as ACTING Executive Officer. Currently, this will not interfere too much with his Recruitment Officer duties, but should a suitable replacement candidate become available, he will stand down and concentrate on his duties as XO. On behalf of the Orion Fleet officers, I wish James all the best in his endevours, and look forward to his eventual return. Have a safe one buddy ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Trying to get commanders to send you ship and commander bios is about as easy as trying to find a fart in a jaquzi. I'm still waiting for a few people after endless berating on the board and emails. I've found threats most effective. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

S'not a problem. Open to all, but is centered around Orion commanders and characters associated with the Orion Fleet.

Well, I hadnt intended this to be an RP .... However, why the hell not? Lets get the Orion crew involved and see where this goes. Consider the first three postings I made as an introduction of sorts. Whatever happens, nobody touch the McKendrick crew, and if you are gonna speak for other characters, do so in a consistent manner. Cool ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Commander Joseph Bosche, if you are paying attention soldier, listen up. The email address I have for you keeps returning to me. Suggest you get yourself a new address ASAP cos I got orders for you. Oh, and if you are no longer with us ..... well, get your ass back here on the double! If anyone has heard from him recently, could you post here and let me know where he's gone. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Next installment is in place. Are any of you guys readin this, or am I just doing it for fun now? Location : Orion Starstation, Tsunami Battle Group Briefing Room Stardate : 12.27.0900hrs, 3005 On schedule, executive offiver James Hamblin and fleet recruitment officer, Greg Miller stepped into the near vacant briefing room. Within they recognised the now familiar sight of the Fleet Commander and station communications chief, Peter Reynolds in a hushed debate. Stopping just in the doorway for a respectable moment, the two officers made their presence known through a hushed clearing of throat, and then took their regular seats when invited to do so. Once the four officers were assembled, with the Fleet Commander taking the head of the elongated table, the mornings briefing began. So then, started Savage. Hows our current recruitment drive, Greg? Much like Reynolds, Commander Greg Miller was a relatively new member of the growing Orion Station staff. He had spent the vast majority of his career charming his way up through the ranks and eventually landed himself command of his own. Savage noticed the man shortly after taking control of the Orion fleet, and was immediately impressed with the mans presence. After observing him for a few weeks, Savage had concluded that Miller, or GMAN as he prefered to be called, could sell snow to an Eskimo and argue that day was night. And win. Greg was a miricle of sorts, a combination of a used car salesman and a diplomat. He was perfect recruitment officer material. Savage had snapped him up immediately. Well, with the war winding down, sir, Im expecting a lot of the the activated reservists to return to pre war standing. However, Ive been in discussions with several of the commanders, and it probably wouldnt take an awful lot of sweet talking to get them to reknew their service contracts. Numbers? asked Savage. Three, maybe four. Said Miller. Savage frowned. Thats not good enough. We lost a lot of ships to the Gammulan advance, and if we cant convince more of those reservists to sign on full time, its going to take close to a year to recoup our losses from command school graduates. Well, started Miller. Savage cut him off. Ah, no you dont Greg. Ive said time and time again, we are not going to request support from Prime. Its like admiting we have a recruitment problem, and you know how much Bishop and Gudihl would love to hear that. Hamblin leaned closer towards Savage over the table. Joe still teasing you about his fleet being bigger than yours, sir? Savage glared at him. Wipe that smirk off your face, James, or Ill have you reasigned to SCID. Hamblin backed off, and put his hands up in a mock show of submissivness. Sorry, sorry, please dont send me to SCID. Ill be good. Savage couldnt help but smile. See that you are, and keep the wise cracks to a minimum next time, mister. Aye, aye, sir! said Hamblin, winking to the bemeaused looking chief of communications. Anyway, started Miller, attempting to bring the meeting back to some semblence of seriousness. the fact of the matter is, we are significantly weakened right now. Savage nodded. You wont get any argument from me there. I went over the specifics a couple of days ago, and wasnt too impressed. Im not surprised. Said Hamblin. I didnt get to go over the report in too much detail, but from what I gathered, it looks like two thirds of the fleet is out of commision one way or the other. Savage nodded. Over 30% of our ships were destroyed outright, and the rest are in various states of repair. As you know, the TBG took a helluva pounding during the last major engagement, and the Deterrence BG was almost completely devestated covering our six. How is Commander Foss? asked Miller. Hes recovering well. Said Reynolds. Hes still restricted to the stations hospital facilities while his ship is undergoing radiation cleanup, but hell be fit for duty again in a few days. Well, thats something at least. Said Miller. Shame about the rest of his people. Everyone in the briefing room nodded in agreement with him. Its never an easy assignment to fly escort for the strike group. Said Savage. And considering the majority of his people were first or second year command graduates, they did an outstanding job. Just a pity only three ships from his group made it back. Said Miller. Well, that was because Intel screwed the pooch when giving us the numbers. Said Hamblin. There was almost twice the number of craft in the engagement area as predicted. Thats an understatement. Said Miller. With the exception of the disaster in Polaris, it was the most devestating loss of the war. For a moment, the room went deathly quiet. It was as if the mere mention of the aborted strike against the Gammulan resupply convoy in Lennen was enough to bring a curse upon the Orion Fleet. Finally, Hamblin broke the silence.Whats important people, is that we regrouped two days later, and with the assistance of Gallions Corsairs drove those freaky *******s right out of the system. In the end, we won. Hardly. Said Savage. We achieved our objective, and it cost us a lot of good people. Look, started Miller, interupting again. we all know what happened. We went through this debrief three times already. I dont think its a good idea to depress ourselves any further. Savage leaned back in his chair and scrated the back of his head. Youre right. He said to Miller. And were getting off track anyway. Once this war is officially declared over, we can curse intel until we are blue in the face. Right now, we have more important things to worry about, like upping our repair schedule. Hamblin groaned. I dont see how we can do that, sir. The repair crews are already workin double shifts, and a lot of the materials required are hard to come by on this station. Yes, I was wondering about that. Said Savage. We still not getting a lot of civillian trafic coming through, Pete? No, sir. Said Reynolds. Not everyone is convinced that the Gammulan threat to the Terran quadrent is over. Theres not a lot of movement anywhere in the quadrent. What about supplies direct from headquaters? Cant we get any more shipments in? Reynolds shook his head. Everyone and their mother is screaming for equipment, sir. Since the majority of Gammulan activity was centered around Wraith, they are getting most of the supplies. Wonderful. Said Hamblin. Doesnt HQ remember the armada that hit us from the rear? Dont they understand that it was mostly the Orion reserve that held them at bay? Uh, yes Commander hamblin. Said Reynolds. They are fully aware of that fact. Its just that  Hamblin glared at Reynolds. Yes leutenant? Reynolds swallowed, feeling slightly uneasy under the fleet XOs glare. Well, most of the ships in the reserve are older, less valuable craft. Priority is being given to bringing the BattleCruiser fleets back online. Oh. Said hamblin, looking disgusted. The official line, sir, is that since over 65% of the combined GalCom Battlecruiser fleet is salvageable, and the largest concentration of Gammulan ships are still in the systems adjacent to Wraith, they get resupply and repair priority. Hamblin snorted. Well, thats about the biggest load of hog shit Ive ever heard. Maybe you should try that line of reasoning out on Foss! Savage held his hands up. Thats enough James, hes just the messanger. Hamblin took a deep breath, let it out in a grumbled sigh and patted the tables surface gently. Youre right. My apologies, leutenant. I should go and bite the jerkoff requisitions chief back at headquaters. Savage looked up at his XO and gave him a surprised, and quizical look. Ah, no offence, sir. Quickly stammered Hamblin. None taken, Im sure. Replied the Fleet Commander. Greg, he continued, we need those supplies, and we need them badly. If we cant get civillian traders to bring them in, were going to have to squeeze the guys back home. Miller nodded. And you want me to work the old GMAN magic? Savage smirked. Something like that. Be diplomatic about it though, and dont sell them my ship or anything, ok? Right you are, sir. Said Miller. Savage looked around the table at each of his officers. Each of them had played a major part in the recent hostilities with the Gammulans. Hamblin had taken a small fleet of reservists and held the line against the Gammulan rear strike armada at Centris. Miller had served in the TBG along with himself in the engagement at Lennen, and station bound Leutenant Reynolds had coordinated the movements of the two active battle Groups and the defence fleet in Centris with Fleet intelligence back on GalCom HQ. They all deserved a break, and despite a week long ceasefire with the Gammulans, none of them had had a chance to relax. With the withdrawl of every major Gammulan strike group out of the terran quadrant, with their supplies running low and their heavily damaged ships in dire need of repair, headquaters had determined that for now, the Gammulans were ill equipped to continue the war. Many of the senior officers back at headquaters had pushed to advance into Gammulan territory and further limit their ability to wage war, but with the damage already inflicted on the GalCom fleet, thanks to both the Gammulans and a misguided effort to launch a surprise raid on the Insurgents, the Supreme Commander opted to allow his ships to return home, repair and prepare for the next attempted Gammulan invasion. A war of attrition was the last thing GalCom needed. A chime from the Fleet Commanders wrist comm brought him back to the briefing room. He quickly shut the chime off, then stood from his chair. Thank you gentelmen, that will be all for now. As the officers began to stand and make way to leave the briefing room, Savage called out to Hamblin. James? he said. Hamblin turned on the spot and faced his superior. As Greg Miller and Reynolds left the briefing room, Savage stepped up to the taller man and regarded him with a wide grin. So? he asked. Hamblin look quizically at his commander. Sir.? Savage folded his arms. Dont play coy with me, commander. Last night, in the bar? Understanding suddenly dawned on Hamblin. Oh, you mean the hot little comms tech? Savage bobbed his head enthusiastically. Uh huh. What happened? Havent you got an appointment or something? said Hamblin. I mean, your wristcom went off and you hurried everyone out. Yeah. Said Savage, smiling. I sent a reminder to myself to ask you about it. Hamblin abscent mindedly scratched his left eyebrow with his hand. Uh, sir, an officer and a gentelman never tells. Spill it! insisted Savage. For starters, you are no gentelman, and for another . I out rank you. Dont make me quote regs on you, mister. Hamblin scoffed. Pah, you couldnt, sir. Maybe not. Said Savage. But I can have you reassigned to waste extraction in a nano second. Choose. Hamblin sighed and failed to surpress a smile. You a swine, you know that Fleet Commander, sir? Savage beamed at him. Hell yes. How else do you think I got this promotion? Hmm. Murmered Hamblin. Im still having my people investigate that. Briefly, both officers laughed. If anyone else had been present, they would have appreciated what had been the first genuine display of good humor in a long time. Hamblin told his tall tale. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI  www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Location : Orion Starstation, Galcom Lounge Stardate : 12.26.3005, 2315hrs Long day, thought commander James Hamblin as he sipped his chilled drink and looked across the crowded lounge. Even longer night, hopefully, his mind added after viewing the attractive and well proportioned female comms officer from the GCV ÔÇô Deliverence giving him the once over. Right, got to play this cool. Smile gently, but not too enthusiastically. Let the eyes soften, but allow a look of weariness to shine through. Now, lower the head slightly, look embarised, but not too shy. Eyes up again . . . thatÔÇÖs it! SheÔÇÖs smiling now, playing with her non regulation hair .. smile a little more and .. bingo! Here she comes! Hamblin watched as the goddess of communications began to saunter over towards his solitary table. He watched her figure intently, but tried not to make it too obvious. He noticed things about the way she walked, wiggled, deftly stepped that sent a spurt of adrenalin surging through his body. This is good, he thought to himself. This is very, very good. Suddenly, the goddess stopped in her tracks. Her smile vanished, and just as abruptly, she turned on the spot and returned to where she had been previously. Puzzled, Hamblin looked around himself in an effort to determine what had so suddenly changed her mind to come over and talk to him. Inwardly, Hamblin groaned as his eyes settled on the only reasonable explanation as to why she had suddenly bolted. ÔÇ£Ah, good evening, sir.ÔÇØ Karl Savage stepped up and nodded towards him. ÔÇ£Evening, James.ÔÇØ He said, taking the spare seat and resting his arms in front of him on the table. ÔÇ£Having a good night?ÔÇØ I was about to! ÔÇ£Uh, yes sir.ÔÇØ He responded, while trying to peer past the Fleet Commander at his goddess. ÔÇ£Hows the ship?ÔÇØ asked Savage as he summoned a waiter to quickly take his order. Hamblin didnÔÇÖt really hear him. He was too busy being mortified at the sudden appearance of a taller, darker and more handsome young officer crack a joke at the woman of his dreams. What was worse, it seemed to have been a bloody good one. ÔÇ£James?ÔÇØ Hamblin snapped back. ÔÇ£Uh, the ship? Oh! The ship! Ah, repairs are almost complete, sir. The chief has assured me everything will be at full operational capacity within the next 24 hours.ÔÇØ Savage nodded a smile at his executive officer, and then attended to the waiter who had arrived to take his order. Hamblin too this oppurtunity to stare past the Fleet Commander again, and was appaled to find the tall, young and better looking officer buying the goddess a drink. This guys going to be a problem, he thought. If I could only make our his ships insignia, I could probably have someone in operations recall him back to his ship. Hamblin briefly considered the morality of having the off duty officer recalled back to his ship just so he would get a second chance with the goddess, but dismissed his misgivings immediately after viewing him touch her gently on the hand. The guys toast, he thought to himself. But first I have to get rid of Savage. It wasnÔÇÖt as if he had a problem with his commanding officer or anything, in fact, he considered Savage to be one of his closets friends. It was just that the Fleet Commander had the uncanny knack of always being in the wrong place at the wrong time, at least where he was concerned. Somehow, Savage had sabotaged three separate dates, two birthday partys and even a scheduled video conference with his folks back home. And that was just in the last month! However, for all his apparent faults, he had given James Hamblin a chance to really make a difference in the Orion Fleet. He had been promoted above several other more likely officers to the position of Orion exec, and despite the tremendous workload the responsibility incured, it had been the single biggest boost to his career he had ever received. So, he couldnÔÇÖt really begrudge the guys accidental, if infuriating poor timing, even if it did mean missing out with the GalCom Lounges goddess. Or could I? ÔÇ£So, is there anything I can do for you Fleet Commander?ÔÇØ Savage grimmaced. ÔÇ£You can start by not calling me Fleet Commander when weÔÇÖre not on duty.ÔÇØ Hamblin nodded. ÔÇ£Ok, is there anything I can do for you, Karl?ÔÇØ Savage shook his head. ÔÇ£No, that still sounds too official. You trying to get rid of me or something, James?ÔÇØ Hamblin felt his stomach tighten. Perhaps he had sounded a little too curt. ÔÇ£Ah, not at all Karl. I mean ÔǪ. Ah, ..ÔÇØ ÔÇ£What?ÔÇØ demanded Savage. Hamblin decided that the truth was better than a hammed up falsehood. Besides, the Fleet Commander could appreciate his objective. Despite it being somewhat innapropriate for a senior officer to be chasing women around the station, it didnÔÇÖt stop it going on. And as far as Hamblin understood it, Fleet Commander Savage was just about as innapropriate as they come. ÔÇ£Why do you think they call me Blades?ÔÇØ he had remarked with a sly grin one drunken night, just before leaving with a rather large female officer from the GCV ÔÇô Obenbone. Hamblin didnÔÇÖt really want to know. ÔÇ£Well sir,ÔÇØ started hamblin, leaning past Savage and casually gesturing with a nod of his head. Savage casually turned, looking gingerly around the room and trying not to look too obvious. When his eyes settled on what must have been the correct target, he found himself inwardly growling. ÔÇ£See what I mean?ÔÇØ said Hamblin. ÔÇ£Oh yes, indeed I do.ÔÇØ Said the Fleet Commander without turning back. ÔÇ£I see perfectly, perfectly well in fact. Oh yes.ÔÇØ Hamblin cleared his throat. ÔÇ£Sir?ÔÇØ Savage turned back. ÔÇ£Hmm? Oh, oh right.ÔÇØ Hamblin smiled at him. ÔÇ£So, if theres nothing else you need of me ÔǪ.. ?ÔÇØ Savage nodded. ÔÇ£Right you are James. I was, ah, just stopping by to drop off these orders for you anyway.ÔÇØ Hamblin was quickly handed a data crystal. He frowned at it. ÔÇ£Whats this about?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Nothing that cant wait until the staff meeting in the morning. We can review it then. Just thought you might want a head start on it ÔǪ.. but I see you have plans tonight.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Thank you, sir.ÔÇØ Said Hamblin as Savage got up from his seat. ÔÇ£Have a good evening.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Will do.ÔÇØ Replied the Fleet Commander. ÔÇ£And, uh .. donÔÇÖt do anything I wouldnÔÇÖt do.ÔÇØ Hamblin laughed. ÔÇ£Not a chance, sir. I have more respect for myself than that.ÔÇØ Savage laughed then walked away from the table. A moment later, he stepped through the double doors of the GalCom lounge and dissapeared from sight. Just then, the waiter returned from the bar and settled Savages ordered drink in front of hamblin. The waiter stared at him intently, awaiting payment. Hamblin sighed. Savage was always doing this to him. ÔÇ£Here you go.ÔÇØ Said Hamblin to the waiter, handing over his credit chit. ÔÇ£Have one on me.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Thank you sir.ÔÇØ Said the waiter, who debited the cost from Hamblins credit chit and handed it back to the annoyed executive officer. Now then, thought Hamblin, time to get ride of a little deadweight. With that, Hamblin called up to operations, and arranged for the goddesses new ÔÇÿfriendÔÇÖ to be recalled back to active duty. Less than half an hour later, Hamblin and the goddess were talking shop, exchanging misty glances and discussing sleeping arrangements. It would turn out to be a long night, after all ÔǪ. ***** Incidently, if there are any opinions, I'd welcome them, as per usual. ***** ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Location : GCV - McKendrick, Centris Status: En route to Orion Starstation Stardate 12.26.3005, 1830hrs In the 15 months since Neena Polovoski had been promoted to the command of a Battle Cruiser, she had never felt so weary of her duties. True, the GCV ÔÇô McKendrick was still undergoing itÔÇÖs shakedown cruise, and as a result, was still experiencing all the little bugs that plagued every new ship, but this was starting to get rediculous. The McKendrick was at itÔÇÖs commision, state of the art. Fully upgraded with the finest equipment, materials and tactical systems available. It was easily one of the most advanced ships in the GalCom fleet, but even a ship as advanced as the McKendrick shouldnÔÇÖt experience the volume of hitches that it was. She was starting to feel as if he had been given command of an advanced dud. If all the technical problems were not troublesome enough, she had been on restricted patrol duty since hostilities had broken out with the Gammulans. She hadnt seen so much as a single engagement since the Chikuma incident. Neena figured that a lot of it was political. The actions of her and the original crew of the Chikuma had become something of modern day legend, and since she was reguarded as a symbol to the common man, putting her in the line of fire wasnÔÇÖt considered a very good idea by command. In an uncertain galaxy, a symbol of hope was a greater asset than another ship in a warzone. At least, thatÔÇÖs how she believed command saw it. Makes me mad as hell! Thought Neena. IÔÇÖm no legend, IÔÇÖm just another officer doing her duty. If command really wants a symbol, why not put me on the front line to bolster moral? ItÔÇÖs because yourÔÇÖre a *****! Said the other voice in her head. YouÔÇÖre no hero, and command knows it. Joe public back home might regard you as being special, but every officer in the fleet knows you were just lucky. Neena brushed aside these conflicting thoughts, and decided to retire to her quarters and review the most recent system break down reports. At least there, she wouldnÔÇÖt have the constant reminder that she was just playing a galactic game of join the dots, going from one assigned waypoint to another, always evading enemy patrols, hot zones and anything of potential interest to her and the crew. It was almost too depressing to think about, and even the prospect of relaxing in her plush commanders quarters could do little to aleviate her boredom or brighten her mood. Still, at the very least she could sleep. If she was lucky, she could go undisturbed until they reached Fleet Headquaters. A quick debriefing from Savage and then a weeks needed R&R for herself and crew. ÔÇ£Jensen, you have the bridge.ÔÇØ Said Neena as she got up from her command chair. The McKendricks executive officer and helmsman acknowledged and gave up her console to a junior officer. ÔÇ£IÔÇÖll alert you of any changes, commander.ÔÇØ Said Jensen, making her way over to the vacant command chair. Neena nodded at her and left the bridge without another word. Reports, then sleep. She thought. Debrief, then debauche. When she was gone, a hushed conversation broke out between the Tactical officer and Ailsa Strang, the ships navigator. ÔÇ£The commander looks bored.ÔÇØ Said Broek, leaning over from his console. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre all bored.ÔÇØ Said Ailsa, not turning her attention away from the navitron readout she was pretending to study. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve been bored for the last 12 months.ÔÇØ Leutenant Broek murmered something and pulled back over his console. Ailsa rounded on him. ÔÇ£What did you say?ÔÇØ she asked sternly. Broek shook his head. ÔÇ£Nothing, sir.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£That didnÔÇÖt sound like ÔÇÿnothingÔÇÖ to me.ÔÇØ Said Jensen, who had quietly stepped up behind the Tactical officer. Broek turned to face Jensen, then back to Ailsa. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable being the only male on a predominantly female bridge. Oh shit, this cant be good. ÔÇ£Well, sirs ÔǪ ItÔÇÖs just that when I applied for this position, I wanted to be where the action was. Where experienced vets such as yourselves would make a difference. And so far, all we have done is limp around the quadrent, occasionally picking up a diplomatic party or wandering colonists and not a lot else. I mean, this ship is meant to be crewed by experienced comabt vets, and since IÔÇÖve been here all weÔÇÖve done is turn tail and run away at the first sign of a Gammulan or Raider ship.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Uh huh.ÔÇØ Said Jensen. ÔÇ£So our assignment bothers you, ensign?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Well, yes sir.ÔÇØ Said Broek. ÔÇ£I guess it does. I mean, how much shakedown time do we need?ÔÇØ Jensen sighed and nodded at the Tactical officer. ÔÇ£I understand what you mean Darren, but we have our orders.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Our orders suck, sir.ÔÇØ Jensen smiled at him. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre not in the habit of questioning our assigned orders, ensign. We do as we are told, just like everyone else.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£But not every ship is told to avoid every combat situation that comes along, sir.ÔÇØ Jensen shrugged. ÔÇ£Like I said, everyone has their orders. The Fleet Commander has made it very clear that he doesnÔÇÖt want us to get our feet wet, so we steer clear of puddles.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Hrumph. The Fleet Commander is a buerocrat. He doesnÔÇÖt understand what itÔÇÖs like to actually be out here.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£ThatÔÇÖs a bit harsh.ÔÇØ Said Ailsa. ÔÇ£He might not be the most experienced officer in the fleet, but heÔÇÖs spent a good number of years in the field.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Yeah, but heÔÇÖs no Foss or Gallion. What has he ever done to deserve being put in charge of an entire fleet?ÔÇØ Jensen thought for a moment before responding to his question. Although a lot of what he said made sense, he was ignoring the most blatant point. ÔÇ£Broek, after Stiles virtually totalled the fleets logistical and administrative infrostructure during his defection, the fleet virtually fell to pieces. Command needed someone to take over and put things back in order, and although the choice was strongly contested by several senior commanders, Savage had the administrative background neccesary to salvage things. And he did. Now, as far as what he did to deserve it, thatÔÇÖs probably more to do with politics than anyone is willing to admit. The TsunamiÔÇÖs involvement with the incident last year brought him to the attention of command, as well as the public. So, his assignment to take command of the Orion fleet was both a good idea as far as rescuing the fleet was concerned, as well as excellent PR.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£I can understand that.ÔÇØ Said Broek. ÔÇ£But now the fleets been stabalised, wouldnÔÇÖt it make better sense to assign a more experienced field commander?ÔÇØ Jensen shrugged. ÔÇ£Probably, but that would be political suicide. The public are still very much enamered with him. Cutting him off now wouldnÔÇÖt go down to well with the folks back home.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Besides,ÔÇØ added Ailsa. ÔÇ£the fleets losses to the Gammulans havent been as bad as projected, so he seems to be half capable of leading the fleet during wartime.ÔÇØ Broek scoffed. ÔÇ£That will be Hamblin, I tell you. Everyone knows heÔÇÖs the real strategist in the Orion Fleet.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Rubbish.ÔÇØ Said Jensen. ÔÇ£IÔÇÖm sure he helps with the fleets deployment and mission planning, but itÔÇÖs always been up to the fleet commander to make the big calls. If he wasnÔÇÖt up to the job, he would have been replaced ages ago.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Yeah well,ÔÇØ continued Broek. ÔÇ£you do hear things.ÔÇØ Jensen decided it was time to end this discussion. It was one thing to have grumbles against policy, but attacking the man directly and voicing his opinions to others wasnÔÇÖt sensible, espechially in times of war. ÔÇ£Well, next time you hear something like that, ensign, keep it to yourself. And I suggest you donÔÇÖt go expressing your opinion to anyone else. That kind of talk can be dangerous, and the last thing the fleet needs is itÔÇÖs confidence in itÔÇÖs C.O to be undermined. Is that understood?ÔÇØ Broek nodded in acknowledgement. He wasnÔÇÖt used to being chastised, especially by the executive officer. ÔÇ£Perfectly, sir.ÔÇØ Jensen retook the command chair, and stared into the vast bridge viewscreen. Within moments, boredom overtook her again. Like Neena, she longed for real duty. She could do without desperate life or death struggles, but a minor skirmish, perhaps even an internal emergency or something would be welcome. Then again, they were only a few short hours from the Orion starstation, and 7 days of welcome R&R. Perhaps it would be better to ride out the boredome for the time being. An emergency of sorts could be fashioned after shore leave was over. ÔÇ£Garren? Whats our ETA at Fleet Headquaters?ÔÇØ Lorane Garren, the GCV ÔÇô McKendricks chief of communications spun in her chair and faced the executive officer. ÔÇ£At present course and speed, we should arrive within 27 hours.ÔÇØ Ailsa, at the navigation console began to make some quick calculations. ÔÇ£Sir?ÔÇØ she offered. ÔÇ£If we increase speed to maximum, we could shave 6 hours off the travel time. We could arrive in time for happy hour at the GalCom lounge.ÔÇØ Jensen smirked. ÔÇ£We could do that, but I think we will be breaking some shakedown regulation or something.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Oh, without doubt. The chief will be mad as hell, and the admin guys back at the ship yards will be spittin nails at us for a month.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£And we wouldnÔÇÖt want that, now would we Ailsa?ÔÇØ Ailsa smiled. ÔÇ£Hell no, sir. We would not want that.ÔÇØ Jensen chuckled and shook her head. ÔÇ£Very well. Helm, increase speed to maximum.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Aye sir!ÔÇØ said the young ensign who had replaced her at helm. ÔÇ£Just one thing Ailsa.ÔÇØ Said Jensen. Ailsa swivveled in her seat. ÔÇ£Yes, sir?ÔÇØ Jensen beamed. ÔÇ£You get to buy the first round.ÔÇØ Ailsa returned her seat to itÔÇÖs normal position. ÔÇ£Figures.ÔÇØ She said. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country' [This message has been edited by Blades (edited 02-08-2000).]

Just so I donÔÇÖt get stale while working on the update of Preemptive Strike, IÔÇÖve decided to Post something of a brief follow up story to properly introduce some of the Orion Commanders and put to bed the rumor that Fleet Commander Blades is a bumbling fool. ItÔÇÖs a tad different from my usual approach, and is in a much more serious vein. The story is, in part, tied in to the Wargames scenario. It borrows from events described in that story (Specifically the Gammulan War) and takes part shortly after things begin to quiet down. It is only a brief episode, so donÔÇÖt expect it to be of the same size as my usual rantings. Enjoy. Location : Orion Starstation, Office of Fleet Commander Savage Stardate 12.25.3005, 1730hrs ÔÇ£Merry Christmas.ÔÇØ Queitly said Savage, offering a toast to himself with the glass of still water held loosly in his hand. He took a sip, tilted his head back, and with his other hand, dropped a small capsel into his open mouth. Quickly he swallowed, felt the gelletine pill descend down his throat and allowed a little time for the stimulant to kick in to liven up his weary body and mind. Moments later when his office door chimmed, he began to feel the weariness dissipate from his weakened body. He rubbed his eyes, then half heartedly began to straighten his tunic before giving up and called for the door to open. Leutenant Reynolds, the recently assigned chief of station communications hobbled through the Fleet Commanders office door and saluted his superior. Savage half returned the gesture with a wave of his hand, and forced a smile to the young Leutenant. ÔÇ£As you were Pete. IÔÇÖm too tired to adhere to protocol.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Aye, sir.ÔÇØ Replied Reynolds sympathetically. ÔÇ£If you donÔÇÖt mind me saying so, you look terrible, sir.ÔÇØ Savage smiled, and involunterily his mind drifted back a few years to a time where he knew he looked worse. ÔÇ£This is nothing. You should have seen me at my bachelor party.ÔÇØ Reynolds reguarded him quizically. ÔÇ£You were married, sir?ÔÇØ Savage scoffed. ÔÇ£Hell no. The morning after the party, I awoke with a new found appreciation for being single.ÔÇØ Reynolds grinned. ÔÇ£I bet your fiance wasnÔÇÖt very impressed with your sudden change of heart.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£I didnÔÇÖt stick around to find out. That same afternoon I signed on with GalCom and spent the next 15 years hiding in requisitions.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£If you donÔÇÖt mind me saying so, sir, it sounds a little extreme running off and joining the Navy just to avoid facing your fiance.ÔÇØ Savage shook his head. ÔÇ£Oh god no, she was terrible. A real shrew and ugly as a mutts butt. The worst thing was, I only got involved with her originally as part of a drunken dare. Little did I know she was the daughter of a very prominent head of state at the time. Before I knew what was going on, we were getting married, rubbing shoulders with all sorts of important people ÔǪ.. it was really messy.ÔÇØ Reynolds scratched his head. ÔÇ£I still donÔÇÖt understand why you wouldnÔÇÖt just tell her though, sir. I mean, how bad could it have been?ÔÇØ Savage frowned, and failed to surpress a shudder. ÔÇ£Lets just say, the family wouldnÔÇÖt have been too impressed at seeing their dear daughter jilted at the last minute. The last guy that did that ended up as reactor shielding somwhere.ÔÇØ Reynolds looks horrified. ÔÇ£Oh god, thatÔÇÖs terrible!ÔÇØ Savage nodded vigerously. ÔÇ£Yeah, and in that example, she wasnÔÇÖt even that keen on the guy!ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Are you not worried that one day they might catch up with you? Especially now as you are a well known public figure.ÔÇØ Savage shook his head. ÔÇ£Not really. I changed my name the day I enlisted. During my time at GalCom HQ, I systematically eradicated every trace of my former life. Simon Murry ceased to exist.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Ah, Simon Murry, sir?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£I always wanted to be a Karl Savage.ÔÇØ Said the Fleet Commander. ÔÇ£Up until that episode, IÔÇÖd never had an excuse to go ahead and do it.ÔÇØ Reynolds nodded. ÔÇ£But your face, sir. Isnt it possible that your fianceÔÇÖs family will recognise you through the holovids.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Unlikely,ÔÇØ started Savage. ÔÇ£since they were all killed a few years ago while en route to the Vesperon homeworld for some state affair or something.ÔÇØ For a moment, Reybolds looked visably appaled. Then, as he noticed the wicked grin spreading over the Fleet Commanders face, his expression changed to one of embarissed relief. ÔÇ£Is any of that story true, sir?ÔÇØ Savages grin broke into a laugh. ÔÇ£More than IÔÇÖm willing to admit, Pete. Lets just say I do whatever I can to stay away from Earth these days.ÔÇØ Reynolds shook his head, but remained smiling. ÔÇ£Aye sir, understood.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Anyway,ÔÇØ started Savage, pushing the brief, yet ammusing distraction from his duties aside. ÔÇ£what can I do for you, Leutenant?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Status reports from the Tsunami Battle Group, sir. Hard copies, as requested.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Ah, yes.ÔÇØ Said Savage, leaning towards Reynolds without getting up from his chair and extending an arm to receive them. Reynolds took a step forward and handed them to him. ÔÇ£And you are due for a conference call with Fleet Commander Bishop at GHQ at 1900hrs.ÔÇØ Savage sighed. Great, yet another earbashing from Bishop. Just what I need right now. ÔÇ£Are we expecting any more ion interference in the stations vicinity within the next couple of hours?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£IÔÇÖm afraid not, sir.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Damn.ÔÇØ Said Savage. ÔÇ£There wouldnÔÇÖt be a cloaked invasion force standing by to attack us, by any chance? Or maybe a spacial anomoly threatening to rip open the fabric of space/time that needs investigating?ÔÇØ Reynolds shook his head. ÔÇ£Sorry sir, everything is green. No anomolies, no invasion forces, no ion storms. YouÔÇÖre going to have to talk to him this time.ÔÇØ Savage groaned. ÔÇ£All he ever does it criticise me. Always points out how un-millitaristic I am and constantly questions my competance. ItÔÇÖs unnerving.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£If I may, heÔÇÖs just pissed at you because you were assigned command of Orion instead of him. And he only questions your abilities the way he does because he knows that despite your rather, uh, unauthordox methodology in running the fleet, you have done a very respectable job.ÔÇØ Savage frowned at his junior officer. ÔÇ£You think?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Yes sir, without doubt. Orion was a shambles before you got here. Your own brand of reorganisation has brought the fleet back from the brink of being scrapped in the year youÔÇÖve been in command. You should be proud.ÔÇØ Savage mulled it over. It sounded reasonable enough as far as explanations went. And yes, he had done a bang up job as far as reorganisation was concerned. Still, Bishop was a constant nuscience. ÔÇ£I just wish heÔÇÖd go and pester Tac for a change. That guy gets away with murder, and I cant even send a ship out on patrol without getting hell from the miserable git.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£If itÔÇÖs any consolation sir, itÔÇÖs his job to liase between the active Fleet Commanders and the Supreme Commander. HeÔÇÖs paid to be, uh, a git. IÔÇÖm sure all the other fleet commanders have a reason to grumble about him.ÔÇØ Savage folded his arms and put on his best pout face. ÔÇ£ThatÔÇÖs not the point. IÔÇÖm being picked on.ÔÇØ Reynolds grinned. ÔÇ£I wouldnÔÇÖt let commander Polovoski see you pulling that face. You know what sheÔÇÖll say.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Brrrrrrrr!ÔÇØ said Savage, in a mock shudder. ÔÇ£I donÔÇÖt want to think about it. When is the GCV-McKendrick due back, anyway?ÔÇØ Reynolds quickly accessed his datapad, and pulled up a list of assignment details and return estimates. ÔÇ£Providing she doesnÔÇÖt run into anything unexpected on her way back, she should dock by 2100hrs on the 27th.ÔÇØ Savage nodded. ÔÇ£Schedule a meeting for the morning after her return.ÔÇØ Reynolds took note. ÔÇ£Anything else sir?ÔÇØ Savage again rubbed his weary eyes, and failed to surpress a small yawn. ÔÇ£No, that will be all Leutenant.ÔÇØ Reynolds nodded, and began to turn away to leave the Fleet Commanders office. ÔÇ£Sir?ÔÇØ Savage looked up into his junior officers face. ÔÇ£Is there something else?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Well, theres a new Jazz band playing in the lounge tonight, sir. I hear they are pretty good. I was wonderin, youÔÇÖve got some time before you have the conference call with Bishop, why not take a break and clear your head?ÔÇØ Savage sighed. He didnÔÇÖt really have the time, and he still had to read over the Tsunami Battle Group status reports, but he hadnt eaten, sleapt or done anything other than administer the Orion monster for close to 36 hours. The stims kept him going, but didnÔÇÖt give him a chance just to ÔÇÿmellowÔÇÖ for a little while. ÔÇ£IÔÇÖll take it under advisement.ÔÇØ Said Savage, offering a weary smile to Reynolds. ÔÇ£Thanks for the suggestion.ÔÇØ Reynolds smiled back. ÔÇ£Any time, sir.ÔÇØ With that, the head of station communications left the office and resumed his duties. Savage pondered what to do next. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country' [This message has been edited by Blades (edited 02-07-2000).]

I think you generally find that once a weakness has been exploited, an intelligent enemy will devise a defense against it. Good strategy as a one off suicidal like surprise, but I doubt it would be allowed to happen again. Gamms aint that dumb.

Yeah, I did mean close down the thread. And the Insurgency? What Insurgency? And believe you me, you havent heard the last of Commander Neena Polovoski or renegade Fleet Commander Stiles. Should anybody want to tie any of the PS characters into their own threads, feel free, just dont wander wildly away from their established character traits or have them killed or somthing. I'm gonna have use for them some time in the future. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Epilogue Three days after Fleet Commander StilesÔÇÖs near catastrophic attack against the Drodian homeworld, the survivors of the GCV ÔÇô Chikuma arrived under escort of Gallions Wolf Pack, back at GalCom HQ. The Chuikuma herself, virtually powerless and utterly devestated had been scuttled just outside of GalCom controlled space without ceremony, and without the surviving command crew ever knowing. Leutenant Commander Neena Polovoski, like the rest of the senior staff were under house arrest on board the Graff Spee, charged with treason and the murders of the crew of the GCV - Berlin. The rest of the Chukuma crew had been freed from their locked down quarters and dispersed amongst the Wolf Pack ships and were awaiting debriefing back at Head Quarters. Upon arrival at HQ, the Chikuma officers were hurried from the Corsair Wings flag ship and to a well guarded briefing room where Supreme Commander Reines and several key military and diplomatic personel awaited to hear their story. The inquest went on for several days. Each officer in turn told their events of what had happened on the Chikuma, ranging from Stones involvement with the renegade Fleet Commander, to the clandestine meeting with the cloaked transport ship, to Mallones take over and finally, to the acts of desperation that saved the Drodians from anhiilation. At itÔÇÖs conclusion, it was found that the crew of the Chikuma had acted bravely, against extreemly unfavourable odds and had been victorious in preventing the greatest massacre in living history. The charges were dropped. The following day, a small, yet dignified ceremony was held commemorating those that had layed down their lives in defence of the Drodian people. The names of those that were lost would be remembered. Despite the secrecy of the ceremony and the near complete security lock down regarding the entire affair, the news media got hold of the story, and began braodcasting what little details they knew to the inhabitant of the Galaxy. Eventually, GalCom had to admit the existance of the RANDOM device, they insurection by former loyal GalCom commanders and the covert ÔÇÿBlack OpsÔÇÖ teams that nearly plunged the galaxy into war. It was a public relations nightmare, but somehow, the tale of the Chikumas fight to preserve the peace brought stability to the scandle, and the peoples under the protection of GalCom soon came to forget the blunders, and remembered only the courage of the few that sacrificed so much to save an innocent world. Shortly after the scandle broke, Leutenant Commander Neena Polovoski was promoted to full commander and assigned a Battle Cruiser of her own to command. Tamara Jensen was promoted to Leutenant Commander, and was offored several positions within the fleet, including executive officer of the GCV ÔÇô Tsunami and a staff position at the GalCom Academy. She turned these assignments down after learning of NeenaÔÇÖs promotion to commander, and decided to accompany her on her new command. Like Tamara, Leutenant Ailsa Strang opted to follow Neena to the new BattleCruiser, and resumed her position as chief Navigator. Following extensive recovery, Ensign Reynolds was promoted to the rank of Leutenant and offered a staff position at Orion Fleet Headquaters in charge of communications. Despite his remarkable recovery, and the finest surgery in the fleet, he was not fit to resume duty on a battle Cruiser, and reluctantly took the position at Orion Fleet headquaters. He is currently settling in nicely, and is in regular contact with his former ship mates. The Chikumas doctor opted to retire from the fleet after he concluded his debiefing. Although maintaining a reserve status, he returned to his home on earth and began working in a small, private practice. Thanks to his adventures in space, he became something of a local legend, and died a happy and wealthy man some thirty years later. Gunny Seargent Diamond was promoted to First Seargent and following recovery from his Injuries, was reasigned to the Orion Starstation and eventually served as the Liason between the Tsunami Battle Group and the marine companys commanding officer. Jayce Allen, the out of place combat medic was promoted to the rank of seargent and began lecturing at the GalCom academy. He hopes to return to active service in the near future and serve along side Neena Polovoski on her new command. Interceptor Pilots Banish and Bigtone returned to active service after two weeks of extensive debriefing at headquaters and were given a choice of assignments throughout the fleet. They are still sifting through their choice of assignments. After his brief stint as a TacOps Commander on board the GCV ÔÇô Chikuma, Gambit declined immediate reasignment and is awaiting the recovery of his collegue, Shodan, before deciding where his future lies. Like Gambit, Shodan is considering his options carefully regarding his future. Although not completely recovered from his injuries as a result of the assault on the probe launch bay, he is confident that he could, if so desired, return to the flight roster. Several requests have already been put in for his crew, including from Commander Neena Polovoski although he has yet to decide. Pancake and Blackjack returned to active duty two days after the hearing was complete. Both men were reassigned to separate Interceptor wings within the same fleet. They still maintain contact, and occasionally meet up to discuss old times at the ÔÇÿPilot CountryÔÇÖ rec lounge on the Orion Starstation. The Orion Fleet found itself without a Fleet Commander when Stiles went renegade, and were quickly forced into promoting an existing officer to fill the gap. The Orion fleet was in chaos, thanks to the near total devestation Stiles had wrought on the Fleets administrative and logistical infrastructure, and in a move that many would condemn in the months to come, Commander Karl Savage of the GCV ÔÇô Tsunami was promoted to Fleet Commander in an effort to untangle the red tape and bring administrative stability back to the Fleet. His involvement in locating the Chikuma also made him something of a hero in the eyes of the dissalusioned public. It is this reason more than anything that has so far prevented him from being replaced. The GCV ÔÇô Universe, under the command of the renegage Fleet Commander Stiles vanished into the night and has so far not been detected. It is feared that the technology stolen from the Drodian Starstation could be perverted into an even more terrible weapon than the RANDOM device, although this cannot be confirmed since the Drodian officials refuse to divulge exactly what was stolen. Whatever the case, Stiles remains a threat to the security of GalCom, perhaps the galaxy itself. Someday, he will return. In a moving and private ceremony, Flight Engineer McKendricks body was layed to rest amongst some of the most revered honoured dead in GalCom. The funeral was attended by the entire surviving crew of the Chikuma, Drodian officials and Supreme Commander Karl Reines. The long and moving speech by both Neena Polovoski and the Supreme Commander concluded with a surprise announcement. In honour of his actions, Supreme Commander Karl Reines announced the commisioning of the brand new GCV ÔÇô McKendrick, assigned to the Orion Fleet and commanded by Neena Polovoski. It seemed to be fitting that the name McKendrick should live on and be remembered as a symbol of hope, duty and honour. And to this day, it does ÔǪ.. End Epilogue THE END ***** Well, there you have it folks. ItÔÇÖs been a helluva ride, and one I have enjoyed enormously. Thanks to all those that participated, and I look forward to doing this again sometime. Your creative input has made this the most exciting and personal BC RP ever written, so you should be proud. Those of you that have requested to use certain characters within this thread in your own storys, please mail me with your details. Oh, and just as a side not, I am going to be writing this up as a proper story some time soon, and itÔÇÖs going to be horribly vast. My own narrative in the story is upwards of 70k words, spanning 160 word document pages, so you can imagine the size of it once IÔÇÖve taken the very best elements from everyone elses contributions and woven it in. Anyway, expect to see it some time June/July. Anyway, now its all over, any last minute thoughts and comments would make interesting reading. Please feel free to post them on the Preemptive Strike Comments thread. ***** Close it down Charles, this baby has been put to bed. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Apologies for being tardy. Do to my mail problems of the last couple of weeks, I have only just recieved the ranks.pdf in my mail. If it's any consolation, I also got a phone SMS that was sent on New Years eve this morning. Heh, aint technology wonderful? Anyhow, I'm reviewing the Orion Fleets general duties info right now, although a basic outline of what the two commisioned Battle Groups get up to is mentioned in the Fleet section of the Orion Website. Expect mail shortly ... ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Erm .... just to point a wee little detail out. The disagreement thing we had a while ago wasnt really about ruling out the use of hyperdrive or anything like that, just the time it takes to travel from one location to another and the time that the hyperjump engines need to recharge before allowing a jump. The flight model in the game is fine, I just dont personally agree with the durations of travel. And Charles, it's ready for you to post whenever you are. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Ok, I'm not used to giving compliments to Insurgent scum bags, but I think I should. It's a good start to a promising story Mike, and althought I haven't said anything on it up until now, I have been following it from day one. Well done that scumbag. As far as the plot is concerned, it's first rate. Explaining the origins of the principle character is always important, and so far you are doin a bang up job. As far as the detail is concerned, it's probably just about right for what it is, whis is essentially a long, short story. No complaints there. Development of the plot is commin along at a good introductory rate, so again, no complaints. You have kept it interesting, not bogged it down with too much drama or detail and havent broken the pace of the story and sent it into plot/action overdrive to early. All things considered, it's a good piece of writing and one that deserves to get good praise. Just a shame it's about a cowardly Insurgent traitor and not a heroic GalCommie. Lookin forward to the next installment ... ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Time to settle a few things .... I know I've mentioned this somwhere else in the last few months, but I think I should mention it again to answer this criticism. To begin, the travel times I have used during this entire story are NOT based on those in the game. The type of story I am telling is character driven, and although based on the BC3K premis, it wouldnt work if it was restricted to the exact game mechanics. As far as I see it, realistically, you cant expect to travel from one side of the galaxy to the other in a little over an hours time. It just doesnt fit. It doesnt seem real. Space is vast and travel between locations, even with the advantage of jump gates and wormholes it should still take its time. If were were to liken existing naval travel to BC3K game travel times, it would be like sailing from Portsmouth to New York in a little 40 minutes, real time. I have chosen, in this story at least, to extend the length of time it takes for a ship to travel from one location to another. This is my choice, and I stand by it. If you want my opinion on how travel in the game should be handled, it's with the same restrictions. This, of course, is just my opinion and as far as multiplay is concerned, it wouldnt work for obvious reasons. The game works as it is with travel handled in this way. BC fiction, in my opinion, doesnt. I doubt very much that Deker would himself write BC3K fiction to coincide with the games travel durations. Tell me if I'm wrong, please. To the next point ... Doctor kicks Mallone in the face. Ok, I think we're nit picking, but I'll answer it. For one, the Doctor IS a military man. As far as I have seen it, he's done his time at bootcamp and knows how to handle himself in hand to hand combat. Kicking Mallone in the face is reasonable. It's not that difficult for someone with a little martial arts training to extend their leg far enough to clop another person in the head. Mallone is not a giant, and the Doctor isnt exactly short. Besides, considering Mallones wounds, he is unlikely to be extending himself to his full height, plus the doctor had the advantage of surprise. Maybe going for the chest is more realistic. Who cares? The doctor gets to kick some ass, he deserves to do it with some style. We are talking heroic characters, not random cannon fodder. Heroes deserve to be a little larger than life. Ok, the launch ... If you recall, the Chikuma was set on autopilot and was following a waypoint schedule that would bring it into an optimum firing position to coincide with Stiles's planned assault. Because of several complications, the attack and launch time was moved forward by several hours. This was explained in the communication from Stiles to Mallone. As for the distance between the Chikuma and Stiles's fleet, again, this was based on the Chikumas autopilot course and NOT on relative distance. Once the Chikuma was brought off auto pilot and was free to navigate manually, it allowed the crew (If the so desired) to intercept much quicker. Basically, from any time after the RANDOM device was installed on the modified probe, it could have been launched. However, the launch of the probe had to coincide with the attack by Stiles fleet on the station. This was always part of the plan. When the attack was brought forward by Stiles, the launch was also brought forward. So long as you understand all this, there shouldnt be a problem. Finally, I know there has been a little bit of inconsistincy in the plot. Well, thats bound to happen and there isnt really an awful lot I can do about it. Without modifying peoples posts to suit what I want them to do, you are gonna get some drift. However, if I was to do that, it kinda takes the creativity side out of it for a lot of people. So I dont. I may make suggestions to some people, or 'hint' at a possible way of doing things to assist the plot, but I will not write the story for them. As far as I am concerned, those people participating have done an excellent job on the whole of keeping it consistent. This story has spanned tens of thousands of words, months of creative effort and, in my opinion, has been emmense fun. Anyway, as per usual comments, suggestions for the future and even criticism is always welcome. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Detonation + 4 minutes 40 seconds. [Narrative On] Out of knowhere, the brutalised Chikuma shuttle struck out at the mighty GCV ÔÇô Torino with a tractor beam and snared the unforgiving giant. On the bridge of the devestated Chikuma, Neena Polovoski, Tamara Jensen and the Interceptor pilot, Gambit stared in awe at the spectacular sight. ÔÇ£Oh my god.ÔÇØ Said Neena, quietly. ÔÇ£I donÔÇÖt believe it.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Is that ÔǪ McKendrick?ÔÇØ asked Gambit, his eyes fixed on the viewscreens unlikely image. Neena was silent, but inwardly verified Gambits question. On the viewscreen they watched as the Torino lashed out in rage at the offending little shuttle. Fire spat from itÔÇÖs turrets as it tried to swat McKendrick from the sky. Fortunately for the shuttle, itÔÇÖs relative position to the bigger ship made it hard, but not impossible for the turrets to lock on and further devestate him. Neena, shrugging off the momentary incapacitation from the startling sight of McKendricks shuttle suddenly became aware of what was happening. Not only was McKendrick distracting the Torino from itÔÇÖs primary target, but he was pulling her out of the IODÔÇÖs range of attack ÔǪ.. and directly into the path of the Chikumas own. ÔÇ£Fore view!ÔÇØ Neena shouted to Gambit. A split second later, Gambit acknowledged and the view shifted from the aft screen to the fore. Moments later, the shuttle came into view, as did the massive hulk of the fore section of the Torino. ÔÇ£The Torino is trying to shift shield harmonics to disrupt the tractor beam!ÔÇØ reported Gambit. ÔÇ£It wont work.ÔÇØ Said Neena, pushing herself to Gambits side. ÔÇ£Since both vessels are of GalCom origin, the shuttle computer knows the rotational pattens of the TorinoÔÇÖs shields. It can adjust to keep in phase without losing tractor lock.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£So long as the Torino doesnÔÇÖt reset itÔÇÖs shields at least.ÔÇØ Said Jensen. Gambit gasped. ÔÇ£ThatÔÇÖs it!ÔÇØ he cried. NeenaÔÇÖs eyes lit up. ÔÇ£Get me a target on the TorinoÔÇÖs engines.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Way ahead of you, sir!ÔÇØ said the excited Gambit. Jensen look puzzled. ÔÇ£I donÔÇÖt get it.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£No time!ÔÇØ said Neena, checking over Gambits tactical station and keeping a careful watch on the shuttle. ÔÇ£Come on Kenny, keep it together for a few more seconds.ÔÇØ The midsection of the Torino came into view. The shuttle, well ahead at this point was taking a terrible beating. Every turret hit blew another piece of the shuttle apart. ÔÇ£Sir!ÔÇØ shouted Gambit. ÔÇ£The Torino, sheÔÇÖs dropping shields and resetting!ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Stand by to fire!ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Aye sir, awaiting target lock!ÔÇØ The shuttleÔÇÖs tractor beam started to wink out. The lock was being nullified by the dropping of the shields, not to mention the battering by the TorinoÔÇÖs turret fire. ÔÇ£Just a few more seconds ÔǪ.ÔÇØ Suddenly, the aft section of the Torino came into the bridgeviewers line of sight. At the same time, the TorinoÔÇÖs shileds dropped. ÔÇ£Target aquired!ÔÇØ screamed Gambit. No hesitation. ÔÇ£Open fire!ÔÇØ Twin balls of energy lanced out into space at the unsuspecting GCV ÔÇô Torino. The sudden impact tore into the unshielded engines of the ship and caused a cataclysmic explosion. Fragments from the engines, and a large piece from the port wing blew out into open space and burned. All systems on the Torino immediately winked out, and only after a few seconds of complete darkness did emergency power begin to come online. However, the ships propulsion system was completely destroyed and with it the vessels primary reactor. ÔÇ£Status of the Tornio!ÔÇØ yelled Neena. Gambit quickly scanned the ship with what was left of the sensors. ÔÇ£Reading almost complete power failure. Engines are blown, maneuver thrusters are offline. Shields and weapons are offline.ÔÇØ Gambit turned and faced his commanding officer with a beaming smile. ÔÇ£SheÔÇÖs dead in space, sir.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Good shooting.ÔÇØ Said Neena, smiling back. ÔÇ£YouÔÇÖve earned your pay this trip.ÔÇØ Gambit laughed. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖll talk about my overtime rates later, commander.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Neena!ÔÇØ said Jensen from the helm console. ÔÇ£Sir, the shuttle!ÔÇØ Neena turned from Gambit and stared into the viewscreen. Her heart sank. The shuttle was devestated. ItÔÇÖs integrity was next to nothing and it was aflame in space, a mass of sparks and small explosions covering itÔÇÖs surface. ÔÇ£Oh god.ÔÇØ Said Neena. ÔÇ£Gambit, I donÔÇÖt care how you do it, but I want you to go out there and bring him in.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Aye sir.ÔÇØ Said Gambit, immediately bolting from the tacops position and to the bridge exit. ÔÇ£IÔÇÖll bring him back, sir. Count on it.ÔÇØ With that, he was gone. Jensen, fully aware that her usefullness at the helm was at an end replaced Gambit at TacOps and began monitoring the surrounding space with what little sensors she had. ÔÇ£Sir, IÔÇÖm detecting a lot of activity from the Drodian homeworld.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£What kind?ÔÇØ asked Neena. ÔÇ£It looks like the Drodian forces are intercepting the renegade fleet. Most of it, anyway.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Most of it?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Aye, sir. Theres a single ship, the GCV ÔÇô Universe making a run for it.ÔÇØ Neena thought for a moment. ÔÇ£ThatÔÇÖs ÔǪ Fleet Commander StileÔÇÖs flag ship.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Aye sir.ÔÇØ Said Jensen. ÔÇ£The rest of the fleet must be buying him time to escape.ÔÇØ Neena shook her head. ÔÇ£Son of a bitch. HeÔÇÖs not getting away, not on my watch. Whats the position of the Wolf Pack?ÔÇØ Jensen pulled up the relavant information. ÔÇ£They are still ten minutes out from our position, and one of the ships has broken from the others and is trying to intercept Stiles.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£What ship?ÔÇØ asked Neena. ÔÇ£Sir, I think itÔÇÖs the Graff Spee, Commander Gallions ship.ÔÇØ Gallion. If anyone could intercept Stiles before he escaped the system, it was him. ÔÇ£Intercept time?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Calculating ..ÔÇØ said Jensen. ÔÇ£Sir, the numbers are not adding ÔǪ. What?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£What is it?ÔÇØ asked Neena. ÔÇ£Sir, the Universe ÔǪ. She just cloaked.ÔÇØ Neena thumped the console. ÔÇ£Dammit!ÔÇØ Jensen checked again, made sure she was reading the TacOps information correctly. ÔÇ£Confirmed sir, heÔÇÖs cloaked.ÔÇØ Neena sighed. ÔÇ£And if heÔÇÖs under cloak, heÔÇÖs next to impossible to track down. And there just arenÔÇÖt enough Wraithers out there to blockade the jump gates.ÔÇØ Jensen nodded, solemly. ÔÇ£There will be other times, Neena. He cant out run the fleet forever.ÔÇØ Neena frowned. ÔÇ£Your right. And when the fleet catches up with him, I want to be right there, firing the first shot.ÔÇØ Detonation + 8 minutes 15 seconds. [Narrative Off] Detonation + 10 minutes 30 seconds. On the bridge of the GCV ÔÇô Universe, Fleet Commander Stiles let out resigned sigh. Although the operation had been successful as so far as obtaining the target, the failed bombing of Drodia and the destruction of his fleet left him feeling empty. And still, his troubles were not over. ÔÇ£Status of the Graff Spee?ÔÇØ asked Stiles. ÔÇ£Sir,ÔÇØ started Kyle. ÔÇ£The Graff Spee is littering the area with probes, trying to track us down. We are moving out of range.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Hows our exit vector?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Clean sir. There are not enough ships to cover all possible routes. We are clear.ÔÇØ Stiles nodded. It was good news, but he wished it had been better. He now concluded that it had been a mistake to rely on the cooperation of Commander Stones, or in fact rely on the brutality of his marine commander, Mallone. Both had failed him in one way or another, but he had to give credit to the officers and crew of the Chikuma. He had underestimated the impact one rebelious crew could have on the operation. That was a mistake he wouldnÔÇÖt make again in the future. ÔÇ£The Torino?ÔÇØ asked Stiles. ÔÇ£Dead in space, sir.ÔÇØ Reported Kyle. ÔÇ£SheÔÇÖs sending out an SOS. The Corsairs are approaching.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£And the fleet at Drodia?ÔÇØ Kyle sighed. ÔÇ£Gone sir.ÔÇØ Stiles shook his head. Such a waste. ÔÇ£Tell me about the Drodians.ÔÇØ Kyle pulled up the info from the tacops computer. ÔÇ£Sir, a large contingent of ships are moving to intercept the Wraith fleet and the Chikuma. They are approaching on an aggressive stance, but have yet to engage.ÔÇØ Stiles smirked. ÔÇ£You never know, they might start shooting at each other and forget all about us.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£You never know, sir.ÔÇØ The helm terminal bleeped, and an officer sitting there reported the jump engines were fully charged and ready to engage. ÔÇ£Set course for escape point Beta.ÔÇØ Said Stiles. ÔÇ£Course set.ÔÇØ Replied the ships navigator. ÔÇ£Helm, get us the hell out of here. Take us ÔÇÿhomeÔÇÖ.ÔÇØ The Universe dissapeared into the night. Detonation + 13 minutes 50 seconds. [Narrative Off] Detonation + 15 minutes 10 seconds. [Narrative On] Down in the Chikumas medbay, McKendrick lay beaten on a diagnostic terminal, just barley conscious. Surrounding him were the survivors of the Chikumas insurection. Neena at his side was holding his bloodied hand. Jayce Allen, the medic turned commando rapidly assisted the wounded doctor with his diagnostics. Gambit too stood nearby, looking past the shoulder of Tamara Jensen and the recently revived Ailsa Strang. They all had one thing in common, they were survivors, even heroes. But none more so than their mortally wounded comrade, an average flight engineer with exceptional courage. ÔÇ£Doctor?ÔÇØ asked Neena as he approached her. He looked at her, tried a comforting half smile and then shook his head slowly. Neena turned away, feeling tears well up in her eyes, but snapped them back before allowing them to flow. Just then Rod, the droid that had assisted McKendrick in his recent activities extended his cranial unit and peered down at McKendrick. Stumbling up behind Rod was Gunny Seargent Diamond, himself a physical wreck, but at least alive. Detonation + 15 minutes 50 seconds [Narrative Off] IÔÇÖll hand off to Charles now. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country' [This message has been edited by Blades (edited 01-24-2000).] [This message has been edited by Blades (edited 01-24-2000).]

Detonation + 0 minutes 0 seconds [Narrative On] Sixty miles above the surface of the Drodian homeworld, the sky burned. Those in the vast cities below looked up into the sky and saw a new sun come into existance. Command personel in their bunkers watched their systems flicker and darken from the massive EMP wave that engulfed the planet. Emergenty backups then came online, and as the seconds passed they began to realise what had just happened. A weapon of unbelieveable destructive power had detonated just outside of their atmosphere, a weapon of such awesome damage potential, had it detoned a few seconds later, within the atmosphere of the planet itself it would have scorched every living thing and reduced a proud civilisation to rubble. The massive discharge from the RANDOMS misdirectied detonation cut a swathe through the communications and sensor jamming from Stiles renegade fleet. All at once, the Drodians could now see what was happening in their space and to their station. The response was impressive. A fleet of warships began a gradual lift off from the planets surface. A legion of starfighters burned from their platforms skyward, ready and eager to intercept the invaders. What troubled them most was not that they had been attacked, but that the attack was apparantly from GalCom. Retrubution would be swift and brutal. Detonation + 4 minutes 50 seconds. [Narrative Off] Detonation + 1 minute 45 seconds [Narrative On] Are sensors back online yet? asked Fleet Commander Stiles from the bridge of the GCV Universe. Coming back online now. Replied Kyle, the Universes Tactical officer. Stiles approached his junior officer. Is the target neutralised? Kyle spent a few moments pulling the sensor information from the computer. He checked his readings again, just to be sure. Negative, sir. The device did not enter the atmosphere. Stiles slumped against the tacops terminal and burried his head in his arms. What happened? Sir, Im not sure. We were tracking the Chikuma shuttle and two of our ICs just prior to weapon entry. It looks like the shuttle knocked the probe off course just enough to have it skim off the atmosphere. But the weapon detonated? Yes sir. The EMP wave from the device knocked everything out within a 12,000km range, but it did not detonate in the atmosphere. Stiles was devestated. Although the random device was easily the most powerful destructive weapon ever built, it required the presence of an atmosphere to spread its destructive hell fire to the four corners of the globe. Without an atmosphere, it was nothing more than an expensive nuke with a limited damage potential. The destruction of Drodia had failed. Status of the planet? asked Stiles. Sir, a massive response has been launched from the planets surface. The lead elements of this response will interept us in three minutes. Stiles frowned. It was barley enough time to secure the target and allowed no extra time to pillage the station further. Have the boarding partys prepare to return to the ship. Order the fleet to assume a bombardment line just outside the planet. Have them nuke the planet from orbit. But sir, began Kyle. theres so many fighters down there, they will intercept the nukes and shoot them down before they reach their targets. I know. Said Stiles. But it will buy us a few more seconds and allow us a chance to escape. And the rest of the fleet? The rest of the fleet will burn. Kyle swallowed. Sir  Stow it Kyle. Theres no other choice. Aye, sir. Said the TacOps officer. Less than a minute later, the first of the OTS weapons left the launch bays of Stiless renegade fleet and began their slow descent to the planets surface. As expected, the Drodian fleets interceptors began tracking the incomming missiles and broke off to persue them. Sir! shouted Kyle. What is it? responded Stiles. Sir, the target has been aquired. The boarding crews are securing it in cargo bay two. We are ready to leave. Not a moment too soon. Said Stiles, abscent mindedly. Helm, detatch unbillicals, aft thrusters at one half, port and starboard thrusters at station keeping. Aye sir. Said the helmsman. Detatching. Get us the hell out of here, and pray like hell the Corsairs dont catch up with us .. Detonation + 4 minutes 10 seconds. [Narrative off] Detonation + 1 minute 30 seconds [Narrative On] The Chikuma was aflame. Two minutes before, the Torino, the second ship dispatched to destroy the Chikuma entered weapons range and began raining down fire on the next to helpless ship. The early shots from the Torinos IOD systematically reduced the recharged shields to next to nothing. Its turret fire pecked away at the Chikumas brittle armour and burrowed inward and wrecked havoc with the ships internal systems. Life support, internal communications and the fire suppression systemswere the first systems to go down. Less than a minute later, the reactor failed and plunged the ship into complete darkness. Emergency batteries immediately clicked on, but their power was rapidly being sapped and shunted into the shield grid. Somehow, the Chikuma held on, refusing to give up, not giving into the superior firepower of the Torino and giving her an easy victory. On the bridge, Gambit and Jensen fought for every second to keep the Chikuma together. A pinpoint strike from the ships IOD system even managed to deter the Torino from engaging the ship at close range, and forced the aggressor to break off from its attack and approach from a new, safe angle. This had bought the Chikuma perhaps two minutes, although this time was just about up. Status? croaked Neena polovoski, who had just begun to regain consciouness. Neena! shouted Jensen, giving up her post and going to her friends side. I thought wed heard the last from you. Ill be damned if Im gonna die in my sleep, Tams. The Chikuma rocked again, the first hits from the Torinos turrets now coming into range. We in bad shape? Jensen frowned at her. Nothing but spit n balls holding us together now, sir. We played our last card. Planet? wheezed the executive officer. Jensen smiled at her. McKendrick did it, sir. He stopped the probe. We won. Where .. started Neena. Jensen cut her off with a downward glance. He rammed the probe, sir. Knocked it slightly off course before detonation. It blew? Jensen nodded. He vanishedfrom our scopes the instant it blew. He couldnt have survived. Neena closed her eyes and a single tear broke free and rolled down her cheek. I shouldnt have called him Kenny. He hated that. Jensen placed a reasuring hand on Neenas undamaged shoulder. He knew what was being asked of him, Neena. He did his duty. He saved them all. 8 billion people. He died a hero. Neena looked up into the barley functional viewscreen at the menacing visage of the approaching Torino. What good is being a hero if theres nobody left to tell the story? We know. Said Jensen. Thats all that matters. Its more than that. Said Neena. Nobody is going to know what really happened out here. Nobody. Commander! shouted gambit, who had remained occupied since Neenas revival. Sir, the Torino is about to enter main gun range. Ive got one more shot ready to fire, but nothing to aim at. Shall I shunt the power into the shields? Negative. Said Neena. If we go out, we go out barring our teeth. Prepare to fire. Gambit questoned his superiors motives. There was, after all, nothing for them to fire at. Shunting the power into the shields would protect them for perhaps another 15 seconds. Whatever his personal objections, he had also resigned hmself to the fact that nothing short of a miricle could save them now. 15 seconds of additional survival time didnt seem like long enough to generate one. Aye sir, main gun online. Ready to fire in 6 .. 5 .. 4 .. 3 .. Just then, Gambits miricle happened. Detonation + 4 minutes 45 seconds. [Narrative Off] ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI  www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

True enough David, I didnt get it. If you could resend it ASAP I would very much appreciate it. Fortunately, my various mail and ISP problems are now pretty much sorted, so it's back to business as usual. Those other ORION commanders who have yet to send me their profiles, well, it's time to sort it out. Dont make me chase you for them any longer. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

ORION website has been updated again to accomodate the new battle group. Please see the Communications section of the OWS for relevant details as well as the Fleet Roster for updated assignments. Congratulations to Commander David Foss on his assignment to command the Deterrence Battle Group. ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Impact ÔÇô 2.45 minutes [Narrative On] Reynolds awoke to find himself being shaken from side to side by an unseen asailant. Forcing his eyes open, he was horrified to discover that he was still entoumbed within the modified shuttlecraft where the Gunny had stuffed him during the battle in the shuttlebay. When panic overtook him, he pushed the deckplating painfully off him and heard a shriek of terror he never expected from the shuttles single occupant. ÔÇ£You *******!ÔÇØ shouted McKendrick from the cockpit. ÔÇ£What the hell are you trying to do? Scare me to death?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Whats going on?ÔÇØ said Reynolds, wearily. The shuttle again rocked, this time by weapons fire from the persuing interceptors. ÔÇ£Never mind whats going on, what the hell are you still doing here?ÔÇØ Reynolds didnÔÇÖt have an immediate answer. ÔÇ£Uh, keeping out of harms way, I think.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Sorry to say, but it looks like with all the excitement, somebody forgot to pick you up before I left. My bad.ÔÇØ Reynolds thought he heard McKendrick chuckle. ÔÇ£Where the hell are we?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£You donÔÇÖt want to know, sir.ÔÇØ Said McKendrick, regaining his composure. ÔÇ£All I can do is say IÔÇÖm sorry.ÔÇØ Reynolds didnÔÇÖt like the sound of that. ÔÇ£Sorry, what do you mean sorry? Wheres Neena, the Seargent or the Doc?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Back on board the Chikuma, if sheÔÇÖs still there.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£What?!?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Long story, sir. With luck, I might get round to telling it to you one day.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£I donÔÇÖt understand.ÔÇØ Said Reynolds. Just then, the shuttle pulled an unadvisable emergency maneuver, then resumed itÔÇÖs previous course. McKendrick flew from the cockpit, and quickly ran down the length of the shuttlebay towards Reynolds. ÔÇ£Whats going on?ÔÇØ again asked Reynolds. McKendrick smiled. ÔÇ£We got a little over three minutes to save the world.ÔÇØ Reynolds frowned at him. ÔÇ£The weapon, itÔÇÖs launched?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Got it in one, sir. And now,ÔÇØ McKendrick picked up the discarding deck plating and pushed it down again over Reynolds. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs time for you to get backin your cubby hole.ÔÇØ Reynolds began to protest, but it was soon muffled out as the plating took itÔÇÖs place. ÔÇ£YouÔÇÖll thank me for this one day, sir.ÔÇØ McKendrick locked down the plating, and made sure it was secure. As an after thought, on his way back up to the cockpit he added ÔÇ£At least, I hope so.ÔÇØ Impact T ÔÇô 2 minutes [Narrative Off] Impact T ÔÇô 3 minutes [Narrative On] Jensen, on the bridge of the Chikuma immediately called to sickbay to get either the doctor or the combat medic Jayce Allen to attend to the unconscious Neena Polovoski. Realising a few moments that internal comms were now down, she gave up the effort and ordered Gambit to get down there and bring back help. ÔÇ£Leutenant!ÔÇØ said Gambit after receiving his orders. ÔÇ£We have a new problem.ÔÇØ Jensen groaned. This was getting better and better. ÔÇ£GCV ÔÇô Torino is on an intercept course. ETA to firing range 2 minutes.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Oh god.ÔÇØ Said Jensen. There was no way the Chikuma could sustain another attack from a fresh Battlecruiser. ÔÇ£Whats the status of our shields and weapons?ÔÇØ Gambit fought with the damage control computer. ÔÇ£Shields are slowly recharging, currently at 18%. Weapons systems are offline. I can bypass and give us a couple of IOD shots In a minute or two, but thatÔÇÖs about it.ÔÇØ Jensen checked her own console. ÔÇ£Maneuver jets are all but destroyed. Main propulsion offline.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre screwed.ÔÇØ Said Gambit. Jensen nodded. ÔÇ£If you got any cigars, Gambit, now might be the time to light them up.ÔÇØ Gambit frowned, then again checked the damage control computer. ÔÇ£Just had an idea, sir.ÔÇØ Jensen, who was out of ideas herself was eager to hear the suggestions of the interceptor pilot. ÔÇ£DonÔÇÖt keep me in suspense.ÔÇØ She said. Gambit was already working on his solution. He didnÔÇÖt have time to explain exactly what he was doing, and instead summarised it with a few brief words. ÔÇ£Shunting power from life support into the shield grid.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Oh, great plan.ÔÇØ Mocked Jensen. ÔÇ£Without life support, weÔÇÖll all be dead in 15 minutes.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Without supplementing the shields with power from life support, weÔÇÖll all be dead in three minutes. At least this way we might be able to hang on for another 5 minutes.ÔÇØ Jensen sighed and retook her position at helm. ÔÇ£IÔÇÖll take those five minutes. I might even be able to orient the Chikuma a little towards our assasin, see if I can give you a target to shoot at.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£One for the road, sir?ÔÇØ Jensen smirked. ÔÇ£Why the hell not Gambit? Lets go out fighting.ÔÇØ Impact T ÔÇô 2 minutes [Narrative Off] ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Impact T ÔÇô 6 minutes [Narrative On] ÔÇ£Status of the station?ÔÇØ asked Fleet Commander Stiles, bracing himself slightly as a volley of turret fire from the stricken station brushed against his ships enhanced shield systems. ÔÇ£Hull integrity down to 30%, sir. They wont hold out much longer.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£And the defenders?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£The last wing of fighters just burned sir. We have them.ÔÇØ Stiles smiled. ÔÇ£Right on schedule, Kyle, right on schedule.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Aye sir. It was a masterpiece of planning.ÔÇØ Stiles grinned at his exec. ÔÇ£You gunning for a promotion, Kyle?ÔÇØ The TacOps officer chuckled. ÔÇ£Well, the though had crossed my mind, sir.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£After this days work Kyle, I think that may be an option.ÔÇØ Kyle turned back to his console. ÔÇ£Always a pleasure, sir.ÔÇØ Something bleeped at his console and caught his attention. He frowned. ÔÇ£Something wrong?ÔÇØ asked Stiles. ÔÇ£I donÔÇÖt believe it.ÔÇØ He replied. ÔÇ£Sir, the Vagabond has just been destroyed.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£What? ThatÔÇÖs impossible.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Confirmed sir! The Chikuma has downed the Vagabond.ÔÇØ Stiles seated himself back in the command chair and rubbed his hands over his weary eyes. ÔÇ£You have to admit, that woman has some huge great balls. We should have recruited her too.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Sir, I have the Torino standing by. They are requesting instructions.ÔÇØ Stiles sighed. ÔÇ£Whats the condition of the Chikum?ÔÇØ Kyle called up the requested information. ÔÇ£Sir, sheÔÇÖs in a bad way. Shields are almost completely blown, and her hull integrity is down to 27%. IÔÇÖm reading her weapons systems as being offline and her cloak is fried. Maueuver jets are red lining and main propulsion is gone. SheÔÇÖs dead in space.ÔÇØ For a brief moment, Stiles considered leaving the Chikuma as she was, crippled and dead in space. Then he considered the fact that while alive, the crew of that ships could still possibly hurt him, and any survivors could divulge sensitive information regarding his plans to command. Reluctantly, he decided that they had to be destroyed. ÔÇ£Order the Torino to engage the Chikuma. No survivors. Escape shuttles are to be destroyed.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Understood sir. Torino acknowledges orders. Intercept in three minutes.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Status of the Chikuma IC and shuttle?ÔÇØ ÔÇ£The Interceptor is badly dammaged, but still resisting. The shuttle is burning like a bat out of hell towards the planet. We have two interceptors in pursuit.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£I still donÔÇÖt understand what that pilot believes he can accomplish. HeÔÇÖs got no ordinance to stop the probe, and he wont get planet bound in time to warn the population.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Yes sir. ItÔÇÖs a mystery, sir.ÔÇØ Stiles nodded, and shifted his attention to the main viewscreen. The turret fire from the starstation had abated. ÔÇ£Sir, their defence grid is offline. Am reading an SOS.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Finally.ÔÇØ Said Stiles, pushing himself to his feet. ÔÇ£Have the raiding party beam over and secure the target. Standby to dock with the station and receive our prize. Have the rest of the fleet assume a defensive position in front of the station and prepare to engage the Wraith task force.ÔÇØ ÔÇ£Aye sir.ÔÇØ Said both the helmsman and Tactical officers. Stiles allowed himself another smile. The day had been won. Victory was his. Impact T ÔÇô 3 minutes [Narrative Off] ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI Ôäó www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'

Ok, Foss is MIA again. Probably worried that hes gonna get assigned to command the new ORION Battle Group this week. Not to worry, I can cover it. Heres the battle. Enjoy! [Narrative On] Impact T  8 minutes At almost the same instant, the Chikuma fired its main gun at close range into the aft section of the GCV Vagabond as the Vagabonds initial missile strike exploded into the fore shields of the Chikuma. The Chikuma bridge crew rocked from the sudden impact, but held their positions. Damage report! screamed Neena from the command chair. Shields down to 73%, sir! replied Gambit from the TacOps terminal. Commander! shouted Jensen. Incoming turret fire from the Vagabond! Evasive! The Chikuma began rocking from the impact of the Vagabonds turret fire. Although the damage inflicted was significantly less that that from the ships main gun, the refire rate was impressive. Shields down to 68% commander! shouted Gambit. Dammit, started Neena. It feels like were being pecked to death. Wheres my main gun Gambit? Main gun recharge in 4  3  2  1! Return fire! shouted Neena as a lucky hit from the Vagabonds turrets breached the damaged shields and ploughed into the bridge armour. Sparks flew and the navigation console next to Jensen exploded, sending shrapnel across the whole of the bridge. Again, the Chikuma fired into the aft of the Vagabond, its deadly energy burst smashing through the already weakened shields and devestating the engine of the enemy ship. Still, the Vagabond continued to fire. Gambit, where the hell are my turrets? Working on it! shouted the former interceptor pilot. Im having difficulty firelinking them. Neena pushed herself from the command chair and almost lost her footing as another barrage of turret fire impacted on the Chikumas strained shields. Vagabond coming about! shouted Jensen over the uproar. They are trying to bring their main gun and missiles to bear on us! Stay with her, Jensen! said Neena, steadying herself at the TacOps terminal briefly before brushing Gambit aside. Trying to sir, but our maneuver jets are wasted. I can only keep us out of their fire for a few more seconds! Neena ignored the helmsman, and work furiously at the TacOps terminal to fire link the turrets. Although the turrets normally operated under automatic, it was possible in situations where manual fire was enabled to crosslink the three weapons systems to fire as one, thus significantly improving the damage potential of the system. Main gun recharge in 3  2  1! reported Gambit. Fire again! said Neena as she finished working on the crosslinked turrets. Gambit again fire the main gun towards the Vagabond, and was discouraged when the blast just barley clipped the enemy ship. Shit! exclaimed Gambit. Shes moving too quickly for us. Decouple the IOD. Said Neena, stepping back from the TacOps terminal and over to Jensen. Aye sir, decoupling the main gun. Recharge in 20 seconds. Turrets are crosslinked, Gambit. Begin pecking. Yes sir! said Gambit who began manually targeting the crosslinked turrets before lancing out at the enemy ship with their combined might. Over at the heml console, Jensen fought with the ships damaged maneuver systems to try and keep the enemy ships fore section out of firing range. Im losing it sir. Said Jensen. I dont want to hear that. Said neena. You have got to keep us out of their weapons fire arc. Im sorry, began Jensen,but this dance of death is wrecking whats left of our propulsion systems. Incomming! shouted Gambit at TacOps. The Chikuma rumbled as the Vagabonds decoupled IOD fire reached out across space and tried to pummel the Chikuma. Glancing blow, sir! reported Gambit. But it took our shileds down to 47%. Hows our refire? said Neena. IOD refire in 7 seconds. Vagabond refire in approx ten seconds. Dammit! shouted Neena. This was not good. Not only was the Vagabond better shielded, better armoured and significantly less damaged than the Chikuma, but her reactor output enabled the main gun to refire at twice the rate of her ship. Not only that, but with the added bonus of having working maneuver jets on the Vagabond, their main weapon and missile systems would be brought to bear on her next to helpless ship in seconds. Status of the Vagabond! Shields down to 50%! Armour holding. There coming about. Screw this, thought Neena. She had wanted to cripple the Vagabond, not destroy her. But now it looked like she had no choice. She had to shoot to kill or they would all die. Concentrate all fire on the bridge! Aye sir! said Gambit. Firing! Jensen, emergency afterburners, aft! Sir, that will- Just DO IT! screamed the Leutenant commander. As Jensen executed the strained maneuver, Gambit fired at close range into the Vagabonds fore section, aiming as best he could with the big gun for the bridge. As the Chikuma angrily rumbled backwards away from the enemy ship, the crosslinked turret fire accurately pecked away at the fore shields and began to breach them. Incomming IOD fire from the Vagabond smashed into the Chikuma, and the bridge seemed to explode with debris and showering sparks. Neena and Jensen were thrown clear of their positions and landed painfully on the debris covered floor. Only Gambit held his position, having braced himself well at the TacOps terminal. Fire supression systemsicked in on the Chikumas bridge, and the smoke and various fires began to dissipate. Sir, shields have collapsed! shouted Gambit, not knowing if his words were being heard by any of the remaining bridge occupants. Hull integrity down to 35%! We cannot withstand another direct strike! Enemy IOD recharge in 6 seconds! Probes. Said Neena, groggily from the deck. Sir? asked Gambit. Launch probes. At the exact moment the Vagabonds main weapon cycled to fire again, Gambit understood exactly what Neena was saying. Quickly, he accessed the probe launch menu from the terminal and launched the Chikumas remaining probes and aimed them towards the Vagabond. Less than three seconds later, the Vagabonds IOD discharge ploughed into the probes and utterly destroyed them. The remaining energy from the IOD slammed into the Chikuma, and blew a massive chunk out of the port wing side. The Chikuma, however, held together. Refire in 6 seconds! shouted Gambit over the turmoil. Neena pushed herlsef to her feet and braced herself next to Gambit. Blood freely poured from a severe head wound and her left arm was clearly shattered from the bad fall. Target the bridge. Quietly said Neena. Aye sir, bridge targeted. Refire in 2 .. 1 .. End this. The Chikuma fired its main gun towards the GCV Vagabond and all on the bridge tracked its progress on the viewscreen. The two seconds that it took for the Chikumas blast to intercept the Vagabond, time seemed to stand nearly still. Neena watched in slow motion as the two graceful balls of energy rolled like burning charriots through space to smother the fore section of the Vagabond. In an instant, the entire fore section of the enemy ship was engulfed in a myrid of colorful explosions. The armour plating that protected the bridge flew apart from the impact, and the superstructure beneath it seemed to crumple inwards and allow the beautiful, yet deadly energy to embrace its innards. Just then, the fore section seperated sideways from the rest of the ship, as a concussion wave blew outwards and traveled down the length of the ship, blowing out each and every section along its length and exposing it to space. What followed that was a massive explosion, that started at the rear of the ship and traveled in the opposite direction of the concussion wave and up the length of the ship. It was a beautiful, if shocking sight. A massive BattleCruiser, commanded by the best humanity had to offer, dieing a graceful, if dishonourable death. Once the explosion had dissipated, Neena surrendered herself to the pain and shock, and fell uncomfortably back to the deck and embraced unconsciousness. Impact T  4 minutes [Narrative Off] ------------------ F.C KARL 'BLADES' SAVAGE ORION FLEET TSUNAMI BATTLE GROUP GCV - TSUNAMI  www.orion-hq.fsnet.co.uk 'For Queen and country'