Badgerius

With the Vesperon Commander on the way to Ben's bridge, I think this is the perfect time to wrap this up. [RP ON] War + 4 days 8 hours 28 minutes Twenty minutes later, they were still fighting. The Svoboda had come do the Diligences aid, along with twelve fighters, and together, they were carving up the Vesperon fleet. They were giving far better than they got, but it couldnt last. "The Svoboda is reporting reactor damage!" Sparks reported over the suit commlink. "They have escaping prisoners! And we just lost Interceptor 3!" Badgerius swore. "We cant take any more of this. Maybe we can" His words were cut of by the flying form of Sergeant Peterson as he tackled his Commander. A bolt of plasma struck the maptable, shorting it out in a shower of sparks. Peterson was up, gun out and returning fire, even as he was yelling, "Intruders! Theyre on the outer hull!!" And so they were. A contingent of Vesperon Marines, seeing the gaping hole in the Diligences upper surface, had landed on the forward hull, and were advancing towards the bridge, firing as they came. "Take cover! Return fire!" Sev pulled his pistol from its holster, and moved to a position behind the maptable. "Aye sir!" ONeil had drawn her weapon, and from her much closer position at the helm, blasted two of the approaching Vesperons before falling back to the maptable and taking cover. With the bridge crew occupied, the Diligence drifted out of control. With no one to correct her course, or even notice it, the Battlecruiser fell slowly towards the molten surface of Mercury. Now the battle was fully joined. Bolts of plasma crisscrossed the bridge. The first of the Vesperons had reached the hull breach and were stepping onto the bridge. They were taking murderous losses, but they outnumbered the bridge crew five-to-one. The bridge crew was taking casualties, as well, with both the Navigation Officer and the Flight Ops Officer laying still on the deck. Sev looked at ONeil. He knew that they were thinking the same thing: They would have to fall back. Then, through the gaping hole in the hull, a lone fighter could be seen. It was venting heavily, but it came on straight and true. With almost perfect precision, it skimmed the surface of the Diligences hull, laser blazing as it cut the invading Vesperon troops to ribbons. As it pulled up and did a roll, the bridge crew of the Diligence let out a cheer. The cheering promptly died, however, as an undamaged Vesperon carrier blew it out of space with one shot from its main gun. As the carrier came around, bringing it main gun to bear on the Diligence, the crew was silent. The bridge was a smoking ruin from the firefight, and there was nothing they could do to prevent the destruction of their ship, and their own deaths. Finally, Alison spoke up, "Sir, on behalf of the crew, it has been an honour serving with you." Sev stood on the dead bridge of his dying ship and said, "The feeling is mutual, Lt. Commander." He stood at ease, hands clasped behind his back. He pushed the button on his suit to record a log entry. "Commanders log, final. We did our best, and what a best it was. I recommend honours of the highest order be given to all of my crew." Suddenly, just as the carrier was about to fire, a massive beam of coherent light pierced the huge ship, and it exploded in a massive fireball. A stunned Badgerius looked out to see the sky filled with capital ships. But instead of Vesperon ships or Terran ships, he saw something new. "The Syrions! There must be a hundred Syrion ships out there! I dont see any Vesperons at all, theyve been wiped out!" Sparks turned to face the Armada that had suddenly appeared. "Confirmed, sir. The GCV Svoboda reports that the Syrions came out of the FluxPoint five minutes ago, and have since swept the skies of Vesperon craft. The Svoboda is also reporting that we are drifting towards Mercury, and that they are coming to give us a tow." Sparks then cocked his ear. "Sir, a transmission from the Syrion fleet." Sev could not tear his eyes from the spectacle before him. "Put it on audio, Sparks." A strange alien voice filled Sevs commlink. "All Vesperon aggressive ships outside of their home system have been destroyed. We have destabilized the Fluxpoints so that no other fleet may attempt to invade in this way. Let this be a lesson to all those who would invade Alpha Majora. The Droidan world is under our protection. Do not underestimate the might of the Syrions." And then, whether by cloaking or through some advanced hyperspace drive, the Syrion fleet vanished. War + 4 days 8 hours 42 minutes [RP OFF] Ben, your prisoner should have quite a sight to see when he get's to the bridge. That about wraps it up. I'm going to write an epilog in a day or two, which should give everyone time to finish up their points of view. After that, it's on to my next project. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

This is it. If you want in on the fun, now's the time. [RP ON] war + 4 days 7 hours 7 minutes The Diligence jumped into Mercury space alongside the rest of the fleet, but any semblance of group tactics quickly broke down into one-on-one, one-on-two, and even one-on-three situations. The Vesperon ships were everywhere, outnumbering the Galcom ships four-to-one. The situation quickly became desperate. "Shields down! Damage to flight deck!" ONeil clung to the maptable with all her strength. The Diligence was getting pounded on by three cruisers. She couldnt take much more. "Very well. Helm, launch 3 Vagrant missiles at our current target and do a tactical jump to the far side of Mercury." "Aye, sir. Vagrants away! Engaging hyperspace engines!" The helmsman had blood running down his face from being hit by some flying debris, but he had remained at his post. His eyes gleamed cold and hard. He wasnt going to let them take Earth. He wasnt ONeil cursed as the ship came out of hyperspace. "Two carriers have targeted us! 300 kilometers and closing! And it looks like those cruisers are following us!" Badgerius banged his fist on the maptable. "Damn! Did the Vagrants hit?" ONeil looked at the maptables sensor readouts. "Yes, sir. One cruiser is heavily damaged." "Well concentrate our fire on that one." ONeil nodded, then shouted, "The carriers are in firing range! Missiles inbound!" Looking back, Sev could never quite remember exactly what happened next. The missiles must have hit the forward hull, just forward of the bridge. There was a blinding flash, and most of the bridge crew were thrown into the aft bulkhead. All except for the helmsman. A piece of razor-sharp shrapnel took his head off, killing him while he stood at the helm. When Sevs vision cleared, the forward bulkhead of the bridge was gone, and he had an open view of space. He could see the battle raging around him as the Diligence tumbled through space. Amazingly, though, the artificial gravity of the bridge remained functional. The only thing allowing him to breathe, though, was his pressure suit. Sev stood, and shook his head. "All bridge crew, back to your stations," he said. He couldnt think of anything else to do. He couldnt evacuate the ship with the flight deck damaged, and they couldnt just sit here. He looked at the body of the helmsman. May you rest in peace, though you died in war, he thought, before his mind snapped back to the task at hand. "ONeil, man the helm. Ill check the damage." It wasnt good. The ship still had main power, but two turrets were gone and both missile bays were offline. The flight deck was a mess, and about the only part of the ship that had air was engineering, which was heavily radiated. The solar reactor was gone, as was the probe launch bay, the mine launch bay, the cargo bay, and the crew quarters. The computers still worked, although why was an utter mystery. And they still had shields. Through some feat of engineering magic, the chief engineer had managed to keep the shields operating, and the main laser still worked, as did the sub-light engines. "Helm is answering, sir. What course?" Commander Badgerius almost gave the order to fall back to Earth. There wasnt much his ship could do to damage the Vesperon forces, and his ship was doomed if she stayed here. But then his eyes spotted another damage report coming in: hyperspace engines offline. Without hyperspace engines, he couldnt get to Earth in less than ten hours, and his ship could be easily destroyed enroute. None of the other ships could be spared to tow him, so that left one course of action. "Back into the thick of it, Allison," he said softly. "Well go down fighting." War + 4 days 7 hours 51 minutes [RP OFF] In the next post the war ends. It's now or never. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Ok, back in the game. Ben, I put some words in your mouth. Nothing major, but I hope you don't mind. [rp on] war +4 days 6 hours 45 minutes The answer came an hour later, though from an unexpected source. "Sir, the GCV Svoboda is hailing us," said Sparks. "Very well, put him through to the map table display," Badgerius walked over to the maptable, which was about the only display on the bridge that wasnt cracked, damaged, or completely burned out. On the maptable display was a man in a much cleaner uniform, on a much cleaner bridge. "Ben! How are you? Please tell me your not going to offer me a tow. Ive had two other offers in the last hour. Were holding together." The other Commander smiled. "Nope, I know how tough that buckets of bolts is. Im planning to stick with you in the next battle, as you seem to attract their fire. Which brings me to the reason Im calling. We think that the Vesperons are going to take the flux point in Tramis and jump to Mercury or Pluto, bypassing us completely." Sev did a reasonable impression of a gaffed fish. "Of course, they invaded Alpha Majoris by stabilizing a flux point! They can do the same hereWhere to you need us, Ben?" "Its your call, but Mercury is less defendable, without a station in the area. Im going there, along with Fleet Cmdr Ristar and some EarthCom boys." "Well back you up Ben. See you at Mercury." Sev looked up from the now blank screen. "ONeil," he said. ONeil walked to the map table. "I heard, sir." "Get us to Mercury." "Aye aye, sir. Helm! Lay in a course to Mercury space! Best speed." The GCV Diligence came about, her hyperspace engines warming up, and fell into formation with the Mercury bound fleet. Then, as one, they jumped towards Mercury. **** "Approaching the Mercury jump point. Shields are up." The helmsman checked the systems one more time. "We are ready to jump." "Very well, helm," replied Sev evenly. He keyed the public address system. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Captain speaking. We are approaching the Mercury jump point. Five minutes ago, contact was lost with the Orbital Defense System around Mercury, so we can assume the Vesperons have begun their final assault on this system. We will be heavily outnumbered, although not quite so bad as some of the earlier battles." He paused. Now for the bad news, he thought. "As you know, this ship is heavily damaged, and repairs are jury-rigged at best. It is entirely possible that we will lose gravity, power, and air before this battle is over. Therefore, all personnel are ordered to wear pressure suits from this point forward. Good luck." He turned off the PA system, and turned to ONeil. "Break out the pressure suits," he said. Five minutes later, all was ready, and Badgerius turned to his helmsman, issuing a one word command: "Jump." war +4 days 7 hours 6 minutes [rp off] Once more into the breach, dear friends ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Ok, everybody in position? I'll be posting the next chapter around noon (Pacific time). ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

I'm going to wait until after the weekend before continuing. We're getting close to the end, here, and I have another bc3k project waiting in the wings, so I want to finish this soon. I think three more posts from me (maybe four) should about wrap it up. This will be the last pause. After this weekend, I'll finish this off at about one post every day or two. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Maybe you've got it, maybe you don't. BTW, my navcharts say that Flux point 02 at Mars connects to supernova 03, while flux point 02 and 04 at Pluto and Mercury connect Supernova 1. Move your ships as you see fit. If you guess right, you'll get to fight! ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Oops, sorry about that. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Ok, back into action. Cmdr Tringad, I've written you in. You may join us in Centris at your discretion. [RP ON] War +4 days 6 hours 23 minutes Allison OÔÇÖNeil walked through the blackened corridor of deck one, moving towards the bridge. She carefully stepped over the emergency power conduits and coolant piping that had been laid across the bulkhead. When she reached the bridge, she opened the hatch manually. "The old girl is sure taking a beating this time," she said to herself, and stepped onto the bridge. The bridge was a mess. The circulation systems werenÔÇÖt taking the smoke out of the air properly, so the whole room seemed to be shrouded in mist. Displays were flickering on and off at various stations, and there was a large crack in the main viewscreen. The Diligence had fallen back to Cronus. The fleet had followed them. Then they had headed for Centris, in a vain hope of getting ahead of the Vesperon fleet. When they arrived they had found the area empty of enemy ships. Centris remained untaken. Then the fleet had deployed to defend Centris, and waited. That was three days ago, thought OÔÇÖNeil, and there hadnÔÇÖt been one report of Vesperon movement since then. The Majestic Empirian Armada had remained at Cronus, unwilling to abandon their capital. But the enemy hadnÔÇÖt attacked. They had erected another class 14 minefield at the jump point to Cronus, and hid behind it. Sparks looked up from his console with a look of relief on his face. "Lt. Commander," he said, "weÔÇÖve got reinforcements inbound! The 2nd ISS taskforce under Commander Tringad will be here within ten minutes!" For the first time in days, OÔÇÖNeil almost smiled. "Excellent," she said, "IÔÇÖll go inform the Commander." **** Commander Sev Badgerius lay on a cot in the Marine quarters of the Diligence. His own quarters were currently exposed to vacuum. Beside him lay Sergeant Hans Peterson, assigned as the CommanderÔÇÖs bodyguard, as specified by regulations in a time of war. Hans had taken to his new job quite well. He felt that this was his chance to atone for the death of his previous Commander. He knew that Big Al probably knew that when she assigned him this job after the death of his squad, but that didnÔÇÖt bother him. ThatÔÇÖs what officers do, he thought, they think of stuff like that. Sev sat up. "It doesnÔÇÖt make sense!" he said, obviously frustrated. "WhatÔÇÖs that, sir?" asked Peterson, unsure if the Commander was talking to him, or to himself. Sev looked at Hans. "The Vesperons were winning. They had outgunned us, outfought us, and outmaneuvered us. Why did they stop now? If they hadnÔÇÖt theyÔÇÖd have conquered Pluto by now. Now weÔÇÖve gotten ahead of them, and we stand a chance of hurting them again before they reach Earth." Hans shrugged. "I dunno, sir. Up until now, theyÔÇÖve been fighting smart. They snuck past us and took Tramis. They attacked Arima in a textbook pincer attack. So far, theyÔÇÖve been a textbook case of ÔÇÿHow to win a War.ÔÇÖ" Sev nodded. "So, what has changed?" Hans thought for a second. "Nothing, sir. They still have the upper hand." "So, why deviate from the textbook plan?" Hans looked at the ceiling, and thought out loud. "Well, sir, if it was a ground skirmish, and I had the upper hand, the only reason I would have for deviating from a textbook plan isÔǪ" his eyes hardened, "an ace in the hole. Something that isnÔÇÖt in the book, but that will accomplish the same goals faster or with reduced casualties." "An interesting notion. You may have something there." Sev paused, thinking. "You know, I had a thought like this a couple of days ago. Something they did that was an ace in the hole, but I canÔÇÖt remember what it was. Computer, check the bridge logs forÔǪ" Sev was interrupted by the opening of the door. Peterson tensed for trouble out of habit, but it was OÔÇÖNeil. "Commander," Allison said, smiling, "The 2nd ISS Taskforce is approaching Centris." Sev smiled. "Excellent! I thought we were going to have to win this on our own. IÔÇÖll go to the bridge, and greet Commander Tringad when he arrives." He stood and accompanied Allison back to the bridge, with Peterson following, as was his duty. In the Marine quarters, the ComputerÔÇÖs voice spoke: "Data insufficient for a search. Please redefine parameters." But there was no one there to here it. [RP OFF] If anyone can see where this is going, feel free to act accordingly. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Sorry I haven't been keeping up on this. My project is behind the eight ball, and I'm working my pants off. At the same time I'm attending school full time. However, I think I can spare an hour or so today, and shall continue to write the story. A big pause was actually part of the story, oddly enough, so it works out. Cmdrs, I am just the Skipper of a lowly Mk1 battlecruiser. I have been granted no command authority. If you decide to go to the moon and wait for the end that is your perogitive. I figured you'd head for Centris, though. So, more to come today. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

This works perfectly. Get ready for an old fashioned slugfest, with a twist. [RP ON] war + 1 day 8 hours 35 minutes "Oh god, theyÔÇÖre all over the place!" OÔÇÖNeil was having trouble staying upright as blast after blast shook the Diligence. "Shields at 65%. Minor damage to most systems. Nothing major yet!" The helmsman stood at his post, his fingers dancing over the controls. The Diligence had been in the thick of it for 15 minutes now, and had two Sunflash cruisers to her name. She was currently pounding on a Nightstar attack carrier, a threat even without her fighters, which were currently pouring off her launch rails. "Vagrant locked. Away!" The helmsman was speaking in clipped sentences as he tailed the carrier. "A Hit!" OÔÇÖNeil was following the action on the MapTable. "That one punched her shields, sir. Damage to her engines." Sev nodded. "Keep at it! Flight Ops, report!" The young lieutenant replied, "Sir, Interceptor one and three doing well, sir. TheyÔÇÖve put a dent in the enemy fighters. Int two is in trouble and requesting landing clearance, and four is requesting landing for re-arming." In battle, indecision is death. In a naval battle, a captainÔÇÖs indecision may kill hundreds of his crew. SevÔÇÖs response was almost instantaneous. "Granted. Have four escort two in." The Flight officer had already turned back to his screens. "Aye sir." Sev turned to OÔÇÖNeil. "How is the rest of the fleet?" OÔÇÖNeil hung onto the MapTable as another blast shook the ship. "Well, the Empirian fleet took moderate losses and is falling back to Cronus and Tramis. As for the rest, take a look for yourself." As, Commander Badgerius looked at the TacOps display on the MapTable, a massive double explosion threw him to the deck. His stomach flip-flopped with a sudden loss and regaining of artificial gravity, and his ears popped as the air pressure dropped suddenly, indicating a hull breach nearby. Sev made it to one knee. "Report!!" he growled, watching his bridge crew struggle to concentrate on their screens. Big Al had a bloody nose from smashing it into the MapTable, but she managed to bring up the damage screen. "Looks like we took two vagrants in close succession. Probably from fighters. Shields were breached, but theyÔÇÖre now at 18% and climbing. Hull breach on Deck 1, officerÔÇÖs quarters. ItÔÇÖs sealed off. Solar panel 1 is gone, and we have damage to engineering. Radiation leak on deck 2. It also looks like our repairs on deck 2 aft corridor have been compromised. WeÔÇÖre reading a hull breach there, too." SevÔÇÖs attempts to stand were interrupted by another large explosion. The shipÔÇÖs computer calmly informed him that the shields had once again been breached. "Tactical Jump! Helm, get us out of here!" "Aye sir!" The helmsman picked as his target the remains of the ODS in this system. There werenÔÇÖt a lot of ships loitering around it at this moment. He triggered the hyperspace engines, and the Diligence shot into unreality. OÔÇÖNeil was studying the damage report screen. "Sir, that last hit knocked out weapons bay 2 and seriously compromised the hull." Badgerius stood and walked over to the MapTable. "How bad is it?" "WeÔÇÖre at 26% hull integrity." Again, Sev wasted no time reaching a decision. "We are falling back to Tramis. Flight, have the fighters meet us at or beyond the jump point. Helm, as soon as we have power, get us there. Sparks, open a channel to Galcom ships in the area." When the various acknowledgments were replied, Sev continued. "All ships, this is the GCV Diligence. We have sustained heavy damage and are falling back to Tramis. Good Luck and Godspeed." The helmsman spoke up "Hyperspace engines recharged. Jumping for the Tramis jump point." When the Diligence and her fighters jumped into Tramis space, her crew believed that they would be safe there for the time being. They could not have been more wrong. Sev just stared at the MapTable. Those unbelievable *******s. The ruins of the once majestic station orbiting Tramis mocked him, as did the eight heavy carriers surrounding it. Finally, he found breath to whisper. "They jumped ahead of us cloaked. They took Tramis from right under our noses. OÔÇÖNeil looked up from the MapTable. "Sir, there is a class 14 minefield around the other jumppoint. Nothing could get through that, not even one of their own ships." Sev reached a decision. "Turn us around, weÔÇÖll fall back through Treas to Cronus, and inform the fleet on our way through." war + 1 day 8 hours 45 minutes [RP OFF] Ok, anyone wanting to go to Tramis, E-mail me, and I'll let you know what's there. I'm requesting a role-call. Could everyone who has ships involved please let me know your stregnth and position? ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

I'm ready with my next chapter, but I need Ben to write what happens with his prisoner first, or we'll lose continuity. [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 09-09-99).]

Ben, I love what you've done with this. What a great concept. I especially love the "instant blockade" That is a great piece of engineering. I'm still quite busy, so I won't be able to put vast quantities of time into this story, but we're just getting to the good part. I'll E-mail you with Group Commander A'Shar's response. Hang on to your command chair. BTW, I love the site. I had some trouble with some of the links, though. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 09-08-99).]

This is great stuff, guys. It'll really spice up the story. Now for the bad news. The project I am on is reaching the crunch point, and I'm going to have to work like a madman to keep it on schedule. So for ONE WEEK I will be unable to pursue this story. I begin working part-time when school starts September 7, so I will be able to continue then. Ben, I'm sending you the information you requested. I apologise for the inconvience, but rest assured that the show will go on in one week's time. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

What date was the Battle of Jupiter set? The Vesperon Conflict happens 6 months - 1 year after that. Since I have written in no mention of the Supreme Commander's death (I'm dying to know how much of the chain-of-command was broken during that engagement), I would think that this new (2nd?) Gammulan war would happen 1-5 years after that. Blades, have you looked at DeSylva's Timeline in the Farewell thread? Are we going to adopt that as a framework? (I guess that's SC's call) ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Blades, The Diligence Thread runs parallel to David Foss's First Command thread, which takes place shortly (six months or so) after the Battle of Jupiter. So as to give you a historical overview for planning this new Gammulan war, I will give you some info. The Vesperon war doesn't cause heavy casualties in Earth Forces. It does cause heavy casualties in both Vesperon and Empirian ships, but both begin rebuilding their fleets immediately to prevent another war. The Vesperon Conflict can best be summed up in two words: Close Call. In the end the political situation remains more or less the same, with the Vesperons members of Galcom (although they are not as trusted). If you desire more detailed information, E-mail me and I'll send you a play-by-play. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[RP ON] Chief Spencer's Personal log Mission + 19 days 6 hours 40 minutes Begin Log If I find the person who supervised the repairs of this ship I'm going to keelhaul him! Things worked well for a couple of days, and then everything from the bridge door the main computer started to fail randomly. I've checked the computer for viruses, and came up clean. I just don't get it. I've got all four teams running ragged trying to get things fixed. The new crew is settling in well. I've put the most promising, Sys. Eng. 1st class Stephanie Hoffman, on team 3 in an attempt to get some productivity out of them. I'm not sure it was a good idea though, as %#@&@&$$$&^ eehkjgnwlk908#$&$## 39$#$&33%&$*$$#^2$%#$ 345^@gdkkjsdf546bhlkf *******Commlink Log Subsystem Crash******** Error code: C546346 Stack dump: 00000h 00000h 00001h 00000h 00000h 15454h 653ach bd158h 32634h 34566h 45664h 4773ch 46745h 44566h 34555h Rebooting...*...*...* Galcom proprietary BIOS V29.1 Testing Memory....Passed Testing CPU.......Passed Recovering Log....Failed Part of the Log: Spencer+19/6/40.log is corrupted. Contact the Engineering Department for Assistance [RP OFF] OOh! Intrigue, Mystery and romantic tension! Too bad the stodgy Chief Spencer won't get any. [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-26-99).]

Onward!! [RP ON] Deep space. A hundred thousand stars gave relief to the infinite blackness that was the cold harsh reality of deep space. Three stars in particular, the triple star system of Alpha Centauri, shone brightly, casting warming light upon whatever inhabited it Two Renegade class interceptors crossed in front of those stars, giving the appearance of dragonflies on a moonlit night. As the sun glinted off their white paint, they flew towards another inhabitant of deep space: the Diligence. Sev lay in his hammock, listening to the sounds of the patrol docking below him. He had sent out constant patrols since the war had officially begun, almost 24 hours ago. There had been no action, no sign of enemy movement since the Diligence had jumped out of Tau Ceti. Sev was beginning to wonder if he had done the correct thing in ordering the ship out of there. Wasnt it his duty to negotiate with these forces to attempt to diffuse conflict? And yet, his first duty was to his ship, and the damage there was considerable. The GCV Svoboda, a Galactan class battlecruiser, had made contact with the Diligence. She was out there somewhere, cloaked and planning to stay that way. Sev wondered what her orders were. The Svboda was part of the ISS fleet, and so did not fall into Sevs chain of command. Still, it was nice to know someone else was out there. Also arriving was the Empirian fleet. A ragtag collection of worn-out and run-down warships, the "Majestic Empirian Armada" would have been no match for a fleet a quarter of the size of the one in Arima. Sev sighed. I t was better than nothing. I shouldnt laugh at the Armada, Sev thought to himself, were not in much better shape. Leonev had been right about the refit job: it had been rushed. The explosion that had cost so many lives had also damaged almost every major system. The cloaking device was dead once more, and there were damage reports from the IOD to the engines. Nothing was out of commission aside from the cloaking device and deck 2 aft corridor -although that was almost fixed-, but the damage was significant. Sev tossed on his hammock, and wondered when it would start in earnest. ***** Sgt. Peterson walked out of the medibay and headed for his quarters. His whole squad was gone! And now he was a Sergeant without a squad. The Combat Officer had informed him that after the battle with the intruder, Galcom was at war. "How about that?" he said to himself. "I started a war. Not exactly the kind of thing one puts on their resume. I need a drink." He quickened his pace. Lt. Commander ONeil stood quietly at the bridge hatch, watching him head aft, and duck into the troop quarters, now empty because of the shortage of marines, all of whom were on duty. She was worried about him, worried he would have feelings of uselessness and begin to question his abilities. She would have to put him to work, and she had just the job for him. Time index War +0 days +23hours +15minutes Next post time index War +1 day + 3hours + 6minutes [RP OFF] Fleet Cmdr Ristar: Welcome aboard sir. I'm going to keep the plans of the Vesperon forces a secret, just to make this more fun. Feel free to position your forces where you wish. Through telling the story from the Diligence's viewpoint, there should be be enough information to keep track of the important events, and enough foreshaodwing that you may be able to anticipate the enemy's moves. BTW is this thread getting too long? ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Alright! Re-enforcements! I'll give people another couple of hours to report in, then I'll post the next bit. People can always join in later. Thanks for the broadcast, Ben. Now I know the Svoboda is out there, ready for action. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-25-99).]

Alright, let's get his show on the road. [RP ON] "Alpha Centauri system, Treas region," the Navigation officer was reporting the Diligences current position, in Empirian space. "Good," Sev said, "If we find find any Vesperons here, we will probably get to fight them." Sev was interrupted by the Combat Officers voice over the intercom. "We have intruders onboard! Marines, search the ship!" "Damn!" Sev swore, "We must have picked them up just before we jumped. Cut power to launch control. We dont want them taking our shuttles to make their escape." "Launch control disabled, sir," came Leonevs voice, piped through from Engineering. "Very well. Now, how many of them are there and where are they?" ONeil was examining the in-ship sensors at the MapTable. "A full squad, sir. They are on deck 2, headed for Engineering." "Great. XO, would you be so kind as to get them off my ship?" "Aye, sir" said ONeil "Petersons squad is about to make contact." **** Hans tightened his grip on his rifle as the lift came to a stop. "Alright, you schoolgirls, time to earn your pay. Sanchez, Jackson, take portside. Phillips, Dupuis, take the starboard. On my mark. Steady Steady" The lift doors opened. "Move!" The squad came out of the lift like a coiled spring, just outside of Engineering. If the squad of Vesperon Marines that suddenly found their path blocked were surprised, they didnt show it. They quickly found cover along the sides of the corridor, and returned Petersons squads fire. The air filled with smoke and ozone as plasma bolts crisscrossed the corridor. Jackson scored a hit on one of the Vesperons. It slumped to the floor and stopped moving. Sanchez was impressed. "Jackson, you big oaf! You always get the firstAAGGHH!" A stray shot had found Sanchez, and taken off her right leg at the knee. Hans swore. "Medic to Deck 2, aft! Weve got wounded!" He shouted into his comlink. He took aim at the one who shot Sanchez, and put a hole through its chest. "Where the hell is the other squad?" "In position" said a voice from his comlink. "Hang on boys, here comes the cavalry!" From behind the Vesperon squad, the other squad of marines opened fire. Caught unexpectedly in a crossfire, the Vesperons began to fall. "Weve gotem now, boys!" shouted Peterson as he splayed the corridor with bolts of plasma, "lets finish this!" The last Vesperon Marine knew it was finished. It was outnumbered eight to one, and was pinned down. It calmly reached into a pouch on its uniform and pushed a button A fireball erupted between the two squads, and traveled like lightning towards them. Hans dove into the lift, hitting his head on the far wall. As the air scorched his feet, the sound of screaming marines seared his mind. Then the fire ball reversed, getting sucked back into the place where the demolition charge had been detonated, and out the gaping hole that had been created there. Airtight doors shut at the entrance to Engineering, and amidships. The lift door automatically shut, sealing Peterson in. "Hull breach on deck 2, aft corridor!", ONeil had felt the explosion, and read the damage report. "Oh god, what about the marines?" Sev was worried too, but he needed to know if his ship was safe first. "Status of intruders?" ONeil checked the sensors. "Eliminated, sir." Sev nodded, "Hull integrity?" Leonev came through over the speaker. "87% and holding, sir, we have moderate shock damage in engineering and the flight deck." "Secure from intruder alert. Send medical and repair teams to deck 2 aft corridor." A disembodied voice came over the bridge intercom. "Peterson to bridge." ONeil pushed the reply button. "Bridge here, Sergeant. Report." Petersons voice betrayed the fact that he was in serious pain. "Intruders eliminated. We took heavy casualties. Nine Marines dead including Sergeant Forbes." Sev whispered into the silence that followed. "My god, thats nearly two-thirds of our marines!" "Hang in there, Peterson, Medics are enroute!" ONeil wasnt going to let the casualties increase, if she could help it. "Im not going anywhere." As the repairs commenced on the damaged hull, and as the crew gathered for a brief memorial service for their fallen comrades, Commander Badgerius received new orders. The Vesperons had boarded a Galcom vessel. Galactic Command was in an uproar because of its member nations actions. But despite the debate that raged through High Command, the orders were clear: Any Vesperon military ship would be considered hostile. From now on Galcom was at war with the Vesperons. Time index: War +0 days +0 hours +0 minutes Time index of next post: War +0 days +23 hours + 13 minutes [RP OFF] Ok no major events until 23 hours 13 min. Posts can have a time index up to that time. With luck, I'll post again tommorrow. Let's fight a war. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-24-99).]

[RP ON] Chief Spencer Personal Log Mission + 14 days 12 hours 16 minutes Begin Log Well, they've patched the old girl up again, and we've been sent back into the fray. I'm still not sure how she stayed together while we were towed home. Engineering even smells new, thanks to the new ventilator duct, but the welding scars on the main support brace tell the tail. Unlike the old days of the Navy, where time was something sailors had too much of, what with the speed of those old tubs, today there just isn't time to paint everything. Engineering will bear the scars of that encounter for a long time. Ah well... To business. The upgrades are proceeding on schedule, and a vital systems test is scheduled for later today, but I am uneasy. The damage was extensive, and two weeks was barely enough time to get the job done. Some engineer, working his eighteenth hour of overtime probably put a red wire where a blue wire is supposed to go. I've passed my concerns on to the Commander, although he of course can make no promises. Off to another shift. I'm going to let up on team 3 for a while, and see if they've learned their lesson. END LOG ******Medical Update***** Health 100% Fatigue 5% Fit for duty: Yes ************************* [RP OFF]

Thank'e, sir. The same to you re: The Adventures of GCV Chikuma. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

I've just read Blades' latest post. It looks like the Chikuma will be out of commission for the length of this campaign. Too bad, that would have been interesting. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

It shouldn't be a problem, Ben. Just make sure you mention two things in your posts: Your position, and the Time index, which should begin (war +0) sometime today. I'm also going to post the GCV Chikuma's time index on the first post, in case Blades decides to get in on this action and make things REALLY complicated! ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[RP ON] Engineer Spencer Personal Log Mission + 20 hours +34 minutes OOHHHHH!! Why does my head hurt? What is that? Oh, it's the main air conditioning duct for engineering. What's it doing on the floor? Why does the air smell like ozone and smoke? Why is the main support beam bent like a pretzel? WHAT DID THEY DO TO MY BEAUTIFUL SHIP? Must...get...to a terminal. Let's see, crafts, BC, [CENSORED]!!!!! Umm...Comms, log...They did a high energy turn? No wonder my head hurts! End log ***Medical update**** Chief engineer Spencer Health 54% Fatigue 37% ********************* Communications log Team 2! Team 2! Get that turret back online. Team 4! Fix those poor abused engines. Team 3! Radiation cleanup, all decks! End Log [RP OFF] Sorry guys, I've been down with the flu!

[RP ON] Chief Engineer Spencer Engineering Communication Log Mission + 0 days 19 hours 35 minutes Team 1! Monitor PTA status! Team 2! Keep those turrets operational! Team 3! Don't touch anything unless I tell you! Team 4! Keep an eye on those shields! Computer! Take Cloning module and Tractor beam offline and transfer power to shields, engines, and turrets 1, 2, and 3. Oh, Jones! Go down to the galley and get me a cola! [RP OFF] ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence