Badgerius

[rp on] Badgerius sat at his desk in his quarters, examining the GalCom communiqu├® for what must be the hundredth time. It had been twenty-six hours since the Vesperon fleet had taken Eori, and little had happened since. Sev guessed that they were taking their time mopping up any resistance that remained there, before moving on. "I hope so," he said to himself as he looked at his orders again, "weÔÇÖre going to need every second we can get." The words on the screen seemed to mock his own: To: Cmdr Badgerius, GCV Diligence From: Galactic Command Re: Orders The assault of Vesperon forces against the Tau Ceti system confirms our suspicions of the Vesperons possessing a large attack fleet. However, since Tau Ceti is not a member of any nation, we can not respond to such an assault. The Vesperons remain members of Galactic Command and should be treated as such. Your orders are as follows. 1) Observe, but do not participate in, any battles taking place for control of the planet Arima. 2) Escort any refugees out of Tau Ceti space. You are authorized to defend these vessels from any attack. 3) Continue to gather intelligence on the Vesperon movements. As a precaution, the Supreme Commander has put the 5th tactical patrol squadron on barrier patrol in Pluto space. Sev sighed. He understood the reasoning behind the orders. Any nation could pass through free space, and attack whatever it wanted. ThatÔÇÖs why it was called free space. It was unclaimed, and no one would lift a finger to help it. So until the Vesperons jumped to Alpha Centauri, they would remain unopposed by the rest of Galcom. Sev turned the screen off. He understood it, all right, but he didnÔÇÖt like it. And as for the 5th tactical patrol squadron, it consisted of two Sentry light cruisers, a Solnar heavy cruiser and a Constellation class battlecruiser. Hardly enough to make the Vesperons think twice about invading Pluto. On the bridge OÔÇÖNeil was watching the fleet from Tulon station make their preparations to fight. Mine fields were being set up around the Xylan and Eori jump points, and the fleet had split to deal with the two threats: One Aestrom and two Spacestars at each jump point. She wondered which fleet they would join. Suddenly, one of the Spacestars exploded as the minefield around the Xylan jump point detonated, taking out the Sunflash cruiser that was trying to enter the system. Before the shock waves had faded, though, the rest of the Xylan fleet had jumped into the system. OÔÇÖNeil switched the TacOps screen to the Eori jump point, to see the much the same thing happening there. "Shields up!! Power to weapons!! All hands to battlestations!!" OÔÇÖNeil felt cold as she prepared the ship for a battle they couldnÔÇÖt possibly win. "Commander Badgerius to the bridge!!" As the crew rushed to their stations, and the DiligenceÔÇÖs shields and weapons came to life, the battle at the jump points was unfolding. At the Eori jump point, the Aestrom and the Spacestars formed a flying wedge, and had managed to destroy one of the Sunflashes and disable one of the Nightstars, which had been in the process of launching fighters. At the Xylan point, the Ariman forces had not recovered from the sudden loss of one of their ships, and had lost the other Spacestar almost immediately. Now the AestromÔÇÖs shields were breached, and she was venting from several large hull breaches. She couldnÔÇÖt survive much longer. Then, their jump engines recharged, a large group of Nightstars and Sunflashes jumped towards Tulon station. Clouds of Vesperon fighters were everywhere. Some attacked the dwindling group of defending fighters, some attacked the capital ships, and some attacked the Orbital defense system, which was now near destruction. Sev walked onto the bridge as Sparks made his report. "All stations have reported in. We are at battlestations." Sev looked at the TacOps display and cringed. The Tulon station was taking a pounding from innumerable torpedoes and Vagrant missiles. The Tulon fleet now consisted of an Aestrom and a Spacestar, both heavily damaged. "Helm, head for the Alpha Centauri wormhole." The helmsmanÔÇÖs voice betrayed his confusion, but he did not hesitate. "Aye, sir" As the Diligence jumped, OÔÇÖNeil looked at her Commander, waiting for an explanation. "We have received our orders. We are authorized to escort any refugees, but thatÔÇÖs all. We are not authorized to attack Vesperon forces indiscriminately at this time." "What!!?? So weÔÇÖre just going to watch these people get slaughtered and not help?" SevÔÇÖs voice got hard. "Lt. Commander, these people are officially raiders. The Vesperons are within their rights to attack raiders, just as it is within ours to attack any raiders we see. Until that fleet jumps into Empirian space, and breaks the Galcom Members Mutual Nonagression Pact, we can do nothing. Am I making this clear?" OÔÇÖNeil snapped to attention. "Yes, sir!" she said, though her voice was devoid of emotion. Sev looked back at the display, which showed the station down to 30% hull integrity. "I donÔÇÖt like it either, OÔÇÖNeil." he said softly. Suddenly four Sunflashes came out of hyperspace near the wormhole. They began laying mines around it, blocking off the DiligenceÔÇÖs escape route. "Damn!" swore Badgerius. "Helm, get us through that wormhole before itÔÇÖs completely blocked." The DiligenceÔÇÖs engines flared, and the battlecruiser accelerated between the four Vesperon ships, and through the wormhole. Behind her, Vesperon troopships were boarding the Tulon starstation. The battle for Arima was over. [RP OFF] ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[RP ON] Chief Engineer Spencer Engineering Log Mission + 0 days 19 hours 18 minutes The PTA Guns are back online. And it's a good thing, too, 'cause our new Commander would like to use them. Just when I got everything fixed around here, we're going to get into combat. I've assigned a repair teams to each deck, with team 1 on deck 1, team 2, on deck 2, team 3 on deck 3, where I can keep an eye on them, and team 4 on deck 4. End log [RP OFF] We're in Alpha Centauri? Ohgodohogodohgodohgod... Ummm Blades, if you haven't already, you might want to read Eternal Diligence. This could get interesting... ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-19-99).]

[RP ON] Crewman Jones Sys Eng #15 Personal log July 17 3004 Mission + 0 days 06 hrs 17 minutes Begin log Boy do I ever stink. I've got four hours sleep and back to cleaning the tail end of the head. It's worth it, though. 453.87 credits and two bottles of the Med-Officer's private hooch in that poker game, and that new pilot, Shadow (his real name's Light, how's that for irony) looks like he'd give his last credit for one. I wonder what system we're in? Not that I particularly care, as I'm not likely to ever be granted shore leave again. I'll just save my credits for a rainy day. Log OFF [RP OFF] I'm going to play Jones if people interact with him, otherwise I'll concentrate on Spencer ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[RP ON] July 17 3004 Mission + 0 days 11 hrs 32 minutes Engineering Log The PTA Guns are almost back online. Once I got that confounded poker chip free, work has progressed well. The duty schedule for system engineers is as follows: Team 1 Eng 1-5 Off Duty Team 2 Eng 6-10 Off Duty Team 3 Eng 11-15 S-Deck Waste Disposal System Team 4 Eng 16-20 Deck 2 Turret 2 Turrets 1 and 3 are back online, I expect to have turret 2 online very shortly. I'm going to have teams 1, 2, and 4 do an inspection of all systems before our next patrol. Team 3 will still be...busy. Personal Note: If team 3 embarasses me in front of the Commander once more, I'm going to assign them to searching the exterior of the hull for stress fractures. Maybe we'll get into combat... END LOG [RP OFF] Blades, what times will you be posting? I'm on Pacific Time, here, so I might be a bit off. ------------------ Thomas Spencer Chief Engineer GCV Chikuma [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-19-99).] [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-19-99).]

Six or seven days is perfect. The main route from Tau Ceti to Earth uses the wormhole at Pluto, so that's probably where the Galcom flet will want to make a stand. That or Centris, in Alpha Centauri, where SCID HQ is. Here's how I'd like to work it. I'm going to keep writing the story from the Diligence's point of view, and that will keep track of the Vesperon fleet. I have their attack plan in my head. As the plot is now, I'm not breaking any rules (ie the Vesperons can't win), but having other commanders involved will make it more interesting. Beginning at the outbreak of war (two chapters from now) each chapter will have timestamps (eg. war + 0days, 6 hours, 10 minutes) that will help any other commanders wishing to join in on the fun. They will also have the timestamp of the beginning of next chapter, so don't post any events happening then until that chapter is posted. Questions, Comments, Suggestions? Tommorrow I'll post the second last chapter before the war, and we'll see where this goes. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

A hundred thousand apologies, SC. It would seem that I completely missed one of your posts while reading this afternoon's updates. It is a perfectly clear post, and I retract my previous statement. terribly sorry, shant happen again ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Now that is the question. I've written up to the official outbreak of hostilities between the Vesperons and the rest of Galcom, but I am unsure as to how to proceed from there. I have the plot in my head, but I'm starting to bump into other people's territory. Now as I've written it, most of Prime fleet is patrolling the Gammulan border or hunting Insurgents. I don't have a solid timeline for this yet, but I'm thinking that running this parallel to David Foss's story timewise makes the most sense. So the question is: who is available to defend Terra? Earthcom was "brought to its knees", according to the ISS fleet timeline, at the Battle of Jupiter, but it has a station in Alpha Centauri, along the direct route to Earth, so there is a possibility for multiplayer there. Also, I would need to know from the Fleet Commanders how many ships they are willing to commit to this threat. If there is sufficient interest, I will open a new thread, and we'll lay down some structure for this. We are supposed to be caught with our pants down, here, so we should limit the number of ships involved, at least to start. Please post your comments. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

I agree with the points being brought up here, but I think people are missing one of the major points of the SC's last post. (Or at least no one has commented on it) If we have two types of MP servers, RP and Non-RP the distinction is this: If Rattler's ship is destroyed in an RP server, and he does not Evac (ie, his avatar dies) Then Rattler is dead, or at least captured by whoever destroyed his ship, and Spectre needs a new leader. This will lead to more realistic battles. Rattler may not want to risk himself (I'm just using you as an example, Rattler. It could be the SC or TAC) in many battles because he doesn't want to lose his character (I don't blame him). Commanders will turn from battle when damage is still fairly light so as not to risk the ship (and his neck). We'll see ad hoc flotillas created fro strength in numbers. And most importantly, because fleet commanders will be more careful about where they step, they will do more fleet commanding - ie assigning patrols, etc. So I'm all for RP servers, I think they will be more interesting. My two bits. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Hmmm... playing a female character is something I don't do often, so why don't I just be the chief Engineer, Thomas Spencer. [RP ON] Engineer Spencer Repair log Mission +3 hours Officer's Quarters The ship's in bad shape. Life support has been partially repaired, but deck 3 is flooded with radiation, and the cargo bay which had the cleanup kits has a nice, Vagrant sized hole in it. The reactor is making funny noises, too. To top it all off, that lazy A@# Jones got his leg shot off! The main computer lost some of it's spare storage space, which isn't critical, but if I hear one more "where's my net game?" I'm gonna scream! [RP OFF] ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

RP and non-RP servers. Good idea. I wondered how we would deal with the death of existing characters. (And the Evac button just got a lot more useful). That would mean that Fleet Commanders would have to be very careful about showing themselves. They would have to send their subordinates to do most of the work, or have heavy escorts. (Just like reality) ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

You've still got the magic. Keep it up. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

The temptation is too great, I must resist... Ah what the heck, put me down as the Nav Officer. Quick question: Can I keep Jones too, if there is space? Ailsa Strang... Hmmm... Ailsa is a guy, so his name is the Irish spelling of the Danish name Ilse. (I'm making this up, so I don't know if Ilse is a Danish name or not.) And he's from the most likely place for such a horribly spelled mix of cultures to exist... Canada! (My home) ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-17-99).]

This is fun. I can't wait until it starts in earnest! meanwhile... [RP ON] Crewman Jones Emergency log entry Mission + 2 hours 35 minutes Personel quarters 1 Oh my god! My leg! My leg! The agony! MEDIC!!!!! [RP OFF] ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[RP ON] By the time the Diligence reached Arima, a half-dozen ships had jumped into Arima space and were requesting docking clearance with the Tulon starstation. Sev read their designations on the TacOps display with a heavy heart: Refugee. Although the Tulon station was a raider stronghold, it was granting landing clearances. ONeil noticed this and commented. "Whats a bunch of raiders doing accepting refugees? I would think theyd be blasting them and not giving them refuge." Sev reached down and zoomed the display in to show only Tulon. The stations full complement of two Aestrom carriers and four Spacestar cruisers were leaving their births, and a cloud of 30 fighters was preparing to jump to the Xylan jump point. "Theyve got more pressing issues at the moment, Lt. Commander," said Sev evenly, "like survival." Sev returned the display to wide view. "Ok lets get to work," he said. "Sparks, try and hail one of those refugee ships and find if they know who attacked them. XO, prepare a probe to recon the Xylan system, and launch when ready." "Aye sir," came the simultaneous replies. **** The entire bridge crew was silent. Every eye was on the main viewscreen as the probe relayed what it had found there. The probe was currently observing the planets surface, as no ships were visible in Xylan space. The area around the starbase a scene of total annihilation. Nuclear impact craters overlapped each other to produce complete and total destruction. No buildings stood. No plants grew. The soil had turned to glass under the intense heat. Most of the other cities had shared similar fates, while towns and villages had been bombed conventionally by fighters. Industrial areas had been invaded by ground troops, as the invaders had wanted to capture, and not destroy, those. On a planet with several million souls on it, survivors probably numbered in the thousands. Or hundreds. Sev felt a rage in the pit of his stomach. "It doesnt make any sense!" he said, his voice betraying the emotions he was feeling. "The attack came from the Alpha Majora system! Thats Droidan space! Why would the Droidans wipe out a planet and then retreat? Theyve never shown the slightest interest in conquest before. Theyve always held a defensive stance. Why the change?" No one broke the uneasy silence that followed. No one had an answer. Then the probe rounded the planet, and moved into its shadow. ONeil saw it first. "Sir, the probe has picked up multiple contacts. Six, seven, ten, make that twelve Nightstars! At least twice that number of Sunflash cruisers. Multiple fighters! Theyve spotted the probe!" The screen flashed, then the MapTable once again showed the area around Arima. "Theyve destroyed the probe, sir." "Did you get an ID?" Sev felt sick. There was no way the forces at Arima could hold against such an assembly of warships. Tau Ceti would fall. But to who? "Aye, sir," Alison responded. "Vesperon, sir. They must have somehow moved their fleet through the flux point and taken Majoris, sir." Sev had reached the same conclusion. "Through a flux point? Theyre too unstable to risk moving a fleet through. They must have developed some way of stabilizing them" For the second time that day, Sparks interrupted him with bad news. "Sir, our probe in Omicron Eridani is reporting a large fleet of Vesperon warships and troopships." He paused, as more information was relayed to him from the probe, and paled visibly. "Sir, theyre heading for Tau Ceti, Eori region." "Damn!" Sevs mind raced. Theyd sweep through Eori, taking out the starbase on the planet and the Assassins guild station around it, then theyd meet up with the other fleet here, in Arima. Arima wouldnt stand a chance. From there, the combined fleet could pour into Alpha Centauri, squashing the Empirian fleet. And beyond Alpha Centauri lay Sol, Earth, Home. "Sparks, send to Galcom HQ. Send them all our probe data and sensor logs for the past 24 hours. Tell themthe Vesperons are on the move." [RP OFF] ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-16-99).]

Ah, the fog lifts. I have no problem posting in that manner. I'm looking forward to it. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Tres, tres, Cool. I'm in. I don't think I want a principle character, though. Something like System Engineer #16 would be great. I've always wondered just how much these guys know of what's going on outside... [RP ON] The klaxon and red flashing lights woke Jones from a sound sleep, and he had just sat up when an explosion knocked him to the deck. His wristcom was ordering him to fix damage in missile bay 2. "What the h#&@ is going on out there? Those S#$% for brain officers are off their rockers again!" Just then gravity cut out, and a floating Jones heard the computer calmly state that life support was offline. As he kicked off the ceiling, he noticed a form standing in the hall. His muddled brain calmly catalogued the sight: Gammulan, marine markings, a really big gun. "Oh man, if I ever get out of this, I'm going to kill that Commander." [RP OFF] Oh yes, I'm in. Very, very, in. Chris Jones, System Engineer 3rd class, at your service. (Feel free to change this to fit your story) ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Good point. I do want to keep the thread readable. Ok, here's what we'll do. I'll take it on faith that people are continuing to read the story, so don't post the "Woo-hoo I like it" comments. But, if you have a question, or see something that doesn't gel with the bc3k history, feel free to comment. When, the story is finished (Oh yes, it will end, and then I may start a new one in a new thread) I would appreciate comments as I am always looking to improve my storytelling skills. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[RP ON] Tau Ceti. A lawless system, marking free space between the Empirian, Vesperon, and Droidan space. Near the planet Eori lay a field of cosmic debris. Deep within it, a small asteroid suddenly changed direction, as if it had hit an invisible wall "This is deep enough, I think," said Badgerius quietly. "We should be hard to detect in here." "Aye, sir," replied ONeil. She turned to the helmsman. "Disengage cloaking device." Where there had been nothing but rocks and debris, a starship faded into existence, like the moon coming out from behind a cloud. Sev looked at his watch. The cloaking system had worked perfectly for almost three minutes. It had also used up a third of his iridium. Sev knew that the Mark 1 cloaking device generally worked 4 times out of 5, and that when it did, it generally worked for only two or three minutes before overheating and shutting down, which sometimes damaged the system. Still, it was better than nothing. "Alright, lets see whats out there. Ready a probe for launch into the Omicron Eridani space." "Aye sir," ONeil brought up the appropriate screen on the MapTable console. "Probe is ready for launch." "Launch probe." A small device, looking rather like a breadbox with wings, flew from a bay in the Diligences lower hull. It made its way to the Omicron Eridani wormhole, and passed through it. "Probe in Omicron Eridani space, Midae region. Bringing up probe data on Tacops." Sev looked at the MapTable. Nothing. Not even a trader or a tourist was present near the planet Midae. "Hmm, nothing here. Have the probe jump to" The Comms officer interrupted him. "Sir, were getting a distress call from Xylan!" Sev looked up, confused. "Xylan? Thats on the other side of the system, near the wormhole to Droidan space. How are we receiving it here?" Sparks looked stricken. "Its long-range wideband, sir." Sev was startled. "Long-range wideband? Only starbases and stations are capable of that! Put it on audio!" Sparks complied, and the bridge was filled with static and distant voices. "repeat this is the starbase Xylan. A large fleet of hostiles has entered Xylan space and engaged the Orbital Defense System. The fleet consists of a large number of heavy warships, and several transports. The transports are my god, theyre carrying troops! They mean to invade the planet. We require immediate assistance!! Oh no!! There goes the ODS! Repeat this is the starbase Xylan, requesting Oh god, we have Orbit to Surface Missiles incoming! We are under attack! We" There was the sound of a thousand thunderclaps, of metal being twisted and ripped, and of people screaming. And then there was silence. Sev was the first to break it. "Plot a course for Arima," he said referring to the third planet in the Tau Ceti system, and the one closest to Xylan. "Well send a probe into Xylan from there, and take a look before rendering assistance." The Navigation Officer was still stunned. "Aye sir," was all she said. [RP OFF] I told you things would be heating up. Get yer "I survived the nuking of the Xylan starbase" T-Shirts here! One size fits all, and they glow in the dark! ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

1st Quarter 2000? With bc3k v3.0 coming out before that? Start saving your pennies, Commanders!! [RP ON] Sev looked out at the assembly of Commanders, waiting anxiously for a full briefing from the Supreme Commander, as they had been for some time. It was finally drawing near. The waiting, the pacing, the sweating and the heartache, would be at an end soon. Sev looked over at his Second in Command. "O'Neil," he said, "I think we're going to see some action before long." [RP OFF] ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[RP ON] Sergeant Peterson walked into briefing room 2 and looked around. A large amphitheatre, briefing room 2 could hold the entire crew of the Diligence, which is what it was currently doing. Hans walked briskly to a seat and sat down, waiting for the arrival of his Commander. He listened to some of his fellow crewmates talking around him. They were mostly grumbling about the leave being cut short. Hans didnÔÇÖt particularly care that his leave had been interrupted. He was career military, and he didnÔÇÖt have much to do when he wasnÔÇÖt being a soldier. Mostly he would just train during his leave, so as not to lose any of his edge. The stiffening of the officers at the front of the briefing room gave Hans all the warning he needed. He quickly stood and came to attention. Commander Badgerius walked in to the room and took up a position behind the podium. Sev looked out at his crew, standing at attention, waiting on his word. "Please be seated," was all he said. He waited until things quieted down, then he began his briefing. "The refit of the Diligence is nearing completion. It will be complete in 6 hours. 72 hours after we arrived." Sev let that sink in. The reaction of the crew was as he expected: shock. A ship just didnÔÇÖt get that kind of treatment unless she was the most important ship in drydock, and all resources were taken from the other ships to work on her. Whatever was going on here, it was important, and they wanted to know what it was. Sev told them. "This mission is classified, so do not mention our destination to anyone. Galcom Intel thinks that the Vesperons a gearing up for a war with the Empirians. Given the state of the Empirian fleet, and the suspected size of the Vesperon one, they could walk all over the Empirians and not get their feet dirty. Since that would put them one jump from Pluto, the brass is concerned, and so am I. However, the brass does not want to move forces away from the Insurgent and Gammulan threats until they know the Vesperons are coming, and they want to know about it before the missiles start raining down on Gazer 1. So, weÔÇÖre going to the Tau Ceti system, and weÔÇÖre going to get those answers for them. WeÔÇÖre going to find out if a large Vesperon fleet exists, and if we find that it does, weÔÇÖre going to find out where itÔÇÖs going, and what itÔÇÖs going to do when it gets there. And if theyÔÇÖre going to Earth, weÔÇÖre going to slow them down until the Supreme Commander can re-enforce Pluto." Sev paused, looking out at his crew, knowing that each was thinking about their chances. "We have been chosen to do this because we are the only ones who can. I have no doubt that you will make me proud. We depart in six hours. Dismissed." As one body, the crew of the Galcom Vessel Diligence rose, and saluted their Captain. Six hours later, Sev stood on his bridge, watching the Chief Engineer bring the ship to life from his bridge station. "Dammit, Riley, watch the reactor coolant pressure! It looks like the damn pump wasnÔÇÖt calibrated!" Leonev studied the readouts for a few more seconds. "Ok, thatÔÇÖs better." Badgerius waited to see if the Engineer had any other immediate problems, then asked, "WhatÔÇÖs our status, Mr. Leonev?" The Engineer didnÔÇÖt look up from his readouts. "It was a rush job, sir. It looks like things havenÔÇÖt been properly calibrated and integrated. By rights we should cruise to the Pluto jump point on normal power, just to break her in." "No time, Mr. Leonev." "I thought not, sir. DonÔÇÖt worry, IÔÇÖll keep her together for you. Things might be a bit rough around the edges for a little while though." Badgerius sighed. He loved his ship, but sometimes he felt that she wasnÔÇÖt inclined to make his life easy. "Very well, Mr. Leonev." At length, the ship was ready. Sev decided to pilot the ship out of drydock himself. "Close all airlocks! Disengage Gangway!" Sev stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking out the main viewscreen. Around him, each member of his crew was concentrating on his or her task, relaying information to the Captain, waiting for orders. The helmsman complied. "Aye sir, Gangway is clear." "Clear all moorings!" The bow and stern lines vanished as the helmsman disengaged the docking tractors. "Moorings cleared, sir. We are free to maneuver. Thrusters at stationkeeping." "Very well. All back slow, if you please, helm." The helmsman moved the throttle slightly. "Answering all back slow, sir." Slowly the Diligence backed out the docking bay, out into the open space that was her rightful home. Like a graceful bird, she glided out of her nest and into space. "We are clear of the bay, sir." The helmsman stated. "Station control wishes us good hunting." the Comms officer said. "Acknowledge, Comms. Navigation, lay in hyperspace coordinates to the Pluto jump point." "Course plotted, Commander," said the Navigation officer. "Hyperjump engines are at full charge. We are ready to jump." "Jump." Like the gaping maw of some wild beast, a hole in space opened ahead of the Diligence, crackling with raw energy. Then the beast swallowed the ship, and itÔÇÖs jaws snapped shut, leaving no trace that either was ever there. Sev looked around. They were on their way. [RP OFF] ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

A good start. I liked the grenade. "Is that a grenade in your pants or are you just happy to see me?" BTW are your Lt. O'Neil and my Lt. Commander O'Neil (see Eternal Diligence) related? Cousins, perhaps? ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

Three chapters and no comments? Wow, I must have you guys speechless. Seriously, though, let me know how you think it's going. I'm enjoying getting feedback on a chapter by chapter basis. It's a lot different than other writing I've done. No pressure, or anything. I'm going to keep writing regardless, but it's nice to know someone out there is listening. [RP ON] 48 hours later, a thoroughly contented Sev Badgerius sat at the helm of a 32 foot sailboat on the Pacific Ocean, waiting for the most beautiful sight that he had ever encountered to present itself. It had only taken him four hours to rent the sailboat and leave Vancouver harbour, in what used to be Canada. He had spent the last 40 odd hours working his way west. Today he had encountered a rain squall, a challenge Sev had accepted with almost childlike glee. There arent many storms in space. Now it was nearly sunset, and although it was still raining where he has, a small band of blue sky lined the western horizon. Perfect. Just a few more seconds And there it was. The sun had set to the point where it was visible below the clouds. Instantly the clouds, the sea, and every raindrop glowed in soft yellow light. The air itself seemed to be shining in the reflected light. In every direction, Sevs world was colored a deepening golden hue, turning to red as the sun continued to set. Sev had experienced this phenomenon before, but it still captivated him with its beauty And it was over. The sun had set, leaving Sev wet and cool in the deepening grey of night. Then he reached down and flipped the switch to start the sailboats motor. He then set course for Vancouver. It was time to go back to work. *** The barfight was in full force, having spread to every corner of the spaceport bar. Alison wasnt quite sure how it had started, except that she was vaguely sure she had had something to do with it. What had happened to that rude Lieutenant who had interrupted her drinking to insult her ship? Oh yes, she had thrown him into that table of rowdy Marines. Maybe that had something to do with it. Most of her moderately impaired reasoning ability was involved in kicking butt, without getting her own butt kicked in the process. She executed a perfect straight kick to the larynx of some poor individual with a broken bottle. He fell back, clutching his throat. A quick glance behind her revealed a blond woman with a bottle, this one unbroken, attempting to rectify that condition by hitting Big Al over the head with it. Alison grabbed her by the collar, and used her as a throwing weapon against a burly system engineer coming from the other direction. Just then a large heavy barstool was thrown in her direction. Alison jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, it was only after she jumped that her brain caught up to her. "Wasnt there a wall in this direction?" CRASH!! "Oh yeah, a window!" Alison landed on her back on the cracked pavement outside the bar, shards of safety glass landing everywhere. She opened her eyes, and was somewhat surprised to see a uniformed form standing over her, looking stern. Alisons thoughts were still muddled. Dont I know him? Lets see, tall, blue eyes, greying brown hair, Commanders stripes Oh, crap! Still on her back, at the feet of her commanding officer, ONeil came to attention and saluted. "Leaves been cancelled. Get cleaned up and get back to the ship." Sev wasnt surprised at the condition of his XO. She had taken the last mission hard, and shore leave like this was just what the doctor ordered. He just hoped she had gotten enough. "Aye aye, sir," Alison paused. "Sir, what day of the week is it?" Sev almost smiled. Yup, she had gotten enough. "Its Friday, Lt. Commander," he said, and began walking towards the spaceport. "Damn," said Alison to herself, "it must be Monday somewhere. Things like this always happen on Mondays." [RP OFF] More to come soon, and things are going to heat up. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

[RP ON] Travelling at two thirds speed, the Diligences passage to Galcom HQ, in Earth orbit, took about ten hours. Hans Peterson whiled away the hours winning all of Private Jacksons paycheck at acey deucy. Alison ONeil slept fitfully, her nightmares muted, but not obliterated, by the alcohol. Lt. Leonev made sure the damage and maintenance reports were up to date, in preparation for the upcoming refit. And Sev Badgerius, Commander of the GCV Diligence, stood on his bridge, watching the distant Earth grow large on the viewscreen. This time fate was merciful to the Diligence. No critically damaged Galactan class battlecruisers swept in from the wings, taking up her dry dock spot. And no galactic emergencies occurred anywhere on the route from Nereid to Earth. Ten hours after leaving the icy moon, the GCV Diligence floated into the cavernous dry-dock of Galcom HQ. "All stop. Away bow lines." ONeil looked somewhat bleary eyed, but felt up to the challenge of docking the ship. Badgerius stood at the back of the bridge, listening to ONeils crisp orders, and his crews equally crisp responses, and feeling pride in each. "Bow lines awayand secure." Docking tractor beams shone from the Diligences bow, and locked onto docking hardpoints within the docking bay, securing the bow of the ship within the bay. "Away stern lines." "Stern lines awayand secure. We are docked. Gangway coming inand contact!" The helmsman relaxed. Docking the ship was the most stressful part of his job, aside from combat. He was glad to be finished. Sev stepped forward. "Good job, everyone. Sparks, put me on in-ship address." The Comms officer nodded. "Aye sir, youre on." "Attention all hands, this is the Captain. We are docked at Galcom HQ for extended repairs and refit. All those who do not have conflicting orders are granted shore leave. Report back in two weeks, 0600 Monday morning. That is all." He turned to ONeil. "XO, you have the con. Dismiss the ship." Then he turned and went to his quarters to pack. It had been a long time since hed had any time off, he wasnt planning to waste it. The duffel bag was almost packed when his comlink chirped. Sev press the acknowledge button. "Go ahead," he said. "Sir, you have new orders. A TacOps Commander Turner will meet you in briefing room 18 with the details in twenty minutes." Sev sighed. "Acknowledged. Tell him Im on my way." So much for the time off. Briefing room 18 was a small room with a podium, a wallscreen, and 5 chairs. It was designed for giving briefings to Cap Ship Commanders, either individually or in small groups. Turner was the only one in the room when Sev arrived. "Hello Commander, Im Commander Turner, Galcom fleet intelligence, attached to Prime Fleet." Turner extended his hand to shake Sevs. Aw, hell, thought Badgerius, shaking the mans hand, I dont like where this is going. "I want to thank you for returning the body of my agent, Don Williamson. It means a lot to his family." "So thats why the Tigress was shot down. To kill a Galcom Agent. That explains why no cargo was taken." Sev said, shaking his head slowly. "Exactly. Although precisely who killed him remains a mystery. Don was investigating some arms shipments into Vesperon territory. The Vesperons have been quietly building up their military strength for quite a while now. Don was to find out their intentions. He failed, and Im in a bind. If the Vesperons are spoiling for war, theyre going to stomp on the Empirians. Unfortunately, the Empirians havent built up their fleet for fear of provoking the Vesperons. In its current condition, their fleet doesnt stand a chance. If the Empirians fall, well have an aggressive and militarily advanced race sitting on our back doorstep." Turner walked over to the wallscreen, and punched up a map of the Terran Quadrant. "To prevent them from taking Earth, the Supreme Commander will have to shift forces to counter the Vesperon fleet. But he wont do it on a whim. I dont have to tell you that were stretched pretty thin. Between tracking down the Insurgents, and defending our borders from the Gammulan threat, we dont have any ships to spare against the possibility of a threat. We need facts, and we need them fast. Thats where you come in." Sev was surprised. "Me, sir?" Turner nodded. "The Diligence has been given top priority for refit. Shell be ready in 72 hours. Youll be sent into the Tau Ceti system on patrol. Keep a low profile. But find out if the Vesperon fleet is about to move." Now Sev was shocked. "Sir the Diligence only has a Mark 1 cloaking device. Surely a Galactan" Turner interrupted him. "Id love to send a Galactan class battlecruiser to do this job. The Mark 2 cloaking device is far superior to your Mark 1. It is also more reliable. That makes the Galactan perfect for a job like this. Unfortunately, none are available. Be ready to leave in 72 hours. Dismissed." Sev saluted, then turned and left the room. "Ill leave the crew on leave for 60 hours, then Ill break the news to them." he said to himself. "Theyre going to need the rest. And so am I." and he headed for the nearest Earthbound shuttle. [RP OFF] ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-09-99).]

Anyway, back to the story. [RP ON] Alison ONeil closed the door of her cabin and leaned against it, leaving the room in complete darkness. She then took two brisk steps to the head and threw up into the toilet. Policing those bodies had been the most gruesome task she had ever had to do, but she knew that those under her took strength from the fact that "Big Al" never faltered. "On the outside, anyway," she thought grimly. "On the inside, its a different story." In the darkness, she saw those macabre images dance in front of her eyes again, and she nearly threw up a second time. Slowly, as not to upset the uneasy peace in her stomach, she stood up and turned on the light. Something out of place caught her eye. A bottle of Rum sat on her desktop, with a note attached. Curious, she leaned over and read the note. "Alison. This should help you sleep. Youre off duty for 24 hours. Thats an order. Sev." Despite herself, Alison smiled. There was one person on the ship that didnt draw strength from her ice cold demeanor, at least. Then she opened the Rum, drank a third of the dark liquid from the bottle, and cried herself to sleep. On the bridge, Badgerius was playing back the log entries of the Tigresss Captain, a man named Tor Levington. Silently he listened to the now dead Captain, wondering if some future Commander might do the same with his logs. He shivered, and concentrated on what the Tigresss former Master was saying: "weve got a good load for this run. We filled up to the gills at Tramis, and what weve got will fetch an especially good price at Starpath Station at Mars. Ive found a new First Officer for this run, replacing Jones, whos debts finally caught up to her. His name is Don Williamson, and he is just doing the job in exchange for passage to the Sol System. He seems to be a good officer, and Im inclined to believe that I got the better end of the deal. End Entry." Sev scrolled ahead to the last entry, curious to see if Captain Levington had any idea of what was about to happen. "Log Entry Begins. We passed through Pluto 20 minutes ago, and made the jump into Neptune space just now, enroute to Mars. Mister Williamson seems edgy. He claims it was something he ate, but Im beginning to wonder what made him desperate enough to leave Tramis that hed work for no pay. Im going to put us in orbit of Nereid and do a diagnostic before we jump to Mars, just in case. End Entry." Sev stared at the readout thoughtfully for almost a minute. Who was this Williamson? Was the Tigresss destruction caused by someone wanting to kill him? It fit the facts, but there werent enough facts to be sure. "Commander." The Comms Officers voice brok Sevs musings. "Message from HQ. Congratulations on a job well done finding the freighter. We are to return to Galcom HQ at best speed for refit and new orders." "Thank you, Sparks," Sev responded, using the age old nickname for Comms Officers. "Lets go home, ladies and gentlemen. Navigation, lay in a course for Earth. Helm, all ahead two thirds." Watching the small moon diminish in the view screen, Sev wondered how well a job they had done. Their mission had been to find the Tigress, rescue any survivors, and determine the cause of the crash. His minds eye flashed up a neatly typed table that listed his private evaluation of the mission: Find the Tigress: Complete Rescue Survivors: Failed Determine Cause of crash: Combat Damage Cause of Combat: Unknown It was the "Unknown" that worried Sev. He couldnt shake the feeling that this wasnt just a random incident. He also couldnt shake the feeling that this would come back to haunt him, sooner or later. ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence

I'm writing this on my lunch breaks at work. So chapters should come every work day or two. Yes David and Sebastian, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see how Commander Foss and his friend get themselves out of their present pridicament. Hey, I just noticed that I'm now "Member", not "Junior Member." How'd that happen? ------------------ Commander Badgerius, GCV Diligence [This message has been edited by Badgerius (edited 08-08-99).]