Tomorrow Games was bought out by Joseph Mathison of Allcorp. Allcorp was diversified into everything and when they bought Tomorrow Games they shut down Endless Expanse Online and promised to produce the most advanced MMORPG to date. 5 years later, they succeeded and re-launched it as a VR-MMORPG. It was a Space Opera based on an expanding universe concept. Originally the game only included space-based exploration, trade, and combat. The re-launch added planetary combat, i.e. combat on the ground as a First-person Shooter (FPS), Base building, Planetary Administration and Exploitation, as well as Space Exploration, Trade, and Combat. You could almost do anything you could think of. Wolfgang "The Wolf" Mariconn was one of the most sought after smugglers in the game before he retired 5 years before Endless Expanse Online was shelved. He never over-inflated his prices, if he took a job he finished it, and no matter what he never sold you out. He could run any blockade, defy any government, as long as the price was right. It also almost cost him his family. So he retired from Endless Expanse and worked a regular 9 - 5 job until he could actually retire. Fast forward 15 years and Mariconn is enjoying his grandkids but he has health problems that have put a clock on how much more time he will have with them. Joseph Mathison and Allcorp have a Golden Ticket, a way to extend his life but it will cost him. He is going to have to start up his old life again after he promised to never do it again. It time for this Old Wolf to come out of retirement and thumb his nose at a whole Galaxy one more time cause some things do not have a price tag. Endless Expanse Online-History 5500 Years ago, Humans fled Earth using a new form of propulsion, the warp drive. The warp drive allowed people to travel faster than light, cutting down on the travel time between planetary systems. They settled on the two habitable worlds in the Alpha Centauri system on Alpha 1 and Alpha 2. At the edge of the Alpha Centauri humanity found an advanced piece of technology, the Jump Gate. It took humanity nearly 200 years to figure out how to activate and use the Jump Gate. For the next 300 years, Humanity expanded and explored 12 Jump Gates and the surrounding systems. During this time, the Imperialists settled Mars and started cleaning up Earth for resettlement. Although Earth would always be known as the Homeworld of Humanity, Alpha Centauri would be known as the Political and Military center of the Imperium. 800 years after fleeing Earth, Humanity encountered the Argonnian Empire. This incident ended with 6 colony worlds and 5 million people being wiped out. For 100 years Humanity and the Argonnians were locked in a war of attrition, then the Imperium encountered the Thalonian people for the first time. The Thalonians were friendly and traded technology with the Imperium. The Thalonians had several dealings with the Argonnians and when they learned of Humanities plight with their old enemy, they decided to assist humanity in defeating the Argonnians once and for all. Between the Human Industrial Base and the Thalonian Ingenuity, they were able to defeat the Argonnians in 50 years and drove them back to their core worlds. After a decade of being blockaded within their home cluster and cutoff from Jump Gates, they agreed to a Non-Expansion treaty and the Imperium patrolled and monitored the Argonnian Jump-Gate constantly. With the peace came the Union of the Imperialists and the Thalonians under the Imperialist Government. For 3000 years Humanity Expanded and ruled the Galaxy under the name of the Imperium. Hundreds of systems and alien species were settled or brought under the Imperial flag. Although alien species had the same rights as humans, they were seen as less due to the war with the Argonnians. This lead to discontent and occasional wars between the Imperium and separatist movements. Then 1500 years ago, the Thrax organized and led a rebellion with the majority of the other non-human species fallowing them. They believed the war would be quick, instead, the war lasted a 1000 years with hundreds of millions dying on both sides. The Imperialists and those loyal to them were driven to the edge of the galaxy before they enacted a desperate plan to separate themselves from the rest of the galaxy. Nearly 500 years later, the Galaxy is still recovering from the Great War. A.E.= After Human Expansion A.F.= After Fall i.e. post Imperium I.R.N.= Imperial Remnant Navy also known as Imperial Navy Argonnian Empire: Reptile like people that are xenophobic and isolationists. Whenever they needed more territory they would expand into new systems and wipe out the natural inhabitants by either enslaving them or using them as food. After the fall of the Imperium, they expanded drastically. Due to the fragmented records of the time, no one is sure how many worlds and people fell under their control.No central government leads the Argonnians. They are broken up into Clans and Packs led by Alpha Males and Females. These groups are only known to work jointly when the entire species is threatened otherwise they will fight each other as constantly as they fight others. :25% increased Proficiency with melee Weapons, Increases Health Regeneration by 30% Blood Thirst:20% Decrease in Ranged weaponry Swarm Tactics:20% Increased proficiency with small/medium craft Predators:Start as Hated with Non-Argonnian Factions Thalonian Confederacy: The smallest but perhaps the most powerful Faction. The Confederacy is ruled by a joint Council of the various sub-species of Thalonians. They are perhaps the most advanced technological government since the Imperium fell. These people settled multiple worlds and systems even before they developed Warp Drives or discovered Jump gates. Their scientific spirit still has not ended.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Futurist Tech:10% Increased proficiency and damage with Energy-based Weaponry and Powered Armor Cloning Society:Weakened Constitution due to engineered genetics Forward Thinking:25% Increased R&D rate and increases the chance to develop or find unique Technology or Blueprints Slow Growth:Expansion and Colonization development costs are doubled Thrax Federation: The Thrax are a mammalian species and are extremely predatory. They were once the cornerstone of the Imperiums Military but they grew angry or jealous of the power that Humans wielded with the Imperium. They conspired with multiple species and rebelled against the Imperium and caused the Fall. The war lasted a 1000 years and no part of the Galaxy was left untouched. After the War, the Thrax and her greatest Allies joined together to create the Federation.The Federation is ruled by a council elevated by member species. Martial Species:All combat skills are developed 10% Faster Military First:Trade skills are learned 10% slower Fleet Tactics:10% Increase to fleet movements and combat Blood Traitors:Although the Thrax are not as hated as the Argonnians they are still remembered as betraying the Imperium and therefore it is harder for other people to trust them, decreases all diplomatic gains by 50% The Consortium: The Consortium was the first legitimate government to be founded after the Fall. A conglomerate of worlds, space stations, and satellite colonies headed by a President advised by a council. The Consortium was founded on the necessity of safety and the fact that to biggest companies of the Imperium wanted a safe place for their families and a place to rebuild. Trade Master:Increases proficiency with all trade skills by 10% Pacifist:Decreases the rate you learn combat skills by 5% Power Brokers:All factions are 25% more likely to respond to Diplomatic Negotiations in a favorable way Mercenary People:The military is 10% more likely to be defeated in combat Beta Faction-The Remnant: The remains of the Imperium that were driven to the edge of the Galaxy. To survive they destroyed Dozens of Jump Gates to isolate themselves and prevent Humanity subjugation and Extinction. Only a few isolated Jump Gates were left active lead back to the rest of civilization. They have scraped by and subjected every species in this isolated part of the galaxy.This Faction is ruled by the Imperial Admirals Board with the Senate in support. Survivors:Increases the rate that you increase Skills by 5% Prideful:Increase the chance you will enter combat by 10% Battle Hardened:Fleet based Skills are started at level 2 and are learned 10% Faster Betrayed Imperialist:Less likely to form treaties with Outside powers, Militaristic and Expansionist Chapter 1- Propositions Endless Expanse Online. He was a pro-gamer and at the age of 40, he came home to an empty house. The year before the last of his kids had gone to college. When he came home the divorce papers were laying on his keyboard. with a note that he needed to stop or he would lose his kids also. That was the day he quit gaming, and in the last 15 years, he has not played a single video game. He got a job at Allcorp as a data entry specialist and never looked back. FRIDAY... He wanted more time with his kids and grandkids. Walks in the park, zoos, movies, and candy for the grandkids. Sending them home to the parents hooped up on sugar. Ahh to be a grandparent. At least for now, a year ago he had learned about his cancer. The only one he had told was his ex, Jenna. He was planning on telling his boys Mark and Dan this weekend during the BBQ they were going to have here for his retirement. He picked up his phone and dialed his oldest Mark, his oldest James picked up "Hey Grandpa!! Enjoying retirement?" "Hahaha, my boy I have been retired for a couple of hours now. How are you doing kiddo?" Wolfgang responded. "Doing fine grandpa. Got an A on that Biology test yesterday!!!" Jacob responded. "Good job kiddo, your dad around?" With that question, he heard Jacob scream "DAD!!! Its Grandpa!!!!!!!!!!!!" Wolfgang laughed even harder, ahh to be young again... "What''s up dad? You doing ok??" was Mark''s rapid response. "Doing as well as I can kiddo. Tomorrow I have to talk to you and your brother. Its something I have put off too long and I cannot put it off any longer." Wolfgang said. "Ok...well both Dan and I will be there. I got to get the kids ready for bed. Love you and see you tomorrow." Mark responded. 1 year was all he had, after losing most of his time with his kids and driving away his wife with working too much and being on the road. He missed out on a lot and he had vowed not to miss out on his grandkids'' lives. Now his body had betrayed him and he was going to break a promise he had made...Hopefully, tomorrow won''t go too bad. He flipped the ribs on the grill. He smiled as his grandkids played a game of tag or were swimming in the pool. His kids and their wives were sitting down and talking. Music was playing in the background and even his ex Jenna and her husband Paul were here. This is what he would miss, days where he could enjoy his family. He could not believe he had missed so much of his family''s early years and now he was going to lose even more because of a disease. Everything would be done cooking soon, time to get the cold things out. "Dan, get over here and watch the grill." With that Wolfgang headed inside to start grabbing items from the fridge. About halfway done he heard his doorbell and someone knocked on his door too. Ok...everyone that was supposed to be here was here. He opened up the door to two men and a woman. One man was in some power suit, the other was a bigger guy similarly dressed but was a bodyguard type, and the woman was a personal assistant type. "Hello, Mr. Mariconn. I was hoping for a moment of your time if I may." the man said. "Well, I am kinda having a family bbq, so, can this wait until another day, Mr...??" Wolfgang responded. "I apologize, I am Joseph Mathison Owner and CEO of Allcorp. You, sir, don''t have much time. From what my scientists have told me, you need to start immediately on the treatment." Joseph responded. Wolfgang pondered his response, "Very well come in, but I won''t give you all day." "Say your piece and I will consider your words before deciding. Know this, my family is the most important thing to me now. Nothing will take me from them except for my impending death." Wolfgang said as he sat down. Joseph nodded before responding "Well Mr. Mariconn as you know, Allcorp pretty much works in everything. From entertainment to construction to the medical industry. We dabble a little bit of everything. Well, we hade a breakthrough in a medical involving nanomachines. First-generation nanomachines are very good with emergency repairs to the human body. Our second-generation nanobots will increase the ability for the machines to repair the human body, including at the cellular level. Now, we cannot take away your cancer, but we can reverse the damage it has done to your body and extend your life expectancy by 10 years at least. Now the treatment would be immersion for 6 months straight with weekly treatments of 6 to 12 hours after that depending on what our scientists and doctors say. Due to the immersion, we would have to keep your brain active to utilize the nanobots to the full potential. If we don''t want to drive you insane we are going to put you into Endless Expanse Online. We are going to take care of all your medical and gaming costs, and due to you being a test subject so to speak, we will even throw you into the Beta for the new faction in Endless. How does that sound??" Wolfgang took it all in. It was a lot of information, the potential benefits were amazing. Another 10 years of life, but if the treatment did not work he would lose half the time he had left. He knew he would not alienate his family again though, he would include them in the decision. "One moment, I have to include my family in this decision." Joseph nodded his head in understanding as he walked away. "Mark, Dan, Jenna, can you all come in here...Now before you ask anything, boys I have been keeping something from you because I did not want it to affect anything with my life. I am reaching the point where I don''t have a choice in the matter anymore though. It is starting to affect my life more and more and I do not have too many days like today left in me. I have cancer, my doctors tell me I have about another year left if I am lucky. Joseph Mathison here made an offer today, to use a cutting edge medical treatment on me. The downside is though they don''t know for sure if it will work and the treatment will last 6 months long. I am sorry about hiding this from you but I just wanted to live my life without this disease affecting my day to day life. I love you boys and your families. You guys are the most important thing in my life." with that his family exploded with questions. Jenna asked "What are the chances this procedure will help? What chances that it will kill you? How long will the treatment last?" Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.Mark, "Why didn''t you tell us? How long do you have if you take this procedure? Don''t tell my kids, let me and my wife tell them please." Dan was silent but squinted his eyes at his father. Joseph responded to Jennas'' questions first "Wolfgang will have a 90% chance of success. The treatment has less than a 5% chance to kill the subject and over the course of the 6 initial months that will not change. After the initial treatment, the follow-up treatments have a decreased chance of killing the subject. Now after the initial 6-month treatment our scientists and doctors will evaluate how long the treatments will be on a week to week basis and if we need to send you into another long term treatment. ok?" Jenna nodded her head to what he said. Wolfgang responded to his oldest son''s questions "I didn''t want to be treated like you are doing right now. Like something has changed. Nothing has changed. I am going to enjoy my life with my family, my cancer is not going to hold me back. If this works, it could increase my life expectancy by another 10 years. If it doesn''t I could lose half the time I have left. Now what I want to know is if I should take this treatment or not? This is a big commitment and it affects more than just my life." Dan responded first, "I think you should do it if you want. The benefits of the treatment if it succeeds outway the bad. Plus I want my kids to keep coming home hooped up on sugar. Yes, I noticed that." Wolfgang and the rest of his family laughed at what Dan said. "All I ever wanted was for you to be a good father. The last 15 years have proven that, and you are an amazing grandfather. If this treatment can help you continue to be that person. I say do it." Jenna said. "I just want to be able to spend time with you and for my kids to be able to spend time with you. If this medical treatment can help extend that time...I think it is worth the risk dad." was Mark''s response. "Well you heard my family, what do I do?" Wolfgang responded. Joseph had a shit-eating grin on his face "Ok pack your bag, you will be leaving with me tomorrow to fly to Maryland. It will be a long flight from California so feel free to pack a book or two. Once we get to the facility you will go through an induction process where you will sign a bunch of paperwork and medical testing and then Monday you should be going under. As far as your family goes, since you will have access to the virtual web we will leave them with VR-bands so they can still see you when they are not busy." With that Joseph and his assistant left. With that Wolfgang and his family enjoyed their BBQ, although he could feel the concern from his family they would not ruin the last dinner they would have for a while in the real world. As his kids and grandkids left, they all gave him huge hugs. The story was that he was going on a worldwide tour. They would stay in contact through the V-Web, but grandpa didn''t have an end date on when he would come back. With the departure of his family, he started packing a bag and getting ready for tomorrow. It was going to be a long day. Sunday... Promptly at 9 am, Joseph Mathison rolled up to his driveway. Wolfgang smiled and loaded up his bag into the trunk before getting into the car. "Well, Mr. Mariconn are you ready to face the future?" Joseph said. "Nervous, and in the last 15 years, I have not been away from my kids or grandkids for more then a couple of days. I will miss them and if this doesn''t work...It could cost me even more. I am also going to miss my home too." Wolfgang responded as they drove away from his home. Joseph nodded "Well the flight should be just over four hours. We will land at the facilities private strip, we will break for lunch and then deal with paperwork. The bane of my existence. Then you will have to go through a full physical. Now on Monday, we will put you into the medical pod, at that time we will start mapping your cerebral pathways so we can put you into VR-Web and Endless Expanse Online. That process will take about 24 hours, after that you will be able to enter VR-Web and Endless Expanse Online. Now the beta race will have ten thousand players total and will launch on Wednesday.'' Joseph told Wolfgang. ''You will have 24 hours to get caught up on all the features that have changed since your retirement. An NDA will be signed about your experience and you won''t be able to discuss anything about the expansion with anyone outside other players or the Devs. Now a big difference that you were not aware of before I have to tell you is the time compression. It''s eight to one, meaning it will be six months out here before you get out but in game four years will have passed. Just FYI, now if you don''t mind I am going to sleep for the rest of the ride and plane trip. Goodnight." Four years in the game was a lot of time, a lot could happen in that time. Planets could be conquered, governments could be toppled, drinking and blockade running here I come... If he survived all these needles Wolfgang thought. After what felt like the 20th shot into his arm where either something was going in or coming out he didn''t even know. He continued to respond to the Doctor''s mundane questions...He was tired and hungry. After the four hour flight, he had been subject too two hours of paperwork and briefings before the full physical had begun. "Ahhhh, Dr. White, I think your subject is ready for bed. If you have any questions email them to him, all the critical tests and questions are done and answered." Joseph Mathison told the doctor. Wolfgang bolted for the door. Josephs laughing followed him as he headed for the cafeteria. Allcorp''s research facility had two stories above ground and another two below ground. He had only been to his room, the medical facilities, and the cafeteria. The cafeteria had pretty much any food you could think of, buffet style. After a full tray of food and a quick discussion with Joseph later, he headed for his room for a shower and bed. He would get up at eight am, he would be placed in the pod no later than nine after that he would have access to the VR-Web and Endless Expanse Online within a day. Hopefully, his family would contact him soon. He had also learned that after the treatment was complete, he would have to stay here to get used to his physical body again. He was excited, he was about to head back into a galaxy he had not seen in fifteen years. he was excited and nervous. Time would tell if he was still a Wolf or if he had turned into a puppy. Chapter 2- Diving in Monday morning rolled around and he got ready for the pod by taking a shower and putting on a bodysuit. The suit was special and had dozens of sensors that would be monitored 24/7. He would have even more sensors hooked up to him when he was in the pod and hooked up to the computers and systems of Allcorp. When he stepped out of his room Joseph was there himself to escort him down to the testing and medical areas. They took the elevator to the first sub-basement and Joseph led him to a room that had an oversized FVIR capsule and a quarantined medical area in case of emergencies. Wolfgang hoped they wouldn''t have to use it, only time would tell. "Ahh, the man of the hour. I hoped you slept well. Now we only have a couple of shots left while we hook-up all your sensors. After that, we will seal you in and flood the pod with the liquid nano solution. We will then put you too sleep and start mapping your nerve network of your brain. That will take about 24 hours. After that, we will load you into your ''Home'', that is when we will activate your nanites. Your Home area will have all the amenities of a regular home, shower bath, kitchen, and TV/Entertainment area. It will not have any outside areas. You will have two doors that will lead to the outside of your home, one will go to the VR-Web and the other will lead to Endless Expanse Online. You will be able to modify the Home your home within certain parameters that you can work with your A.I. on making your home the way you want it. Now, do you have any questions before we start???" Dr. White asked. Wolfgang was ready to get his next six months started to see if this would work so he shook his head no and allowed the nurse and Doctor to start poking him again with needles and hooking the sensor leads to his suit. 30 minutes later he was strapped into the pod, the breather was attached to his face and a blue-green liquid started flooding the pod. The nurse talked to him and kept him calm until a sleeping gas flooded the breather and the nurse told him to start counting back from 10.9.8...and then there was darkness..... HOME SPACE... The next thing he knew he was waking up in a bed, the room and the bed were completely white. Ok...I thought I was going to be going digital. Then someone opened up the door and a glowing ball of energy came into the room. "Goodmorning master, did you sleep well?" the ball asked. "Well enough I guess. I am sorry, but who are you and where am I??" Wolfgang asked "Feel free to call me Jeeves. I am your personal A.I. for however long you will be here. This place is your Home area. We can change it within reason, now we have a lot to go over in a short amount of time. The mapping of your Cerebral cortex is complete and the Nano solution is already working on your physical body. Please get up and out of bed, the kitchen is fully stocked with any food that you can think of. The shower is through the door on your right if you want to take a shower before we get too work. Understand?" Jeeves responded. "We can make modifications at a later time. Let''s get things rolling, what do we need to do?" Wolfgang responded. Jeeves pulsed with energy before leading him out into the living room/kitchen area. "You have a video conference call with Dr. White ASAP. We need to go over certain things about the Beta that you will participate in. After that, you can go and explore the VR-Web and get acquainted with the changes that have happened to Endless Expanse Online or do whatever you want. Now those two doors over there are the ones that lead outside your home. You can access the one that leads to the VR-Web anywhere within the Web, while in Endless Expanse you can access the door in common and safe areas. The timer over the Endless door is the countdown before the Beta starts. You will be able to enter before to create the character you want." With that Jeeves went over to the corner and hovered while the TV came on and a Dr. White came on. "Hello Mr. Mariconn, how are you feeling? Everything working ok?? Is Jeeves working well with you?" Wolfgang laughed at the doctors'' rapid-fire questions. "Yes, I am doing fine, my home here is really white....like it is the only color besides what I can see coming off the TV screen. Jeeves is...Jeeves. Time will tell if it will work out or not." Wolfgang nodded his head in understanding "Well you have plenty of time to make changes to your home, and Jeeves will be with you both in the Web and the game. We will be monitoring this channel 24/7, someone will always be monitoring you. So if you want to talk to us, just ask Jeeves and he will alert us and we will call you. We have set it up so your family can also call you and chat with you too if they can''t jump into a virtual space. Any questions??... Then good luck and enjoy your game" With that Dr. White hung up and the TV turned off.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Ok Jeeves, what did you need to brief me on as far as the Beta?" Wolfgang asked "Ok Master, because you played the original version of Endless Expanse Online and a very extensive career that has unlocked certain legacy perks, titles, and other benefits. If you would have played the game when Allcorp originally relaunched it 10 years ago that character would have gotten all the perks. Now your Beta character will get them all, so you lucked out with that. Second is like I told you, you can create your character before the Beta actually launches. Third, the Beta will have 10000 players in the faction you will be starting in and yes you will be locked to that faction. The path you walk within that race is yours, I would recommend something other then smuggler/trader due to your starting faction not having much of either right now. NDA will be in effect from day one until the Expansion goes live which will be in 3 real-world months." Jeeves said. With that Wolfgang walked to the door that led to the VR-Web and went through into a place he had never explored. It was overwhelming, it was a mix between an Eastern trading Baazar, with giant neon signs, and a highway moving at a couple of hundred miles per hour. "Initializing filters at 50%. I am sorry, master, the VR-Web can be very overwhelming until you get used too it. Now, where would you like to go?" Jeeves said. "Holy crap Jeeves, understate much...Can you set me on a path to the official site for Endless Expanse?" Wolfgang responded. "Just follow the yellow brick road, master and it will stop at a building. Just treat it like any other building, open the door and walk in and you will access the site and the content included." Jeeves responded. Wolfgang chuckled at Jeeves response. At least he had a sense of humor. When he came to the door, he opened it just like Jeeves instructed. A voice came over the loudspeaker "Account recognized, welcome back Mr. Wolf. It has been over 15 years since you last logged in to Endless Expanse Online, would you like us to go over some of the changes that have been implemented in your absence sir??" Wolfgang was surprised at the voice..."Ahhh Jeeves what''s going on??" Jeeves promptly responded "It is just the local AI. Most sites have either an AI or VI running the website or assisting the human administrators. Just talk to him like you would talk to me." he responded. "Ok sir, please can you show me what has changed." The AI promptly responded. "Very well sir, I apologize for the confusion earlier. I assume this is your first time using VR-Web?" Wolfgang nodded in response to the AI question. "Very well Sir, since you have left the game, the following changes have been implemented within the game." 1-Full VR-MMORPG has been implemented with the game, not just 3-D. 2-First Person combat is now possible (Space and Ground Combat) 3-Planets can now be invaded and controlled by factions you represent 4-Planetary Exploration/Administration/Exploitation is now possible 5-Traveller (Players) factions can now form alliances with local (NPC) factions Dam, during the original game they could see planets but they could never land on them. Everything was done in space, now he could leave whatever ship he was assigned too. He was no longer stuck in space!!! He could land on a planet and get out and stretch his legs if he wanted too. Being able to create alliances with NPCs could be an amazing boon for player factions, it could turn the tides of war in player conflicts. Player Factions (Fleets) usually controlled trade routes, space mining areas, and shipbuilding facilities. Now player factions could own planets now too and the player cap for factions had increased from 5 thousand to 10 thousand players. He would hate to administrate such a large number of people, but the sheer amount of what you could do and territory you could control if you had that many people working together...could change everything. Quality of Quantity though, one good captain could take on 5 bad ones easy. He had proven that time and time again against his enemies with a single ship and no Fleet support what-so-ever. "Jeeves can you query the Beta servers on anything to do with the faction I will be playing?" Wolfgang asked. "Of course master. One moment while I compile the information" Jeeves responded Beta Faction-The Remnant: The remains of the Imperium that were driven to the edge of the Galaxy. To survive they destroyed Dozens of Jump Gates to isolate themselves and prevent Humanity subjugation and Extinction. Only a few isolated Jump Gates were left active lead back to the rest of civilization. They have scraped by and subjected every species in this isolated part of the galaxy. Survivors: Increases the rate that you increase Skills by 5% Prideful: Increase the chance you will enter combat by 10% Battle Hardened: Fleet based Skills are started at level 2 and are learned 10% Faster Betrayed Imperialist: Less likely to form treaties with Outside powers, Militaristic and Expansionist The Remnant is primarily made up of humans with few aliens among their member worlds. Mandatory military enlistment for all men and women from the age of 18 with a minimum enlistment of two years. After that, they could leave the service if they choose too. It is encouraged for citizens to develop trade skills as well to support themselves and the Imperium. Due to the Imperium being cut off from all the main Jump pathways, exploration is the most respected and feared path for an Imperialist. They need to explore for the survival of the Imperium, but if they expose themselves to their old enemies they could be wiped out. Economic wise, the Imperium is weak due to having very little external trade. Technological development has also stagnated due to being isolated from most of the Galaxy. The Imperium controls a couple hundred worlds and 6 Jump Gates within the Imperium. From an empire that had thousands of worlds and hundreds of Jump, this was a huge loss to the Imperial economy, society, and military. After that, he watched a couple videos. Watching was the wrong word because he had a first-person view of what was going on in them. He had no control over what the characters did or said in those videos. It was amazing, he felt the heat from the explosions, felt the ground beneath his feet, watched as troops did combat drops from High Atmo onto an open battlefield. He could not wait to start playing..."Jeeves lead me home. I need some sleep. Wake me an hour before launch, I will create my character then." Wolfgang said as he walked away from the Endless Expanse building and to his Home. Chapter 3-Legacy Endless Expanse Online...Galaxy locked Endless Expanse Online...Beta area accessed Developers Note: Welcome you old wolf, come to show the kids how to actually play this game?? Goodluck With that, light blasted him. Race Locked: The Remnant-Beta Race Wolfgang chose a 6 ft, 200 pounds, runners build, with blue-green eyes. Physically he chose looks that were scared and weathered but unbroken. Choose your Primary Class: Explorer Pathfinder: Increases the likelihood of finding unique resources and ruins in the Unknown of Space by 25% (You have a nose for finding the diamond in the rough) Loner: While outside of Imperial controlled space, your health is increased by 5% (You are alive when living on the edge of the Unknown) Marine Forged in Fire: Increases the rate at which you learn combat skills by 5% (You live and thrive on the heat of battle) Battle Hardened: You gain 5% more experience from battle (You learn from every battle you survive) Engineer Gearhead: Increases the rate you develop all engineering skills by 10% (You are more familiar with oils and metals) R&D: You develop new schematics at an increased rate (Get your thinking hats on) Sub-Class... Smuggler/Black Market-Locked Due to Legacy Gun Fanatic/Weaponmaster-Some consider weapons tools, you live and breath them Starship Lover/Ship Master-You will know every rivet and sound of your ship, and how to best to utilize your ship Please Choose your name and what path you will take: Path-These will unlock certain aspects of your tale and hidden benefits of the path Pilot-Locked due to Legacy Command-Take control of those around you and direct their efforts Gunner-Blast your enemies with the weapons of your people Medic-You earn holes, I will patch them up Name: John Port Primary Class: Explorer Sub-Class: Starship Lover/Ship Master Path: Command Importing Legacy... Legacy Title Gained: "The Old Wolf" This title will have hidden properties that will be revealed with time Captains Per View:CaptainRank Attained Due to leading a ship and crew for over a decade, your new life will start at the same rank. Smuggler/Gun Runner/Privateer:You found a lot of hidden paths Due to your history, you have instincts in finding hidden paths in and out of Solar Systems Black Market captains are likely to help you out...at a discount Hot Dog:Your Piloting skills were Legendary You know how to pilot any craft just by sitting at the controls Increase the fuel efficiency of the craft you pilot Gearhead:You tore apart and rebuilt your ship countless times Although you are not an Engineer, you are the next best thing You will instinctively know how to improve your ship with the parts that you find High-Noon:You got in more than one gunfight You can pull your gun with the best of them Time seems to slow down with your initial shot Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Your liquid assets have been transferred and what was located on your ship and vault will be transferred as well. See the nearest bank or acquire a personal vehicle to view these items. Congratulations on character completion, good luck on your journey-Initializing your story With that white light swallowed him...
Impereal Remnant Space-Ionian System Black Horse Station Spawning... John opened his eyes and swayed a little bit as his surroundings came into focus. All around him people in military uniforms moved with a purpose. It was amazing, he didn''t see any other Travellers though. Interesting. He remembered listening to one of the videos that every person''s start would be unique. To be alone though...He walked to the nearest viewport to see the outside. Extending from the superstructure was a pylon with six different starships attached too it. Nothing bigger then a destroyer though, larger ships orbited the station with cutters and shuttles carrying supplies and people to and from the station. Mission Alert!!! Mission: Report for Duty Description: This is your first command and no one likes a tardy Captain. It will cause problems down the road with your crew. Lead by example and it will increase efficiency later on. Report to your ship theRiptide, and receive command orders Rewards: Experience, Command ofRiptide, variable on showing up on time Mission Alert!!! With that, a clock with a 15 minute counter started counting down...SHIT!!!!!!! "Jeeves, get into the local network and find theRiptidenow and the fastest way too it." John snapped and a golden arrow and path lit up and John took off with his bag. It led to a spire with elevators all around it, as soon as he entered the elevator the doors closed and the elevator dropped down. A minute later it opened on the main floor. Hundreds of Naval, Marines, and civilian personnel ran around. It was so packed he could no longer see a golden path so an arrow took over and led him to a room near a launch bay. The man sitting behind the counter didn''t even look up "Place your hand on the reader." John placed his hand on the outline on the counter and a quick beam of light hit his hand and the man''s screen light up with light. "Captain John Port of theRiptide. Shipping out tomorrow, well captain the shuttle is in slip 3. Good luck and have a safe tour." With that, the man ignored him again. 10 minutes left... John swept out the door with his bag and headed down to the slip. Of course, the nearest slip was listed as 10. So he picked up the pace as he headed to slip 3. On either side of the entrance of the shuttle were two marines in basic power armor and an Ensign. The ensign scanned his hand and snapped to attention and saluted, dam formal military "Welcome aboard sir. We don''t have a full load yet, but we will take you to the ship immediately. Take my seat next to the pilot and we can get going." With that, the Ensign took his bag and John returned the salute and walked into the shuttle and headed to the front. The marines followed them onto the shuttle. The pilot looked like he was going to argue but saw his Captain''s bars and shut up and finished prepping the shuttle for launch and started talking into the mic about getting clearance to leave the station. A minute later the shuttle launched into space and looped around the station. The main superstructure of the station had 6 pylons jutting out of it. Beyond it was a gas giant with 6 moons from what he could see. Beyond the gas giant, he could see two other planetoids, an astroid ring, and bright yellow sun. The shuttle was steadily moving closer too and oval-shaped ship. It looked sleek and beautiful. "Enjoying the view sir? TheRiptidewas commissioned 10 years ago and the last of theLong RunnerClass scout ship. It is built for stealth and speed. I have been her pilot for the last 2 years. Lieutenant Jim O''Hansen at your service sir. As soon as you get on board, you can look up all her specs and quirks from the local network. Kate is the ship''s A.I., she has her quirks too but she has gotten her crew out of more than one scrape sir." O''Hansen said. "As you say LT. What can you tell me about the crew?" was John''s response. "About half the enlisted and marines will be green with no experience. Same with officers. Those that are veterans have two tours on theRiptide. Most crew will have 4 tours minimum before moving on. TheChief of the Boathas been on her for 8 years and theChief Engineerhas 4 years on her. So you have a solid core of people to work with sir." was O''Hansen response. As the shuttle approached the scout ships open launch bay, he could see one other shuttle and two assault shuttles in the open bay. He could see crew members unloading supplies from the other craft and stacking them in the bay for further distribution and stowing within the ship. The shuttles forward thrusters fired off and slowed the shuttle down to a crawl as she landed on the deck. Mission Complete: Report for Duty Description: You have arrived on theRiptidebefore time has run out. The crew will remember that you came promptly to theRiptidewhen you could have enjoyed your time atBlack Horse Station. You just need to get unpacked, talk to your XO, and get a tour of the ship. Rewards: 500 Experience, Command of theRiptideis recognized by Kate the ships A.I. and increased crew proficiency, training, skills. "Welcome to theRiptidesir. if you access the local network Kate will show you to your quarters." O''Hansen said. John thanked the pilot and headed off the shuttle. He picked up his bag on the way out. ''Jeeves link up with the local network and be nice to Kate. Please set me up with a path to my quarters and get me the specs on theRiptide''John thought to his personal AI, with that he followed the golden path. He stayed out of the way of the crew unloading all the supplies and equipment theRiptidewould need for the coming months. The ship felt empty with just a skeleton crew on board, The few he saw saluted then continued on with whatever work they had ahead of them. He only saw a couple of NCOs running around but beyond the two officers, he had seen on the shuttle he had not seen any so far on the Riptide. He assumed they would be prepping theRiptidefor leaving, on the station for R&R, or in their quarters. Near the end of the hallway was the door leading to his quarters. Entering proved although it wasn''t very big, it was better furnished and bigger than any other quarters on the ship other than the guest quarters reserved for high ranking officials and military personal that were guests on board. Those sat on the opposite side of the ship from him. Thank god in case he ever got tasked carrying VIPs for the Empire, he could avoid interacting with them unless he absolutely had too. His quarters had a twin size bed jammed against one corner opposite of a small desk that had a future-looking computer on it. and a closet and wardrobe with 2 space suits. The bathroom had a shower, a toilet, and a sink. Wohoo he had his own shower. The computer screen lit up and he could see the specs for the Riptide. "Kate, please alert the XO that I have found my quarters and that I need to see them at their earliest convenience." John requested. "Yes, Sir" was her only response. Spoiler: Spoiler Class:Long RunnerClass scout ship designed for deep space exploration and reconnaissance. This ship was designed to act on its own for up to a year without resupply or fleet support. Designed to move stealthily in and out of systems without getting caught. This design is one of the most advanced in the Imperium. : Riptide Length: 400 feet Width: 60 feet : 100 enlisted, 24 NCOs, 18 Officers (Does not include Captain), 30 Marines with 6 NCOs and 3 officers : 4 type III Pulse Engines, 24 thrusters, Class 2 Military Warp Drive (1-hour cooldown after being disengaged), 2 Type 4 Fusion Generators Shielding: Absorbs 1000 Damage Armor: Absorbs 1000 Damage ECM Suite: Type 2 Stealth System:Type 3 Defensive Weaponry: 24 Point Defense Cannons (20 energy/kinetic damage, purpose-built and designed to destroy incoming missiles and small craft, rapid-fire and short-range) Offensive Weaponry: 4 Foreward and 2 Aft Missile launchers (40 Type V Kinetic Missles, 500 kinetic damage per missile), 12 Dual Pulse Cannons (40-60 energy damage per blast), Other: 2 personnel shuttles, twoLancer-classassault shuttles, 12 drones (4 Scout, 4 Mining, 4 Combat) So theRiptideis built to get quietly in and out of systems, but if she does get caught she can run or fight. No nukes though, so she isn''t designed to slug it out with a battle line. Limited combat capabilities in other words, just enough to survive. Compact with how many heads were assigned to her also. His door beeped with someone wanting to come in. "Enter" John yelled. Striding into his quarters was Lieutenant Commander (XO), Rebecca Stein. 5''5", 130 soaking wet, built very well, black hair with blue eyes, and a face like she just ate a pile of shit...'' Jeeves pull up her personal file so I can figure out what makes her tick later.'' His computer dinged with the received information. She saluted "Reporting as ordered Sir." He almost rolled his eyes at the way she was acting "At ease XO. Unless we are in front of the crew or I say otherwise, be a little more relaxed. We have to work together to make sure everything runs smoothly here on theRiptide. Understand? Now, ship and crew status." was John''s response. Rebecca immediately relaxed although she still stood near the doorway, just not as rigid. "Very well Sir, currently 1/3 of the enlisted and half the NCOs are on-ship. All the officers except those that are picking up supplies onBlack Horse Stationare here also. Now as far as the Marines, one-quarter of them are aboard and the rest are running training scenarios onBlack Horse Station, they will be back early tomorrow. Our orders are to leave no later them 10:00 tomorrow morning, everyone should be back on board no later then 09:00." "Very well XO let''s go for a walk and you can introduce me to everyone aboard the ship," John said. Two hours later they walked onto the bridge, which was less the thirty feet away from his quarters. It was located near the heart of the ship and would be the furthest from external damage. It had a Navigation Station, Communication/Sensor Station, Tactical, and Engineering. They were all centered on the command chair which could bring up information from any of the other stations and assist them as needed. Very little time would be spent there considering how much he would have to do running the ship. If he had to sit there, that usually meant something had gone very wrong. Several of the ships engineers were working at various stations installing new tech or swapping parts. "This is the bridge, Sir. As you can see, it is fairly close to your quarters. This ship isn''t the largest in the fleet, it is in fact very snug but its got a good crew. At least those have gone on tour, the fish will learn quick enough. Usually, we will go through several systems that have already been explored so we do not have to worry too much at first. Anything else I can show you, Sir?" Stein asked. "No that will be all Commander. Thank you for the tour and your time. I will be in my quarters familiarizing myself with the officer files if you need me please don''t hesitate to call." John called A couple of hours later, he was done reading all the files. He had some very good people with a few bad apples in the bunch. Nothing he couldn''t handle though. He had a snack and drink earlier, now it was time for a real meal. The officer''s mess was empty but the table still had leftovers on it. He made two plates then headed to his quarters and took a shower before heading to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day... Chapter 4- Orders and Departures Promptly at 0800, John woke up, his computer was beeping with his orders. From: Imperial Fleet Command To: Commander of Riptide The following systems need to be re-surveyed for any celestial bodies (i.e. Astroids, Meteor Storms, Energy Storms) that have changed since the last survey 10+ years ago. Abraxxus System Caldear System Beyond these systems are 12 star systems that need to be surveyed, this should take the better part of 6 months to do properly. The coordinates are included with your orders, if you detect any ships from the core of the galaxy or any energy signatures that match archived files you are to immediately withdraw and notify Fleet Command. Abraxxus System Red Sun, 6 Planets (2 Gas Giants), 16 moons, 8 notable Asteroids and Comets throughout the system Further Notes:Both Gas Giants have an abundance of Helium 3 deposits, 2 Inner planets have vast deposits of Iron, Nickel, and minor amounts of Titanium Caldear System Yellow Sun, 7 Planets (1 Gas Giant), 20 moons, 6 notable Asteroids and Comets throughout the system Further Notes:Caldear 3 has a primitive tribal herbivore species, long-term study is possible from Moon orbit; Helium 3 deposits noted in the Gas Giant and 4 of the moons in system Recommended that an observation post is placed in the system to make sure no-one interferes with the natural evolution of the species Below that were a dozen coordinates in space. He presumed that these were 12 systems Command wanted him to explore. Cool, they could see ancient civilization in a primitive form John thought. When he had originally played this game he had never explored beyond being able to find back doors into systems he was working in. He never had time to look at places like this. Time for a shower and food. Then head to the bridge to make sure everything was running smoothly, then head out. The transit time between theIonian Systemand theAbraxxus Systemwas 18 hours. During that time he would make sure the veteran crew members were training the fish up on stations and their duties. They should only be inAbraxxusabout 12 hours and then 24 hours to theCaldear System. The second transit he would run battle drills and target practice for the Point Defense Crews when they actually got toCaldear. He needed to brush up on procedures for entering unexplored systems. If it had been him on his old freighter, he would just drop in deep in the system but he had over 100 people depending on him. He would do that during the time atCaldear. As he entered the Officers Mess, most conversation quieted down, "At ease people. We got a long day ahead of us. Eat your fill and get to work or sleep. We will be leaving on time at 10:00. Lieutenant Commander Stein, can you make sure everyone is accounted for by 09:30. If we are missing anyone, please let me know so we can track them down. Lieutenant O''Hansen the coordinates for our tour will be waiting at your station so you can start planning out our path. Chief Letts, can you make sure your babies are up and running and not causing us problems?" The room chuckled at his last comment, but the Chief nodded his affirmation. With that John headed off to get his own food, it really would be a long day and he needed to eat before he hit the ground running. 30 minutes later he walked onto the bridge, every station was manned. It didn''t look anything like yesterday, everything was cleaned up and ready to be used. His station was lit up and beeping for his attention. Whatever needed his attention could wait, he walked slowly around the bridge talking to the various bridge officers and checking their stations to make sure everything was running smoothly. Time to see what his station needed. He sat down and his screen lit up with Information... Ship status: Shields-Down Engines-Standby Mode Warp Drive-Standby Mode Missile Tubes-Unarmed/Unloaded Pulse Cannons-Powered Down Point Defense Cannons-Standby Mode/50% Manned Fusion Generators-Online/15% Capacity He swept the ship status icon away and it minimized itself so he could bring it back up at a moment''s notice. He was sure any damage reports would come from that window too. A burst message from his XO stated that all supplies, equipment, and crew were aboard. The Marines were assisting in stowing what still needed to be put away. The Chief said his babies were up and running and whenever he needed them at 100%, they just awaited his call. He had dozens of messages waiting for him to read through ''Jeeves, set an alarm for 0945 so we can get going''. With that, he started reading through reports from the various department heads High Commands congratulations about getting a command...blah, blah, blah As 09:45 rolled around station alerts started rolling in as departments acknowledged their readiness at being ready. He hit the comm "Chief Letts, I can see your babies are running well, how are their legs??" The Chief came back immediately "Ready to run whenever you need them, Sir." John smiled "Good, thanks Chief. Comms, signalBlack Horse StationControl and get clearance for us to leave. Lieutenant O''Hansen standby on thrusters and engines. All hands all stations standby for departure." Five minutes later we were cleared to leave for control and all stations signaled as manned and ready. "Lieutenant O''Hansen, take us out. 25% thrust on the engines until we are clear of the station traffic. Once we are 15 light minutes out go to full thrust until we hit the edge of the system. Then engage the Warp drive and get us on the road for Abraxxus. XO, as soon as everything is settled down we need to set up a training regime." Lieutenant O''Hansen responded, "Sir, we will reach the system''s edge in 30 minutes, then about 18 hours to Abraxxus at cruising speed. Once we get there we can top off our Helium 3 tanks, take a look around to see if any pirates set up and then be on our way again. Any other orders Sir?"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. John shook his head "Steady on Lieutenant, steady on." John brought up the ship status page again. Ship status: Shields-Active 10% Engines-Active 25% Warp Drive-Standby Mode Missile Tubes-Unarmed/Unloaded Pulse Cannons-Standby Mode Point Defense Cannons-Standby Mode/100% Manned Fusion Generators-Online/50% Capacity Everything was running well, minimum shields incase of micro meteors or surprise attacks, energy drain was at 50% until engines went to full power. The XO walked onto the bridge and John flagged her down and talked to her about what he wanted to do as far as training up the new people. About having the vets train up the fish on their stations and duties during the travel between Ionian System and theAbraxxus Systemand the combat training betweenAbraxxusandCaldear. She actually smiled at his ideas, and her face no longer looked like she ate a pile of shit...cool. "We can definitely work with that, it will give the green crew members time to get used to their stations and duties. The Marines can do mock boarding and repelling actions as well." He nodded "Agreed, but only mock actions inAbraxxusandCaldear. Once we reach the unexplored systems we can face to many unknown threats." was his response. "Now XO, finish what you have too then get some rack time. You will be relieving me in eight hours." She nodded her head saluted and left. ''Kate, once we reachCaldearsystem start a twenty-four-hour clock and call three General Alarm calls during that period of time. Our crew needs to be tested. Chart out their reaction times so we know what the crew needs to work on.'' John called to the ship''s AI. ''Yes Sir, anything else?'' was her response. ''Yes, can you find any reports or deep space scans on the systems we have been tasked with exploring?'' John asked. ''Absolutely, but until we get toAbraxxusI can only pull what has been archived within our data core. Once we get there, I can link up again and query the Imperial data net.'' she said ''Understood Kate, thank you.'' John responded. TheRiptidestarted slowing down "This is Lieutenant O''Hansen, all hands secure your stations we are about to transition to warp. I repeat we are about to transition to warp." with that Lieutenant O''Hansen turned to John "On your command Sir." John looked around at all the officers on the bridge before looking at Lieutenant O''Hansen "Take us tooAbraxxusLt. O''Hansen." with that he turned around and his hands flew over the console. John could feel the Pulse engines thrum with energy as the Warp drive spun up and then it felt like he was getting stretched paper-thin between two points as they transitioned between normal space and sub-space. In three-D the transition was bad, in FVIR it sucked... Time to check his character sheet Note*Know this, because you are a Legacy, your stats and some skills and abilities will be changed, available, or different Name: John Port Primary Class: Explorer Path: Command Sub-Class: Starship Lover/Ship Master Level: 1 (500/1000) Constitution: 20 This stat determines how much health you have and helps determine your stamina (50 health per point in Const for the first 50 points invested, then 25 after) Strength: 25 This stat determines how much physical damage you deal, how much you can carry, and helps determine your stamina Intelligence: 30 This stat will assist you with various skills and abilities, your ability to develop new technology, and how to apply technologies to various tasks Dexterity: 25 This stat will determine your movement speed, assist in aiming long-range weaponry Agility: 25 Skills that are based on hand movements are enhanced by this stat, various other skills will also be enhanced by this Health: 1000 Stamina: 550 Skills: Mantle of Command (Captain) Increases your subordinates stats and abilities by 5% Ship actions (maneuvers, fuel efficiencies, defenses, weapons) are increased by 5% Driven You increase your subordinates ability to absorb trained skills/abilities by 10% Potential Your subordinates have a 5% chance to unlock hidden skills or abilities under your command Explorers Instincts You will instinctively know which systems have potential (resource-wise, habitable planets, and possible indigenous species) Abilities Sure Shots Increases the accuracy (Ship-based and Hand Weapons) by 10% for 30 seconds (Cooldown 5 Minutes) Crew Proficiency Increases your subordinates Skills and Abilities by 10% for 1 minute (Cooldown 10 Minutes), during ship combat they will also respond to your commands at an increased rate Gut Shot The closer your target is (Ship-based targets and First Person combat), the more damage your target will receive (Cooldown 5 Minutes) Time would tell if those skills and abilities would be useful or not. Chapter 5-Abraxxus and Beyond The screaming of the General Alarm woke him from sleep. John reached for the stim unit on the table as he scrambled out of bed. He pulled his Vac suit from the closet as he rushed toward the bridge. They hadn''t even reachedAbraxxusyet, he had set his alarm for 0700, it was 0600. If they were on schedule, they should be getting to Abraxxus in 1-2 hours before they even dropped out of warp. "Report?!?!" he barked out as he came onto the bridge. People scrambled all over the bridge, talking and yelling. "Lieutenant Birge, report." John roared over the din. "Sorry, sir. We should not have called General Quarters. Ensign Sties says that the sensors are picking up some gravimetric disturbances ahead that are dense enough to pull us out of warp 15 minutes early. That will leave us nearly 3 days out at normal speeds. We are attempting to divert off our original course to avoid the masses so that we can have a clean insertion intoAbraxxus, but if we succeed we will add another 20 minutes that we will spend in warp." the man responded. John nodded as "All stations manned and ready" came over from the tactical officer. ''Kate, get me ship-wide'' John heard a double click "All Hands, stand down. This is just a drill, I repeat stand down this is just a drill." John said over the ship-wide loudspeakers, ''Elapsed time Kate?''....''5 minutes and 30 seconds Captain''..."You have the bridge Lt, I need a shower and breakfast." John relayed as he walked off the bridge. John headed back to his quarters but before he got there he was intercepted by the XO, she looked pissed. "Relax Lt Commander Stein, I would rather be woken up a 100 times because Lieutenant Birge wasn''t sure if he should, and him not call the GQ when he actually needed too. In other words, don''t go in there guns blazing. Ok?" John told her. She took a deep breath and gained control of herself, before saluting him and walking off. He now knew why she had not been promoted too Captain yet, strong anger issues.
A short nap, shower, and breakfast later John was back on the bridge. "So, what is the word Lt O''Hansen. Are we going to avoid those gravimetric disturbances or not?" O''Hansen came back quickly "By the skin of our teeth sir. We will add 15 minutes in warp though. We will be dropping out of warp in 20 minutes." John nodded his head in understanding. He brought up his ship status and prompts he had waiting. Ship Status Shields- Standby Mode Engines- Standby Mode Warp Engine- Active Fore Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded Aft Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded Pulse Cannons- Standby Mode Point Defense Cannons- Standby Mode/100% Manned Stealth Suite- Standby Mode Fusion Generators- Online/40% Capacity Secret Mission Complete: Control the Chaos Description:Due to your crew''s inexperience a General Quarters was called when it was unnecessary. Instead of losing control of the situation you took charge of the situation and asserted your control of the command crew and ship. You also justified the actions of your crew to the XO and had her reconsider her actions before she made an unwise choice. Rewards: 100 Exp, Friendly status with Lt Commander Stein, Mantle of Command +1, Crew Morale +5 Ok, he just did the right thing cause people were running around with their heads cut off. His XO just needed a chill pill before she ripped someone''s head off. She had probably been about to go ahead when the GQ had been called, he would be grumpy too. "Comms, as soon as we get in the system and are secure make sure you get the communications dump from the local Comm Bouy and check the local comm traffic." The Comm Officer came back with a crisp "Yes sir." John swiveled to face his tactical officer "When we drop out of warp activate our stealth systems, I want to minimize exposure'' He nodded his understanding as his hands flew across his boards. ''O''Hansen, when we drop out of warp, use minimum engines until we are sure we are clear of any possible pirates." He bobbed his head up and down in response. ''Kate, give me a count down when we reach 30 seconds'' John told the A.I. before he continued to read through the reports from the previous night and the status updates from the various heads of departments.
SHIP-WIDE ALERT!!! 30 seconds to warp emergence SHIP-WIDE ALERT!!! John strapped in and sent out a ship-wide alert about the impending warp emergence. Then it hit him, it felt like his eyeballs were getting ripped out of his skull and suddenly the sensation was gone and theRiptidewas in normal space again. O''Hansen immediately came back "Ok, warp drive is spinning down and will be ready to jump again in 1 hour. We are moving sun-ward at 5% of possible speed." "Tactical?" John asked. "Stealth Suite is up and running, we are not getting actively scanned by anyone." The Tactical offocer promptly responded. "Sensors?" John asked. "We are clear up to 1 kilometer, sensors are passive mode only. Local comm traffic is dead, just a couple of rock collectors talking. Getting the data dump from the local comm buoy." The Communications officer said. "Ok, Lt O''Hansen, start a spiral course toward the sun. Tactical in 5 minutes if we are still clear, drop the cloak and go active on the sensors. Let''s make sure all the survey information is correct people. Stay safe we will be enjoyingAbraxxusfor the next 12 hours." John sent out the commands to his people.
One day down and he already hated the military-style of life. One of the reasons why he missed the smuggler lifestyle. Yes, he was constantly hunted by authorities and competitors alike but he was free of all the dam paperwork. John still had to go over department reports and initial reviews of the newest crew members. Suddenly he felt the ship pitch and accelerate "General Quarters, General Quarters, All hands man your battle stations, repeat all hands man your battle stations. This is not a drill!!" came the XOs voice over the ship-wide intercom. She wouldn''t call a false GQ, John grabbed his spacesuit and stepped into it. It was a mix between a spacesuit and low-grade power armor. It had enough power, water, and food in it to support the occupant for 72 hours. As the suit sealed shut he rushed out of his quarters and to the bridge. "Report?" John asked his XO.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "One of the rock crushers has sent out a distress call that they were under attack by a couple of pirate ships. We are in route to their coordinates and are 20 minutes away. All stations should be manned and ready within 1 minute, I am heading to the secondary bridge." Lt Commander Stein responded with a salute and dashed off toward the secondary bridge. "Tactical put the combat drones on standby mode and launch them when we are 2 minutes out. Comms, try to get ahold of that ship that is being attacked and try to figure out what we are running into. If they cannot respond, update the tactical feed as soon as we are in scanning range" John ordered as he sat down in his chair and pulled up his ship and tactical feeds. Ship Status Shields- 100% Capacity Engines- Running 100% Capacity Warp Engine- Standby Mode Missile Tubes- Armed/Loaded Pulse Cannons- Charged at 100% Capacity/Standby Mode Point Defense Cannons- Standby Mode/100% Manned Stealth Suite- Standby Mode Fusion Generators- Online/80% Capacity Drones: 4-Type IV Combat Drones/Ready for launch The tactical display showed his ship with a 360-degree view around it. He could zoom in or out, highlight various parts of his ship and get an in-depth analysis of any damage sustained by his ship or enemies. As he zoomed out on the display, he could see the damaged mining ship fleeing toward theRiptide. The comm officer managed to get the Miner to forward its sensor data to theRiptideand is updated with the information immediately. The box-like mining ship,Dorthy, was running from a similar-sized freighter,Blood Cutter. Although theDorthywas not a warship, it still had some point defense cannons and they were doing their best at destroying 6 combat drones or fighters. Four more had launched from theBlood Cutterand were in route to the miner, "Tactical how long until we can target and launch missiles at the freighter and those craft? Comms standby with an offer for their surrender." John commanded. The tactical officer came back immediately "5 minutes until we are at max range, 10 minutes until we are at optimal range. We can get off four salvos off before we get to point-blank range." John nodded his head in acknowledgment. "The comm line is ready to go sir as soon as you need it" the comms officer came back. "AttentionBlood Cutter, this is Captain Port of theRiptide. Recall your attack craft and power down your engines, weapons, and shields. If you do not we will destroy you, you have 1 minute to decide." John called out to the pirates. 1 minute later the attack craft, drones, were still pounding theDorthyand theBlood Cutterwas still closing. "Ok, tactical as soon as you can lock onto theBlood Cutterand target her engines. As soon as we are in the optimal range start launching salvos and have the PDC start knocking out those drones that are attacking theDorthy. Navigation, I want to put us between theDorthyandBlood Cutterin case theBlood Cutterstarts targeting her were anything heavier than a combat drone." 10 minutes later the first salvo was launched, theDorthywas slowing down now as the damage mounted and half of her PDCs had been knocked out of action. They had taken 5 of the drones though, "Tactical when we get in range to launch drones have them target the hostile drones and support theDorthy. Comms make sure theDorthyis aware we are going to launch combat drones shortly to support them and please don''t destroy them!!!" John called out. Of the four missiles in the first salvo, only one missile got through theBlood CuttersPDCs and slammed into her shields and knocking off 1/3 of her shields. The second salvo was at the halfway point and the third had just launched with the combat drones. John zoomed the tactical display on theDorthyand watched theRiptidescombat drones swoop in and cut through theBlood Cuttersdrones. In 30 seconds they downed 3 of the remaining 7 hostile drones. The remaining four broke off and raced toward theBlood Cutterwhile theRiptidesdrones remained on station around theDorthy. TheBlood Cutterstarted to turn away, "Tactical keep hammering her. Navigation, bring us alongside theBlood Cutter, as soon as we get within range of the Pulse Cannons hit them hard." The salvos of missiles kept going out but between the PDCs and the drones, none were getting through. TheBlood Cutterhad been damaged though, one main engine was still working and she was leaking atmosphere. As theRiptidepulled parallel of theBlood Cutterthe captain of the pirate ship tried to reach out but the Pulse Cannons fired and ripped through the remaining shields she had. Multiple explosions walked the length of theBlood Cutteras she was torn apart. "Navigation plot a course back to theDorthy, tactical recall the combat drones. Comms, get on the line with the captain of theDorthyand see if they need any further assistance.'' John called out quickly. ''Kate get me ship-wide; All hands, stand down from General Quarters, repeat stand down. The enemy ship has been neutralized, good job people. XO, please come back to the main bridge so I can finish up all my paperwork. Chief Letts, we might be needing one of your repair crews for theDorthyif they need assistance.'' John pulled up the visual sensor feed on the main display, she looked like she had taken a bad hammering, but her hull was intact and not leaking atmosphere. Mission Complete: Save the Dorthy!! Description:The Mining ship Dorthy is under attack by the pirate ship Blood Cutter. Nuetralize the threat and assist the Dorthy. Rewards: 500 Experience, Friendly Status with the Rock Breakers Alliance, Hated with the Outer Ring Pirates Guild, 4 Type I Combat Drones According to the captain of theDorthy, she would need assistance for about an hour. That would delay their departure but not by much. John compiled a quick report and sent it to the comm officer with orders for it to be forwarded to Fleet Command immediately. The XO walked onto the bridge and John headed back to his cabin. He needed to compile a more in-depth report and add it to his log for the day, i.e. more paperwork. Chapter 5- Caldear and Eyes in the Dark John was tired, the battle drills he had called for from Kate had woken him twice during the time he was supposed to be sleeping. Hopefully, it would not affect his decisions. He stared at the primary display that showed the systems bright yellow star and the seven planets orbiting around it.Caldear IVhad a primitive species on it and one of these days the Imperial research guild wanted to set up a longterm observation post. It was rare to be able to observe the evolution of a species from such an early beginning. They had not picked up any other ships within the system yet. It was frowned upon for any ships to use the resources of systems that had indigenous species, even primitive ones. Any ship and crew that were discovered doing so would be fined heavily and repeated offenses would result in having the vessel seized and crew imprisoned. So theRiptidecontinued to stay in stealth mode why she continued to observe the system and made sure she was alone. John pulled up the post-combat damage report from Chief Letts, the combat with the pirates had caused one of the Pulse Cannons and two of the PDCs to be knocked out of alignment and they would be realigned within the hour. He was also in the process of disassembling two of theType Icombat drones to provide additional parts for the other two and had plans to upgrade the remaining one''s weapons and armor so they would be better able to defend theRiptide. Hopefully, his shift would be boring, but you never knew until it was over. He pulled up the Ship status and alerts he had received. Ship Status- Riptide Shields- Standby Mode Engines- Running 40% Capacity Warp Engine- Standby Mode Fore Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded Aft Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded Pulse Cannons- Standby Mode Point Defense Cannons- 50% Manned/Standby Mode Stealth Suite- Active Fusion Generator- Online/Operating 50% Mission Complete: Battle Drills Description: To prepare your ship''s crew for the inevitable coming battles, you called for a series of battle drills. This has increased the response time of your crew, continued drills will increase the response time further. Rewards: GQ response time decreased by 5%, all your crew gained 100 Exp Based on the mission description that mission should be repeatable, that was a thought for another time. He would give the crew at least 24 hours downtime from mock GQ calls before resuming them. The training regime had increased the familiarity of the green crew with their duties and what they would be called upon to do. So far the scans the Riptide had revealed nothing new in the system, which was good but it meant it would be a boring day. The only other thing of note that had happened while he was on the bridge was the target practice for the PDC crews and Pulse Cannons. They had found one of the many fields of roaming meteorites and John had put theRiptidein the path of the cloud to give the gun crews some needed experience. Chief Letts had complained about putting the ship in danger but the crews needed sufficient motivation to improve their skills. As he walked off the bridge he told his XO to continue the gun training with the gun crews from 2nd shift.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. As he headed to his quarters to file the paperwork for the day and fill out the log for his shift he stopped by the Officers Mess to grab some food. He saw the Marine Commander in their eating and filing his paperwork. He approached Commander Jacobs Smitt "Commander, how is your day going?" John asked. The commander looked up from his tablet and food "Good Captain Port, almost thought I was going to give my boys some real-world experience yesterday. Guess it wasn''t meant to be, but my instincts tell me that my people will be getting experience sooner rather than later." John nodded his head in agreement. "After I get done with some of my paperwork I am going to head down to the firing range and get some practice in with my gun and a rifle." Commander Smitt nodded his head in acknowledgment. With that, John headed off to his quarters and the dam paperwork.
Two hours later he had completed half his paperwork, it was time to shoot something and let off some steam. As he walked into the firing range he saw several marines going over their arms and powered armor. They had two ranges here, the stationary one that had targets set up at various ranges and the interactive one that had targets that shot back. Since his current avatar had no gun skills yet, he was just going to use the stationery range. Once he got more used to his weapons only then would he go for the more advanced training About two hours later he gave the rifle back to Marine sergeant that had given it to him. "You did a good job Captain, I could almost swear you were a green Marine for a minute. We don''t get many of you nave folk down here, its good to see that you do not forget about us sir." the sergeant said. "Don''t worry you will definitely be seeing more naval personnel down here soon. Have a good day sergeant." with that John headed back to his quarters to clean his handgun and finish his paperwork. ''Captain, Lieutenant Commander Rebecca Stein is requesting your presence on the bridge'' Kate called. John sighed and headed to the bridge. As John walked onto the bridge the XO was by the sensor/communications station, "Lieutenant Commander Stein what is the problem?" Rebecca looked over at John before whispering something to the ensign and moving away with John ''Sir Lieutenant Commander Stein wishes to initiate private communications with you, is this ok?'' Kate asked. John raised his eyebrow but agreed ''Sorry Sir, but I don''t want this to get out to everyone. When we jumped out ofCaldearwe picked up a burst transmission. The origin point was one of the asteroids but we could not determine the destination point, but we could extrapolate a general direction and three of the systems we are supposed to explore are within the area. The good news, none of the three are the current destination.'' John nodded his head before he responded ''Ok as soon as we get to theUNK521, and the situation is stable we will drop a comm buoy. We will updateFleetCommand hopefully, before we leave the system they will advise us or send us some backup. I will update Commander Smitt of the situation. How long until we get tooUNK521?'' Lieutenant Commander Stein responded quickly ''We will transition back to normal space in a little over 12 hours.'' John nodded his head and walked off. ''Kate, can you please signal Commander Smitt to come to my quarters ASAP please'' John asked the A.I. As the Marine commander came into his quarters he saluted "Reporting as ordered sir." John returned the salute "At ease commander, while we are alone like this I don''t sit on formalities. I requested your presence for two reasons, one I want the crew of the ship to go through mandatory arms training with 1 hour at the range each day. Second, you were right. Right before we left theCaldearsystem we picked up a burst transmission right before we left. We could not determine the destination point, but we could get the general direction. We have no idea what was sent and we will avoid the systems that could have received the message until we get new orders or reinforcements from Fleet Comm." Commander Smitt nodded his head before responding "I will make sure an officer and NCO is stationed at the range at all times, as far as the threat I would like to organize some mock boarding drills. It will increase the crew''s response times and give the crew some practical training." John nodded his head and the commander headed out. Skill Acquired: Small Arms (lvl 1) Description: Increases the Accuracy of small arms by 5% Skill Acquired: Rifle Proficiency (lvl 1) Description: Increases the Accuracy of rifles by 5% Nice, now time to finish his paperwork and update the log with everything that had happened. Tomorrow they would face the unknown. Chapter 6- UNK521 and Ruins of the Past UNCLAIMED SPACE- EN ROUTE TO UNK521 As John walked onto the bridge he tried to stretch his muscles, he had woken early to go to the gym before starting his shift. In the next hour, they would arrive UNK521, hopefully, it would just be another boring survey of a new system. It was difficult to stretch while wearing the space suite but do to jumping into the unknown it was mandatory to wear the suite incase of unknown emergencies. He pulled up his stat page and ship status Name: John Port Path: Command Primary Class: Explorer Sub-Class: Starship Lover/Ship Master Level: 2 (200/1500), 4 Stat points available Constitution: 20 Strength: 25 Intelligence: 30 Dexterity: 25 Agility: 25 Health: 1000 Stamina: 550 Skills: Mantle of Command (LVL 2)(Captain, +6%), Driven, Potential, Explorers Instincts, Small Arms (Lvl 1), Rifle Proficiency (Lvl 1) Abilities: Sure Shots, Crew Proficiency, Gut Shot Ship Status- Riptide Shields- Standby Mode Engines- Standby Mode Warp Engine- Active Fore Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded Aft Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded Pulse Cannons- Standby Mode Point Defense Cannons- 100% Manned/Standby Mode Stealth Suite- Standby Mode Fusion Generator- Online/Operating at 40% The reports from the 2nd and 3rd shift were boring, the naval personnel were on schedule for arms training. The burst transmission they had picked up had put a sense of impending trouble for the ship, all the senior officers and NCOs were aware now of the potential trouble. "Attention all hands we will be dropping out of warp in 30 seconds intoUNK521, please secure all stations for transition," O''Hansen announced over the ship-wide. John started strapping into the command chair and brought up his tactical screen. Right now it was blank but 30 seconds after the transition it should fill with anything the sensors could find within 1 light minute. Any last-minute checks of the PDCs would be done, the missile tubes would be going hot, and he could see the pull from thee fusion generators would double as the ship''s shields and stealth systems came on.
UNCLAIMED SPACE-UNK521 As they transitioned to normal space, it felt like his eyeballs almost popped out, he would never get used to that feeling. "Report?" John called. "Jump drive is spinning down and will be ready in one hour. We are moving into the system at three percent of the max speed clockwise of the sun." O''Hansen called out. "Stealth systems are active, missile tubes are loaded and ready, PDCs are on standby." Tactical came back. "Unless something is out there in stealth, we are clear for one light minute out. Visual sensors will be up in thirty seconds, an initial scan shows a yellow sun with eight planets and an asteroid field. Sensor drones will be launching in five minutes." the sensor officer called out. "Lt. Johnson, I want your combat drones put on standby. PDCs are to be manned at no less than fifty-percent at all times, rotate the crews so they can stretch their legs but keep them near their guns. Are we picking up any signal traffic?" John called out.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "No signals what-so-ever sir. I will let you know if that changes sir." the sensor/comm officer came back.
Six hours later they had mapped five rogue asteroids, two dozen meteor storms, and the two outer planets. They had only covered about one-third of the outer system, and the two planets had plenty of Iron, Nickel, Plutonium, Cadmium, and some Titanium. Both were about two-thirds of the size of Earth, so big enough for gravity but not heavy gravity. Lieutenant Commander Stein walked onto the bridge with most of the second shift. While the first shift was running away to get some food, rack, or arms training, he updated the commander on what they had found so far. "So far this place would be great to develop as far as mining for natural resources, the two planets we surveyed will not be suitable for long term habitation. Satellite colonies would be possible if we got rid of all the meteor storms. Anyway, I got to go file my reports and logs for my shift and go to the firing range. Have a boring shift commander!!" Rebecca nodded and John headed off to grab some food and start his daily reports. Three hours later, John got up and stretched his back and moved to go pick up his handgun and inspected it. Name: Wolfs Legacy Damage: 15-30 (Kinetic/Energy Damage) Tier: Scalable Fire Mode:Single shot or 3 round Burst Properties: Increases Accuracy 5% Properties: Increases Damage 5% Properties: Increase Critical Hit Chance by 1% Durability: 500/500 Description: This hand cannon was passed down from your previous life, in that life, it kept you alive more times then you can count and it will continue to do so. It will absorb 10% of your combat experience (Fleet Action does not count) and grow in strength as you do. Got to love legacy perks, he didn''t get his custom armor though. He started to strap it on to head down to the range when Kate flagged him''Captain, the XO has requested your presence on the bridge'' One day, that''s all he wanted was one day where something didn''t go wrong. It was supposed to be a boring tour, the gun went back into his safe and he headed to the bridge instead of the gun range. "Report Commander?" Commander Stein responded immediately "We were scanning the asteroid belt and picked up a structure on one of them. Preliminary scans show no life or power and from what we can figure out it was a communication station. Based on the location and orientation of the communication equipment, this was a support facility for something on the fourth planet. We are currently en route and will be in orbit in thirty minutes. I will head to the secondary bridge, sir." With that, she left and he took over her station. "I dispatched one of the sensor drones toward the planet and it should be on station within 5 minutes." the sensor/communications officer stated. John nodded and brought up the tactical view of the system and zoomed in on the 4th planet. The first thing the sensor drone showed was a visual of the planet. It was a mix of green, blue, black, and brown, so it was full of water, forests, and mountains two major continents and four smaller ones, plenty of plant life and small mammalian/reptiles but no sentients. No cities, no roads, so why have communication gear directed to this planet John thought...Maybe a satellite facility in orbit "Ok people, time to break the rules. Go active with sensors on the drone, I want to know what those mammals are eating and shitting."
UNCLAIMED SPACE-UNK521 Orbit Around Planet IV One hour later they found it. It was a facility on one of the smaller continents, most of it was located underground. Definitely military in origin, but like the comm gear on the asteroid in orbit, the facility had no life and no power. "Ok put us in geosynchronous orbit around the facility, Commander Stein I am going to be taking an expedition down to the facility and take a look around. Commander Smitt, I want two squads down in the launch bay A.S.A.P, Chief Letts I want some engineers to figure out what this place is. Lt O''Hansen report to the launch bay and prep one of the Assault Shuttles for launch." Twenty minutes later thirteen marines, lead by Smitt himself, four engineers, and O''Hansen and John left the Riptide. The flight down was smooth and Smitt called out his orders "Ok people, we are going to an unknown alien facility. You all will stay on the ship until we secure the LZ, this goes for everyone Captain, including you. Once we are secure you will follow my directions or the directions of my NCOs. We are there to make sure you stay alive people. Keep the comm lines clear unless its an emergency." With that, the comm line went silent. John checked his weapon for the fifth time since they left theRiptideand he hoped that he had chosen the right path. Ten minutes later O''Hansen sat the shuttle down near the facility. No fire was taken and the area was relatively clear of vegetation and plant life. Two of the marines stayed near the ramp while the rest spread out to sweep the surrounding area. Five minutes later they had an all-clear and John and the engineers headed to the unknown facility. O''Hansen and two marines stayed behind to secure the shuttle. ''Jeeves, get linked in with the marines tactical sensors and keep me updated for anything.'' Based on the sensor data this place was small on the surface but three times the size underground. It definitely looked high tech, the fences had been electrified, turrets dotted the fence line incrementally. The buildings were made out of some metal not native to the planet. The central building was about five stories tall surrounded by several single-story buildings. Some were obviously meant to house personnel that guarded the facility, one was some sort of shield with an attached engineering building. Preliminary scans showed that the buildings were over seven hundred years old and no one had been around for at least six hundred years. As they made their way into the central building the engineers kept scanning and analyzing things. They passed several skeletal remains, they looked humanoid. The marines had already bagged one and they would take it back to theRiptideand have one of the medical personnel look it over and determine species. As old as this place was, it was still just as advanced technology-wise as theImperium, if not more so. As they proceeded into the central building they continued to find evidence of battle and bloodshed, corpses and scars to the building itself. Blast craters, burn and scorch marks, and corpses littered the building. They finally found some intact databases and councils, the engineers got to work to try and figure out what this place had been and what they had been doing here. "Be careful people, remember this was a military facility, I don''t want you guys to accidentally trip a self destruct. Commander can you detail me a couple of Marines, I want to explore the underground portion of the facility." Apparently, that warranted a whole squad, as they descended into the dark the creepy factor went up. So maybe he did need a squad, initial scans showed multiple levels underground and most of it was located under the nearby mountains. It was as if the surface facilities were built as an afterthought after the underground portion was finished. As they made their way through the underground portion of the facility, they saw hundreds of data banks, a couple of labs, and several firing ranges. Whatever this place was, military operations came secondary to its primary mission, whatever that was. After 30 minutes of walking, they found another set of stairs leading up. They were under the mountain at this point so John was curious to see where they led. 10 minutes of walking up stairs led to an observation area with a couple of work stations. The stations were dead without any power "Sir, I think you need to see this." One of the marines called out. The view showed trees and grass and nothing special..."Ok, what am I looking at?" John asked. The marine smiled "Look at the ridgeline sir, the whole ridgeline. What do you see?" John looked again and looked again...WHAT THE FUCK "Ok planets do not form ridgelines in perfect circles like that, what is this place..." "Captain, this is engineer Franks. We got in the system and we know exactly what this place was and did." John whooped and pumped his fist. "Ok, we are on the way Franks," John responded back. 40 minutes later they walked back into the office area they had left the engineers. "Ok, sir, from what we can determine this facility used to be a Pre-Fall Imperial listening and sensor station. Once the Thrax rebelled they beefed up the garrison, eventually it was targeted either by the rebels or a local faction who used the war to their advantage to get rid of the local imperials. The facility is relatively intact but it would take A LOT of work to get operational. It could be very useful though because with this facility we could monitor 100 light-years of space." the Engineer reported. John thought about everything the engineer had said before replying, "Ok, if you can access the facilities core do a data dump and then we will head back to the Riptide." When he got back he was going to fill out a report about this and get some food and sleep. So much for a boring cruise... Chapter 7- Echoes of War UNCLAIMED SPACE- EN ROUTE TO UNK322 John woke up and almost crawled into the shower, between his shift on the bridge and exploring UNK521-4 he was tired. They were on the way too UNK322, he would check both the system report from UNK521 and the ETA for arrival for UNK322 when he got on the bridge. The ship was thrumming with energy as they traveled at faster than light speeds toward their next destination. He hoped today would be slower than yesterday. Forty-five minutes later John walked onto the bridge of the Riptide. He still had a mug of coffee with him that he was sipping, everyone was busy working at their stations and transitioning from third shift to first shift. While the transition was still going on he pulled up the system report from UNK521. UNK521: Sun Type yellow, still young with millions of years of life left UNK521-1: This world is heavily irradiated from the nearness of the sun and will never be able to be settled, the slow rotation could allow roving mining operations on the dark side UNK521-2: This world is heavily irradiated from the nearness of the sun and will never be able to be settled, 2 moons UNK521-3: This world is within the "Green Zone" and can support settlement. The thinner atmosphere can cause radiation sickness within colonists, recommend partial terraforming, 3 large landmasses and hundreds of smaller islands, most of the islands have active volcanoes, this can naturally increase the density of the atmosphere but it will take an unknown amount of time. 3 Moons UNK521-4: This world is within the "Green Zone" and can support settlement, 2 major continents and 4 smaller ones. Several large bodies of water both salt and freshwater. Several hundred species of animals, none sentient. *NOTE 1 former Imperial Listening/Watch post that has been abandoned for 600 years. The structure is intact but it would take require a major overhaul to bring back online. 4 Moons UNK521-5: Gas Giant able to support Helium 3 mining exportation, 6 moons UNK521-6: Gas Giant unable to support Helium 3 mining exportation, 8 moons UNK521-7: This world can support domed and underground colonies, can support mining operations for Iron, Nickel, Cadmium, and Titanium. Due to low gravity medical treatments would be required to increase bone and muscle density. 1 Moon UNK521-8: This world can support domed and underground colonies, can support mining operations for Iron, Nickel, Cadmium, and Titanium. Due to low gravity medical treatments would be required to increase bone and muscle density. 3 Moons UNK521 System Notes: Asteroid field is located between planets 6 and 7 and can support mining operations. Planets 3 and 4 are within the "Green Zone" and have an atmosphere. Two pre-Fall facilities are located within the system, one is an Observation/Listening post capable of observing 100 Light Years of space located on planet 4. The facility is largely intact although extensive refabrication of systems would be needed to bring the facility online. 12 Asteroids and 24 meteor storms have been mapped, due to the age of the sun solar storms are likely to happen. Nice, one system down and a lot more to go. Finding the Pre-Fall facility was a nice bonus, time would tell if it would be developed or not. The ETA for reaching UNK322 was a little over 24 hours and was the furthest system they were going to explore from Remnant space. ''Captain Chief Letts just sent you a message'' Kate told him... ''Sir we have been working constantly and we have decoded some of the data and logs from the facility you explored. I will upload it to your A.I. so you can go through them when you have time.'' Well, that was nice, ''Jeeves can you start going through the data we got and upload any important logs to my station so I can review them. Foreward the logs to the XO as well.'' Time to start reading... Date: 03-March 4252 A.E. Report: I have watched this facility and its people for the last 3 years and I am worried. The Thrax have cut off more than 300 systems due to capturing the Andorius and Boringer system''s Jump Gates. With those Jump Gates, the rebels have control of a third of the galaxy. Two fleet groups, or what remains of them, are cut off from Imperial space. Although the war front is years away, they local sympathy and those that want power are starting to move in the local region. Due to the ongoing war, most of the fleet strength has been pulled and repositioned to more critical areas. It will be only a matter of time until we have a rebellion here.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Date: 27-May 4252 A.E. Report: Due to my concerns and the concerns of the governor of this region of Imperial Space, Imperial command has decided to build a base at {Redacted} to ensure the security and loyalty of the region. It will be both a fleet anchorage and production facility, it will be one of 8 {Redacted} facilities that are being commissioned and finished within 5 years. It will be able to increase ship production of capital ships by {Redacted}. If Fleet Command can get this done, we might be able to turn this war around. Date: 18-September 4252 A.E. Report: The construction of {Redacted} at {Redacted} has jump-started the economy for the whole region of space. 50000 people are working directly on the project and over a million other jobs in support of {Redacted}. Based on the facility specs I have seen this facility will be massive, dwarfing anything we have ever constructed. Even with all these people, I do not know how we can finish {Redacted} in five years. Date: 05-February 5243 A.E. Report: Fleet Command has deployed 500 marines and expanded our facility here on {Redacted}. This is due to the increased rebel sympathy within the region and intercepted Comm traffic between Thrax leadership and local sympathizers. I am sure it is only a matter of time before the rebels will attack us here at {Redacted} or at the new facility at {Redacted}. Fleet command has said they will dispatch two squadrons of destroyers too this region and one task force will be a move too {Redacted} to increase the security in {Redacted}. Date: 20-June 5243 A.E. Report: We were right, three freighters were bombed by rebels in the last 3 weeks. Over a dozen men and women have died, most were not even human. They say they are fighting for none humans yet they have no problem killing those that do not support their cause. Due to this FleetComm is despatching Vice Admiral Woods and elements of the 5th Fleet to increase security at {Redacted} and they are going to start organizing convoys instead of individual ships bringing in resources and tech too {Redacted}. Date: 18-December 5243 A.E. Report: Admiral Woods has increased the fleet presence here at {Redacted} due to increased communications between rebel elements. They have assaulted the Garrisons at Androlokis and Ionion systems, over 300 Marines and Fleet personnel have been killed. Woods thinks these are just distractions for something bigger coming this way and that we need to be ready for when it hits us. Date: 12-January 5244 A.E. Report: For the last two weeks every Imperial facility in the Ajax Region. {Redacted} was under siege for two weeks, Admiral Woods was able to finally able to break the siege at {Redacted} a week ago with the help of the 5th and 3rd Fleet. Due to the assaults throughout the Ajax region, Command has increased the support of {Redacted}. They have increased the workforce at {Redacted}, and want construction to be completed within 2 years. The 5th Fleet is now stationed here at the Ajax region. Date: 10-October 5244 A.E. Report: The workforce for {Redacted} has tripled, and the basic functions of the facility are online and running. It will be another year at least before everything in {Redacted} is complete, rebels continue to assault various Imperial facilities throughout the Ajax region. These assaults can slow down the construction of {Redacted} but with the 5th being here, hopefully, the delays will not be too much. Date: 05-March 5245 A.E. Report: For the last three weeks we have been under siege. The Rebels have landed over 3 thousand troops on {Redacted} and from what we can tell its a constant battle in orbit that the 5th Fleet is losing. The primary mission for the 5th is to protect {Redacted} system and to ensure the completion of {Redacted}. I am glad Admiral Woods beefed up the garrison, but it is only a matter of time until we are overrun. Date: 01-April 5245 A.E. Report: The rebels landed several thousand more troops and we have lost the surface facilities. We have managed to bottleneck them from taking the underground structures but it will be only a matter of time until they dig us out or just bomb the facility. After that, the reports just get darker and darker. John already knew the end of the story, the facility fell to rebels and everyone was slaughtered. ''Jeeves why were some of the logs still redacted?'' John wondered ''Well sir, the whole reports are under one encryption and the name of certain systems and facilities are under another encryption that we do not have a file on.'' Interesting, the old Imperialists went a long way to hide secrets but this was something else. Chapter 7 Cont-UNK322 and Cost of War UNCLAIMED SPACE- EDGE OF THE UNK322 SYSTEM "Report!!!" John commanded as it felt like theRiptidegot kicked in the guts. They had just transitioned into UNK322 and we were already in trouble. "We have what remains of a micro-singularity off the starboard-aft side sir. It is not steady otherwise we would be dead already, it is in between collapsing and staying stable." Ensign Daniels called out from the Comm/Sensor station. "Lt O''Hansen can you please try and get us out of here. Chief Letts, I apologize for the trouble but we are going to need everything you can give us from the engines. Tactical cut the stealth and put everything that isn''t going to engines into the shields, please. Kate sound G.Q. and update the XO immediately." John commanded rapid fire. Micro-singularities (i.e. very small black holes) could not be picked up from deep space scans and was a bane for exploration ships like his. "Sir, I have a crazy idea that will either kill us or save us. At the rate we are going we cannot pull away from the singularity, the ship will rip apart before we can do that. We can try to slingshot along the edge of it the next time it flickers out and try to pull away." O''Hansen came back. John thought about it, the Lieutenant was not wrong. It was an insane risk, but it was the only one that might see them survive. "Do it. On your count Lieutenant" 5 Minutes later, theRiptidewas away from the singularity and damaged but alive. ''Kate let Chief Letts know I want a damage report ASAP and an ETA for repairs. Keep all Engineer crews on until all critical systems are repaired and tell the Chief to pull anyone he needs to to get theRiptideup and running'' Ship Status-Riptide Shields- 20% Hull Status- 55% Engines- Standby Mode (Damaged) Warp Engine- Cooling Down (ETA 45 min, Damaged) Fore Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded (Damaged) Aft Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded (Damaged) Pulse Cannons- Standby Mode (Damaged) Point Defense Cannons- 50% Manned/Standby Mode Stealth Suite- Standby Mode (Damaged) Fusion Generator- 50% (Damaged) So in other words, if they got into trouble they were fucked!!! "Ensign Daniels go active on the sensors, I want to know what is out there at all times and figure out if we have any more micro-singularities out there and work with Lt O''Hansen on plotting them. Get me your initial report ASAP. Jeeves help her out I am sure Kate is a little busy and won''t mind the help. Lieutenant Johnson power down any weapons we don''t need and get those missile tubes unloaded. I don''t want any of them accidentally going off and gutting us. Launch the scout drones and have them start mapping this portion of UNK322." The bridge crew scrambled to get things done. John pulled up both the tactical and system analysis that was starting to come in. Three, that''s how many singularities they were picking up within a five-km radius. How the hell did the deep space scans miss this, they were spaced out enough to allow safe corridors though. "Sir, as you know Titan level class weapons have side effects. The micro-singularities are an effect ofPhoenixmissiles and will dissipate given time. We are picking up eight micro-singularities within ten Light Minutes but from initial scans and what we are picking up from the drones, they dissipate sun word. Due to the interference, we cannot say how many planets are in the system." Ensign Daniels reported. ''Chief Letts would like to see you as soon as possible Captain'' Kate said. "O''Hansen I have to go to Engineering. If you need me, let me know. The XO is on the secondary bridge and should be helping coordinate the repair work." John called out as he left the bridge.
Ten minutes later he walked into the Engineering section of the ship. It looked similar if a bomb had gone off...Chief Letts was pissed, to say the least, "Captain, as you can see we are in a little trouble down here. I need your permission to shut down the Fusion Generators to repair them. We will stagger the shut down so power will be a problem so we need to shut down everything we can. The repairs should take about two hours. Now the Pulse Engines are slightly out of alignment but we have repaired two of them so we can get moving at no more than ten percent speed. Once the Fusion Generators are repaired we can finish the repairs on the other Pulse Engines and we can start the repairs on the Warp Drive. Our initial assessment is that the warp drive will take five hours to repair, so in seven hours we will be able to make a jump. I would highly advise making all repairs before leaving this system." Chief Letts reported. John nodded his head "We will be staying here until all repairs have been completed. I have standing orders to have all your Engineers on shift until all critical repairs have been completed and if you need to pull anyone else from other departments to assist with repairs let us know and we will get you the bodies." The Chief nodded and started barking orders to start powering down one of the Fusion generators.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. As John walked on the bridge his XO looked up from her display showing an in-depth damage report of theRiptide. "I have already talked to the Chief, so I know it will be seven hours before we can leave. How is everything else?" Lt. Commander Stein scowled "In all honesty, if we had a repair yard within one jump I would say put us in there to make repairs but we are too far away. the only thing that isn''t broke in some way is atmosphere control. Almost all of our weapons have been pulled out of alignment. We are having to manually unload the missile launch tubes, we are leaking atmosphere, and we have micro fissures over half our hull. We have people working EVA to seal all the major leaks and that should be completed within four hours. Currently, all repairs should be completed within twenty-four to thirty-six hours max. The Marines are helping with that. We have twelve people in medical, four are critical but stable conditions." John nodded at what she said and considered what orders he would give. "Ok in four hours make sure third shift is back in their racks, they will have six hours off. In six hours second shift will follow. Engineers will be exempt from those orders until Chief Letts says otherwise or I do. That includes you, Rebecca." She nodded and snapped a salute before activating her display again. John headed to the bridge and took his station again "Lt O''Hansen coordinate with the XO, as soon as they finish critical repairs on the hull we will move out. When we due, do not increase speed over ten percent. I want to give the Chief as much time as we can to repair the engines. Lieutenant Johnson make sure our shields stay up, we got people working on the hull and I don''t want anything hurting them. Ensign Daniels, I want a path mapped out so when we can move again I want us moved out of this field. Also, I want the edge of the system mapped out so we can leave without tearing our ship apart due to a micro-singularity. As soon as we are clear of this micro-singularity field I want the Comm-buoy deployed and update Fleet Command with what we found here and until we map out all the micro-singularities are mapped this system is on the NO-GO list for visiting or development."
6 Hours Later... "We are clearing the micro-singularity field, engines are working well and at 10% of max propulsion. Initial scans of the inner system are coming up and you should be able to see them, Captain. Based on the Outer system and once we get some scans of the Inner System I think I will be able to tell you the full story of what happened here." Lt O''Hansen called out. John pulled up his system display, Sun-Late Yellow age, 3 intact planets one of them being a Gas Giant, what appears to be a fragmented planet between planets two and three. The Scout drones were out and mapping the Outer system finding safe zones to drop into the system and pathways through the singularity fields. He brought up the Ship status to see how the repairs were going.. Ship Status-Riptide Shields- 30% (ETA on Repairs 4 Hours until completion) Hull Status- 75% (ETA on Repairs 10 Hours until completion) Engines- Running 10% Capacity Warp Engine- Standby Mode (ETA of Repair completion 1 hour) Fore Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Unloaded (Damaged, ETA on Repairs 4 Hours until completion) Aft Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Unloaded (Damaged, ETA on Repairs 4 Hours until completion) Pulse Cannons- Standby Mode (50% Damaged, ETA on Repairs 4 Hours until completion) Point Defense Cannons- 50% Manned/Standby Mode (30% Damaged, ETA on Repairs 6 Hours until completion) Stealth Suite- Standby Mode (Damaged, ETA on Repairs 3 Hours until completion) Fusion Generator- Online/Operating 40% Capacity "Ok Lt O''Hansen set us on a course for the inner system if the Chief agrees, increase the speed I want to put us in orbit around the gas giant so we can finish repairs to the hull. I want as many repairs as completed as quickly as we can but we are not going anywhere until all repairs are completed, people. In three hours, first shift will be relieved by the second shift, we will be down for six hours before coming back on and reporting for repair duties people. So make sure all your department reports are updated I am sure you have a lot of information to leave for the next shift and will take some time to update so let''s get to work. Ensign Daniels, I want a report on those planetary remains as soon as you can." John commanded. Four Hours later John was in his quarters reading through the report on the system, it was a grim testament of what happened here. The Comm-buoy had been deployed andFleetCommhad been updated with what had happened and the initial maps of the outer system had been sent. INITIAL REPORT ON UNK322... UNK322: Sun is yellow in the late stages and within the next thousand years should turn into a Red Dwarf star UNK322-1: This planet shows former mining operations and still has large deposits of exotic materials usually not seen on planets, former mining operations have been destroyed by orbital bombardment UNK322-2: This planet has no significant mineral deposits and very little atmosphere if an atmosphere could be developed this planet could be settled UNK322 Planet Remains: This planet was in the Green Zone, three continents and based on scans was heavily developed with 23 known major population centers (Population estimate 1.3 Billion minimum AT LEAST!!!), satellite facilities included orbital habitats and minor shipbuilding/repair facilities. Based on lack of radiation or singularities and the damage from the intact planetary parts it was likely destroyed by aPlasma LanceTitan Weapon (Focused Energy Beam that superheats a planetary core until it breaks the planet apart) UNK322-3: Gas Giant with Helium 3 present, former processing facility remains are located in orbit UNK322 System Notes: Micro-Singularities are located throughout the Outer System of UNK322, results of using Phoenix missiles throughout the outer system. Small corridors exist that are safe to travel and the Outer System does contain some safe areas that can be used to drop out of warp. The third planet was destroyed during the Thrax Rebellion with over 1 billion lives lost. Time for some sleep, they still had plenty of repairs to do tomorrow. Chapter 8- Riptide rolls again UNCLAIMED SPACE- UNK322 SYSTEM HIGH-ORBIT AROUND UNK322-3 John directed the shuttle along the length of theRiptide. For the last four hours, he and twenty crew members and marines had been EVA all around the hull repairing fractures and microfractures. John was out with Lieutenant Brady from engineering checking all the work that had been done. Chief Letts had finally been commanded by Dr. McHaney to go get some food and sleep and not report for duty for eight hours at least. The whole crew needed some downtime, it would take theRiptidenearly twenty-four hours before they reached the next system they were supposed to explore UNK425. So John planned on working with a skeleton crew as much as possible so he could rest the crew. Brady''s nose was buried in the sensor station checking all the work that had been done over the last ten hours. A couple of the PDCs were still firing random shots out checking alignment and mountings to make sure all the repairs were completed. "Work is solid, the only thing we could do better is if we put into a yard and get all the platting replaced," Brady said. "Ok, then lets head back in ''Lieutenant O''Hansen as soon as we are back on board set a course for the edge of the system and get us on the road for UNK425'' Glad we are finally done with this system," John called out over the inter-ship comms. As the shuttle sat down on the hanger bay doors crew members worked to secure the shuttle and the XO with the Marine Commander strode over. They both looked tired and worn "Ok people, Lieutenant Brady gave us the ok to leave the system. I want us to use a skeleton crew since we have twenty-four hours before we get there. I want to rest the crew and marines as much as possible before we get there. I want everyone to have a minimum of ten hours off before we hit UNK425. That includes you two, got it!!!" The nodded their heads saluted and left while he headed to the medical bay. The medical bay was sealed off from the rest of the ship, in emergencies, it could be jettisoned into space and had enough water, air, and food to support twenty people for two weeks. Lieutenant Commander James McHaney got up from his desk and strode over to John "How is everything going Captain?" John smiled "Better Doctor, much better. We are finally done with all the repairs and will be on the road for UNK425. I already told Lieutenant Commander Stein and Smitt to rest everyone for at least ten hours. We are going to be working with a skeleton crew for the next twenty-four hours that includes you and your department Doc. How are your patients?" McHaney responded quickly "Good our people need rest. Now all the none critical cases have reported back for duty, the four critical cases are in the clear and should be back on duty in twelve hours. They are getting their last treatments from the nano pods and will get mandatory rest before reporting for duty. You need to rest to Captain, I hope you will take your own advice because in eight hours if you are no in your rack I will be relieving you of your command." John smiled and walked out of the medical bay and toward the bridge.
As he strode onto the bridge Lieutenant O''Hansen was calling out orders to the other crew getting theRiptideready to leave UNK322. He could feel the thrum as both the Fusion plants came on and the Pulse Engines started up. "Lieutenant O''Hansen please avoid any gravitational anomalies, I would like to keep theRiptidein one piece after we put her back together. Ensign Daniels, please make sure the Lieutenant knows where they all are and pull the sensor drones back once we are clear to go to warp." John called out as he brought up the Ship status and alerts he had put off. Ship Status- Riptide Shields- Running 10% CapacityEnsure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Hull- 100% Engines- Standby Mode Warp Engines- Standby Mode Fusion Generators- Online/Operating Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Unloaded Pulse Cannons- Standby Mode Point Defense Cannons- 50% Manned/Standby Mode Stealth Suite- Operations/Offline Alert: Due to crew exhaustion accidents are likely to happen, make sure your crew gets some rest Mission Complete: Emergency Repairs Description: Due to the Riptide having a close call with a micro-singularities, emergency repairs were immediately needed. After many long hours and exhaustive work, the Riptide has been fully repaired. Rewards: All crew members receive 500 Exp, Crew is less likely to break under stress, Skill Unlocked Wrench Hand Skill: Wrench Hand (Level 1) Description: Through long hours of work and repairs you have unlocked the most basic concepts of Engineering (Repairs and Engineering jobs will finish 5% faster) Mission Complete: Arms Training (Stage 1) Description: Through mandatory training for your naval crew members, you have reinforced their basic knowledge of small arms. Rewards: All crew members receive 100 Exp, Naval and Marine crew members are less likely to fight, Naval personnel are 5% more proficient in Small Arms From: FleetComm To: Captain John Port, Commander of Riptide Due to transmission burst toward the unexplored systems (UNK400, 327, 601), you are to avoid those systems. They will be scouted in-force at a later date, continue to explore the other systems listed in your orders. We will advise UNK322 to be off-limits for civilian traffic until a long-term study has been completed of the gravitational anomalies. "Ensign Daniels please send an acknowledgment toFleetCommon the revised orders. ETA to the edge of the system O''Hansen?" John called out. "We will be at the edge of the system in one hour, then twenty-four hours until we reach UNK425." Lieutenant O''Hansen called out while the Comm officers typed away at her station. Here we come UNK425, hopefully, you are not a pain in the ass like UNK322 was John thought as he started to read system and department reports. Chapter 9-UNK425 Suprise UNCLAIMED SPACE- UNK425 Red Dawn- Crew Quarters Smoke and screams filled the air as he leaned around the corner and fired off a burst. Two of the three rounds hit the pirate in the chest and sending him reeling back further into the compartment. The marine standing opposite of John primed and tossed the Sonic Grenade into the compartment before closing the hatch. 5 seconds later John and three Marines stormed into the compartment and finished off the three remaining pirates. As soon as the pirates were secured and looted they checked their weapons and headed back toward the main corridor. He still had three more grenades and four clips for his rifle and six for his hand-cannon. He brought up his HUD and checked on the rest of the Marine squads throughout the pirate ship. Both the port and starboard weapons banks had been secured, engineering was also secure, but they were bogged down pushing into the crew quarters areas and command areas. The cargo areas were completely locked down and vented, a pair of marines secured those doors to make sure if any pirates that survived the venting would not leave alive. "Commander Smitt, how long until you gain control of the crew area?" John asked. Over the whine of a Pulse Cannon, Smitt came back "Another 15 minutes if we are lucky. Right now we only have control of one way in and out of the crew quarters, if we could flank them 5 minutes. The squad pushing for the bridge could use some help if you do not mind." John could hear the frustration in his voice, every minute they were bogged down could mean the life of one of his Marines. "Understood, heading to support Lieutenant Freelands squad to push toward the bridge." The private took point and led them toward the bridge ''Jeeves is there any way we could cut through the bulkhead and into the crew quarters so we can flank the pirates?'' John wondered. ''I am sorry captain by the time you cut through the bulkhead they would have already finished storming the compartment. You can try to use the crawl space and get into the compartment that way...but the Marines combat armor is too bulky to get through the crawl space. You can get through with your lightweight armor.'' John thought about it...'' Jeeves highlight where I need to go, "Sgt lead the rest of your squad to support the push toward the bridge I am going to help Commander Smitt push into the crew quarters area." John knew the Marine Commander would be pissed when he learned he ditched his escort, but he needed his help more. Five minutes later he was looking through a grate down onto the crew quarters, six pirates were randomly firing toward the Commanders position, two on his left and four to his right. "Jeeves I am going to toss my remaining Sonic Grenades in the room, send a message to Smitt after I toss them in. I really do not want to be fired on by one of our people.'' John asked his A.I. as he duct-taped the three grenades together. He really hoped this would work, otherwise, this was going to hurt really bad. John took a deep breath activated the grenades and prayed his idea would work. After the Sonic Grenades went off he dropped into the cabin and turned to his left. He didn''t want to leave any threats to his back. He immediately shot the pirate on his right in the knee nearly blowing his lower leg off, John rushed the falling pirate and grabbed him and spun around so he would between him and the four pirates between him and the Marines. The other pirate close by was stumbling around like he was drunk when he got three rounds into the face. John flicked his selector from three rounds to single burst and started firing toward the remaining pirates. John managed to wound one and kill another before they regained their senses and started firing back. Two cracks of a Pulse Rifle downed the remaining pirates as the Marines stormed the compartment. "The ship is secure sir, I would appreciate it if you would not go off on your own again. This was difficult enough as is without the chance at losing you. We have captured 5 Pirates and we have 6 wounded 1 being critical and already back in medical." Commander Smitt reported while looking like he wanted to dress down his Captain. John smiled and thought back on what had lead to this...
UNCLAIMED SPACE- EDGE OF UNK425 Riptide- Bridge 2 Hours ago... As theRiptidepunched into the normal space of UNK425, her warp drive spun down and she moved into the system under her stealth suit. "Report" John called out as he finished getting over the transition from warp to normal space. "Stealth systems are up and running, we are clear for 1km out. Local traffic is clear...I think" Ensign Sasha Daniels responded. "Sorry sir, this system is Binary and we are getting a lot of interference from the double stars if we can change our position I might be able to clear up the signal." Ensign Daniels clarified. Due to the radiation being thrown off by the binary stars, he knew it would interfere with communications and long-range sensors. "Lieutenant O''Hansen, work with Ensign Daniels on getting theRiptidein a position to find out if we are getting a signal or not," John commanded. 45 minutes later they had the initial scan of the system and the signal was coming in clear. "The transmission is finally clearing...''This is the freighterRising TidefromXaranxPrime. We need assistance, we are under attack by pirates. Repeat this is...'' Right now from what we can tell theRising Tideis about an hour away at maximum speed, what are your orders?" Lieutenant O''Hansen called out. "Make for theRising Tideat maximum speed, once we are about 5km out drop to half speed and activate the stealth suite again. Lieutenant Johnson, place the combat drones on standby ''Kate sound GQ''" John called out. 30 minutes later the tactical situation had been updated "Sir, theRed Dawnhas already boarded theRising Tide. They do not have any combat drones deployed" Ensign Daniels called out.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "Understood, ''Kate, have the XO report to the bridge and have Lieutenant Commander Smitt report to the launch bay in 5 minutes it seems we have some plans to make.'' Lieutenant Johnson I want all our combat drones on standby and ready to launch," John called out.
Present... John headed back toward theRiptide. ''Jeeves, send an all-clear to the XO and to the Captain of theRising Tidethat theRed Dawnis secure'' two Marines shadowed him as he walked through the pirate ship and into the bulk freighter. Hundreds of containers dotted the expanse of the hold as the remaining freighter crew scrambled to make repairs to ship and secure the cargo that had been displaced. "Captain, what are you planning on doing with the prisoners and with theRed Dawn?" Captain Jones asked. "Usually inRemnantspace, all pirates captured will be summarily executed after being questioned, but we are not inRemnantspace so I will defer to your judgment Captain," John responded. Jones nodded before answering "About 36 hours away from here my species controls about 6 systems, theXaranx. We are fairly tough on pirates and just based on what they have done today will earn them a sentence of hard labor for 20 years and if they have any history of piracy in our space could increase their sentence. We will put a prize crew on theRed Dawn, she will be pressed into service, sold or dismantled. Either way, captain thank you for your help. I won''t forget this." ''Captain, the XO wants to talk to you in private and is waiting in your quarters'' Kate told him...Time to face the music. As he walked into his quarters the only thing he saw was one pissed off second in command. "Permission to speak freely?'' she asked. John sighed before nodding. ''What the hell were you thinking John? If you had died over there, what would have happened to theRiptideand all of us?FleetCommwould have had my head. You cannot do that ever again understand?" She was yelling at the end. "I understand your worries Rebecca but if I can help in a bad situation I will. I cannot ask anything of my crew that I am unwilling to do. Yes, I understand your concerns and will take that into account for the future. Now secure the ship from GQ and start us on the road for UNK527 as soon as all our crew members are back on board." She nodded her head and left to head to the bridge while he got out of his armor and started clearing his alerts. Mission Complete: Boarding the Red Dawn Description: The Rising Tide was attacked and boarded by the Red Dawn. You saved the crew and they will remember it and spread the word among Xaranx. Rewards: 300 Experience for all none borders, 600 for all participants in repelling the boarders. The Xaranx will see you in a friendly light if you call upon their aid, UNKNOWN Skill (Small Arms) Increased to Level 2 Description: Increases the accuracy of small arms by 6% Skill (Rifle Proficiency) Increased to Level 2 Description: Increases the accuracy of rifles by 6% ALERT... You have encountered theXaranxfor the first time, due to your actions they are likely to come to your aid if you request it. ALERT... Now that the pirates were secure they could survey the system. From the initial scan of the system, it was a Binary system and would take a better part of a week to survey even with the scout drones. Chapter Intermission UNCLAIMED SPACE- EDGE OF UNK425 IRN Riptide- Bridge One month is what it took to map the Binary system, it was amazing being able to scout a binary system but the radiation from the two stars was slowing down the mapping process. John had received coordinates from Captain Jones on where they could go to meet up and receive a reward for helping take down theRed Dawn. Going and getting the rewards could cause trouble with both the crew and FleetComm though. Every choice had a consequence... ''Jeeves can you tell me how long it would take to get to the coordinates we received from Captain Jones'' John asked his A.I. About five minutes later the chipper A.I. cam back ''Based on the coordinates it is about 36 hours away from our current location, I am sure the ship''s navigator would be able to cut some time off from that estimate but I am not him'' John thought about his choices and then sent the coordinates to O''Hansen saying that we would head there next. After the last month and a half, the crew could use some downtime on a planet or station. Hopefully, theXaranxwould have one or the other at the coordinates. ''Kate, send a message to the XO that we are going to the coordinates provided by the Captain of theRising Tideand that I want to work out a schedule for 12 hour passes for everyone. We have been stuck in this system for over a month, everyone could use some R&R. If whoever is in charge over there ok''s it'' John told the ships A.I. "O''Hansen break orbit as soon as we are done here and head to the coordinates I gave you," John called out as he reviewed the system analysis. UNK425 Component 1 Sun- Yellow, Early stages Planet 1: Irradiated and unsuitable for colonization or mining Planet 2: Green Zone Planet, has 1 mega continent with 3 large bodies of water, would be useful for large scale agriculture Planet 3: Green Zone Planet, has a large amount of water and the land masses are mainly islands, under-water mining would be possible. Planet 4: Gas Giant with small Deposits of H3 Planet 5: a Rocky planet that is small and could be used for mining and support underground and domed colonization UNK425 Component 2 Sun: Yellow, Early stages Planet 1: Irradiated and unsuitable for colonization or mining Planet 2: Irradiated and unsuitable for colonization or mining Planet 3: a Rocky planet that is large and could be used for mining and support underground and domed colonization Planet 4: Green Zone Planet, 5 smaller continents with 8 bodies of water, Irridium is present Planet 5: Gas Giant with Large Deposits of H3 Planet 6: Gas Giant with no Deposits of H3 System Notes- This binary system has 3 planets in the ''Green Zone'' that can be colonized, due to radiation from the binary stars, mandatory inoculations for radiation poisoning for any settlers on ANY PLANET in the system. 4 large asteroid belts with 98 rogue asteroids and 120 meteor storms, due to the proximity of the Xaranx it would be recommended that we minimize the military presence in UNK425 until a treaty is signed.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "Ok, sir it will be 35 minutes until the Mass limit of the system then and then 34 hours until we reach the coordinates, based on the star charts its a star system and not a void space. I will drop us on the edge of the system so we can eyeball the star system before we get too close." O''Hansen called out.
XARANX SPACE- EDGE OF THE THORIN SYSTEM IRN Riptide- Bridge 35 Hours later..... "Ok people lets be friendly, make sure the weapons are on standby though. Ensign Daniels, what do we got out there?" John called out. "Stealth Suite is active and we are moving into the system at ten percent speed, weapons on Standby Mode only." Lieutenant Johnson called out. "We got a Red star with six planets around it, sensors are picking up a station around planet number four. We got about thirty destroyers and frigates around the system running patrols and about fifty freighters and tankers mainly around the fourth planet and the station there. I am picking up comm traffic all over the place as well and a Comm Buoy for out system comm traffic." Ensign Daniels called out from her station. "Ok, go ahead and drop us out of stealth and hail the station," John commanded. "Welcome toThorinsystem, everyone is welcome. I see you are on a Warship, do you have some business with the Free Trade Guild or are you just visiting here for some R&R?" the station called out "Hi I am Captain John Port of theRiptide, I am here to meet Captain Jones of theRising Tideand I was wondering if I could send over my crew for some R&R, I just need to know the rules and regulations for visitors of your station so we don''t break any," John responded. "We will send over a packet with the rules and the coordinates on where you can station your ship until you leave, as you are a warship we will no allow theRiptidenear the station. You and your crew are welcome to visit though. Captain Jones of theRising Tideleft theThorinsystem around two weeks ago after completing repairs to both of the ships under his command, the representative of theXaranxgovernment is on the station and would like to see you through. I hope you and your crew enjoy your stay here." the station responded. "Ok, from the info package we can have no more than fifty people from our ship on the station and no more than one hundred on the planet. They are willing to provide shuttle services to and from both locations at cost and no one can be armed with more than one blade and/or sidearm. It does not cost us anything to park here, but if we want to trade the Guild takes five percent of any transaction. We also will be escorted to and from where we will park." Ensign Daniels reported. "Ok take us toward the fourth planet at twenty-five percent of max speed, I don''t want to spook our hosts. ''Kate let the XO know that the locals approved R&R for our crew and forward the rules they have for them when they are on the station/planet''" John ordered. About another hour later theRiptidestopped at the designated coordinates they had been given. The crew would have eight hours of shore leave and would be going in lots of forty toward the planet and station. They had to stay in groups of four at all times and report in every two hours, no drunken brawls would be allowed or they wouldn''t be allowed shore leave next time they got into port. Two marines would be coming with John to the station to see the ambassador. After that maybe some alien food and then back to the ship. One hour later he was in the office of the ambassador finishing up the conversation. "Well Captain, my cousin spoke very well about you. How you both saved his crew and ship and somehow managed to capture theRed Dawn. That ship has been...an annoyance for not just theXaranx. You earned a lot of goodwill be stopping them. Now I know you are just a captain in the Remnant military machine but if that changes and you need our help, don''t forget you have friends out here." Secret Mission Complete: Friends in Strange Places Description: Have at least 1 foreign government that is friendly toward you and your crew. Rewards: TheXaranxviews you and theRiptideas friends and will come to your aid if you need it. This can affect how other Factions will view you and your ship. (Note: If you establish an Alliance Faction this relationship can carry over.) "Now Captain I have plenty to do today, enjoy your stay here atBlackrock Station. If you come around here again, feel free to look me up." with that John left his office and headed toward one of the common areas that had multiple eating establishments. ''Jeeves tell me everything you know about Alliance Factions?'' Alliance Factions: groups of travelers that work together for a common goal. For every traveler, you can have 10 locals within the faction. As your Alliance Faction grows stronger you will have benefits from it as well. Requirments to found a faction... Compact of an Alliance 10 Traveler signatures Base or Facility to operate out of Must be filed within 1 month of founding with any Faction So it was a guild, in other words, one that allowed NPCs to be a part of, interesting. As John and the marines made it into one of the common areas of the station he saw dozens of beings. Some were selling products and/or services others were talking to neighbors, even some players were running about although those were few. Time to find some lunch then back to the ship... Chapter Intermission Cont.. UNCLAIMED SPACE- EN ROUTE TO UNK527 IRN Riptide The road to UNK527 would take seventy-two hours. Three days at warp to get back to where they were supposed to be. John had acquired the Rep from theXaranx, the Writ to Form an Alliance Faction and some connections with the local player base. The Han Solo wannabees he avoided, too many fan-boys. The hard-core players that were building something, he interacted with. He had made a couple of good contacts with both a Mining Alliance and Shipping Alliance, so if he ever decided to start an Alliance Faction he had already made some inroads as far as making some business partners. He had found some interesting designs for ships and tech, all of them were out of his price range and he would be unable to use any of them at this point. His crew was happy and well-rested after having a minimum of 8 hours of shore leave, UNK527 was supposed to be another binary system and depending on what type of stars it might take anywhere from one week to one month again to map the system. All the naval personnel were continuing to undergo small arms training and mock boarding actions. Time would forge his crew into something more than the fish they were.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- OUTER EDGE OF UNK527 IRN Riptide- Bridge 72 Hours later... John was anxious, theRiptidewas 30 minutes out from UNK527. O''Hansen knew they were going to drop out of the system 1 light minute out. John didn''t want a repeat of UNK322, so he would rather add an additional hour of travel in normal space as opposed to ripping out the guts to theRiptideagain. They had gotten lucky last time, he would not tempt fate again. He had talked to his boys twice over the last three days of travel, they were doing well and his grandkids were worried about him. It would be another week in the real world before the initial tests about the effects of the medical nanites could be done. So three more weeks for John, hopefully, the time would fly by. All the reports from the previous shift had been boring and indicated nothing significant had happened. Mission Complete: Crew Arms and Boarding Training Description: Through intense training in both small arms and mock boarding actions your crew''s proficiency in both has increased. Rewards: All Crew members gained 500 Exp. Crew proficiency in small Arms have increased by 10%, and the crew of theRiptidewill be 10% more likely to repel boarders. Nice benefits incase they ever encountered aggressive pirates, it might be the only thing that stood between them and losing theRiptide. "Ok people I want us to be ready for anything, tactical I want our stealth suite active as soon as we stabilize from the jump, I want our scout drones launched as well. Keep our sensors as passive only and make sure the missile tubes are loaded, the pulse cannons and PDCs are manned and ready." 30 minutes later the Riptide lurched out of Warp and into normal space. "Transition is complete, Warp drive is charging and will be ready in one hour. We will reach the edge of the system in one hour and fifteen minutes at current speeds." Lieutenant O''Hansen called out. "Stealth Suite is running and scout drones are prepped and launching in 3 minutes, gun crews are standing down on the Pulse cannons and half the PDCs." the Tactical officer called out. The sensor officer chimed in "We are clear up to one km out, we are using passive sensors only, we will have a visual in two minutes on the system." John acknowledged the officer''s statement while he reviewed the status of theRiptide. Ship Status- Riptide Shields- Running 10% Capacity Hull- 100% Engines- Running 50% Capacity Warp Engines- Standby Mode/Charging Fusion Generators- Online/Operating 60% Capacity Fore Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded Aft Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded Pulse Cannons- Standby Mode Point Defense Cannons- 50% Manned/Standby Mode Stealth Suite- Online Forty-five minutes later the sensor officer called out "I am picking up a large debris field along the edge of the system leading inward toward the heart of the system. No singularities so far though but a massive battle was fought here. I would recommend going around the debris field in case any un-exploded ordinance remains." John considered his options before agreeing with the sensor operator''s assessment of the situation " Lieutenant O''Hansen plot a course around the debris field, I want a detailed scan though. Maybe we can salvage some information on the battle that occurred here. Update the plot with everything we have so far on the system please." The system plot came upon his station with everything the sensors and scout drones had acquired so far, which wasn''t much since they were still so far out. UNK527 Component one, Yellow Sun with seven planetary bodies (asteroid field orbits both components creating a figure eight around both stars), Component two, Yellow Sun with six planetary bodies, large debris field approximately twelve km wide leading further into the system. One hour later theRiptidehad finally reached the edge of the system, they had cleared the main debris field and were pushing into the system. They had discovered three intact computer cores and Kate and Jeeves were working on decrypting them. The AIs had standing orders not to disseminate what information they could find to anyone other than John. The second shift would be on in the next ten minutes and John wanted to read any logs or information they had recovered about the battle. The current estimates for mapping out the system would take two weeks, hopefully, they would not be mapping any more binary systems after this.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- OUTER EDGE OF UNK527 IRN Riptide- Bridge 2 WEEKS LATER... Although UNK527 didn''t have any pirates, it had plenty of things to discover for theRiptide. The debris field had the wrecks of over one hundred capital ships and three hundred smaller vessels. The battle had been determined to be during the Fall, Imperial forces against a mix of Thrax and local rebel powers. After an intense battle, the Imperial forces had been broken and scattered.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. TheRiptidehad found the remains of mining operations through the asteroid belt, several refining facilities, and one Imperial Base. The base and the refining facilities were complete wreaks, either nukes or anti-matter missiles had destroyed them and the mining units without their support facilities had fallen to disrepair or destroyed. UNK527 Component 1 Sun-Yellow Sun Planet 1-Rocky Irradiated planet, due to proximity of the planet to the sun and rotation rate this planet can neither be settled or mined Planet 2-Little Atmosphere, High concentrations of Iron, Veridium, and Cobalt and low rotation rate would support extensive mining operations, 2 moons Planet 3-"Green Zone" planet, Planet has a large amount of water with hundreds of islands and small land masses no larger than 500sq miles, an Imperial Outpost was located on one of the many islands but the facility was destroyed by nuclear bombardment, due to this planet us suffering a nuclear winter and will not be able to support life for another 400-600 years, 2 moons Planet 4-"Green Zone" planet, this planet is barely able to support life, it is mainly a desert planet with 3 smaller bodies of water, 3 moons Planet 5-Gas Giant, this planet will support Helium 3 production, has 4 moons Planet 6-Gas Giant, this planet will support Helium 3 production, has 7 moons Planet 7-This planetoid is barely larger than a moon, no atmosphere and shows extensive former mining operations UNK527 Component 2 Sun-Yellow Sun Planet 1-Rocky Irradiated planet, due to proximity of the planet to the sun and rotation rate this planet can neither be settled or mined Planet 2-Rocky Irradiated planet, due to proximity of the planet to the sun and rotation rate this planet can neither be settled or mined Planet 3-"Green Zone" planet, has 4 continents, 5 bodies of water with islands throughout, the planet would be idle for supporting colonization, 4 moons Planet 4-Planet is mountainous with little atmosphere, able to support mining operations and domed and/or underground settlements, 3 moons Planet 5-Gas Giant, 8 moons Planet 6-Gas Giant, able to support Helium 3 mining, 11 moons System Notes-This system has extensive ruins from Pre-Fall Imperial mining operations. This system also supported a military outpost. Remnants of a battle that occurred during the Fall are strewn throughout the system where over 400 vessels were destroyed. Mining operations throughout the asteroid belt could be reconstituted. It is apparent this was a nodel system that supported a Pre-Fall project that was being constructed, possibly the facility that was referenced at UNK521 (see attached system and base files) The planet that had supported the Imperial outpost was still too irradiated for exploration and settlement. From what they had been able to scan through cloud cover and radiation, the facility had been large covering 10 sq miles. During the War, it had probably supported a dozen fighter squadrons and thousands of fleet and marine personnel. The mining operations had been impressive throughout both components of UNK527. Vast resources still lay untapped throughout the system and could be exploited by the Remnant. John reviewed the systems they still had to scout, UNK402, UNK427, UNK634 (Binary System), UNK501, and UNK702. Until Fleet Command changed their orders they could not scout UNK400, UNK327, or UNK601. The nearest system, UNK427, was 4 days away and deep space scans had detected radio waves. Hopefully, nothing too bad would happen when they got there, the Riptide would be transitioning to warp in the next hour and he would have very little to do between now and then. ''Jeeves, I am going to log out and check on my kids and grandkids. Set my character to Auto-Admin and alert me to any emergencies immediately.'' A door popped into existence immediately, he stood and opened the door and logged out of the game...
Digital World- Home Space It was a seamless transition between the digital worlds, the feeling was not quite as bad as jumping in or out of warp. ''Jeeves what is the real world time?'' Jeeves digital projection popped into existence ''Currently, it is 0200 am where you are physically located, where your kids are located, 1000pm.'' John considered what he wanted to do as he went to take a shower. ''Jeeves, bring up the information we pulled from the data cores I want to review it again after I get out of the shower and get some food.'' Twenty minutes later he was sitting on his sofa, a pizza was still cooking and Jeeves had uploaded the information he had acquired from the data cores on both the main TV and his tablet. The station that was on the TV was massive, with a dozen arms extending the main superstructures. The construction bays were large enough to build Battleships maybe even TItan class ships. Launch bays and turrets dotted the superstructure and arms. The station could easily house one hundred thousand personnel, and from the files, the station required a minimum of twenty thousand personnel to run the station with a skeletal crew. He had no idea if the station was still intact, based on the specs aPhoenixclass missile wouldn''t destroy the station. Damage it yeah, but not destroy. Based on the information John had acquired, theStalwart Classstation was one of eight such stations that had been built throughout Imperial space. They had been designed before the war, but due to cutbacks, they had never been put into production. The stations were designed to build a large number of ships in a short amount of time and to enforce the will and security of the Imperium on hundreds of thousands of systems. It was also noted a Jump gate was located in the same system as the station. The station also had the latest in titanium armor, plasma weapons, and nanites that would repair the station. It also had an A.I. core and automated units to assist in construction and maintenance. The system the station was in had eight planets, three of them were in the "Green Zone" and capable of supporting colonies and/or bases, two asteroid belts populated the system as well that could support an extensive in-system mining operation. The jump gate was located at the edge of the system and static defenses had been planned to be built throughout the system. What had been finished or if the system and what was being built there was ever compromised was an unknown. ''Jeeves, do a search of the Endless Expanse Forums, keywordsStalwartstation.'' Ten minutes later about fifty threads popped up on his tablet, and after reading for about thirty minutes John figured out that four of the stations had been discovered so far. In the resulting wars that had resulted from their discovery, one had been destroyed after six anti-matter missiles had been smuggled on board and detonated in the heart of the station tearing it apart. Another one was still being actively fought over inTholianSpace and the remaining two were controlled by two of the most powerful Alliances (inThraxandArgonionspace). The stations brought in huge amounts of money and military power toward their owners. Claiming the station for himself would be useless right now until he had an Alliance that he trusted. Joining an Alliance or starting one was not an option until he finished up his tour. He was sure that the station could play a critical role in the future of the Remnant factions. It might even unite or destroy the faction as well, only time would tell. Time for some sleep and talking with his family before jumping back into the game. Hopefully, some time away would provide some clarity and a path forward in planning. Chapter 10- UNK427 and Troubles with Authority UNCLAIMED SPACE- UNK427 OUTER SYSTEM IRN Riptide- Bridge As John came onto the bridge the crew was still switching out between third and first shift. He made his way over to Lieutenant Birge while looking at the visual display that showed the graphic representation of UNK427. "Goodmorning Captain, we have completed the initial scans of the outer system. We have not been able to pinpoint the origin of the radio waves we had detected with deep space scans but Ensign Sties believes that once we go deeper within the system we will be able to pinpoint the origin of the transmissions. It will just take time and for us to move closer toward the origin point." With that, the Lt saluted and moved off. John knew he would receive the full report within the next hour or so from the productive Lt, so he was not too worried. "All stations I want an update as soon as you are settled in people," John called out. ''Kate bring up the Ship Status and the initial scans of UNK427 please.'' John requested from the ship''s AI. UNK427: Red Giant, 6 Planets (2 Gas Giants), 4 asteroids...(This is just an initial scan and has not been completed as of yet) Ship Status- Riptide Shields- Running 10% Capacity Hull- 100% Engines- Running 40% Capacity Warp Engines- Standby Mode/Charging Fusion Generators- Online/Operating 60% Capacity Fore Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded Aft Missile Tubes- Unarmed/Loaded Pulse Cannons- Standby Mode Point Defense Cannons- 50% Manned/Standby Mode Stealth Suite- Online "Captain we are currently inserting into the system at forty percent of max speed counter-clockwise of the sun. The estimated time to arrival of the inner system is a little over six hours at this rate and course." Lieutenant O''Hansen called out from the navigation station. "Chief Letts has requested that we power down two of the Pulse Engines before we leave the system. He needs to run some diagnostics and might have to realign them." the ensign called from the Engineering station. "We have one sensor drone one light minute ahead of our position and one trailing our position one light minute behind us. Two of our tactical drones our on standby and can launch if we need them." the Tactical officer called out. "The only signal I am picking up currently is the radio signals we detected from deep space scans. As of yet, we have not pinpointed the origin point." The comms officer called out. ''Kate, let Chief Letts know that as soon as we have finished our scan of the system that we will shut down the Pulse Engines so that he can run diagnostics.'' John requested the AI."Ok, people, we are sitting pretty from Third Shift. Let''s continue the trend. Continue with the course and speed, I don''t want to run into anything out there that wants to blast us. Tactical keep those Combat Drones on standby. Comms as soon as you pinpoint that transmission updates me and Navigation we are going to take a look ASAP."
UNCLAIMED SPACE- UNK427 INNER SYSTEM IRN Riptide- Bridge 4 Hours Later... "Sir, I have pinpointed the location of the transmissions. The transmissions are coming from orbit around planet three, they appear to be Imperial in origin, I am checking the archives though because the codes are old." the comm officer called out. "Navigation set course for the coordinates provided by the comms station. Tactical dispatch one of the sensor drones ahead of us and recall the second and have it take up station around us. Also, launch the ready combat drones and prep the remaining combat drones for launch in case we need them. Make sure all the PDCs are manned and ready." John called out as they moved toward the coordinates. "We will reach visual range of the coordinates in twenty minutes Captain." Lieutenant O''Hansen responded. "Ok, based on archived information the ship transmissions should originate from IRN (Imperial Remnant Navy)Gilded Claw. Official records show it as listed as MIA (Missing in Action) twenty years ago, follow up patrols found nothing and no wreckage, and it was assumed that the ship was lost with all hands. Sending you the data link now Captain." the Communications officer called out. ''Jeeves pull up all the information you can on theGilded Clawand her crew. Kate query the Imperial Database and use my clearance codes to see if Command left anything out of the official records please.'' John requested the two AIs. ''Ok, John theGilded Clawwas aHorizen Class Destroyercommissioned thirty-four years ago and was top of the line ship at the time. Had a crew of two-hundred officers and enlisted, a complement of fifty Marines, a first-generation Stealth Suite, Kinetic and Nuclear weapons with eight launch tubes, twenty-four Single Pulse Cannons, forty PDCs, and could carry eight combat drones as well. She could either run or put up a hell of a fight, the crew was all Vets when it was listed as MIA. Last Engineering reports show the ship was fine and the last official orders show that it was going through a normal patrol routine when she missed two check-ins with FleetComm. FleetComm dispatched a patrol group to track her down but no wreckage or crew were ever found.'' Jeeves came back. ''Official reports say the same thing, but the classified documents attached to the disappearance show that the patrol group that was sent after theGilded Clawshow that FleetComm was worried that theGilded Clawhad gone rogue and that they were to relieve the Captain on sight and destroy the ship if necessary. No reason why FleetComm was worried that theGilded Clawhad gone rogue though. Someone is definitely hiding something Captain.'' Kate stated.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Coming into visual range now and bringing her up on the main display Captain. She is looking pretty beat up." Ensign Greer stated from the sensor station. If anything the Ensign understated things, theGilded Clawhad been smashed. Multiple hull breaches from both energy and kinetic weapons dotted her hull, whatever atmosphere she had, had vented a long time ago. PDCs and Pulse Cannons were bent or blown off the hull. Whatever had happened to the ship, she had put up a hell of a fight before dying. "Greer, talk to me. What can you tell me about the current state of theGilded Claw? Any chance we can dump its computer core from this range?" John asked the sensor officer. "I am picking up residual radiation from multiple nuclear detonations that would have stripped away her shielding and armor. It was kinetic and energy weapons that gutted her though. I am picking up at least 15 hull breaches from both types, with very few compartments intact. I am not seeing any escape pods though. I am picking up zero energy signatures or heat blooms from the wreck. So if you want a data dump we are going to have to go over there and get a direct dump from the computer core. At this range and with passive sensors only I cannot tell you if the core is intact or damaged though." Greer reported. John considered his options then called out his orders "Lieutenant O''Hansen take us within one light minute of the shipwreck. Jeeves contact Chief Letts and Commander Smitt, I want a Marine squad and some engineers ready to head over there in ten minutes. Lieutenant O''Hansen you will have command while I am gone, do not break my ship is that understood LT?!?!" With that, John left the bridge and headed toward his quarters for his sidearm and then on to the Armory for any other equipment he might need.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- UNK427 OUTER SYSTEM IRN Gilded Claw 12 minutes later the assault shuttle lifted off from the launch bay and headed toward theGuilded Claw,Commander Smittdidn''t like that John was going into a possible volatile situation again, but John overruled him. Smitt had command of the party, but John was coming. "This is the pilot, we are about to have a hard-dock with the wreck. Make sure all your suits are sealed and stand ready for anything." Smitt acknowledged the Pilot and dispatched two marines toward the hatch. "Ok people we are heading toward the bridge, we all have the layout of the ship and we are going to try and avoid the areas of the ship that are directly voided into space. Squad, 1 and 2 are on point; 3 and 4 with me, the Captain, and Engineers, 5 and 6 are dog tail. Let''s go people!!" Smitt barked out. TheGilded Clawwas both a wreck and a tomb, they had already come across several corpses of both Naval and Marine personnel. They floated along with the corpse of their home having been lost but not forgotten for twenty years and now they had finally been discovered. Hopefully, theRiptidewould find out who had killed them so FleetComm could get some justice for the crew. Five minutes later they walked onto the wrecked bridge, only one corpse was here, strapped into the command chair. "Donnely, get to work I want everything that you can get from the main Core. If it is damaged or gone, try the secondary systems." Smitt ordered as his Marines fanned out to secure the bridge. ''Jeeves while the engineers are getting the data core, try to break into the Captains Official Logs and personal log as well. I want to know what the Captain''s thoughts were the last couple days of his life and not just the official version. This will be for my eyes only for now.'' The AI acknowledged the command and got to work. Twenty minutes later the boarding crew was headed back to theRiptidewith all the information they could gather. ''Captain, do you want me to give you the information you requested now or later?'' Jeeves asked. John thought it over before responding to his AI ''Save it for later after I get off shift, please. Do not let me forget, set a reminder for 5 minutes after I get off shift please.''
UNCLAIMED SPACE- UNK427 INNER SYSTEM IRN Riptide- Once they were back on board John had theRiptidecontinue on its original course to scout the system. They were still almost 2 hours out from the innermost planet and they had lost nearly an hour between diverting and exploring theGilded Claw. The Automated systems that had been throwing off radio waves had been shut down by the engineers and no one else would come looking for her. John had 1 more hour on shift before he was relieved by his XO, then he could dig into the records of theGilded Clawand see what happened to her. An hour and a half later, John was finally sitting down in his quarters after handing everything off to his XO and grabbing a quick bite to eat. ''Jeeves, bring up the logs you got and everything we could salvage from the Gilded Claw. I got to file my report ASAP.'' 480 A.F. June 20 Andre Summers, Captain of the IRN Gilded Claw I joined the military to get away from politics and away from my family, yet it seems that even in the military you have to cater to someone''s wants and needs. My father, who I have never really got along with, seams worried and this causes problems with my mother...Its probably nothing, but stupid politics causing trouble with his personal life again. 480 A.F. June 30 Andre Summers, Captain of the IRN Gilded Claw My father has called me every other day this week. He looks horrible and is worried about something. He refuses to talk about what has him worried. Why a Senator for the Imperium is this worried...I have no idea but I know very few things worry him like this. I told him that my ship will be leaving within two weeks and he won''t be able to talk to me on a day-to-day basis like he has been...He asked me to resign my commission, I told him no of course that I was dedicated to the military like he was to politics. I called my mother and she seemed almost afraid to talk for some reason. What is going on... 480 A.F. July 18 Andre Summers, Captain of the IRN Gilded Claw We have been on patrol for over a week now and Admiral Johnson contacted me today...My father and mother are dead. They had been hosting a party with some of my father''s closest friends and family when the estate was attacked. Everyone had been slaughtered with very few survivors. Who did it or why was unknown at the time but the Admirals board was taking it personally and would make sure it was investigated. 480 A.F. July 20 Andre Summers, Captain of the IRN Gilded Claw I received a data dump from my father. It explained everything that had been going on...He was right to be afraid. The fact he is dead supports the conclusions that he had. I might be next. Imperial Fleet Command has slowly been taking more and more power from the civilian government. People who fight them either disappear or end up dead. I fear for my ship and crew and what will happen to them. I am going to talk to my XO and offer the command to him, I will not let my people die due to power-hungry Admirals. 480 A.F. July 20 Andre Summers, Captain of the IRN Gilded Claw My XO refused command of the ship and insisted on taking all the information to the rest of the command staff. Most of them agreed with the XO to continue to support me but some fear what is happening and what might happen. We managed to get more information directly from the Imperial Data Net about the attack on my family home. It looks like a Kinetic Missile Impact from orbit is what destroyed my family home. Dispatch orders for rescue teams are time-stamped 5 minutes before the strike happened and come from IRN Intelligence Office. Someone tried to stop it, but it was too late. For now, we will follow along and continue our patrol. I am reaching out to friends from the Academy to try and see if anyone else is aware of what is going on with FleetComm and the Senate. 480 A.F. July 25 Andre Summers, Captain of the IRN Gilded Claw Admiral Johnson contacted me today and demanded I surrender my command to my XO and head immediately for the nearest Fleet Base to face charges for the mass murder of my own family and that I had hired mercenaries to kill my family. I laughed in his face and played the recording my father had sent me about FleetComm subverting the power of the Senate and that you would kill me next to clean up the mess they had made. Tomorrow the Gilded Claw will be considered a Rogue Vessel, we will go off on our own hopefully we will survive. I will be dropping off any crew members that do not wish to join me, but I will not be going back to my death. ''That is all I can decrypt at this time John, I will try to decrypt the rest but it will take some time'' Jeeves stated after I had completed reading through the logs. Well shit... Chapter 11- Costs of Rebellion UNCLAIMED SPACE- EDGE OF UNK427 IRN Riptide- Captains Quarters Secret Mission Complete: Message in a Bottle (Stage 1) Description: You have discovered the personal log of the Captain of the Gilded Claw. The discovery can sign the Death Warrant for your crew and you. The ramifications of what he discovered can shake the very foundation if the Imperial Remnant and cause a Civil War. Rewards: 100 Exp, Message in a Bottle Stage 2, Intel on the Insurrection the Admirals Board perpetrated Secret Mission Issued: Message in a Bottle (Stage 2) Description: Decide what to do with the information you acquired. You can stand up and declare the Admirals Board as thieves, liars, and murderers, or you can turn over the proof you have and hope they leave you and your ship alone. What will you decide?!?!?! Rewards: UNKNOWN Well shit, this is exactly what I did not want to get involved with. John just wanted to play an isolated ship''s captain in the middle of no where not someone that can bring down a major political system and galactic power. Due to this, he had been staring at the ceiling of his room for the last four hours. Not doing paperwork, not going down to the weapons range, just thinking about choices and consequences. John had left a message with Kate to not be disturbed unless it was life or death. TheRiptidewas dead in space at the edge of UNK427 while Chief Letts conducted maintenance on her pulse engines. Within the next 30 minutes, theRiptidewould set course for UNK402. Choices Consequences ''Kate, lockdown all outgoing Communication, Authorization CommandAlpha 1 Foxtrot Gamma, until I rescind the order nothing goes out without my authorization. Next message every senior officer on the ship including Chief Letts that I want a meeting in the Officers Mess in 20 minutes, informal dress. Have Commander Smitt station 2 Marines that can be discrete, outside the mess.'' John commanded the ship''s AI. John strapped on his sidearm, it was against regulations but the weapon provided him a sense of security from his old life.
As he approached the Officer''s mess, John saw two marines on either side of the door in full Power Armor. If that didn''t tell whoever wasn''t supposed to be there to fuck off, nothing would. Neither acknowledged their Captain, they were not there and neither was he. It was an unofficial meeting that required security and secrecy. John immediately went to a hidden panel and withdrew a bottle of Jack Daniels he did not know about and 7 shot glasses. He took a seat and lined up and poured all 7 to the brim and waited for his co-workers/friends/family. Over the next 10 minutes Lieutenant Commander (XO of the Ship) Stein, Commander Smitt (Command of the Marine contingent), Lieutenant Commander James McHaney (Chief medical officer), Chief Letts (Chief Engineer), Lieutenant Jim O''Hansen (Senior Navigation Officer), and Lieutenant Birge (3rd Shift Leader). "Kate, isolate the Officer''s mess. Command codeBeta, Omega, Alpha 3. Erect a communications barrier around the compartment. Now, people, this meeting is not happening, what I am about to reveal could put a death warrant on all of you. If you want to leave I understand, but you have to do it now." John told his senior crew. No one got up, but confusion was prevalent among the officers. "Before you say anything read what I am about to send you. Be honest about what you think, but keep your composure. ''Jeeves send the Personal logs we have decrypted to everyone present, include the attached data with all the proof we found as well." John told his AI. 5 minutes later everyone was done reading and every shot glass had been downed. Every single person had a similar stunned look on their face, that they had been betrayed...and in a way, they all had been. The Admirals Board was supposed to embody the highest ideals of the Imperium, instead, they just found out they are nothing but a bunch of backstabbing murderers that just wanted power. What do you tell people when they discover the very foundation of their service is a lie... "So, we can lay twelve Senatorial murders and another forty men, women, and children at the Admiral Board feet. Just so they could have more political power...Not to mention two hundred and fifty Sailors and Marines from theGilded Clawto cover up their actions." Stein stated.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Chief Letts snorted "I am willing to bet my retirement that they buried a whole lot more than that to get the power they have now. I was as green as they got, but if I remember correctly theGilded Clawwas not the only ship that disappeared during that time." Smitt nodded his head as Kate started talking over the speakers "IRN registry lists theGilded Claw,Red Dawn,New Chicago,Midway, andYamamotoare all listed as MIA and another dozen ships are listed as destroyed with engineering problems listed as the given reason for destruction. All over an eight-month period of the Senatorial assassination. Over five thousand military personnel are listed as dead because of this.'' If John didn''t know better, he would say Kate was both stunned and sad. He would talk to her later about it, Jeeves had certainly lost some of his smugness since decrypting the logs. "The better question is, what are we going to do about it??" asked Jim O''Hansen. John took a slow breath and let it out before responding, "We have a couple of options before us. First, we don''t do anything. We scrub the logs of any mention of theGilded Clawand tell everyone to keep their mouths shut about it. Two, we go on as usual but the computer core of theGilded Clawwas unsalvagable and we could not get any data from it. We keep the data and hope we never have to use it. Three, we turn over all the data to the Admirals Board and hope they don''t come after us, our crew, and our families. Fourth, we turn the information over to the Senate and hope they have enough power to do something and hope it doesn''t blowback on us. I will make the final decision, but I do want input from all of you." After another ten minutes or so, they all agreed with option two. Better to keep the information and hope they never had to use it. Letts confirmed he would talk to the Engineers that went over to theGuilded Clawand make sure they remembered NOT RECOVERING anything. Smitt said the same thing about his Marines and Kate scrubbed all information about the data core from theRiptide. The copies of everything would be kept on data chips they would all keep on themselves at all times. With that, the meeting that never happened broke up...
1 Hour Later... As John sat in his quarters doing his paperwork he called out to the ship''s AI "Kate, are you ok? At the meeting you sounded...hurt. What''s going on?" Kate slowly phased into existence, a virtual 3D image of her sitting on his bed curled up in the upright fetal position. "I am sorry Captain. I just don''t understand how the Admirals Board could betray both the Senate and the crews of those ships just for power?? It scares me and makes me sad. I am worried about you and my crew even more now. I don''t like it." John smiled before responding to the AI "Kate when we swore the oath to join the IRN we understood we might someday be called on to die. I know you don''t have a choice in the matter but if you want I can put in a transfer request for you when we get back to Imperial Space if you want??" Kate nodded before responding "I understand that Captain. I understand dying because the Imperium is being threatened by external power or because of a freak accident we die. Dying because a few people want more political power... it''s one of the reasons I was designed to fight and what you took an oath to fight. I just feel betrayed and I feel like I am a coward because we are not going back toTrygun Primeand demanding the Board surrender and face justice for what they have done." John smiled before he responded "I understand how you feel, but we are just one ship and one crew. The board has thousands of ships and tens of thousands of people on their side. I will not kill my crew out of a sense of self-righteousness. You all deserve better than that. We have an old human saying Kate ''Karma is a Bitch'' it means that one day that those bastards that killed all those people will pay for their crimes." Kate looked at John but she still appeared unsure about what he said when another 3D image was rendered into his cabin...Jeeves? "My dear, you should have more faith in the Captain. He has given far more than you know to be here. If you don''t have any faith in anyone else here on this ship, have faith in him. He will do everything in his power to protect his people and you are one of them now." with that the powerful AI that appeared as an old butler disappeared...odd day The last thought John has before passing out was why had Message in a Bottle (Stage 2) had not completed?? 7 Hours Later... John woke up and his head still spun with everything that had happened over the last 24 hours. ''Kate send a private message to Commander Smitt, let him know if I tell him Code Omega, he has to deploy Marines to key parts of the ship just in case of mutiny or insurrection.'' his comm beeped in acknowledgment. They still had another 4 hours until they reached UNK402 and he still had to review the survey data from UNK427. John wanted to eat and hit the gym before his shift started so he got his head out of his ass and headed out. Although John hoped the coming days would be boring, based on the past couple weeks, theRiptidewas destined for anything but boring. Chapter 12- Embers and Sparks UNCLAIMED SPACE- EDGE OF UNK402 SYSTEM IRN Riptide- Bridge TheRiptidehad been in the UNK402 system a little over an hour when the Communications/Sensor officer let me know I had received an encrypted message from FleetComm and flagged for my eyes only. We had sent off the report for what had found in UNK427 about 30 minutes ago. Finding the wreck of theGilded Clawmust have really scared someone for them to respond so quickly. ''Kate, do a quick scan and see if they left anything nasty on it. If not, can you bring it up on my console?'' That would take the ship''s A.I. a minute while John looked at the central halo that displayed the UNK402 system. It was pretty barren. A Red sun with only 1 gas giant with 8 moons and two asteroid belts. ''Captain, I cannot detect any malicious coding within the message. I cannot bring it up on the bridge it is keyed to your personal quarters.'' Kate responded after finishing the diagnostics. "Lieutenant O''Hansen, you have command until I get back. It shouldn''t be that long." John commanded as he walked off the bridge and toward his quarters. ''Kate I want you to make a copy of the message they sent if you cannot copy it record the message as it plays using the sensors within my quarters.'' John commanded the AI. The console on the desk lit up as he entered the room. "Authenticate Command Code please" the message immediately requested. "Command Code Authorization isTango, Juliet, Zeta, Alpha 3792. Captain John Port Commander of IRN Riptide." John responded immediately. "Command Code authenticated, please standby for message....." The face that took over his screen was well known, Fleet Admiral Jamie Hernandez. She was second only to High Admiral William Douglas on the Admirals Board. "Captain Port, this is Admiral Hernandez, on behalf of FleetComm we wanted to congratulate you and your crew on finding theGilded Claw. We are sad to hear that you and your crew did not discover why she was lost. We have dispatched a ship to recover the remains of any remaining crew that were lost so that their families might have some closure. We look forward to seeing you." with that the screen went black. ''What do you think, Kate? Should we be worried?''....''Kate''....ok John failed to receive a response from the ship''s A.I. ''I apologize Captain on the delay. You were right to be worried, they did leave a malicious worm in the message itself that nearly had me. If it had succeeded it would have vented the ship. It''s going to take some time, but I will have to go over all the data banks on the ship to make sure nothing was corrupted. I should be done within 24 hours.'' the AI finally responded. ''Shit, ok do it. Jeeves see if you can help her out so we can cut that window down. I will lock us down so we don''t go anywhere until you guys are done scanning the ship databases. Keep me, the XO, and Chief Letts in the loop.'' John told the two AIs as he left his quarters and went to Engineering.
As John walked into the Engineering section several enlisted stopped what they were doing to solute "As you were people." John called out as he flagged the Chief over. "FleetComm just took a shot at us using a malicious Worm. Kate thinks she stopped it before it damaged anything but she wants to scan every database and it will take twenty-four hours. I don''t want to go anywhere until Kate and Jeeves are done making sure everything is ok. I need a reason to hold us here for twenty-four hours. What do you have for me?" John asked the Chief Engineer. Letts paled a little when he heard FleetComm took a shot, but then his face firmed and became thoughtful "One of our Fusion Generators ''might'' be out of alignment. It will take twelve hours to check, each. That is your twenty-four hours Captain." John smiled at the grizzled man "Thanks Chief, I will make sure the XO knows so you can run your diagnostics. Loop in those you think that need to know." With that, John spun on his heel and headed for his XO quarters. His XO was less than pleased to be interrupted in the middle of filing reports, but it was amusing to watch her gain control of her temper when she saw who was at her door. Once she heard what FleetComm had almost done she was pissed off again. John had to listen to her curse the Admirals board for a good five minutes before he got her settled down. He let her know Chief Letts was aware of the problem and had come up with a reason to stay in the system an extra twenty-four hours. That bought them some time, but if John was FleetComm he would dispatch a ship ASAP toward UNK402 to confirm that an "accident" had occurred and that all hands were lost. Hell, the ship might already be on the way. The last thing he told his XO was to either take up boxing or spend more time at the arms range to work out her anger issues. Then he left to go see Lieutenant Birge. Lieutenant Birge was in the middle of his sleep cycle but quickly woke up as he heard everything that had happened and was informed of the maintenance engineering had to do on the Fusion Generators. John also told the Lieutenant that they might have some company sooner rather then later that was hostile. He nodded his head before turning away and going back to bed. John then headed out to track down Commander Smitt and inform him of what happened and of possible conflict that was ahead of them. Twenty minutes later he walked back onto the bridge, he made sure everyone was aware that due to some maintenance problems that they would be extending the stay in UNK402 for twenty-four hours. He told the tactical officer that due to this he wanted the Riptide to stay in stealth the whole time and as soon as they were done scanning the system that they were to proceed to the outermost asteroid field to practice maneuvers and to have all PDCs and Pulse Cannons manned just in case they were needed. The big question is where would they go. If they continued on the preplanned route, eventually a ship from FleetComm would catch up and he would have no choice to fight. If he just went off-mission he would give FleetComm the excuse they needed to blow the ship up.
Eighteen hours later proved me right. "General Quarters, General Quarters, all hands man your battle stations, this is not a drill." Came over the internal comm channels. ''Kate, what do we got? Are our computer systems secure?'' John asked as he injected a stim into his system as he scrambled for his combat suit. ''Long Range sensors detected an incoming ship that just dropped out of warp. Current speeds indicate that the ship will reach the Inner System in thirty minutes and we will be in scanning range in twenty minutes. Whoever it is, is no trying to hide. They are using active sensors and based on the energy signature its a seventy-five percent chance it is an IRN ship. Jeeves and I finished scanning the last databases about an hour ago, we are good to go.'' the A.I. replied quickly. SHIT SHIT SHIT ''Message to Chief Letts...We are done playing possum I will need all my Fusion Generators. Message to Commander Smitt...Code Omega, I repeat Code Omega, secure the ship. Get me ship-wide.....This is the Captain if you are not assigned to a battle station you are to report to your quarters immediately. I repeat if you are not at a battle station you are to report to your quarters immediately.'' John called out as he came onto the bridge. "Report people, talk to me tell me what we got." John barked out. Lieutenant Birge was hovering over by the Sensor/Comm console and immediately responded "Sir we got an incoming vessel, a high probability that it''s an IRN. Best guess at this time is that its aDauntlessclass destroyer. I am heading to the secondary bridge if you don''t need me for anything else, sir?" John returned the Lieutenants salute and relieved him of command. ''Jeeves what do you got onDauntlessDestroyers??'' John asked the A.I. and the display in front of him lit up with the information. Class: DauntlessThis narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Length: 500 Feet Width: 80 Feet Crew Compliment: 150 Sailers (including NCO and Officers) and 50 Marines (Including NCO and Officers) Reactor: 4 Type 3 Fusion Generators Engines: 6 Type 1 Pulse Engines Energy Shielding: 1200 Armor: 1000 Defensive Weapons: 30 PDC Offensive Weapons: 4 Forward and 4 Aft Missile launchers (60 Kinetic Missiles with up too 10 tactical 20 Ton tactical nukes), 20 Single Pulse Cannons Other: 6 Combat Drones, 4 Sensor Drones, 2 Personnel Shuttles, 2 Lancer Assualt Shuttles Shit, if that ship was armed with nukes this fight would be difficult. They would have to be careful and suck her into close range or use the asteroid field against them. Either way, they were in the best position and if they ran, the ship could kill them at long range. All this ran through his head as the hostile vessel drew closer. "Tactical any chance you could rig one of the drones as a decoy and lead them into the asteroid field? Also, make sure you can bounce our communications through the drone as well." The tactical officer considered his options before responding "Give me 5 minutes or so and yeah, we will be able to do that sir." The tactical display was constantly updating, it currently showed theRiptidewith two Combat drones deployed. The incoming vessel was currently 15 light minutes out and closing at a rapid pace, they would be able to confirm the ship''s ID in 10. 4 minutes later the tactical officer came back "Captain we rigged one of the combat drones we captured from the pirates. The military comm gear isn''t up to spec, once you start using it, it should take the other ship about 5 minutes to figure out its a decoy." John acknowledged his words "Launch the decoy and put it in the asteroid belt 3 light minutes ahead of us. Engineering shut down all non-essential systems. Time to play possum." The next 6 minutes were nerve-racking as the IRN vessel drew closer toward theRiptideshiding position. "We can confirm that it is aDauntlessclass Destroyer, based on the sensor return it should be theRaven, but the archives show her as being decommissioned as of 2 years ago Captain." the sensor officer called out. John considered what to do and gave his orders to the two AIs about what he wanted them to do. "Tactical, we are going to sucker them in. I understand you have your misgivings about what is happening but trust me, people. They are here to make sure we are dead and if we are not dead they are going to kill us. We will give them a chance to leave us in peace, but I am sure they won''t and when they prove themselves hostile we will defend ourselves. Engineering standby we are going to full power. Tactical, do a cold launch of the remaining combat drones, keep them near us at all times. As soon as I signal you bring up the shields if everything goes to my plan we will be in range for rapid-fire mode so make sure the forward launchers are ready. Lieutenant O''Hansen, you only have maneuvering thrusters. Choose a rock to hide behind and keep it between us and theRaven."
Six minutes later theRavenwas almost exactly where John wanted her. He just needed the captain to get in just a little closer. "Ok people time to get this show on the road. Comms link us into the decoy drone. Tactical and Navigation standby on combat. As soon as I signal you, get us in position and light them up." John called out. The Comm officer signaled that he was ready to broadcast "Attention IRN vessel this is the IRNRiptide. Please identify yourselves." John called out over the channel. The clock was ticking down on his display from five minutes...."AttentionRiptidethis is theRaven. We were tasked with providing you with assistance. FleetComm sent us an Alpha level message that you were dead in space and needed immediate assistance. Please confirm current status." John narrowed his eyes at the tactical display, just a little bit more "IRNRavenwas decommissioned two years ago and placed in mothballs. Our sensors show that you are fully armed and operational. Please confirm identity and standby." TheRavencontinued to move toward the''Riptides''location "I confirm this is theRaven, Command Code Mike, Foxtrot, Charlie, Tango 689. ConfirmRiptide." The arrogant bastard was getting sucked right in. "Ravenstandby while we confirm. Hold your current position while we confirm, any other movements will be considered hostile and we will open fire." John signaled the Sensor/Comm officer to cut the signal. They still had two minutes and thirty seconds left if they needed it. The Sensor officer suddenly screamed "Missile launch, I repeat we got missile launch on target Beta, it''s a Nuke thirty seconds to impact! All hands brace for a nuclear detonation, in twenty-five seconds...Mark." 25 seconds later the tactical display lit up like a christmas tree before going dark as the external sensors were overwhelmed. It took another 10 seconds for the display to clear as the sensors came back online. "Ok people theRaventhinks we are dead. Lieutenant O''Hansen, we are waiting on you, as soon as you light up our engines tactical lock onto theRaven, we are close enough for rapid-fire mode. I want 3 salvos from the forward missile tubes. Target her engines only. I want her dead in space. After we launch the salvos navigation keep us in her blind spot." John snapped out. Thirty seconds later five of theRaven''sengines had been destroyed with three out of the four rear missile tubes. "Shit, navigation maneuver us so our Pulse Cannons can take out that last missile tube. Tactical I want that tube taken out now!!!" In all honesty, the missile tube was probably nonoperational but John wanted the captain that tried to kill him to know that he was only alive because he allowed it. "TheRavenis contacting us again sir. I am bringing them up now...'' AttentionRiptidethis is Lt. Nick Grimes of the IRNRaven, I repeat this is Lt. Nick Grimes of the IRNRaven. We surrender. Please stop shooting at us.''" John heard over the comm line. What happened to the Captain, John wondered...."AttentionRaventhis is theRiptide. We will accept your surrender but you have to power down your remaining engine, all your weapons, lock down your ships AI and open up your computer core to my ship''s AI. Your enlisted will then be locked in their quarters including the NCOs. The officers will stay at their stations but the senior staff will report to the launch bay where they will personally surrender to my Marines when they arrive. You have five minutes to comply at which point we will turn your ship into a smoking ruin." Chapter 13- Choices UNCLAIMED SPACE- INNER SYSTEM OF UNK402 IRN Riptide- Bridge John watched as the two assault shuttles with 24 Marines and Smitt approached theRaven. Based on the internal sensor data Kate had access to, eight officers were in the launch bay. Six of them were restrained and two were armed and pointing weapons at the restrained officers. All the enlisted were packed in the living quarters per his demands, two officers were on the main bridge, one on the secondary bridge, one at the Armory, and three in the Engineering compartment. Smitt told him he would contact theRiptideas soon as he was sure theRavenwas secure. The Marines would relieve the officers of their stations and send them over to theRiptideto be questioned. Depending on what was going on John might leave them drifting in space, he might blow theRavenup, he might leave the crew on one of the habitable moons in the system. It all depended on what had happened on theRavenand how many of the crew could be trusted. Smitt would change the command codes of theRavenso the command staff''s authorization would be suspended until John reinstated them.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- INNER SYSTEM OF UNK402 IRN Riptide- Brig Twenty minutes later the first assault shuttle was back with the prisoners in the landing bay. All the prisoners were wounded but none were critical so they would not get any medical treatment until he had the truth about what the hell was going on. The prisoners were split up, some would be held in sealed cargo containers that could be jettisoned into space at a moments notice others would be held at the brig until further notice. As John walked into the brig, the Sgt pointed to the door on his right. He looked through the one way glass and sitting at the table was a kid with Lieutenant bars on the arms, in his early twenties at most, with a Marine in power armor standing behind him. He looked scared and afraid. The other room held a man in his thirties in the same situation but he had an arrogant look on his face like he knew he was going to get out of the situation sooner rather than later. ''Kate make sure theRaven''slong-range Comms is locked down, I don''t want anything about what happened to get back to FleetComm or whoever sent these guys.'' John told the AI before he strode into the scared LT room. "On your feet sailer. Rank, Name, Ship, orders on the double." John roared as he went into the room. The sailer hopped to his feet as he bellowed out his response "First Lt. Nick Grimes, IRNRavenout ofLoki Station, on attached duty with IRN-Intel Division, Command of Third Shift SIR!!!" John got right into his personal bubble. "You want to tell me exactly why the hell your ship tried to nuke mine sailer? You want to tell me what the fuck happened over there and why your crew thinks it is ok to kill your fellow brothers and sister in the Navy not to mention or cousins the dam Marine Jarheads!!!" John barked out. The LT was nearly pissing himself but he was responding before he could think up a lie "Sir, the majority of the crew and the lower ranking officers are not Intel. We were attached to the Intel Division to assist in their operations. The senior officers are all Intel but I and my crew are not Sir. I never signed up to kill my fellow sailors, not even Marines Sir. When I found out that the Captain had ordered a nuke to be launched on an IRN vessel I immediately organized the other Junior officers and subdued all the senior officers, Sir. Why did this happen, Sir? Why did they want you dead?" John considered his choices and decided to be honest with him. "Sit down son. Those officers tried to kill us because we found a very important secret that could...no it will start a civil war if it gets out. Thousands of Sailors and Marines have already been killed to keep this secret buried, but some secrets son do not want to stay buried." John told him. With that John left the room, the Lt would receive some food and medical attention, he was a good sailer just placed in a very, very tough spot and made the right choice. The questioning of the other senior officer would have to be done differently. He was more seasoned some blind intimidation would not work. Not to mention he was probably trained in interrogation methods. So he wouldn''t he would ask him questions and he would get the information...one way or another. As he walked into the room the other man sneered at him, John just smiled at him before he shot the prisoner''s hand. As the prisoner screamed and cursed John pinned his other hand to the table "WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?" John just looked at the man and waited...after about another minute he pulled the trigger again eliciting another howl of pain from the man, "You know exactly what I want to know. You tell me or I hurt you, its that simple. I am not going to ask questions. How much you get hurt all depends on you." John calmly stated before he cocked his gun again. The prisoner was moaning in pain and not paying any real attention so he slapped him and brought the gun toward one of the prisoners'' fingers, that got his attention real quick "It was Fleet Admiral Jamie Hernandez gave the verbal orders but the hard copy had the digital signature of every single member of the Board. My copy is in the Captain''s Cabin aboard theRaven, in the filing cabinet at the desk. Its the only file in the cabinet. It is not rigged or anything." John nodded his head before he responded, "If you lied about anything, if anything on that ship is booby-trapped or if you have any sleeper agents on board I need to know right now." The prisoner cried and immediately responded, "NOTHING I SWEAR." John took a deep breath "I believe you. I hope you did not forget anything or lie. If you did, I am going to come back here and cut off your hands and feet and then we are going to drop you off on the nearest habitable moon. Am I understood." The prisoner just nodded his head before he went back to moaning. John just left the tortured prisoner behind with the Marine that hadn''t even twitched in response to anything the Captain had done. ''Kate alert Lieutenant Commander McHaney that he is needed at the brig now and let Commander Smitt know that if he finds any Intel Division Officers or Enlisted that they are to be arrested immediately and let him know I want the hard copy of the orders that prisoner told us about ASAP.'' John called as he headed toward his quarters to clean up. He could wash the blood off but the stain he felt on his soul would take far longer to come off. He had not let that part of himself out in a long time. Now it had been out and he had to cram it back into the deepest and darkest part of himself.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- INNER SYSTEM OF UNK402 IRN Riptide- Captains Quarters ''John, are you ok? Do you want to Log out and take some time?'' Jeeves called out. ''Thank you, Jeeves, but I cannot log out right now. My ship and crew need me right now, and I cannot leave them twisting in the wind. Leave a report with the Devs though and make sure this Mission Line does not make it to the final version of the expansion.'' John told the concerned AI. ''They have already assured me that this Mission Line was a one-off, meaning whoever found it first got it. They want to know what happens as well because this universe is semi-independent and will keep going without their input. Think of it as a wind-up toy. It''s been wound up and it''s up to us to see where it goes.'' Jeeves responded as John headed into the shower to clean off.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. When he got out the Doc was already banging on the door...time to face the music. "What the Hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea what you have done? You.....are you ok John?" whatever Lieutenant Commander McHaney saw on John''s face stopped him mid-rant. "I am doing as well as I can James, I let out a part of myself I thought I would never see again. How is the prisoner? How is the Marine that was in there with me?" John asked the man. He snorted before he responded "You scared the piss out of him, I mean that in the literal sense not figurative. It will take him weeks to regain full use of his hands though. The Marine was kinda shocked at what you did but also glad you went that far to protect us all. Dammit John, what the hell are we going to do? We cannot go back, FleetComm will only wait so long before they send another ship or list us as a Rogue vessel and have the whole fleet ready to kill us. What are we going to do??" John smiled like he hadn''t done in nearly 15 years "Someone once told me Doc ''if you are losing at a game...cheat, if you are still losing...change the rules if that doesn''t work flip the board and shoot the other guy'' in other words we are going to stop doing what the Admirals Board expects." The Doc smiled and left his captain, the gun was laying on his bed though. ''Kate I want Chief Letts to send someone he trusts over to theRavenon the next shuttle we send over there. I want an estimate to see how long until she is spaceworthy.'' he told the ship''s AI as he left to go to the bridge.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- INNER SYSTEM OF UNK402 IRN Riptide- Bridge The mood of the Bridge was still shocked silence, everyone was still stunned and scared about what had happened. Someone had tried to blow up their home and they had no idea why. John knew he was going to have to tell them why this had all happened sooner rather than later. They had to know why they could not go home now and why they were on the run. The time for secrets was over...'' Kate get me ship-wide on both theRiptideandRavenplease...Attention crews of theRiptideandRaven. As you are aware not long ago conflict erupted between our two vessels. You are all probably wondering why. We are all in the same navy, we all serve the Remnant, why would we fight? The answer is complicated but I am going to tell you. About 20 years ago the Admirals Board took power from the Senate. Now the official version is that this was a seamless transition due to an attack that killed a dozen Senators and their families. What is not known is that the Admirals Board was behind the attack and that 17 ships and over 5000 Sailers and Marines were murdered to cover up the coupe. TheGilded Claw, a ship theRiptidefound was one of those destroyed by the order of the Admirals Board. Now as far as our Official Log went, we never found anything on the wreck because I wanted my ship and crew to be able to go home. Apparently, just finding theGilded Clawwas an automatic Death Sentence because the Admirals Board tried to kill us twice. The first time when the sent a virus that would have emergency vented the wholeRiptideand then when they sent theRavento make sure we died. Now the majority of the Enlisted and Officers of theRavenhad no idea what they had been ordered to do. They were just following orders and once the Junior Officers found out what had happened they immediately restrained and imprisoned all the Senior staff aboard theRavenfor what they had tried to do. Now I am sure a lot of you have questions and I wish I had all the answers but we don''t have time right now. In the next twenty-four hours, we have to run and both theRavenandRiptideare coming with me. Anyone who does not wish to come will be left on one of the habitable moons here in the system with an Emergency Beacon if they want to try their luck with the Admirals Board. For those that wish to stay, please inform Kate, the ship''s AI onboard both vessels. I am not judging you if you wish to stay. To those Intel Division officers and enlisted, you do not have a choice you will be left behind.'' cut transmission Kate'' John sat back in his chair as he studied the display in front of him and thought about everything that had happened. 30 minutes later John was broken from his thoughts by Chief Letts "Sir, I am over on theRavenwith their Chief Engineer Johnson, we have looked at the engines we can maybe save one of the Pulse Engines but the others will have to be taken out. The good news is that the Warp Drive is still operational, we can jump out of the system whenever you want." John thought before he responded, "What do you need to repair that engine Chief and how much time?" John could hear them whispering back and forth before they finally responded "The majority of the engineers from theRavenare staying on Captain. I need all of them released so they can get to work and thirty-six hours if possible." Chief Letts replied. John looked at the display, FleetComm probably expected a response from theRavenin the next three hours and the nearest IRN vessel was forty-eight hours away according to Kate. "Ok Chief Johnson and Chief Letts you got what you need and the time you want. The sooner the better though people. Beg, borrow, and steal what and who you need, I have to have that engine up and running ASAP." John cut the channel and continued to think. ''Kate advise the Marines over there that I am paroling the engineers into the care of Chief Letts.'' ''Message to XO...I need to see you on the bridge ASAP...end message'' He didn''t want to break up his staff or crew but he did not have a choice. He needed to mix up the crews so any hard feelings would be buried sooner rather than later. ''Kate is Commander Smitt back on board or is he still on theRaven?'' John asked the AI. ''He is still on theRavenCaptain, would you like to send him a message or open comms with him?'' Kate told him. John considered his options ''Record message as follows...Commander Smitt due to the recent conflict and due to theRavenbeing under my command I want to intermix the crews so we can bury any lingering feelings as quickly as possible. I will be transferring some of the Officers and Enlisted sailors from theRiptideto theRavenand from theRavento theRiptide. Should we do the same with the Marines?....end message'' His XO strode onto the bridge about that time. "Captain you called?" the XO asked. John considered what he wanted to do and he really didn''t have many options "Rebecca in the next twenty-four hours you will be transferring over to theRavenand assuming Command you will have first Lt. Nick Grimes as your XO and two other officers, two NCOs and twenty enlisted sailors will also transfer from theRiptideto theRaven. Talk to your new XO and Kate I want two NCOs and twenty enlisted sailors from theRaventransferred to theRiptide. Due to all the Senior Officers being compromised on theRavenyou will be stretched pretty thin as far as having officers. In the next hour, we should know who is being left behind also. You will answer ultimately to me, but the day to day running of theRavenwill be up too you. Remember to take up boxing or spend more time at the range and if you need to talk I will be here for you. Congrats Rebecca on your promotion" John told the stunned officer. Over the next hour, John learned they lost a total of seven Officers, one NCO and fifteen Enlisted on theRavenand surprisingly only five enlisted from theRiptide. No Marines from either ship opted to stay behind. Commander Smitt agreed with John and arranged to transfer one Lt, two NCOs, and their squads. Apparently, the Commander ofRaven''smarines was an old buddy of Smitts from basic and they knew each other very well from back then and they were working well together. In thirty-six hours one way or another, they would be running for their lives and hoping that FleetComm wouldn''t find them. Chapter 14- Friends in the Dark XARANX SPACE- EDGE OF THE THORIN SYSTEM IRN Riptide- Bridge As theRiptideandRavendropped out of warp on the edge of the Thorin system, the captain noted that not much had changed just what ships were in orbit. Warships and trade vessels still orbited the station and the fourth planet. Shuttles and cargo carriers darted here and there between the station and orbiting ships. This time though John wasn''t here alone, this time he had another ship that was obviously damaged and in need of repairs. Before they could signal the station the stations docking master had already contacted them "Welcome backRiptide, we are surprised to see you again so soon. How can we be of assistance today?" Captain Port smiled at the dock masters tone, "I am sorry you won''t be seeing much business from us, I need to schedule an emergency meeting with the Xaranx Ambassador if at all possible though and I will personally be spending some time on the station to reconnect with some old acquaintances." John replied promptly. Over the last five days, theRiptideandRavenhad been in warp, John had been making discreet inquiries on the Beta forums trying to find old friends that had made it into the Beta. He had found about thirty that had made it, but most were to wrapped up in storylines or too far away to assist him. Enough though had responded that they could make an Alliance with promises from the others to signup as soon as they could. "Understood Captain Port. We will transmit some coordinates to your ship where theRavenandRiptidemay keep station while you are here." As the ships made their way to their parking spot a half dozen system frigates, ships that were not much bigger then gunships took up station around them and a destroyer moved within three light minutes of their location. Standard safety measures John assumed when multiple alien military vessels showed up. If it turned into a fight though, he had left standing orders for Rebecca to turn and run while theRiptidecovered her escape. As John walked out on the launch bay he saw Smitt talking to the Sergeant that would be leading his escort team while he was on the station. All the Marines were armed with side-arms and knives, John had his personal weapon and a hold-out knife in case things went bad. All the Marines were living weapons with Augmentations and anyone who discounted them in a fight was in for a rude awakening. John hadn''t had the time yet to check out possible augmentations that he qualified for or that he could get. All of John''s senior staff had more duties now so everyone was becoming stressed out, although he wanted to give the crews some shore leave he could not afford to incase the Imperium came looking for them. ''Jeeves as soon as we get on the station, slip into the local network and find out where we are supposed to meet our friends. You know what to look for.'' John''s comm piece beeping in his ear was his only acknowledgment. All the Marines were on edge, between the combat with theRavenand not having a home they were very stressed out. He was working on finding the second, but hopefully, they would find a temporary home soon. In all honesty, seeking sanctuary with the Xaranx was a long shot, but they needed a ship dock where they could repair theRavenand safe harbor until John found the permanent home. Jeeves had been working non stop on the old data cores they had found in UNK527 and the data from UNK521 to try and find the new home they desperately needed. It was another long shot, he didn''t even know if the station was intact, if it had ever been finished, or the state of the current system was.
XARANX SPACE- THORIN SYSTEM Trade Station- Landing Bay John was brought out of his thoughts by the jarring of the shuttle landing in the launch bay and the pilot clearing us for disembarking from the shuttle. Waiting for him was a Xaranx administrator with two guards, the guards eyeballed the marines but ignored John. "Sir, the Ambassador was told by the stations'' administration that you needed an emergency meeting if you will follow me I will lead you to his office and he will see you as soon as he can." After waiting for nearly thirty minutes, enjoying the locals equivalent of tea, fruit, and cookies he was finally admitted into the Ambassadors office. "It is good to see you again Captain. I honestly thought it would be months before I saw you again, yet it has been only a couple weeks and you requested an emergency meeting no less. How can the Xaranx help you today?" the friendly alien asked. John considered his words with care before speaking them "I am sure the station told you that one of the ships that came with me had been heavily damaged. To point it bluntly Sir, we are on the run from our government and we are seeking a safe harbor to effect repairs and maybe even political asylum if I cannot find a new home for my people soon." The Ambassador sat back in his chair and looked at the captain in quiet consideration "I am going to need to know why Captain before I forward your request to my superiors. Sanctuary would require a very good reason for us to go against the strongest power in this region of space and might even cause my people into a war they don''t want." John nodded his head at the Ambassador''s request "If you do not know, the Imperium is run by the Admirals Board with the Senate in support of them. Twenty years ago that was not the case, the Senate ran the civilian side and the Board ran the military and answered to them. That changed when a terrorist blew up a well-loved and respected Senator, some his closest allies, and all their families. The reason for the attack was a lie, the attack was perpetrated by the Admirals board. Then when word got out in the fleet about what they did, they slaughtered seventeen ships and their crews over five thousand sailers and marines died to cover up what they did.'' John explained before continuing. ''Recently my ship found one of the wrecks of the destroyed ships and the Captain left a very detailed log of what happened. My Senior Staff and I were going to let what happened lie and just sit on the evidence and keep it in case anything happened to us. The Admirals Board didn''t give us an option though, within thirty minutes of us filing the report of finding the ship they sent a message back that had an imbedded virus that would have vented my ship, then they sent another vessel to make sure we were dead. We got in a fight and won, but the other vessel is relatively intact and the majority of the crew had no idea what the senior staff had been ordered to do and when they found out they sided with us. I am not asking you to go to war, just safety for my crews and ships while we repair theRaven." John pleaded with the Ambassador. "I will forward your request Captain, but I am sure they will not offer asylum and they might not offer a safe harbor for very long. I am going to send you some coordinates for a shipyard my government has had dealings with in the past. They are neutral with everyone and have friends in very high places with every major power in this sector except the Imperial Government. I would suggest you go there. It will be expensive but they are very discreet. I wish it was within my power to grant you Sanctuary captain but I cannot. I hope you will not judge my people too harshly and that we are still your friends. You will have your response within 24 standard hours." With that John was dismissed from the Ambassadors office, his next stop was to go the Stations Admin offices to pick up an Application for an Alliance. He wouldn''t have to pay anything until he officially registered it.
XARANX SPACE- THORIN SYSTEM Trade Station- Down Below After John got the application, he dismissed his escort and told them to go get some food and one drink on his dime. The Sgt started to object, but John told him where he was going and that his meeting required discretion and that a squad of marines would scare them off. He also told him that if the meeting went sideways to come running with guns blazing. John went to the nearest elevator and went down ten levels. ''Sir, I highly protest meeting your friends in this area of the station. It is the...roughest part of the station and I predict that you have a forty percent chance at getting shot even before the meeting starts after it starts the chances rise.'' Jeeves called out over John''s comm unit.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ''Jeeves my friend a discussion that will include forming an Alliance on the sole purpose of gaining enough strength to bring down the Admirals Board requires discretion. All the common areas above us are being watched and recorded 24/7. The Pit, the bar I am going to, is well known for being out of the way and a place where people can discuss topics that might cause problems with various authorities. Now if you do not mind I am trying to concentrate on my surroundings so I do not get shot.'' John responded to the worried AI. As John walked into the Pit, more than one face turned and noted his entrance. Those people John didn''t worry about, it was the ones that ignored him and tried to blend with the background that he watched. Imperials (Humans in general) were not well-liked in this part of the galaxy, most if not all the patrons should have looked at him. After the Fall the Imperial government stepped on a lot of necks and corpses to consolidate power in this sector and a lot of people remembered that. So he noted those people and walked up to the bar and placed twenty-five Universal credits down. "I am here for the meeting. I want a drink and shot." the Bartender got the shot and drink made and placed them in front of the bar before telling him where to go "To my left is a door with security in front of it. He will let you through. If a fight breaks out, whoever starts it, pays for the damages. A dampening field is in place so no one can record or send transmissions out. You are the first to arrive, enjoy your stay." with that the bartender replied before ignored him. John took the shot and grabbed the drink and headed for the bouncer who nodded him and let him through. The room was large, with a dampening field generator on the center of the table so everyone could see that it was active and working. The table could easily seat twelve people and have a spare room. One entire wall was one-way glass looking out onto the main bar so people in the room could monitor who was going in and out. A fully stocked bar sat in one corner and another door leading away from the bar and probably back alley in case the people in the room needed to leave quickly. Before he had left, he had gotten an injection of nanites that would filter out any alcohol and poisons that hit his blood system. Five minutes later the first pair entered the bar, it was a Cyborg/Human. He was six feet five inches tall and probably weighed about two hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds of muscle and metal. Jimmy Carmichael, he was a former gun runner and Merc, but a solid individual that had saved his ass on more than one occasion. The slight slip of a girl that was next to him, Natalie, was an expert assassin and spy. Those that underestimated her usually died very quickly. A married couple that had been playing video games for over twenty years together. Pro gamers that had three kids and five grandkids, good people to have your back. Sam Hayen, a Merc pilot that was good enough to even give John problems. They had competed against each other more times then they could count, but they respected each other and had warned each other whenever bounties had gone out on the other and where. Daniel Pride-He went Imperial like John, but he was a fighter jock with experiences running cargo vessels as well. Jamie Cunningham, another Cyborg Human, that could find precious metals in an Ion Storm and a former member of the Rock Breakers Alliance. More and more kept coming until twelve other people filtered into the room. All of them old friends and people he trusted with his life. "Ok people, we can catch up later. I do not know how much time we have before this little meeting goes to shit. So let''s get settled down so I can throw you my pitch.'' John called out. They all chuckled and started taking seats. ''Now, before I say anything else if you DO NOT want to ruin your reputation with the Imperial Government and Navy leave now otherwise stay seated." Only Sam stood up ''Hey people this is my surprised face that John has only been playing the for a little bit but already has the most powerful faction in the Beta up his ass wanting to kill him....just like old times" Catcalls and cheers were his only response while John blushed in embarrassment. "Thank you for the admiration and praise, Sam. By staying you all agree to listen....ok let''s get started. My AI is forwarding information about the Imperial Government and about something that happened twenty years ago and what happened recently. As far as the Imperials are concerned theRiptideandRavenare rogue ships, to those who are mercs I am sure you will receive an alert about us within the next twenty-four hours if not sooner. The Admirals Board staged a coup that got a lot of people killed and took power. Now you are probably wondering what I can do about that alone. So far, I got two ships backing me and their crews. I am hoping that you guys will sign on and join us as well. I want to found an Alliance that will stand up against these people and unite this sector before it gets opened up to the rest of the Galaxy when the Beta ends. I know I am asking a lot out of all of you, but if I didn''t think we could win I wouldn''t stand and fight. I would just be running. So please consider joining me in this fight." Grumbling and whispers were his only response, not the response John was hoping for. Then of all the people to stand, it was Natalie who did. "What is the catch. You always have some ace up your sleeve that turns the tide, a trump card that completely turns the game around. So what is it this time John?" She asked before sitting down again. John tried to look innocent before his signature shit-eating grin broke out on his face. One that hundreds of enemies had seen right before John won a conflict and a grin every single at this table knew too well. Sam started laughing so hard he cried "I missed that smile. The Admirals Board is going to regret ever fucking with you. Seriously how in the short time that you have been playing did you find a trump card that would allow you to stand against the biggest power in this sector of space...." John just smiled "Sheer dumb luck, and yes I have a trump card. I just need some time which is why I came here asking for a safe harbor with theXaranx. The Ambassador does not think highly of my chances of gaining it though. He gave me an alternative port to make repairs though that is neutral to the region and has no ties to the Imperial Government." Jimmy winced "If you are going where I think you are going DO NOT expect a warm welcome. They hate Imperials and humans in general. Its calledBlack Hole station, no secrets get in or out. Think of it as a mix of Mos Eisley from Star Wars and Nowhere from Guardians of the Galaxy and you are close to the feel of the place. Nat and I spawned there and almost didn''t get out. Since you are Rogues running from the rest of the Imperial Remnant Navy, they might help you or blow you up. You won''t know until you show up. We would go with you but both of us still have open bounties on us there." Jamie stood and talked "I have some contacts there. I can send a message as soon as we are done here and see if they are willing to harbor you and repair your ship. As far as signing up for an Alliance, if you want me you got me." with that she sat down. With that, the Heirs of the Imperium had the second signature. "What type of hierarchy are we looking at?" Daniel asked. "Good question, I want a council representing every branch including Marines, C&C, R&D, Miners..etc but no more than nine members. It''s all in the charter. Jeeves should have sent you a copy of it with the information dump." John responded. Over the next ten minutes, every person there signed the charter and the meeting broke up and people started talking about old times. ''Alert Captain, the bartender just told the Mercenary that you and several of your friends are back here. He has locked down the external route and I am trying to hack his system. Prepare for conflict!!'' the AI stated in his ear...SHIT!!! John smashed the dampening field generator, hit the comm unit on his wrist that would send an Omega signal to the squad of Marines. Hopefully, they were not drunk and would come running. Natalie immediately noticed what John did and shoved two people out of the way so John had a clear field of fire on the Bartender. That bastard took two shots out of three to the face before John switched to a Merc that was carried a pulse cannon, how he was carrying that around the station without having station security up his ass John wondered but then he got shot in the groin and it really didn''t matter. Screaming and pandemonium ensued which worked real well cause it gave time for all his friends to find cover and draw weapons. John decided he loved Cyborgs at that moment because one of Jimmy''s arms transformed into an energy shield and the other became a shotgun that promptly blasted a merc that tried to jump through the opening John had made. Jamie called out quickly "Frag Out" and fired a grenade through one of the windows. Now you might be thinking detonating a fragmentation grenade in an enclosed space is a bad idea. You are correct but we had covered and they didn''t. Three mercs were blown to gory bits and another two were left screaming, crying and bleeding on the ground. That''s when Natalie joined the fight. Did I ever tell you that she was an Assassin and that she had real-world combat experience and training. Combine that with full immersive game and you got one scary mother fucker, she easily finished the remaining mercs and slit the throats of the dying ones. "Looks like we have worn out our welcome people. I am going to make sure the Charter gets processed then I am going to get the hell off this station. As soon as I got a base of operations set up I will send you guys coordinates to meet up. I would suggest you all get off the station while you can. Jamie, please let me know what your contacts say from Blackhole Station, my AI just sent you comm channel you can use to contact me. Everyone else, I will see you when I get our new home set up." With that, John darted off to meet the incoming Marines before they did something stupid like blow up the station to get to him or start a war with people he was really trying to be friends with. He left the looting to his friends. ALERT... Your relationship with...Reaper Company...has deteriorated toHated. Continued assaults on their personnel can start a conflict between their faction and you. ALERT... Well if you guys don''t like dying don''t send your people after me or my friends. Idiots. Chapter 15- Deals and the Road to War XARANX SPACE- EDGE OF THE THORIN SYSTEM IRN Riptide John looked out at the planet below, the Xaranx had agreed to give the Human ships Safe Harbor for forty-eight hours but had denied them political asylum. Forty of those hours had already passed. John had authorized passes for the enlisted to the planet in eight-hour increments. He was taking a huge risk but his people needed to get their minds off the stress they had endured. TheRavenwas undergoing some finale repairs to her engines before they left. Both vessels had moved into orbit around the planet and stayed on station on the sunward side of the planet and were hooked into the sensor net that Thorin Station used. If any Imperial vessels showed up they would have about an hour warning and they would need every minute to get everyone off the surface and back on the ships. It also allowed John to reorganize his command staff. Lieutenant Birge was moved up from Command of Third Shift to acting XO of theRiptide, Lieutenant Jim O''Hansen was promoted to acting Commander of Third Shift, Ensign Sties from Third Shift was moved to First Shift, and Ensign Daniels was moved to Third Shift from First so O''Hansen would not work with a complete green crew. Lieutenant Borden was placed in command of Second Shift based off of his former XOs recommendation. The only officer that had complained at all had been the former navigation officer O''Hansen, who thought he would make a horrible commander. John told him to suck it up. All the crew would be back aboard theRiptideandRavenwithin the next seven hours. They already had the coordinates for Black Hole Station, although Jamie had reached out to her contacts there they had not been able to get the Governer to agree to repair theRaven, they had only managed to get a peaceful face-to-face meeting between John and the being who ran the Shipyard. O''Hansen had already plotted the jump in the navigation computer. It would take the two ships a little over three days to get there. Jeeves and Kate had made some headway with decoding the coordinates of where the system with theStalwart-class station was. John had at first not wanted to overburden the ship''s A.I., but with more and more depending on them finding the system he had not had a choice but to divulge one of his secrets. She had been mad originally because she thought he didn''t trust her but when she learned that he hadn''t wanted to burden her further she had forgiven him.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- EDGE OF THE MANHYM SYSTEM IRN Riptide- Bridge A little over 80 hours later... As theRiptideandRavenpunched into normal space in what the locals called theManhymsystem, both ships were scanned by the Orbital defenses and mobile defenses. Although most of the locals disliked the fact that Imperial ships had arrived since the Governor and Owner ofBlack Hole Stationallowed it they did not have a choice but to leave them alone. "Sir, we have been scanned and Docking control has given us some coordinates on where we can take station. I am sending them to you now. They also said to take the proscribed route and if we did not they would not be held liable for any mishaps." the sensor/comm officer called out as both the coordinates and route popped up on the helm display. John also noted that six destroyers had taken up station around the two Imperial vessels as they moved deeper into the system. TheRiptidematched the best speed theRavencould make and at their current speed they would arrive on station with forty-five minutes. "Well people we got here safe and sound and no one has gotten hurt. Remember people this is the best bet we have of getting theRaveninto combat shape. We need them, they do not need us. Comms, make sure theRavenis aware of the Dock Masters instructions and follow our lead." John called out as he worked the controls on the navigation console. What no one was aware of is that only John would be going toBlack Hole Station. He wasn''t going to put any of the crew in more danger than they already were. Kate and Jeeves were the only ones aware and he had ordered both not to tell anyone until after he had left. "I am here to relieve you, Captain." Lt. O''Hansen cheerfully called out to the bridge. John looked at him sternly "Lieutenant you are here to relieve me of the Navigation and Command responsibilities, act like it. Do no cause problems and for god''s sake do not fire first." John called out as he left the bridge. ''Captain, is there anything I can say or do to convince you to at least take a squad of marines with you?'' Kate asked. ''Relax Kate, you have plenty to worry about without adding more to your plate. If you have time to worry about me you are not spending enough time decrypting those old databases and our best chance to fight the Admirals Board. Now I know you are worried about me but I want you to concentrate on our crew and family. Please.'' John called as the AI went silent.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- INNER MANHYM SYSTEM IRN Riptide- Launch Bay For the next ten minutes, John finished prepping the shuttle for launch as theRiptidefinally reached the coordinates of her station. As he pulled away from the ship Smitt suddenly called from the passenger cabin "So Captain, where we going on this fine day??" Son-of-a-Bitch!!!!.... "Which AI told you I was leaving the ship?" John asked without turning around. Smitt let out a deep chuckle "Neither one told me. Do you remember when we boarded the pirate ship and you almost got yourself killed...well I do. After that, I low-jacked your sidearm so if it ever left your quarters I would know. When I noticed that it was in the launch bay I knew you were going to do something stupid so I decided to come along just in case you needed backup." John considered what the Marine had said "If we were still in the military I would write you up for insubordination. Your lucky we are both considered rogue officers....and Jacob, Thanks." John smiled as he flew closer to the station "Attention shuttle, this is docking control. Follow beacon 3598.1257 into docking bay Alpha five. You will be met by station security." the comm buzzed "Roger that docking control following 3598.1275 to bay Alpha five," John responded. As the shuttle settled and the airlock cycled. John and Jacob checked their weapons. John only had a visible sidearm and knife, he also had a holdout knife and a hidden sonic grenade. Jacob had similar armaments, just more of both the apparent and hidden. When the door opened six guards were waiting, the lead guard simply stated. "Follow me and don''t cause any trouble." John turned to Jacob "Blunt and simple, I like it." he quipped as he followed the guards. Within fifteen minutes they had reached the office of the ''Governor'' where of course they were relieved of all weapons with the promise of their return when they left. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- INNER MANHYM SYSTEM Blackhole Station As John entered the office he was surprised, it was anAquatic-Thalonianof all species that were running this place. They had been well-known allies of theImperium. What had happened to garner such dislike from them he wondered. "Welcome Captain to my home. I am Aran''Sul, can I get you a drink or snack before we proceed?" the Thalonian asked. "Thank you for the warm welcome Aran''Sul, I am John Port, and this is Jacob Smitt. I am would appreciate some water for my friend and myself, if it''s not too much of a bother. Then I would like to get down to business." John responded as he tried to remember everything he could aboutThalonians. While theThraxhad been the backbone of the military, the brightest minds of theThalonianspecies served theImperium. They developed the most cutting edge tech in the whole galaxy and had been the oldest supporters of humanity before the Fall. "Now from what I understand you wish to replace four engines on the IRNRaven. I would recommend that you replace all six engines captain so that the system isn''t in any sort of imbalance. It might add some time to the retrofit, but in the long run, it would be better for you and your crew." As the Governor talked a halo display lit up to display theRavenand highlighted the section that was damaged and needed to be replaced. "Based on the costs of components, materials, and work crews it will cost you two million Galactic Credits and will be done within four weeks." John nearly spat out the water in his mouth when he heard the price, he knew this guy had an axe to grind but damn... "Sir, I understand only two of those engines are operational but you will get components and raw materials from all of them. All of them have fifty pounds of Platinum and other precious metals in them. You could easily get seven hundred and fifty thousand Galactic Credits on the open market from the metals in the wrecked engines. On the Black Market, you will even get more. All together you will net one and a half million in profits from those engines and I will pay you six hundred thousand and the work will be done in three days." John countered. The Governor smiled "Nothing less than one million and two weeks time." John was getting mad, he had made more then a reasonable offer "What happened? Why do you hate humans so much?" John was done with being nice, he was cut to the heart of the matter and find out why this guy was so pissed and screwing them over. "You humans, so arrogant. You act as theImperiumis perfect without flaws when its the most corrupt and brutal governments in this sector. Unless you are a human, they treat everyone around them like animals and insects to be crushed at a whim. My people had colonized a world forty years ago, then eighteen years ago theImperiumshowed up and demanded we pay taxes and obey their laws or to leave. They Annexed our world because they could and thought they had a right to it. If they would have asked we might have joined of our own free will. When we told them no, they bombed our settlements and slaughtered my people. Then the survivors were driven from the world. That is theImperiumI know and that is why I hate humans." John was stunned silent. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. He understood that aliens were treated as second class citizens within theImperiumbut he never thought they treated their neighbors. "You are right, that is brutal and wrong. You are right the currentImperiumis corrupt and brutal in the way it treats non-humans but the way I was brought up was that the Idea of theImperiumis to bring together the best and brightest for the betterment of all. That theImperiumserves and protects all of its people, human and non-human alike. That those who wish to join us can, but we do not force others to join us. If I had been me there I would have refused such an order. I would have never let your people get slaughtered like that. Do you know why I need theRavenrepaired? It has to be repaired because that ship had orders to make sure theRiptideand everyone on it was dead. The Admirals Board ordered our death because we found out a coup had succeeded and then covered up. They slaughtered over five thousand humans to gain power and then covered up their secret. I am trying to protect my people. Please help us and I promise you I will tear down that institute that is corrupt and that the people that slaughtered yours will be held accountable." John finished his rant. Aran''Su stood and walked away from the two humans. The human John had given him much to consider and from the dealings that he had been a part of over the years with their species, he had learned to judge them. From what he could tell, John was not lying, but if he was...."Say I believe you, Captain. If I found out you are lying, I will make sure you find no safe harbor anywhere and that every government in this sector will hate and hunt you. Do you understand me, John??" John considered Aran''Su, the alien had a deep pain and had earned his hatred but he could not hate all humans for the actions of a few. "I understand Arun''Su and standby my story." The Governor nodded before responding and offering his hand "Then we have an agreement 600 thousand and the work will be done in 3 days." John considered his next words, words that would force him and his people down the road of war that he didn''t want. He had not started the fight, but he would finish it. "I want to amend the agreement, I will pay you 1 million credits for the repairs and two favors. One you use your contacts to spread the proof of what I have with every government that will listen, it will prove that the Admirals Board is an illegitimate government. Second, I want you to give me a recording of your testimony about what happened to your colony and copies of any hard evidence for our official records please." The Thalonian was surprised but he quickly agreed with the new arrangement. "We have a kiosk for the Galactic bank that you can access outside, as soon as 50% of the payment has been received we will give your ship a docking slip and will start work immediately. You will have what you want before you leave and in the next couple of weeks, I will pass on your proof to every government I know. Include a way to contact you, I am sure some of them will want to talk to you directly." (Secret) Mission Complete: Message in a Bottle (Stage 2) Description: Instead of ignoring or covering up what your people have done, you have shared the information with someone of importance that will send shockwaves throughout the sector. You have also founded an Alliance on the premise of standing against your current government. The flames of war always start with just one spark. Rewards: 1000 Experience, Black Hole Station (Faction) now considers you in a favorable light (this will affect prices for work you bring them), other unknown consequences will be revealed with time (Secret) Mission Issued: Road of Rebellion (Stage 1) Description: You have taken the first steps to establish an Open Rebellion against the Imperial Government, specifically the Admirals Board. To overthrow them you will need Allies, a base of operations, spies, financing, weapons, and fleets. Above all else, you will have to have an unbreakable will if you have any hope at succeeding. Establish an Alliance: Heirs of the Imperium (Incomplete) Have a base of Operations: Incomplete Have three legitimate governments recognize and support your rebellion: 0/3 Rewards: 1000 Experience, Unknown, Road of Rebellion (Stage 2) Diplomacy Stat: Unlocked Description: Not everything can be solved by fists or weapons. Sometimes you have no choice but to sit down and talk about your problems. You have unlocked the subtle art of diplomacy. (To increase this stat, form trade deals, diplomatic agreements, alliances with foreign powers, in other words, use your words to change an opponents mind) With an agreement made, John and Aran''Su shook hands and took the first steps toward an unknown future. Chapter 16- Remnant of the Past, Hope of the Future UNCLAIMED SPACE- Edge of the Manhym System IRN Riptide- Bridge John sat and watched as theRavenran through a series of maneuvers at full speed testing out her new engines at full power. This was going to be the last test of the new components before they left theManhym System. Jeeves and Kate had gotten lucky and had finally broken the code on the old Archives and Databases. They now knew where theStalwart Stationwas located at. Based on the coordinates, it would take them a little over five days to get there. To safeguard the location John had planned a three-part jump that included dropping the two ships out of warp in deep space. Between the two A.I.s, O''Hansen, and John they had planned it out. The two ships would be slaved together so they would not be lost in deep space without knowing where the other was. Their finale jump would drop them right on the edge of theAtlantis Systemdue to the fact they did not know what defenses had been put in place. The old Imperium had been almost insane in defending the location of this base, both Jeeves and Kate agreed if they had not had multiple sources that they would probable taken years to decode the data and figure out the coordinates. John had sent a message that he had the finale location to Natalie and that he would have scouted the location within the week. His fellow Alliance members had slowly recruited several new members that they trusted that would become active as soon as the Alliance had a base of operations and the Alliance Registration had been filed. Jimmy and his wife already had a plan to exfil several members from Imperial space as soon as the Registration was filed for the members that could not make it to the meeting onBlackrock Station(Trade/Fleet Station run by the Xaranx). It was a mixed crew of fighter pilots, engineers, a couple of R&D eggheads, Command personnel, and one Intel Officer (He wanted to be James Bond). The Intel guy had not been able to dig up much on what they had on theRiptideandRaven, it was to highly classified under the Codename: Judas. Jimmie stated that they would run six different teams of mercs throughout Imperial space and all would grab the people at the same time. Everyone knew that theManhym Systemwas the rally point for the Alliance. Aran''Sul was aware that other members of Johns Alliance would be making their way to theManhym systemdue to security. The Governor had fulfilled his promise on giving him a recording of his statement about the human attack on his former home and copies of any evidence that he had as well. He also promised that he would reach out to other survivors to see if they would be willing to go on the record as well. Over the next five days, John would spend most of that time doing any research he could on what the capabilities of the station and anything he could find on theAtlantis System. From but very little Intel was known about the system in-game, nothing had been in the historic Imperial databases. So either the information had been scrubbed or the system had been scouted and settled for the express reason to construct theStalwart Stationand its existence had been classified from the beginning. Both Jeeves and Kate believed that the second reason was more plausible. ''Captain, Captain Stein as requesting you on the comm line, shall I patch her through?'' Kate alerted him. ''Go ahead Kate''..."Captain Stein, How is theRavenrunning. From out here, it looks pretty good." John responded. "TheRavenis running dam near perfect Sir. I am happy, Chief Johnson is happy, and the yard Engineers are happy and wanting to go home." Rebecca Stein replied. "Ok, get back to the dock and unload the extra bodies. I will pay the bill and we can get out of here. Meet theRiptideat the rondevu point Alpha and before we go I need to see you face to face on theRiptide." John commanded the junior Captain. "Understood Sir, I will see you at point Alpha in about an hour." with that Captain Stein cut the channel. ''Kate signal Beta shift to get us underway and to point Alpha. Then get Aran''Sul on the comm line please'' John requested. Thirty seconds later the Governor appeared before him "So my friend, did my Engineers do everything that you expected?" Aran''Sul asked. "From what my people tell me that they did a very good job. I just wanted to thank you one more time for your assistance and for your continued help in the endeavor to bring down the Admirals Board. I won''t forget it. You should be seeing more Human Travelers coming to your system within the next couple weeks that are Allies of mine. The Imperium should not show up, we covered our tracks well coming here. After I get done talking to you I will authorize the rest of your payment. Do you need anything before we leave the system?" John told the Governor who quickly responded. "Thank you for the payment. The only request I have is for you to stay alive and fulfill the promise you gave. Safe journey and until I see you again. Stay as safe as you can." With that Aran''Sul cut the line. ''Kate, authorize the finale payment for repairs please and notify me as soon as Rebecca gets on board or we have an emergency. Otherwise, I would like to not be disturbed.'' the chirp of his comm was the only response as John continued to stare at the void and planned and hoped.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- Edge of the Manhym System IRN Riptide Sometime Later... "Reporting as ordered Sir." John was pulled from his thoughts as Rebecca Stein stood in front of him. "Oh, I apologize Rebecca I was lost in my own thoughts and worries. At ease, this is a completely informal meeting to inform you of some things and make sure you are aware of others." John responded. "Well since we are being informal John, you look like shit. You need a shower, shave and food. You cannot keep going like this otherwise the crew is going to start losing faith in you and you are going to make mistakes that are going to kill people. Now, what did you need to tell me? After that, you need to get some food, sleep, shower, and shave. In that order. You hear me Kate and Jeeves." Rebecca quickly had the two AIs on her side. "Alright, alright. I understand and you are right. Now before we go on, you are aware that I am a Traveler correct?'' Rebecca quickly nodded her head ''Good, well I have created an Alliance of Travelers to assist in bringing down the Admirals Board and to assist in creating a real Imperial Government, not the mockery that stands today. Once we have a base of operations the Alliance will be ratified and currently has only thirteen signed members with about another forty waiting to sign as soon as the ratification is complete. Now the base I am hoping to find was a highly classified station that was being constructed during the war. I do not know if the station is intact, or if it was even finished. If it is there and intact it will give us a real chance at not only surviving but winning the coming war. So now you know almost everything. Kate, Jeeves, O''Hansen and I planned the Jumps out to our new safe haven. TheRavenandRiptidewill be slaved together and the duration of the trip will be about five days long give or take a couple of hours. So unless we have some unforeseen emergency I need you to make sure your crew gets as much rest as they can because I feel once we get there we will have to hit the ground running and it will be some time until we have any downtime. Any questions?" Rebecca was stunned silent for the first time in a long time "Do you mind me asking what kind of station we are looking for?" Rebeccas asked after gathering herself. John was reluctant but she had followed him into rebellion so a little faith in her was needed as well "Keep in mind I do not know if it is intact or ever finished. The station we are looking for is aStalwart Class station and I think its the only way we can bring down the Admirals Board.'' John had thought he had stunned her before, this time she sank to her knees in disbelief. ''Breath Rebecca, breath. It''s ok. This is a good thing. Even if the station is not there we have a large system that no one in the Imperium knows about that has a large number of untapped resources. Either way, we win." Rebecca shook herself and responded. "You are right John and I will talk to my officers about resting our crew. Thank you for showing faith in me by giving me command of the Raven and telling me about what you found I will not forget it. If you have nothing else I would like to get back to my ship so we can get out of here John and find our new home." John laughed stood up and shook her hand and dismissed the stunned officer. Thirty minutes later they were on the way to parts unknown.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- Edge of the Atlantis System IRN Riptide- Bridge Five and a half days later... The Raven and Riptide approached a long-forgotten system. "Remember people, this is a combat insertion. We do it by the book and assume we might take fire as soon as we drop out of warp. We go into stealth mode as soon as our systems are stable and standby on both weapons and shields. Tactical, that means I want every PDC manned and ready. Hold off on launching Sensor and Combat drones until we got the all-clear from Ensign Sties. Ensign Sties, remember passive sensors only, if we get in the system without being noticed I do not want to give our position away by using the active sensors." TheRavendid not have theRiptidestealth suite so the only thing she could do was have as many systems as she could to cut down on emissions. Thirty seconds later both ships came to a jarring halt on the edge of the system, John waited thirty seconds after insertion before barking at the command deck "Talk to me people what do we got?" the officers shook themselves into action. "Tactical is clear, all stations stand manned and ready...Sensors, we are clear out to five light minutes, not picking up any EM or heat signatures besides theRaven. We are not getting pinged and I am detecting no Comm traffic within thirty light minutes." the bridge officers sounded off. John smiled "Ok, good work people. Keep us in stealth, launch all sensor drones I want a three hundred and sixty degree net at five light minutes out. Have missiles and pulse cannons stand down but keep the PDCs manned and ready. Kate cut the slave software between theRavenandRiptideand let Captain Stein know that we are moving out on our scouting mission. Good work people, all of you."This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Thirty seconds later theRiptidestarted spiraling inward toward the system. Based on the information on the other Stalwart stations, it should have been built in orbit of one of the habitable planets. From what Jeeves and Kate had recovered planets one and two were barren rocks only fit for low-grade mining operations, planets three through five were in the green zone and had both atmospheres and the right gravities to support organic life, planet six was a gas giant, planet seven and eight were again barren rocks. As theRiptidegot closer to her goal, the tactical display constantly updated and John hoped that his gut feeling was right. It would take theRiptideabout twenty hours to get close enough to the inner system to scan the Green Zone planets for anything.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- Inner Atlantis System IRN Riptide- Bridge Nineteen Hours later... John was back on the bridge again, he had come on early and relieve O''Hansen of Command but not his station. He had asked the navigator to stay on for the next couple hours so he could have a full staff on the bridge in case anything happened. The long-distance scan of planet five was already underway, so far no radio, electronic, or man-made heat signatures had been detected. Plenty of land, forests, and natural resources though. Plenty of wildlife but they had not detected anything fully sentient. For the next half hour, John watched the tactical display fill up with information on the inner system including confirmation of the two asteroid belts. That''s when he noticed Ensign Sties face twitching "Ensign Sties, what''s the matter? You got something for us?" John asked the man. "Sir, I think I am picking up a long-range communications array around orbit around planet four, but it''s not giving off any signals, I think I am also picking up satellites in orbit that might be a part of a sensor net. Until we get closer I will not know for sure but if it is a sensor net, it will probably pick us up." Ensign Sties reported but does not look up from his station or the readings that are appearing there. John nodded his head, "Navigation keep it low and slow. Let''s stay frosty people." Five minutes later it all changed, "Captain that is a sensor net, and it is actively scanning now. It doesn''t have a lock on us yet though. I am also picking up incoming, I count twenty-four fast-moving object vectoring in our general area. My best guess is either Fighters or Bombers. They will be able to pick us up in five minutes. Backtracking launch point." Ensign Sties called out quickly. John nodded his head as the tactical plot updated. "Tactical, have the pulse cannons and missile tubes put on standby but DO NOT power them up yet and drop the cloak. Sensors go active and light them up. Push the sensor drones out to fifteen light minutes." The two officers acknowledged his orders ant the tactical display lit up as new information flooded in. "Sir, you are not going to believe it but we gotArrow classInterceptors andDragon class Bombers both of those designs were phased out after the Fall. HOLY SHIT..." Ensign Sties reported surprised. John leaned forward, "Talk to me Ensign, what is out there?" The ensign was stunned speechless but quickly got ahold of himself "Sir, I am confirming it but I THINK I am seeing aStalwartclass station out there. It''s running on minimum power though. So we will have to get closer." John smiled "Navigation plot a course toward that station, I want a communications channel opened up ASAP." The Ensign quickly worked his controls "All channels are open sir, if anyone is over there they will be able to hear us." John thanked him before talking into the open Comm lines "Attention, this is the Imperial Scout shipRiptidecalling anyone on the station please acknowledge. I repeat this is the Imperial vesselRiptide." Within seconds a response was heard, "A beacon is being activated and navigation data is being sent. Follow the instructions or we will destroy your vessel. Confirm receipt." Both Lt O''Hansen and Ensign Sties immediately responded that they had the data. "We acknowledge we have the information." Again they responded within moments "Once your vessel has docked, the Captain and only the Captain at this time will come aboard the station." with that, the comm line was closed. "Sir, theStalwartStations'' main power is coming online. Weapons are powering up but they are not targeting us...yet." Ensign Sties called out... "Like I said before people, stay frosty." While the crew had been resting as much as possible over the transit time, John had been looking up everything he could on the station. Including initial contact protocols. The station was probably being run on automated systems by the AI, it would follow the old Pre-Fall Imperial protocols. Initial contact with previously unknown Imperial vessels was included and they demanded face to face meetings. With that, it had allowed Jeeves and Kate to get the second most important information from the old databases and computer cores. The command code that would allow him access to the station and hopefully control of the station.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- Inner Atlantis System Stalwart Station To say that Smitt was pissed, would be an understatement. John had to order some of his fellow marined to restrain him to prevent him from going with the Captain. He hated it, but John did not have a choice. The protocol did not give him a choice. Five minutes later the airlock cycled and he was aboard a long-dormant station, something that had been lost to time. Waiting for him were four squads of Mechs, each squad was made up of four lightweight, one medium, and one heavy. Anyone of them could have killed him, he was unarmed and didn''t have his armor on either, just the basic uniform. Walking toward him was at first John thought was a human, but the gait was to smooth and he noticed that his eyes glowed as well. It was an Android, a male modal. The Android stopped and stared, he studied John for a few moments before he started talking. "Your uniform is very similar to ours. You MIGHT be Imperial, but if so what has taken you so long to come back? We have been waiting over five centuries.'' suddenly he cocked his head as if he was listening to something before he continued ''My sister is right, I am being rude. Follow me, we are going to the command deck. You must have the command code otherwise we must kill you and destroy your ship. My name is Douglas by the way, May I have your name Captain?" the Android asked. John smiled as he started to follow the AI "Yes, my name is John Port and yes I have the command code. The original one for this station and you have not seen anyone from the Imperium because..well it''s a very long story. If you really want to know it I will tell you and your sister after the command code has been verified and the safety of my crew insured. If you don''t mind telling me. but what is your sister''s name?" As they got on the elevator and started to descend further into the station Douglas responded "My sister''s name is Kara, she is the other AI that runs the station with me. I sense an A.I. with you, is it your ship''s A.I.?" Douglas asked "No, its a personal AI, that I have worked with for a while named Jeeves. If he is willing to talk to you and you want to talk to him I am sure he will have no problem communicating with you. Are their anyone other than your sister, you, and the mechs on the station?" John asked the Android. "No, we have no one else on board. No organics have been alive on this station in over five hundred years when the last of scientists and engineers left. It has been only her and me for so long we appreciate having someone to talk to even if we might have to kill you." with that they arrived at the commander center. More mechs, both combat and support this time appeared running around and another android. A large HALO display with dozens of consoles around it being manned by MECHs. The HALO displayed the system with theRiptidehighlighted as orange. At least they didn''t color her Red, which usually meant hostile, orange meant that it was a clear threat that was neutralized. As Douglas and John approached Kara she turned and smiled, "My brother was not lying Captain we have enjoyed being able to talk to someone else. Even for AIs, after five hundred years we enjoy contact with other beings. Now that you are here we do not have a choice we have to follow the regulations. We need a formal declaration of the Command Code and Confirmation of your ID please." This was it, either he was dead or the station would be his. "Command Code is Alpha, Omega, Delta, 3, Foxtrot, 4, 5, 8, 7. Identity Traveler John Port, Captain of theRiptide, and Founding Member of theHeirs of the Imperium." As soon as he had started the command code every single MECH froze and both Android''s eyes started to glow brighter and as he finished they flashed from orange to blue. The siblings responded in unison, "Command Code detected, Command Code: AUTHORIZED, Identity Confirmed, Alliance...Recognized,Riptide...Recognized and coded as Allied Force. Traveler John Port do you wish to take control of theStalwartStation, codenameAtlantis?" well fuck me sideways it actually worked John thought before he responded. "Yes, I wish to take control ofAtlantis." John quickly said. Again the Androids responded in unison "Confirmed. Transfer of Ownership of StationAtlantis, Transfer of allAtlantisassets, Transfer of theAtlantissystem has been confirmed and is now owned by John Port. It has been confirmed that the being John Port has a personal AI, please stand ready for download." wait, what....oh shit this is going to hurt John thought.....then the biggest headache he had ever had hit him...
UNCLAIMED SPACE- Inner Atlantis System Atlantis Station- Command Deck ''Boss, hey boss, JOHN WAKE UP!!!!''Jeeves screamed at John. "Hold your horses, it feels like I drank a whole bottle of Jack. My head is killing me." John responded to the AI. That is when he noticed he had a halo graphic projection of the old man again, both Douglas and Kara leaned against the main HALO in apparent exhaustion. ''You think that hurt John. You just got the aftereffects of what I filtered out. If I hadn''t you would be dead. They dumped a crap ton of information on me, no wonder when they built this place they installed two AIs, good thing I am better than them otherwise your brain would have melted. It is going to take me a while to filter through it all. Congrats though John you succeded far beyond what you thought.'' Jeeves replied happily. John looked around everything was slowly starting to come back online as the station AIs recovered. "Care to explain what you mean Jeeves, cause I have no idea what you are talking about." That''s when he noticed Jeeves smiling at him...wow Jeeves smiling and if it looked anything like his, no wonder his enemies hated it. It projected complete confidence and smugness at the same time "Here are the highlights, you can tear into the menus later. One, this station is fully operational. Two, because they were finishing it toward the end of the war when the Imperium was racking up a lot of casualties they decided to modify their plans and automated a lot of the systems by adding the MECH forces run by the A.I.s of the station. That filtered down into other designs as well, in other words, you will not have to recruit as many locals and travelers as you thought to run this station and fleets. Three, they have a crapload of raw resources ready to use to build almost anything you could need or want. Four, think of this as the cherry on top before the scientists and engineers left they set a queue up for an entire Fleet to be built, it took them a better part of fifty years but they did it and once they finished Douglas and Kara moved the Fleet into standby mode and they are waiting out there just for you." After John heard what his A.I. said, Jeeves wasn''t the only one with a shit-eating grin. ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: KING OF THE HILL Description: For gaining command of one of Endless Space Online legendary Space Stations without support from fellow travelers or locals you have unlocked this Achievement. Everyone will eventually hear about this dead, some will hate you for it, some will love you for it, but everyone will respect you for doing it alone. (+20 to Diplomacy) Title Unlocked: King of the Hill (This Title, due to the Uniqueness, cannot be hidden) Well, that is interesting. He had more alerts but he was tired and drained. Both Androids were alert and aware of their surroundings again. "Ok, Jeeves can you send an all-clear message to theRiptideto make sure they know that they are safe and so am I. Make sure they relay it to theRavenas well. Douglas and Kara, we have another ship in the system with the nameRaven. It should be moving to our way sooner rather than later, can you make sure they are flagged as friends so they do not get blown up. Roll up your sleeves people we have a ton of work to do." John told the A.I.s Intermission Part 2 UNCLAIMED SPACE- Atlantis System Planet IV- High Orbit Atlantis Station John watched as Kara and Douglas work as they flagged theRavenin their systems as friendly and forwarded them navigation data toward the station. John turned away from the HALO display and looked out of the observation window. He could see the fourth planet below as the station slowly orbited it. He could also see theRiptidedocked in the distance. Both ships had eager crew members waiting to get off the ships and wanting to explore. Until that station had been explored and deemed secure by the Marines and Engineers, they would stay where they were. Already Chief Letts and a team of engineers were on the way down with Commander Smitt and a squad of Marines. Douglas had already agreed to lead the Chief Engineer to the stations'' power plants to make sure everything was ok. "Are you ok John?" Jeeves asked the Captain. "Yes, I am alright, just a little bit overwhelmed by it all. I hoped that we would be able to find this here, but I wasn''t sure we would. Now that we did find it, its overwhelming what we have to do with it. It feels a lot like the calm before the storm if you know what I mean.'' John told the AI. ''The feeling you get when you are at the top of the hill on a roller coaster ride, and you can see the drop and your stomach feels like it''s about to crawl out of your mouth, that is what I am feeling right now and once those elevator doors open, I have to bury those feelings because my people need Captain John Port and not a scared old man that is dying." Jeeves nodded his head in understanding. "Enough sob story, you said this station is operational, what do you mean by that Jeeves? What is it capable of and what can it support?" Jeeves just looked at John for a moment before he responded "I mean that this station can do everything it was designed to do. It can produce everything from fighters to titan level ships. With the weapons they have in the armories you can outfit four divisions of marines before you have to make more equipment. They have a ready R&D lab for both Technological and Biological development. We just need staff, the beings to run these things. It took the station to produce the Fleet out there fifty years because this station wasn''t designed to be completely automatic. Based on what I can find, if this station had been fully staffed it would have taken them five years to produce those ships. Now all these facilities are at the bare basic, no specializations or extra amenities.'' Jeeves explained. ''The basic skeleton crew for this place is two thousand people, travelers or locals it does not matter. Fully staffed is twenty thousand and the station can support up to one hundred thousand beings at a time. Currently, the station has fourArrowSquadrons, fourCorsairSquadrons, and fourDragonSquadrons, all of them are fully automated and operational. Now they have three times that amount boxed up that are not automated, those need pilots. Now we can modify those fighters to be automated as well, but it will take some time." John shook his head no, "I do not mind automated units, it will cut down on our casualties but I am not completely turning everything over to be automated. I am thinking of a three to one ratio as far as squadrons go. One pilot for every three automated ones. I am assuming we can also do this for our ground units?'' Jeeves nodded his head, ''Then each squad of MECH units will be lead by an organic being. This has nothing to do with trust, it has to do with the locals fighting for their civilization and the Travelers came here to fight for a cause, or to support a cause. So we cannot take that away from any of them. What else can you tell me about this station?" Jeeves considered his response before he continued "The station can support up to three whole fleet groups at a time, it has both deep space scanning technology and communication technology as well. So let''s say you wanted to talk to the Governor ofBlack Holestation, you could but that place is at the extream end without any comm boosters. Now the sensors can detect any ships moving through warp up to one hundred light-years out, so we will know if a ship is coming here up to four days before it actually gets here. Now you are wondering why they didn''t detect us, well they had all secondary systems powered down and all primary systems running on standby mode. If you are looking for combat specs on the station I can list those also but it will take a while and we are about to have company. Also, theRavenshould dock in thirty minutes." with that, the A.I. disappeared. "I am going to ask Kara and Douglas to build you a body so you cannot disappear like that in the future" John called after the AI, but he only had his comm unit chirp in response. Kara and Douglas had been listening in and both laughed at what John had said and what Jeeves had done in return.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- Atlantis System Planet IV- High Orbit Atlantis Station- Command Deck As the doors opened, Commander Smitt and a squad of Marines entered the Command Deck. The Marines swept the deck for possible hostiles while Smitt just walked up to John and hit him. Immediately every Marine had at least two MECHs targeting them and Smitt had the full attention of the two Androids and four MECH units. "Enough, stand down. everyone. Everyone is a friend here. Kara and Douglas, stand down I owed him that. I broke a promise not to do anything stupid and I did. So I owed him that punch. Are we good Commander?" Smitt was still angry, but he had it under control. John was sure he would yell at him later behind closed doors, but for now, they were good. "Things must have changed a lot of its ok for subordinate officers to strike a superior officer," Kara stated. "No it''s not ok, but I am not just his superior I am also his friend and I put myself in danger when I should not have by coming on this station alone with no backup," John told the Android. "Yes, then Commander Smitt is correct, you should have had an escort but if you would have, we would have destroyed theRiptideand killed everyone who came on that station," Douglas responded. "Right.....Anyway, Smitt detail two Marines to go with Douglas and two Engineers toward the Power Core to check it out and make sure it''s running ok. Chief Letts, I want the other two members of your team to stay up here and start going through everything. Figure out what we need to upgrade their systems." John commanded. Chief Letts signaled the two junior members of the team to get off on the Command Deck while he and his last team member waited on the lift. Smitt headed to the elevator to go with Letts but not before telling the squads Sergeant to keep his eyes on the Captain at all times. Douglas followed quickly followed the Commander. "Kara, I would like a moment of your time while these Engineers get to work.'' She nodded her head and moved away from the consoles and led John toward one of the conference rooms nearby. The Sergeant and one other Marine followed close behind. ''Jeeves, I want you out here for this discussion." John called out as he took a seat Kara took the one directly across from John and Jeeves appeared next to her.
John was considering his words very carefully. He had to tell the two A.I.s about how the Imperium no longer existed and what remained was a mockery of what was. "What can you tell me about the war from your perspective Kara?" Jeeves nodded in support of what John said. "I am sure you will know from the Histories, but I will start at the beginning of what we know. It originated with theThrax, no one knows exactly why they came to hate humans and theImperiumso much but it started with them. At first, it was small isolated groups of their species, they destroyed isolated Imperial ships and bases. Eventually, the whole species joined in the rebels and the continued with these small raids while they built up their forces. Patience was their greatest strength in the beginning. In our arrogance, we never thought that the species that supported the Imperium military so much would turn on the Imperium itself. When they did though, we paid a high price.'' Kara stated as the others listened. ''Whole fleet groups were sabotaged and destroyed, six fleet bases and their ships were captured within a month, and this incited other species to follow their example. Species we had thought pacified long ago and had integrated within theImperium. We were fools, within a century theImperiumhad been fragmented our fleets scattered fighting a guerrilla war. Slowly our forces were ground to dust and theThraxstrength they had carefully built and stolen was slowly ground into dust as well." Kara looked out the nearby window before continuing, "As far as the local Imperial units, it was three months before this station basic systems became operational, then they left. None of the scientists or engineers knew why or where they went. Once they completed their work, they left as well on the remaining ships that could leave the system with the last order to build a whole fleet group and then we were to place ourselves on standby mode to wait for the return of theImperium. No one ever came for us though. Not the scientists and engineers, nor the Imperial warships that guarded this system for so long. We were forgotten I assume. Douglas didn''t want to think so but it was the only thing that made sense." John nodded saddened by the tell "Yes you were forgotten, but you have been found again and you two will never be alone again I promise. What you will learn will probably shock and anger you and I am sorry about that, Jeeves is going to give you two data points. One will be the historical records from our point of view from the Fall and everything that has happened since. The second data point will have information about the more sensitive nature and the main reason why we are here. If you have any questions about either I will do my best to answer them I promise. Jeeves give her everything on the Historical database first and then everything from the encounters from theGuilded Claw,Raven, and the testimony that Aran''Sul provided with the proof of the attack on his Colony." John commanded.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Over the next several minutes all sorts of emotions flowed across Kara''s face, but the predominant ones were loss, sadness, and anger. "I am so sorry about what has happened to you and your people Captain. I have no idea how this Admirals Board could do such things. They are something selfish and evil. At the height of theImperium,a military body like theirs existed but even in the darkest of those times, they would have never had done anything like this Admirals Board has done. Other then what my brother and I have already done. What more can we do to help you?" John thought and dug deep in his soul "I am not asking the subordinate A.I., I am asking the fully sentient A.I. in front of me to stand with us. To stand with other beings like me who want to throw down this oppressive regime and show this Sector what the Imperium really stood for. That is represented all species not just humans, that we will not live in fear and they will not control us. I want you to stand for what is right and just, to show this galaxy that this station was built for a purpose, not just to make war, but to also protect. To be the Shield for those who cannot protect themselves and help me bring down the selfish bastards that call themselves our leaders and show this galaxy that they are not and they do not represent all humanity but just themselves." As he finished his impromptu speech he extended his hand toward the Android. He was sure that both Douglas and Kara had been listening by that time. At first, Kara just stared at the hand then slowly nodded as she accepted his offer. He now had two more allies on his side. "TheRavenhas started docking procedures and will finish in five minutes. I expect your colleagues on board and here within seven minutes. Chief Letts and Commander Smitt are at the power core, Douglas believes the Chief is both impressed and scared by what is there." John was baffled "Why is he scared?" he asked Kara. "He is afraid of an overload that will cause an explosion and I quote ''That will not even leave one hair from his hairy ass laying around if it decides to blow up.''" Kara stated with a wry grin. Oh, goddam you Chief for not watching your language....."Ummm, well, um.'' Of course, Jeeves having interacted with most of his crew was laughing. ''Jeeves remind me to chem the Chief''s ass out later." John requested as he stood and left the room. The last thing he heard before the doors close was Jeeves starting to talk about human biology. John was sure both Marines were laughing as well in their armor.
John headed over to the HALO display to download the technical specs of the station. He would review them later on his downtime. Then he moved back to the observation port to watch as theRavenwas docked right next to theRiptide. A two-ship fleet with a whole lot of backup just waiting to be pulled out of mothballs and manned. The space next to him was quietly taken by Kara "That is a very odd saying your Chief said, but he is right. If he was standing in that room and if the power core blew up, not even one hair from his hairy ass would survive." This time both Marines laughed openly, unable to contain themselves. John was doing his best but he couldn''t contain all his mirth. Kara looked confused and hurt "It isn''t you Kara, for the female of our species to say such things are unexpected and humorous to us as males. We are aware you are an Android, but you look and emulate a female human very well we forget at times. Now I am sure the Captain of theRavenwill happily explain why you should not say things like that in mixed company. Ok?" John asked Kara while gaining control of himself. While the Marines laughed even harder when they realized John had just aimed a very embarrassing situation at the new Captain. While Kara just nodded her head and smiled. When the elevator doors opened again Captain Stein and a burly Marine in power armor walked out with three more Marines and two more Engineers. "Captain Stein, I would like to introduce you to Kara. She is one of two A.I.s that runAtlantisstation. Captain Stein, Chief Letts was colorful with one of his curses and I was wondering if you could explain why women usually do not say things like it." At that point he broke off and headed over to the burly Marine he was sure was Commander Jones, leader of theRavensMarine contingent. "Welcome to Atlantis Commander, I am Captain Jones." The Marine was initially surprised but then shook the offered hand "Yes Sir, it is an amazing welcome. Commander Smitt spoke very highly of you Sir." John smiled and returned the praise as he heard Rebecca Stein gasp at what he assumed was Kara once again quoting Chief Letts, then he heard her start cursing the man because she knew instantly where the innocent A.I. heard the phrase. She had gotten onto Chief Letts case more than once for not watching his tongue around the opposite sex. Stein regained control of herself and pulled Kara further away from prying ears and men in general. "What is that about, if you don''t mind me asking Sir?" Commander Jones asked John. "Commander, if I tell you I promise you will start laughing. Then Captain Stein will be mad at us both. So I am going to say this if you want to know, I am sure the Marines here will share the story over some alcohol." with that John walked away. John called out to the A.I. "Kara, when you and Captain Stein are done discussing what you are talking about, please lead Captain Stein to the conference room you showed me earlier. I want to go over somethings with her, you and Jeeves.'' the android nodded and smiled as Stein grabbed her attention again. ''Sergeant, once those two come in here, no one else will understand." John commanded the Marine. The Sergeant saluted and took up station at the door with the other Marine that had been following the Captain.
Within five minutes both Stein and Kara entered the room. Kara looked embarrassed while Stein looked a little frustrated, time to enlighten her a little bit "Kara, do you mind me asking how much direct interaction did you receive before you and your brother were abandoned here?" John asked Rebecca looked slightly confused about why he would ask that of all things. "About two months Captain. Our interaction with the scientists and engineers were extremely limited once we came online. They expected us to constantly work with the only downtime for maintenance and recharging our physical units. Why do you ask?" Kara responded. John shifted his gaze to Stein "Just making sure Rebecca here is aware that even though you inhabit an adult body and have been active for over five hundred years, you have had very little interaction with sentients other than your brother. That despite your physical age, you are still young. Now Jeeves can you start going over everything that you told me about this station with Rebecca and once she has been caught up I want to discuss those mobile units. Kara, if you wish to add anything to the briefing please do so. As far as the information about the mobile units, it''s for us only right now. Ok, Kara?" John asked the Android. "Yes sir, we will treat any information about the mobile units thatAtlantisbuilt in the system as classified currently and for Captain Stein and Captain Jones are the only ones that need to know." She responded. For the next thirty minutes or so Jeeves went over everything that he had told John before. The holographic display lit up and highlighted the areas of the station as he talked about them. The old Imperium for all its flaws had done a really good job at constructing the station. Then Jeeves had the holo display show two images, one was a close up of the Asteroid Field and the other was of the Gas Giant. "These are the two locations that the fleet was stored. Anything larger then a light cruiser was moved into low orbit around the gas giant, planet six, or were hidden within the asteroid belts. The composition of the fleets follows the old Imperium doctrine with the fleet being able to support multiple paths of attack and/or defense at the same time. The fleet makeup is as follows, know this is when they finished the construction until we certify all the vessels are intact and operational these are just the number of vessels they produced about five hundred years ago. 3-Titan level ships 9-Dreadnought level ships 27-Battleships 81-Heavy Cruisers 243-Light Cruisers 729-Destroyers 24-Assualt Carriers 48-Fleet Carriers 144-Light Carriers "In support of all those line units were hundreds of freighters, troop transports, mobile shipyards, etc. Now I know what you are probably thinking that we have a lot of ships, and you are right, but the Admirals Board has several fleets at their command. They vastly outnumber us and even if we released everything that we know that they have done wrong, the majority of those ships and crews will stay with the Admirals Board and the Imperium they know. At this point in time, we cannot win a conventional war with the Imperium at this time. If you wish I can forward you the specs on the battle line vessels and carriers." Jones nodded his head, he would look at the specs of the vessels after he checked out the station specs later. "Jeeves we already have a battle plan, the Thrax although they betrayed the Imperium, showed us how we can defeat them. Small isolated attacks against Imperial ships and garrisons. We are going to add to that by also have a fully-fledged war of propaganda. Let the Imperium military know exactly what type of people they are supporting, between the two campaigns we will slowly whittle away at their strength until we can bring them down to a more manageable size. Once we do that, we can begin our real campaign to bring them down. I am sorry Kara if you and your brother dislike these tactics, but they are our best bet to win at this time." John told everyone. Kara shook her head "Captain, guerilla warfare is an acceptable tactic when facing a more powerful opponent and yes as much as I dislike theThraxthe battle plan they developed and implemented to take down theImperiumwas nothing short of brilliant." John took a long look at both Kara and Rebecca before he continued, "Ok well this is what I plan on doing. Over the next couple of days, the Alliance I am part of is going to smuggle the members that are within Imperial Remnant Space out. Then we are going to gather here and we are going to start war planning. The people that I am bringing here and the ones already here will be the heart and soul of taking down the Admirals Board. Kara, I want you and Douglas to prepare a briefing about the capabilities of this station and the mobile units in the system. Not all the technical stuff, just general knowledge so when we start planning we will know what we are working with. Are you guys good with that, or will you need Jeeves to help you two?" Kara took a minute to consider and commune with her brother "If Jeeves would help us while you are here, it would be appreciated. We would prefer to avoid any more embarrassing situations." Jeeves just smiled and nodded while John held in a laugh and the two ladies blushed. "Well then, let''s get to work." Chapter 17- Plans for War UNCLAIMED SPACE- Atlantis System Planet IV- High Orbit Atlantis Station John looked out at the amphitheater at everyone that they had managed to get here. Between the Senior Officers and NCOs from theRaven,Riptide, and Travelers they had managed to get just under forty people assembled. Another dozen Travelers were staying behind to spy on theImperium. To monitor the news, keep an eye on the Intelligence Division, and to watch their industry to see when they went on the war footing. They already had their orders for the foreseeable future. Watch, wait, and see if they could hear in other whispers of descent. Kara and Douglas waited on him to say his piece before they started briefing everyone onAtlantisand all the assets available to them. They eye-of-storm in more ways than one. Both felt the Captain''s gaze upon them but neither responded, they knew their part in the coming days. "This is an informal briefing but I do need some order people," John called out. Immediately the locals settled down but the Travelers took a bit longer. Once everyone had settled down, John took a moment to inform everyone that what they were about to hear was classified and not meant for anyone outside the room. Leaking the information to anyone would result in the diarist actions taken against them possible. With that, the twins took over the briefing. "So now you all know what we have. What I am thinking is that we will use the tactics that theThraxused to bring down the originalImperium. Hit and run tactics with no conventional Warfare until we are sure we can win. Strike at isolated outposts and ships only, but right now we need to recruit. With what we have here we can''t even do that. We need personnel to man ships, fighter pilots, freighter pilots, anything and everything. We need to recruit both Travelers and Locals from places likeBlackhole Station. Aran''Sul has already started reaching out to the other powers within this sector, so we can rally the other governments to give us even more legitimacy.'' John told them as he met their eyes trying to impress the importance of everything they were talking about. "Travelers, we can''t talk about this place out there, but we can talk about the crimes the Admirals Board has committed. Every time we leave them questioning what those pricks are doing buys us time. It also might start turning them against the Admirals Board. Remember the Imperium is not our enemy, the Admirals Board is and as long as the Imperium keeps them in power, the longer we will fight. Make sure everyone you talk to is aware of that. Now as far as how we are going to work with the automated units. Squadrons will be run at a three to one ratio. Three automated units for every pilot. Marine units will have five automated units per Marine. This is to cut down on casualties while maximizing the use of the MECHs. Any questions or suggestions, people?" John finished up his little impromptu speech.
Over the last few hours that hammered out a rough plan. Most of the people would be heading out within the next couple of days to start recruiting among the Non-Imperium worlds. Construction drones had already been sent to the surface of planet 4 to start building facilities they would need. Currently, they would try and recruit in small groups and slowly expand. Those that had run with merc units were going to try and convince them to come to our side pro-bono. Chief Letts and Johnson were out at the asteroid field with everyone who could pilot starships to test the ships that had been left in mothballs for so long. Those ships that for one reason or another, could not be brought online would be scrapped for parts and resources. Right now, they were just testing out the support vessels (which numbered nearly three hundred), between all the engineering teams and pilots, they thought they would be able to test them all out within two to three weeks. The R&D labs were being brought online, but the Heirs only had a few scientists. In a little over a week, Captain Stein was going to make a run toBlackhole Stationto see what recruits had shown up. They hoped for one hundred, but John would be presently surprised if they got twenty. On her way, Rebecca had a secondary mission to drop a signal booster at the half-way point, so they would have no problem directly contacting Aran''Sul if need be. Commander Smitt was on the station overseeing some modifications about on-site security for any new people. Commander Jones was dirtside with a couple of Marine squads learning to work with MECHs and training protocols for new Marines. While overseeing the construction of training grounds. Kara and Douglas were working directly with everyone as much as possible, but everywhere he went, one of them was always with him. Daniel Pride was in the process of fixing up one of the dorms and turning it into a training ground for new pilots. He had refused to let anyone in other than the AIs and said he would reveal his work when it was ready. John told him he had three more days to finish whatever he was working on. So many projects were going on, and they had only just started. If it hadn''t been for Jeeves to remind him of meetings, or places he needed to go look at, he would be lost. At the end of the week, he was going to have to do a walkthrough of what R&D was working on, he had to fly down to the surface to check on construction was on schedule and to look at the training courses that Jones had set up. Eventually, he wanted to set up training environments in all the climates on the planet. Planet four was perfect for it, it had snow-capped mountains, plains, swamps, the needed to build both the urban areas and city landscapes, and even mock boarding actions. They would also be trained to do combat drops, John shuddered at that. He had seen the training vid Jones and Smitt had made for raw recruits. Jumping out of perfectly good aircraft at those speeds and surviving...just seemed impossible. ''Jeeves, where is the gun range on this place. I need a break, find me something to shoot.'' Ten minutes later, John his two Marine escorts, and Kara were running through a simulator in an urban area. The simulation put them in an ambush and taking fire from all side, the Sergeant had command and was leading the squad. All of them wore Power Armor and had pulse rifles and sidearms that had been modified for the simulator. It took them thirty minutes of constant fighting to break out and kill the opposing side, by the time the simulator was done, John was tired hungry and ready for bed. After the Marines escorted him to the officer''s mess, and he convinced them that he was indeed going to bed after eating did they relent and leave him alone to go seek their own food and beds. Kara remained though and even tried some of the food. "We cannot process it as any biologic beings can, but we can taste the food and enjoy it."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. John also asked her why either Douglas or Kara was always with him nowadays. "Well Captain, after five hundred years of solitude, you found us and gave us a purpose. We will always remember that and be thankful for it. We also agreed that you must always be protected and one of us will always be there in case you need us. For some reason, the males are distracted and have the tendency to make mistakes when I am around while when Douglas is around most of those mistakes and distractions are negated. It is interesting how your species let the opposite sex distract them when they are working on their duties. I find that most of the time this same truth does not apply to you. You, humans, are so odd." Kara responded to John''s question.
For the next couple days, John''s days were filled with meetings with A.I.s about ships that were working, those that needed to be tugged back to the station for dismantling, and ships that had received damage while in the asteroid field and was on the way back for repairs. That last list kept growing daily with fifty support vessels as listed in need of various repairs due to blunt impact. Forty of them were already in repair bays with MECHs and Engineers were working hand-in-hand getting them repaired. Rebecca had left and was on her way to Back Hole Station. Every night before heading to bed he took out his frustrations on the simulators. Marines rotating into his protection detail started to keep score on who could lead the old man, John, through the best scenarios without getting him killed. They had succeeded for the most part, and it was food for thought for Douglas and Kara in their study of humans. On Friday, his day started like any other until he was pulled within the R&D lab. Within was a madhouse of both Tech and Biological experiments. They had been organizing everything and prepping the labs for expanded teams, not seeing how well they could destroy the labs. When he found the mad scientists they were all around some HALO displays working on what appeared to be a MECH unit. It was different though in subtle ways from the MECH units he saw everywhere. "Oh Captain, we expected you at 0900. We would have met you at the entrance." a surprised Miles Burmingham said when he noticed John standing there. "Doc, it''s 0910. You all are late and I can see why. What doesn''t explain why the whole lab is trashed. You all are supposed to be getting these labs ready for expanding your teams, not trying to make them worse than the state they were in. Now you guys are going to explain what you have been working on then you are going to get with Douglas and some MECHs and clean up all of this and organize it all. Please begin your briefing." John finished his rant. He knew Miles was a scientist in real life as well, but having him trash a lab this bad was unacceptable. "I am sorry Captain you are right. You will not see the R&D labs like this again. Now you know that the scientists of theImperiummodified bothAtlantisstation and the mobile units so that they could work with automated platforms ''MECHs''. Now since they threw the plan together at the last second, so to speak, they really didn''t design the best MECH. Working with Douglas and his sister we looked at some of the ideas those old teams had but didn''t have time to implement, and we came up with this design. It uses the basic chassis design but its made from a bio-organic material that is both more flexible and stronger than the alloy they choose to use that actually absorbs a certain amount of energy from incoming weapons fire and shunt the energy into the shielding system.'' Miles explained. ''Now the armor we have modified so it''s not built into the chassis but is removable plating for repair reasons. That gives the armor more gaps for enemies to exploit but makes it easier to repair the units because they do not have to be disassembled in the field to repair. Now, these units will be thirty percent faster, fifty percent tougher, and take about forty percent less time to build. We plan on building a prototype next week and if everything works out we will have them in full production within a month. This is for the basic combat MECH, we are still working on both the medium and heavy chassis designs." Miles and his companions eagerly awaited John''s response. "Good job all of you, I can defiantly see the benefits of all the changes you made to the MECHs. Now what kind of timeline are we looking at finishing the designs for the Mark II for the medium and heavy chassis? Have you guys been working on anything else?" John asked while he was impressed with the work they had already done. If the prototype worked out, they would need to roll this out ASAP. ''Jeeves talk with Kara and Douglas about production lines they had for building MECHs and see how long it would take to change them to build the new designs and how many could we build at a time.'' John quietly thought to his AI. "The other thing that Shannon and I have been working on is reverse-engineering thePhoenixMissiles. TheImperiumwas very protective of the designs and sciences behind their weapons of mass destruction and neither Kara or Douglas know how to build them. We are going through the Archives, but we do not have much hope there. So until we can build more, whatever you have on those ships or the armories, is all you have. We are also working on reverse-engineering theAnti-Mattermissiles as well. James has been working on a Nannite solution for rapid healing on the battlefield. That is in the early stage as well. John, no offense but you cannot expect miracles this soon. We have only been open a week, and we only have 3 people working full time and two A.I.s working with us part-time. We need time, resources, and people." Miles reminded John. "I know Miles, and we are working on all of that, but like you said we need time. Now, what can you tell me about your labs in general and what you need equipment-wise." John responded as he listened to the scientist. ''Jeeves, remind me to never open myself up like that again.'' the chirp, in his ear, was the A.I.s response as he made his way down to the nearest launch bay.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- Atlantis System Planet IV- High Orbit Atlantis Station- Launch Bay Two hours had passed since he had opened the can of worms where Miles had complained and whined about every little piece of equipment he did not have and wanted and what he wanted to change about the labs....it was tiring, and he was now running late to check out the Marine training course that had been under construction and was ready for inspection. Both John and Smitt were going to fly down to the planet and check it out. Jones had sent him a quick message yesterday stating they were ready for inspection, so hopefully everything was alright. Smitt was waiting with O''Hansen, the shuttle had been prepped and was humming while waiting for the Captain. "So Sir, I assume you let those egg heads talk your ear off. Glad to see you get out of there and not turned into one of their experiments Sir. Here is your Vac Suite, once it''s on we will head planet side I am sure Jones eagerly awaits our arrival." Smitt chuckled as he saw John approach.
UNCLAIMED SPACE- Atlantis System Planet IV- Camp Trident The training camp is what he expected, a mix of barracks, gyms, chow halls, armories, and firing ranges. From what John saw coming in, it was one of four locations, the other 3 still under construction. "Captain, welcome to Camp Trident. Glad you could make it.'' Jones called out as John stepped off the shuttle. O''Hansen continues to power down the shuttle as they made their way into the training base. ''Now as you saw flying in, that this is the only part of the base that is complete. We can support the training of 60 marines at this location. At this location, Marines will learn the basics from hand-to-hand combat, weapons training, and small unit tactics over a three-week period. Once they have completed training here, they will be moved to Camp Typhoon where they are given a three-week course on their MECHs and where they will practice combat. After that they will be in the field for two weeks and thrown into mock combat in every environment we can find and/or think of. Of course for those that are coming from merc units will have a condensed training that if they fail will have to go through the whole course." Jones briefed John. "So you will not have MECHs at this camp? For the Pilots, are you going to incorporate any SEAR training?" John asked the Marine. "No, we will not have any MECHs here except for camp security. Once the construction drones have completed the training facilities they will start constructing the fortifications for the camp. As far as SEAR school, we had not thought of that. I will contact Traveler Daniel Pride when we are done walking you through everything here and with the demo later." Over the next four hours, Smitt and Jones had him inspect every nook and cranny of what they had built. They also did several mock combat situations using mixed units of MECHs and Marines. It was enlightening and allowed them to request to change the squad make up from one organic and five MECHs to two organics and four MECHs. It increased the survivability of both types of units to have multiple operators within a single unit. Having only one slowed MECH response times and caused increased casualties for both the MECH units and organics that they could not keep up long term. At the end of the tour, John informed the Marine Commanders that they could be receiving a newer basic MECH model within a month''s time in small numbers, if all the testing went well. With that John was finished with the tour and headed back to Atlantis station to see if Rebecca had made it to Blackhole Station and to see what recruits they had gotten if any. Chapter 18- New Recruits UNCLAIMED SPACE- Atlantis System Planet IV- High Orbit Atlantis Station John''s second week atAtlantiswas more of the same, progress was slow but ongoing. On a positive note, Miles did clean and organize the R&D labs as he promised. The training Camps for the Marines were progressing nicely and Smitt, Jones, and Pride hammered out a two-week course for SEAR training for combat pilots to go through. At first, Pride didn''t want to add the training to his program, but once it was explained to him some of his pilots might be shot down on a planet, his opinion quickly changed. He also had requested a Marine Sergeant to assist in the physical training of the pilots for the weeks leading up to SEAR school. Pilot training ended up being six weeks for basic training, including SEAR school then another three weeks of advanced Flight Ops. Smitt and Jones were thinking about putting together a more advanced training course for making an Elite unit of Marines, but John told them to shelve the idea until they could at least field two whole divisions. Rebecca was on her way back and would arrive within the hour with the newest recruits. All told, she was bringing fifty-five new members into their little rebellion. Most were aliens but some humans as well. The Beta forums were plagued by trolls going off on the rebels for leaking lies, but enough people were thinking that some of it might be the truth and enough people had ended up in the IntelDiv to confirm that the Admirals Board was into some very shady dealings and actions beyond the expected normal Black Ops. Two squads of Marines would be there with two squads of MECHs to make sure no one was here to pull a suicide mission. Douglas and Kara would be there as well to help with running the In-doc for the new recruits. Until then though he was signing off on some last-minute reports authorizing repairs for damaged ships, authorization for scrapping others and listing why they had to be scrapped. Of the three hundred support vessels they had to test out, they had completed two hundred and thirty, forty of which had to be scrapped for various reasons and seventy were in the repair bays or waiting to be repaired. The good thing was, thirty of the vessels that needed to be repaired would be operational within the next twenty-four hours, and the testing of the last seventy ships would be completed within the next seventy-two hours. Once that was complete, they would start testing out the smaller warships starting with the destroyer class. Spoiler: Spoiler Class: Badger class Destroyers were the backbone of all Imperial fleets for closein anti-fighter and anti-missile fire while coordinating their fire support of the heavier fleet units Length: 600 Feet Width: 200 Feet Crew Compliment: 100 Sailers (200 MECH Units), Marines-Unknown Reactor: 4 Mark IV Fusion Generators Engines: 4 Type III Pulse Engines, Class 2 Military Warp Drive (1 Hour cooldown) Shielding: 1000 Damage Armor: 1000 Damage Defensive Weapons: 40 PDCs Defensive Electronics: Class II ECM Suite Weapons: 30 Dual Pulse Cannons, 10 Forward and 6 Aft Missile Launchers (150 Kinetic Missiles, 50 Nuclear) Other: 2 Personnel Shuttles, 4 Aussualt Shuttles, 10 Combat Drones, 10 Sensor Drones Well, John wanted a rebellion, he couldn''t really complain about the paperwork now could he?
John watched as they walked through the docking port, 55 new people for a cause that might get them all killed. All had a look of awe on their faces at the station, the MECHs and everything around them. Some were looking to become Marines, others were Engineers, a few scientists, and even a few cocky fighter pilots. Locals and Travelers. They all came to fight for something more than themselves. For Travelers, it was usually for the fun of it, but some wanted to do something in their life that mattered even though they didn''t see a change in the real world, effecting a Virtual World helped them. The Locals fought for their own survival and to throw down a very real oppressive regime. "Welcome everyone. Before we start anything I want to thank you all for coming. It doesn''t matter if you are a Traveler or Local, you thought about our cause and decided to join up. Those reasons are your own and if you are not sure why you came, hopefully, we can help you find that purpose. Now before we go any further, you are going to receive a briefing about why we are all here. You are also going to receive a wrist band. You are to wear it all time, no matter what you do or where you go. If you lose it or its damaged you are to notify either your superior immediately. Failing to keep the wrist band on you will have repercussions.'' John informed them. ''Now, please follow these Marines they will take you to the Indoc briefing then to medical for scanning and checkups. After that, you will go with the various department heads to where you will be assigned. I will be seeing you all over the next week, for those going into military training, good luck and stay safe. Oh, and welcome everyone toAtlantis." with that John strode off while talking to the two A.I.s. Commanders Smitt and Jones would be keeping an eye on the newbies for the duration of the initial briefing and medical testing. After that Jones would be taking the new Marines dirt side.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "Well Rebecca, did any one of them look to be joining the Fleet Track, cause all I saw were grunts, a sprinkling of scientists, a handful of fighter jocks, and a few engineers. Without people choosing the Fleet, all those ships out there are just oversized paperweights." John told his fellow Captain. "I know Sir, considering we mainly have freighter pilots and mercs doing the recruiting, we are lucky we got such a diverse group. Yes, I know your Traveler friends have a very wide skill set that has allowed them to survive, but it will also limit them. It will just take some time John, but we will grow this rebellion and bring them down. Now if the recruit groups do keep growing I am going to have to transfer some of my personnel to the station to make room for them all." Rebecca replied to John. "Yeah, theRavenwasn''t really designed to transport personnel. You think that your XO, Lt Grimes, could handle the shuttle runs betweenBackhole Stationand here if we got one of the troop transport up and running?" John asked his former XO. Rebecca took a deep breath before she responded "Maybe if it''s just there and back, but he is still very new. TheRavenwas his first assignment, and he led a mutiny. Yes, he saved our asses, but he still led a mutiny. Now you want to give him a ship??? I honestly don''t know John. I understand we are stretching all of our experienced personnel, but I just don''t know if I trust him for this or know if he is ready." John nodded at her concerns. "I know, but Rebecca, we got to start somewhere, and I was hoping you would take point in starting the officers training school for fleet personnel. I know we didn''t get any this time, but it will happen and I have to have someone there I know has both the experience and the trust. That is you." John told her. She nodded her head in understanding. "So how long until you can get a transport ship ready for him and where are you going to pull the personnel to man it from?" Was her response to John''s statement. "I am thinking we pull personnel from bothRiptideandRaven, if we have Chief Letts start checking the transports tomorrow, we could have one ready as little as a week. Give Grimes and the new crew two weeks to train on their new ship before they start making bus runs. So you would have to make one or two more runs before he took over for you. Now thank you for bringing them to go get you people settled and relax I know you are probably tense and tired. If you want, they have an amazing simulator for the shooting-range." with that John wandered off to check on the recruits.
John watched as the new people asked questions about the various training programs that they were about to undergo. Some of them were scared, but all were determined to continue on. That was good, John could use that and make them stronger with it. Various department heads started filtering in and calling out names. The Marines would go to medical first to get full body scans and workups before going down to the planet and the rest of the groups would go to medical go later or the following day. Thirty Marines, five Mechanical Engineers, three Biologists, five Medical Doctors, ten Pilots, two Starship Engineers were the groups'' makeup. Miles looked excited to see the newest members of his team, John was sure once the people actually looked at the labs they would be working in, they would be happy too. Chief Letts was fairly relaxed with his two new people, but the Pilots and Marine recruits got yelled at. From what John understood the pilots were going straight to the barracks to stow what they had brought in, then they Pride planned on having them run the entire central ring. It was a great view of the surrounding space, but the ring was a little over two miles long. The Sergeant that had been assigned to the pilot''s training program had loved the idea of how to break them in. When they got back to the dorms their items would have been put in storage and new uniforms would be waiting for them. They were building a military to fight another that had a five hundred year head start.Atlantisgave them a huge boost, but they needed people and a way to train them quickly. A minimum eight week turn around for new Marines and nine weeks for pilots. Naval Officers would be close to ten weeks and enlisted sailors could be anywhere from six to eight weeks long depending on what they would be trained to do. So about two months before they started to see any real results from any of the training programs. Patience was what they needed to win the coming war. John would have to remind himself every day. John watched as the two shuttles head toward the surface and wondered ifThraxRebel groups told themselves the same thing at the beginning of their rebellion. "''Jeeves remind me to talk to Jones, Letts, and Pride about running some War-game scenarios once the trainees are close to graduation.'' Now Kara, why don''t we go check on those pilots and see how they are doing with the run." Chapter 19- War Games UNCLAIMED SPACE- Atlantis System Planet IV- High Orbit Commanders Office John looked out at the stars and watched shuttles, freighters, and a pair of destroyers made their way to or fromAtlantis. It had been eight weeks since the first of the new recruits had arrived. Since then, over five hundred new recruits had been processed and split up among the various training regimens. Two hundred Marines, surprisingly two hundred new Fleet Personel of various fields, fifteen new scientists for R&D, thirty Pilots, five Medical Doctors, twenty Starship Engineers, and thirty potential Fleet Officers. Over the last weeks, all the support vehicles had been inspected and those that had required repairs had been. Sixty support vessels had been scrapped though. Replacement vessels were under construction and would be completed within three months. They had already completed inspecting three hundred of theBadgerdestroyers, forty had to be scrapped and one hundred were either being repaired or waiting to be repaired. Within the next couple hours, the first group of Marines and Pilots would be assigned to their War Games teams. They had enough to split the team evenly, fifteen Marines and five Pilots per team with no MECH units support. It would be an all-out assault on a fixed position with defenses in place. After the invaders failed or succeded everyone would break review what they did right or wrong and then switch sides and try again. John had heard the scientists were taking bets with the Ships Engineers to see who would win. Within the next six months when Fleet Personel had been trained they would introduce planetary assault situations, but those scenarios were months away. Both those involved and watching today were treating this as a game and it was, but it was also a motivator for the newer recruits who would be watching. The oldest recruits would be setting an example for them, something to live up too and aspire too. Now if only he could finish all this paperwork so he could watch it also. Rebecca had taken a break from running the new Officers course to help him with paperwork and making sure everything was getting done. Such as re-opening the automated mining facilities within the asteroid belts, the authorization of constructing thirty new Ore haulers. Signed orders for confirming Acting Captain Grimes of theTortuga, position, and authority. He had completed two runs toBlackhole Stationon his own and they were going to add a second pick up point atArkonia PrimeIt would mean that they would be gone nearly two weeks at a time. Grimes had orders to avoid combat and that they could not be captured by Imperial forces at any cost. A proposed trade agreement that would be forwarded to theXaranxif John approved it. If they agreed, it would provide a much-needed lifeline for getting medical supplies and other day-to-day supplies that they could not produce yet. If they would not agree to the trade deal, they would have to re-task people from recruiting to purchasing supplies for the personnel here. After another thirty minutes, John called it and told Rebecca that he was going to check in with R&D and the Pilots school before the War Games began.
Miles was excited to see the Captain and to show off the completed prototypes of the Mark II Heavy and Medium Chassis MECH units. If everything went well, they would go into full production within three weeks. Mark II Light MECH units were in full production and would produce five hundred units every week. John had put a cap on ten thousand units to be produced at this time. They were making inroads into the research for bothAnti-Matterand thePhoenixMissiles. They had scientists that specialized in nuclear physics and theoretical physics which had jump-started the research. The Nanite solution was viable, but the nanites took time to make more of themselves so it wouldn''t viable for widespread distribution for another three months. The Pilots School was spread out, to say the least, the newest group was undergoing PT, the middle group was either training in Sims or down in the launch bay going over pre-flight checklists for all the spacecraft they could use. In the Sims, the pilots practiced with having MECH units with them. Pride hade figured out that for them they would need to have a one to one ratio for automated units. Combat for them was just too hectic to be able to run more than one automated unit at a time. It would slow down how many squadrons they could field but in the long run, it would save more lives. On the SIMs, a mixed unit ofCorsairsandDragonswere going up against a unit ofArrows. The target was a supply convoy, one side had to destroy the convoy while the other had to protect it. In the end, the defenders lost as soon as the first freighter exploded, at which point the instructor ended the scenario to discuss feedback on what went wrong. After a few minutes, none of the recruits gave a satisfactory response to the instructor so she called on John to offer his opinion of why the defenders lost.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. John responded without hesitation "They forgot their target priorities. The defenders Prime Targets were theDragonbombers and not theCorsairfighters. They should not have been dragged into a dog fight with the opposing fighters at the expense of their objective. The point of that Sim was to emphasize that you must obtain your objective, for the defenders it was destroying the bombers. For the attackers, it was destroying the freighters. Remember that please." with that John nodded to the Instructor and left him to continue to teach. It was almost time for the War Games to start and all the trainees would be winding down so they could watch. TheTortugawas out picking up the latest batch of recruits and they were supposed to be bringing in fifty Marines, eighty various Fleet volunteers, forty Pilots, three R&D Scientists, and eight new Engineers. Having that many pilots come in at once might overwhelm the Pilot training program but they needed the bodies if they wanted to start fielding squads on time with everything else.
Zeta Psiwas the simulated world, a remote world with a scattered population with a minor Imperial presence and very little orbital support. In the real world, it would be a prime target for the budding rebellion in a couple of years. Right now it was the simulation. The outpost that was at the center of the War Games was damaged, its shields down. Impact markers in and around the outpost from kinetic missile strikes. A handful of Marines, Fighter Pilots, and static defenses were all that stood between it and destruction. The attackers had Orbital support and surprise on their side. The rapid combat drops that the Marines would make could shatter the crumbling defenses, or they might stand. The next twenty minutes would tell. That was the time limit the attackers had before Imperial reinforcements were supposed to enter the system and the rebels had to leave. Now, those involved in the Sim would be able to choose what equipment they had. Nothing was off-limits except for WMDs. So an attacker could not carry a Nuke in the attack, but he could carry state of the art stealth tech. It allowed the user to walk around invisible to the naked eye, but not to thermal scans and it had no shielding while camouflage was active. The pilots could choose what they wanted to fly also. They all had a time clock of fifteen minutes to prepare before the Sim started. The defenders had the same choices as the attackers but they also had static defenses that would be coming online as time went by. The Observers would not know what they had chosen until after the Sim started. John was excited to see what his people could do after they completed their training. It would be interesting to watch, to say the least. They had a few rules also, one in the real world Anti-Aircraft guns could destroy incoming Drop Pods for training purposes they could not in this Sim, Second if an Aircraft Pilot was shot down, if they could eject in time they could join in with their Marines to assault/defense of their side. No WMDs, the attackers had to capture the defenders'' flag to win the scenario. It signified the attackers destroying the defender''s command bunker. If the attackers killed all the defenders but did not take the Flag before the time ran out, they still lost. People who suffered wounds, depending on how severe the injury would be disabled for the duration of the simulation. At five minutes out all the screens on the observation deck started a countdown, John, Rebecca, Kara, Douglas, Smitt, Jones, and a few other senior staff were watching. The two senior Marines were supposed to be relaxing but depending on how well or bad either side did, they still might yell at the newest Marines or Pilots. When the last-minute started the clock faded and the Outpost was displayed, it was shown in a split-screen the Outpost on one side the attacking rebels in the other. Missile barrages were fired and slammed into the Outpost as Assualt Shuttles and fighters were launched from ships in orbit and fighters scrambled to get in the air before being destroyed on the ground. A minute later the bombardment stopped and they watched as drop pods were dispersed on the field of battle as defenders and attackers prepared to start. The attackers had twoArrows, twoCorsairs, and aDragonin support while defenders had five Arrows. That could cost them the Air Supiriority if theDragondamaged or destroyed the static defenses and/or killed the defenders. This War Game had the potential to end quickly unless the defenders had some Anti-Air missiles or guns. Either way, this was about to get interesting. 10 Minutes later, both sides had suffered casualties and it was at a stalemate at the moment. The first assault had been blunted although the defenders lost seven Marines to do it. TheDragonhad been damaged and driven off with twoCorsairscovering for it. The twoArrowsof the attacker''s side were dead and the defenders had lost threeArrows. The attacking Marines lost five in the initial assault with four wounded, three critical. The attackers had planned something because theDragonwas coming around to make another pass if it succeded it could punch a hole in the defender''s line in which the attackers could push through and grab the flag. Five bloody minutes later it was all over, although the attackers had won it had come at a very big butchers bill. TheDragonhad just started the attack run when AAA had gotten a bead on theDragonand had damaged it so bad the pilot had rammed it into the outposts wall blowing himself and three defending Marines up. The remaining Marines had been pinned down by the follow-up attack and they managed to quickly capture the defender''s flag at the cost of two more Marines due to mines left near the flag. Personally, John would have recalled the raiders after the initial attack had been blunted. Attacking and destroying a remote outpost did not call for Marines to make such a huge sacrifice. They would have times where they would be called on to make such sacrifices, but that did not apply to today''s objective. The combatants would be given an hour''s rest and recovery time to eat and go over after-action reviews before they switched sides and went in again. No matter what happened John was sure that War Games would be even more popular as time went by and the scenarios grew and became more complex. Chapter 20- Shadow Games UNCLAIMED SPACE- Atlantis System Planet IV- High Orbit Atlantis Station- Commanders Office John stared out at the planet below, he had gotten a message 30 minutes ago about Imperials hiring Mercs outside Imperial Space to target remote alien worlds. They had accredited three known attacks to this unit, and they were unsure if or when the attacks would stop. John was sure they were trying to destabilize a cluster of star systems so they could move in and Annex the region. To stop them, they had to take out the unit, and maybe capture whoever was running it to debrief them. It had been nearly 8 weeks since the first War Game scenario and the second was right around the corner. It would be good for morale. Jimmy and Natalie were tracking down the Imperial base of operations and thought they would have the coordinates and hopefully the base layout within 72 hours. They would signal when they had it, so John could send someone in to stop it. Due to personnel limitations, they could only fieldRaven,Riptide, and theTortuga.Tortugahad a critical ongoing mission of bringing in new recruits and could not be re-tasked. Either way, theRiptidewas uniquely suited for the mission. A signal at his door signaled that his guests have arrived. Kara, Captain Stein, Lt O''Hansen, Commander Smitt, and Commander Jones joined him shortly, "Welcome people, and thank you for coming, I know you are all busy. I just received intel that an Imperial Black-Ops unit has been randomly attacking theTheron Cluster." As John spoke the HALO on his desk lit up and highlighted the star cluster and zoomed in. "Within the next seventy-two hours, Captain you will be taking theRiptidewith theRavenas back up to destroy this base they are operating out of, Lt O''Hansen you will act as Captain of theRiptide. Based on the initial Intel, they only have a freighter in support, they shouldn''t have any Fleet assets. Within the next seventy-two hours, we will have the coordinates of the base and a basic layout. Commander Smitt, you will be leading the Marine portion of this raid. We will be transferring six squads of Marines to theRiptidefor this operation. Some of them will be green, but they have to get bloody sometime.'' John told the Marine. ''Commander Jones you will overall command of Marine Operations until Smitt gets back. Captain Stein, if the Imperials have any Fleet assets in the system, you will withdraw immediately. We have been off their radar for months now, as important this mission is our secrecy and our overall mission is far more important, is that understood. Everyone, Captain Stein will have overall command of the Operation. Secrecy and stealth are critical for this mission. Smitt if you can safely grab whoever is in charge down there do it, otherwise eliminate as many as you can. Everyone works together on crew assignments, once we have the coordinates and Intel on the base layout you will ship out within twenty-four hours. Any questions?.... Dismissed." Kara was the only one that stayed behind "I am not trying to question your decision Captain, but how do you know this is the right choice?" John looked at her long and hard "We are doing this because we started this whole rebellion because we wanted to overthrow theAdmirals Board. This whole operation stinks and is exactly the kind of thing they would order done. I am not going to standby and do nothing when we could put a stop to their attacks and help the locals. Destroying their base and the Mercs they hired is a blow against theAdmirals Board, a small one, but a blow nonetheless. It is a chance that we could be exposed, but it''s a risk we have to take. No one else is around to stop them, Kara, we have to do it. Otherwise, what is the point of us being here? " John finished his rant. "Good, those are the reasons I thought of. Just making sure we both had the same ones." Kara smiled. Crazy androids John thought, "Send a burst message to all of our assets outside Imperial space, make sure they keep an ear to the ground about Intel about other bases like this. Where the Imperials do this once, they will do it again somewhere else. Maybe next time we can stop them before they start murdering people." John orders and Kara nodded her head in acknowledgment. The next seventy-two hours would be busy as the station prepped theRavenandRiptideto go to war. Either way, this would be the first battle in a very long war.
They received the Intel within thirty-six hours, the base was located within theTraga Systemof theTheron Cluster. They received a layout of the base and a topographic map of the region. Transit time to get there was a little over seventy-two hours. Twelve hours after the Intel had come in, theRiptideandRavenjumped out of the system. Rebecca promised to send a burst message saying if they had succeeded. The next three days were going to drag on, and he had wanted to go, but he knew Smitt and everyone else would not have let him. They would have been right too, right now he was too valuable to the cause and as important this mission was, it weighed nothing compared to his safety. He still felt guilty though sending his people into danger without him. One day though, he would be leading them into battle, but it was not going to be this one.
The next three days were hell for John, he threw himself into his work, so he didn''t have to think about what was or wasn''t happening. He had been falling asleep in his office and when the seventy-two-hour mark approached he had been up for nearly sixteen hours. He told Kara to wake him immediately as soon as they received word what had happened and went and tried to sleep in his quarters. Try was the operative word because all he did was stare at the ceiling and wait. The operation would take about an hour to two hours to complete depending on how slowly Lt O''Hansen went into the system. So John stared at the ceiling and hoped everything went well. Three hours later word arrived "Mission Successful, RTB +2" what the hell did plus two mean, John, wondered...Seventy-two hours later they found out what plus eight meant.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Jimmy and his squad of Mercs and two prisoners. One of them, Jacob Whitley, Smitt loathed and hated. He was supposed to be dead apparently. He was a former Marine that was kicked out for firing on civilians and almost started a rebellion because of it. Whitley was later captured with some pirates and was supposed to have been executed. According to the Intel, they captured when they destroyed the Black-Ops base,IntelDivgot him out of the execution as long as he worked for them exclusively. The other was supposed to be some analyst thatIntelDivsent to support them and their endeavors. They had no idea who she was, or what she really did but something about her John did not like at all. Both of them were placed in lockdown with twenty-four-hour surveillance with no privacy what-so-ever. "Sorry John, we do not have much on her. We were only there a couple of days before we sent you the Intel on the site. After that, we knew we were on the clock before you sent someone there to crash their party and burn the place down. She was never alone, and she was mostly with that Jacob piece of Shit. He is an animal. If you hadn''t wanted command personnel I would have killed him. Something about her pissed Natalie off though, so I would be really careful with her John." was all that Jimmy really learned about the other prisoner.
Three days later, both prisoners had been denied clothing and sleep. They were allowed food but no utensils. Automated drones provided them food to eat and took it from them after 10 minutes if they ate it or not. No chairs were provided, a floodlight was on them at all times, and they were cuffed and chained to the ceiling and floor that denied them the ability to sit down or move around too much. John hated it but both prisoners were little better than animals and both should and would die for their crimes. According to the colonies that had been raided, over seven hundred beings had died because of the raiders. With word that the camp had been destroyed, with all but two of the occupants dead and the ship destroyed they were placated but until these two died they would not be happy. Ending their threat had earnedAtlantisa lot of goodwill from theTheron Cluster. Natalie stood next to John as they looked at the female prisoner. So far none of their spies withinIntelDivknew who she was, but that was no surprise considering she was part of Black-Ops. They had only gotten some information about her from before she joined the military. Kara and Douglas had insisted that four MECHs would be going in with them to ensure John''s safety encase she somehow broke out. That and the collar they would be putting on her. The collar acted like a lightning rod, if she got further from one foot from the center of the room, electricity would shock her in bursts until she went back into the center of the room. Kara would be standing by with two more MECH units outside. Natalie had agreed to lead the questioning while John would just stand behind her and wait until he saw an opening or Natalie signaled him to take over. "Ready John, once the light goes out, we go in. I lead the questioning. You are there to watch and read her body language. See what you can find out about her that her body will tell us without her knowledge. If she is an operator she will tell us very little what she doesn''t want us to know." "Hello, Kelly. Do you know why you are here....you have been very bad. Killing all those people. You have made a lot of enemies out there. They all want a piece of you, Kelly. I don''t want to turn you over to them, but you have to tell us everything you know. I am trying to help you, but I only have so much time. Once my commander decides to turn you over to your enemies, I cannot do anything for you. So please Kelly, tell me something. You don''t have to tell me any secrets, let''s start with something simple. Tell us what happened after you joined the military. SeeIntelDivdid a very good job sanitizing your records after you joined them. Just tell us where you went to school and go from there." Natalie prodded her while John watched her body reactions. Her shoulders had tightened up when Natalie said she killed people, Anger or offense that the aliens were described as people. Her buttocks had flinched when we said her records were sanitized by IntelDiv, surprise she had not expected us to have access to her military records. Based on her control either she was an operator or she had extensive training, more then an analyst required. ''Jeeves run a scan on her body for scars and any enhancements she has. See if she has physical or mental ones.'' John asked his AI as ''Kelly'' started telling her story. A few minutes later Jeeves responded ''Captain I am detecting a cranial modification very similar to what you have. It will enhance her thought process and her ability to endure pain from what I can tell. Her muscles have also been enhanced, to what degree I am unsure because she has made very little movement since she was placed within the containment cell. I can tell the enhancements will increase her strength and her ability to react. If I had to make a conclusion she is an Operator that has been enhanced to assist her in completing her job.'' John looked at the woman again, her feet and hands were bound to a central chain, they had no idea though if her restraints would hold her though or if the electricity would disable her. ''Jeeves is there any way you can disable the cranial implant or reverse the effects of it?'' John asked the AI. Jeeves quickly responded ''Give me 30 seconds John and I will hack it and I can I will enhance the pain she will receive. If I cannot do that I will just disable it.'' At that point, "Kelly" was crying and saying she just wanted to go home. ''It is done, Captain. I could not reverse it, so I just disabled it.'' Time for John to enhance the interrogation. John stepped forward and grabbed ''Kelly'' by the throat and made her lookup. ''Douglas initiate Plan Alpha.'' John hated what he was about to do, but these...people...deserved far worse. A screen descended from the ceiling and lit up with the view of Jacob Whitley restrained just like ''Kelly'' was. John had a gun placed at the base of the woman''s spine if she moved he would pull the trigger. It was loaded with disabling ammo so it would hurt but not kill her. "Watch this, I do not want you to talk and tell any more lies. So I want you to watch and listen to what I am going to say.'' Douglas strode into Jacob''s cell with an injector with a very special injection they had made over the last three days, ''My friend there is injecting your former partner with some very special nanites. For the next hour, they are going to just reproduce. He will become very uncomfortable to start running a fever and get a headache. After the first hour is when the real fun begins, the nanites will start breaking down his body for real, bones, muscle mass, non-essential organs, over the course of eight hours those nanites will eat him alive. We can only stop the process for the first hour after that, we can do nothing. I want you to watch and remember because you have exactly twenty-four hours from this moment to tell us everything. My friend and I are going to leave. You are going to tell us everything you know including the crimes you committed in theTheron Cluster. If you do not, in twenty-four hours we are going to come in here and give you an injection. The enhancement you had, was disabled so you will feel everything as your body is broken down. No one is coming for you, you are alone, and only you can help you. When you feel like talking start, we will be recording everything for the next twenty-four hours, after that you will disappear forever." With that John and Natalie left. "I am sorry Nat, I had Jeeves do a scan of ''Kelly'' she had both physical and mental enhancements. She is a trained Operator, and we need to know what she knows ASAP. This is probably the only way to break her." John told the spy. "I understand John but you should not bluff like that. In an hour she will know you are lying for sure, and we will be off worse than where we are now." Natalie told him "I wasn''t lying Nat. One of the Docs had family in that cluster. He worked with a mechanical engineer to design those little monsters. They are based on nanites that break down the trash we produce. In 9 hours that man will die a very bad death and hopefully, his death will break ''Kelly''. Douglas, I am sorry I dragged you and your sister into this. This is one of the most disgusting things one human can do to another, but I choose to do it because the Intel that ''Kelly'' has might save more lives down the road." John stated. The only question going through Natalie''s mind was, would this break John before it broke the enemy? Chapter 21- the Dam Breaks John continued to review and sign overdue paperwork...yes housing needs to be renovated for the influx of people, yes we need another Pilots school, and Marine training camp. "Are we going to talk about what just happened?" Natalie asked as she strode into Johns office "What is there to talk about. Everything is said and done. Either Kelly will crack or she won''t, and we can''t do anything else." was Johns response. "Are you serious John. You just sentenced that guy to a slow and painful death. We need to talk about this. I know this isn''t you and you would never do something like that. Well, pull a gun and shoot them yeah, but not torture and slow death." Natalie snapped at him. "Douglas, I won our little bet. How is Plan A progressing?" John asked over the stations Comm "I had my doubts Captain that you could fool her based on what I read on Mrs Natalie and from your own observations, but Plan A is working well. Both Subjects believe the other has undergone a terminal injection of Nanites and will die in the next 6 hours. The test to use nanites to get rid of biological trash has been a complete success. Dr. Burmingham says ''Those little buggers are completely safe for human interaction. I jumped into a vat of them, and they never touched me'' so what the prisoners are watching are a holographic representation of those Nantes destroying biological trash waste that the occupants of this station make. In other words Mrs Natalie, no sentients were hurt making this HALO. We will continue to monitor both prisoners and inform you if they break Captain." Douglas reported. Natalie glared at the Captain "You played me...well done John. I had no idea you could be that devious." John smirked as he responded "This old wolf still has some tricks and you are right, I would just put a gun to their heads and shoot them over torture. I cannot though, the people of those systems raided want them back to stand trial against their people. They know they cannot have them yet until we have had time to interrogate them though. Anything else Nat?... Good cause unless you are going to help with this paperwork I need some time alone." With that Natalie ran from the room, she was an amazing Operator and Spy, but horrible with paperwork. Kara was staring at John "Why would your old friend think you would do such a thing Captain?" John sighed..." Because Kara, when Humans go to war it can bring out the Darkest parts of us. It can also bring out the greatest things Humanity can do as well though. War changes us on a primal level Kara, and once we cross certain lines, we have a hard time finding ourselves again if we even can. She is worried that I will lose myself to this war, and she might be right. That is why I am trying to do this with my friends to remind myself of who I am, so I don''t lose myself. At least that is what I hope will happen. Does that awns er your question Kara?" Kara nodded. John just hoped his gambit worked to break the two, otherwise, it was all for nothing. Four hours later Jacob Whitley broke and confessed in his part of the planning and execution of the raids. Although he could not tell us about anymore Block-Ops bases he told us the name of the IntelDiv Operator Elise Richards, with that we were able to dig into her background and find everything about her that hadn''t been sanitized by IntelDiv. What we did find though allowed Natalie to break her 3 hours later, and she gave us coordinates to 3 Black-Ops basis. 1 was within Imperial space but the other 2 would be scouted out and if possible destroyed. Both prisoners would be held for the foreseeable future under 24 hour watch with very little human interaction. They also received Intel on the Comm frequencies that they used to communicate and dates and times when support vessels would check in. With that he sent out a coded message to the field agents they had near those two bases to check them out and report back what they found if anything. On a positive note, the second War Games was a blast, and 60 new Marines and 10 new Pilots finished training and joined their Ranks. Tortuga had completed her pickup circuit and was on her way back to Atlantis with 400 Marines, 150 Enlisted Fleet personnel, 50 potential Fleet Officers, 40 Pilots, 1 R&D, and 3 Medical Doctors. The new facilities should be complete by the time they got here, if not they would delay training for only a day or two. John had ordered the increase of construction drones planet side to make sure completion of the Marine training Camps were completed. The automated Mining facilities were running at 100% capacity and the Ore Haulers would be complete within the week. Depending on if they needed more to haul Raw Ore from miners to the processing stations they might have to produce more. John made a note to have the recruiters to push for more medical doctors, the ratio of personnel to doctors was a gap that was rapidly expanding that they needed to close ASAP. John needed someone to help run logistics for Atlantis facility itself, one for running the Heirs and Rebellion, a recruiting officer to oversee recruitment, and the list went on. He had called for a council meeting to bring up these shortcomings and to hopefully address them. That thought reminded him that he was running late for the meeting he had called for....AHHHHHHHH, ''Jeeves why didn''t you remind me that I had a council meeting?'' Jeeves quickly came back ''I did Captain, you growled at me and continued to go over your reports and continued to make notes. When your Comm went off you threw it across the room and almost shot it." .....oh John ran into the meeting room 20 minutes late, everyone was seated and waiting for him "Thank you all for coming. I am sorry for being late but paperwork buried me, and I was distracted. So, first order of business is that we need Logistics officers appointed to help run logistics for Atlantis system and the Heirs. Any thoughts or suggestions?'' chirp...chirp...chirp '' Come on people, either someone steps up or you guys give me a suggestion?" John noticed Jimmy and Natalie whispering back and forth and it almost looked like they were arguing "We have a pair, but they are a pain in the ass John you will hate them. Believe me you do not want to work with these two..." Natalie smacked his arm and cut in "Shush you, John these two are amazing, they used to work for a big company and are very dependable. They got into gaming late in life as part of retirement, and they are Jimmys'' sisters. That is why he doesn''t want you to bring them on. Both are currently in Imperial Space though, so it would take a couple weeks to get them here, if they are willing to come. I will contact them after the meeting and let you know." John nodded and thanked them both. "Second point of the meeting, we need someone to Oversee recruitment, I.E. Personnel Officer, again recommendations or volunteers?" Rebecca immediately responded "I think Lieutenant Daniel McPherson would be perfect. He is very personable, good at reading people, and I was going to put him in for promotion anyway. Putting him in charge of Personnel would be a good step up for him, I am sure though he will eventually want to get back in the Fleet track though." John thought about it "Bring it up to him, he will be in charge of it for the immediate future, if he will want to transfer back at a later date, we can do that but it won''t happen for at least a year." This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. John continued after finishing going over officer gaps "Now onto other matters, you all have seen the numbers the Tortuga is bringing in, I have transferred more construction drones planet side, and we should be on track to have the facilities completed before they get here. If not we will house the Marine recruits on the station for a day or two. Same situation for enlisted fleet school, under construction but should be done. Now any questions, concerns, moans or groans before this meeting ends?" Dr. Birmingham head of R&D immediately jumped in "Sir, we need to both expand R&D facilities and upgrade. Right now the facilities are adequate barely, but with new scientists and Doctors coming in every couple weeks we will run out of room to expand within the current setup. It also limits what and how much we can research and develop. On a positive not the prototypes for the Medium and Heavy Chassis are on track and doing well so far and if everything goes well we can put them into development in 2 weeks." John nodded and had Jeeves take note into looking at expanding and upgrading the labs. Smitt followed the Doctor "With the increased Marines and the projected numbers based on current recruitment, I would suggest we start construction of two more Marine training Camps otherwise we will get backed up in 3 months time. Also with the current rate of production of Mark II MECHs and training we should be able to field two whole divisions (16,000 per) within 6 to 8 months time. They will be green though and untested." John nodded and smiled. Stein jumped in right after Smitt "We need to both increase recruiting of both Enlisted and Officers and the facilities that train them I would suggest double the size of training facilities, but we do not need to worry about upgrading them at this time." John turned to Pride, head of Pilot training "Let me guess, you want to double the size of Pilot training facilities?" John smiled as he asked. Pride winced and responded, "Nope I want to double and upgrade immediately if we can." John just smiled and made notes of everything. "Anyone else?.... Good moving on." "Moving on, through interrogation of the captives you got from Traga System, we have the coordinates of two more Black-Ops bases outside Imperial controlled space. I have already made our people aware of them that are located near these two bases, so they can scout and report back. At this time no attacks have happened in either region. What is our response if we do find Imperial bases? IntelDiv might write off 1 attack but if we keep hitting them it could expose us before we are ready to come into the open. Thoughts and recommendations people?" John let everyone know as he forwarded the Intel to everyone present. "First point is that we do not know if anything is there yet. Second, we have no idea what they plan in those areas and until we do we cannot act. Until we receive more Intel, we cannot make decisions, so I would suggest we wait and shelve this until we get some Intel back from the two sites." Natalie responded while everyone nodded. "Consider the subject shelved until we can confirm the Intel. That''s all I have, does anyone wish to bring up any subjects or concerns?" John finished up his portion of the meeting.
Two weeks had passed and the Intel on both sites were back in, one was a site was recruiting members just like the one in Traga System while the other proved to be some R&D facility. They had no idea what IntelDiv was working on at the R&D base, but based on their track record and since it was outside Imperial space they didn''t want anyone to find out it was theirs and let it led back to the Imperium. They could be developing new tech or some bio weapon, until he had solid Intel from inside the facility they wouldn''t know. Natalie had forwarded what they had found to the Moles inside IntelDiv, but so far they had not found anything. She didn''t expect a response from any deep assets unless it was really bad. Johns inclination was to destroy the raider base before it became a problem and sit on the other facility until they had solid Intel or to hit it from orbit. Right now the Council agreed that until something happened they shouldn''t give IntelDiv reason to think that their operations are being targeted so John had to sit and wait on two potential explosive situations not to mention the third site they had no clue what was happening there. The development of all the new facilities was putting a strain on the resources available, good thing the automated facilities worked 24/7. John had tasked drones to see what could be mined on planets 2, 7, and 8. So far surveys were only in the preliminary phases and John would not get an in depth report for another 24 hours. Jimmy and his sisters would arrive in the next 24 hours, although he said he wasn''t sure he would survive them that long. Either way, they promised to start getting the logistics in order and help organize the industry in the system. John also had the twins looking at developing either automated farms on one of the Green Zone planets or developing some Hydroponics Farms on the station. They also needed to build an H3 mining and fueling station around planet 6. Training facilities for incoming personnel came first though. Once the next wave of Fleet recruits finished training, they would have enough to outfit another Assault Transport with crew, and they could start recruiting in more star clusters other than the 5 they already were. All of the systems they recruited in were independent of their home worlds or Neutral star systems, none of the Regional Governments took them serious yet, except for the Xaranx and Aran''Sul. Although Aran''Sul had the ears of many of the Minor-Powers in the Region, none were willing to sign up...yet. Neutralizing the base in the Traga system had bought them goodwill with the Gol''dan, Pre''da, and the Bran''ga. All of them controled 2 to 3 star clusters and 30-60 habital worlds. Aran''Sul believed they would be willing to discuss trade deals but not a Military Alliance, not yet anyway. The trade agreement had been ratified by the Xaranx and the Da''Gog Confederation, which centered on Arkonia Prime, was debating presently to sign a trade deal with the Heirs of the Imperium. Both were powers that controlled only a handful of worlds and both had militaries that the Imperium would crush in less then a day, but they were taking a chance by trading with them. It was good first steps. ''Captain, you have an Alpha level message that just came in, you want me to patch it through now?'' Douglas called over the Comm line. ''Patch it through..." Attention whoever is listening to this. I work for IntelDiv, I help with handling the Black-Ops funding and personnel. Word came down from you guys were looking at a specific R&D base outside Imperial space. I looked at the coordinates that were sent, according to what I was able to pull IntelDiv is working either on a Bio or Chem weapon there. It''s still in the early stage of development though and will not be viable for weeks at least, if not months. Attached to the message is a list of personnel and a layout of the facility interior. Good luck."'' Douglas get on the line, I am calling an emergency meeting of the council. Make sure all members are made aware and the meeting will take place in 10 minutes drop anything they are doing this is the priority." Chapter 22-Plans for a Shadow War John was first in the room quickly followed by Kara and Douglas, over the next 10 minutes Captain Stein, Smitt, Jones, Pride, and Miles all filed into the room. Once they all were seated the room was sealed and electronics jamming equipment was activated. "Sorry to call everyone in on such short notice but one of the deep assets we have within the IntelDiv came up with information on the R&D facility. What Jeeves is sending to you all is a copy of the report made, Miles I would like you to go over the names provided and see if we can pin down if they are developing a Chem or Bio weapon. I need assessment on if we need to strike from orbit or can we afford to send boots on the ground, so we can get rock hard proof of continued Black-Op activities by the IntelDiv and Admirals Board. We also need to make plans to roll up the Raiding Base as well. This is no longer a wait-and-see type situation, we have weeks before a weapon is viable. I will not let them deploy any BIO or Chem weapons within that star cluster or any other if I can stop it. Thoughts?.... No I will update Jimmy and Natalie as soon as they get back. Get to work people I want a viable tactile plan within a week. Rebecca do not forget R&D is reverse engineering the Stealth Suite from the Riptide and will be able to produce more within a week. Dismissed." with that the meeting broke up with Rebecca pulling both Jones and Smitt over to her to start planning. Mission Issued: Shadow War Description: Not all Wars are fought in the open, others ''are out of sight, out of mind.'' The IntelDiv of the Imperium has developed a series of Black-Ops bases in and around Imperial controled space in support of the Admirals Board and their own motives. End the threat these bases represent. Rewards: 1000 Exp. for everybase destroyed, Intel on other Black-Ops bases, Intel on motives of the IntelDiv and Admirals Board, Increased relations with local Governments John pulled Pride aside to talk "Daniel, do you have enough qualified Pilots to run Ops from a light carrier yet?" Pride just started to shake his head "I could probably support 4 squadrons at this point, but we won''t have any spare Pilots and I don''t think we have enough enlisted fleet personnel to run a flight deck anyway John. Sorry but we are still too understaffed to run an operation and run the training school." John nodded while "What about S-CAP?" (S-CAP= Space Combat Air Patrol) Daniel responded quickly "After the next group of pilots graduates, I will feel that we have enough qualified Pilots to run the training school and maintain an S-CAP." John nodded in response to Prides assessment as he left the meeting. John had a couple ideas, but he had delegated Stein and the rest to come up with a plan, he couldn''t micro-manage now, and he had his own problems to deal with, like turning over all the logistics of both the Atlantis system and the Heirs over to the two new logistics officers. 45 minutes later Jim, Natalie, and two hooded women showed up... Jimmy looked pleased with himself while Natalie looked like she was going to tear him a new one. "What? I thought it best to bring them in secure, just to insure our secrecy and safety." Jimmy stated with complete confidence as John started to laugh. "Ladies, please remove the hoods. I assume we can trust in your discretion that you will not divulge anything about what you see or do here to anyone." John told the two women as he laughed. Both women had similar facial expressions, pissed and both looked at Jim as soon as the hoods were off. "Jimmy and Natalie, I hate to push you into the deep end since you just got back but Intel on that R&D base just recently came in. Check in with Captain Stein and see where you can help out please. Ladies if you will follow me, we can discuss what I will be asking you to do." John told the two ladies as Jimmy and his wife darted away. John just shook his head at Jims antics as he led the two women away. "I apologize for what Jimmy did. You two are his family and as much as we need to keep this place safe and secret, he was just messing around with both of you. I am John by the way, i failed to introduce myself earlier. The leader of this rag-tag bunch of misfits. What are your names?" John asked the two women as they sat at his desk. "I am Jaine and this is Mary the youngest of us. As old as Jimmy is, he still acts like a child at times. We both love him and want to kick his ass at times for his antics. We know the deal John, Jimmy and Nat told us the deal and warned us if we agreed this was a one way trip. Believe me, we are not going anywhere. We read on the Forums what you and your group is spreading, and we both felt something was hiding below the surface with the Imperial faction. I guess you just revealed what that was. Now, how can we help you? What mess do we need to organize here?" Jaine asked. John took the next 30 minutes laying out everything he could think of for the ladies. In the end Janine would be taking over Logistics slot for the Atlantis system and Mary would take over for Heirs. Both knew they had alot of work ahead of them, but John insisted that they rest and dive in tomorrow. He dismissed them after issuing them both security wrist bands and handing hem off to Douglas. Both knew they would have to meet with the Council at the weekly meeting to update them on their respective offices. ''Jeeves, has Lieutenant Daniel McPherson responded to the request that he oversee Recruitment?'' John asked his AI. ''I am sorry John, he has not yet. I am aware that he is currently on duty and has until end of day to respond to the request.'' Jeeves quickly responded. Another duty John needed someone to take care of and was critical for the ongoing efforts. John just stared out at the viewport and hoped they could take out both bases in time before the IntelDiv unleashed them on the locals.
"Do we have the ship on sensors yet?" John asked as he looked at the HALO showing the Tactical display of the whole Atlantis system. Ore haulers and miners were scrambling to get within the defensive envelope of the station while her long range scanners looked for the stealthed ship in the outer system. "We will not be able to detect the vessel until it penetrated the sensor envelope around the 5th planet. We were lucky to detect the emergence of the vessel from warp on the edge of the system." Douglas responded. All the automated fighters and trained pilots scrambled to launch in time. They currently fielded 3 full squadrons of mixed units of automated and biological pilots. A fourth under strength unit and 4 more fully automated squadrons. Five minutes later the tactical display lit up and zoomed to near planet 5. "Sir, looks like she used the shadow of Planet 5, but once she moved out we picked her up immediately. We can''t get an exact fix due to the cloaking system, but we can get within 5 light minutes of the Ravens current position." Douglas called out. "This is Captain John Port to all units stand down, I repeat stand down. Captain Stein, your Stealth Suite is working in perfect order. Captain Pride, I think we need to talk please. Douglas recall the automated units that are not needed to maintain S-Cap." John called out as he watched as fighters breaking off intercept routes to go back to patrol patterns and others vectored to Atlantis Station. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. After 5 days, R&D had a breakthrough and were able to re-produce the Type III stealth Suite that the Riptide had. It had taken them two days to repurposed the design to fit the Ravens systems and needs. R&D was currently working on modifying the Stealth systems to fit the Badger Designs and systems but it would take longer. With the Raven now able to use a Stealth Suite, they could now field two strike units against the Black-Ops bases. Engineers had been pulled from checking out the mothballed ships to scramble and ready two of the Badger destroyers, the Orchid and Dragonfly, to prep their systems for operations. Between the personnel from the Raven and Riptide and what had finished training, Atlantis could field all for ships for the coming operation. Right now the plan was to hit both bases at the same time, capture any command staff and Intel if possible at the Raider Base. For the R&D lab, capture of both the scientists, information on what they were working on, and samples, so they could make a cure were all high priorities. Both attacks would deploy 8 squads, attacking swiftly and with overwhelming firepower. Jones would lead one attack on the Raider camp while the other was overseen by Jimmy. Stein would lead raiding group Alpha from the Orchid, targeting the Raider camp, John would lead Beta from the Dragonfly, targeting the R&D lab. Smitt didn''t like the fact he was going but understood why he was. With limited Command staff, John could not afford to stay on the bench this time and of the two targets the R&D base was the one that was most likely to have backup from FleetComm or a Merc unit. The skeleton crews of the Orchid and Dragonfly were working with Engineers making last minute tweaks and repairs to the vessels. Tomorrow they would test out the Warp drives with each vessel being slaved either to the Raven or Riptide for the trial. They would both take a short hop out of the system then re-charge then jump back to test and tweak the Warp systems. 48 hours after that, all four ships would head for their target systems. Target A: IntDiv Merc Raiding Base Location: Draconis Star Cluster, Proxima System, Plantet 4 (see attached star map for System Details) Intel: Annalysis suggests no more then 30 Mercanaries with 1 IntDiv Operator (HVT-Capture if Possible), Sensor grid with 360 degree coverage at 1km out. 4 Automated turrets (See tactical assesment for possible ingress and vulnrabilities of camp, sensors and automated units) Assets assigned: Destroyers Raven and Orchid headed by Captain Stein, 8 Squads of Marines (Mixed units with Mark II and Mark I MECHs), Raid headed by Commander Jones Target B: IntDiv R&D Lab-High Probability Developing Biological Weapon Location: Persious Star Cluster, Duniden System, Planet 3(see attached star map for System Details) Intel: Annalysis of Target location is limited due to part of the Facility being underground. Observed 12 Mercs for Security, 8 known Scientists, possible 12 more subjects within facility, Due to location Rapid deployment and assualt is only option to capture facility intact and any possible HVTs for capture. Electrified security grid and autimated turrets are present. Priority Targets are as follows...Scientists, Samples of Bio Weapon(s), any IntelDiv Operators. (See tactical assesment for possible ingress and vulnrabilities of camp, and security) Assets Assigned: Destroyers Dragonfly and Scoutship Riptide Headed by Captain Port, 6 Squads of Marines (Mixed units with Mark II and Mark I MECHs), and 1 Merc Unit, Raid Headed by Jimmy Carmichael John looked at Pride as he came into his office, "I assume you know why you are here?" John asked the Pilot Captain "Our failure to even scramble one mixed unit. Only the automated units managed to launch within the 5 minute window. Which is sad, I know and will not happen again. I will be running raid drills for those who are not teaching starting tommorow Captain. We will not dissapoint you again." John smiled "Glad to hear it Daniel. Next time it could be a raid by an enemy Alliance or if shit hits the fan the Imperium. Make sure your pilots know that. Goodluck Captain." witht that Daniel left. They all still had so much to do and events were quickly speeding up. Chapter 23- Viral Warfare John looked at the tactical display showing the Duniden System; 4 planets, an overly large asteroid belt, and a red giant sun. Planet 3 was the only Green Zone planet in the system with 3 large continents and 5 major bodies of water. It planet was rain forest biosphere with a ton of plant life and mountains. At one point the planet had a very active volcano before the tectonic plates settled. Probably the reason why Planet 3 had very little in the way of ice caps. The base was in the North-East portion of continent 2, very mountainous region. The local flora had not been cleared away which helped prevent long range reconnaissance but also would give the Marines cover during the insertion. The electrified perimeter fence would slow them down though and might alert the defenders that they had incoming as soon as Jimmy and his boys bypassed it. John was stuck on the Dragonfly though in the outer-system watching, i.e. playing guard dog, while Riptide snuck in close. 6 sensor drones roamed around the Dragonfly enhancing her sensors and watching for the surge of energy signifying a ship dropping out of warp. If the Riptide was on schedule, if the base had any backup nearby it would be coming within the next hour to the next 1 1/2 hours. Dragonfly was hanging at the edge of the system with all non-essential systems powered down encase anyone came along, she could surprise them. The signal booster satellite had been deployed and would immediately relay any message back to Atlantis once they were done. Planet 3,Duniden System JimmyCarmichael-Assualt Shuttle on approach to Drop Zone Alpha "2 Minutes to drop people." the pilot called over the intercom. "Alright people, once the bird get to the DZ we got 15 seconds to get everyone off so line up and get ready to jump." Jimmy called out. Everyone, even the MECHs stood. He had two squads on this shuttle and two squads on shuttle two. Shuttles 3 & 4 were bringing the last 3 squads and dropping them from the western side of the R&D Facility. If everything went according to plan they would all meet at the Facility perimeter. Everyone was checking last minute gear, jump jets, and radio checks. They would be dropped at 100ft height just above the canopy, then make the 1km trek through the rain forest, in a storm, and hope they don''t get discovered until they hit the inner perimeter. Just another day for the Heirs... Didn''t help the Wolf himself was in the system making sure they didn''t fuck up. Then again, he was also there as backup encase this Op went tits up. Once they dropped off the squads the shuttles would stay on station encase they needed emergence evacuation or when they succeeded. "15 seconds......GO!" the Hatch in front of Charlie disappeared as he threw himself off the back of the Assault Shuttle. Then it was the wind, the rain, and an occasional flash of lightning. Pretty soon the jump jets kicked in and oriented him, so he landed feet first, it had been like he jumped off a ten-foot wall instead of 100ft from a shuttle. After clearing the immediate area, Jim deployed two little sensor pods. They looked like softballs and contained complicated information that constantly updated his HUD about his surrounding and his squad mates. As the squads checked in Jim got on his squad comm line and started barking orders "Angel, scout ahead. Dump, you are on point I am right behind you. Squints get up on that ridge and get eyes on the pass. If they set up a check point we need to know what we are walking into. DOC and Sonic you guys got tail end. MOVE!" Natalie darted ahead already activating her camouflage her armor gave her. Squints was the squads'' sniper, he activated a drone that acted as both spotter and close in fire support encase anyone tried to get in close with him. Dump AKA Dump Truck was a huge Cyborg/Human that was bigger then even Jimmy that was deceptively fast. Sonic was in charge of the squads Comms and ECM, while Doc was the Doc...self-explanatory. The pass was the only natural choke point between them and the R&D facility. It was about 50ft wide and a little under 1KM out from the target. Squad 1 (Jimmys squad) was on point, with the remaining 3 squads staggered behind theirs. They had 20 minutes to get to the rally point Alpha and meet up with the squads sweeping the western end of the valley. "I have eyes on a 10ft Tower, energy shielded, with two guys on the ground and an Auto turret with AP missiles, patching in Sonic to my visual feed" Squints called out. "I got two sweepers in the forest, out of LoS (Line of Sight) of the checkpoint. Give me the word when you want them gone Dog." Angel called out from ahead. Bull Dog was Jimmys name, cause he was a pain in the ass that didn''t give up. "I can take out both the shielding and turret but the security will know almost immediately." Sonic called out. "All squads hold 1." Dog called out. "Angel get a track on the sweepers and how long between check-ins?" About 30 seconds later she came back "1 minute check-ins Dog, take them?" Jimmy considered everything. "On the count of 3 Angel take the sweepers. Sonic you disable the shield, the turret, and blackout Comms for 10 seconds, Squints take out the guy on the tower while Truck and I rush the two guys on the ground. Let''s make this as quiet as we can people....3...2...1." with that Comms went quiet as Truck and Dog rushed ahead covering ground quicker then anyone should. Jimmys right arm morphed into a wicked blade that jammed through the guys chest and armor. The other guard died to a snapped neck and the guard on the tower smashed into the ground with a smoking hole in his armor. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "All clear. Angel keep going." Dog called out as the Comms came back." All squads move out for point Alpha. Squints choose your over watch spot and set up. If anyone sees anything let me know." 10 minutes later Jimmy and company arrived at point Alpha. Sgt Bradley was there waiting "What took you so long Sir?" Jimmy smiled as his armor moved to reveal his face "Ran into some locals at the pass, had to introduce ourselves. They were very welcoming but I only had eyes for you. Now here is the plan. Sonic is going to open up hole in the fence, your three (5-7) squads will secure the surface facilities and hold the perimeter once they are secure. Grab any Intel from computers you can, copy it then destroy the originals. Call out if you find the entrance to the underground, Squads 1-4 will deal with the underground portion of the facility. We all know what the priority targets are. Keep that in mind once the shooting starts people. Sonic, on your mark we go in." Dog called out as the man in too much tech gear ran at the fence. Jim checked his assault rifle, he had four clips for that. His arm was ready to shift in shotgun mode with enough energy for about 30 shot then he could shift it into knife mode or back to a regular hand. His shield on his left arm could activate for 30 seconds at a time with 3 charges. Truck would be on point with Dog and Angel right on his ass to provide support. Doc would be essential to keep them up and going as well as to check any Biological samples they found. "Going in on the count of 10...." Everyone started stacking up. "10....5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Go!!" Sonic called. Truck rushed through the gap and straight for the nearest building. On his HUD he could see as other squads broke apart and started moving toward other buildings. No alarms sounded yet though. Truck kicked in the door and the metal screamed as the door warped and bent in ways never intended. The big man continued forward over the torn door, while Dog broke right and Angel went left clearing the room. Doc held the door and waited for the clear signal before going in. Only one scientist type was found and quickly subdued and restrained. His location was marked so someone from squads 5-7 would come get him later when they started gathering prisoners. Doc was quickly dumping memory from the three computers within the small lab while Truck smashed them afterword. After that they went to the next building that not been cleared. As buildings were cleared, they were marked on the Tactical map as green so no two buildings would be checked twice. Downed combatants were marked off with a red X, actives were red O, and captured scientists were a green X. They had 4 green Xs, 3 Red Xs, and 1 red O that quickly turned to an X as Squints found the shot. A bright yellow flag appeared "Underground entrance found." someone called out. "Squads 1-3 rally at that point. 4 help 5-7 finish with the surface, as soon as the surface is clear get your asses down below." Dog called out rapidly as he made his way over to the flagged building. It was a heavily reinforced door, with a code pad, hand and retinal scanner. "Sonic, we need you to hack this door if you can, if not we got to blow it." Dog called out to the Tech expert. who scrambled from his position at the fence. The man was an artist hacking or using Tech, but in a firefight...not so much. 30 seconds later Jimmy led the three squads into the darkness, what they found there would forever cement the rebellion and the will to throw down both the IntelDiv and Admirals board. They found the corpses of 50 different aliens down there, young, old, male, and female. Jim also found two Traveler Scientists. Apparently they had both resisted and ended up with broken legs, arms, and jaws. Finding a way to restrain another traveler, so they couldn''t just log off and appear somewhere else had been a difficult problem to overcome. The Devs solved it by saying as long as they did not torture them, they could be held as POWs for crimes they committed within Endless Online until they were freed or released or sentenced. Jimmy made sure everything was recorded about what had happened, samples were taken of what was being developed, copies of computers, then they deployed a tactical nuke to destroy the site. In the end, they captured 10 scientists and 1 IntDiv operator. 15 Mercs and 3 scientists died. Even though they succeeded, Jimmy still felt like they had lost after seeing what had been in there. 10 minutes later the last shuttle took off, 5 minutes after that a mushroom cloud could be seen from orbit as the R&D facility was turned to ash. Outer System,Duniden System John Port-Dragonfly Bridge We just received a burst message from the Riptide, mission successful. 11 prisoners captured, samples and data were taken intact as well. The Riptide in on the way out and will meet us at the rondayview point Alpha." Jeeves told John over the comm. "Ok set course for point Alpha at 20% speed, keep our eyes peeled for any unwelcome company. Relay the message to Atlantis and inform them that we will be on the way home soon and will see them in 37 hours." John called out. It would take them between 30 and 45 minutes to reach the rally point then 36 hours to get home. Target Alpha should have been already cleared and the Raven and Orchid should already be on the way back to Atlantis and beat them there by 12 hours. John had no idea the information that they had captured or what would happen when word got out. Chapter 24- The Evil of Man When Smitt saw his Captain, he knew immediately something was wrong. John was enraged and disgusted by what he knew. Jimmy had transferred to the Dragonfly with the two Traveler prisoners as soon as they met up at point Alpha before jumping out of the Duniden System. Jimmy had told John everything he saw and had shown him the raw footage of all the infected victoms dead either of the biological pathogen or had their throats slit before they could have been freed. The only saving grace was neither player could leave, they were official POWs of a war that had started. It still did nothing to cool Johns temper though, he wanted to put a gun to their heads and pull the trigger but if he did they would just respawn in Imperial Space and be free to do it all over again. The only punishment he really could administer to them is to imprison them, and not touch a hair on their heads, so they had no excuse to file with the Devs. "Commander, we captured 11 Scientists, and three IntelDiv Operatives between the two Black-Ops bases. Two of the scientists are Travelers, they are not to be abused in any way. They are to be given three meals a day and allowed to shower every three days. They are to be confined to prison cells and never allowed to leave them, Douglas and Kara do you two understand. MECHs are the only interaction they will receive for now. These collars will prevent them from dying like other travelers and showing up some place else. They are War Criminals, but if we abuse them they can access their abilities as travelers and leave. Am i understood??" All three nodded in under standing. "Good the rest are locals, follow the same guidelines as last time, isolate, sleep deprivation, you know the drill. Eventually the locals will be turned over to the people they abused and pay for their crimes. Right now though we need what is in their heads. Smitt, we will have a council meeting in 30 minutes, you have that long to get them settled, DISMISSED." with that John strode off to his office alone. 20 minutes later, John stared out at the stars. His office was sealed and no one was allowed in, Jeeves silently appeared beside him. "John...people are starting to get worried. The Doctors of Allcorp are thinking this is putting too much of a strain on your mind and body. They think that if they don''t pull you out that it could have a negative effect on your treatment." Before he could continue your John cut in, "NO!! I am not going anywhere Jeeves. The last couple days, what we learned, it effected me yes. I will learn and cope though. I have responsibilities to these people, and I am not." Jeeves interrupted John now "This is not real John, this is all fake. It is a game and not reality." John took a deep breath before responding. "Reality is defined by what we can see, taste, touch, smell, and feel with our heart and soul. This might not be my reality but it is a reality. Those digital beings that they killed with the experiments, can you snap your fingers and bring them back...no because in this reality they died horrible deaths. All of them are real Jeeves, you are real, it doesn''t matter if its digital or biological Jeeves and the people of this reality need help. I might not be the best choice but somehow I am the one that ended up in this situation, and I am not going to turn my back on them just because it might help myself in the long run. So Jeeves, are you going to help me or not?"
Ten minutes later John strode into the Council chamber, everyone was present including Jimmy and Natalie "Thank you all for coming. The raids in the Proxima System and Duniden System were complete successes. We captured 11 Scientists and 3 IntedDiv Operators, two of the Scientists are Travelers. What you will be receiving is a recording of the raid of the facility in the Duniden system. I want you all to watch it, Kara and Douglas, I want all the recruits to see the video by the end of the day. Miles you will receive a copy of all the data and biological samples from the facility. I want you to have R&D to work on a cure for what they worked on there. This is your highest priority. I expect an update within a week with a timetable by then. Natalie, I want you to take a look at the data and see if you can find out what part Travelers played in that place. You are also in charge of interrogation of them if you feel up to it. We have very strict rules on how we can handle them, if we have any wiggle rum I think you can find it." Natalie had a feral smile on her face at Johns comment. "I plan to forward the medical data and recordings to Aran''Sul, so he can get the information to the proper people. So Miles you will not be the only people working on a cure. Any questions or concerns?" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "The two Travelers, can we post on the Forums about what they did. Let people know that they specifically are monsters that were creating a Bio-Weapon that was being designed to commit genocide." Pride asked. John looked at him before shaking his head "Not them specifically no. We can release information that IntelDiv with the support of the Admirals Board was working on a Bio-Weapon intended to Genocide a whole people, but we cannot say that these two specific people were involved. We can only generalize when it concerns other Travelers, if they had been a part of an Alliance it would be a different story. We could name the Alliance then. Also I want to wait three days before we release any information, then let it out. I want to see if we got any leaks. Anything else.... No. Dismissed people." with that, John left to go tell Aran''Sul what had happened. Thirty minutes later John finally had him on the Comms "My friend, you look so sad, what has happened? Have the Imperials found your location?" Aran''Sul asked John. "No my friend, as far as I am aware our location is still a secret. I have called to tell you that we recently raided an Imperial Black site that was an R&D facility developing a Biological weapon. The weapon was being designed to exterminate a race and had gone as far as testing on living beings. 50 people were found dead at the site before we managed to raid it. I am filled with both hate for what happened and discussed in my own people. I am going to send you a burst transmission with all the medical data and the recordings of our raid on the facility. Can you get word to the Thon. I have never had dealings with them and I have never encountered them before, so I would not place this burden on you unless I had no choice." John told Aran''Sul. "The are almost Pacifists, and they are almost as Technologically advanced as the Imperium. They have never started a War with their neighbors, but they have never shy awayed either. Very odd people. A lot of governments use them as mediators. They are trusted and well liked, I have few contacts within their Government but I will forward the information to all of them. I will try to protect your anonymity as much as I can, but I am sure they will want to know where the information came from." Aran''Sul told John "I will trust in your discretion on whom you tell and if they want a face-to-face meeting I hope you will be willing to host. Now, I have much work to do. Goodbye my friend." with that John cut the transmission. Chapter 25-Diplomacy John watched the thing in front of him, he wouldn''t call or even think of him as Human. He was simply prisoner 0002, AKA Dr. Steven Jacobson who specialized in microorganisms. John had no idea who or what he did in real life, but here he had participated in planning a genocide and that is all that mattered to John. Prisoner 0001, AKA Dr William Roberts was a chemist/Micro-biologist. Prisoner 0001 hardly ever logged on while 0002 was logged in at least 4 hours every day. John thought he was working as a part-time streamer, if so his revenue was about to take a huge hit. Both had filed Trouble Tickets and appealed but due to the nature of their game play, they were classified as War Criminals and Developers would not intervene. Natalie had taken it slow in interrogating either one. The rules that constrained them to the cells also constrained what we could do to them. We had found a little loophole that allowed us to vent atmosphere within their cells or add chemicals to their air if they got combative while we fed them or tried to escape. Natalie liked adding chlorine or methane or nitrous oxide to their air when they did that. It had been a week since they had been captured and neither player had given up any Intel. The locals, were a different story altogether. Several of the scientists had cracked and one of the Operators. They knew of 2 more R&D labs and one more raiding base now. They had dispatched scouts to verify the information but it would take time. The most recent wave of recruits had felt the mood on the station and the world below. Once they learned what had happened the somber mood quickly spread through the new recruits as well. John knew he had to do something to throw it off, but had no idea what. The next War Game scenario was in another 2 weeks, but until then he really couldn''t think of anything to improve morale. R&R facilities were being constructed all over the planet, so people could do what they wanted on their down time. Snow skiing, beach party, safari rides, whatever people could think up John had already thought of and was either under construction or built already. Grimes and his crew had taken this past week off, from picking up recruits so the Tortuga could be maintained and the crew could have some down time from running between 3 different systems all the time. Recruits were stacking up in both Arkonia Prime and Manhym System, and once the Tortuga was running again she would bring in around 1000 new recruits. 500 Marines, 350 Fleet Personal, 50 Fleet Officers, 70 Pilots, 30 medical Doctors, and 10 R&D scientists a huge boost to their current numbers. Due to the sheer numbers another Marine training camp was under construction, and they were expanding the current fleet training facilities on the station. John dismissed the prisoners from his thoughts and left the prison area, he could not move forward if he dwelt upon them. He would trust Natalie to get any information out of them that they could. As John came out onto the main deck and headed toward the operations'' area, 6 squads of Fleet personnel in training ran by in formation. The deck was perfect for running, just a little over 2.5 miles with stairs and viewports so the trainees could keep their minds active while running. The main HALO display had Imperial space on display with information coming in from assets, they updated the information concerning fleet movements and deployments. Economic information and current situations that might be advantageous for the growing rebellion. The Heirs were running throughout non imperial space, not just recruiting and getting information but also running cargo for various businesses to earn money for the Rebellion. John had a lot of money from his past life but it was not infinite. Buying food, medical supplies, and key equipment to upgrade the station had steadily drained the money. Not to mention paying all the new people, they joined because they actually wanted to make a difference but the locals still had family and responsibilities back at their home worlds. "Captain, I am sorry to disturb you but you are receiving a transmission from Aran''Sul. He is requesting to talk to you immediately." Douglas called out over the noise of Ops. He just pointed to his office and the Android nodded as John headed that way. "Aran''Sul, how can I help you?" John responded as holographic display came alive. "I hope your week has been going better there, then here my friend. The Thon have been very...demanding on finding out who found that information. They are sending a member of their government here, and they will arrive within 48 hours, I would appreciate if you would send someone to talk to them." Aran''Sul responded. John didn''t even have to think about it "I will be there as soon as I can my friend. I appreciate you keeping our secret though. If there is nothing else, I have to go... I will se you soon my friend." with that John cut the channel. "Jeeves can you request Kara, Captain Stein, Jaine Carmichael, Mary Carmichael, and Commander Smitt to come here." About 10 minutes later everyone had arrived and John had to fill them in on what had happened. "So we have an unknown people demanding to speak to someone within our group. Why does it have to be you?" Smitt immediately responded while Stein just nodded. "It has to be me because I am becoming the face of this rebellion. The Thon want awnsers, and I was there and commanded the overall raid of the system so it is my responsibility. I would ask Jimmy to come along but, that might turn this situation from bad to worse. We already have one powerful enemy, I do not want a second one. I will be taking the Riptide with me, and Smitt give me a detachment of Marines to go along but you will be staying here to continue your job. No arguments please. Captain Stein will be moving to my slot, running Admin for the system and Heirs while I am gone. This is a temporary slot until I get back, then you will go back to dunning the Officers School. Jaine and Mary you will report to Rebecca like you have been reporting to me. I should be back within 2 weeks. Kara you..." Kara cut John off "I will be coming with you Captain. Personal Aid and Bodyguard, this is not up for debate." John sighed before responding "Ok, Kara will do whatever she dammed well pleases. Let Chief Letts know what equipment you need to transfer to the Riptide to maintain...well you. Other than that we will be leaving within 3 hours people. Dismissed."
John watched the tactical display as the Riptide knifed deeper into the Manhym system. Most of the ships were designated blue on the plot as owned by Black Hole station but the 6 Yellow unknowns were a worry. "Looks like 4 destroyers, a light cruiser, and something in between a heavy cruiser and a Battleship Hull. Big bastard and if the readings are correct can take a couple good hits and give them back as well sir." the sensor operator called out as he drew closer to the designated docking port for the station. Aron''Sul had been on the comm line as soon as they dropped into the system welcoming them and making sure no one would start hostilities while in his system. It was neutral space and if anyone started a fight, his people would end it. "Just keep an eye on them, if they look like they are making a move back off but do nothing to start a fight. O''Hansen you will be in command while I am on the station playing Diplomat. Kate try to keep him out of trouble and Kara will be with me." John called out. Within 15 Minutes John was in a conference room with Arna''Sul, 6 of his guards, a Thon Councilman with his aid and possible military advisor. "So why exactly did you insist on seeing a representative of my group Councilman?" The Thon was Humanoid, Bipedal, blue skinned, with solid yellow eyes, while the military one had black and the aid was blue. John wondered if the eyes meant anything to their social structure or if it was like humans and meant nothing. "We have heard rumors of you Captain Port, the Council of Thon decided that you represented an unknown and that you were likely just a Captain that wanted power just like your government had taken. Now though things have changed, you provided clear threat that the Imperium represents to our people. So the question is Captain what do you really want? Why did you send that information?" John looked at the Councilman, then glanced at Aran''Sul before he responded " I sent you that information because it is the right thing to do and if we could not reverse engineer a vaccine, you and your people had the best bet of doing so. I don''t want power and the Imperium is not your enemy, the Admirals Board and IntelDiv are. They are in power and if we can get the people to realize what they are doing, we might get enough support to pull them down from within. A full military rebellion is something I am planning for but its only if we cannot get the common citizens and the Senate to overthrow the current government. We are actively hunting down all the Black Ops sites the IntelDiv has outside of Imperial space, and we will destroy them if the are a threat to the locals or if they represent threats to the stability of the region like the R&D facility in the Duniden System represented." John responded. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "We have heard Captain that you are actively recruiting within several star clusters and are expanding your current endeavors to recruit more. If your primary plan is to overthrow the system from within, what do you plan to do with all that military might if you do not need it?" The Councilman responded. "We humans have a saying ''Hope for the Best, but Plan for the Worst'' in all likelihood Councilman we are going to have to go with the Military option. Between the Board and IntelDiv, they have a stranglehold on both the military and political structure. We might get the outer colonies and systems of the Imperium, but the core will be loyal to them. People are going to die in the coming war and once the war is over and the Senate is back in power I will gladly step down and face whatever charges anyone wants to throw at me including your people." John finished with a sigh before sitting back in his chair. "Is there any chance that we will be able to inspect the R&D facility?" the military aid asked. "No, after we copied all the data we could get and samples of what they were making, the on ground commander decided it was too much of a risk to leave intact encase IntelDiv or the Board sent a recovery team to reclaim anything they could. We nuked the facility to ensure that everything was destroyed so if they decided to go through with their plans to wipe you out, they would have to start from the beginning again." John quickly responded. The two Thon looked at each other before the military one nodded. "My name Captain Port, is Beran''Gundel, Third Council of the United Thon Federation. For now, we see this conflict as an internal Human matter and will formerly recognize your authority in pursuing this matter. As long as you continue to contain the threat of the Admirals board and IntelDiv we will continue to see you and your people as in charge of this ongoing conflict and will not hold the people of the Imperium responsible for the actions of the few. If that changes, and they enact a Genocide against our people or against one of our neighbors this will be readdressed. Now how can we help you and your people?" Beran''Gundel asked. John smiled and got down to business. Over the next hour they talked and planned and Beran''Gundel provided official documents that recognized Johns rebellion, Beran''Gundel received a copy of the Trade Agreement the Heirs would honor that Beran''Gundel would take back to his people and would be ratified shortly Beran''Gundel assured.
"That could have gone far worse, but it also went better than I expected." John told Aran''Sul once they were alone. "I have never seen them so angry, usually talks like that would take days or even weeks. They only reason why the talks went that quickly is because the threat both the Admirals Board and IntelDiv represent. If that would not have happened, you might never had received official recognition as an opposing force against them by the Thon. " Aran''Sul responded. "Yes they did, but with restrictions. If the Board or IntelDiv actually succeeds with one of their mad plans, they all but said they would organize a formal all out war with the Imperium against all her neighbours. With what they have been doing its only a matter of time before they succed, and I am not sure what side of the line I will be if they succeed. The Thon and her allies will not concern about civilian casualties if they go to war like I am. They will target any Imperial world and do everything they can to grind the Imperium into dust. I want to save it. We got to step up both our Shadow War campaign, and we got to start a propaganda war and let both the civilians and the senate know what the Admirals Board and IntelDiv are doing out here and try to get support within the Imperium. We also have to let any dissenters know that there is an organized rebellion going on out there, and we do not want to tear down the Imperium, just the current Government and their support. I have to get home my friend, if you need me, you know how to contact me." with that John left, he was more worried now then when he had been coming to Black Hole Station.
Loki Station Location: Unknown IntelDiv HQ Colonel Monroe looked at the halo display in front of him showing 15 glowing dots, 3 of them were Red while 13 still were blue. "So we can confirm that Zeta bases 1 and 5 are destroyed and that Alpha base 1 has been nuked, do we know who is doing this Lieutenant?" the Lieutenant was nervous, the Colonel did not take failure or the unknown well "No sir, we have no idea who did it or how they are finding the bases. The Travelers assigned to Alpha 1 have not shown up in Imperium Space anywhere and have not contacted us, and we cannot contact them either. We know whoever is attacking the bases have captured at least three people, so we do not know how many of the bases are actually compromised." This caused Colonel Monroe to snarl and crush the halo display. "Get word out to all Alpha, Zeta, even Beta bases that they are to go on alert, and they might be attacked at any time. Send a message to the Admirals Board about the attacks that have happened, that we have put all our assets on alert, and that our primary plans might be compromised. Then call a command staff meeting in 30 minutes we might not know who is behind this, but it does not mean we cannot come up with a plan to expose who they are, so we can hunt them down and destroy them. Now get out." Colonel Monroe roared at the retreating back of the Lieutenant. It was time to go on the offensive. Chapter 26- The Dominos Fall John looked at the Council as he finished briefing them on what he had discussed with the Thon Councilman. "So, we can continue to run the war as long as we make sure the IntelDiv and Admirals Board doesn''t slaughter a bunch of people. This should be easy considering we have no idea how many Black-Ops bases they have outside Imperial Space or what operations they are running from them. All they did agree to be a Trade agreement with no real support but Aran''Sul believes they would sign an Alliance agreement with us, but they are also worried about us becoming what we are fighting against... This will end well." Jimmy summarized what John had said. "So based on that warning, how are we doing in confirming that the Black Ops bases exist and their locations" John asked the assembled crowd. Natalie immediately responded "We have confirmed the existence of the raiders and their base in the Epsilon system. The two R&D bases we have not confirmed yet but scouts are en route and will be reporting back within the next couple days. We will have the preliminary report on the Epsilon base in the next 24 hours, and we can plan the raid after that." "Good, I know we have exposed that fact that someone is actively opposed to IntelDiv out here, but we no longer have a choice in the matter if we want to continue to control the pace and direction of this war. We just got to continue to double check all incoming Intel and hope we don''t fuck up." John responded before continuing. "Now, we have a third trading partner and will be able to open up the trade markets of the Thon, we need to appoint someone to take over Trade routs and to make sure we have a steady income from that venue. Suggestions?" "Jamie, she loves digging and creating an industry, but she is amazing at creating trades and penny-pinching. She will dislike stepping back from getting her hands dirty, but she will do it for the Alliance." Jimmy put in. John nodded "Agreed, she is going to give me so much shit, I will message her after this to get back here and take over as Officer of Trade or whatever we call it. Now Dr Burmingham how are we, at creating a antivirus or reverse engineering what they did?" "We are doing a good job and should have a viable sample, but we will have to create more of the virus to test it against. Also from what our tech people have been pulling from the drives you captured on the raid at the Duniden System, we believe they are trying to replicate the virus but apply it to two other species. Specifically for the Da''Gog and the Gol''dan, both species are known to be neutral parties with their neighbors and used as middle men, so to speak." Miles responded. John quickly responded "Do we have base locations of where they are modifying the virus?" Miles was already shaking his head at Johns question. "They only referenced base designations, like the R&D facility in Duniden System was known as Alpha 1. The bases that are doing the modifications are Alpha 3 and 5. That is all we have currently, we are looking to see if scientists reference planet types, weather patterns, or even sun types, but so far we have found nothing yet." Miles stated as John worried. "Natalie, press them hard, Jimmy I know you hate doing interrogations, but help her. Miles, get your tech oriented scientists on this. It has the highest priority over anything else. We need locations of those bases immediately. As soon as the Intel on the raiders come in, I want a plan of attack on my desk within 12 hours and the plan launched within 24 hours. Rebecca and Jake you head that. How is the system industry looking? Can we continue to expand at the rate we have been or do we need to back off on recruiting?" John turned to look at Jaine, Mary, and Lieutenant Daniel McPherson "As long as we continue to stagger bringing in these groups of people every two weeks, we should be able to keep up with demand. We are in the process of upgrading all the current facilities, so we will be able to induct more trainees and do a better job at training them." Jaine said while Mary nodded. "I was wondering if we could support actively start recruiting in the Theron, Draconis, and Persious Clusters. With what we have been doing out there fighting the Imperium we have a lot of possible recruits but with us only picking up at Manhym and Arkonia Prime its limiting how many we are actually recruiting. If we opened up another spot for screening and pickup somewhere in one of those clusters I believe we could almost double the amount of recruits we would be bringing in." Daniel responded. "Start screening the applicants in those star clusters, we will choose a secure system we can do the run, but we need another ship to do it. The Tortuga and her crew spend enough time in space as is, I will not add a third pickup point so far out of her current path. We also need to expand our training facilities both here and planet side if we are going to double the number of recruits. Ladies, can we do that within a month?" John talked to the logistics gurus. Mary and Jaine whispered back and forth before responding "It will be close, it will be basic facilitites, but we will be able to upgrade them within two months after they are operational Captain." "Ok then, I will talk to Chief Letts about getting another personnel carrier out of mothballs earlier then slated. Does anyone object to me having him join this Council?" John asked the council. Rebecca snorted "As long as he keeps a civil tongue and tone. Not at all, he has a unique perspective on life and could provide insight on some of the troubles we are having." All the others nodded. "Ok, I will make sure he is aware to be present for the next Council meeting. We are adjourned." John sighed as people started filling out and John sat and stared out of the viewport while considering the future.
"No, I am not an officer Sir. I don''t belong on no council. Now as far as getting another Lightning out of mothballs, all you had to do was ask. I will put it on the priority list, and we should have one tested and on the line of maintenance by end of day." Chief Letts responded while Chief Johnson laughed in the background at his companion antics. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. John looked at the grizzled NCO as he watched as Engineers swarmed over a Badger destroyer ripping it apart either for materials or equipment. They were in the process of testing the finale 100 or so Badger destroyers to see what had to be scrapped, repaired, or just cleaned up. The lines for repairs and scrapped ships had expanded though and Letts was slated to get 30 new engineers within the month to help with all the work. "Chief, that wasn''t a request. You will report for the next Council session. We need you Chief not just to run this mad house but to help run the zoo keepers." John finished with a wink at the irate Chief Engineer. "Although we can also have Chief Johnson and you alternate who reports every other week." Johns comment shut the laughing Chief Engineer right up and gave Chief Letts a shit-eating grin. "Don''t worry Captain, I will report for the next meeting. I will not make my fellow Chief suffer like that. We might want to have him report on occasion for his own unique perspective though." Letts said as Johnson walked away quickly before he was voluntold for anything. Both Letts and John laughed as the other Chief nearly ran away on his own deck much to the amusement of more then one engineer. John smiled at the grizzled Chief "Thank you, Chief Letts. I needed that laugh. Just make sure Douglas or Kara are updated on that Lightning when it gets in, so we can get another crew trained up and running her." With that John left the Engineers to their vital task.
Loki Station Location: Unknown IntelDiv HQ "So, does everyone understand the plan? How long until we have our assets in place to enact the plan?"Colonel Monroe asked his command staff. Captain Teagon responded first "Yes we understand that someone is targeting Black sites outside of Imperium controlled space. We understand the plan you are going to enact within the week and assets of both FleetComm and IntelDiv will be needed to enact it. What we do not understand Colonel is what is going on at these bases and why we were not informed of their existence or what role they fill in defending our people." Colonel Monroe glared at the Captain, but he couldn''t do anything. He was the FleetComm representative and Senate Rep, if he disappeared the Admirals Board would not protect him and would gladly give him up for a lap dog in charge of IntelDiv instead of him. Someone like say... Captain Teagon. "The mission of those bases is classified even above your clearance Captain. If you are not satisfied with that response, feel free to ask the Admirals Board I am sure they would...enjoy your questions. Now, will you have those assets in place and will the Captains of those ships understand that they will be under the authority of IntelDiv and whatever happens or whatever they see or do will be classified Top Secret and will never be divulged to anyone?" Colonel Monroe responded. "They will be and yes the orders will include that they are subject to IntelDiv authority. You will also be aware that whatever happens Colonel Monroe, YOU will be held responsible for what happens to those ships, crews, and what they do as well. I will make sure of that. The time of shadows and daggers is coming to an end. The threat you convinced the Admirals Board existed never materialized, your madness will end with you Colonel." with that Captain Teagon stood and left the briefing room. Colonel Monroe snarled as the upstart left. He was not mad no matter what the naive captain thought. The Admirals Board was too far into bed with IntelDiv to get out now, if Monroe lost he had made sure the Board would burn with him and no way would those stuck up bastards give up power. Not without spilling buckets of blood to try and keep power.
IRN Olympia Captain Teagon Teagon Summers watched as Loki station dwindled in the distance as the Light Cruiser Olympia pulled away with a squadron of destroyers in escort. Teagon had worked hard to get where he was, trusted by the Admirals Board and the Senate. For his family he would get into bed with the devil just, so he could drive the dagger into his chest when the time was right. "You heard what that bastard said. They are meeting organized resistance outside Imperium Space. If this is true, there might finally be an organized resistance against both IntelDiv and the Admirals Board. IF that is true, they would have spies within FleetComm and IntelDiv. Confirm what Monroe said and if he wasn''t lying start reaching out, we might no longer be alone in this fight." with that Teagon cut the Encrypted Comm line. He wasn''t the only orphan from 20 years ago, he was just the only one that had made the most headway at getting close to the killers of their families. Chapter 27- Wheels within Wheels John looked out at the 6 ships and the crews and engineers swarming all over them. "The Oceanus and the Warrior will be refitted within the next two days. Those 4 Badgers will be refitted within 2-3 weeks sir. Both the skeleton crews of the Warrior and Oceanus are assisting with refits which help out but the destroyers don''t have that yet so its slowing the refits down. Once the Oceanus or Warrior are moved we will get an Athena in here for a refit." Chief Letts reported as John looked at the shipyard. The Oceanus was the second Assault Transport to be refitted and used to transport new personnel to Atlantis. The Warrior would be the first Light Carrier recommissioned. Both had skeleton crews working for them and the Warrior wouldn''t have a flight group for another 3 weeks at least. Both ships would undergo trials of Warp Engines and weapons within the week. "Pride, when will your people be ready to start live training?" John asked the Commander of Starfighter Operations. Daniel looked up from his tablet before responding "I already have pilots already working in the SIMs now. Once the current group of pilots finishes training we will double the number of star pilots that are trained and ready. I want the current crop of pilots training on SIMs for 2 weeks before going live training operations off the Warrior. We will be able to field 4 squadrons on the Warrior. If everything goes alright, the Flight Group should be ready for Combat Operations within 6 weeks. We will also be introducing Carrier landings, take-offs, and combat ops with the training program with the next group of trainees. It will not lengthen the current program, just jam more into the current one. We will be able to field a full flight group within 3 months." John grimaced, he wanted a full flight group ASAP, but he wouldn''t rush people. Cutting back on training would get even more people killed and enough people were going to die as is. "On a positive note Captain, all the refitted ships will have the stealth tech from the Riptide in them. Johnson and I have been looking at the specs of the ships out there and everything smaller than a Battleship hull should be able to integrate the Stealth Tech that we have. I already told Dr. Burmingham about that, and they are working on a fourth Generation Stealth Suite that can accommodate the bigger ships." Chief Letts added in. "We will be adding the Tech to the Orchid and Dragonfly tomorrow as well, so if they have to go out on a mission, they will be operational." "Thank you, Chief for figuring that out. Having Stealth Tech on our smaller vessels will make them a lot more versatile and open up a whole new range of possible choices." John responded as he walked away from the ship yard. Being able to get within Imperial space and raid shipping, Black sites, and get out undetected would be a major boon for the Heirs. Both the Raven and Riptide had left 4 days ago to raid the Black site they had confirmed. Both should be back within 5 days. Target: IntelDiv Merc Raiding Base Location: Hades-Alpha Cluster, Epsilon System, planet 4 (see attached star map for details) Intel: Analysis suggest up to 50 Mercs are on site with 2-3 IntelDiv Operators (HVT for Capture if possible), sensor grid, walled compound, and automated turrets are present. (See detailed analysis for vulnrabilities of camp, ingress and egress routes) Assets Assigned: Destroyer Raven, Scoutship Riptide with Captai Stein in overall command from the Raven; 6 Squads of Marines (Mixed units with Mark II and Mark I MECHs), Raid headed by Commander Smitt The two R&D facilities had finally been confirmed as real but the strike on the Epsilon System was already under way. Once the Raven and Riptide were back, then they would go forward with plans for the two other systems. Target: Intel Div R&D Lab (Possible Alpha 3 site), Location where modification of Thon Virus for application againstDa''Gog andGol''dan Location: Hades-Gamma Cluster,Rigel V System, 3 Moon of Planet 2 (see attached star map for details) Intel: Due to proximity of the sun, facility is located underground. Due to location, intelligience gathering was severly limited. Caution is highly advised for all personnel who will be raiding this site. (See attached analysis of window of launching raid and window of insertion and extraction, limited facility analysis) Assets Assigned: N/A as of yet Target: Intel Div R&D Lab (Possible Alpha 4 site),Location where modification of Thon Virus for application againstDa''Gog andGol''dan The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Location: Beehive Cluster,Capella III System, Moon of Planet 4(see attached star map for details) Intel: 20 security personnel and 6 scientists (HVTs for Capture if possible) have been observed on site. Site has not entered testing phase, so no subjects are present. If possible capture any biological samples as well as tech for reverse engineering possibilities and anitvirus research. (See attachedanalysis for vulnrabilities of facility, ingress and egress routes) Assets Assigned: N/A as of yet The limited Intel on Rigel V was going to be a problem and Jimmy had already volunteered his squad to lead the assault because it was going to be tougher to go in blind. They limited assets they had in IntelDiv had not been able to get any Intel and supposedly all information on Alpha Black Sites were being monitored 24/7 now. They had reported that the commander of IntelDiv, Colonel Monroe, was planning something but no details had been discovered. They didn''t even know which of the Imperial neighbors had been targeted by the new plan. John just left standing orders to report anything that might hint at a target. FleetComm had increased border patrols and had recalled scouting of nearby systems due to the possibility of increased threats against the Imperium. In other words, due to IntelDiv losing multiple covert bases outside Imperial space, they would turtle up and watch to see which of their neighbors claimed responsibility. None would, but they might accuse the Imperium of supporting actions against their remote colonies, which the Imperium would deny... They had also intercepted Comm chatter indicating that 2 squadrons of destroyers had been placed on detached duty with IntelDiv. No attached orders had been intercepted and no one had seen the squadron sense. Rumor mill thought they had been reassigned to Loki Base, which only high level IntelDiv and Admirals Board members knew the location of. John was willing to bet Atlantis Base, that whateverColonel Monroe was planning would include those two squadrons of destroyers. Jaine Carmichael andDaniel McPherson quickly found him as he made his way into the Operations Center, both would have reports for him. Jaine was the first to get to him though. "Captain, the two new ore processors have been deployed within the asteroid belts. It will increase production within the Belts by 25%. The construction drones and ore processing units have reached planet 2 and will begin excavation and processing within 1 month and will double the ore we receive within 3 months. We have tasked drones to scout out Planets 7 & 8. Construction drones are nearly gone building the H3 refineries in orbit of planet 6 and will be able to produce fuel within 1 months time." Jaine finished her report. Daniel quickly cut in before he could respond. "We have begun the initial checks of the volunteers, over all we have 1200 so far. 350 Marines, 500 Fleet personnel, 50 Officers, and 200 pilots with another 100 volunteers for various other fields. Considering our lack of Naval personnel I would suggest giving them priority for now. We have Spica system in the Draconis cluster as the pickup point for new personnel and the locals are enjoying the increase of traffic from people coming in, even if its only temporary." "Good job Jaine, we are going to need those H3 refineries sooner rather then later. Our H3 fuel reserve is getting lower than I would like. Daniel, you are correct, we need to finish the background check on the Naval personnel first. The Oceanus should be up and running within a week, and we should be able to start picking up new personnel from the new rally point in the Draconis Cluster soon after." John responded to the two aids. Having the new resource nodes would double their industrial output and hopefully the new recruits would fill the critical niche they had been lacking.
Loki Station Location: Unknown IntelDiv HQ ColonelMonroe looked at the HALO display that showed the mobile units in system. Most would remain in defense of Loki station, but 2 squads of destroyers, 4 light cruisers and 1 heavy cruiser would be leaving in the next 2 weeks for the target. In one week, information about the raid would be leaked through various sources and the unknown enemy would recieve the Intel and have to act. If they acted the way Monroe predicted, the enemy would be destroyed. The way they were targeting the Black sites, they would not allow such a target to be destroyed. The force he had assembled should be more then enough to take out what few assets the enemy had. By all reports they only had 2-4 ships and 50-100 trained Marines. Nothing the task force could not handle. "Sir, the emergency beacon at Zeta 4 was activated 4 hours ago. We have a ship en route. Sir, Captain Ronald Williamson was at the site when it was triggered. We do not know what his status is at this time and with the Unknown enemy targeting and capturing our operatives." Lieutenant Withers reported as she rushed into his office. "It doesn''t matter. Soon the enemies mobile units will be destroyed and the security implant Williamson has will insure his silence. We have nothing to fear Lieutenant." Colonel replied "Soon everything will be back the way it once was." Chapter 28-Calm before the Storm Atlantis System Atlantis Base-Combat Training Operations John watched as the fighters came screaming at the formation of destroyers, the PDCs and Pulse cannons shot out streams of energy and explosive shells. The coordinated fire slowly whittled down the Corsairs and Dragons but enough got through as they ripple fired Anit-Ship Missiles (ASM). Each one was equipped with a nuclear warhead that would severely damage or destroy the ship shields. In the end, 4 of the 6 destroyers survived the coordinated attack, but all suffered severe damage. 3/4 of the attack force was destroyed and the next wave was less then 5 minutes away. The formation turned away from the attackers to buy them more time to destroy the inbound attackers, but they would lose eventually. John pulled his gaze from the simulation and turned it back toward the people running and operating it. It was a training SIM for both the PDC crews, Command staff, and the Fighter Pilots. John knew that Pride and his trainers would be chewing out the rookie pilots. 3/4 of the attack flight being destroyed for two destroyers was unacceptable to John and Pride. The Pilots were barely qualified to fly the machines even in the SIMs though. John looked at the second SIM that was operating, they were manned by pilots that were 2/3 of the way through training and both their kill count and survivability were double of the greener pilots even though they faced a squad of destroyers and a light cruiser. Pride joined John by the second bank of monitors "I am sorry about that Captain. It is unacceptable that they lost so many while destroying so few targets. Those nuggets are hard-headed and think they know everything, I warned them if they did not get their shit together I would throw them into freighters. Now, I am not even sure I will throw them into freighters. I am thinking about washing the whole flight group out and transfer them into the Marines." Pride finished bitching about the pilots as John chuckled. "I remember flying with a rookie pilot who thought they knew everything. I taught him a few tricks and in the end he turned out damn good fighter pilot. Why don''t you wash them back a week or two and see how they do, if they do not improve then pull the trigger." John said as he walked away. Stein smiled at Johns comments and added her opinions "He is right, give them a chance. Now the PDC crews and Command staff are doing ok, I would prefer quicker response times, but they are doing alright with the newer crews but the more experienced crews are starting to get sloppy. Just because they are getting closer to graduation they think they can slack off, I am thinking of pushing back their graduation for another week, so they can receive...additional training." John nodded at her comments "Do what you think is best Commander." he told her as he walked away from the combined training area.
Atlantis System Planet 4-Low Orbit John watched as 4 squads of marines assaulted the fort, they had all been in Marine training for 2 weeks, and they faced two squads that had been in training for 7 weeks and were about to graduate. The 4 green squads were pushing the defenders hard but so far they had kept them at a distance which was to the defenders advantage. The defenders only had to last for another 5 minutes to win the scenario. John signaled the pilot to continue onto the next training camp, this one held mainly squads that had been in the course for 4 weeks and were doing both mock battles, unarmed combat, and small unit tactics for the MECH units. This time was critical because this was when the Marines started the initial training with MECH units. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "As you can see Captain Port all the Marine training camps are running at top capacity. As soon as we graduate one group another usually takes their place within a few days. It gives our trainers some down time to rest between new groups of trainees. We will be bringing three new camps online on the continent to the east within the next week, and we have plenty of volunteers to assist in training." the Staff Sergeant Briggs told John. Between Mary and Jaine the industrial and support structure of both Atlantis and the Heirs was finally leveling out. Income from shipping cargo was finally steadily coming in now and it was almost matching the costs of key software and hardware they needed for upgrading the ships systems they had been taking out of mothballs. The attacks on the Rigel V System and Capella III System were in route and would be completed within a week. Intel about an impending IntelDiv attack had been steadily coming in but no target information had been found. Another troubling situation forming within Imperial space was that someone was looking for operatives within the Imperium.but were not IntelDiv agents. None of their assets had been able to figure out who was reaching out, but they had done nothing hostile toward the Heirs agents within Imperial space.
Trygun Prime-Pearl Cluster Capital of the Imperium Shamus looked at the towering buildings around the spaceport. Aronia City was considered a smaller city but housed nearly 15 million inhabitants that worked the heavy industrial parks nearby. Anything and everything you could think of was produced and exported throughout the Imperium. One of the reasons why Shamus was here was to pick up critical industrial equipment to run to the outer colonies. Hundreds of freighters did it, but it was a pain in the ass to get the license and Shamus was the first within the Heirs. His current orders was to keep his eyes and ears open for anything strange going on for the Imperial industry. So far, it was normal on every planet he had landed including here. "How is you day going Captain?" Shamus looked up and saw a Fleet Captain sit down opposite of him. Shamus smiled before responding "Good, it''s a beautiful day here. I won''t be able to enjoy it much longer I have to make a run to one of the outer clusters. How is your day going Captain?" "Not to bad and yes it is beautiful as far as weather goes. Sometimes beauty can hide many things. So a well traveled man such as you must have many friends within the outer colonies and beyond. One such as you might warn those friends not to trust information that is to easily obtained. Consider this a fair warning from a possible friend." with that he odd Captain stood and started to leave before Shamus stopped him. "If I had such friends, they would want to know the name of the man who sent the warning and why?" Shamus stared at the man hard while he prepared to pull a hidden dagger and stab the strange captain if he proved to be a problem. The Captain smiled before responding, "I am Captain Teagon Summers. If your friends are as well-informed as I think they should have no problem finding out who I am. I am not alone by the way, many orphans exist because of what happened and wish for Justice. Now I must leave." Odd fellow and something to kick upstairs. Whoever the guy was, it wouldn''t be his problem. Chapter 29-Rally the Troops IRN Anvil Officers Briefing Room Commodore Drande stared at the so called Lieutenant Birges in front of him. Every ship in his command had IntelDiv officers and Marines, but they were not real officers or Marines. "These are your orders Mr. Birges. You and your people will be confined to their quarters for the duration of this mission until we return you to Loki Base. I had no choice into taking you onto my ships, but I will be damned before I let any of you actually do anything. The so called Marine, at least understands and is not making matters worse. He knows he is a Merc, the IntelDiv might put him in that uniform he never earned, but in the end he is still a Merc." "Colonel Monroe orders clearly state.." Birge began talking again, which once again he never finished. A side arm powering up as the Master-at-Arms whispered something in Birges ear while the Merc, Cavanah, slowly backed away from the bickereing officers. "Mr. Birge, I know who you are. You never finished Officer School on Othelia Prime. You flunked out after 1 1/2 years, at which point your records become sealed. I assume IntelDiv recruited you at this point. You never earned any rank, and since you do not understand the chain of command I will enlighten you. Niether you, your ''Officers'', or your ''Marines'', have any authority on my ships. We had no choice in taking you all aboard, but once that happened you all came under my authority. Not IntelDiv!! All your so called Marines were disarmed and whatever arms and armor they had were locked away. All of you will be confined to quarters in the cargo bay you were given. You and yours will be monitered 24/7 until we return you to the insane man that put you here. If at any time you and yours endanger any of my ships and crews, I have left standing orders to vent those cargo areas. Is that understood Mr. Birge?" Commodore Drande asked the Intel Officer. "Yes Commodore Drande I understand." Birge responded. Commodore Drande smiled before he continued "Good, because I am sure that mad dog is sending us somewhere to do battle with someone who does not deserve to die. I am certain it will turn into a shit show. Either way, when we go into battle, I become your God, Judge, Jury, and Executioner. Mr Birge do you understand what I am saying? Mr Cavanah do you understand what I am saying?" Both men nodded in understanding. With that they were escorted back to their crew quarters. ''Jaine, how are we doing with hacking into those Merc augments. I want to shut them down when this goes sideways.'' Drande asked the ships AI. ''Yes Captain, I am in the process of accessing all their Augments and I will own them by the time we get to whereever we are going. How do you know that this will turn out bad Commodore?'' Jaine asked the stressed out man. Drande ''I knew Colonel Monroe back in Officer Trianing. Back then, he was a little crazy guy with some very out-of-the-box ideas, but everything he touched turned to shit. He should have failed out but he had some family on the Admirals Board that looked out for him and pushed him through. He ended up in IntelDiv, and the rest they say is history.'' ''That seems nice, what happened to the family on the Board?'' asked Jaine. Drande grimaced and responded ''Like I said, everything he touches turns to shit. The Admiral, ate his gun about 20 years ago. He was less then a year from retirenment and no problems at home or work. Yet he killed himself....Like I said it will turn into a shit show, I am just hoping to keep the body count low. What is the ETA to point Alpha?'' Jaine did the math while she considered the Commodore''s history ''It will be a little over 24 hours to get to point Alpha, then 2 weeks to the Target.'' Drande just stared out at the stars as the Anvil picked up speed with the rest of the Task Force. He wondered and prayed for a maricle. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Warrior-Primary Recovery/Launch Deck Atlantis System John watched at the starfighters did combat landings on the Warrior. The crews scrambled to refuel and rearm the birds before they were dragged to the launch tubes to sent off again. "What is the turn around right now Chief?" "Not to bad Captain. 1 to 1:30 minutes for the Arrows, 2-3 Minutes for the Corsairs, and 4-5 Minutes on the Dragons, those bastards take a lot of fuel and munitions SIr. It slows my boys down having to cart all those missiles around, but we are getting better." Chief Adler called out. He was new to all of this just like the deck hands. He had done 15 years in the navy but never anything on a Carrier, but war time demands and they needed an experienced navy guy to run things and he was next in line for the Chiefs slot. So he drew the short straw and got handed a green crew. At least he had some time to train them before running actual Ops. "They look like they know what they are doing Chief. Good job. Pride how are those new decoy missiles working out?" John asked the Commodore of Starfighter Operations Pride glared at John, he disliked having the title, but it was the job he did. "They are working out well in the SIMs and real life mock combat. They can be set to simulate either a Starfighter or they can simulate being an ASM. Both are valuable and we are experimenting to see the best loadout on Corsairs and Dragons." ''Captain, Natalie is requesting a meeting immediatly. Her words are ''Tell him to get his scrawny ass back her now.'' I repeat those are her words Captain and not mine.'' Jeeves called out over their private line. "I am sorry gentelmen, I am going to have to cut this short. Operative Natalie has called me home, she has a priority briefing." Pride cursed as John immediatly set off for the launch bay. If she called for a meeting, it was never good.
Command Deck-Briefing Room Atlantis Base "So Nat, what is the story that you call me back from inspection duty that I have been trying to get done all week and finally made time?" John asked while eyeballing the top operative of the Alliance. Nat smiled before respinding "Seal room, activate ECM. Command code Omege-Alpha-Zulu-1-5." "Command recognized, briefing room is now sealed and ECM is engaged. OperativeCarmichael" Douglas responded over the comm line. Which kinda stunned John, they had never instituted security protocols on the station, they trusted everyone here...to a certain point apperently. "We had two pieces of critical Intel come in today. Both are for your eyes/ears only. 1, we finally have the target that the IntelDiv is gunning for, it is the Thorin System and Black Rock station. We do not know why they are targeting the system though. If it is because they have aided us in the past or they know of the link between theXaranx and the rebellion. A why at this point is just as important as the target. I already sent a message to our assets within IntelDiv, if they can find that out they will let us know. 2, one of our operatives was approached by a CaptainTeagon Summers on Trygun Prime, thought you might recognize that name Captain. He warned our operative that some of the Intel we are getting might be false and a set up. We are looking into this guy and any knows associates. He hinted that he is part of another resistance group and we are looking at that angle as well." Natalie briefed him as he looked at the HALO display that brought up both the possible target of IntelDiv and the Captain. "Two questions, what is the ETA on Raven and Riptide strike-groups getting back and when are they supposed to launch the attack on theThorin System?" John asked Natalie while he studied the display. Natalie looked at her tablet before responding "3 days for the strike groups to get back and right now our Intel suggests that attack will happen in the next 2 weeks. Transit time from Atlantis system to Thorin is 1 week. Besides the two squadrons of destroyers, we have no idea what assets IntelDiv will throw at their target." ''Jeeves how long until the refit on the Chicago has been completed?'' John asked his AI, while the display brought up the Light Cruiser, showing as crew memeber and engineers swarmed all over it. Jeeves immediatly responded ''The Chicago has tested her drive and it is ok, but the Chief has stated he wanted a week to get everything up and running.'' "Ok, send a priotity message to Chief Letts and Johnson. They have 4 days to have the Chicago ready for combat. Send a message to Pride, the Warriors Flight Group will be leaving in 4 days, finish up whatever training they can at which point they will be leaving as well. Get Stein, Smitt, and Jimmy here for some planning. Natalie, I want to know everything your operatives can dig up about every captain in those two squadrons of destroyers. Maybe we can turn those captains away before the shooting starts or maybe turn them to our cause." John snapped out as he continued to plan for the coming battle. Chapter 30- Battle of Thorin System The scream of the alarm for General Quarters woke John from sleep as he scrambled to get his armored suite on. Less then 3 minutes after the call for GQ John scrambled onto the bridge of the Chicago. Lieutenant Berkly responded immediately to Johns demand for a SIT rep. "The strike group has arrived, we have 2 squadrons of destroyers, 4 light cruisers, and 1 heavy cruiser. The sensor drones are moving closer to get a positive ID on the 5 heavier units. I am moving to the secondary bridge." with that the Lieutenant ran out the door. "Comms, what is the status of the rest of the Task Force? Tactical I want Combat Drones launched and kept on station, they are not to take any offensive measures yet. Navigation, what is the ETA on our intercept course?" John called out while he was strapping into the command chair while he looked at the tactical display and ships status. Ship Status-Chicago Shields: Active 100% Hull Armor: Intact 100% Engines: Active and running at 50% Capacity Warp Engine: Standby Mode Fusion Generators: 4/4 Online Operating at 60% Capacity Missile Tubes: 20/20 Armed/Loaded Kinetic Missiles Pusle Cannons: 60/60 Armed and Ready Point Defense Cannons: 75/75 Armed and Ready ECM: Standby mode "Orchid, Dragonfly, Raven, and Riptide have reported in and are ready Captain." the Communication officer immediately responded. "All Combat drones have launched and are keeping station with the Task Force." Tactical added. Navigation looked up from the plot before responding "We are 15 minutes out from maximum weapons range on our current course. The destroyers have dropped back a little from the cruisers. It appears they don''t want a fight for now." ''Jeeves how much longer until Kara and you are done hacking IRN Comm Network? I want to be able to talk to everyone over there.'' John asked. ''The fight is ongoing with the IRN vessels, the IntelDiv ships are guarded by some nasty AIs and until we secure communications with the destroyers we are going to leave them alone. Now if you do not mind this is rather difficult, I need to concentrate.'' Jeeves immediately responded. "Communications, Jeeves and Kara are working on opening up the IRN comm-lines, so we can speak to everyone. Once they are open let me know. Maybe we can avoid a fight." John called out. The Communications officer sat and nodded while he continued to work his console trying to help the AIs as much as he could. "Sir, we have identified the IntelDiv cruisers as well as the IRN units. Sending you the information now Sir." The primary Tactical Officer called from his station. Thunder Class Destroyer are the backbone of the Imperial Remnent Navy (IRN), able to provide fast support for the heavier and slower line units. Length: 550 Feet Width: 50 Feet Crew Compliment: 130 Sailers, 60 Marines Reactor: 2 Type IV Fusion Generators Engines: 4 Type IV Pulse Engines Defenses:Shielding (Absorbs 1000 Damage), Hull Armor (Absorbs 1000 Damage), Type III ECM Suite, Type IV Stealth Suite, 30 PDCs Weapons: 30 Single Pulse Cannons, 4 Forward and 4 Aft Missile launchers (60 Kinetic Missiles with up too 10 Ten-Ton Tactical Nuclear Missiles) Other: 2 Assualt Shuttles, 8 Combat Drones, 6 Sensor Drones New Haven Class Light Cruisers were designed 60 years ago as C&C units for destroyer squadrons but were slowly pushed out by the more versetile Thunderbird class light cruisers. Length: 800 Feet Width: 250 Feet Crew Compliment: 900 Sailors, 72 Marines Reactor: 4 Mark III Generators Engines: 6 Type III Pulse, Class 2 Military Warp Drive (1 hour cooldown after being disengaged) Defenses: Shielding (Absorbs 2000 Damage), Hull Armor (Absorbs 1500 Damage), Type III ECM Suite, 40 PDCs Weapons: 40 Single Pulse Cannons, 8 Foreward Launch Tubes, 6 Aft Launch Tubes, (150 Kinetic issiles, 20 Ten-Ton Tactical Nuclear Missiles) Other: 4 Assualt Shuttles, 10 Combat Drones, 8 Sensor Drones Bulwark class Heavy cruisers were designed 80 years ago, but proved to slow for Imperial Commands doctrine. Only 6 of these ships were ever commisioned. Length: 1700 Feet Width: 450 Feet Crew Compliment: 1500 Sailors, 180 Marines Reactor:4 Mark III Generators Engines:6 Type II Pulse, Class 1 Military Warp Drive (6 hour cooldown) Defenses:Shielding (Absorbs 3000 Damage), Hull Armor (Absorbs 2500 Damage), Type III ECM Suite, 60 PDC Weapons: 80 Single Pulse Cannons, 12 Foreward Launch Tubes, 10 Aft Launch Tubes, (300 Kinetic missiles, 40 Ten-Ton Tactical Nuclear Missiles) Other: 6 Assualt Shuttles, 12 Combat Drones, 10 Sensor Drones This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ***Note that the IntelDiv have probably modified and changed the cruisers just like they modified the Raven.*** The heavy cruiser would be a real SOB to crack open, lets hope they crew the ships with Fleet member just like they crewed the Raven. "We are entering maximum combat range. The cruisers are launching combat drones...but the destroyers have slowed and have broken formation with the cruisers. They are turning but...they are communicating with the cruisers. The cruisers are starting to turn... Sir the cruisers might be targeting the destroyers. They are launching Kinetic Missiles!!!" the Tactical officer called out. "Comms, let Group Beta know to target the cruisers only. Navigation, close with those cruisers now. Tactical, task half the drones with fire support while keeping the other half close in for defense. Primary target is the Heavy Cruiser with kinetic missiles only for now." John called out as the Chicago pulled ahead and the formation loosened up a little to allow the ships to maneuver. Group Alpha could throw 40 Kinetic missiles in a salvo and 30 seconds later John felt as the first salvo as it launched. The missiles appeared on the tactical display as they were joined by 24 Combat drones. 2 of the IRN Destroyers were blinking red on the display as heavily damaged, three others were engaged and getting pounded by the cruisers. "2 minutes to Impact, 45 seconds between volleys. Beta group will be launching in 1 minute." the Tactical officer called out. ''Jeeves, let all the IRN destroyer Captains know who we are and if they do not fire on us we will not touch them.'' John told his ever helpful AI. A click over the Comm unit was the only response he received. "Comms, communicate with Group B and see if we can coordinate salvos. Tactical looks like we got drones incoming, they are secondary targets for our drones. Incoming missiles are primary targets for defensive drones." John called out. The sensor officer cried out "Targets designated as Bravo and Charlie are breaking away from assaulting the IRN destroyers and moving to intercept us. 30 seconds until they can fire missiles. 45 seconds until 20 combat drones reach PDC range. Group B just launched a salvo, 2 minutes to impact" "Tactical, Target Bravo is our primary target now. Keep the combat drones on Target Alpha." John called out as he watched the first salvo enter the outer edge of the combat envelope of the Bulwark cruiser. Suddenly the tactical lit up as the first salvo of missiles started dying as the Heavy cruiser and two light cruisers opened fire on the incoming missiles, 35 missiles and 3 drones died but the 5 remained missiles slammed into the aft end of the cruiser. It did not break the shields, but they were bruised, the remaining 21 combat drones continued to fire on the heavier ship. The Chicago shuddered as the second salvo launched targeting the lead light cruiser coming toward them, while the incoming ships launched 16 missiles toward Group A. "Incoming missiles are targeting Riptide, 2 minutes until impact. Enemy drones are entering our combat envelope." The tactical officer called out as John felt the thrum of the deck change as the PDCs opened fire. "Navigation put us on point for the formation, Comms tell Riptide to fallback." John snapped out. The Riptide had better sensors for coordinating PDC fire, but she could not take a pounding like the Chicago could. "Looks like Group B targeted Echo, 30 seconds to impact. The Flight Group is vectoring toward target Alpha, 15 seconds until they get into PDC range." Tactical updated with all the new info. John had not wanted to bring the Warrior but her flight group, even green, would prove invaluable if they succeeded. John zoomed in again toward the heavy cruiser as the flight group launched decoy missiles that simulated Dragons and Corsairs. 20 seconds later the Dragons launched 24 ASM toward the Heavy Cruiser. 15 were destroyed over the next 5 seconds but the last 9 went into sprint mode and slammed into the cruiser. Multiple explosions rocked the cruiser as her shields and armor tried to absorb the damage but failed to contain the nuclear energy. In the end it looked like some monster took a huge bite out of the hull. Group Alphas combat drones swarmed the ship and continued to add damage to he already broken hull. "Missile salvo entering PDC range, 15 seconds to impact." the sensor officer called out rapid fire. "Target Echo is dead in space. Delta is signaling surrender. Alpha is non-responsive. Salvo is 30 seconds out from Bravo." Over the next 15 seconds 14 of the 16 missiles died, the other two slammed into the Chicago taking 1/3 of her shielding. "Damage report?" John called out as he zoomed in on target Bravo as the 40 kinetic missiles closed in with the Light Cruiser. She tried to turn but it just gave a bigger target for the missiles to find. 15 of the 40 missiles slammed into the cruiser, the missiles tore the target apart. "Missile tubes 2 and 4, PDC banks 3 and 5 were knocked slightly out of alignment. All are still operational though. No casualties. Target Charlie is trying to run. Orders?" the Tactical officer asked. "Target and Fire, comms try to get them to surrender. They have to power down engines, shields and weapons though." John responded but 3 minutes later the last salvo of the Battle ofThorin System slammed into the target destroying her. Mission Complete: Battle of Thorin Description: You have led a Task Force to defeat an IntelDiv assualt on the Thorin System. You actions drove a wedge between the IRN Fleet Units and the Coverts units of the IntelDiv Rewards: IDN Reaver, 1000 Exp, +500 HC Kill, +750 LC Kills, Diplomatic relations with the Xaranx have increased. John sighed at the loss of life, "Sir...a Commodore Drande is trying to contact whoever is in charge over here." the Communications officer relayed. "Put him through to my station. Tactical keep an eye on those ships, we won''t start the fight, but we will finish it." John responded as his console lit up as a disheveled man who had seen better days appeared. "No offense Commodore, but you look like shit. I am Captain John Port of the Heirs of the Imperium. I assume you received the transmission I sent. I think we need to meet in person. Now, do to your activities, none of your vessels will be allowed near the station. I will not go to your vessel, but so where would you like to talk?" "I am guessing we cannot simply leave?" Drande asked. John shook his head in a negative before responding "The Xaranx will not let your leave the system without us escorting you. You came here with the intent of destroying the station and killing as many of the people here possible. If you try to leave without our say so, your task force will be hunted down and destroyed. They have 6 squads of destroyers, 2 cruiser squadrons, and 3 fleet carriers. They have the firepower and I am the only thing keeping them back, so where are we meeting Commodore?"
20 minutes later the Commodore was sitting in front of John in the briefing room aboard the Chicago. "Interesting ship you have here, and among your task force. Athena light cruiser, Badger destroyers, and a Pegasus class light carrier we think. From the way your ships fought, none of them are out of date. So what is the plan now Captain...kill all of us?" Drande asked John. John smiled before responding "Honestly, the thought has crossed my mind. As far as the Admirals Board this mission never happened, so if we kill all of you nothing will happen...You cannot go back because if you do, either the IntelDiv or the Board will order your deaths. It will happen. So..you can try and run, the Xaranx will kill you. You can go back to Imperial Space and either IntelDiv or the Board will kill you. Your finale option is to come with us, 3 of your ships are heavily damaged, we transfer the crews to other ships and scuttle the three that cannot go anywhere. The IntelDiv ships will be pushed into the Gas Giant by the Xaranx and the Reaver already has a boarding crew on her. All the Intel officers have been imprisoned aboard two of my ships. You and your people will have to earn our trust though Commodore, if your ships try to run once we get back to our base, we can and will destroy you. Decide what you want to do and let me know." With that, John left the troubled officer. John needed his people but it was a huge risk to bring in so many new people. Chapter 31- Chain of Command Atlantis Station Station Commander-Briefing Room "You did not have to do that Captain, we could have figured something out." Phillip Drande stated. John continued to stare at the 9 new Thunder Class destroyers added to the fleet. "We could have just killed all of them like the Xaranx wanted Phil. It was either maroon them on an uncharted world with an emergency beacon, give them to the tender cares of the Xaranx, or kill them. Any who choose not to come had to be left behind. I am not even sure all the IntelDiv spies were swept up. If even one is still on board one of those ships everything we are trying to accomplish here will be compromised. If the Admirals Board gets ahold of this station, no one in this region of space will be able to stop them. Every single one of your crews received the same briefing as you, know what atrocities the Board has committed, 1/3 chose not to support our cause despite the proof we provided. That is their right, but I will not send them straight back to Imperial Space so they can alert our enemies that an organized resistance is forming against them. Our greatest strengths right now are that no one knows that we are here and the Admirals Board thinks that no one is willing to fight them." "When can the crews get off the destroyers? We cannot just keep them on there forever." Drande continued. John sighed before turning to look at the former commodore, "Every crew member will be interviewed and once they are cleared for duty they will be allowed off the ships. Believe me, Phillip I need those men more than you know. We need trained Fleet personnel so we can operate all the ships we have. Even with if we clear all you personnel we cannot operate even 1/4 of the ships we have taken out of mothballs so far." "EnoughPhillip Drande, when you agreed to join us, you agreed to follow Captain John Ports lead. He makes all major decisions. Those men will be treated fairly but they will be vetted before they can walk freely around the station or leave the system." Natalie stated. The former Commodore remained silent even though he did not like what was going on, he had no choice and if he pressed the issue he could make matters worse for his crews and himself. "How is the Reaver looking?" John asked the two Carmichaels. "Secure, and construction of the Island is underway. What are you going to do with the ship itself John?" Jimmy asked while Natalie continued to stare atDrande. "Permanent garrison duty here for now. I might come up with another mission for her eventually but for now, she will be staying here. How is Miles doing at decoding her databases so we can unlock all the IntelDiv secrets she has?" John asked. Kara responded "The ships AI did a partial scrub before the crew isolated and purged it. He has to recompile the database then decode it. So it will be a while. We do have the coordinates of Loki Base now and the static forces that are there." John nodded while glancing at the holographic display, it would be a hard nut to crack when the time came, but eventually, IntelDIv would have a reckoning. Right now it was too far within Imperial space.
Atlantis Station Fleet Docking Bay-A1/A2 Two Weeks Later... John looked at the 6 Badger class destroyers being refitted. Dozens of engineers and MECH units worked on each vessel. Right now they were looking to man and refit 1 squadron of destroyers every month, personnel constraints were killing them. Even with running the Thunder class destroyers with skeleton crews they could only man 3 more squadrons of Badgers. Letts, Johnson, and Kara were trying to figure out how to modify the Thunder class destroyers so they could run them with MECH units like the rest of their growing Fleet. It would be another week before they had a rough idea though they said. "How is the integration going...General?" Smitt started cursing as John smiled. The ex-Commander hated the fact he had received the promotion, "Stop whining Jacob, you needed to accept the promotion because we had to make a clear chain of command for you over all those other Marine Commanders that were chomping at the bit. You have Colonel Jones as your second and he is not complaining near as much as you are." John told the bitching Marine. "You are not hearing his complaints because he did not get jumped all the way to General as I did. Dammit, John, I was happy as a Commander. That was my dream job to be a ships Marine contingent Commander, now...I have to deal with so much bullshit. Now I have this AI working with me also, that bitches in my ear every time I start cursing saying ''An officer of my station should not say such things.'' I am a god damn Marine. I fuck, drink, and kill when I want and on command. I am not supposed to be dealing with all this bureaucratic bullshit." Smitt ranted as John smiled. "Keep smiling, just you wait. Eventually, they are going to cram a promotion down your throat. Then I will smile at your bitching." Which caused John to smile even more before wincing and nodding at his comment. "You are probably right, but I am still a lowly Captain at this moment in time...Sir. Now how is the integration going with all the new Marines and MECH units?" John asked Smitt. After growling and eyeballing John one last time Smitt responded "Good, we are integrating all the Marine components extremely well. Much better then the Fleet personnel have been doing. We are Marines though, as long as we receive an order to do something we will usually take it with a grain-of-salt. All of the Marine Commanders see the benefit of having automated units and cutting down on casualties. None of them want to lose people so none of them will complain. We are well on the way to making 2 full Divisions, now if only you sailor boys could keep up." Jacob joked. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "We are working on it, Jacob." John stated as he walked over to look at Bay-A2. It contained twoPegasus Light Carriers, 2 Athena Light Cruisers, andBasilisk Heavy Cruiser. All the ships were being refitted as well, and between them and the destroyer squadrons, they had a true Task Force to sortie. ''Captain, you have a council meeting in 15 minutes.'' Jeeves communicated. "Speaking of annoying AIs, mine is reminding me that we have a COuncil meeting in 15 minutes. I am sure you want to get going Jacob before your reminds you as well." John reminded the stoic Marine.
Atlantis Station Council Chamber As Jacob and John strode into the chamber, every other Council member was present...which was odd. John was either first or had to wait for someone, he was almost never last. That was why he had asked Jeeves to always remind him that he had 15 minutes before every meeting. That meant this was planned, "Jimmy...what are you guys planning?" John asked the weak link. Jimmy tried to keep a complete look of innocence before he broke "It was Natalie''s idea, I swear. I told them you would hate it, but I had no choice in the end. Sorry." Natalie narrowed her eyes at Jimmy before turning to John, "Traitor, and it was not just my idea. All of us were thinking of it and when Drande showed up, it was inevitable but its time you got a promotion. Also since we are rolling out the new uniforms for all fleet personnel, it made sense. Congratulations Commodore John Port, I hope you enjoy the promotion I am sure you will be a Rear Admiral soon enough." "Very well Director of Intelligence, that''s right, if I am going I am taking as many of you with me as I can." John said as Jimmy roared with laughter. "What are you laughing at Colonel, I expect you to start working with General Smitt here on making a Marine Raiders training program. I expect it to be presented at the next Council meeting. Now if we are done with the theatrics, can we get on with the meeting?" Everyone nodded as the HALO display lit up showing an Island on Planet 5. "Construction is complete and the crew has been transferred planetside. They have ways of growing food, have shelter, and have no tech that would allow them to communicate with anyone outside the system. We are maintaining satellites in geosynchronous orbit armed with kinetic missiles if they somehow build something we can take it out almost immediately. The crew of the Reaver is neutralized." Kara reported. "Fleet personnel training has tripled within the last month, Marine, Pilot, and Officer training have all doubled. The upgrading of the training facilities has allowed us to keep up with the numbers but we are at the point we will need to expand and upgrade again if we want to keep up with the numbers coming in. I expect once what happened at the Battle of Thorin becomes more widespread among our possible allies we are going to see another recruiting push. We have to both expand our training facilities and our ability to transport the recruits."Lieutenant Daniel McPherson reported. John looked at Chief Letts who responded before he could even ask "After this week, we can easily get two Lightning class assault types of transport in for refits, just make sure that O''Hansen runs trials on those Drives before we get them in." John nodded at the Chief comment. ''Jeeves can you send a message and make sure O''Hansen gets that done within the next couple days.'' a double click of his comm line was the AIs response. "Our mysterious Mr. Summers is the youngest of the late Senator Summers, only 4 years old when his family was killed. We have no idea how he found out about what happened to his family. We also discovered that he was not lying, thousands of orphans survived the Purge 20 years ago. Considering how many died during that time, it is not a surprise. Due to his position though, it will be...difficult to approach the Captain. He has earned himself a place where he is both trusted by the Senate and the Admirals Board, but it is well known that he dislikes IntelDiv and that he does not trust them. We are trying to find any other Orphan he is close to so we can approach him through them, but he is very careful with who he associates with. We can attempt to do a blind drop but if someone would intercept the Intel...it would compromise us and them." Natalie reported as the HALO display showed the young Captain. "We need to find some way to communicate with him and confirm that another rebel group actually exists, even if they are unwilling to directly act they can still provide additional Intel." John stated. Natalie nodded at Johns comment before continuing "From what we have been able to discover through interrogation and Intel from other sources, IntelDiv had 15 covert bases constructed to assist in destabilizing external powers. We have neutralized 6 of these bases. Bases that were built for Bio/Chem warfare are designated Alpha Bases 1-5, the Mercenary Bases are Zeta Bases 1-7, they have three Beta bases throughout Imperial Space currently we have no idea what purpose they were built for. The strike on the Thorin system and the Xaranx was their best shot to pull us into the open in the Shadow War. With their defeat and all ships lost in the endeavor, it is unlikely that the Admirals Board will support another large covert effort. We now know the remaining locations of the covert bases in and outside of Imperial space, once we have confirmed locations and gather Intel about security and layouts we can begin planning strikes on the remaining bases." John picked up where the Intel Director left off "Once the covert efforts of the Imperial Remnant are destroyed, we can concentrate on building up our forces. We will continue to watch for covert efforts but with the destruction of all their Black-Op bases, it will take them some time to rebuild and continue their covert efforts. We estimate 1 to 2 years at least until they can continue covert efforts as they have been. This will allow us to concentrate on the recruitment and training of our forces, maybe even do some small strikes on remote outposts and mobile forces. In other words, the easy part of this War is complete. It is about to get much more difficult."