Hayabusa
Ryuu Suginaga stood on the surface of Planet Honshu in silence. It was not just him that was silent; the silence pervaded the broken and toppled buildings around him, the debris from fighters that had crashed during battles over the city, the occasional dead body covered by shattered glass and pulverised building materials as though to be just another piece of scrap discarded on the ground. Ryuu was vaguely aware of a child in the distance scrounging in an ash pile. The child coughed on the acrid smoke from a smouldering building nearby, each cough piercing the silence like a delayed echo of the many munitions that had brought the city down. Not too far away down a nearby street he could see the ocean shore, black with pollution, ash and debris, slowly spewing forth the dead fish that had once filled it with life. He stared vacantly at the atrocity surrounding him. This was the Outcast’s way of making an example of those who stood up to them. Ryuu stood amongst that example outwardly unmoved.
He stood so long staring that he lost track of time and was eventually startled by a voice from behind him.
“Oi,” said the gruff voice. Ryuu turned slowly to find a very dirty Outcast, pointing a shotgun at his head, standing several meters away. It was an unsophisticated but reliable weapon in conditions such as these. The Outcast looked Ryuu over before lowering the gun just a little bit and walking over to him. Ryuu was shocked as the Outcast searched him nonchalantly as though he were just another corpse and took his emergency ration which had been in a pocket on the leg of his trousers. The Outcast patted Ryuu on the back as he walked away.
“Welcome home Blood Dragon,” the Outcast said happily.
As soon as the Outcast was out of sight Ryuu ran back to his fighter as fast as he could and into its cargo hold. He tried desperately to slow his breathing. He closed his eyes. He opened them again quickly and his breathing got worse. He clutched at his sword in its sheath as though looking for strength or means of escape from the reality that now filled every corner of his mind. He started to cry.
Ryuu had been assigned a patrol through the northern section of Kyushu. It did not go near Planet Kyushu however he’d been told to specifically look out for SDN pilots who might be making a break from the planet. The patrol passed without event but Ryuu’s mind was still trying to process the situation in Kusari. His wing reached the Tau 23 jump hole nearly at the extent of the patrol. On the edge of scanners the wing picked up some unidentified fighters exiting through the jump hole and Ryuu was selected to go through the jump hole to investigate.
When he reached the other end he found only the regularly large number of Outcast ships. Then his com system chirped to life.
“You can’t hide forever!” came a voice over a system wide channel that was distinctly that of an Outcast.
“Is there a problem ... sir,” piped in Ryuu, the last word scraping off his vocal cords with some effort.
“They have me trapped on Java Station!” came the frantic reply of another person, “They have the station pinned down, please help me escape!” Ryuu was taken aback. “I’m just a simple miner,” finished the voice.
“I’m not in much of a position to fight the Outcasts,” said Ryuu, “They have Kusari by the balls.” Ryuu looked around at the numerous Outcast fighters nearby and was a little surprised to get no response from them other then what he fancied were a few chuckles.
“Help me escape and we’ll be able to free Kusari!”
“Do you really think that a single samurai and a lone miner can make that much difference?!” Ryuu’s voice starting to get a bit loader then it probably should have. ‘I can’t believe I’m arguing with some random person hiding from the Outcasts on a station half way across the system’ Ryuu thought.
“Yes,” said the mysterious miner.
“A miner in a ship with missiles and torpedoes, HA!” cut in an Outcast
“A fighter... suggests you are not so simple.”
“I’ll pay you to help me,” the mysterious person had now found Ryuu’s private channel.
“And what of the Outcasts? Will you stand and die with me on Planet Honshu when they slaughter the remainder of the population in retribution for a blood dragon’s defiance?!”
“My resources and connections would make it possible to avoid that.”
“Then where were you?!” cried Ryuu into the private channel, “Where were you when they turned those gleaming cities to rubble?!”
“I wasn’t here then, I wasn’t prepared,” said the miner solemnly.
Ryuu breathed quietly for a moment. Switching to system wide again he said “I don’t have time to waste here. I need to get back to Kusari.”
Back on the other side of the jump hole Ryuu found himself alone, his patrol nowhere to be found. Strange as this was he continued the patrol on his own hoping that his compatriots would be further along the patrol path. As he cruised along alone a battle was fought in his mind, waged between the reality he now knew and the hope he could not push from his heart. Off in the distance he could see Planet Kyushu.
The ‘miner’, in fully equipped multi-role fighter, engaged both outcasts alone, a bounty hunter nearby having already fallen to concentrated fire. One of the Outcast fighters began to trail smoke and the miner looked hopeful of at least taking that fighter with him. Ryuu cruised in, cutting his engines and coasting into the firefight with his low refire Rheinland weapons, salvaged from a downed SDN fighter, chugging away. Down went the last sliver of shields the hurt outcast had and the next volley connected with the fighter, several Iron Fist projectiles eviscerating the nose and part of the starboard wing of the Outcast fighter. Flames burst from within the vessel and its pieces were lost to the void.
Together Ryuu and the miner finished off the last Outcast.
“Now I must flee!” yelled Ryuu not waiting for any response from the mysterious fighter he had just saved.
The SDN’s first strike had come finally. The evacuation had only been able to achieve so much though. What’s more, with all the reports going around in all the houses (and don’t even start on the Junkers) even Carnifex was having trouble figuring out exactly what the situation was surrounding the rescuees let along in Kusari. He was glad it wasn’t his job to do so.
Glancing back at the long-range scanner logs of Tau23 over the last 24 hours he contemplated the Outcast activity shown. It didn’t look like anything unusual but he noted mentally the areas that were too dangerous for patrols. The Outcasts and their cardimine were now the big threat of the year and, thought Carni, a threat that warranted more action from those able to resist.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
#20 by Carnifex
The pay was good, that was for sure. And the pilots he was ‘training’ were already professional soldiers in their own right, all he had to do was make sure they didn’t go walking into trouble in unfamiliar situations. A sweet deal all things considered. But these were far from the best of times.
The tone everywhere Carnifex went within Bretonia, and most places he went without, was one of uneasiness. It were as though the weight of the events on Kyushu and Honshu was hanging on the hearts of everyone who had family, friends or any sort of life linked with the planets in their own house. All it would take for everything so many held dear to vanish was for good men to fail to act, and even if they did there were no assurances. Carnifex had heard stories of the bravery of men, and the consequences of the designs made by those whom they fought against, in his disenchanted youth before he’d been sent to Manhattan to be educated. He’d not had enough experience with the world to understand them then. He was beginning to think that that was changing.
Carnifex and many others were starting to wonder when the fighting would really take off, the longer the Outcasts remained in control of the effected planets the more men would die forcing them out. It had been a number of weeks since the initial acts of Outcast retribution against a Kusari government already tearing itself apart. In those weeks millions of people had died or suffered horribly. Almost as many people had died, it was calculated, as a result of the cardiforming as had died rebelling against the Outcasts in an attempt to stop them, a shining example of the strength of the average citizen which was something that Carni suspected the Outcasts didn’t appreciate. Outcasts fought out of drug induced hatred. Without cardimine every single one of the Outcasts would be nothing. They would die. Those citizens he had seen fighting and dying when he’d been in orbit of Honshu had been fighting for their right to life despite the fact that almost all of them would end up losing their lives in the process. Carnifex couldn’t tell if that was honour or stupidity.
All these thoughts ran threw his mind as he held up the now empty cardimine vial he had used while seated in his fighter all alone on the distant edge of a Leeds smog cloud.
“So much trouble over a chemical... strange...” he mused to himself out loud as the cardimine worked its way into his system like so many times before and with each passing minute he became less aware of the conflictions inherent in his own situation.
The tone everywhere Carnifex went within Bretonia, and most places he went without, was one of uneasiness. It were as though the weight of the events on Kyushu and Honshu was hanging on the hearts of everyone who had family, friends or any sort of life linked with the planets in their own house. All it would take for everything so many held dear to vanish was for good men to fail to act, and even if they did there were no assurances. Carnifex had heard stories of the bravery of men, and the consequences of the designs made by those whom they fought against, in his disenchanted youth before he’d been sent to Manhattan to be educated. He’d not had enough experience with the world to understand them then. He was beginning to think that that was changing.
Carnifex and many others were starting to wonder when the fighting would really take off, the longer the Outcasts remained in control of the effected planets the more men would die forcing them out. It had been a number of weeks since the initial acts of Outcast retribution against a Kusari government already tearing itself apart. In those weeks millions of people had died or suffered horribly. Almost as many people had died, it was calculated, as a result of the cardiforming as had died rebelling against the Outcasts in an attempt to stop them, a shining example of the strength of the average citizen which was something that Carni suspected the Outcasts didn’t appreciate. Outcasts fought out of drug induced hatred. Without cardimine every single one of the Outcasts would be nothing. They would die. Those citizens he had seen fighting and dying when he’d been in orbit of Honshu had been fighting for their right to life despite the fact that almost all of them would end up losing their lives in the process. Carnifex couldn’t tell if that was honour or stupidity.
All these thoughts ran threw his mind as he held up the now empty cardimine vial he had used while seated in his fighter all alone on the distant edge of a Leeds smog cloud.
“So much trouble over a chemical... strange...” he mused to himself out loud as the cardimine worked its way into his system like so many times before and with each passing minute he became less aware of the conflictions inherent in his own situation.
#19 by Skyler
Skyler was impatiently pacing the bridge. "Has no one gotten together to attack the Kyushu and Honshu systems and reclaim them from the outcasts and their horrors?"
"There have been all kinds of reports on the nets lately, but no word on anything involving a major attack that would clear the way enough for us to move in. Sorry chief."
"It's not your fault Griff. Gah! I can't stand this waiting. We're as close as we can get here at Holman, what with no stations that can support a super train between us and Planet Kyushu. But we're not close enough! There has to be something we can do besides wait. Have I said I hate waiting? I really hate waiting."
Griff suppressed a grin as he replied. "I know chief, and it's your drive that has gotten you where you are now. I'm sorry to say I can't think of anything we can do to get there before a military or merc force clears the way for us."
"Griff, you are brilliant! We have cash, we can hire bounty hunters and freelancers to clear us a path in and back out. That way we don't have to wait on governments to figure out what they're doing."
"I"ll get right on it chief! I'll check for any local freelancers that may wish to help...for a good profit anyway. And I"ll check the bounty hunters around here and in the northern Taus as well."
"Good. I'll send a message to my own contacts and see what I can find. I know many leaders of Bretonia, Liberty and Rhienland want to make a move, but convincing enough of the members of said governments can take so long it's terrible. But maybe we'll get some official help from the governments before we get a group together."
"I hope so sir. I hope so."
"There have been all kinds of reports on the nets lately, but no word on anything involving a major attack that would clear the way enough for us to move in. Sorry chief."
"It's not your fault Griff. Gah! I can't stand this waiting. We're as close as we can get here at Holman, what with no stations that can support a super train between us and Planet Kyushu. But we're not close enough! There has to be something we can do besides wait. Have I said I hate waiting? I really hate waiting."
Griff suppressed a grin as he replied. "I know chief, and it's your drive that has gotten you where you are now. I'm sorry to say I can't think of anything we can do to get there before a military or merc force clears the way for us."
"Griff, you are brilliant! We have cash, we can hire bounty hunters and freelancers to clear us a path in and back out. That way we don't have to wait on governments to figure out what they're doing."
"I"ll get right on it chief! I'll check for any local freelancers that may wish to help...for a good profit anyway. And I"ll check the bounty hunters around here and in the northern Taus as well."
"Good. I'll send a message to my own contacts and see what I can find. I know many leaders of Bretonia, Liberty and Rhienland want to make a move, but convincing enough of the members of said governments can take so long it's terrible. But maybe we'll get some official help from the governments before we get a group together."
"I hope so sir. I hope so."
#18 by Carnifex
On the way to Tau 31 Carnifex decided to spark some conversation to pass the time.
“Tell me Acton, what was a Bretonian SAS officer doing on the recently occupied Planet Kyushu?”
There was a short silence while Acton thought about how best to answer this. “I was... visiting, just before the Outcasts attacked. My superiors decided it was a good idea to have me remain as a source of information.”
“An informant with a fighter no more than a few moments away at all times...” mused Carnifex dubiously, “Sounds like the SAS to me,” he finished with a smile.
As they neared the Tau 31 Gate Construction Sight Acton sent out a short burst transmission. Moments later several border world fighters and a Krait civilian fighter appeared seemingly out of solid asteroids and hailed the small trio.
“Call sign and registry,” said one over the coms.
“Hood, Captain, 1466743CF,” replied Acton with practiced precision.
There was a moment of waiting and Carnifex could sense the suspicion of the other pilots.
“My call sign is Spitfire,” said the inquiring pilot finally, “My team and I are cleared to escort you back to Bretonia for debriefing Captain.”
“Understood.”
The fighters entered formation behind Carnifex, Ignition and Acton. Apparently they weren’t going to let any other them out of their sight.
Exiting as one group from the Tau 31 jump gate in Leeds they began to cruise toward the nearby Battleship York.
Carnifex opened local coms so that all in the group could hear him, “Ignition, you had best go through Liberty and head back to Deshima. Your ship is the fastest out of our two. Bunker down and be ready to defend the base. I hope it won’t come to that but if it does it’ll be better to have an experienced and respected hunter there.”
“Will do Carnifex, no hunters will submit to such horrendous criminals without a fight.”
Ignition’s ship slowly broke formation followed wordlessly by one of the border world SAS ships, presumably to see him out of Bretonia. They were being incredibly secretive these Bretonians.
Then, addressing the escorts, “Hood here was flying his fighter around during the height of the activity on Kyushu, his hull will be laced with this new poison that the Outcasts are using that kills everyone but them. You may need a forensics team to get it all but it’s there. I’m sure you know what to do with that.”
“So that’s why you wanted to get me here so safe. You smart devil,” said Acton in what was becoming a thicker accent with each passing minute.
After bidding farewell to Acton in space and docking on the York, Carnifex was greeted by someone he’d never met before but knew.
“Lord Marshall,” he said a bit surprised, “Nice to finally meet you.”
Nemesis stood a full foot taller than Carnifex’s small but stocky frame and had a commanding look in his eyes. “I think it’s about time we finalised the agreements for hiring some bounty hunters to show some of our newer SAS pilots the ropes when it comes to unconventional tactics and Edge world combat and survival. They may need the skills soon.”
“Can it be in a few hours, I could definitely use some sleep.”
“Tell me Acton, what was a Bretonian SAS officer doing on the recently occupied Planet Kyushu?”
There was a short silence while Acton thought about how best to answer this. “I was... visiting, just before the Outcasts attacked. My superiors decided it was a good idea to have me remain as a source of information.”
“An informant with a fighter no more than a few moments away at all times...” mused Carnifex dubiously, “Sounds like the SAS to me,” he finished with a smile.
As they neared the Tau 31 Gate Construction Sight Acton sent out a short burst transmission. Moments later several border world fighters and a Krait civilian fighter appeared seemingly out of solid asteroids and hailed the small trio.
“Call sign and registry,” said one over the coms.
“Hood, Captain, 1466743CF,” replied Acton with practiced precision.
There was a moment of waiting and Carnifex could sense the suspicion of the other pilots.
“My call sign is Spitfire,” said the inquiring pilot finally, “My team and I are cleared to escort you back to Bretonia for debriefing Captain.”
“Understood.”
The fighters entered formation behind Carnifex, Ignition and Acton. Apparently they weren’t going to let any other them out of their sight.
Exiting as one group from the Tau 31 jump gate in Leeds they began to cruise toward the nearby Battleship York.
Carnifex opened local coms so that all in the group could hear him, “Ignition, you had best go through Liberty and head back to Deshima. Your ship is the fastest out of our two. Bunker down and be ready to defend the base. I hope it won’t come to that but if it does it’ll be better to have an experienced and respected hunter there.”
“Will do Carnifex, no hunters will submit to such horrendous criminals without a fight.”
Ignition’s ship slowly broke formation followed wordlessly by one of the border world SAS ships, presumably to see him out of Bretonia. They were being incredibly secretive these Bretonians.
Then, addressing the escorts, “Hood here was flying his fighter around during the height of the activity on Kyushu, his hull will be laced with this new poison that the Outcasts are using that kills everyone but them. You may need a forensics team to get it all but it’s there. I’m sure you know what to do with that.”
“So that’s why you wanted to get me here so safe. You smart devil,” said Acton in what was becoming a thicker accent with each passing minute.
After bidding farewell to Acton in space and docking on the York, Carnifex was greeted by someone he’d never met before but knew.
“Lord Marshall,” he said a bit surprised, “Nice to finally meet you.”
Nemesis stood a full foot taller than Carnifex’s small but stocky frame and had a commanding look in his eyes. “I think it’s about time we finalised the agreements for hiring some bounty hunters to show some of our newer SAS pilots the ropes when it comes to unconventional tactics and Edge world combat and survival. They may need the skills soon.”
“Can it be in a few hours, I could definitely use some sleep.”
#17 by Thoren Karth
"Roger that. I'll keep the outcasts around here busy while you make it to Bretonia."
Thoren split off from the others and covered the last few K to Java. Hitting the coms just before docking he said, "Safe flying to you, the system should be fairly clear for a little while yet while they're off at Kyushu, so get going while the going's good! Oh and I"ll be sure to take you up on your offer sometime Carnifex."
Stopping in the mechanics bay just long enough to rearm and get some fast repairs Thoren headed back out to make sure the outcasts were to busy to go chasing off after a pair of bounty hunters and a civilian.
Thoren split off from the others and covered the last few K to Java. Hitting the coms just before docking he said, "Safe flying to you, the system should be fairly clear for a little while yet while they're off at Kyushu, so get going while the going's good! Oh and I"ll be sure to take you up on your offer sometime Carnifex."
Stopping in the mechanics bay just long enough to rearm and get some fast repairs Thoren headed back out to make sure the outcasts were to busy to go chasing off after a pair of bounty hunters and a civilian.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
#16 by Carnifex
"The Nagumo is under Outcast control which means we can't go through the jump gate into Tau 29 so the Tau 23 jump hole is our best bet," said Carnifex as he steered away from the only trade lane through the system intending to swing around behind planet Aso, "and with an Outcast base and a mine field between the jump hole in Tau 23 and the Tau 31 jump gate I think Java is the logical choice."
Switching to a secure private channel he addressed the SAS pilot, "What’s you're name mate?"
"Acton, Captain in the Armed Forces, my call sign is Hood," he replied.
"I'm Roy Chambers, but everyone calls me Carnifex, I'm a bounty hunter and all round nice guy," Carni said with a chuckle, “how’s the fighter holding up?”
Acton responded with characteristic Bretonian nonchalance, “A few scratches here and there but she’ll hold up till Java just fine.”
“You’re not docking on Java,” said Carnifex with an air of finality, “You’re flying a very special ship and we all need it to get to Bretonia in one piece without docking.”
Acton was silent.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m very serious.” Carni signalled for a transfer to Acton’s fighter and tractor beamed across to him his remaining shield batteries and nano-bots, “That should hold you together till we get to Leeds, just don’t do anything stupid.”
Now approaching the Tau 23 jump hole Carnifex watched it carefully as it grew closer, its gravitational boundaries glowing a gentle transparent white against the emptiness in which the icy Barrier cloud was visible lightyears away. They would be deep in the Barrier in the next few minutes.
Sure enough, after dropping through the jump hole they had come across only two Outcasts and the four of them had dispatched them with expert coordination. Java station grew closer with time and when they arrived Carnifex switched his com over to local.
“Thank you for the help Thoren, when you’re in a bind look me up on the BHG network, the first few kills are free. We’re heading straight for Bretonia, time may be of the essence. Good luck here, keep in touch with us, we could use a trusted contact within scanner range of the Tau 37 jump hole. You may hear from us soon.”
Switching to a secure private channel he addressed the SAS pilot, "What’s you're name mate?"
"Acton, Captain in the Armed Forces, my call sign is Hood," he replied.
"I'm Roy Chambers, but everyone calls me Carnifex, I'm a bounty hunter and all round nice guy," Carni said with a chuckle, “how’s the fighter holding up?”
Acton responded with characteristic Bretonian nonchalance, “A few scratches here and there but she’ll hold up till Java just fine.”
“You’re not docking on Java,” said Carnifex with an air of finality, “You’re flying a very special ship and we all need it to get to Bretonia in one piece without docking.”
Acton was silent.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m very serious.” Carni signalled for a transfer to Acton’s fighter and tractor beamed across to him his remaining shield batteries and nano-bots, “That should hold you together till we get to Leeds, just don’t do anything stupid.”
Now approaching the Tau 23 jump hole Carnifex watched it carefully as it grew closer, its gravitational boundaries glowing a gentle transparent white against the emptiness in which the icy Barrier cloud was visible lightyears away. They would be deep in the Barrier in the next few minutes.
Sure enough, after dropping through the jump hole they had come across only two Outcasts and the four of them had dispatched them with expert coordination. Java station grew closer with time and when they arrived Carnifex switched his com over to local.
“Thank you for the help Thoren, when you’re in a bind look me up on the BHG network, the first few kills are free. We’re heading straight for Bretonia, time may be of the essence. Good luck here, keep in touch with us, we could use a trusted contact within scanner range of the Tau 37 jump hole. You may hear from us soon.”
#15 by Thoren Karth
As Thoren entered formation with the other pilots he replied: "Glad I got to you in time. I've been shooting these darn outcasts for a few hours now. Was glad to see some friendlies show up. As for heading for the Tau systems I"m all for it. I've been based out of Java station for the past month and can get us all clearance to land if you all want to head there."
The four ships broke through the still raging battle above the planet and entered cruise.
The four ships broke through the still raging battle above the planet and entered cruise.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)