Os Sanglants
30-08-2005, 04:39
Captain Renaus tapped the wooden railing that ran around the deck of his sloop 'Maiden's Pleasure'. He was growing impatient waiting for these mercenaries to arrive. It was especially lonely out here - nothing except the stars to keep him company. The crew went about their duties but it was scarcely a distraction from the endless darkness of space. As soon as they got there he would have them sign the contract tucked under his arm and they would be off. Now where were they?
----
The three Augmented ships dropped out of hyperspace in a blaze of blue Cerenkov light. These ships sported no wood, no fancy paint, no decorative cowlings. These were machines, pure, simple, and gunmetal gray. A stubby, rectangular destroyer was flanked by a pair of flatter, more innocuous-looking ships- innocuous, that is, if one didn't note the military-surplus dropships bolted to their sides.
"This is Captain Syke, of the Augmented fleet. I understand you have a contract for us."
Renaus sighed and spoke into the tube next to the wheel.
"Yes - if you would send someone over to sign it? I'd like to get going as quickly as possible..."
"Of course... but how are we supposed to dock with that antique you're flying? We don't exactly have teleporters in here."
"Oh, all right then. Open an airlock and we'll dock with you."
"Right. We're opening the main personell lock on the destroyer. Will that be sufficient?"
"Certainly - I'll be right over."
As soon as the airlock lights came Captain Renaus nodded to his helmsman and the sloop began to glide up to the airlock door. It came even with the lock and a plank was laid across by a couple of crewmen. Renaus walked across and stood waiting in the airlock and the plank was removed.
The destroyer was noticably lacking in artificial gravity- a sign of either poverty or an unusual lack of need for gravity. The airlock opened onto a wide, empty corridor. Only the section near the airlock was lit. Along its darkened length, the whirr of servos came noticably closer. Something armored and lizardlike appeared in the darkness and screeched to a halt in the lighted area.
Renaus didn't seem to care or notice as he walked the corridors as casually as one would stroll the streets. As the creature came to a stop he doffed his hat and bowed low.
"Captain Renaus du Os Sanglants, at your service. Your contract?" He pull the contract - a roll of parchment tied with a ribbon - from an inner pocket and extended it to the armored form.
"Thank you."
A mechanical arm snapped out and took the contract gently. The ribbon was slit with the aid of another, and the contract was unrolled and scanned briefly. Then a pen- an antique space pen that looked like it had been made two centuries ago, appeared, the contract was signed "Syke", rolled, and offered in return.
"Thank you Monsieur... Skye. Here are the details then - I'm sure you'll find everything in order. Given that you have your own transport I'll cancel my own arrangements. Is there anything else you need before I go?"
Renous pulled a folded piece of paper from another pocket and handed it over. It contained coordinates - listed in the notation system of the Knootian Space Forces - and a planetary map that noted the population centers, military bases, and likewise.
"It all seems fine. I don't believe that we need anything more. Have a good day- or night, or whatever it happens to be aboard your ship."
"Oh, and for future notice."
"Yes?"
"My full name and title is Captain Tysyke Exshel. I hardly ever use it, however. Syke is sufficient in most counts. Farewell. We'll get the job done."
"Farewell Captain - enjoy yourselves."
Renous bowed and turned back to the airlock. As soon as it cycled he leapt back to his sloop and it swooped away to an unremarkable section of space.
<Sunset> Flags were run up the mast and after a moment a ship appeared seemly out of nowhere and the sloop darted into an open bay. A moment later the ship disappearred into the ether.
Syke scanned the paper briefly, then stuffed the paper into a compartment in his armor.
"All right, everyone hold onto something. We're going in."
----
The world that appeared before the crew was lush by any standard. Dense forests covered much of each of the four continents and the oceans were green with thick sheets of kelp. However the lush growth was now showing the scars of industry.
On one continent large tracts of forest had been stripped away and were now covered with factories and airfields. Large camps surrounded these and there was nearly constant traffic between the two.
"That looks like Target One to me, Pride. Are you ready?"
The ships turned to face the world. They would waste no time beginning.
----
The inhabitants seemed unaware of the mercenaries approach thought they seemed to have many launch sites - some of which had rockets sitting ready to fire. As they watched one of these began to rise into the atmosphere and raced for one of the other continents.
"Civ transport, looks like. Ignore it. Pride, arm and get ready to take out One."
Those that continued to watch saw the missile race for a seemingly uninhabited stretch of forest where it plunged to earth and exploded with a blast that tumbled the nearby trees and explosed the remains of some small village to the eyes above.
The Coward's Pride was a converted mining ship, intended to ship asteroid rock across solar distances. At the heart of its blocky hull was a electromagnetic gun capable of launching nearly anything ferrous- including the fusion warhead now being loaded into it.
"Looks like a war down there, Syke."
"Pride, fire now."
The warhead spiralled down towards the conglomeration of factories and airstrips. Behind it, the Pride reloaded.
There was no warning and it didn't matter anyway - there was nothing they could do. A meteorite entered the atmosphere and faces turned skyward in interest. Such things were not uncommon though the massive fireball that followed when the shell reached it's pre-programmed height certainly was.
----
The three Augmented ships dropped out of hyperspace in a blaze of blue Cerenkov light. These ships sported no wood, no fancy paint, no decorative cowlings. These were machines, pure, simple, and gunmetal gray. A stubby, rectangular destroyer was flanked by a pair of flatter, more innocuous-looking ships- innocuous, that is, if one didn't note the military-surplus dropships bolted to their sides.
"This is Captain Syke, of the Augmented fleet. I understand you have a contract for us."
Renaus sighed and spoke into the tube next to the wheel.
"Yes - if you would send someone over to sign it? I'd like to get going as quickly as possible..."
"Of course... but how are we supposed to dock with that antique you're flying? We don't exactly have teleporters in here."
"Oh, all right then. Open an airlock and we'll dock with you."
"Right. We're opening the main personell lock on the destroyer. Will that be sufficient?"
"Certainly - I'll be right over."
As soon as the airlock lights came Captain Renaus nodded to his helmsman and the sloop began to glide up to the airlock door. It came even with the lock and a plank was laid across by a couple of crewmen. Renaus walked across and stood waiting in the airlock and the plank was removed.
The destroyer was noticably lacking in artificial gravity- a sign of either poverty or an unusual lack of need for gravity. The airlock opened onto a wide, empty corridor. Only the section near the airlock was lit. Along its darkened length, the whirr of servos came noticably closer. Something armored and lizardlike appeared in the darkness and screeched to a halt in the lighted area.
Renaus didn't seem to care or notice as he walked the corridors as casually as one would stroll the streets. As the creature came to a stop he doffed his hat and bowed low.
"Captain Renaus du Os Sanglants, at your service. Your contract?" He pull the contract - a roll of parchment tied with a ribbon - from an inner pocket and extended it to the armored form.
"Thank you."
A mechanical arm snapped out and took the contract gently. The ribbon was slit with the aid of another, and the contract was unrolled and scanned briefly. Then a pen- an antique space pen that looked like it had been made two centuries ago, appeared, the contract was signed "Syke", rolled, and offered in return.
"Thank you Monsieur... Skye. Here are the details then - I'm sure you'll find everything in order. Given that you have your own transport I'll cancel my own arrangements. Is there anything else you need before I go?"
Renous pulled a folded piece of paper from another pocket and handed it over. It contained coordinates - listed in the notation system of the Knootian Space Forces - and a planetary map that noted the population centers, military bases, and likewise.
"It all seems fine. I don't believe that we need anything more. Have a good day- or night, or whatever it happens to be aboard your ship."
"Oh, and for future notice."
"Yes?"
"My full name and title is Captain Tysyke Exshel. I hardly ever use it, however. Syke is sufficient in most counts. Farewell. We'll get the job done."
"Farewell Captain - enjoy yourselves."
Renous bowed and turned back to the airlock. As soon as it cycled he leapt back to his sloop and it swooped away to an unremarkable section of space.
<Sunset> Flags were run up the mast and after a moment a ship appeared seemly out of nowhere and the sloop darted into an open bay. A moment later the ship disappearred into the ether.
Syke scanned the paper briefly, then stuffed the paper into a compartment in his armor.
"All right, everyone hold onto something. We're going in."
----
The world that appeared before the crew was lush by any standard. Dense forests covered much of each of the four continents and the oceans were green with thick sheets of kelp. However the lush growth was now showing the scars of industry.
On one continent large tracts of forest had been stripped away and were now covered with factories and airfields. Large camps surrounded these and there was nearly constant traffic between the two.
"That looks like Target One to me, Pride. Are you ready?"
The ships turned to face the world. They would waste no time beginning.
----
The inhabitants seemed unaware of the mercenaries approach thought they seemed to have many launch sites - some of which had rockets sitting ready to fire. As they watched one of these began to rise into the atmosphere and raced for one of the other continents.
"Civ transport, looks like. Ignore it. Pride, arm and get ready to take out One."
Those that continued to watch saw the missile race for a seemingly uninhabited stretch of forest where it plunged to earth and exploded with a blast that tumbled the nearby trees and explosed the remains of some small village to the eyes above.
The Coward's Pride was a converted mining ship, intended to ship asteroid rock across solar distances. At the heart of its blocky hull was a electromagnetic gun capable of launching nearly anything ferrous- including the fusion warhead now being loaded into it.
"Looks like a war down there, Syke."
"Pride, fire now."
The warhead spiralled down towards the conglomeration of factories and airstrips. Behind it, the Pride reloaded.
There was no warning and it didn't matter anyway - there was nothing they could do. A meteorite entered the atmosphere and faces turned skyward in interest. Such things were not uncommon though the massive fireball that followed when the shell reached it's pre-programmed height certainly was.