NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Galactic Orientation is with Sol in the North
In a system in the western side of the Milky Way Galaxy...

The ship emerged from its Alcubierre Drive not in the best of shape. It was quite clear that it was damaged, with its engines sputterin to accelerate it. It would not manage a high speed, so it would not do too much to the inhabited world it impacted.

OOC : I'll join .

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IC :

A routine patrol consisting of 2 Imperial Star Destroyers , 2 Victory Star Destroyers , 2 VictoryII Star Destroyers and 4 Nebulon B-Frigates and Carrack Light Cruisers were patrolling the Milky Way Sol Sys when the radar picked up a lone ship .

Upon further inspection from long range using High Powered Sensor Array Equipment , it was noticed as damaged .

Captain Bryan , incharge of the patrol group sent a message to the ship in distress .

"This is Mationbuds Imperial Navy Patrol Force 34 , we have identified your ship as damaged but do not know of your ownership . Please respond the necessasary information and do you require any assistance ?"

A Suzuka class 'skimmer' scout ship moved through the cosmos at speed, she was a simple 4 man craft with a small cargo bay designed for short range patrol and scouting missions they were running tests on the new DP-98 Ion Engines she wasn't heavily armed but she wasn't ment to be, but she was certainly fast. she could out run most ships of her size.

Detecting the craft the pilot sent a signal to the ship noticing some damage; "Do you require assistance?" it was simply, blunt but to the point.

OOC: what size is your ship, ours is a little bigger than a delta flyer

ooc:I am in

My ship is no bigger than the sun it has a crew of 30 billion and it can destroy all your ships with one blast of my ion blaster. But i would not do that to you guys your my friends:p

OOC: A little much, Mf? One shot? 30 billion?

IC: A recon fleet, smaller than most in that it only consisted of four ships merely led by a Pinnacle-class cruiser, was scouting fringe space for location on Talaxan rebel factions. The fleet was progressing without much luck, although while hypering in on one system, sensors picked up the signals of a damaged ship. A quick, brief comm was sent out.

We have detected your ship to be damaged. Do you require assistance?

The crashed ship lay there, unresponsive to all communications. It showed no sign of even having enough power, and it's strange appearance, a cross between machinery and a living creature, was alien and unknown.

OOC: It is the size of a small town.

Deep withing the bowels of the ship, something stirred. Emergency capsules opened, and robot containers released their contents. Something big would have to be done, but the damaged and isolated Psychon would take a while.

I'm so in on this. I'll be back later with a formal post.

My ship is no bigger than the sun it has a crew of 30 billion and it can destroy all your ships with one blast of my ion blaster. But i would not do that to you guys your my friends:p

OOC : 30 Billion for a ship of your nation size and one shot kill destroy so many ships ? Impossible .

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IC :

Captain Bryan watched as other nations ships approached and "caught" transmissions from the other ships to the stranded one .

He decided to act swiftly . He ordered 4 Lambada Class Shuttles , each carrying approx 15 Vanguard Troops and 20 Clone Troopers with 2 Medics to the stranded ship and dock in any available place and gain entry by whatever means necesasarry .

The inside of the ship swarmed with activity, as robots began repairs and the disoriented creatures moved around with little direction.

Begin...begin...exploration

The Psychon was weak, and it had used a great deal of strenght. Never the less, it was an order, and the creatures began swarming out of the ship to find out more about this world, system, and galaxy.

OOC: Bump

OOC: Sorry for the crappy post, I'm currently engaged in a research paper.

IC: A quick order was given: find out what was in that ship, and then try to aid any remaining aboard. Any freebies along the way were fine to take.

Two sensor shuttles, modified Typhoons, deployed, two sets of turrets eliminated for sensor probes. Their job was to scan the ship and discover exactly what had caused it to go down.

The small, eight-legged, insect-like creatures swarmed out from the ship, scanning this world, trying to find out if it could be used in the search.

OOC: Bump

Deep within T-Space, a lone Infiltrator Cruiser was on the prowl for any sign of the enemy.

During the attack on No Endorse, the G’Than’Dehr was declared upon The Cassiopeian Galaxy, which ran away after they lost their USD to the defending allies of No Endorse. Now TCG were being hunted down in the attempt to satisfy the G’Than’Dehr, or Genocidal War, declared against them. It was now a matter of Ancestral Honor to finish the job.

The Infiltrator had its Triple-S ships out in the array pattern, effectively extending the power and range of its sensors. The eight small ships spread out in a circle around the cruiser, small black dots awash in the purple of dimensional space.

Captain, we have detected activity in the third system upon a heading of 240-75-12.

What do you detect?

There are several ships showing activity in the area. A small fleet whose signatures match those of Amazonian Beasts is in the area. There are several unknown contacts. I cannot detect anything that can be directly contributed to TCG.

Alter course to get a closer look. If there are any enemy vessels there, I want them found.

Yes Captain, setting the new course now.

The cruiser changed heading and approached the system while remaining deep within the dimensional spaces where it couldn’t be detected by their prey.

Sir, we have arrived at the target system.

What can sensors pick up?

It appears there is some sort of ship crashed upon the planet’s surface. I am detecting an immense mass but it appears the ship is dead. There are no signs of life in its engines but the size of the ship is that of a small colony settlement.

The enemy has been known to use ships that match the size of their egos. This might be one of their unmanned scouts or something equally ridiculous.

Sir, it appears some of the ships might be reading to descend to the surface soon.

Take us closer so we can get a reading on the derelict.

Yes Sir.

Prepare a shuttlecraft. We are going to investigate this. If it is a prey ship, we want to take care of it before anyone can help them.

Minutes later a sleek angular black craft left the cruiser and faded into Realspace. It descended to the surface a short distance away from the wreck in complete silence.

OOC: I hope this goes somewhere..

IC'd:

RCVF Pious, Crimson Vaalite SuperCarrier

"Sir, numerous ships detected in sector seven."

"Aye, confirmed"

"Ensign, set course for the ships, half ahead"

"Yes, sir."

The Pious moved slowly towards the unknown ships, and the crew gazed anxiously at one another. The Ship Master barked another order, and the pilots scrambled to their fighters, awaiting the launch order. The Pious was large, over eight kilometers long and one wide. The Ship Master punched another button, and the weapons began charging. The Ship Master thought about how his damaged sensors would affect his Ship's ability to fight. No matter, his ship would not be harmed very much, with five meters of reflective titanium armour, the Pious was nearly invincible. And with over one hundred fighters at his command, his ship was almost unstoppable.

"Yamato Turrets charged. Missile Pods report ready. All ships ready to launch."

NOTICE: Battle Mode, Enabled., the words pleased him.

The Ship Master chuckled to himself, this would be a good day.

Near the system periphery, a single Stiletto-class destroyer hung motionless against the inky backdrop of space. The were no active emissions. Only passive sensors swept the surrounding void from within the shell of the vessel's cloaking ECM. The various starships now operating in the system were cataloged and crimson icons appeared in the central holo display on the bridge. Identification at this distance was impossible with only passive sensors but it was obvious that a number of star faring nations had taken a sudden interest in this system. It could be a search and rescue operation. One vessel had disappeared from the scope completely and much attention was being payed to the single planet orbiting the system's G4 primary star. The G2 secondary had, as yet, drawn no attention, which was fortunate for the Thugese listening post located on an asteroid orbiting that star at a distance of 6.35 light-minutes. An encrypted burst transmission from the Thugese destroyer lanced through space towards the nearest Fleet base, informing Sector Control of this alarming "development". The Thugese Space Navy had neither the tonnage nor the desire at this moment to engage any of the forces currently in system. The listening post could not be abandoned however and so the destroyer Intrepid waited, silent, for orders from Sector control.

The Pious, Crimson Vaalite SuperCarrier

"We have multiple ships on sensors, do you wish to send a message? We are within live broadcast range."

"Have we recieved any messages?"

"Yes, but they are unreadable due to time lapse and electronic interference coming from a nearby asteroid field."

"Interesting, scan the asteroid field."

"Preliminary scans show that there appears to be life signs on one of the asteroids, but there is also considerable interference and bad data from our damaged sensors, so I cannot pinpoint it."

"Get us closer, and give me a firing solution for the Yamato Turrets and Missile Pods for maximum spread, if possible."

"Firing solution for Main turrets and missiles, aye."

"Launch TIE Scout squadrons one and three."

The Twin Ion Engine single ships launched and began their assigned routes around the carrier. Their enhanced sensors would help, but not by much. The Pious moved through space towards the asteroid belt, keeping a safe distance from the middle of the system.

"Ship Master, look at this." The sensor operator pointed to the display panel.

"The other ships seem to be clustering around the planet," the operator continued, "and there is evidence of another ship crashed on the surface. All ship classifications verified as unknown."

"Great.."

The shuttle set down in a lonely and deserted area. Just beyond the nearest rise is where the data indicated the bulk of the derelict ship lay. The small craft settled into a narrow creek bed, hidden by the vegetation growth. Its gravitational drives silently shut down.

A small shadow soon left the vegetation flying in a circular route towards the fallen craft. The probe stayed close to the ground, weaving in and out between branches and boulders in the hilly terrain until it came to the top of the rise, where it settled down to watch.

Captain, we are getting readings from the sensor probe. It appears there is some sort of activity around the derelict.

That means there are some survivors. Do you have a fix on the ships point of origin?

Negative. So far all I have detected is activity on the motion sensors that does not correspond with atmospheric fluctuations.

Can you get an image of the source?

I am working on that at this moment.

The probe moved slightly to get a better view of the activity a few miles below

The shuttle set down in a lonely and deserted area. Just beyond the nearest rise is where the data indicated the bulk of the derelict ship lay. The small craft settled into a narrow creek bed, hidden by the vegetation growth. Its gravitational drives silently shut down.

A small shadow soon left the vegetation flying in a circular route towards the fallen craft. The probe stayed close to the ground, weaving in and out between branches and boulders in the hilly terrain until it came to the top of the rise, where it settled down to watch.

Captain, we are getting readings from the sensor probe. It appears there is some sort of activity around the derelict.

That means there are some survivors. Do you have a fix on the ships point of origin?

Negative. So far all I have detected is activity on the motion sensors that does not correspond with atmospheric fluctuations.

Can you get an image of the source?

I am working on that at this moment.

The probe moved slightly to get a better view of the activity a few miles below

What it would see was a bustle of activity of small black creatures swarming over the ground, some insectoids scouts, other slug-like creatures working the ground for use, and some were spindly legs attatched to a blob-like mass with a red eye scanning the area using basic non-visual scans.

SENSORS ONLINE. PERIOD OF USE: 30 SECONDS AT MOST
The sensors were turned on for a better look. It only lasted 10 seconds, but they now knew that they had attracted a lot of attention.

It appears there is a lot of activity. The subjects are insectoid and also appear to be undergoing some sort of reconstruction of the bulk.

What forces can you detect?

There are workers, sentries, and scouts.

Have the probe remain on site monitoring the situation while I compare the database for any matches. I don’t recognize these as belonging to the enemy but you never know.

Yes sir. Maintaining position.

Also send out a scout. Direct it to obtain a position that can be used for either infiltration or contact.

Dispatching scout unit.

Moments later an ebony monstrosity scuttled from the undergrowth. It stood just less than 2 meters but the multi-limbed nightmare seemed to melt into the shadows of the terrain.

It appears there is a lot of activity. The subjects are insectoid and also appear to be undergoing some sort of reconstruction of the bulk.

What forces can you detect?

There are workers, sentries, and scouts.

Have the probe remain on site monitoring the situation while I compare the database for any matches. I don’t recognize these as belonging to the enemy but you never know.

Yes sir. Maintaining position.

Also send out a scout. Direct it to obtain a position that can be used for either infiltration or contact.

Dispatching scout unit.

Moments later an ebony monstrosity scuttled from the undergrowth. It stood just less than 2 meters but the multi-limbed nightmare seemed to melt into the shadows of the terrain.

One of the spindly walkers truned towards the source of the rustling, switched to infrared and saw something, and sent 5 onsectoids to investigate.


On the ship, the remanants of command were trying to figure out what to do. The only proposals so far were scavenging the ships for material to repair the ship, trying to deflect attention with the creatures, and trying to make contact. They did not know enough for the last, so they would begin the first two for now.

OOC:

The underbrush is the vegetation around the shuttle on the other side of the ridge where I landed. It should be miles away but I think we should let it pass. I will adjust so I am closer when the rustling occurred.


IC:

The insectoids circled around the source of the rustling sound and discovered a large insectoid creature, ebony black standing about 2 meters tall. It walked upright upon its back four legs and employed its front four as manipulators. That is where the insectoid features gave way to replilian. The bizarre creature was a horrifying mixture between insect and reptile.

The creature adopted a defensive posture and waited to see what the scouts were to do next.

Aboard the TNS Intrepid, condition 2 had been set. All ECM and sensor sections were fully manned and a continuous running plot was visible on the central holoplot on the dimly lit bridge. The Stiletto-class destroyer had been headed in system now for nearly two hours at a mere 325 gravities of acceleration. The vessel's speed relative to the system primary was up to 11,250 kps and climbing steadily. The fact that he was taking his ship further into the system only served to enrage the vessel's CO further but those fools on the listening post continued to transmit. A dozen starships had warped into the system and rather than button up, the post commander had decided to continue his intelligence gathering efforts. The fact that the Intelligence Service was now gathering valuable information on other nations' sensor and ECM capabilities did little to asuage the captain's growing anger. If the missle went up, as the saying went in naval circles, the Intrepid would need to be close enough to the listening post to either evacuate the staff or the destroy the installation, depending on the circumstances.

"The range on bogey 1 (RCVF Pious) is down to one-hundred eleven million kilometers sir. Resolution is firming up some. Drive field indicates a vessel far in excess of four million tons. Could be a superdreadnought or fleet carrier of some sort. Wait.........a number of small craft have detached from the ship sir. Battle Comp estimates between eight and twelve smaller ships. They appear to be assuming patrol stations. The mother ship continues to close the asteroid belt. There is no way of knowing if they caught a whiff of the post or not," came the report from Tactical. The last sentence almost sounded apologetic. Commander Davis Mainwaring nodded and sat up straighter in his command chair.

"Time to turnover?" he queried.

"Forty seven minutes sir," came the immediate response. In that time they would have traveled another thirty-two million kilometers at present velocity.

"Very well. Maintain current speed. We'll go to general quarters in thirty minutes Mr. Davis. I have no idea what this other vessel is up to but we'll be prepared for any eventuality. Maintain tracks on the other vessels in system. If anything changes, I want to know about it yesterday."

"Yes sir."

Tension mounted steadily as the eighty-eight thousand ton destroyer slid through the stygian darkness of space. Her job was to protect the listening post or wipe it from existence. Captain Mainwaring had already made his choice if it came to that.

The insectoid circled the scout, intent on finding out all they could before risking approqaching it. The blob walker also approached and began a series of scans, trying to find out what it was and what it was made of.

Meanwhile at the crash site.

There was a sudden, large swarm of flying, beetle-like creatures flew from an exit in the hull of the crashed ship to a neaighbpring valley as part of the distraction, and the command had thought up a way to attempt communication.

Captain Bryan watched as the 2 Lambada Class Shuttles attached themselves to the weakest points of the ship in distress ...

***On one of the Lambada Shuttles , same happening on the other***

The Liuetenant in charge ordered the duo of engineers forward and they immediatel set to work , knowing their job and started drilling through the hull of the ship . They did it in a way that they could repair it easily later .

The insectoid circled the scout, intent on finding out all they could before risking approqaching it. The blob walker also approached and began a series of scans, trying to find out what it was and what it was made of.

Meanwhile at the crash site.

There was a sudden, large swarm of flying, beetle-like creatures flew from an exit in the hull of the crashed ship to a neaighbpring valley as part of the distraction, and the command had thought up a way to attempt communication.

OOC:

Could you please provide me with some sort of idea of the size of your insects? That would help determine my reaction.

Also, is the valley you sent those fliers the same I have my shuttle in?

OOC:

Could you please provide me with some sort of idea of the size of your insects? That would help determine my reaction.

Also, is the valley you sent those fliers the same I have my shuttle in?

OOC: They're about the size of an average house cat. And yes, let's make it that.

@Mationbuds: Whose ship would that be?

The large ebony creature numbly sidestepped the smaller scouts while keeping its eyeless attention on the long legged one with the eye.

The scans of the “blob walker” were returned and it was determined the creature was made of some sort of living metal that absorbed energy. This resulted in an incomplete scan as the energy from them was partially absorbed.



Miles away the insects cleared the ridge and neared the spot where the shuttle lay hidden silently in the undergrowth concealed by a couple trees and a holo-cloak making it appear as if it was not there. A leaf drifted down the stream. When it went underneath the shuttle, an image of it appeared in the holo-cloak until it was clear of the craft.

Captain, it appears the scout has made contact with several of the 30 cm tall scouts. There is also a larger one that is appearing to be scanning it.

If they take any offensive action, you know what to do.

Yes Sir.




OOC:

Depending on the size of the fliers, they could go unnoticed by the shuttle.

Captain Bryan was reported to with information of the other ships launching fighter squadrons and recon squadrons . He wanted to act swiftly to show that his Patrol Force was no lame duck and ordered the launch of 2 TIE Fighter Squadrons and 2 X-Wings Squadrons to do recon work and eliminate any hostiles .

The large ebony creature numbly sidestepped the smaller scouts while keeping its eyeless attention on the long legged one with the eye.

The scans of the “blob walker” were returned and it was determined the creature was made of some sort of living metal that absorbed energy. This resulted in an incomplete scan as the energy from them was partially absorbed.



Miles away the insects cleared the ridge and neared the spot where the shuttle lay hidden silently in the undergrowth concealed by a couple trees and a holo-cloak making it appear as if it was not there. A leaf drifted down the stream. When it went underneath the shuttle, an image of it appeared in the holo-cloak until it was clear of the craft.

Captain, it appears the scout has made contact with several of the 30 cm tall scouts. There is also a larger one that is appearing to be scanning it.

If they take any offensive action, you know what to do.

Yes Sir.




OOC:

Depending on the size of the fliers, they could go unnoticed by the shuttle.

OOC: They're about half the size of a person.

IC: The results of the scan were most frustrating, and so the blob walker scanned again with more energy.

OOC:

Then they would definitely be noticed. Normal sized insects might go unnoticed at first because they were, well, normal.

Your scans would show they are living creatures made of metal, an organic metal that naturally absorbs energy thrown at it. It is definately not robotic.



IC:


Near the derelict:

The large creature continued to stand its ground as the small sentries swarmed around on the ground. The scanner seemed to focus its eye upon the creature with a stronger glare. The scan was a little better but still most of the energy seemed to just vanish.



The Ridge:

The probe continued to watch the interaction between the Scout and the alien creatures. It reported the findings back to its keepers. Suddenly it noticed a large swarm of meter length fliers leaving the derelict and head towards the general area of the ship. It quickly sent a warning.



The shuttle:

Sir, the probe reports we have incoming. A swarm of insects about one meter in length is headed this direction.

Did they detect us?

Negative, we are emitting no signals that could be detectable by them, to our knowledge.

Be sure all stealth systems are active. Be prepared to take evasive actions if we are discovered.

What actions should we take?

Depends upon what they do if they discover us.

Hiding under the cover of natural vegetation and a Chameleon Shield, the landing craft silently hid hoping the stealth systems would prevent the discovery.

The insectoids flew into the valley, landing on the ground and emitting a noise, all as part of the distraction.

At the ship...
The blob walker, frsutrated, decided to request a Explorer-machine be sent out.

Sir, the insects seem to have lnaded near the shuttle and are making noise. The DB levels are nowhere near anything that could cause dmamge but we do not know their capabilities.

There is nothing organic that can generate sound that will crack the Thur’Tahg skin of the shuttle. Besides, if it did, the metal would begin regenerating.

Sorry sir. This is getting interesting.

What is happening at the site of the Scout?

Patching the feed through now sir.



Near the derelict:

The scout continued to maneuver sideways to avoid the cat-sized crawlers. It kept it’s attention upon the thing with the large eye that made it tingle when it looked at it real hard-like.


On the ridge:

The probe continued to monitor the scene below. It noticed another alien detach itself from the ship and head towards where the Scout was interacting with the aliens.



The shuttle:

Captain, it seems reinforcements are joining them from the crash site.

Wait to see what they are doing before we change the protocols.

But captain…

Quiet, it can defend itself against much more than we have seen and has in the past, even on docile mode.

RCVF Pious

"Ship Master, we are approaching what we have deemed a listening post. We are currently in fighter range." The man on the Ops station reported.

"Good, launch fighter squadrons Seven, Nine, Ten, Fifteen and Twenty-Seven" the Master ordered.

"Are you sure Master Veganov?" the Ops station asked. The Ship Master glared at him with a gaze that could melt battle plate. "Y-Yes sir."

The Pious' sides erupted with a sudden swarm of fighters. The five squadrons -- each seven ships strong -- would provide protection, if necessary. They joined the ten scouts already circling the carrier. The Master looked at the asteroid belt, he wondered if the interference was deliberate, or if it was a mistake. If it was a mistake, the owner of the asteroid would undoubtedly fry it's commander. The Master chuckled to himself, the next few days could get quite interesting indeed.

"Fighter Command, prep two L-class shuttles, one with ten troops, a Scout Walker and two jumper packs. Medium combat load, and have the walker equipped with Neuron Disruptors. The second with normal equipment. Twenty troopers, and four jumper packs. Have them equipped with Zero G equipment and heavy combat load." The 'Master ordered.

"Aye sir," the commander responded.

The Pious kept moving towards the area that was designated Sector Twenty Six. The ship would soon be inside combat sensor radius. The ship still could not get detailed scans because of it's damaged sensors, but the combat sensors were undamaged and gave more detailed scans. The ship gleamed for a moment in the light from the sun and the red band down the entire length of the ship glowed a deep crimson, this was the signature emblem of the Royal Fleet and this looked like a picture right out of a recruitment video. The 'Master surveyed the bridge. "Engage Condition Four."
A few seconds later a muffled klaxon sounded and soon went silent. Yellow lights flashed every few seconds. The Apotheosis-class Carrier went into a blaze of commotion, and all of its remaining 20 fighter squadrons and 10 bomber squadrons went on immediate standby. A minute later two shuttles left the Carrier, one joining the fighters around the Pious, the other left on its way to the nearby planet along with a contingent of fighter craft.

a lone sephrion star destroyer on deep space recon observed the sitiuaition

boos said the tatical a ship has crashed lets assit them

The man-sized machine hovered towards the probe, already performing long-range scans.

Onboard the ship, it was decided that they need more than the communication intercepts that they had to find out how to communicate. They would begin preparing the psychics, but for now they needed to intercept more communication.

A new thing left the ship and headed towards the valley, this time a flying machine.

RCVF Pious

The Pious neared what was now certainly a listening post inside of the asteroid. She also had target locks on the asteroid, just in case. The Ship Master wondered how the people inside the station would react to his presence. Master Veganov eyed the asteroid belt, it would probably best to ask for repairs to his sensors. He keyed the Comm.

Unidentified Station, this is Ship Master Veganov of the RCVF Pious, I do not think our peoples have met before, but I ask you if you would be kind enough to repair our damaged sensors. We can offer you certain resources for compensation.

The Shuttle

Colonel Rell piloted the shuttle towards the planet that was dubbed "Green Giant" thanks to the dense forests on the surface, and the planet's large size. The troopers in the back prepped their weapons and the Walker was prepared with the Neuron Disruptors. The fighter broke off and returned to the ship. His shuttle was left alone...

TNS Intrepid

What was in reality only two and a half seconds seemed to stretch into eternity as Commander Mainwaring stared at the repeater display on his command chair. The massive carrier obviously knew there was some sort of installation on the asteroid and had just launched fighters. What the hell did they think they were doing?

"Battle Comp shows 30 plus fighters encircling the carrier sir. That brings their total deployed small craft strength to over 40," came the immediate report from Tactical. Mainwaring grunted in acknowledgment as he mulled his options. His bushy eyebrows drew together in an expression that his experienced bridge crew recogonized as consternation and then his expressions smoothed. A decision has been made.

"Sound general quarters. Come to new heading one-zero-one, four-four-one to unmask starboard missle tubes. Get me a firing solution on the listening post for a KKM (Kinetic Kill Missle) strike. Comm, get me a channel to the post on a whisker laser. I want to talk to the CO," he ordered. His eyes were locked on the repeater plot and his tone was icy. The GQ alarm klaxon went off and the destroyer began to spool up to battle stations. On the ready board, amber readienss indicators began blinking to a steady, lethal red.

****************************************
Listening Post 115, Thugese Intelligence Service

".............certain resources for compensation." The voice behind that message certainly sounded human but there was no way to be sure. The station CO's expression was bleak. His decision to continue sweeping the system, though seemingly right at the time, had brought them to their current predicament. He hadn't heard anything from the Navy destroyer assigned to the system in a supportive role for weeks and in fact had no idea if they were even in system. The on-duty comm officer looked at him expectantly.

"Open a channel. Tell the Pious that we are a forward surveying post for the Iridani Mining Consortium and don't have the resources to effect repairs on a vessel the size of that carrier. Audio only. They probably wouldn't recognize our uniforms but we can't take that chance. In the meantime, send a Code Bravo via encrypted burst to Sector Control. It won't make any difference if the Pious decides to wipe us out but if we can get them to move along, Battle Fleet can get someone here to back us up in a week or so." He paused, struggling internally. "Prep everything in the database for immediate destruction. If it comes to it, we'll wipe the data, blow the main computer and make a run for it in the pinnace. We won't be able to get out of the system but we can play possum and wait." The last came out as a whisper. Around him, the staff began carrying out his order.

now hear this the capatian said we prepare for battle sound genrell qauters deploy the drop ship containing 10 of the black sqaud energize sheeilds charge wapons
the small transport was launched and entered the otmosphere

RCVF Pious

"Sir, we are recieving a response from the listening post. Audio only." the Comm reported.

"Good, pipe it through on main speakers" 'Master Veganov ordered flatly.

The message played on the main speakers, the person that recorded the message seemed anxious, afraid. 'Master Veganov could realize why, his ship was massive. The voice continued and said that the station would be unable to dock with his ship. This didn't surprize him, but it would be an inconvenience.

"Fighter Command, have the shuttle outside get on station. Tell them to get ready to cut their way inside an asteroid. We are going to aquire the parts we need and bring them back here. Send the station a 'We regret to inform you,' message." The Ship Master gave the order in a low tone, he regretted having to steal parts for his ship. It wasn't honorable, but it had to be done.

The Pious came to a slow stop and floated motionless in space. The shuttle left the station with an escort of seven fighters. The Ship Master frowned. He considered ordering them back, but thought against it. He wondered about the other shuttle he had sent to the planet the other ship had crashed on. Was there other people--

"Sir! We have detected a ship! Three-zero-zero mark seven! It seems to be another ship of similar core specifications to that of the asteroid!" the man at the sensors exclaimed loudly, perhaps a little too loudly.

"Are we within Combat Radius?"

"Yes, sir. It appears to be on a combat alert."

'Master Veganov grimaced. "Charge all Yamato Cannon turrets, open all missile batteries. And launch the fighters, all of them. Condition Six. And get me a damn targeting solution."

The Pious again erupted into a fury of activity, Blazing red lights flashed and crews ran around preparing all fighters to launch. Outside, the fighters spewed into the blackness, the resulting cloud of a little over two hundred fighters nearly covered the entire length of the ship. Veganov smiled, the power of his ship always impressed him.

Listening Post 115, Thugese Intelligence Service

The super carrier hadn’t bought their mining consortium explanation. Even as the return message ended the massive vessel settled itself and an escorted assault shuttle began to makes it’s way toward the post. Obviously, they weren’t going away. His choice had been made for him. The post commander’s shoulders sagged but only for an instant before he straightened and faced his staff.

“Wipe the database and set the demolition charges for 15 minutes then get everyone to the pinnace. We’ll make a run for it. We have no way of knowing just how fast their fighters are so I can’t tell you if we’ll make it or not. If we’re captured we’ll just have to deal with that but the data we have here cannot be captured,” he ordered quietly. His keen gaze swept over the faces of his staff. Most showed the strain of not knowing what the future held but that was to be expected. These were intelligence specialist, not combat troops. “If they pick us up, keep your mouths shu………”

“Sir! Incoming message. Standard naval comm protocols. It’s the Intrepid!”

“Put it on screen,” he called out. The screen in front of him lit to reveal the face of Commander Davis Mainwaring.

“Commander Michaels, I’m not going to waste any time talking to you about poor judgment. You’re in it up to your eyeballs and I don’t know if we can get you and your people out. You and your staff need to get out of the post now on your pinnace. We will be executing a kinetic strike on the listening post in exactly fifteen minutes from now. I regret that it has come to this but the sensitive nature of your operation here requires the complete destruction of this installation.” Mainwaring’s tone brooked no arguments and it was clear from the expression on his face that he would fire on the listening post in fifteen minutes whether he and his group were off the asteroid or not.

“Understood Commander Mainwaring. We are wiping the database now prepatory to destroying the computer core. We’ll be on our way shortly. Will you be able to rendezvous with our pinnace?”

“No guarantees,” Mainwaring replied, “ but Sector Control is aware of the situation. I will make the attempt given a reasonable chance for success but if I can’t, drop to cloak and attempt to shake any pursuers. We’ll get you out as soon as possible. Mainwaring out.” The screen in front of Michaels blanked before he could reply but there wasn’t much he could have said anyway.

********** ********** **********
13 minutes later. TNS Intrepid

The plot changed as more and more fighters filled the space around the super carrier, their icons glittering like diamond dust on the screen. Mainwaring grunted as the threat continued to grow and the chance of extracting Michaels’ people shrank.

“Aspect change on carrier sir. It appears that they’ve seen us,” reported Tactical. Mainwaring’s eyes flicked over the status boards. His ship was as ready for action as they were going to get. Battle screens were fully charged and point defense was on automatic but none of it meant much. If he was forced into action against a vessel of that size and all of its fighters, the fight would be violent but brief. An eighty-eight thousand ton destroyer wasn’t meant for close action like this would be.

“Coming up on launch point in fifty-seven seconds sir. No sign of the pinnace.” The mood on the bridge was almost subdued now, knowing what was coming next. Mainwaring watched in silence as the tiny counter in the lower corner of his screen clicked down towards zero. It would only take ninety seconds for the KKM to cover the distance to the asteroid housing the listening post and when it did there would be nothing left. The Kinetic Kill Missile Mark III was the newest version of kinetic weapons employed by the Thugese Space Navy. The missile had no warhead to speak of but none was really needed. When launched, the missile would accelerate to near light speed making it very difficult for most point defense systems to intercept and upon impact, would release enough kinetic energy to effectively vaporize the asteroid. The only thing left would be dust. In that instant, the counter clicked to zero.

“Open fire,” he ordered.

RCVF Pious

"Sir, we have detected weapons fire," the man on Tactical reported. "They have launched what appears to be... what the hell?"

"What is it?" Veganov asked quickly.

"Sir, the ship marked Zulu Two (TNS Interpid) has opened fire on the listening post, the projectile that they fired appeared to be a missile, but..."

'Master Veganov stared at the operator, the man quickly piped the relevent data onto the main screen. The data told a surprizing story, the ship had fired a missile, but it appeared to have no warhead of any kind, the missile gradualy accerated, then almost instantly it disappeared and the asteroid burst into a ball of flame. Why would they destroy their own sensor post? No matter, he had probably blundered into a black op with their pants down. But Veganov had other worries. The shuttle that he had sent was lucky, it hadn't discharged the troops from its cargo bay, but now it was in the open -- exposed. Veganov thought quickly, his decision had resulted quite possibly in unecessary casualties, most likely civilian and he had provoked an unknown vessel. The 'Master bit his lower lip. This had become an extremly delecate situation. If there was a battle, his ship would almost certainly win, but his vessel's sensors were damaged. If the other ships had any kind of cloaking devices, they would be extremly difficult to detect, maybe impossible. Veganov pondered hs options, he could attack the vessel, but the missile that the ship had fired would damage his vessel to the extreme. And his ship had no possible defence against firepower like that. The Ship Master could also retreat, attempt to gain forgiveness, and bug out. He remembered the age old saying of his country: 'Who dares, wins'. He made his decision.

"Fighter command, launch all bombers and give the fighters the necessary co-ordinates. Launch eight shuttles, Zero-G equipment with heavy combat load. Tactical, make absolutly sure that you do not destroy the ship. Target its engines and weapons. Get Colonel Rell back here, his mission has been scrubbed. Helm, new course heading, face that ship. Let's earn our pay ladies and gentlemen."

OOC: Gettin' dicey here. ;) Just by way of explanation, the KKM isn't necessarily an anti-ship weapon. It has very little terminal guidance and is for use mainly against stationary targets like planets, space stations, etc. Its destructive power is tremendous but it would be difficult to hit a moving target. I just wanted to be clear that I wasn't slipping into godmode here. I'll have a reply out soon.

the Horseman entered the system due to jump malfuncations.

"Sir the jump system malfunctioned.... again."
"Damn it! When we get home we need to have the ftl system in the nav com reworked or even better replaced."
"Yes, sir."
"Sir, there are a dozen ships in system including, 6 star destoryers,2nebulon 2 frigets and 2 carrack class light cruisers and 1 unknow. should we move in and see whats up?"

"yes move the ship towards the group treat as hostile until other wise ordered."

The Horseman moved toward the gathering of ships and sent the following message:


"Our nav comp is malfunctioning,can anybody tell our prestent coordents? If you would please assist in repairing our nav comp that would be much appricated."

OOC: Gettin' dicey here. ;) Just by way of explanation, the KKM isn't necessarily an anti-ship weapon. It has very little terminal guidance and is for use mainly against stationary targets like planets, space stations, etc. Its destructive power is tremendous but it would be difficult to hit a moving target. I just wanted to be clear that I wasn't slipping into godmode here. I'll have a reply out soon.

OOC: Yeah, but my people don't know that, I think you would have an accident in your pants if you saw something like that KKM destroy an extremely large rock in a single shot. I know I would ;). Now that I think about it, my ship is a little uber (just a little) :p

IC:

RCVF Pious

Ship Master Veganov looked uneasily around the bridge, the crew went about their tasks anxiously. This was the most uneasy time, before the battle, before the shooting started. On top of that, there was a real possibility that their ship would be severely damaged in the fighting. The thought of losing some of his crew sent a shiver down Veganov's spine. He checked the readiness of all of his weapons and single ships. Everything was in order, but under his mandate, he could not open fire first. He had to be fired upon before firing back. He wondered about the other ship, did it have a similar mandate? Was the leader of the other ship as hesitant as he was? He was falling into the trap, second guessing his decisions, he shut out this new line of thiking and went back to his duties.

"Prep the emergency thrust packs," Veganov said softly.

"Yes, sir."

The Thruster packs were essentially large packs of fuel mounted on the sides of the ship. When activated, they would explode, pushing the ship forcefully to the side. It was necessary to put these on hard points of the hull, since the explosion was slightly compromising. Veganov awaited the next series of events.

******* **** ******* **** ******* **** ******* **** ******* ****

The Shuttle

We....ca... k.... hip..., your.....ssion....... serious...... ger....., We.... ay again, ....... all you............ miss......ious........ dan....


There was another burst of static, The Pious must be having equipment problems, or his own ship was damaged. Colonel Rell brooded over his options, he could try the Comm, and risk being detected, or he could go back. Possibly getting into serious trouble for aborting his mission. Or he could keep going to the planet. He frowned, the decision was already made. The shuttle continued to the planet, oblivious to the Pious' current situation. The Colonel looked back into the troop bay, the troops were weary from the long flight, and the crew for the walker had already mounted and tested the weapons that they had been instructed to put on. Some of the men played cards, others read weapon specs and manuals. At least none of them had jitters. Rell checked his weapon, a long projectile weapon. It had four rotating barrels, and fired quite fast with little recoil. The scientists of his home had invented, tested, and fielded energy weapons, but he preferred the classic bullet guns. Some of the troopers carried firearms similar to his own, others carried energy weapons. And in one perticular case, the man had modified his old rocket launcher to fire an extremely powerful blast of green light which, upon contact with the unfortunate victim, would almost instantly liquify it.

The shuttle closed on the planet, it wouldn't be long now.

TNS Intrepid, Main Bridge

"Any sign of the pinnace?" The question came out in clipped tones. He'd given them more than enough time to evacuate the listening post before obliterating the asteroid that housed it, hadn't he? More than likely he had just ended the lives of twelve men and women of the Thugese Intelligence Service. His gut churned at the thought. He could tell himself that he was following order but that didn't make the spectre of Commander Michaels go away.

"No sir. It is quite possible that they dropped into cloak before we could pick them up," came the reply from Tactical. Commander Mainwaring appreciated the attempt at optimism. Everyone knew better though. If they hadn't seen them by now, it was very likely that hadn't gotten out in time.

"Very well. Continue the scan."

"Sir, we're being lashed by targeting systems from that super carrier and fluctuations in their energy signature may be indicative of weapons charging." The junior tactical officer swallowed and continued. "More small craft have launched. Class unknown. Battle Comp is indicating a high probablility that they're missle boats or bombers of some sort. Assault shuttles as well. The carrier is changing course. They could be bringing weapons to bear."

Mainwaring stared. Things has just taken a turn for the surreal. It was quite possible that he had just guaranteed the destruction of his command by firing on the listening post. There was no way of knowing how the commander of that massive carrier would interpret his actions though the sudden display of firepower indicated he or she probably wasn't pleased.

"Helm, come to new heading zero-one-seven, three-three-eight. Maximum military acceleration. Evasive series Gamma. Tactical, get me firing solutions on the assault shuttles and the bombers but do not open fire," Mainwaring ordered.

"Aye sir. Coming to new heading zero-one-seven, three-three-eight. Evasive action Gamma. Maximum acceleration," acknowledged the helmsman. Almost instantly the Intrepid shifted course away from the super carrier and accelerated to 675 gravities, twisting and jinking though a series of evasive maneuvers. At almost the same moment, her targeting radar and lidar came alive, lashing the shuttles and bombers in an attempt to lock them up for a firing solution.

"Comm, open a channel, all bands, all frequencies."

"Channel open sir," came the immediate reply.

Mainwaring took a breath, gathering himself. What he said and did right now would probably determine whether he and his crew lived or died. They could probably out run the carrier itself but the fighters and bombers likely had more than enough tactical speed to keep up with the Intrepid for some time. All it would take would be for them to sneak a lucky shot through the lattice-work of his ship's point defense and disable a drive to bring his escape attempt to a screeching hault.

"Unidentified vessel, this is Commander Davis Mainwaring of the Thugese Navy destroyer Intrepid. We are attempting to vacate the area. We have no quarrel with you. Call off your fighters and shuttles and stand down or we will be forced to open fire." Mainwaring purposely did not mention the destruction of the asteroid. The less information volunteered the better. He also said nothing of the fact that his fire would be like bees stinging an elephant. Irritating and nothing more unless the Intrepid got lucky. Around him, the 325 souls aboard the destroyer held their breath and waited.

........stand down or we will be forced to open fire."

This new development took 'Master Veganov aback. The enemy Leader had made a threat against him. He barely suppressed a smirk. It seemed that they had, as the saying went, trapped the scorpion inside a jar. It could hiss and threaten you all it wanted, but it couldn't hurt you unless you tried to get rid of it. But this Mainwaring, he seemed a little underconfident. The 'Master went over the message again, it appeared that their Comm officer had slipped up -- or made a mistake from blundering in fear -- since the message was a visual. The Leader impressed Veganov, he would probably have made Fleet Master in the Vaalite fleet. He was certainly daring -- or stupid -- enough for the job.

Ship Master Veganov considered his options carefully, the ship appeared to be in retreat, but it could have ulterior motives. He also thought that the other Leader could be terrified out of his mind, and was preparing to jump away. If that was the case, Mainwaring would be disappointed.

"Tactical, fire FMTEW (Fast Moving Tactical Explosive Warhead) missile tubes A-1 through to A-10, fire two bursts from the main cannons, make the objective on the ship's maneurvering thrusters and main engine drive," he ordered.

"Firing missiles A-1 through to A-10, aye. Firing main cannons."

"Fighter command, get the shuttles, have them get close enough for boarding action. Send fighters to cover them, and get the bombers on their remaining weapons."

"Yes, sir."

"Comm, send them our message, all freqs."

"Sending message, yes sir."

Veganov looked bleakly around the Command Center. He hummed the old song; "Red Night". It seemed oddly appropriate for this situation. The Command crew went about their duties with skill and precision, seemingly oblivious to their Leader's doubts.

Outside, the Pious' side spewed a series of missiles, fifty of them. And they flew towards the Intrepid. Thirty seconds later, the Yamato Cannon turrets fired two angry red blasts. The projectiles hurtled through space towards the fleeing destroyer. The missiles hit first, sending gouts of flame outwards as they weakened the hull. Then the crimson blasts of energy struck...

Sir, there is word from the cruiser. Reports of weapons fire between two ships.

Do they match any Cassiopeian configurations?

Negative.

Keep me informed of their status. Right now the derelict ship is our primary concern.

Yes sir.




Derelict ship:


The Scout advanced upon the new arrival when it was noticed, leaving the swarm of small crawlers and the stick-legged crawler with the eye behind. The ebony behemoth met the new alien halfway.




Ridgeline:


The probe watch the activity below as the scout met with the alien creature hovering towards it. A hatch opened in the hull of the derelict ship and a flier was propelled into the air. The probe quickly calculated vectors and relayed a message to the shuttle craft hidden along the creek in the valley behind the probe.




Shuttle:


Captain, the probe has detected new activity from the crash site.

What’s happening?

Apparently a flier has been launched and it appears to be headed this way.

Make sure the stealth systems are fully operational.

All systems are operating within standard deviations.

Good, track the incoming craft.

Sir, there is word from the cruiser. Reports of weapons fire between two ships.

Do they match any Cassiopeian configurations?

Negative.

Keep me informed of their status. Right now the derelict ship is our primary concern.

Yes sir.




Derelict ship:


The Scout advanced upon the new arrival when it was noticed, leaving the swarm of small crawlers and the stick-legged crawler with the eye behind. The ebony behemoth met the new alien halfway.




Ridgeline:


The probe watch the activity below as the scout met with the alien creature hovering towards it. A hatch opened in the hull of the derelict ship and a flier was propelled into the air. The probe quickly calculated vectors and relayed a message to the shuttle craft hidden along the creek in the valley behind the probe.




Shuttle:


Captain, the probe has detected new activity from the crash site.

What’s happening?

Apparently a flier has been launched and it appears to be headed this way.

Make sure the stealth systems are fully operational.

All systems are operating within standard deviations.

Good, track the incoming craft.

The new machine began a more in-depth scan with more power and began monitoring transmissions, as did the flier on the way towards the shuttle.

The scout walked up to the floating machine and began to examine it. It tried to touch it to see how hard it was. It tired to smell it to see if it smelled like something to hunt. If it didn't move, it would even try to taste it.

Meanwhile the scans were still being interfered with some how. No matter how much power put into them, barely any returned. It was almost like the creature was absorbing the energy itself.




Ridgeline:


The probe continued to monitor the events unfolding below. It relayed the information in a tight beam that was an encoded data stream to the shuttle.



Shuttle:


The shuttle monitored the aproach of the flier as it cleared the ridge.




OOC:

OK, the probe's signal can be detected but I don't think you would know how to interperate the contents. The probe is too small to be equipted with a Burst Signal Transmitter so there is nothing I can do to hide the signal. You should be able to get the general direction of the broadcast.

The shuttle has a complete stealth electronic package so the emissions of the shuttle would be hidden to average military sensors, The transmissions between the shuttle, the cruiser, and the Scout are using other ways like Space Minus Transmitters, Telepathy, shared awareness, ect...

The big scout is composed of Thur'Tahg, a black metal that absorbs and retains the energy put into it (not kinetic, stuff like sensors, lasers, particle beams, ect...). That is the problem you arfe having in getting a scan of it. all daya you have recieved so far verifies it is a living creature with it's cellular structure based on some sort of metal instead of carbon like humans are.

If you allow it to taste you, it will take a bite out of it. You can decide by posting that action if you wish.

So far it has been moving slowly but you get a hint of it's speed from the way it closed on your floater.

OOC: Sorry for the delay in posting. Weekends are tough. Anyway, is there some way for me to tag this thread or something so that I don't have to search through the whole list everytime? Just curious. I'll have a post up a bit later.

Just use the Search feature located at the top of rhe page. When the search page opens, type your nation's name in the box on the right and submit.

This will allow you to keep track of the Threads you have posted in.

TNS Intrepid Main Bridge

"Vampire, vampire. Incoming missiles. Battle Comp counts fifty birds inbound. Say again, fifty missiles inbound. Impact in three minutes, thirty-seven seconds." The tactical officer spoke dispassionately. Blood red icons suddenly multiplied on the plot as each missile was tracked. Commander Mainwaring's reaction was immediate.

"Point defense weapons free. Fire plan Able. Helm, come to heading three-one-four, one-zero-six to unmask port broadside. Do we have solutions on the bombers and shuttles?"

"Yes sir," was the response. "Range to bombers is one point three-three-five million kilometers. We have good solutions for missile launch."

Mainwaring blinked once. The range was too far for the Intrepid's energy weapons but well inside the powered missile envelope. Even as he opened his mouth to order the launch the Intrepid shuddered as the first counter-missiles fired from their dedicated tubes and sped outward to intercept the incoming missile barrage. Point defense laser mounts swivelled and spat coherent beams of energy and enemy missiles began disappearing in thunderous explosions.

"Open fire," he ordered and Intrepid shivered again as eight of the much larger and much deadlier anti-ship missiles were flung from their tubes into the cold void of space. Unlike the counter-missiles which had no warhead and relied on direct contact with incoming missiles to destroy those prejectiles, the anti-shipping missiles carried fusion warheads in the two megaton range. Definately overkill against bombers and assault shuttles but Mainwaring had no choice. This was a Navy destroyer, not a battlecruiser. He didn't have the tonnage to support more diversified armament. The bombers and shuttles were still out of range of his point defense and so he had been forced to go for the soft kill, detonating the warheads across the inbound ships' base course in an effort to destroy them in the explosion. Direct skin to skin kills would have been impossible as the targets were too small and the missiles not quite maneuverable enough. Another eight missiles blasted into space barely forty seconds after the first salvo scorched outward.

"Hold offensive fire. Maintain current course and speed. Comm, send a Flash priority message to Sector Control informing them of the situation." Mainwaring spoke quietly as his eyes followed the action. Nineteen enemy missiles had been knocked out by his counter fire and five more disappeared even as we watched. Another twelve were fooled by ECM and jamming but fourteen missiles continued to bore through space towards his ship. The bridge crew held its collective breath as Battle Comp engaged the remaining missiles. Another missile disappeared in a rending explosion barely three hundred thousand kilometers from the Intrepid. Then two more died followed quickly by another four but the range was falling too fast and Battle Comp simply couldn't get them all. In the end, only seven enemy missiles made it through despite their best efforts and Intrepid writhed in agony as the missiles impacted. The ship's battle screens (shields) flared and died under the impact and duralloy armor vaporized in the glaring fireballs. Damage alarms howled and Mainwaring's screen glowed a lurid red as damage reports began flooding in. Point defense mounts, missile tubes, and sensor masts were wiped away in seconds as the remaining missiles thundered in. Nearly half of the ships offensive armament was blotted out and a quarter of their point defense was vaporized along with it but miraculously their drive suffered no damage and Intrepid screamed through space, trailing atmosphere and debris like blood.

"Maintain heading and speed. Evasive plan Beta. Get us out of here," Mainwaring yelled through the comm pickup in his vacsuit helmet and the ship responded like a wounded greyhound, sprinting ahead to put distance between them and their attackers but the Intrepid's luck had run out. Twin bolts thundered in from the super carrier's main turrets and the impact threw Mainwaring forward in his shock frame. The blow left him dazed and bleeding from a cut over his left eye where his face had slammed against the inside of his helmet but not so dazed he couldn't feel the ship's acceleration fall off sharply.

"Report," he mumbled, shaking his head. From somewhere far away, a tinny voice responded.

"Drive room is gone sir. We are venting atmosphere and life support is compromised. Failure is expected in thirty-four minutes."

RCVF Pious

The bombers outside spread into a large formation in an attempt to minimize casualties. The plan had worked, somewhat. The bombers glided out of formation and dodged a few of the missiles, but the blast radius was fairly large. Twenty bombers were lost in the hellfire from the exploding warheads. Veganov wondered why they had not fired the larger missile they had used on the listening post. Curious, maybe it could not target vessels.

"Sir, confirmed reports of damage to the enemy ship are coming in. Piping them to the main screen."

The enemy ship appeared on the screen in a blueprint style format. The ship was reletively undamaged in the first half from the front, but the rear of the ship was coated in a bloody red. Point Defence and sensor masts had been almost completely wiped out. The engine drive looked as if it was completely destroyed, but not from the missiles. Their point defence had done an efficient job in destroying them, but had not anticipated the fire from the main cannons since it had been preoccupied. There was also a curious sheilding system installed that had blocked the warheads from the missiles. But even more worrisome was that reports of possible hull buckling and life support failure, if their hull buckled...

'Master Veganov had overestimated the strength of the destroyer's hull armour. He had used only a fraction of a so-called "normal" attack barrage. The mission that he had been issued had been one of importance, but that mission he had decided to abort. The current situation demended that the lives of the crew on the Intrepid should not be wasted.

"Fighter command, get those shuttles to the Intrepid, we must try to get the crew of that ship out, as quickly as possible."

"Sir..? Yes sir."

"When we do get them out, have them transported to deck twenty six, and lock it down. The only person who is exempt from this is their Leader, Mainwaring, have him report to Interrogation Room Two, I wish to speak with him. Also treat any injuries they have."

There was a series of 'yessir's and the command crew went about their assigned tasks. Veganov had made a mistake, there was no doubt. And as of now he had other duties to do, like write questions for Mainwaring to answer. Standard Procedure dictated that Veganov himself could not interrogate him because of security reasons, but he could give a question sheet to 'prisoners'. In this case, the officers of the other ship shouldn't be treated as prisoners, but they would be treated with suspicion. He had decided to place them on the lowest deck, since there were no command fuctions down there, and it was mostly unused. There were also decent crew quarters for them to reside in, but Veganov did not know how he would deal with his "guests". Veganov left the command center with his trusted Sub-Leader and walked towards the interrogation room. Though he could not ask questions personally, he could watch from a side room.

******* **** ******* **** ******* **** ******* **** ******* ****

The Shuttle

Colonel Rell glanced at the sensor readings, nothing. There had been nothing for a great deal of time, and he was getting worried. Suddenly, the sensor node beeped. There had been a burst from... a Yamato Turret? This had to be a mistake, but the readings didn't lie. Rell doubted the Pious was in trouble, but he should have been there. The shuttle had landed on the planet now, and he could not lift off for a period of time because the engines needed to recharge. Rell decided that he would investigate the downed ship...

The scout walked up to the floating machine and began to examine it. It tried to touch it to see how hard it was. It tired to smell it to see if it smelled like something to hunt. If it didn't move, it would even try to taste it.

Meanwhile the scans were still being interfered with some how. No matter how much power put into them, barely any returned. It was almost like the creature was absorbing the energy itself.




Ridgeline:


The probe continued to monitor the events unfolding below. It relayed the information in a tight beam that was an encoded data stream to the shuttle.



Shuttle:


The shuttle monitored the aproach of the flier as it cleared the ridge.




OOC:

OK, the probe's signal can be detected but I don't think you would know how to interperate the contents. The probe is too small to be equipted with a Burst Signal Transmitter so there is nothing I can do to hide the signal. You should be able to get the general direction of the broadcast.

The shuttle has a complete stealth electronic package so the emissions of the shuttle would be hidden to average military sensors, The transmissions between the shuttle, the cruiser, and the Scout are using other ways like Space Minus Transmitters, Telepathy, shared awareness, ect...

The big scout is composed of Thur'Tahg, a black metal that absorbs and retains the energy put into it (not kinetic, stuff like sensors, lasers, particle beams, ect...). That is the problem you arfe having in getting a scan of it. all daya you have recieved so far verifies it is a living creature with it's cellular structure based on some sort of metal instead of carbon like humans are.

If you allow it to taste you, it will take a bite out of it. You can decide by posting that action if you wish.

So far it has been moving slowly but you get a hint of it's speed from the way it closed on your floater.

The floater approached it, and extended various sensors to analyze it's chemical composition.


Meanwhile...
The flier approached the general location of the shuttle and began scanning the nearby area, looking for the source of the transmission.

The scout, thinking the floater was handing it something, unfolded one of it's four arms and reached out for the probe. The long delicate fingers liiked like it was going to grab the end of the arm.

The scout, thinking the floater was handing it something, unfolded one of it's four arms and reached out for the probe. The long delicate fingers liiked like it was going to grab the end of the arm.

The sensors touched the scout's skin and began analyzing it's composition.

Unknown metal lattice with crystal formations within the molecular structure. The molicules actually seem to contain and store energy. The more the analizer tries to scan, the more is absorbed until something happens that would short out the scanner. This would just about be the time the creature takes the bite I mentioned before so you would not know if the problem was caused by the sample or the bite.

TNS Intrepid

Main Bridge


All over the crippled vessel, surviving crew members scrambled to find and rescue those that otherwise may not have lived out the day. Although it was not known at the time, thirty-three members of the crew had been killed in the violent exchange. Nearly one-hundred and twenty had been injured in one form or another. All told, nearly half the ship's company were casualties. It was probably a good thing the Commander Davis Mainwaring was not yet aware of the cost in lives his decisions had called for. The guilt he already felt was like a living thing, ensnaring him in it's coils.

"Enemy shuttles are closing fast sir. It's difficult to get a count. Sensor damage is too extensive. As far as I can tell though, they aren't coming in to hit us again. It could be a rescue attempt." The XO's voice sounded strange in Mainwaring's helmet but that was probably because his ears were still ringing from the destructive impact of the carrier's main guns.

"Very well. Wipe the database. Rescue attempt or no, they won't be getting anything for free. Get all of the wounded and as many of the dead," the last word was said through clenched teeth, "into the forward shuttle bay. Have what's left of Engineering set the scuttling charges. We'll blow this bitch as soon as everyone is safely off. Send out a general signal letting our "rescuers" know our intended course of action and that we have wounded aboard that need to be evacuated." Mainwaring's voice was frosty even as his eyes smoldered. Those who knew the man knew that his anger was directed more at himself. After all, it had been his decision to fire on the listening post in the first place and in retrospect, that could have been construed as suspicious if not downright provocative.

"Yes sir," came the muted reply.

RCVF Pious

"Sir, we are recieving a message from the Intrepid. It is mildly garbled, give me a moment to clean it up."

The Comm officer punched a few controls and the message came up on the main viewscreen. The message's visual quality was awful but the audio was understandable. Mainwaring had ordered all of his crew into the main shuttlebay, wounded and dead alike. This would make things easier and faster. The message ended, short and to the point. Veganov ordered another clutch of shuttles to the other ship, to leapfrog them back and forth to make the rescue attempt easier. The Intrepid would probably also be scuttled and the database wiped, at least that was what Veganov would have done. It would have been interesting to see their data, but in this case the Ship Master wouldn't even try. Veganov looked down at his datapad...

Greetings Mainwaring,

It would seem that we are finally able to meet, though not for a while. Procedure does not let me talk to people in my ship's custody right away. I have attached a list of questions that I would like you to answer. You do not have to answer them, but doing so would resolve our current 'situation' faster.

OOC: You can make the questions to whatever you wish, I just don't want to bore you with pretty basic stuff. Mostly Veganov wants to know what your ship is doing insystem and why, your crew complement, your mission, etc.

******* **** ******* **** ******* **** ******* **** ******* ****

IC:

Shuttle 257-A

Major Alexei Cheslav looked around the large space inside the cargo shuttle through his helmet's visor. The cabin would hold almost thirty people he guessed, not including his troopers. His orders were to get the crew of the other ship out, not only that, but get them out quickly. He hefted his RBAP-45 machine gun. Eight rotating barrles protruded from the front of the weapon and the sights seemed to be in good order. A red light came on beside his seat near the front of the shuttle. He stood to his full height, a little over two meters. The rest of his six man squad did the same. The pilot sent the shuttle into a foreward launch bay. The shuttle landed quickly and then the green light came on.

The back hatch opened and revealed a large group of people -- the crew. He lead his men onto the deck of the ship. He took a deep breath, people always responded the same way to the look of their armour, codenamed the "DEATH SUIT". The dark gray tint of the armour, the black underlayer, the small blue lights around the outside of the glowing red visor and of course the height of the soldier made people usually a little concerned. Cheslav lowered his weapon and told his troops over their private Comm to do the same. He looked at the external speaker icon in the corner and blinked, triggering it.

He took a small breath and said as peacefully as he could, "All aboard the Vaalite Express."

OOC: My people have a Russian-esq accent, just if you were interested.

Unknown metal lattice with crystal formations within the molecular structure. The molicules actually seem to contain and store energy. The more the analizer tries to scan, the more is absorbed until something happens that would short out the scanner. This would just about be the time the creature takes the bite I mentioned before so you would not know if the problem was caused by the sample or the bite.

The smaller creatures began closing in on the scout, and began a large simultaneous scan.

OOC:

Did I eat the probe or do I still need to grab it?

The Shuttle, On Planet Codenamed "Green Giant"

Colonel Rell lead his squad through the thick underbrush. The sensors aboard the shuttle had detected a wreck a few miles away and had put down in a small valley (Not the same one as Balrogga). The company marched its way up a small rise. The downed ship lay below. The crew in the walker powered down and dismounted.

"Looks like someone's been cleaning up, sir."

"It certainly seems that way. Soldier, give me those binoculars."

The man gave Rell the optical device and he looked through. There appeared to be strange insectoid creatures mulling around the wreck, repairing it. There was considerable activity down there. Perhaps it was not a good idea--

"Charleston! No!" But it was too late. The man had charged his launcher, and the energy could not go anywhere else but foreward. The globular green blast spat from the modified rocket launcher with a loud wham! The green blast sailed straight and true, and impacted in a small cluster of the robots and creatures below.

OOC: Note, these are not "Death Suit" Troopers.

OOC:

Did I eat the probe or do I still need to grab it?

OOC: You ate it

The Scout stood chewing on the bit the floater offered. It was tasty but not very filling. After a minute it was all gone and it looked about for more to eat.

Suddenly a green ball of energy appeared from over the neighboring hill. It seemed to be flying straight at the Scout which seemed oblivious to the incomming blast.

The Scout stood chewing on the bit the floater offered. It was tasty but not very filling. After a minute it was all gone and it looked about for more to eat.

Suddenly a green ball of energy appeared from over the neighboring hill. It seemed to be flying straight at the Scout which seemed oblivious to the incomming blast.

The creatures and machines around the scout began scanning the blast and scattering.

The ball of crackling energy struck the Scout resulting in a large flash of blinding green light and a thunderous boom.


OOC:

Unless you (Crimson Vaal) don't want it to... you shot it after all even if it was by accident.

Don't worry about the Scout, I have something planned.

OOC:

I was wondering how to start an interaction with the guys in the valley, I decided an explosive solution was the best way to go.

IC:

Colonel Rell watched as the cluster of robots and creatures scattered as the green blast hurtled closer. Oddly, a single scout-type robot seemed hesitant, unsure what to do. The angry green blob of energy struck with a blinding light and a satisfactory wham! Rell looked closer through the lenses of the binoculars. He couldn't quite see what was left, but he could see the glassy crater from the semi-controlled plasma blast. The surrounding area was about two units across, a fairly large blast. He doubted the scout had survived but it paid to be sure. He kept a man to observe the blast area and went to the deep blue tent that had been set up as a miniscule HQ.

As the glare of the blast faded, there was something moving inside. Inside the blast crater was two scouts still glowing green from the massive energy absorbed by the attack. They were no longer curious about the life forms they met. They were extremely agitated by the attack that seemed to come from them. The twin ebon Scouts looked around for the closest target. Their legs rose off the ground and they hovered.

Their hands folded down and twin purple energy blades extended about a meter in length. Their legs developed a disk of purple energy. The crackle of the dimensional blades filled the air as they went on defensive.

The Kythons looked about for prey.


Ridgeline:

The probe registered everything that happened and sent it in a burst transmission to the shuttle. Instead of a steady data stream, the probe went into stealth mode and sent out encrypted bursts.



Shuttle:

Sir, we are receiving a data burst. It appears the scout was attacked by something on another ridgeline.

Condition of the Scout?

The replication process caused it to split when the energy reserves were exceeded. The Kython split into two and now it is hunting for the attackers.

Send them to investigate the attackers.

Scout Group Omega, on Planet Codenamed "Green Giant"

Colonel Rell emerged from the tent, he had the sitrep from those inside, nothing going on in their area yet. He walked towards the ridge where he had stationed his man to observe the valley. As he approached the man got up quickly and handed him the binoculars. He told him to look at the blast zone. Rell glanced through and saw the robotic scout, or rather both of them. The Colonel gave the trooper a puzzled look, he said that the scout had apparently split and had created a duplicate of itself. An odd technology, but quite interesting none the less.

Rell looked through the ocular device again, the scout had taken out a strange energy..... sword? This was a strange development, but if they came towards his camp, they would wreak havoc against his unprotected squad. He quickly looked back,

"You, get to camp, tell the walker crew to mount and charge their weapons, bullets first, disruptors second. Get everyone to arm themselves with projectile weapons, its possible that they can absorb the energy from weapons. Go!"

Orders from the ship Psyche:
Divert hatch repair crew to long-range sensors and communications. Preapare defense forces. Begin monitoring all communications

Scout Group Omega, on Planet Codenamed "Green Giant"

Colonel Rell scanned the area of his camp. The men had set up meager defences, but they wouldn't do much good if those scouts attacked. The blast from the modified rocket launcher had packed quite a punch, and had also stirred up hell in the valley. The amount of activity had almost doubled and there seemed to be no communication that ordered the things in the valley below. Rell cocked his rifle, if those aliens came into his camp he would be ready, but not necessarily able.

"Well Charleston, you really kicked those aliens in the ass this time." a soldier uttered from behind.

The man remained silent, but he knew very well of how the Army dealt with loose cannons.

Rell glanced at the walker, its bipedal form loomed eight units in the air (OOC: Units are about the same as Meters). The walker didn't have arms, but it had small turrets mounted on the side of the box-like head, which was mounted almost directly on the leg aperture. The crew had stained it a dull green, providing small protection against the eyes of the inhabitants in the valley. The walker had charged the neuron disruptors. The weapon simply absorbed electric activity, but was usually used on infantry. It had earned its name for causing extreme neurological damage to protected and unprotected soldiers alike. Rell wondered how this weapon would do against the new race they were to see soon....

OOC: Almost crunch time ;)

The two scouts rose into the ait in a straight path for the ridge. The double thunder cracked with a loud boom as the sound barrier was split, twice. The two came in at the camp going somewhere around mach 3.2 and fley over it letting their thunderous wake rattle those that shot at it. They turned and aproached the encampment again. One split off to the right while the other circled to the left.

Scout Group Omega, On Planet Codenamed "Green Giant"

Colonel Rell fell to the ground as the two scouts shot past at a surprising speed. Another man had fallen as well, his eardrums ruptured and bleeding out from the sonic boom. Rell picked up his rifle and aimed, the scouts had spilt off and approached from different directions. He aimed his rifle and fed the firing solution to the walker. The walker did as instructed and turned, it fired a burst from its twin chainguns on the chin at the first scout, and the disruptors on the sides of its head glowed a bright purple. The walker unleashed the purple blast at the second scout, and the glob impacted the speeding menace.

OOC: Note that the disruptor takes energy away from targets, not like a typical energy blast that exumes energy.

OOC: I apologize. It has not been a good couple of weeks. I have spent a tremendous amount of time on the road for work. I haven't abandoned this thread though. Too much fun. I'll get a post up ASAP.

Long-range sensors repaired. Source of attack located. Long-range Communications still off-lone.

Sir, the Scouts were attacked

What Happened

They were doing a flyby when they were attacked

Did they commit an offensive action

Negative, they had their blades exposed but they only did a flyby and turned back when they went under fire

What weapon type

Small gunfire, a chaingun, and some sorta Energy Leech

I authorize a Stage 1 Offensive

Yes Sir

If the aliens back down cease hostilities

Yes Sir

Don’t let this get to a Stage 2 Offensive unless they ask for it



Crimson Vaal Camp:

The two scouts made their first fly by and swung around to make a second pass. Suddenly small arms fire caught up to them after they began their return. The bullets ricocheted off their metallic Thur’Tahg skin. The large walker raised two of its weapons and fired. The chaingun was trained upon Alpha and the energy weapon fired at Beta (to differentiate between them).

The continuous stream of lead crossed and finally locked upon Alpha since it was just doing a straight flyby. The bullets reflected down due to the angle of incidence, fragments showering the tent roofs below. The creature appeared to slow and began to take evasive actions that would make a hummingbird jealous. It wove back and forth, up and down all the while closing upon its target, tracer rounds streaking past.

The glob of energy launched at the Beta scout struck the unit and it continued upon it’s path, striking the ground, taking out any tents and men who stood between the hurtling scout and the walker. It came to a rest at the feet of the weapon of war. The Scout, designed to fight ship grade weapons bounced off the walker’s feet, encased in the tents and other debris.

The two units received permission to unlock Stage 1 Offensive mode.

Suddenly the units engaged their Death Scream. The Psionic attack broadcast a piercing scream in a 1000 meter radius of the individual. It was the type of scream that would cause a person to clamp their hands in a vain attempt to keep the “sound” from entering. The attack would flood the senses of those caught within the area of effect. The scream was designed to drive the hapless victims to a fetal position and cause pilots to forget about flying their crafts, instead trying to stop the scream from ringing through their tortured minds.

Alpha dodged around the walker, diverting the computer controlled chain gun attempting to cause excessive friendly fire while it’s system repaired the damage caused by the high speed impacts against the metallic skin. The Beta Unit cut its way out of the canvas and began to crawl up the back of the Walker in an attempt to gain a position where it could apply the cutter blades to the weapon arms, literally disarming the behemoth.

Stage 1 Offensive was engaged.

Omega Camp

The scouts took the fire from the walker, and kept coming. Colonel Rell stared, dumbfounded as the second scout fell to the ground and rolled through the camp, taking out tents and soliders alike. The first scout shot past again as the second struggled in the pile of plasticanvas. Then, they stopped suddenly, as if-- SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH

"AH! God DAMN!!!"

The sound pierced Rell's helmet as he struggled to get to his tent. The sound almost blinded him as he fumbled through the shredded construct. The other men either fell to the ground holding their heads in agony, or attempting to get thier only defense against this. Colonel Rell found what he was looking for, through strained eyes he looked the USTAD-III blast sheild over. Originally designed for the extra-sensitive USTAD-III SuperSoldiers, the sheild blocked most forms of output, from extreme light, heat and in this lucky case, sound. Rell fumbled the device and put it over his head. He keyed the locking sequence, there was a soft hiss as the sheild locked over his head. The sound almost immediatly died away as the helmet filtered it out, leaving other sounds to pump through the inboard speakers. Rell pressed another button with his chin, and the sheild gave him a visual of what was happening. The sheild was meant to act so that a soldier could wear it without being hindred, it worked, but Rell felt confined. Four other soldiers and one of the pilots had also found their sheilds, and had put them on, the other fourteen soldiers and the other pilot had not.

Rell quickly administered tranquilizer to the fallen soliders to ease their pain. He glanced towards the scout walker, the alien scout had proceeded to climb the walker and attempt to cut the walker's weapon turrets off. Colonel Rell let out an agitated sigh.

"It's never easy..."

Suddenly the units engaged their Death Scream. The Psionic attack broadcast a piercing scream in a 1000 meter radius of the individual. It was the type of scream that would cause a person to clamp their hands in a vain attempt to keep the “sound” from entering. The attack would flood the senses of those caught within the area of effect. The scream was designed to drive the hapless victims to a fetal position and cause pilots to forget about flying their crafts, instead trying to stop the scream from ringing through their tortured minds.


Nice reply except you missed one important word in the description, Psionic. The scream is Psi based and is echoed within the minds themselves. That is why covering the ears would be in vain. If you don't have any way to combat this, I can have them stop after a few seconds.

By the way, I chuckled at his comment at the end.

Nice reply except you missed one important word in the description, Psionic. The scream is Psi based and is echoed within the minds themselves. That is why covering the ears would be in vain. If you don't have any way to combat this, I can have them stop after a few seconds.

By the way, I chuckled at his comment at the end.

Oh, I didn't see that one, I didn't know that mechanical beings could use psi powers :(

Is the signal that they are emmiting artificial or biological? If its artifical, then it would probably be blocked by the sheild, if its a biological psi emission, then probably not and the sheild would probably be useless. Sorry about that one.

OOC:

They are actual living creatures I developed about 6 months ago with another nation in a joint project. That is why the scream is psionic based.

Instead of thinking of them as a mechanical being, think of them as living metal. That will help a lot in considering what they appear as and what they do.

They look a little like these poor renders:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/beldragos/Kythonbeta.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/beldragos/closeupheadfront.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/beldragos/fourhandsfront.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/beldragos/Kythonwithblades.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/beldragos/twohandsfrombehind.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/beldragos/twohandsside.jpg

They were designed to look like a nightmare cross between a reptile and an insect, triggering primal fears of both. I'll have them stop the Death Scream in the next post so you could act.

Scout Group Omega

Colonel Rell felt suddenly tired as he looked wearily at the walker. The thought suddenly dropped into place, the USTAD-III blast sheild also administered a strong neurological drug, that joined with the brain to aid in combat situations. Rell's eyes widened in fear, the pain would be back, and it wouldn't go away unless the aliens were feeling merciful. The sound started to return, lowly at first, but gradually getting louder. The sheild had only proved to be a slight defense, and the drug that had been administered only worked once. He glanced at the controls on the HUD. He made his decision, he activated the control that administered tranquilizers. The world faded away and he was gripped by a powerful blackness.

The maddened Beta scout tore into the weapon arm, attempting to slice the weapon from the frame and even the entire arm. Using the Dimensional blades, which were quite capable and designed to slice through battleplate, Beta began to work at the Disruptor that had made it crash earlier. The other scout continued to circle the camp providing a fleeting target for the atuomated chaingun if it was still being used.

After the Beta scout was finished, it again took to the sky where it joined it's brethern. They cancled their Death Scream once they noticed there was nobody firing at them.


The two hovered above the walker, waiting to see what the soldiers would do next.

The Shuttle,

The hidden hatch at the rear of the shuttle hissed open. No one knew about these, not even the most experienced pilots. But the hatch was there anyway, and its cargo was needed elsewhere. The being inside shuddered, the freezing process always caused this. It worked its mechanical jaw up, down and to both sides. Its blue eyes flickered to life and it's arm blades went foreward with a silent grind. The entity glanced around the shuttle, empty. Curious, it went to the main control panel and issued a sweep, the group had left and had made camp some distance away. The creature tried to remember it's name... Fury. Memories came flooding back, fallen comrades, death, destruction. The creature shoved the memories away. Fury bent his lower jaw, his bretheren's version of a twisted smile. He bounded out of the shuttle, covering amazing distance through the trees.

Nine minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, the AKIMO BioMachine emerged from the forest...

Crimson Vaal camp:


After a couple minutes of silence, the two scouts detected no movement, much less opposition, among the shattered camp.

They queried command and then soared away, returning to the crash site. They retracted their blades mid flight and landed near to where the energy ball had struck, looking for their friends.

They would wait several minutes before continuing towards the stranded ship, looking for more floaters with delicious treats.



Shuttle:


Captain, the Scouts are not experiencing any more opposition. I recalled them to their primary duty.

Keep an eye on that area.

Yes Sir.



Ridgeline:


The probe continued to monitor the situation with the Scouts below. It collected the info for quick data burst transmissions.

Long-range communications repaired. Continue hatch repairs.

The Reamains of Camp Omega

The AKIMO BioMachine named Fury eyed the ruins uneasily. The soldiers were scattered and unconscious. He hobbled towards the cliff and peered into the valley below. His eyes suddenly flashed green and then faded back to blue, to his 'race' this was a sign of shock. There was considerable activity, prey.

He pondered about what to do. He could run down and attack, or he could go down and try to be more stealthy. The AKIMO jumped and slid down the precarious slope. The blades on the suit of the AKIMO slid forward and the fins on the back extended. The machine's eyes changed to a soft glowing white, Hunting Mode.

The two Scouts were still attempting to "communicate" with the Floater and the Crawlers.



Ridge:

The probe monitored the progress at the crash site below. It also monitored the campsite for further sign of weaponsfire.



Shuttle:

The scouts have returned to investigation mode and are attempting to reaquire contact with the creatures from the derilect.

Any sign from the other ridge?

Nothing, I think the attack has made them reconsider their options.

OK, keep an eye on that Flyer in our area. Yes Sir.




OOC:

If you don't use weapon fire, the probe will not notice anything in your camp from this distance. If you take a stealth approach, then you will, with great probability, get suprise on one of the scouts.

Too bad you coundn't get a description on who attacked the camp from one of the soldiers or equipment. You might attack the wrong "bugs"...

OOC: Bump

Hatch repairs complete. Prepare full survey team.

Omega Ridge

The roughly man-sized AKIMO BioMachine slid down the slope carefully. The warrior went slowly through the bush near the bottom and hid inside a stand of trees, waiting for something to come by.



Omega Camp

The frightening blackness lifted and was replaced by an artificial sunlight inside the USTAD blast sheild. Colonel Rell blinked his eyes, the piercing noise in his head was gone. He sat up and looked around, there were curious prints leading down to the valley, and they seemed familiar...



RCVF Pious

Ship Master Veganov sat down in the cramped side room. He eyed the other commander with uncertainty, would he comply? Probably not, but it was always worth a try. He double-checked the condition of the rest of his crew, healthy, but uneasy. The situation could get diecey very fast. Veganov ordered more guards to that area in hopes of containment.

Derelict Ship:

The two scouts continued attempting to get the attention of the strange insects.



OOC:


If you are stealthy, you will be able to sneak up on the two scouts. Their attention is absorbed by their attemps at establishing contact. The Probe on the ridge will detect any power surges you create but otherwise it will not see you unless you stand in sight of it. Unless you state so, I will assume you are under cover from it due to the underbrush.

Write a good story.

AKIMO Unit RB-251, "Fury"

Fury crouched low as he neared the edge of the bush. He came to a halt just outside and looked up, there was a strange 'creature' floating right beside the bush along with an identical companion a few units away. The AKIMO ran an analysis on the creature, semi-mettalic but semi-organic at the same time, the concept confused the soldier that was bred for war and not deep thinking. Out of habit and pre-programmed behavior, Fury's eyes faded from a cool normal blue to a bloodthirsty red, and the blades on his arms slid forward even more. Fury held up his half-jointed arms, each had blades extending down the forarm, but also had sickle blades where the humanoid would have had hands. Fury's vision dulled to a deep hue, and he waited for the HUD to display the operation procedure.

One minute later, the onboard computer finished analysing probable outcomes, and determined what the AKIMO should do for differing possiblities. Fury stood into a sort of hunched stance and leaped onto the robotic-organic creature's back. The AKIMO ripped and tore at the dark mettaloid with fearsome swiftness and let out a screaming call, the creature had earned its name.

The target of the furious attack spun around trying to locate what attacked it. Turning, it didn’t see anything but continued to feel strikes against it so it continued to spin while extending its dorsal spikes.

The other Scout turned to investigate the attack against it’s brother.

OOC: Sorry about delays in posting, been a bit busy over the last while.

IC:

The AKIMO battered the floating scout furiously with clawed arms. Then, after noticing another coming, quickly lept from the scout and landed on the other. The gleaming red-eyed machine positioned its arms on the scout's 'neck' and pulled up as hard as it possibly could, trying to pry the floater's head off.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/beldragos/closeupheadfront.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/beldragos/Kythonbeta.jpg

OOC:

What you are proposing would be quite painful to you and wouldn't really do much against them seeing as they are living metal creatures although I know you don't realize this ICly. I included links to two images so you can see what I mean. Anything from yheir back would be painful to a softer creature and the spines would make reaching quite diffacult. It stands about man-sized (2 meters) and is 3-4 meters in length.

I will wait to respond to give you a chance to change your actions in case you didn't know this data. Forgive me if I didn't make it clear earlier but I thought I did. Damn old age. I will post a generic response and will edit it if you decide to change your actions, otherwise continue from this point.



IC:

The Alpha floater continued to spin for a couple seconds before it realized the weight was gone. It then looked around for the offensive source. the damage caused by the blades was quickly regenerating by internal systems.

The Beta unit was trying to grab at the intruder.