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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:02:11 GMT -5
Hi everyone. After all the drama and excitement of Winter Discontent, I thought for the holiday itself I’d change direction entirely. I was in two minds over whether to write a seasonal tale; after some thought I settled on a “festive” introduction to lead into a tale of a very different kind. I’ll say right at the start that this story is really an “homage” to some of my favourite sci – fi characters and stories; you’ll most likely recognise quite a lot of things, adapted and twisted into an “ACW” mould. As with the last time we had one of these things, in terms of the actual fed proper none of this actually took place; it’s simply a bit of silly fun, and I hope you find at least some parts of it mildly entertaining. Unlike the shows I haven’t worried too much about polishing the rough edges; so hopefully you’ll be able to ignore any slight plotholes or other cock ups. This is just meant to be a light hearted diversion, if I’ve misinterpreted anyone’s character at all I apologise, but rest assured it won’t affect the actual events or storylines in the fed.
So in that light, put your feet up and set your phasers to “stunned”…..
Cheers, AK
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:03:17 GMT -5
24th December, 2004
Somewhere in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, set back in a sizable area of private pine forest, there is a magnificent wood – built lodge. Concealed in a blanket of trees, the only sign of its existence is a single rough track from a quiet highway…..it is a secret haven, a place where the stresses and routine of busy lives can be left behind, and those lucky enough to be invited to stay can wind down and relax.
Assuming, of course, that you can find it………
“Are you sure we’re on the right road?” said BK, holding up a scrappy piece of paper masquerading as directions. “We’ve been driving along here for hours, man.”<br>“Chill, holmes,” said Latino, leaning back with one hand on the steering wheel. “It’ll be around here somewhere, just keep your eyes open.”<br>“I’m too busy praying with my eyes shut, thankyou”, groaned Kross. ACW’s “spiritual leader” wasn’t all that convinced that Latino had fitted the snowchains to his Lowrider properly, and it wasn’t as if he got that much practice driving in icy conditions through the rest of the year. The car was just about staying on the road, however, and Latino hummed happily to himself as they barrelled along at speed.
Even before Winter Discontent, when the roster wasn’t working on interviews in character or preparing for their matches, the discussion had been about little else. It had all started innocently enough; during one of their twice weekly meetings, RDK had mentioned that a family friend had offered him the chance to stay at a “holiday home” they owned, and that when RDK had enquired further the accommodation turned out to be large enough to house a substantial party of people. It was the photograph that sealed it; the lodge in soft twilight, with snow lying thickly on the roof and windowsills…… in a matter of days the reservation was made using some of the extensive profits from the fed’s sellout shows as a sweetener to the owners, and before you could say “jingle bells” everyone was digging out their woolly jumpers and snowboots. Now, with the last PPV of the year triumphantly completed, a spread – out convoy of vehicles was heading west from the local airport and out into the previously peaceful landscape beyond.
Not being a great fan of flying, however, Latino had opted to pick up his car from the main ACW arena, and then drive in the rest of the way stopping to pick up BK and Kross for the last stretch of the journey. Rolling through the stillness of the forest, with snow gently falling, the dim light made it difficult to read the faded signs indicating the occasional little tracks. Latino squinted at one as they drove past. “I hope this place isn’t called “Serendipity”. At this point, BK got the map figured out. “Oh, now I see! Everyone, look for a little sign pointing to….Seren- “Fuck it!”<br>Latino was already doing a handbrake turn in the middle of the road. The car skewed about, and lurched forward in the opposite direction back toward the track. Making the tightest of tight turns, Latino almost managed to crash into Angelo’s Lambourghini, which was cutting across from the other direction. A bout of gesticulating and waving followed, and then the two vehicles pulled forward and began to ascend the hill before them, heading for glimmering flecks of light in the deepening darkness.
Several cars were already parked up under a roofed area to protect them from the ice and snow; as BK, Kross, Latino and Angelo walked toward the lantern hung next to the front door, their feet left perfect crunchy prints in the fresh snowfall. All was silent around them, but as they climbed the steps to the door they could hear muffled sounds from within. BK took hold of the brass handle of the door knocker, and a pleasingly deep sound reverberated around them. There was a short delay, and suddenly the door swung wide open, bathing the four in light and warmth…..
“OoOoOoh YEAH!” RDK bellowed from behind the door. “You made it, brudas! Come on in…. oh, and mind the train tracks, would ya?”<br>Kross was the first to cross the threshold; he took a step forward, and then had to make a small jump over a set of miniature rails laid out across the floor. Everyone else did the same, and then looked around them at the scene in the main room of the house. It was like walking on to the set of every cheesy Christmas programme ever made, except that this was considerably less tacky and far more inviting. The room was dominated by two things; a great fireplace on one side with a massive section of a tree trunk burning away, and on the other, a towering Christmas Tree, about 15 feet in height. The tree was able to fit in to the room due to it being as high as the roof of the entire building; towards the back, a winding staircase led up to a balcony overlooking the main room, with doors and corridors leading off into the sleeping quarters beyond. All around the room were deep, plush rugs, couches and chairs, and as the new arrivals looked around them they could see that many of their friends and colleagues were dispersed about, chatting and just generally hanging out. The other noticeable thing about the place was the smell; a heady mix of scents filled the air. Pine needles, pastry, cinnamon……just the smell alone would be enough to make most people feel instantly more cheerful. “You can dump all your coats and stuff in the closet, brudas,” said RDK, indicating a door in the corner of the room. As they began to shed their surplus layers, BK and the rest noticed that RDK appeared to be wearing the world’s most tasteless sweater; it was a blindingly bright green with a grinning reindeer on the front. RDK noticed them staring at it, and looked a bit sheepish. “Yeah I know…..it’s terrible isn’t it? But even so….I still kind of like it. And it does this!” RDK pressed the nose of the creature, and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” began to play squeakily as the nose flashed along in time. Kross raised an eyebrow. “Randy, I believe that’s the worst piece of Christmas tat I’ve ever seen. I see what you mean….it’s so crap, it’s bad in a good way.”<br>RDK laughed as Latino took everyone’s coats and went to hang them up (by which he meant opening the door and dropping the garments into the sizable pile already inside). Returning to the room, he saw that the little group had dispersed itself; Latino scanned the goings on and decided to flop down on to a beanbag in front of the huge plasma screen tv. “Ahh, bliss. All I need now is a-“<br>A short, high pitched whistle announced the arrival of a model steam train. It was towing a truck, upon which was a selection of bottled beers and hot mince pies. BK wandered over and helped himself. “I think I’m going to enjoy this little vacation….”
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:05:29 GMT -5
December 25th, 9.00pm local time
The main room of the house was dark and surprisingly peaceful; it was lit by the gentle flames of the fire, the Christmas Tree lights, and the glow of the TV. Alexandra was flicking through the channels with a bored look on her face. “How come the one day of the year anyone wants to watch television, there’s never anything decent on?”<br>“What are the options then?” said TNT, dropping his copy of Pro – Wrestling News Weekly over his head as he sprawled on one of the couches. “Oh, the usual…… seasonal editions of all the programmes no one can stand the rest of the year, The Great Escape, The Sound of Music……..”<br>Alexandra turned the TV off. “We could put some music on instead.”<br>“God, no,” groaned Ginger. “I don’t think any of us could survive a repeat of last night’s karaoke session. Not that I didn’t enjoy everyone’s rendition of the Grease Megamix, of course.”<br>“How about a game of Twister?” suggested Jake. Yoko almost choked on her glass of Chardonnay; “After what happened at Thanksgiving? I nearly got my leg broken when Amo went for an impossible left hand blue and collapsed the entire tangled mess of limbs.”<br>“I can’t move anyway…I’ve eaten too much” yawned Bob, stretching out on a rug. “Usually all our family would do on Christmas night was chat and tell stories and stuff.”<br>There was a little bit of shuffling as people started to pay a bit more attention. “Hey…… that’s not such a bad idea,” said JonnyG, noting the worrying lack of alcohol in his glass and resolving to do something about it. “Who knows a good story that we haven’t heard before?”<br>There was a distinct lack of suggestions. “Well that’s that idea scuppered,” said Gooey gloomily. Everyone sighed. Then Kross had another thought. “Ridley’s good at stories… he’s done all that stuff for Fallout.”<br>“Forget it.” Ridley was slouched in a recliner across the room; “I’m on a break, remember? Plus you lot probably want some stupidly ambitious, epic tale that you’re all in, or something.”<br>Everyone looked at Ridley. “Um, that’d be good, yeah” said Skurai. “With lots of big fights and ass – kicking.”<br>“And gadgets!” chimed in Angelo. “And romance!” giggled Rena. Ridley had his eyes closed, but he could tell he was still being watched. He slid open one eyelid. “Oh, ask AK to do it.”<br>Everyone’s gaze tracked the room like the crowd following the ball at Wimbledon. AK put down her copy of Wrestlers are from Mars, Divas are from Venus. “Oh, all right…. if you lot insist, I’ll see what I can come up with. Go and get yourselves more drinks or snacks from the kitchen while I think for five minutes, and then we’ll see how we go from there.”<br>There was a large amount of rustling of papers and clinking of glasses as the gathering made itself comfortable. Five minutes later after some cursory territorial battles over beanbags, the group was back together. “Ok then….. settle down kids, and I’ll begin.”
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:07:09 GMT -5
A far time ago, in a galaxy long, long away…….
They say that in space, no one can hear you scream. This is largely true for two reasons; not only does the severe lack of any kind of sound – conducting medium make any audible communication difficult to say the least, but equally there’s a great deal of space out there and not very many sentient lifeforms hanging around in it. This was normally the case in sector Z – 617734; used as a kind of informal dumping ground for space junk of all kinds, the asteroid belt cutting across the zone made it not only difficult to navigate, but a notorious haven for unsavoury types. The sort of sector, in fact, where Halley’s comet would speed up a bit in case it got mugged, and it’s not as if hurtling lumps of failed – planet mass have very much worth stealing.
For the Galaxy Wanderer, however, the same qualities that made the sector unattractive to almost everyone else were just the ticket for a scavenger band to park up and plan their next daring raid. You’d need a keen pair of eyes to spot the voyager – class ship amongst all the rest of the metal rubbish drifting around, but then that was entirely the point. Only a few very faint points of light gave the game away; the ship looked like it had been constructed from bits and pieces of several other craft, and a faded flame – motif along its flanks was the only clue as to the nature of its owner.
Most of the ship was echoingly empty; like most interplanetary vessels it took a lot of machinery to support just a small number of people. The control room was peaceful, with just a couple of schematic diagrams displaying on the multitude of monitors, when the blast doors slid open with an alarming squeak, and a figure walked into the room, twirling something bright and shiny on a cord around his neck.
At first glance, Victor “Latino” Laureano looked like any other space hound; his clothes were worn and a little dusty, but evidently made of substantial material; clothes that had been around the solar system more than a few times. Latino sauntered up to the large chair facing directly forward, looking out though the front screen at the view in front of the ship, and dropped down into it, putting his heavily – booted feet up on the console in front of him. He dug around in his pockets and pulled out a bottle of beer, cracking it on the arm rest and simultaneously smacking a button on the console with his foot.
“Yoko!” Latino shouted into the empty room. “Yoko, I need you, chica!”<br> There was a humming sound, and then most of the dormant screens in the control room began to be flooded with information. The main view screen in front of Latino turned black, blotting out the view of the outside, and words scrolled on to it in a military - style typeset.
“Strategic And Tactical Operating System – Human Interface: SATOSHI Version 1.0”<br> The screen faded to black again; the lights in the room flickered, as if the ship’s power supplies were being tested, and then in the space in front of Latino’s chair a young woman of oriental extraction materialised. She was wearing what most people would recognise as the standard uniform of the Space Corps; a silver – grey fitted jacket and pants, with blue flashes on the cuff and shoulders. The woman regarded Latino coolly, folding her arms; Latino just smiled and took a mouthful of beer.
“On the liquor already? You must have something big in mind,” said the woman. Latino just grinned. “I can’t hide anything from you, Yoko….you’re too clever for me. “That’s hardly a challenge…..with an IQ of 6000 I’m too clever for most organic life,” said Yoko, pacing across the room to look at one of the computer screens. “You know, I still can’t believe that I ended up on this scrapheap of a ship.” “Yeah, yeah, I know chica,” Latino yawned as if he’d been through this many times before. “You were on this top secret prototype ship, but something went wrong and you were shut down to protect your delicate databanks before it crashed. Some other scavenger found the ship before the Space Corps retrieval squad did, removed your processor unit and put it in with a bunch of other junk….and Carnage bought it from him for a pittance. We all know about that…” Yoko did not fire back a response; she seemed to be sad and angry just thinking about those events. Latino got up out of his chair and walked over to her; he placed a hand on her shoulder without thinking, and it passed right through. “Oops…..sorry Yoko. You’re so real that sometimes I forget you’re just a hologramatic projection.” It was not a hollow statement; everyone on the ship was in awe of just how real Yoko seemed, and they’d never seen anything else even come close to her depth of personality; they knew that she must almost certainly have been a one-of-a-kind creation. Yoko sighed. “It’s all right…..I guess I’m just a bit out of sorts today.”<br>Latino peered at the computer screen in front of them. “Where are the rest of the guys? I told them I wanted them here 10 minutes ago.” Yoko blinked a couple of times, and then the main screen flared back into life. It showed what looked like a martial arts ring; in its centre, a lithe figure was neatly dispatching a series of opponents. “Don’t tell me Blade’s on the AR console again,” Latino frowned. “BLADE! Leave the crazy 88 alone and report to the bridge holmes!” The myriad of assassins vanished, and the muscled figure glanced up at the camera with a sharp nod. Yoko blinked again; the picture changed to a dim image of what looked to be the engine room. A pair of legs was protruding from under a massive piece of machinery, and next to these a very large, toned man was regarding his reflection in the shiny surface in front of him, striking a variety of poses. Yoko giggled, her mood lightening considerably. “Carnage, esse, how’s those repairs coming along?” Latino called over the intercom. The larger man stopped posing and attempted to look busy, while the smaller of the two slid out from beneath the metal and sat up, grime smeared across his cheeks. “Yeah, we’ve nearly got it sorted,” Carnage called back. “I’ll just have Amo beat the sealing panel back into place and then we’ll be right up.” Latino smiled. “Fine, guys, just remember…..Space Corps directive 24511a.” Amo picked up a large metal sledgehammer and looked about ready to have some fun with it as the screen flicked off. Yoko raised an eyebrow at Latino. “Did you really mean Space Corps directive 24511a ?”<br>“Sure…..isn’t that the one about ensuring all engineering works are properly completed before clocking off?”<br>“No….the one you just quoted is, “Any crew member with false teeth is prohibited from attempting oral sex in zero – gravity.”<br>Latino flushed red for just a moment, then shrugged his mistake off. He walked over to a wide, flat table a little way back in the room, and a neat 3d model of the area the Galaxy Wanderer was hidden in sprang to life. Yoko glanced at it, and saw a number of small moving images in one corner of the map; her expression became one of concern. “Please tell me that’s not the target,” said Yoko, as Latino zoomed the map in on the images; they resolved into bulky grey, tanker – like craft. Latino gave a sly smile. “Aren’t they beautiful? Sleek and fat and full of top – grade isotope 13 fuel…..just think what we can sell that stuff for on the black market.”<br>“And just think of the punishment you’ll get if you’re caught. That convoy’s probably crawling with armed guards.”<br>Latino pushed back his hair out of his eyes, and they sparkled brightly. “That’s what makes it worth doing, chica.”<br>
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:09:37 GMT -5
”Sweet! I love a good space story,” said Kross. Brian Carnage took a sip of his Jack Daniels. “I hope you didn’t cast me as the engineer just so you could do a cheap “Scotty” rip off joke.”<br>“Um, no, of course not. As if I would! Anyway, let’s move on shall we?”
Several days’ travel away at high warp, a crew of a very different kind were bringing their ship in to dock at Titan Space Corps command. The dreadnaught class Great Fox wasn’t the largest, fastest, or newest ship of the fleet, but it was undoubtedly one of the most famous, and people were clustered around the viewing windows of the station as it gracefully drew up to the orbiting structure. A transparent connecting walkway slid into place, and three people stepped out and proceeded briskly toward the main structure. “Look! It’s them! It’s really them!” cried an excitable young ensign. “Ooohh, he’s so gorgeous! BK, BK I love you!!” yelled her friend. All the noise was of course pointless, as the object of their affections couldn’t hear a word of it. He could, however, see them jumping up and down and waving, and BK Lombardi smiled with a debonair salute, that made the taller and somewhat more mature gentleman behind him laugh. “Bruda, your fan club’s getting bigger every day….don’t you feel guilty teasing those young ladies out there? BK just smiled again. “It’s a curse…..but what can I do?” Lombardi certainly wasn’t in any doubt of his inherent qualities, the woman at the head of the line thought to herself, but then when you’re one of the best pilots in the entire military, that’s not surprising. “Don’t sweat it, BK, your looks will fade one day, then you can get some peace,” she ribbed him. “Oh, yeah, you’d know about that, Commander,” BK shot back. The second man walked a bit more quickly, putting his arms around the feuding pair. “Now then, you two, listen to RDK…. we’ve got to see the top brass, so best behaviour from now on.” BK snorted. “Hell, we’ve nothing to worry about….Alicia will sweet talk the high ranks, she’s always been their favourite.” Alicia detected just a hint of jealousy in BK’s voice, but then again that was nothing new to her. “I’m sure if I’d chosen to fly in the face of authority and nearly get booted out of the corps on several occasions, I wouldn’t be in such a position as I am. But, heck, we all make out own choices, don’t we BK?”
BK was concocting a riposte when the three of them reached a large ornate door. Alicia knocked on it, and a voice was heard within. “Come in…” She opened the door, and the little party walked in to the office. The person they’d been expecting to meet was there – as was someone else, whom they were rather less pleased to see. “Commander, Gentlemen, welcome,” said the flame haired man in a neatly pressed dress uniform, “I don’t believe you’ve met Senator Philips in person before?”<br>The second man was dressed in a smart black suit, perfectly presented in every way; he stood up from his chair and walked over to the new arrivals. “So, we meet at last……the legendary K – Team, in person. The pleasure is all mine.”<br>“You betcha it is,” whispered RDK under his breath, while maintaining a respectful expression as he shook hands with the Senator. None of the Great Fox crew gave even the slightest hint of animosity, but all three were well aware of the reputation of the man before them; Senator Philips was a powerful voice in the ruling civilian body, and known for advocating reductions in the serving armed forces. “And General Ginger, good to see you again as well, sir,” said Alicia, saluting her commanding officer as her compatriots did the same. “Kitsune, Lombardi and Kanyon, reporting directly as ordered.”<br>The general smiled, but there was sadness behind the mask; he knew there was no point in trying to lead into what he had to say gently. “My friends…..I’ll cut right to the chase. You know very well that we’ve just completed a successful campaign to subdue a breakaway faction of druids out in Sector 260, as you were in the forefront of that attack. So now you are in need of new orders……”<br>Ginger paused, looking for the right words. Alicia’s gaze made him stop entirely; she knew what he was going to say. “If I may, General….Senator Philips’ presence here today tells me all I need to know. We saw the Meteora docked up as we arrived….it’s a magnificent ship.”<br>Ginger nodded slowly. “Brand new…..with new fighters, advanced technology….”<br>Alicia finished his sentence. “And a new crew. So who’s the lucky team?”<br>Everyone looked out at the sleek frame of the ship, glimmering in the dock lights. “It’s gone to Commander Wyvern,” said Ginger, “Do you know him?”<br>“Yes Sir. We competed against one another in Wargames a few months back….his team’s young, but they’re very talented. I’m sure they’ll do an excellent job.”<br>The senator stood up again, having seated himself while the two fleet members were talking. “I felt that I should come here in person to tell you of the senate’s decision regarding the constitution of the Space Corps….. I wanted to assure you all that your hard work and dedication will not go unrecognised.”<br>Alicia, BK and RDK fixed him with solid stares. “But notwithstanding that….. you’ve decided that you only need one battle - ready group.”<br>Philips smiled coolly. “You are inferring that it was purely my decision?” Alicia returned the cold smile. “I would not know that, Senator.” They remained staring at one another until Ginger broke the ice. “Commander, you know as well as I dothat your ships have seen a great deal of active service…. we can’t go on patching them up forever. You and your team are to take your ship out to the boundary at the plutonian moon belt, and patrol there for 2 weeks. On your return, the Great Fox will be decommissioned, and you will all be assigned to new posts.”<br>BK looked about ready to punch the Senator, but RDK grasped his wrist tightly. Sensing the tension, Alicia saluted Ginger, giving the Senator one last glance before leading her team out. As the door closed, though its thick fabric the sounds of someone kicking the wall outside could just about be heard. Senator Philips shook his head, almost laughing a little; he turned back to see Ginger staring out of the window, finding nothing amusing in the situation. “I hope you’re got some good PR people, Senator, because this is not going to be a popular decision,” Ginger commented, without turning his head. The Senator raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you let me worry about that, General….now, if you’ll excuse me, I have much work to do.” Ginger sighed as the door to his office closed a second time. Outside, he could see the Great Fox already starting to pull away from its moorings, on its final voyage……
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:12:07 GMT -5
“Holy Shit, that was close! Can’t this tin can fly any faster?”<br>Somewhere out in the infinite blackness, close to an all but forgotten class S3 planet, a fierce and rather one sided battle was raging. The tiny craft was scarcely bigger than a ship to ship shuttle; it jinked around from side to side, trying to avoid the volleys of laser fire that were breaking all around it. Despite all the chaos, however, its pilot seemed remarkably relaxed, and he wasn’t even breaking a sweat into his pure white robes. The same couldn’t be said of his companion, who was desperately fighting to maintain the shield integrity of their ship; his clothes were far closer to that of a normal person, albeit one with a penchant for bright colours and an eye for fashion. The tiny craft was being pursued by several others, all different shapes and sizes. Though all acting independently, they shared the common goal of trying to shoot down the fleeing ship. “Kross, can’t you do something?” yelled the second man; Kross kept his eyes to the front, but when he spoke it was with a voice heavy with learning and calmness. “Bob, do not panic. We are almost at our destination…..”<br>Without warning, the craft’s radio crackled into life; a female voice echoed around the cabin, utterly cold and focused, without any emotion. “Priest, I will give you one chance to save your worthless life…..tell me where the dimension sphere is hidden!”<br>“Never, you cur…. I would not suffer you to lay one covetous hand upon it!” Kross replied – his voice was not raised, but it was as hard as titan – forged iron. “So be it…… my forces will destroy you!”<br>Immediately, the volume of fire on the ship became massive, quickly overwhelming its shields. Sparks flew about as the ship took damage, and Kross struggled to retain control. “Bob, brace yourself – we are going to have to make an emergency landing,” Kross said without a trace of nervousness. As the craft plunged toward the planet below, he switched on the ship’s emergency broadcast beacon……
“And that’s when we got this message,” said General Ginger, addressing the screen on his desk. On it, a powerfully built man was sitting in a high – backed chair on the bridge of a sizable ship, with two other men standing to either side of him. “I see,” said the man in the chair. “General, will you play the distress call for us one more time?”<br>Ginger pressed a button, and Kross’ voice was heard, with loud booms and bangs in the background, “This is the jump ship Elemental Star, crew of 2…. we are under attack from Bounty Hunters in the restricted sector. I cannot disclose our reasons for being here, but we urgently require assistance from the Corps, we are on a mission of utmost importance. Our co – ordinates are being transmitted alongside this message…. I beg you, send aid, for the safety of the whole galaxy may depend upon it-“<br>The message abruptly cut off. The three men on the ship were looking at a screen in front of them. “Are you certain that these are the correct co – ordinates?” said the man in the chair. General Ginger nodded. “They are. Commander Wyvern, you and your team are to use those mighty warp jets on that brand new ship of yours, and carry out a search and rescue mission. Once you have retrieved the priest, get off that godforsaken world as fast as you can. General Ginger, over and out.”<br>On the bridge of the Meteora, Wyvern, Davey Marvel and Oliver Black considered their mission silently. “So it’s true…..we’re going to Klendathu,” said Oliver. “The space marines’ graveyard…” whispered Marvel. “All your insect nightmares, made real at once…..”<br>Wyvern stood up. “Guys, this will be the most dangerous mission we’ve ever undertaken…..but I know we can do it. This is….” He glanced at Davey, with a smile. “…Our time. Computer, take us out and set course for Klendathu – maximum warp.”<br>Davey and Oliver smiled, and together with Wyvern they headed off to the weapons stores to prepare for the mission ahead.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:15:20 GMT -5
”I fell in love with a Starship Troop – er…” warbled Daredevil; the others laughed. Ginger raised an eyebrow. “You’re only borrowing from that story because you think Casper van Dien has a sexy bum.”<br>“He does indeed have a highly attractive posterior, but that’s irrelevant here. I’m using it because I need a lot of vicious things for you guys to blow up.”<br>“Oh, right. Carry on then.”<br>“I will. Now, where were we?”
Back in orbit around Klendathu, another commander was addressing their troops. The woman with the voice of ice, clad entirely in black, was seated at the helm of her small but awesomely powerful ship, the Vengeance; the light from the monitors in front of her played off of her white hair as she looked at the images before her. On the screens were three men, the pilots of the other individual ships responsible for the attack on Kross’s craft; they all had gazes devoid of ethics or compassion. “Gentlemen,” said the woman, “I thank you for your assistance thus far….but the hunt has only just begun. Skurai, TNT, Cheng….. you are the most feared criminals in the star system, but what I will ask of you now even you may wish to decline.”<br>The man on the middle screen, TNT, snorted. “Don’t patronise us, Kaesar….if you’ve got the money we’ll do anything your black little heart desires.”<br>“As you wish. I detected a distress signal being sent from the craft as it went down – which means that the Space Corps is almost certainly sending a rescue mission. I want you three to lie in wait in orbit, and whoever shows up – eliminate them. I trust you have armed yourselves appropriately?”<br>On the left screen, Cheng nodded. “It doesn’t matter if they send the fleet flagship – we can bring it down.”<br>“Good. I shall descend to the surface to complete my personal business – I warn you, do not try to follow me. You will all be paid well once I have that which I am searching for…..even the most obscene amount of money will be nothing to me, then…..”<br>Rose cut herself off and turned off all the screens; for a moment she worried that she’d said too much. Then, dismissing the thought, she accelerated her ship away and down toward the planet below, looping around the planet’s tiny moon as she went. On his own ship, Skurai flicked a few switches; unlike Cheng and TNT, he’d paid attention to what Rose had said. “Perhaps….I will need to investigate this for myself a little further,” he murmured to himself, before firing his ship’s boosters and engaging his cloaking device, to prepare the “welcoming party” for any rescuers.
“Amo, you ready?” whispered Latino. It was hard for Amo to respond in his heavy spacesuit, but he raised an arm and waved before applying the cutting end of the suction pump to the tanker ship’s underbelly. Latino was breathing quite hard; he’d siphoned off fuel from these ships many times, but this was high grade military stuff and the risks were high. It had all gone smoothly enough; leaving Carnage on board the Wanderer, Latino, Blade and Amo had taken a small, fast shuttle converted to house a storage tank, and shadowed the convoy until they’d managed to get close enough to land on one of the ships. Clinging on like a metallic leech, Amo and Blade had suited up and gone outside to attach the pump, while Latino kept the engine of the little ship ticking over. He watched the pair at work, thinking about how he’d come to meet them; Blade was a star ninja, whose life was all but destroyed when he had refused to follow the orders of a corrupt shogun that had overthrown his old master and teacher; he could not bring himself to slaughter innocents in a territorial battle on his homeworld. Forced into exile, he’d been fighting in a travelling combat show when Latino had seen him and offered him the chance to join up with his motley crew. For Blade, it wasn’t perfect; but Latino’s refusal to steal from those weaker than him had attracted the proud warrior, and Blade had more than proved his worth in disputes with other, less scrupulous, scavengers. Amo, on the other hand, had never had what you would call a career path. Working in a variety of casual, dead end jobs, he nevertheless harboured a secret dream of travelling, and his fate was sealed upon meeting Latino in a bar on Callisto. Drinks were bought, stories exchanged, and ever since Amo had fulfilled the dual roles of general dogsbody and morale officer; his endless cheerfulness lifted the rest of the crew, even in times of dire trouble. The sound of banging on the hull awakened Latino from his reverie; Blade was knocking on the window, and the pump was now in place. Latino give the thumbs up and flicked the switch, starting the draining process; Amo and Blade started to stomp slowly and carefully with their magnetised boots, back toward the craft…… The marines’ personal radar – cloaking systems meant that Latino got no warning at all as they jetted in with their powerful backpacks; three of them surrounded Blade and Amo before they could react. Latino barely had time to register this before the airlock to the craft hissed, and an armoured marine dashed into the cabin, levelling his assault blaster at Latino. “Halt, thief! You’re under arrest!”<br>Latino raised his hands and sighed; despite his bravado with Yoko, he’d had a bad feeling ever since they’d set out on the mission. The marine spoke into his helmet radio. “Predator, Jay, Fury….marines, report!”<br>“Sir, yes sir!” barked a new voice over the radio. “Predator here, Captain Surion sir….they’re not putting up a fight.”<br>“They’re either experienced or smart, then, Bring in the patrol ship and we’ll take them to the brig.”<br>Latino had now got over the shock of the marines’ arrival. “Hey, hey esse, don’t get too hasty with that gun of yours….what about Space Corps directive 47668?”<br>Surion punched the number into his wrist computer, keeping one eye on Latino, and then looked at him askance. “Work done by a crewmember’s doppelganger in a parallel universe cannot be claimed as overtime in any circumstances….have you been drinking?”<br>Latino slapped his hand to his forehead. “No holmes, but I think I may need to start……”<br>
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:17:09 GMT -5
It took the Meteora only a few hours to reach the insect homeworld; all three crewmembers were in their seats on the bridge as they brought the ship into a steady orbit. Wyvern observed the planet surface readings on his screen, searching for any sign of the crashed ship. Commander Wyvern had not originally intended to become a “top gun”; his initial posting in the corps was as a pilot of a supply vessel. But his natural leadership abilities and strong personal physique soon got him noticed, and as the threat from the druidians grew he found himself offered a place in flight school to learn how to fly and fight at the same time. Wyvern’s skills were more than good, but it was as a leader that he excelled, knowing exactly how to direct planes serving under him to the best effect. By this time, the Starfox team were merrily showing how teamwork could defeat enemies with a substantial numbers advantage, and Wyvern found a niche on the bridge of one of the Corps’ huge cruisers, directing entire units of fighters to engage the enemy forces. While he was good at this, Wyvern longed to get out into space once more, and he took on extra unpaid work as a tutor to up and coming pilots so that he could once again fly single seater craft. It was during this time that he met Davey and Oliver, two gifted young recruits whom with his expert tuition became exceptional warriors, always at the head of their class. When the Meteora was on the drawing board, Wyvern had suggested to an old friend on the commissioning team that he’d always wanted to be in charge of his own elite force, but hell, that wasn’t going to happen, was it?
Wyvern still had to pinch himself a little as he focused the ship’s scanners on a promising patch of ground. But much as he was enjoying the thrill of command, his joy was tinged with sadness and a little anger; when General Ginger had informed him of his promotion and shown him the new ship, he had also related the means by which Wyvern and his crew had come into possession of her, and Wyvern was not pleased to hear how some of his strongest role models had been treated by the government that they had risked their lives to serve. “Watch the speed, Oliver,” said Wyvern, glancing at the forward viewing screen. “Don’t want to scratch the paintwork on our first day,”<br>Oliver laughed. “I’ll be gentle sir, I promise…..-”<br>The missile impact came out of the blue; the Meteora listed heavily to one side, forcing all the crew to hold on. As the stabilisers tried to kick in, Wyvern saw three blurred shapes shoot by on their starboard flank. “We’re under attack! Return fire at once!”<br>Davey was already in the gunner’s seat; target shooting was a speciality of his. “Come here you bastards!” he shouted, pumping laser fire at the circling ships; but they were well shielded, and another missile was launched from one of them to strike the Meteora fully in its engines. Alarms began to sound all over the ship, and then the artificial gravity failed, leaving the three men fighting to stay in their seats. On the bounty hunters’ ships, the three mercenaries laughed with cruel enjoyment as the great ship started to sink toward the planet. “Yo, Cheng! Give them one last parting gift, Junior!” TNT shouted over the short range radio as he blew one of the ship’s mounted guns into little pieces. Cheng smirked, and released a third missile, aiming straight for the bridge….
Struggling to control the ship, Oliver saw the missile approaching at speed. “Everyone, hang on!” he shouted, wrenching the steering column as hard as he could -
The Meteora performed a partial barrel – roll; the bridge was protected, but one entire side wing was blasted to bits. With smoke pouring from engines and wing, the Meteora began to descend quickly, its front heating up as it crashed through the atmosphere. With the whole ship shaking, Wyvern grabbed the radio mic and slammed the scrambled emergency channel button; the enormous noise made it impossible for the other two to hear his frantic SOS message, and they braced themselves as the burning yellow sands of Klendathu began to approach at terrifying speed…..
Up above in orbit, Skurai and the others saw a brief flash of light as the Meteora impacted at tremendous velocity. Skurai smiled and put his feet up on the console in front of him. “Nice work, gentlemen….. I believe our hourly rates just increased quite a lot, wouldn’t you say?” There was the sound of laughter from the other two ships. “You said it, man,” said TNT. “That bitch owes us, big time. You want to go down and see if there’s anything worth taking from the wreck?”<br>“No, personally I don’t” said Skurai. “I’m not going to risk Kaesar skipping the planet without paying my fee.” “Yeah, good call,” said Cheng. “All right, if we see any other ships on the approach we’ll get back in touch, otherwise I’ll see you on the Vengeance to collect the cash. Over and out.”<br>Skurai flipped off the intercom and stared into space, both figuratively and literally. “Space Cruisers – they don’t make them like they used to……”<br>
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:19:01 GMT -5
After their capture, Latino and his companions were taken to the holding jail on the nearby moon of Ganymede to await a transport back to earth. The cells were quite full, and the three men were placed into a cell where another man was already sleeping on the single bunk. Blade paced back and forth; he was relieved to have left his ceremonial sword back on the Wanderer, but without it he naturally felt nervous. Latino sat with his back to the forcefield that held them, with his hands in his lap. “Guys, I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I should have taken your advice, Blade, you always told me to trust my instincts.”<br>Blade stopped pacing. “Don’t worry about it…if we wanted an easy life we’d be robbing the fuel dealers, like Bounty Hunter scum.” Blade almost spat; what the universe at large called Bounty Hunters were to him no more than murderers and thugs. Amo stood, leaning against the opposite wall close to the bunk. “Do you think Carnage knows what happened to us?” “Oh, I reckon so, holmes,” said Latino. “I suspect Yoko was monitoring us the whole time….if he’s got any sense he’ll take the ship and get going before the marines find him as well.” Everyone was silent; they knew that they were facing long stretches in stasis once they were hauled before the space courts…. “Of course, there is another option,” said a new voice. The three companions turned to see that their cellmate had opened his eyes, which were reflecting the striplights brightly. “Oh, yeah? What’s a pipsqueak like you going to do then?” said Amo, sounding depressed for almost the first time in his life. The man sat up, but did not seem too upset by Amo’s remark. “The name’s Dan, known to all as Daredevil. And as for what I do…..”<br>Daredevil stood up, wandered over to a plain panel on the wall, felt it, and pulled it away. A load of wires and circuits were exposed. “Do any of you have a small knife or something sharp?” he asked; warily, Blade produced a small concealed knife from his boot that the search on arrival had failed to locate. Daredevil considered his options, and then carefully cut two of the wires; there was a crackle in the forcefield. “So?” said Latino. Daredevil smiled….and then stepped though the forcefield to the outside before stepping back in. The other three were amazed. “How did you do that? asked Blade with genuine curiosity; Daredevil handed his knife back to him. “Just one of my skills….and I’ll show you more if you can get a ship to get us off this moon.” Latino folded his arms. “Are you saying you want to join us?” Daredevil shrugged. “For the moment, I guess so. So do we have a deal?”<br>Latino thought for a moment, then extended his hand. “Ok then, Daredevil, you’re in esse. Now, we need to find a radio transmitter of some kind-“<br>The discussion was cut off as a guard walked by…..and they were all surprised when he stopped next to their cell. The guard turned the fake shield off, allowing the four to exit the cell, but he frowned when he saw Daredevil. “My release note only says three here…..”<br>“That’s quite all right, officer,” came a voice from behind the guard, “the more the merrier.” Latino’s hair stood on end as he recognised the voice; he could already see the outline of a huge man behind the guard, and a second, smaller figure stepped out into view. The guard took his leave, and Latino and the rest glared at the newcomers. “Hunter…..now there’s a face I’ve not seen in a while. You and the monolith there still taking money from that crook Giovanni?” said Latino. Hunter laughed a little. “Cage, I doubt you understood that, but Mr. Laureano just insulted you.” Cage bristled with anger and flexed his muscles; Blade was already stepping forward in case of trouble, but Hunter put a hand to Cage’s chest to restrain him. “No, no, not yet, you remember our instructions, right?” Cage stood down, but continued to glare. “That’s a very poor way to speak of the man that secured your release….”<br>Latino and the others were stunned. “Giovanni sprung us? But why?” said Amo. Hunter gave a shark’s smile, and Latino began to get a bad feeling once again. “The Don is very keen to explain that himself. If you’d care to accompany us, your ship is being hosted at the Don’s exclusive resort in orbit around Mars, and we’ll meet up with your friends there. Shall we go, gentlemen?”<br>Latino didn’t trust Hunter and Cage one bit, but at the moment he had no choice but to play along. Daredevil followed the group; he knew trouble when he saw it, but trouble almost always went hand in hand with opportunity, and Daredevil was never one to pass up an opportunity that presented itself. Cage made sure that no one was tempted to drop away from the back, and they filed on to Hunter’s craft before it pulled away from the surface and rocketed away at great speed toward the gambler’s paradise.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:22:10 GMT -5
In the hangar of the Great Fox, BK walked up and down, dragging his fingers over the metal of the Arwing fighters standing proudly to attention. All were battle scarred and showed signs of numerous repairs at close inspection, but BK didn’t care about that one bit. He’d always thought the Arwing to be the most beautiful man - made thing that he’d ever seen, with its retractable wings and weapon pods slung neatly beneath the undercarriage. “They can’t decommission us….they just can’t!” BK yelled, snatching up a spanner from a pile of tools and hurling it across the cavernous space. It bounced away into the shadows, and BK’s shoulders dropped; standing next to his plane, he felt a sudden urge to get into the cockpit, and he had fastened his seatbelt straps before he even realised he was doing it. The seat wasn’t exactly made for comfort, but BK sunk into it like an old couch and let his mind wander….. Ever since he’d been old enough to understand about space travel, BK Lombardi had never wanted to be anything other than a fighter pilot. Naturally courageous and a risk taker, he seemed born to do the job; but one thing he’d never been able to tolerate easily was authority. He’d lost count of the number of dressing downs he’d taken, and then there was the Io incident. While participating in a competition with other hopeful trainees, BK had ignored a direct order and pursued a member of the opposing team into the vicinity of a small comet; not realising that the other pilot was having technical difficulties with his ship, BK had come within a hair’s breadth of crashing his own craft directly into the other when the second ship braked extremely sharply. The selectors for the various squadrons were less than impressed, and it seemed that BK would be left out in the cold….. But then came the attack of the druidians, and the battle of Sirius. Formed in secret and massed on worlds thought to be uninhabitable, a force intent on overthrowing the solar system’s elected government launched a huge assault from several points, and came desperately close to deploying their “doomsday weapon”, hidden inside a hollowed out asteroid of enormous size. All the trained pilots available were sent in whatever ships were in a suitable state to fly, but it seemed a futile gesture; totally impervious to the attacks of both fighters and bombers, the leaders of the sect and their weapon could not be reached. But from this seemingly hopeless position, one lone pilot emerged; BK did not recognise the insignia of the craft, but as it descended he realised at once what its pilot was trying to do. Once again ignoring the commands of his team leader to pull back, BK had floored the accelerator and given chase, and the two tiny craft had raced through the natural cracks and fissures in the rock until they had come upon the inner sanctum. The power generators were easy to spot, and a combined attack had set off a mighty chain reaction, like something out of a science fiction epic. BK smiled as he recalled the massive explosion and the heat on his back as the two ships got clear just in time……. “That was one hell of a big bang, wasn’t it?” said a voice over the ship’s radio. BK was just a little startled, and glanced to his left to see Alicia sitting in her own ship. BK smiled. “So you had the same idea, huh?”<br>At first sight, BK and Alicia appeared to have little in common other than similar nicknames. Alicia was a strictly-by-the-book, true blue officer; her talent and dedication had seen her rise rapidly to be in command of a small sub – division of a fighter squadron at the time of the Sirius confrontation. But the group that her little team was part of had been in the first wave of attackers, and by the time the critical juncture was reached, she was the only one from her group remaining. Fuelled by anger and grief, she’d made a snap decision, throwing the rule book aside for almost the first time in her life, and it turned out to be a defining moment for her, both professionally and personally….. Alicia slid open the cockpit of her ship and climbed out; BK did the same. They stood looking at the Arwings, and BK’s expression darkened a little. “How could you let that moron treat us like that? After all we’ve done – if it weren’t for you and I there would be no Senate for him to ponce about in.” Alicia signed. “Believe me, BK, I’m as pissed off as you are….but what would be the point of getting angry? I know Ginger very well, and trust me, if there’s anything that can be done behind the scenes he’s doing it.” She began to walk toward the exit into the main ship, and BK walked next to her. “Do you believe in fate, BK?”<br>BK was slightly taken aback. “No, I don’t….I believe you make your own fate. And I thought you did as well.”<br>“Yes, until now I’d have agreed with you. But just recently, I’ve had the strangest feeling…..that there’s something I’m supposed to do….something I need to finish. I can’t explain it.” She shook her head. “I’ll tell you something now, BK….I may not have agreed with all your actions before now, but I won’t let anyone tear my ship to pieces for scrap. If this is the end for the Fox, I’ll set her on a collision course for the nearest sun and fly away in my Arwing….let her go out in a blaze of glory.”<br>BK looked a little surprised, but then smiled. “They’ll bust your ass to Private, maybe even discharge you.” Alicia gave him a look that suggested that she didn’t give a damn if “they” did; though she mostly kept her thoughts to herself she was just as angry about things as BK was.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:23:57 GMT -5
As the pair were walking through the corridors, suddenly RDK’s voice blared into every space. “Now hear this! Now hear this! All crew members report to the bridge, priority one!” BK and Alicia were already running, and they skidded into the bridge in less than a minute. RDK was already there, and alongside him was a young man with hair like a fright wig, wearing grimy overalls and looking as if he’d just taken a stroll through a coal mine. RDK gave him an affectionate pat on the back and started to decode the hidden message that the ship was receiving…..
After the druidians were dispirited and scattered by the destruction of their base, Alicia and BK were offered the pick of any post in the fighter squadrons that they wanted. They might never have seen one another again if it hadn’t been for Randy Dallas Kanyon; he’d simply appeared as if from nowhere, walked into the barracks where they were recuperating after the battle, and pitched an idea of supreme audaciousness to them both. Inspired, they’d immediately agreed to take it before the military counsel……it was an unprecedented step, the formation of a small, elite team with their own transport and gunship combined, a rapid reaction force able to put down any flashpoints before real trouble got started. RDK’s eloquence and enthusiasm won the day, and thus the Great Fox had been commissioned…..for 5 years the three unlikely teammates had formed a tight knit and cohesive group and stopped many druidian and criminal gangs from oppressing the residents of far flung outposts. Though outwardly friendly, RDK had never chosen to speak about his past, and the others had decided it was not their business to pry. The second surprise had been RDK’s reluctance to take command of the team; insisting that leadership was not his strongest suit, RDK had persuaded the military council to appoint Alicia instead, on the grounds that she was older and of a higher rank than the fiery Lombardi. Though this had needled BK at the start, he soon decided that he was more into shooting things than filing the requisite paperwork after every sortie, so in the end the arrangement had worked quite well. As for the walking scarecrow to RDK’s left, Gary had simply been in the right place at the right time. He was certainly not the most academic member of the Space Corps, but there wasn’t a gadget in the galaxy that he couldn’t fix, and when the mechanic assigned to the Great Fox became sick at the last moment Gary was bundled aboard as a temporary “stopgap” measure. It took only one comment from BK that he thought the brand new Arwing’s weapons were a little lacking in power; in a few hours Gary had completely overhauled and upgraded the laser blasters and added homing capabilities to their missile stocks, and from that moment on there was no way that the crew would have considered accepting any other mechanic.
”Oh, really, Alicia, do you have to cast me as the village idiot even in a work of fiction?” Gary booted a cushion in annoyance. “It’s irritating enough having to maintain Kayfabe when we’re at work.”<br>“Hey, chill Gazza” said Skurai. “We all know you’re not really a twat…. it’s just you play the role so well.”<br>“I mean, honestly……I’ve played Hamlet with the RSC. Oh, forget it….. I’m not going to let a daft story annoy me.”<br>“How about if I let you do some shooting later Gary?”<br>“Hmm….all right then.”<br>“Thankyou. Bugger, I’ve forgotten where I got up to – anyone?”<br>“I was doing something technical and Macho! OoOoOH Yeah!”<br>“Quite. So, on the bridge….”
RDK finished the decryption process, and the four people gathered watched the viewscreen as General Ginger appeared. It looked like he was in his office, but the room was dark, and he spoke in a hushed, almost whispered tone.
“Great Fox, come in Great Fox. If you are able to receive this message, then do not attempt to reply – I am sending it with the utmost secrecy. There has been a major incident on and around the planet of Klendathu – we’ve lost contact with the Meteora, it is believed to be either crashed or destroyed – we suspect they may have been ambushed whilst in orbit of the planet. If you have the fuel and supplies, head for Klendathu at once – not only may the Meteora crew need your help, but there is also another person of great importance stranded on the planet. The civilian government is trying to cover this up, they can’t afford to have their new flagship seen to be defeated on its first mission – but I can’t stand by and let its crew perish just for the sake of some politicians saving face. I can’t order you to do this, but please….. you are the only chance these people have of getting off that cursed rock, their ammunition can’t last forever however well they’re trained. I’m counting on you…..good luck.”<br> The screen went blank. Alicia turned to the rest of the crew. “So, what do you think we should do? I know what my choice would be….but we have to be agreed on this, we all know what the stakes would be.”<br>RDK looked at her and smiled. “I say…..let’s go squash some bugs.” BK said nothing, but simply nodded. “All right then. I’ll set course for Klendathu…..Gary, did you finish working on that new hyper drive?”<br>“Yeah,” said Gary with a grin, “Should go really fast now.”<br>“That’s what I like to hear. All right, we’re already heading in the right direction…..ETA about seven hours.”<br>RDK and Gary headed off to prepare for the impending action. BK ran a quick check on the torpedo stocks for the main ship. “We’ll have to be choosy what we aim at, AK” he called as he paced across the floor; BK was about to make his way back to his quarters when he stopped in the doorway. “Hey, you know you asked me about fate?”<br>“Yes, so?”<br>“Well back when I was a cadet I knew this guy who was a really strong believer in fate. One day he got this premonition that he would die at 3am, and it freaked him out…..so he set all these alarm clocks and things to always wake him up at 2.59am, set so loud that no one could sleep through them. Yet within a week of his premonition he was dead…..and he died at 3am exactly.”<br>“Wow, that’s scary……..what happened?”<br>BK grinned. “The guy in the bunk below shot him.”<br>
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:27:31 GMT -5
By a bizarre coincidence, on the surface of Klendathu it was 3am local time. This was of little interest to Kross and Bob, however, as they were heading down into the cave system guided by a light from a strange amulet Kross wore around his neck. In his right hand, Kross carried a rare and powerful weapon….. On the planet of Aremathi, the young men aspire in the main to be priests and warriors. But their secret dream is to become both – and Kross was one of the very few whom had withstood the fearful tests of the Mirari, the “holy thunderforce”.
”Someone’s been listening to Rhapsody, haven’t they?”<br>“Yes, someone has.”<br>“Has that someone lifted my limited edition box set?”<br>“No.”<br>“That’s just as well, since when I find them that someone’s going to be using their intestines for a scarf.”<br>“I’m sure we’ll all look forward to that. May I continue?”<br>“Meh. Whatever.”
The Mirari were a highly secretive group, but in bars and taverns across the sectors, tales were told of their great cunning and skill. Yet none of these tales, astounding as they were, had prepared Bob for the day that he saw Kross in the full flow of battle. Bob was an entertainer by trade; he could dance, sing and juggle almost anything, but this wasn’t much help to him when he’d been jumped by a group of thugs on his way home from a gig on the surface of Titan, at Lunar City six. Not wanting trouble, Bob had handed over his meagre wages, but the group was high on Solentium, a cheap and plentiful mind altering drug, and they seemed intent on breaking every bone in Bob’s body. But out of the darkness had come a figure dressed in white; he carried a pole about six feet long, with a wide shovel shaped blade at one end and a thinner, crescent shaped one at the other. When the thugs wouldn’t disperse as requested, Kross had gracefully sliced the arms from all six of them, forcing the tripping muggers to flee howling into the night, and get their limbs regenerated at a back street bio clinic somewhere in the local slums. This might have been just a brief encounter for the two of them, but the amulet around Kross’ neck had reacted immediately when Bob had asked Kross if he could teach him any of his “cool moves”; Kross had been amazed that the amulet seemed to indicate that Bob was a “Chosen One”, but he had been told by elders at his home temple that “light could be found in the darkest of places”, and decided to give the young man at least a brief appraisal. At first Bob seemed almost helpless when Kross attacked him, but Bob began to use his agility to dodge the blows, and when Kross had the Shaolin Spade knocked from his grasp by Bob doing a swift headspin, legs outstretched, Kross knew he’d found the right person to assist him in his mission. Bob himself wasn’t quite sure what exactly he was letting himself in for, but he also had a sense that he had been given an opportunity to do something that would make a difference, and deep down within, that was all Bob had ever really wanted.
“Cool” as the Shaolin Spade was, however, Bob was still a long way from gaining the proficiency needed to wield such a weapon in the heat of battle. A standard blaster was instead strapped to his side, and Bob tried to adjust his eyes to the darkness as they headed ever downward with only the light of the amulet to help them. Suddenly Kross stopped, and paused; Bob also stopped, but heard nothing – except the faintest of scufflings on the sandstone floor….
The bug attacked with a shrieking cry; Kross swung the Shaolin blade and cut it in half with one blow. Bob already had his blaster drawn and fired it behind him without even looking; his prompt action stunned the bug charging him, and he was able to finish it and its two companions in the nick of time. Kross dealt with another half dozen until the attack was over, and beckoning to Bob he crawled into a small alcove a little further up the tunnel. Bob followed, and Kross rolled a boulder over the entrance to seal them into the tiny bolthole.
“We’ll wait here a few minutes; there might be more bugs nearby,” said Kross. Bob checked and reloaded his weapon, speaking quietly. “Sensei, tell me again….what is it we’ve been sent to get? And how did it end up here, on a planet infested with these terrors?”<br>Kross wiped his blade clean. “The artefact we must recover was placed here many eons before the bugs arrived. It has been inadvertently protected by these creatures…..but now its location has been discovered by someone who wishes to take it for themselves. If they truly know how to use it, a new and unstoppable horror could be unleashed on all creation…..”<br>Kross’ voice tailed off. “What does it do that is so awful?” Bob whispered; Kross gave a small sigh. “Even I do not know all the details……all I really know is that the runes which describe it in the ancient engravings of my people translate into your language as “key”.
Kross fell silent again and listened; all seemed to be quiet outside. “We must go, my friend….whatever the dangers, we must reach the sanctuary before our pursuer does so, at any cost.”<br>Bob swallowed hard at that thought, but gathered his courage and followed the priest out into the darkness, heading downward once more.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:33:10 GMT -5
After the colonisation of the solar system, the “red” planet Mars had taken on a new association, one not entirely inappropriate to its nickname. The resort of Fortutopia was an orbiting hotel and pleasure paradise on a grand scale, and attracted hedonists of all kinds to sample its seedy delights; rumours abounded of its links with high – level officials in the government, and yet it was certainly not the sort of place that “respectable” types tended to go for their holidays. Neither was it a place that Latino had any desire to visit; he knew well from previous experience that even the tiniest debt to its owner and manager had a worrying ability to grow and spiral out of all control. “I suspect this place has grown since you were last here, Victor,” said Hunter casually as he strolled down the plushly carpeted corridor; “We’ve added another 200 rooms this year, refitted the casino….business has never been better.”<br>Latino did not grace Hunter with a response; he was on edge, aware that Amo, Blade, Carnage and Daredevil were “resting” back on his ship with Cage and a couple of backup goons for company. Hunter smiled. “Relax, Victor, we all know you cleared your debts with the Don……. I don’t know all the details but he is about to make you a once – in – a – lifetime offer.”<br>“Yea,” thought Latino to himself, “an offer so good I can’t refuse it. Cliched, but effective all the same.”<br>They reached the door at the end of the hallway; Hunter knocked, and then opened it, gesturing for Latino to enter. Latino was genuinely surprised to see that Don Angelo Giovanni was out of his custom leather chair, with a drink in his hand waiting to welcome him. “Victor! My old friend, it’s been far too long. Have a seat, make yourself at home.”<br>Still keeping his wits about him, Latino carefully sat down in the offered chair. Hunter stood to one side, and Angelo returned to his own seat. Victor took a sip of the strong – tasting liquor, and gathered his thoughts. “I guess the first thing I should say is thankyou for getting my crew and I out of jail.”<br>Angelo waved it aside. “Think nothing of it, Victor.”<br>“I’d like to, but I know that you’ll want something in return. Would you mind telling me what it is?”<br>Angelo laughed, a rich confident sound. “There’s no flies on you, is there Victor? I won’t deny that I have something to share with you…..but let me reassure you, after I’ve pitched my idea, if it’s not attractive then you and your crew can go get on with your lives, no questions asked. I’m pretty sure though that you’re a smart man, and that you’ll recognise what an incredible opportunity this is.”<br>Latino was unsure what to make of this; he glanced out of the window, at the neon signs and mile – high advertisements directed at any passing trade. “All right Angelo, spill the beans on your “idea” and I’ll tell you what I think.”<br>“A man who gets right down to business! I like that, I like it a lot.” Angelo opened a desk draw, and pulled out what looked like an official Space Corps communication. He cleared his throat, and then began to read. “Dateline 3004 – 05 – 23. It is done….. my most valuable secret, my precious jewel, is safe. The treasure will not fall into the hands of those unworthy to possess it…. I can now die at peace.” Angelo stopped, and looked at Latino; he could see that the word “treasure” had set off a spark of interest in his eyes. “That entry was retrieved from a Space Corps storage device sold on the black market about six months ago. We’re almost certain that another drive from the navigational instruments of the same ship contains co – ordinates that mark the location the entry refers to…..”<br>Latino leant forward. “Let me take a wild guess…..you know who has details of the location of this “precious jewel”, but for some reason you can’t get that information yourself, and you want me to go and track it down.”<br>“Got it in one, my friend. And why not go the whole hog – if you can get the location, why not go and find this jewel as well? Then you bring it back to me, I use my “professional contacts” to sell it, and we split the profits 50 / 50. You have to admit, it’s easy money, just the way you like it.”<br>Latino raised an eyebrow. “If it’s as simple as that, why not let your attaché here go and find it?”<br>Angelo looked over at Hunter and smiled. “The person who possesses the information we need….is not intimidated by brute power or promises of wealth, since she has plenty of both of her own.”<br>Latino sat up. “She?”<br>“Oh, yes. I need the Latin King, the universe’s greatest sweet talker and romancer……. I want you to go to Selendra.”<br>Latino’s jaw dropped. “Selendra?” He leaned forward. “The……planet of the nymphomaniacs?”<br>Angelo tutted. “Now then, Mr Laureano, I’ll have no gender bias here. I understand that a man went there once and didn’t have sex within 10 minutes of arriving.”<br>“Because he couldn’t get his airlock door open,” chimed in Hunter. Angelo shot him a barbed glance to silence him. “Remember, Victor….your task is to reach the Queen of Selendra, and get that information from her. If you’re lucky, that might involve some world class shagging, but do whatever it takes. So, do we have a deal?”<br>Once again Latino’s instincts were telling him to say no; but an equally primitive set of urges were making themselves felt even more strongly. “OK Angelo, I’ll find that jewel for you. I’m sure the crew and I will rise to the occasion.”<br>Angelo grinned. “I’m sure you will, Victor….I’m sure you will.”<br>
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:36:19 GMT -5
“Yay!” Rena beamed. “This is where I come in, right? Do I get beautiful clothes and stuff?”<br>“I think we can manage that.”<br>“So Rena’s some sex goddess? Wow, I never saw that one coming” yawned BK. Rena just laughed. “If you’ve got it, flaunt it I say. You’re just jealous.”<br>“Leave each other alone you two. We’ve got plenty to get through yet……” The huge cloud of sand and dust thrown up by the Meteora’s impact was still settling as Wyvern came around; he slowly stood up and steadied himself, which was slightly more difficult than normal given that the ship was listing over to one side. “Oliver? Davey? You guys ok?” Wyvern called; the room was quite dark as the internal generators were out of action. “I think so,” Davey shouted out from across the room; there was a slight pause and some thumping about before Oliver extracted himself from beneath the main control suite. “A bit of a bash on the head……nothing serious, sir” he called, staggering over toward the other two men. As the team regrouped, there was a whining sound, and then the emergency lighting flickered into life. A loud bangng was audible at the door to the bridge, and as it was forced open a fourth man climbed through the gap into the room. “All that work……..all those hours of dedication, and what happens? My beautiful ship……”<br>V3 looked almost bereft as he put his hand on the dented metal of a bulkhead. As head designer and chief engineer for the Space Corps, the Meteora had been his crowning glory and greatest achievement; the crew had been about to take off for a test flight when the emergency on Klendathu had developed, and V3 had ended up being taken along for the ride. Wyvern appreciated the engineer’s desolation at the havoc wreaked, but he still had a mission to undertake. “Is there any chance of us being able to take off again?” Wyvern asked; V3 shook his head. “I’ve examined the Tsunami fighters; they’re all fine, but the Meteora won’t fly in this condition.” Wyvern nodded, and turned to his crew. “V3 can stay here and try to raise the Corps command on the com system; as for the rest of us, there’s still 2 people who may be in trouble, and they’re counting on our help. Get into your surface combat suits, and get ready to move out; the lifescanner’s picking up humanoid signs 20 clicks south of here. We should catch up with them if we move quickly….”<br>Davey and Oliver were already on the move; V3 seated himself in a wonky chair and started the gruelling task of trying to re establish the cross – galaxy coms link. But as the group prepared for their mission, they were unaware that their discussions were not secret; on board the Vengeance, Alexandra Kaesar listened and smiled to herself. “Excellent…..I can track those naïve flyboys, and their path combined with my own tracking should give me all the information I need. The sphere will soon be mine…..”<br> V3 was not the only person on Klendathu trying to make a long distance call; after fighting their way though the network of tunnels, Kross and Bob had arrived at a deep, almost amphitheatre – like space which was open to the sky, but whose sheer walls prevented any access from the surface. Kross gazed up at the sky, and held aloft a small device with a long, thin aerial protruding from its top; Bob paced around, watching for any threats, as Kross spoke quietly into the device’s microphone. “General, we are closing on the sacred site,” said Kross, “but my senses tell me that all is not well at the forbidden planet.”<br>“I understand….do you recommend that the Space Corps takes action at this time?”<br>“Yes General, that would be most wise. Is the fleet ready to depart?”<br>“It is. Of course, we don’t have clearance from the government for this mission…..but I believe we are having some problems with our “connection” to the Earth council.”<br>“Oh, that is most unfortunate.”<br>“Yes. However, due to the sensitive nature of the mission it would be unwise to wait……especially as my own arrival there may now be delayed. I will attempt to contact you again once I have retrieved the artefact…..Kross out.”<br>Kross put the little communicator away; Bob walked back over to him. “So does that mean we’re on our own here?” Kross nodded. “I pray that those who were sent to aid us are unharmed, but they cannot help us now, and reinforcements are still some time away. We must go with all haste to the sanctuary, we can not afford to waste a second more.”<br>Without another word, Kross began to half walk, half jog toward a single cave disappearing into the earth, a few feet above ground level on a small ledge, and both he and Bob were at a full run as they dropped out of sight and descended into the darkness once more.
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Post by Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune on Dec 25, 2004 16:40:49 GMT -5
Back at the Space Corps command, all hell had broken loose; personnel were dashing to and fro, and Ginger marched through the corridors of a massive battleship, straightening his peaked cap as he stepped out on to the command deck of the great vessel. The crew rose and saluted before resuming their posts, and a smartly dressed lieutenant strode up to him. “General Ginger, we are ready to proceed at your orders,” the young man said. “Thankyou Lieutenant Anger,” said Ginger, sitting down in the captain’s chair, “I have had the destination programmed into the ship’s computer. Are the carriers also ready to depart?”<br>“They are. Sir…is this information that you have provided correct?”<br>Ginger looked at Will Anger’s tablet PC, bearing the co – ordinates he had given. “Yes Lieutenant, it is, “Sir, forgive me….. I was under the impression that no one was to approach Kalia under any circumstances – it is a direct order of the ruling council.”<br>“You are correct, Will.” Ginger looked his most trusted aide straight in the eyes. “But I have reason to believe that something is about to happen there, something which must be prevented at all costs, and I don’t have time to argue with the council over this. But if you feel you must take action yourself…..”<br>Ginger and Will gazed at one another; Will understood what the General meant. He had to decide whom he was most loyal to – and after a few seconds he made his choice. “Starventure is ready to depart….awaiting your orders, sir.”<br>Ginger smiled and his eyes were filled with gratitude. “Engage the hyper drive coils and call the fleet to order, Lieutenant.”<br>Anger saluted again and walked to take up his post at the helm; Ginger leant back in his seat, and with a great burst of light the Space Corp’s armada was away, heading for its dark destination.
“How long has Amo been in the shower room?” asked Daredevil, reclining in one of the chairs on the command deck. Blade rolled his eyes. “About 2 hours I think. I don’t know why he’s bothering…..those loose women will be throwing themselves at him the minute he sets foot on the planet surface.” Blade folded his arms and scowled; as a warrior sworn to duty, he had been trained to take little or no interest in members of the opposite sex. “So this planet is populated entirely by women? How can that be?” said DD. “It’s a genetic mutation caused by unusual radiation in the atmosphere, as I understand it,” said Carnage fiddling with an open wiring panel. “Any child born there is always female, and to preserve the matriarchal society men are not allowed to live there unless…they’ve had something removed.” Everyone winced, except Yoko, who rolled her own eyes. “It all sound pretty boring to me.”<br>“You would think that, Yoko, you’re a woman,” said Carnage. Yoko pouted, but was secretly pleased; Carnage had always treated her like a real person since the day he had reactivated her, and she was very fond of the shy Scot. Amo decided to rejoin the group at this point; in his smartest casual clothes, he wandered into the room singing a ditty along the lines of “We’re all getting laid, oh yes, oh yes”. “Way to go, boss,” said Amo, slapping Latino on the back. “Looking forward to your brush with royalty?”<br>Latino stared out of the front viewer as Selendra coasted into view. “Yeah, sure.” He sounded less than convinced, and Amo leant on the console. “Don’t tell me you’re still mooching over that old flame? Hell, man, I thought you forgot about that long ago.”<br>Latino sighed; until recently he’d thought the same thing. But for some reason, the prospect of hours of carnal fulfilment with hordes of gorgeous women made him think of just one…..but that was long ago, back when he’d still harboured wild ideas of becoming an officer, having a career, making something of himself….. “Stupid, that’s what it is,” said Latino, shaking his head. He looked up, and saw that the ship was about to enter the planet’s atmosphere. “Yoko, bring the ship in and dock at the spaceport in the capital city….we’ve got ourselves a job to do.”<br>Yoko nodded, and blinked three times, and the ship slid gently into a descent toward the twinkling lights of the city below.
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