[TC] FROM NOTHING, A Rogue's Tale - Book I [COMPLETED]

Official fiction, fan fiction and artwork. Let your talent express itself!

Moderators: TheElf, Moderators for English X Forum

User avatar
Kirlack
Posts: 1995
Joined: Fri, 25. Jun 04, 15:59
x3tc

Post by Kirlack » Tue, 27. Mar 12, 20:09

I'd argue the Hyperion to be more like a Firefly class to be honest. If it weren't for it's kick ass fighting capacity of course. But the huge cargo bay, 2 docking slots and just generally looking the nuts, makes me think of Serenity a lot of the time.

User avatar
Scion Drakhar
Posts: 932
Joined: Wed, 27. Oct 10, 03:15
x3ap

Post by Scion Drakhar » Tue, 27. Mar 12, 21:31

1. The Death of a Dream

They had to cut the hatch off the escape pod. Lu had beamed me into the thing and fired it out into space just moments before the Credo et Amo went nuclear. I want to believe he made it off too ... but I just don't know. As I was tumblin' through the goop in the Maelstrom my pod hit something. At the time the only thing that mattered was that I didn't have a leak. But apparently that bang damaged the hatch. Hence the cuttin'.

I'd been in the thing for nearly eight days when they found me. You wouldn't believe the smell. When the hatch finally opened the guys that cut through it actually gagged. It was like old socks and moldy shoes mixed with the stench of a backed up toilet. I don't think I'd have believed you a week ago if you told me that I could create that kind of stench all by myself. I shouldn't complain. I'm alive and a lot of other people aren't.

When I climbed out of that pod the first thing I saw was Z'ppt standin' in front of me with four of his crew. The next thing I noticed was that the six of us were the only ones in the hangar bay. There were maybe a dozen planes in various states of repair. But there were no people. And considerin' what we'd just been through, and the state of the planes I was lookin' at the place should have been alive with shoutin' knuckle draggers, and sparks flyin' away from grinders, and we should have had to shout over the sounds of impact hammers and rivet guns and the roar of planes takin' off in the tubes. But there was nothin'. Five guys stood in front of me and it was so quiet I could hear the ember sizzle at the end of this one guy's cigarette.

"Drake," Z'ppt said. Not 'Admiral' but 'Drake.' As I looked at him with the questions in my eyes he stepped forward to clasp my hand and help me down from the pod.

"Z'ppt," I said. "What's goin' on?" I looked around. "Where's your flight crew?"

"Huh," the guy with the cigarette laughed. "They're gone, sir. Long gone."

I glanced at the smoker and back to Z'ppt. "It has been an eventful wozura, Drake. Much has happened."

I stared at him for a moment and then looked back to the smoker. I hadn't had a cigarette in days and the smell was impossible to ignore. "You got another one of those?" I asked him. He grinned at me, then pulled a pack out of his breast pocket and shook one out for me. "Thanks." I said and lit it.

After a good long drag Z'ppt put a hand on my shoulder. "Come," he said. "Walk with me."

I knew I was in trouble. I could feel it. I'm pretty sure I'd been feelin' it for the better part of the past week. I nodded and took a drag of my cigarette. It was a lousy smoke but after the past week it tasted like the best tobacco in the universe. I fell in beside Z'ppt as we walked and for a time neither or us said anythin'. I smoked my cigarette. I listened to our footsteps echo in the empty ship. Then I noticed the lights flicker.

I looked around and back to Z'ppt. He nodded. "She's been hurt, Drake. She's been hurt badly. They nuked us and we had fuel line ruptures all along our starboard flank." He sighed and looked at me. "We lost nearly a hundred men in those fires. Before we jumped away we lost half our shielding and tons of other equipment. Then ..." He sighed and looked at me again.

I could only stare at him. I was numb. I'd been numb since the Credo et Amo exploded behind me. I'd been numb since the first wave of torpedoes we shot at the pirates were shot down. I don't know how they managed it but somehow the pirates ... or I guess I should say the Terrans ... had come up with some kind of new missile screen and it was incredibly effective. We emptied the Sword of Aggrievance of ordinance and out of two Galleons, a Brigantine, and four Carracks we only managed to take out two of the Carracks. I don't know how they did it. I remember hearin' one of the Typhaon fighter pilots say somethin' about drones. But no matter what it was, however they were doin' it, my torpedoes, my primary weapon against enemy capitals, had suddenly become impotent. For all the good my nukes were doin' I might as well have been usin' a straw and spit balls. If that wasn't bad enough an ATF fleet jumped into the sector behind us. They stayed out of sensor range, and the pirates had destroyed my satellites days ago. So the first warning we got that we were in real trouble had been the missile alert. Apparently the Terrans thought I needed a dose of my own medicine. By the time we knew what was happenin' the Credo et Amo was already dyin'. I'd ordered the other ships out of sector but the last thing I saw from the bridge of Lu's Boreas was those nukes breakin' the Typhaon's back. After that I spent eight mostly uneventful days in an escape pod expecting to suffocate to death in the stench of my own filth. So at that moment I honestly didn't think I could feel anythin'. I was wrong.

Z'ppt stopped walkin' and squared off with me. "The money's gone Drake."

"Say again?"

"The money. It is gone. We have no money. Your accounts ... it is like they never existed. All of the money that should have been there to pay the crew and the pilots. To pay our wages, to pay for repairs to the Tiamat. It is gone as if it never was."

I blinked and rocked back on my heels. I don't think he could have hit me any harder if he'd punched me. I took another drag from my cigarette. "That's really bad," I said as I exhaled.

"A few days ago, when it became known that there was no money coming to them, the crew began leaving. I only have a skeleton crew, Drake. Only those loyal to me or with nowhere else to go have stayed. The rest left the ship in Grand Exchange or fled shortly thereafter in the holds of stolen fighters."

I nodded.

"And that is only the beginning."

I just looked at him. Z'ppt was staring at me, waitin' for me to tell him I was ready. I wasn't but it didn't matter anymore. "Well," I said. "Go ahead."

He nodded. You know I knew what he was going to say before he said it? "The terrans have destroyed both complexes." It didn't surprise me at all. It still hit like a sledgehammer to the gut but it didn't surprise me. "Apparently they hit both sectors at the same time ..."

"Apparently?" I met his eye.

"The only ships I can reach are the Osan'Gar and the Endless, which found us. All the rest are ..." He shook his head. "... silent."

"The Endless is safe?" I asked.

"Yes, and your mother with it."

"How do you know that?"

"She has been calling." Z'ppt met my eye. "She is a very ... interesting ... woman."

"Yeah," I said. "That's one word for her." I was relieved though. I am relieved. No matter how much she irritates me Hayla's the only family I've got.

"I know of the events in Avarice from Legion and the Events at DEMC beta and the House of Dreams from snippets we have caught on the net. Bits and pieces of overheard broadcasts in Teladi sectors. The satellite network is gone. Our encryption frequencies have been breached and shut down. The last time I attempted to reach the Destiny or the Sirrush, or any of the others, a Terran recon drone jumped in on top of us. We destroyed it and jumped away but I dare not try again in case next time it is something we cannot destroy."

I nodded. "Where are we now?"

"The Maelstom," he said. "Still searching for survivors."

I snorted. The scene of the crime, I thought.

"We have been conducting search and rescue missions for the last two days."

It occurred to me then that once again I owed him my life. He could have done anything. He could have taken the ship and what remained of his crew and just run. Many would have. If he'd done that I'd probably be dead. "Thank you," I said, and meant it.

He showed me an uncommonly gentle smile for a Split. Then he shrugged. "I need people," he said. "This ship is empty."

I chuckled, even though I still felt hollow. "So you were just looking for a crew?" I jested.

He showed me some teeth and nodded. "Yes." Then he looked me up and down. "We have had problems with the toilets," he told me sadly. "I need someone to swab the heads. Would you like a mop?" I laughed and he clapped me on the shoulder. "Come. I know someone who will be very glad to see you."

As we walked I finished my smoke and mulled over what he'd told me. "So we don't know who is alive and who isn't?"

Z'ppt shook his head. "The Credo et Amo and the Typhaon are destroyed. The pirates spent the better part of a day searching for escape pods and destroying them." He turned and looked at me. "You are very lucky to be standing here, Drake."

I nodded. "I saw some of that. When I realized what they were doing I killed the power in the pod and waited until I couldn't stand the cold before startin' it up again. A few hours later I saw them come back and did it all over again. It went on like that for the better part of eight stazura. It was touch and go for a while."

Z'ppt nodded. "Some others did as you did, but not many. Thousands of our dead have been lost in this nebula. Ea't only has the Osan'Gar and one Dragon now and both are damaged. All of his heavy corvettes were destroyed. Although he has not had the same problems with his crews that I have with mine. As far as I know not one of his crew has fled his ship although I think he may have killed several." Z'ppt chuckled. "I should adopt his methods. Terror seems to work well for him."

I nodded, not really connectin'. "What of the others?"

He took a breath and sighed, all mirth gone. "The Ragnarök, the Guardian and the Raptor you had guarding the House of Dreams have all been destroyed, along with the Hammer and the Kudos." I winced with every ship he named. "The terrans were proud of their victory and showed footage of their deaths."

I dropped my cigarette and stepped on it. I was angry ... but I also felt crushed. I felt like I'd risen above my station, like I'd challenged the gods ... and been struck down for my temerity. "What of the Magus? Or Destiny? The Flamingo or Sirrush or Wildcat or ... ?"

He was shaking his head. "The Magus was destroyed but we managed to rescue some of her crew. Of the others ... I do not know, Drake," he said. "We have not been able to reach anyone but Legion and Ea't s'Quid."

"Some of her crew?"

Z'ppt smiled at me. "Gin Ookami is alive, Drake."

I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holdin'.

"There is more that you should know."

"I don't know if I can handle any more, Z'ppt," I said but steeled myself anyway.

"I think you will like to hear this." I looked up at him. "The Earth's Torus Aeternal has been destroyed."

I blinked at him. "Say what?"

"The big ring around Terra's central planet?"

I nodded. "I know what it is. How? When?"

"The day after we were defeated," he said. "It was sabotage. Terra claims it was a commonwealth agent that was responsible. Tensions have been escalating and it looks like Terra intends to move against the Argon sectors around Omicron Lyrae."

I was starin' at him. I couldn't quite wrap my head around what he was tellin' me. It was too big. "If they do that ..." I whispered.

"It will be war," Z'ppt finished for me. "If the Terrans do attack I believe the entire community of planets will have to respond. Terra is too dangerous. If she is allowed to divide us none of the five races can stand against her on their own. It could very well be the first thing all five races agree to since we adopted the 'credit.'" He was smilin' when he said it. But the smile faded quickly as he watched me. After a moment he nodded to himself. "Come," he said. "I'm sure you wish to bathe and eat and rest in the company of your si'vetni."

"My what?"

He smiled. "Beloved?"

"Oh," I nodded. "Yes," I said. "Yes, very much."

After that we walked along in silence. I didn't think. I barely noticed where I was. I felt hollow and vast and everything Z'ppt had told me seemed to be echoin' in the empty spaces inside me. A few moments later we stepped off a lift into an empty corridor. Halfway down the hall the lights were out and a wall panel was sprayin' sparks across the corridor. Z'ppt paused for a moment to redirect power around it and then fell back into step beside me. He led me to a compartment that turned out to be the galley. On the other side of the room a tall, lean woman with dark, shoulder length hair was sittin' alone in front of the view screens. She was lookin' out at the Osan'Gar which was a few kilometers away and barely visible through the Maelstrom's fog. The woman turned as the hatch opened and looked at us. At me. Eyes the color of clear desert skies looked right through me. I felt my breath leave me and a moment later she was on her feet and crossin' the room faster than you'd believe possible.

"Drake!" she said, and threw her arms around me.

"Gin," I whispered and hugged her back.

An instant later she stepped back and pushed me away as she covered her nose. "Oh! Drake you reek!"

I nodded. "Yeah," I laughed. "I think the air scrubbers in the pod were damaged." I smiled. "Stars! It is good to see you."

She smiled at me. "And you," she said, then added apologetically, "but you need a bath." There was this look in her eyes that held me. It told me clearly that she'd been wonderin' if she would ever see me again. I smiled back at her and for a moment no one said anything. Then Z'ppt clapped me on the shoulder again.

"I should be getting back to work," he said. "There is much to do." He looked at Gin. "Can I leave him with you?" She nodded and he looked back to me. "We will talk again in a Stazura or so."

I nodded. "Thanks," I said. He smiled at me and nodded.

"Bathe," he said. "Eat. Rest. We will talk after."

I exhaled a little shakily and he walked away.

"Come on," Gin said. "Let's get you clean."

"Aye," I said. "That would be good."

We didn't talk for a while. The first thing was, indeed, to wash the stench off me and get some clean clothes. So she took me to an empty head and stuffed me in a shower. The water was only lukewarm and the pressure was inconsistent. The soap was clean, though, and after a week in the same clothes it felt really good to get clean. While I was bathing Gin fetched me some clean clothes. After I dressed we returned to the galley and scrounged up a meal, which consisted primarily of military rations and weak coffee. It wasn't very appetizing but it was food and after days of nothing but protein paste even a flash frozen meatsteak and some liquefied vegetable matter was a feast. After I finally dropped my spork onto the tray and leaned back I found myself wondering how she came to be on the Tiamat. She saw me watchin' her and squinted, I think knowin' what would come next.

"How many survived?" I asked.

She knew what I meant. "Kyle Sillarn, Met Selek, Kao t'Kt, Toki Fisty, Pico Rider, and Jo Pareii were with me in one Tenjin. The rest of the crew was in the other but ..." she shook her head sadly. "... it was shot down. They hunted us, and Drake they were both ruthless and relentless. I watched as they destroyed escape pods and other fighters even as the pilots surrendered. We would find no mercy. So we ran. Once several ATF interceptors pursued us. It was very difficult being in the back seat for all of that. Kyle was good ..."

"But you're better."

"He managed to destroy both of the Mjölnir but we took some damage and lost our sensors. After that I told him to fly us a few hundred klicks straight out into space. Then we waited and watched. After about forty mizura all of our satellite feeds, all of our communications ... they all went down at the same time. The whole universe went dark." She looked at me. "I hadn't realized how much I'd grown used to your network until it was gone."

I nodded. "Yeah, it's scary bein' in the dark." She reached out and took my hand. I gave her hand a squeeze. Then asked, "so how'd you hook up with the Tiamat?"

"We had one camera drone aboard the Tenjin. With no food, or water, or bathroom facilities that Tenjin started to feel like a tin coffin. So after about three stazura we fired that camera drone back at the sector and let it take a look around. It was a gamble. Even the short range communication can be tracked and if they knew we were out there ..."

I nodded. "Those ATF interceptors are a lot faster than a Tenjin."

"Yes. But instead of terrans we found the Tiamat. So Kyle dropped us off but ..." She looked at me . "Do you know that you have no money?"

I grit my teeth then and nodded. "Yeah," I said. "Z'ppt informed me."

"Well when it became apparent that they weren't going to get paid everyone but Kao and I left with Kyle."

"Kao's here?"

She nodded. "He's sleeping. We've both been helping out where we can. There are many repairs to be made and much work to be done and not enough people to do it. But it's been days and even I get tired."

"You two are very effective together," I said.

She shrugged. "We understand each other."

I nodded.

"So what happens now?" She asked me.

"I don't know," I said. "Right now it's just a jumble in my head. Everything's just tumblin' over everything else. Right now I just ..." I shook my head. "I really just want a drink and a long nap."

She nodded and stood up, pullin' me out of my seat to follow her. "Come on." She took me back to the quarters Z'ppt had given her. With there being so few people on the ship she had the room to herself. So we locked the door behind us and made love like we were the last two people in all of creation, holdin' onto each other like we were drownin' and all that kept us afloat was each other. And afterward I rested, and held her with my face buried in her hair ... but I didn't sleep. Or if I did it was only the shallow, dream filled hash of a mind in shock. And a few hours later I was up and starin' through a porthole at the Endless.

I heard Gin moving behind me, and a moment later she wrapped her arms around my chest. "You okay?" she murmured into my back.

I covered one of her hands with one of my own. "As long as you're with me I am."

She squeezed me, pressing herself into my back. "You're my home," she said and I could hear the emotion in her voice.

"And you mine," I breathed and for a moment we just stood there and I felt the thoughts tumblin' around in my head, tryin' to sort themselves out. At some point I started noddin'. "I need to find out what happened to that money," I said.

"If the Wakiya are meant to destabilize the Commonwealth," she said, "then economic warfare would be within their purview."

"Yeah but nobody throws away half a billion credits," I said. "No, it went somewhere ... and I'm gonna find it. And I'm gonna find whoever took it. And I'm gonna make 'em regret it."

Oddly enough I think I felt her smile against my back. "Then I'm coming with you."

"Good," I said. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

A little while later Gin and I met Z'ppt in engineerin', where he was helpin' with some repairs to one of the ships generators. As we walked up he nodded to us, but had his hands full hodlin' a waist thick bundle of conduit cables up and out of the way so Kao t'Kt and one the Tiamat's knuckle draggers could work underneath it. It was obviously heavy so Gin and I stepped forward to give him a hand.

"Drake," Z'ppt greeted me.

"Z'ppt," I said.

"I am glad to see you live, Admiral," Kao t'Kt greeted me from inside the three meter square junction box.

"It's good to see you too, Gunny."

"You know," the knuckle dragger began, "you both realize that you're now an 'Admiral' without a fleet and a Gunnery Sergeant without any troops to command, right?" It was the guy that had given me the smoke on the hangar deck. "There's nothing left of ... Uh! ... us anymore." He met my eye through the mass of cables. "We're it." Then he turned and nodded to Kao t'Kt. "That should do it. Thanks for the help big guy."

"Of course, Jaren Riggs," Kao answered him. "It is my honor."

"Uh ... yeah. Sure. Whatever you say, big guy." They were both wriggling out from inside the junction box and I couldn't help but chuckle at Riggs' irreverence. A moment later they were clear and we eased the bundle of cables into their restin' position and stepped back. Z'ppt stood up straight and put both fists into his lower back and stretched. I don't know how long he'd been holdin' those cables by himself but either way I once again found myself impressed with how strong the Split are. Riggs stood up and brushed himself off as Kao t'Kt and I exchanged the ser'kavi. Then he tapped a cigarette out and noticed me glance at the pack. He shook another one out and offered it to me.

"Thanks," I said.

"Eh. Whatever."

I chuckled to myself again and lit the smoke. It tasted like crap but at least it was tobacco. After it was lit I glanced at Z'ppt again.

"I see the mettle of a decision in your eye, Drake," Z'ppt stated.

"Aye," I nodded. Then I glanced at Gin and she nodded. Briefly I looked at Riggs and then Kao t'Kt before meetin' Z'ppt's eyes again. "I'm givin' you the Tiamat," I said. "You can sell her or keep her. It's up to you. Either way she's yours."

He frowned and then looked at his feet before looking back at me.

"I'm just gonna ask for one of those planes in the hangar bay. Hopefully one of them still flies?"

He nodded absently, but he was still frowning. "So this is it, then?" he asked me.

I looked around but kept my mouth shut for a moment. Then I nodded and met his gaze again. "Yeah," I said. "Yeah it is. At least for now. I'm goin' after the money. Without it I can't ..." I shook my head. "I can't even support the ships I have left. I'll be giving Ea't the ships under his command and I'll take the Endless. With Legion in control she doesn't need the same kind of crew that other ships do. There are a lot of people on that ship. Women and children, families of many of the folks we lost, and they've got nowhere else to go. I'll take care of 'em if they want to stick with me. I'll let 'em go if they don't." I met his eye again. He looked like he'd just bit into a lemon. "You alright?"

He nodded. "I just want a drink," he said.

I nodded and looked at my feet. "You and me both, brother. You and me both."

"Drakhar," Kao t'Kt said. I think it was the first time he ever called me by name. "I will accompany you if you will have me.

"I'd be glad to have you," I said. "I can't pay you ..."

"For now," he said. "Yet I think your destiny is far from written, and I would see the pages unfold."

I grinned. "Welcome aboard then."

A little while later I sat down at the wireless to tell Ea't the same thing I'd just told Z'ppt. Gin and Gunny t'Kt were lookin' through the available birds for one worth takin'. If we could get it over to the Endless I had plenty of weapons and shields for it. It was the software and high tech equipment that were in short supply all of a sudden. Funny how fast things can change. A month and a half ago I had nothin'. I used to joke about how I couldn't even take a shower, but at the time it was true and it was no joke. A week and a half ago I had everything. I was a billionaire and could afford just about anything I wanted. Now, in the blink of an eye, I was back to bein' broke again. The difference was this time I knew what it was like to have somethin' worth losin'.

The screen flickered to life as Ea't accepted my call. "Lord Drake!" he said.

I shook my head. "Not anymore, Ea't. Not right now, anyway. Maybe never again."

Ea't scowled at me. "What mean?"

"The complexes are gone. The fleet's been destroyed and somebody stole my money. I can't pay you so the only way I've got to say thank you for not leavin' me to die out here in this puke is to give you the ships you already command and hopefully we'll meet again someday."

Ea't continued to scowl at me. "What you do?"

"Me? I'm goin' after the money."

Ea't nodded.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I look H'nt. Him likely dead. But I look anyway. Maybe Z'ppt come along. Easier with Panther. Avarice big place."

I nodded. "Be careful. The terrans are probably still crawling all over it."

"You too, Drake." He nodded to himself then he met my eye. "Been fun, yes?"

"Yeah," I grinned. "It has. Goodbye Ea't."

"Fare thee well, Drake." I blinked and Ea't grinned at me. Then he cut comms and I was starin' at snow. I turned the monitor off and went to help Gunny and Gin. They'd chosen a Tenjin and were in the process of equippin' it with the computer and equipment packages that Z'ppt could spare. It didn't amount to much. A cargo life support system, a mark I combat computer, a boost extension and some vid gogs. We didn't even have a decent sensor array for the thing. Even so gettin' it ready with just the three of us took the better part of two stazura. I kept tellin' myself that at the very least we'd be well armed.

Yeah. Not so much.

Normally when I sent a Mistral up to OTAS to sell our surplus I kept a reserve of all the weapons and shields I'd need to equip my fighters. That usually meant at least fifty high energy plasma throwers, another fifty phased repeater guns, fifty pulsed beam emitters, twenty particle accelerator cannons, thirty 25 megajoule shields, a thousand mosquitoes, and another thousand wasps. It wasn't until I actually got to the Endless and asked one of the deckhands for an inventory list that I remembered tellin' 'em to "sell all of it." With Cala Ma screamin' in my ear and the attack on the pirates loomin' in front of me I'd been short on both time and cash. That was right before we set out for the Maelstrom.

Yeeah.

There was nothin' on the Endless. The holds were empty. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't have frakked myself over any more thoroughly had I set out to do it on purpose. That was when I noticed Legion's beat up old Mamba Sentinel half way down the hangar deck. Ok, I didn't notice it. Gin did. I saw her walkin' towards it and the light went on. It took the better part of the next three stazura but eventually we got the weapons and solitary 25mj shield from Legion's Mamba Sentinel transferred to the Tenjin.

As we were workin' Ea't and Z'ppt both jumped away. I don't know if they left together or went their separate ways. I don't know if I'm ever gonna see either one of 'em again. But here I am. I've got a hospital ship carrying over twenty five hundred people that're countin' on me not to get 'em killed like I did their husbands and wives and sons and daughters. I've got two fighters with minimal equipment. And I've got no money whatsoever.

I guess we're on to the next adventure.



-------------------------------------------------
X3 AP 2.0 with bonus pack

***Modified*** Bankrupt Assassin Start

Mods Installed
Lucike Script Collection
Factory Complex Constructor
MARS
Improved Boarding
NPC Bailing Addon set for as few bails as I can get it
Salvage Command Software

Rules
(So far)
1. Dead is Dead
2. The Endless may not enter combat. There are over twenty five hundred people aboard that need to be protected and the Captain is a pacifist. It may defend itself if attacked but I can't use it as a warship to defend a position or give it an order to attack.
3. Neither the passengers or the medical equipment aboard the Endless can be removed. That cargo space is simply unavailable.
3. Fighters cannot use jumpdrives.
4. I can make repairs to my personal ship but only for fighter classes and only to ninety percent of maximum hull (ish - M5's repair really fast.) All else must be paid for.
5. Before trading with the Split again I must redeem myself in their eyes by achieving a race rank of 11 - Honored Strong Arm of Rhonkar.
6. The Terrans are my enemy. I can never trade with them or take missions from them.

This will be the last chapter in this thread. This part of Drake's story is officially complete. Triaxx you can make that change in the DiD list if you want. I'm still trying to come up with a title for the next one. Honestly I was never entirely satisfied with 'From Nothing' and I'd like to get the next one right.

So there you have it. Thanks for reading. I hope to see you all in the next thread.

Cheers.
Last edited by Scion Drakhar on Tue, 27. Mar 12, 23:17, edited 3 times in total.
A Pirate's Story.pdf(KIA) by _Zap _ From Nothing.PDF(complete) by _Zap _ Prodigal Son(active) Original Thread, Prodigal Son_PDF

Deeparth
Posts: 451
Joined: Fri, 30. Apr 10, 00:35
x4

Post by Deeparth » Tue, 27. Mar 12, 22:41

Looking forward to it.

User avatar
Olterin
Posts: 1110
Joined: Fri, 27. Feb 09, 20:34
xr

Post by Olterin » Tue, 27. Mar 12, 23:14

Yep, looking forward to the next story as well :)

... Meanwhile, I think I'll go with a Chokaro: fairly sizable cargo bay, three fighter docking slots, decent speed ... yeah. Oh, and yes, me not having watched Firefly has since been rectified :roll:
"Do or do not, there is no try"
"My Other Overwhelming Mixed Assault Fleet is a Brigantine" -Seleucius, commenting on my ship naming scheme

Falkirion
Posts: 105
Joined: Mon, 4. Jan 10, 10:16
x3tc

Post by Falkirion » Wed, 28. Mar 12, 00:31

I'll have a post up soon. Watch this space. Just need my lunch break to roll around. Great start again Scion. Going to be an interesting ride I think.

'He's got us on nursing duty' Henry complained to Fred for the upteenth time.

'Well that's what he pays us for' Fred replied, looking around the bridge of the Rebirth Flame. His ship. At least so long as Drake wanted him to have it.

'It doesn't make it any less boring' Henry continued, punching a few buttons to run a sensor sweep Izanamus Zura. Nothing came back though. All the satellite's that the Phantoms had in the sector had been destroyed by pirates. 'I can't see shit without those sats, how the hell are we supposed to spot an incoming attack if we're blind?'

'Mark one' Lyra answered from the other side of the bridge by the fire control panels and the three operators who manned them. 3 Split who now lived in fear of the little Terran girl.

'Sure we've got great visibility, but that doesn't mean that a Terran raiding force couldn't take us unawares. Our sensor suite isn't the best without our intel sats' Henry waved his arm at the expanse of clear space all around the Flame. Fred shook his head and glanced at his console. All the sensors were showing clear but something in his gut wasn't sitting right. This felt like a sting he'd nearly been busted in a long time ago back in Argon space.

'I have a bad feeling about this, let's move forward and head towards the trade lane' Fred ordered, feeling the ship start to move as he engines throttled up. Leaving their charges sitting at the dock. They were in the process of being sold, he had a couple of Teladi from the House of Dreams working on the details of the sales. Mutual Profitsss they said, not likely though so he only trusted them about as far as he could spit.

'So which one of you two is feeling more unstable?' Fred asked the twins.

The bridge crew looked up nervously as he said that. It usually took four marines to pin either one of them down when they went insane. So far the medicine he'd had brought over from Endless kept most of their "events" under control. But, caution was one thing he'd learnt while flying scout fighters around the Argon core sectors running space fuel and weed. So he always kept ten marines on hand to keep any outburst from the twins under control.

'I'm fine for the moment Rapier' Lyra replied. So that meant Henry. Henry glanced up and nodded to Fred.

'Feel like taking that anger out on those Teladi once they get back?' Fred asked.

'You mean you'll lock me in a room with the brokers?' Henry asked.

'Well I'm not as refined in the art of interrogation as our marines here, but they've seen you two go off on one of your "trips" so that should be more than enough incentive to tell me the account numbers and get the control of them transferred to me' Fred replied.

'Good plan. Lets hope it stays that way' Lyra said, just as the comms board lit up.

'Comms what the hell is happening?' Fred asked.

'Priority message from the admiral. Terran assault force detected in the weapons complex sector and the House. He's ordered all remaining ships to escape and lay low' the comms officer, Jerock Kloda called in from his station at the comms array.

'Get those Teladi to finish up the sales and get them aboard now' Fred called back. Flight get us back to the dock. Fire up the jump beacon we placed in Elysium of Light. We'll figure out what to do with the profits once we get there'

'Rapier I'm still showing us as clear'

'Henry I don't care. We need to get as far away from the weapons complex as possible. We don't want the Terrans finding a pair of their experiments on board our ship'

'He's right. Jumping back in there now would only add to the confusion, and let those lizards get away with the Phantoms money' Lyra said.

Five minutes later the Teladi were aboard again and they jumped to a corner of space where Fred hoped nobody would look for them. A Goner sector, just outside Argon controlled space.

The crew of the Rebirth Flame and your profits stand ready to rejoin the fight when needed Scion.
Last edited by Falkirion on Mon, 15. Oct 12, 02:32, edited 3 times in total.

Triaxx2
Posts: 7229
Joined: Tue, 29. Dec 09, 02:15
x4

Post by Triaxx2 » Wed, 28. Mar 12, 01:45

I shall update it verily.
A Pirate's Revenge Completed Now in PDF by _Zap_
APR Book 2: Best Served Cold Updated 8/5/2016

The Tale of Ea't s'Quid Completed

Dovie'andi se tovya sagain

Coupaholic
Posts: 261
Joined: Mon, 18. Jul 11, 20:04
x3tc

Post by Coupaholic » Sun, 8. Apr 12, 23:23

Well I finally got around to finishing the last few posts so now I know what 'complete' means in the thread title - it has been a few weeks since I last logged in on here.

So now we are at the end... sort of... I wanted to say this.

Thank you and well done!

This story is nothing short of excellent. I was hooked from the first post and even now, 115 pages later, I'm still eager to read more - the characters, the different writing styles, the collaboration...you've held my attention more successfully than any commercial material could even hope - and it captures the true spirit of the X-verse too.

You've all got some serious skill, and I look forward to seeing more of it in the future - on another thread, quite possibly in an actual book (Scion, you've yet to tell us about your 'project' ;)).

I have one last note, Sol.

I am aware that I have been neglecting him, and with everything going on I've kinda lost the spark to write I'm afraid. It may come back in a new character in the future but not yet.

So unless he is absolutely critical to any plot lines in the next episode just know that as far as I am concerned he is MIA - I doubt he would have survived that kind of onslaught by the Terrans, and if they caught him he'd be either locked up or dead anyway.

I think that's everything - I'll keep my eyes open for new Drake flavoured threads!

User avatar
Scion Drakhar
Posts: 932
Joined: Wed, 27. Oct 10, 03:15
x3ap

Post by Scion Drakhar » Mon, 9. Apr 12, 02:55

Thanks all.

FYI: Book II continues HERE.
A Pirate's Story.pdf(KIA) by _Zap _ From Nothing.PDF(complete) by _Zap _ Prodigal Son(active) Original Thread, Prodigal Son_PDF

Triaxx2
Posts: 7229
Joined: Tue, 29. Dec 09, 02:15
x4

Post by Triaxx2 » Mon, 9. Apr 12, 03:34

Unless the Terrans decided his intelligence was still useful, but his physical body wasn't because it could escape so now he's nothing but a brain in a jar...
A Pirate's Revenge Completed Now in PDF by _Zap_
APR Book 2: Best Served Cold Updated 8/5/2016

The Tale of Ea't s'Quid Completed

Dovie'andi se tovya sagain

User avatar
Scion Drakhar
Posts: 932
Joined: Wed, 27. Oct 10, 03:15
x3ap

Post by Scion Drakhar » Mon, 9. Apr 12, 12:48

I've made no decisions regarding other people's characters. To Drake and the story continuing in book II everybody is simply MIA. So if you want to continue with your characters feel free.
A Pirate's Story.pdf(KIA) by _Zap _ From Nothing.PDF(complete) by _Zap _ Prodigal Son(active) Original Thread, Prodigal Son_PDF

Triaxx2
Posts: 7229
Joined: Tue, 29. Dec 09, 02:15
x4

Post by Triaxx2 » Mon, 9. Apr 12, 13:33

I was suggesting that to Coup.
A Pirate's Revenge Completed Now in PDF by _Zap_
APR Book 2: Best Served Cold Updated 8/5/2016

The Tale of Ea't s'Quid Completed

Dovie'andi se tovya sagain

the_chalk_outline
Posts: 90
Joined: Wed, 1. Oct 08, 20:14

Post by the_chalk_outline » Fri, 13. Apr 12, 13:21

Damn!

I go away for a couple of months and miss all the action.

Thanks to SD and all the other contributors for what has been a hell of a ride.

I'll catch you all on the flip side.

Peace
I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting

Neeros
Posts: 194
Joined: Fri, 3. Dec 10, 16:34
x3tc

Post by Neeros » Sat, 28. Apr 12, 10:44

the_chalk_outline wrote:Damn!

I go away for a couple of months and miss all the action.

Thanks to SD and all the other contributors for what has been a hell of a ride.

I'll catch you all on the flip side.

Peace
Agreed, but longer than that. I have lots of catching up to do including Scions new AP DiD. XD

BankruptAssasin
Posts: 496
Joined: Thu, 4. Mar 10, 17:54
xr

Post by BankruptAssasin » Wed, 2. Mar 16, 19:24

How can i download From Nothing? I have clicked the download link but nothing happens.

Cheers in Advance
X3TC - Awesome
AP - Just started playing - Looks impressive
don't play Reunion - Too old
Rebirth - we all know the problems here

We're All dying from the moment we are Born.

User avatar
Zaitsev
Posts: 2005
Joined: Tue, 2. Dec 08, 01:00
x4

Post by Zaitsev » Thu, 3. Mar 16, 01:56

BankruptAssasin wrote:How can i download From Nothing? I have clicked the download link but nothing happens.

Cheers in Advance
Tried and got the same result here. Until Scion gets back and can take a look, or things sort them selves out, you can download it here.

PS: Hope you don't mind, Scion. If you do mind, shoot me a pm and I'll remove the link.
I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am :D

DiDs:
Eye of the storm Completed
Eye of the storm - book 2 Inactive
Black Sun - Completed
Endgame - Completed

BankruptAssasin
Posts: 496
Joined: Thu, 4. Mar 10, 17:54
xr

Post by BankruptAssasin » Thu, 3. Mar 16, 19:12

Thanks :D
X3TC - Awesome
AP - Just started playing - Looks impressive
don't play Reunion - Too old
Rebirth - we all know the problems here

We're All dying from the moment we are Born.

Post Reply

Return to “Creative Universe”