Hair of the Wolf: Open for Business

Posted: September 4, 2007, 10:28 pm

Something wasn't right. Zeb knew it. They were cruising along scanning the area as they went. Seven ships like this were bound to get someones notice sometime. The attack was as sudden as a supernova. They had bearly time to break. Six ships dropped out of cruise right in front of the traveling pack.

"Sh....!" Zeb shouted as he stuck the ship into a steep nose dive to avoid the collision with the Valkerie. As he slid past the assailant Zeb noticed one of the privateers go down. It was Greaver. The shots had come from...."wait a minute! Dang it! Carnival..." Zeb grabbed the m-wave.

"Carn! Get a grip for pitys sake!" - Nothing. The ships spun amongst each other. Carnival was shooting at anything that moved and thankfully for the moment it was a Valkerie. There was a quiet mewling sound as if a man was in such deep pain as to be unable to cry out coming over the m-wave and Zeb realised that Carnival had his mike open. "Blast it!" thought Zeb. "He's finaly lost it or something has gotten a hold of him."

No time for recriminations as the two missiles crashed by Zeb's ship letting the counter measure take effect.. Banking sharply up and to the left Zeb got himself in a position to slid along the starboard side of the assailant and he cut down the side of the ship with devastating results.

Slicer had pulled away from the group and with only one attacker in pursuit he "hand brake turned" the ship on its six and headed back into the fight. Tornado and Hell boy were not going to sit this one out either and they tag teamed two of the Valks, leaving Bomber and Zeb to watch for others and watch out for Carnival.

"Zeb! Look out!" yelled Bomber over the airwaves. Too late. As Zeb slid across to avoid the collision with the Valkerie vessel, the fast approaching Carnival had swung round to bring his guns to bear on Zeb. Luckily as he fired it damaged the Valkerie and he ducked out of the way only to slide straight into the side of the fast accelerating Carnival. There was a double pop sound as the pod sealed and the canopy opened for ejection. From a fierce battle Zeb was shot through the ether to the soothing sounds of someone called Frank Sinatra and lines that went, "come fly with me, come fly, lets fly away..." How Zeb hated elevator musak. There was the familiar crackle, rattle and clank as Zeb was tractored in. The indicator flashed up that he had been picked up by Bomber.

"You ok in there?" came the muted sound of Bomber from the cockpit. Zeb sighed and pressed the unicom button. "Yeah, I'll live, and thanks for the pickup."

"You stay put." said Bomber, "I need to get you somewhere safe and get you kitted out again. Dang they were fast! We lost Greaver and the Carninval character that plagued us seems to have done a runner. Not a sign of him."

Zeb stayed put like Bomber suggested. It gave him time to think. Sounded like Carnival had disappeared. The remaining five ships were heading for some sanctuary with the Zoners. Zeb decided that a long hot bath and some sleep was required, it had been a long day......The m-wave subscreen buzzed. Incoming message....The face looked familiar. The guy flew a battered old Armour Transport as far as Zeb could remember, and had been one of many traders that had flown with AoF in the early days. He looked washed out and it looked like he had something to say to Zeb........."This is an important message, pay it some attention....!"

Posted: September 4, 2007, 11:02 pm

There I was just minding my own business in my heavily armed WA1 doing a favor for the Corsair leader of Tripoli Shipyard, Alvaro Huarez. He told me to help some of his boys take out a clandestine transport of the Hessians that was passing "incognito" through Gamma. Poor saps, never stood a chance. They didn`t have a clue the Corsairs were on to them. As they prepared to enter the nebula around the jump hole to Omega 41 five Corsair fighters and two FTP ones came out of nowhere and gunned them down like flies. No one survived, except the pilot of the transport who gave himself up immediately. As we were escorting the thing back to Crete the comm link started buzzing.

"What the...? What now? Don`t I even get the chance to rest? Huh...Yeah! What? Who`s This?"

" Hey Pyro. It`s me, Zeb"

"Zeb! You old wombat you, what`s up?Got any business for me?"

"Yeah mate, but not the kind you`re used too..." ,he hesitated a bit ," Listen...I`ve got some...trouble...can you help?"

"Well I`ll do my best. So what`s the problem?"

"Well you know Watchwolf don`t you?"

"I`ve heard of him, aye, but never had the pleasure to meet him upfront."

"Well he just contacted me...he wants me to meet him in Unknown 2...something about a nomad attack in Alex"

"What the?! I`ve seen that the nomads are especially active around the Gates, but a nomad attack?I don`t belive it"

"You better believe it mate. Problem is my shortest route goes through Gamma...and I was hoping to refill on Crete. Think you can arrange anything?"

"Sure bud. Meet me outside Crete. I`ll notify the Corsairs that some friends of mine are coming. That should put things straight."

"Jeez, thanks mate. You saved my life. I owe you one."

"Hehe, no worries mate, I know you do."

The comm link closed with a snap. "Nomad attack? What the...? This should prove interesting"

I opened the comm link to contact an old friend.

" Hey Roby! You there?"

"Oh for God`s sake yeah I`m here. WHAT?! Can`t a guy get any sleep around here?"

"Oh sorry bud, it`s just me Pyro. Listen I was wondering if we can meet. I`ve got a...problem and I wanted your feel on the matter."

"Sure mate, always happy to help and old friend. I still don`t get why you left The Order. Things are starting to get better here."

"No time to chat. I`ll meet you in Omicron Alpha 150k South-West of the Unknown 1 jump hole in about 4 hours from now."

"Sure, sure, I`ll be there"

*SNAP* The comm link closed back again.

I saw Zeb`s Anubis and some other guys there too. BBD members. Interesting. Seems like Zeb and his pals were ready to take on the Liberty Navy hehe.. They were near the docking ring at Crete. The Corsairs didn`t look to please to see them there, but they agreed to let them land. As our ships were refilled in the equipment bay, we sat down in a dark corner of one of the bars on Crete. I ordered a vodka, he ordered a gin on the rocks.

" You look a little shaken up mate, and drinking gin at this time of day isn`t like you. What`s going down?"

"We were fighting Hessians in Dresden when I got a distress call from the Wolf. It`s not like him to call in backup unless he desperately needs it. He said something about a nomad attack...couldn`t make up most of it, to much static and blast noises around. I got the part when he said to meet on Primus."

"That really amazing...a nomad attack u say? Aye, that smells rotten than two week old eggs. Anyway I can help?"

"No, you did enough already. As soon as my ship is ready, I`ll be on my way to Primus."

"Well if you need any help you know where to find me. Listen, I`ve got something to take care of. I`ll see ya around sometime ok? Take care old man. Maybe it`s time you put the blasters down and settle a bit."

"Maybe...who knows? I`ve seen many things in my life...I`m starting to think I`ve seen enough."

"Cheers!"

Posted: September 5, 2007, 11:27 am

As I approached the docking bay, I had a strange feeling. You know, the ones you get when you get involved in something big, something you can`t quite comprehend. This was big. I don`t know, but something just kept evading my grip. Nomads in Alexandria throwing an attack. Watchwolf calling for backup. The BBD involved. As I entered the cockpit, I put these thoughts away and started the launching sequence. I set a vector towards the Theta Jump hole. Everything was ok so far. Entering the nebula, my thoughts returned. The wheels started turning in my head. But I still couldn`t make out what this was all about. As I approached the jump hole the proximity alert kicked in. Five ships on an intercept course. Nomads! So far away from the Unknown 2 jump hole? Damn somethings wrong. I powered up my lasers and turned to make a stand. The five nomad light fighters engaged me. I took the first one down with a torpedo blow. "Hehe, I just love torping these buggers", I said to myself. After I sent the other four to their cold graves, I couldn`t help but feeling strange. As if a warning was given to me.

I made my way to Freeport 9. "I might need backup on this one...never safe to go in Omicron Alpha without some backup." I wasn`t really close to the Outcasts you might say. Heck, they would rather blast me first and ask questions later. But then again, no honor amongst pirates I guess. " Hey Hood you there?", I asked, entering the our HQ on the Freeport. "Aye mate! What`s up?". "I need some cover. You up for that?Might get a little rough out there." "Sure. Let me grab my phaser and lets go."

We undocked from the station. As we approached the Alpha jump hole everything was quiet...Almost too quiet. "Well get ready bud! The Outcasts won`t be pleased to see us around", I said over the m-wave. "Aye captain. I`ll take your six." . We came out of the gravitational vortex, to find a very peculiar and somewhat disturbing scene. The hole to Theta wasn`t guarded. The weapon platforms were gone, and no Outcast ships were in sight. I sent the coordinates to Hood and engaged the cruise drive switch. As we made our way south-west my head started hurting. "What`s going on damn it?" . But while I was thinking things all over again, the proximity alert started again. Three ships this time, on an intercept course. "Damn it! When will it end."

But things just kept getting stranger and stranger by the minute. Three heavy fighters, the ones I never seen before(and I`ve seen many in my life) came at our six. They looked like they were coming from the Unknown 1 jump hole. And here`s where things just got like I was in the twilight zone or something. As I looked for the id tags on the screen, I was shocked. Order ships!

"Commander Pyro, a pleasure to see an old member doing so well. But I`m afraid I have some bad news for you and your companion."

"Oh yeah? And what might that be?", I said with a growl.

"You have been placed on the "Wanted List" by the Order. We are here to escort you to Toledo where you will be placed under arrest and interrogated."

"Ah yes of course, but you forget one thing."

"Namely?"

"Maybe we don`t feel like going" I shouted and at the same time I fired a torpedo at the nearest ship.

I tell you, those little saps gave us a run for their money. They were armed with I don`t know what, but it went through our shields like a knife through butter. But we managed to send them running. Damaged, and almost out of ammo I got the feeling I wasn`t in Kansas anymore. "It`s not safe to meet Roby. He`s after all Order." I said to myself. I reached for the m-wave. "Hood. Let`s move out. Set course to Tau 37. I`ve got some friends there who can repair our ship and keep us on the low while things clear. Those buggers will be back with more of their pals. And I doubt that we can take them on." "Aye, you`re right. Let`s go. We`ll get our payback another time." But as we made our way the the Tau jump hole the nav map started buzzing. A blip showed up on screen, and a distress message came on the m-wave. It looked like the wreck of a fighter. I changed course to the blip. As I approached the wreck I couldn`t believe that thing was still working. Holes the size of watermelons in the hull, the whole backside of the fighter ripped to pieces. I couldn`t believe someone could survive such a thing. The ship looked like it drifted away from the nearby Alexandria jump hole. I got into my space suit, and told Hood to be on the lookout. I couldn`t afford to be caught outside if the Outcasts, or God knows who else made their way here.

As I approached the ship I noticed that the only thing still working was the distress system. "Go figure! I`m amazed this thing didn`t fall apart as it is". I entered the fighter and made my way through the wreck to the cockpit. And do ya know? Someone was still inside! The cabin was still pressurized so that meant the guy might still be alive. "Let`s see...oxygen lelvels on the low, but still in survivable limits, CO2 still not in a toxic concentration. My God, this guy is luckier than a leprechaun. He might still be alive. After all of this!" I checked his vitals. Yes he was alive. But looked pretty shook up. Kinda pale, and he was unconscious . I dressed him in a space suit I found in the cockpit and took him back to my ship. As I was getting undressed I heard a mumble. It was coming from him.

"Hmm...no...NO!...NOOO! Get out of there..."

"Hey you ok there bud?(seems like he was dreaming or being delirious) You`ve been through a lot. Just calm down, you`re ok now. Who are ya and what in Pete`s name happened to ya?"

"Huh?Where am I?Who are you?(he pulled out a phaser)Now listen here. Answer my questions really fast or I`ll make a new hole in the middle of your forehead."

"Hooa hooa hooaaa big guy! Chill. My name`s Pyro. I`m with the FTP. That there is Hood(I showed him the other ship through the window of the cockpit. We found you here in THAT!(I showed him the fighter). You`re pretty lucky to be alive mate. Now put the gun down and have a coffee. We need to be heading to Tau 37."

"What? No. I was going to Primus in Unknown 2. And I`m not going anywhere without my Annie. I`m not leaving her behind."

"What? Who the heck is Annie?You were alone back there!"

"My ship mate, my ship! My Annie. I won`t leave her behind."

"Now listen here, I`ve been through a lot today. Got attacked by nomads, Order, killed Hessians and got involved in really strange stuff. I`m not going to stay another second here to wait for God knows what to happen! Enough is enough! And who are ya? You still didn`t tell me!" , I started shouting. Things really got to me, and I couldn`t get a grip anymore.

"I`m Watchwolf, and don`t tell me about strange mate. Ever since this thing started it was strange."

"Watchwolf? Well I`ll be ... Maybe luck shined on my driveway a bit today too hehe. I`ve met up with Zeb and helped him to pass through Gamma to go to Primus. Ever since then, strange stuff started happening. I don`t know what`s going on, but I`ve been attacked by nomads near the Theta Jump Hole in Gamma, by Order in Alpha, I got shot at, blasted at! I`m sick and tired of this! So maybe you can explain what`s what."

"Tell you what. You get me and Annie out of here and on to Primus and we have a deal."

"Sure thing mate."

I powered up the tractor beam to full power, and Hood did the same. We tractored Annie to Freeport 9 for repairs. Surprisingly, nothing happened on the way back. Once there I could finally rest a bit. My head was filled with questions, and my talk with Watchwolf didn`t do me any good. Only more mysteries and worries. Stuff was weird, and, unfortunately, I was now in the middle of it.

2nd Lieutenant Joined: Aug 30, 2007 Posts: 16

I watched the proceedings with a grim smile. I eased my control over Carnival and sent him shooting away from the pack... his job had been done. I opened the com link and spoke to the ship that had brought Zebs pod in.

"Zebulon. My name is Seraphear, and you will listen to what I have to say. Carnival will return to you in one day. He has expended a LOT of energy in saving your life. He needs rest, and I'm afraid he needs blood. When you next see him, he will have no memory of attacking you."

Zebs reply came fast and angry.

"Saved my life?! What the hell are you on, man, the guy nearly killed me! Who are you anyway? Why are you interfering with us?" I could hear his heavy breathing as he shouted. "I've lost my damn ship! How am I supposed to help Watchwolf now?!"

"You will find an empty Anubis, armed and stocked, 162 metres away from your current position. It is yours."

"What? You've arranged for a new ship to be here... How did you know what was going to happen?" Zeb went quiet, and his tone changed to puzzlement. "Why did Carnival try to kill me?"

"Encased in one of your torpedos was a detonation pack. The force of the explosion would have, and did destroy your ship utterly." I leaned back, and started transmitting the blueprints for Zebs lost ship. "As it is, the action of being fired upon gave you enough time to eject before the pack could kill you."

I eased forward the throttle, my Viper falling in behind the 5 ships left of Zebs squadron, shadowing them.

"Until Carnival returns, I will be keeping you safe until you reach the Anubis I have set aside for you." I glanced down at my chest, noting with alarm that the dull blue glow under my skin was growing stronger. "You must be quick. I don't have much time. With Carnivals damaged pyschi and the multitude of souls warring for control in his body, it was difficult for me to command him for so long."

"But-" Zeb got cut off by my flat statement.

"You will increase your speed to the coordinates I have sent, you will do it now, or I will be forced to do it for you. You saw what happened to Carnival. I can do the same to you, though it would pain me to do so now." I winced as my head began to pound. "Please. Just do it."

The ships in front of me sped up, and I carried on shadowing them. Transmissions flickered between the ships, pilots voicing their concerns and distress at my sudden appearance. If they turned on me, I would be unable to fight. Thankfully, they kept on flying.

They have to reach Watchwolf. They must find out how deep this treachery goes.

Recruit Joined: Aug 03, 2007 Posts: 8

The WA1 slid silently through the soup of the Omicron Theta Nebula. It didn't dodge the boulders and asteroids as much as caress them. With just minor thruster puffs for correction it used their gravitational influence pull the ship from one to the next.

Inside, the Nomad, as it was known to the humans, contorted it's frontal sensory nodes into what might best be described as a grin by the limited human intellect. It liked the human ship. As inferior as they might be, the invaders did build decent ships. If it weren't for that and the occasional flash of what might be termed insight, they would have been vanquished long ago.

The grin widened with that thought. Ahhh, but that would soon change...

It's attention returned to the task at hand. Or pseudopod, if accuracy is important. Tentacle, perhaps, but designed through eons of evolution and the meddling influence of the accursed "robots" to resemble the human hand with long boneless "fingers." It scowled as those fingers loosely gripped the control sticks and directed its quiet glide through the search pattern. Robots! They too shall pay...

It's here. I can feel it. Almost smell it. the new thought played through its brain. It's silicone-based organic design enhanced thought and conducted them more quickly than those within the limited carbon-based structure of the humans, one of the many deficiencies that continued to mystify their race. How could such an inferior race survive, let alone persistently prevail over the obviously superior Nomad? The scowl deepened. "Nomad' it thought. Such an insulting term.These humans could never imagine how to express the name of their race, let alone communicate with them, had they themselves not devised a way. The implication that they were homeless wanderers was so grossly offensive that it added fury to the battle against the human incursion. THEY'RE the Nomads! Fleeing THEIR homes! Wandering into OUR space! Settling in OUR territories! Nomads indeed!! They are more an infestation to be eradicated. And soon... oh so very soon.....

The silence was broken by the crackle of the m-wave receiver and the simultaneous scanner alert that a ship had come within range.

"No luck so far, mate. This is pointless. We've scoured this whole area. He's not here."

Such limited capacity. it sighed. How they do strain my patience.

"Continue." the thought whispered through the human's mind. "We will not fail. He's here."

"Aye, if you say..." came the reply over the secure comm channel. "We're moving over to grid A3.4."

"Do that and report your findings at regular intervals," it whispered.

The Order ship moved out of range, on what its pilot was certain was a futile search.

Some time later the m-wave came to life again. "I think we got something here. You better come take a look."

No need to dignify the summons with a reply. It directed the ship toward the communiqué .

The shadow of the broken ship emerged from the green, then clarified into something more recognizable. Or it would have had it not been so mangled. The remains of the Viper hung barely touching the immense asteroid. It's gravity well was strong enough to hold it in its shadow, masking it and having made the search more difficult than it should have been.

The pilot was inside. The body was just visible still strapped in the flight seat.

"Extract him, bring him to me," the instruction formed itself in the mind of the pilot in the modified Anubis MkII. And he complied, willingly. He'd been given over to this servitude. If any resentment for this state of being existed, it was buried so deeply in his psyche as to be completely masked.

At length, the body rested in the hold of the WA1, stripped of his flight suit. The Order pilot and the Nomad bent over the frosted form. Carefully, the Nomad reached for the face of the dead pilot.

Ah. Not yet frozen. Excellent. it thought to itself, yet so excitedly as to be "heard" by the human beside him. He turned to look at the Nomad.

"But he's dead! What good is that? I thought you wanted him alive!"

You have no concept, do you, poor simple man? it thought. Then directed his thoughts to the Order pilot, "You have done well. Now go, and forget all you have seen."

The pilot stared blankly at the Nomad, nodded and departed. Back in his ship, he took one last look at remains of the Viper he'd found. He could barely make out the name of the unfortunate pilot he'd handed over. Not that it mattered. He would never remember it anyway.

At that same moment the Nomad was looking at the same thing. Under the shattered cockpit canopy the one singed word was readable, announcing the sad remains that had been encased inside: VENGEANCE.

"Vengeance indeed. How appropriate."

Posted: September 5, 2007, 8:31 pm

I was day dreaming. A state that I didn`t much experienced lately, as I fought for the survival of the FTP after that terrible attack. I still remember the name of every hunter, navy and police pilot and the freelancers too that took part in it. They`ll get what`s coming to them in due time.

I never thought that these kind of things go on at Hair`s. When I first came in I felt like walking in the Wolf`s Den. Hehe...not so far from the truth I guess. I wasn`t very loved there(for obvious reasons) and if it wasn`t for my...dealings with Zeb I would`ve probably gotten blasted to Timbuktu long ago. But those days sounded like paradise then. And a million miles and seconds away. My head started hurting again, and as I realized that, I started to return to reality. And the real issue at hand. How to get to Unknown 2 in one piece? The Nomad 1 route is clearly out of the question. The quickest way was through Gamma. But that might prove difficult as well. Three days already passed since me, Wolf and Hood came back to Freeport 9. And I felt like not leaving home for a while. Corsairs, Bounty Hunters, Outcasts...all looked so appealing now. But it wasn`t the time for me to get soft. Time to saddle up.

"You ready mate?" I asked Wolf who seemed thinking of something very far away. "Annie is ready and it`s time to make our way to Planet Primus. It`s been a while since I saw those damn primates hehe. "

"Aye. Let`s go" he answered me, seeming a little annoyed for interrupting his string of thoughts.

We grabbed a pair of blasters.

"Wait! We might need more firepower for this one." I said, while making my way to a seemingly blank piece of wall.

I pressed a spot, not noticeable if you didn`t know where to look, and entered the combination. The wall swinged to the left, and what do you know? A whole collection of every know weapon in the known universe. I took a Plasma Charged RPG Launcher, a M124 high definition, neutron charged assault rifle and the classic: a shotgun. Wolf took The Cricket X500, a very interesting "little" toy. It was a plasma pulse phaser weapon which could turn a piece of titanium alloy into ash in a couple of seconds. He grabbed a couple of plasma grenades and a minigun armed with highly refined plutonium based bullets and a phaser pistol.

"I like your tastes in guns mate. Let`s go!" I closed the wall behind me and an almost unnoticeable *snap* was heard when the lock snapped back in place.

There we were in space. We set course for the Omicron Gamma Jump Hole. Me, Wolf, Hood, Dead and Molten. All armed to the teeth, all ready to snap like a string at any given moment. Stuff was weird and a voice inside my head shouted "How the heck did you get y`erself into this?" "That`s what you get for helping people out..." I said to myself. The trip to Gamma wasn`t so difficult.

"So far so good" I said over the m-wave.

"Don`t get too relaxed bud." said Wolf, "We`re still not out of the woods yet"

"Hehe...just like back in the day..." I said to myself.

As we approached the jump hole hell broke loose. Seven heavy fighters came out of nowhere. Four Valkyries and three Order ships(I guessed that much). And SURPRISE! A nomad cruiser was blocking the hole.

"Darn, this one ain`t well" "Power up boys!" "Wolf let`s take out that cruiser and get the heck out of here!"

"Roger that partner!" said Wolf with a big smile on his face.

It took six torpedo blows, but the cruiser was no more. We quickly jumped into the worm hole and thanked the stars for our luck.

"OK boys, status report. What`s up? I`ve got a shaken up left wing and a missing CM deployer. "

" My turret is missing darn it! Annie is as fine as she could be considering"

"I didnt loose anything but I`m on the red with the hull stability. The nanos fixed what could have been fixed. Pretty shook up mate, if ya know what I mean." said Hood.

"My right wing is gone mate...weapons and all..." Molten announced a bit worried.

"I`ve got a hull breach the size of a space gulf ball and life support might be failing me soon. Hope we get there in time..." told us Dead a bit off.

As we came out of the jump hole we made our way to Primus, the home base of the Monkeys...our closest relatives if you wish hehe. 10 K`s away and what comes up on the nav map? Dozens of blips hovering over Primus.

"Looks like a bloody battle out there!"

And I wasn`t mistaking at all. Six nomad cruisers, twelve gunboats, two dozen fighters and plus Order ships and a Order Cruiser were fighting an armada of monkeys, robots and freelancers. Torpedoes, laser blasts, wrecks everywhere. I banked and dodged and banked again. I fired, I launched torpedoes, and God knows how I survived. Dead and Molten had to land for urgent repairs as soon as we came in near proximity to the planet. Me, Wolf and Hood did the best we could to help out. And it payed off. After hours of battle the last nomad ships were blasted to pieces, and we landed on Primus.

"Hope the old wombat got out of this alive..." I said with a low voice.

"He`s got more under that old face of his than you`ll ever know mate...He`s fine" Wolf assured me, but looked more like he was assuring himself.

And just as he finished the sentence out of nowhere guess who pops his head around the corner of the hangar? Zebulon. After all this time, we were finally where we were supposed to be. "Or at least some of us..." I said to myself.

"WOLF! You`re alive!"

"Zeb...oh Zeb..."

Posted: September 6, 2007, 2:17 am

"Zeb..... i am NOT A BOY YOU !&%^@$!!! I AM A FRESHMAN DANG IT!!!!!" "Jeez quiet down slicer" everybody looked up from the campfire. "what?" i muttered "ill tell you what!" watchwolf said, almost sounding like he was gonna punch me. "here we are, trying to enjoy a little campfire story in the great outdoors when all of a sudden (and late might i add) you scream at Zeb for messing up your age!" "first of all, this is not what i call the great outdoors." i added, looking behind my back. "this is what i like to call 'gamer hangout in Zeb's back yard'. And we're in the friggen city!!" i stated as a car swooshed by in the street just outside the picket fence. "and second of all, i think its really important to get my age correct in this because it shows how much i have learned in my life. I mean you wouldn't expect a 7-year old to be able to pilot some futuristic ship." "same for a teenager" Carnival added. Pi was dosing off in a tent. "shut up C" i said rudely, "my turn anyway!" "im the judge!" Strail shouted, "and i say its WatchWolf's turn" "fine..." i muttered.

Posted: September 6, 2007, 10:11 am

I woke up with a cold sweat covering my body. I woke up because of the dream. That same dream. But it was different this time. "Nomads" "Lot`s of them...". It had been the first indication that what happened in recent days took a toll on me. I`ve seen nomads. Not only on the other side of the aiming visor. But in...well in the flesh if you might call it that. Back in the day when I was in the Order I killed many myself. Most of the times I was in the cockpit of a ship. But a couple of times I met them face to...tentacle. Not many humans can proud themselves with killing one. Then again, I don`t consider it to be something to be proud of. "Pyro..." A fitting name.

I woke up from bed and lighten a cigarette as I always did when I got waken up by this repeating nightmare. I looked at the pack. Only one more remaining. "Thank God I bought another two packs before I left Freeport 9." I smoked too much lately. But considering what was going on, I had every excuse. As I fired up the lighter the flame caught my eye. I felt it resonate with my own fire that burns brightly inside of my soul. As it happens with all flames and fires. "Pyro..." A fitting name.

"How the heck I got in the middle of all of this?" I wondered again. Seems like this was the question that always comes back to mind. I`ve did a lot of things in my life time. Many of which are not to be proud of. I`ve seen a lot, and I wasn`t so easy to frighten. But this...this was a bit hard to swallow. A chill crawled up my spine as I thought of all the things that happened lately. The Nomads on the move again, the Order helping them, I almost died out there.

Fear of death wasn`t something I knew. I`ve come to face my own death many times in the past. But I thought I put all of that behind me. "Maybe you just can`t escape your destiny..." I said to myself while inhaling the smoke from the cigarette. I poured some banana liquor in a glass and I sipped away at it. Courtesy of our Simian friends here. I started thinking while I was drinking and smoking of my decisions in life, and how I got where I was now. How I got the nightmares that were plaguing my nights.

I remembered the smell. The smell of burned flesh. Was it my fault? Probably. Ever since I was young I had a thing for fire. I liked setting things up in flames and watched them burn. I liked the ash that was left behind, and probably felt that someday I might become just the same. Only a pile of ash blown away in the cold, dark, void space. As I grew older I can felt the fire that burned inside of me grow. And every flame I lit or I saw made me go into a frenzy of some sorts. I started having trouble controlling myself when I was near fire, or really pissed off. I had the distinct instinct to burn everything near to me. I was only 14 when it happened. My mother was killed by some "friends" of my father. She died right in front of me. And I couldn`t do anything to stop them. I hated myself I hated my life and I mostly hated them. I didn`t know who they were. But I swore to have my revenge.

"Vengeance..." A weird word that came in mind at this hour of night. But one that would explain what I did. Or part of what I did. I did a lot of things as I grew up. I started racing. And not the legal kinds. I got better, my reflexes improved, and I saw fire could help me. When I was near a flame, my own soul would burn bright. My reflexed would improve and my reaction time too. Steadily I started winning every race. By the age of 18 I made some friends. And a lot of enemies. Turned out that people didn`t like to lose. Go figure! I was forced to leave by some shady people. The Mob in town . But not before I gave them a piece of my mind. I scorched the bar they were in with a plasma thrower. Some of them got out. But most of them burned. "Burned..." I said to myself, and remember the demonic feeling that came over me. "I don`t have the average person`s personality...That`s for sure..." I remember I laughed and took pleasure in seeing them burn. In a way I was punishing them not only for running me out of town. But for all I have suffered in my life also. I know now that they didn`t deserve it. "They got what was coming to them sooner or later...Ok maybe I was a little rash..."

I left that place far away. And came here. I got to Crete. "Omicron Gamma...a lovely place" The Corsairs took me in(one of the very select few foreigners that are accepted by them.), gave me a fighter and sent me out there. Things were great. The years flew by. I became well-known out there. "Cold Reaper..." The truth was my soul still burned bright. But I wanted to put that, and the past behind me. So I denied my nature. As the years flew by I forgot who I were or how I`d ended up that way. Killing Hessian in Omega - 5 and Omega - 41 satisfied my lust for destruction and seeing things burn. But at that time I denied that to myself. I thought the only thing was satisfied was my ego.

And then it happened. The thing that possessed my nightmares from there on. One day I was sitting in my room on Crete. I was on leave from Cadiz and returned "home" for some well deserved R&R. And I got a call from one of my Corsair friends. Alejandro. He told me he found the people that killed my mother. They were a group of Liberty Rogues. I could find them at Buffalo. I went ballistic. The fire that I tried so hard to extinguish inside of me lighten up more powerful that ever. I was burning bright(to me it seemed that way at least). I got my plasma thrower and some plasma fragmentation grenades. Alejandro tried to stop me when he saw how I looked. But I didn`t care. All I knew is that those guys had to die. To suffer as I did. For me to be purified, I had to purify them first...through flames. I rushed to Buffalo like a mad man. Alejandro followed me. System after system, jump hole after jump hole. I got even angrier, I felt like I was on fire. "My name is Pyro, and this day everyone will pay. They will burn" I felt like everyone was responsible for the things I suffered. I killed anyone who got in my way to Buffalo. Only Alejandro escaped my wrath. "A spirit of vengeance..." I got to Buffalo and found out that the people responsible for the death of my mother or on Manhattan. I got the address and torched the bar at Buffalo. I escaped the base and went on to Manhattan. The rogues didn`t have the guts to follow me. I landed on Manhattan and made my way to the place. It was a ten floor building. Alejandro tried to stop me. "Get out of my way, or you`ll suffer the same fate as the rest of them" I said blinded by anger, by my sufferings. I entered the apartment where the guys were. And there they were. On of them took out a phaser, but I was too quick. I scotched him with the thrower. The rest of them begged for their lives. "I am the bringer of Heaven. You`ll know hell before you die so you can be forgiven. God forgive you, because I won`t, even when nothing else than ash is left of you. My name is Pyro and I`m the bringer of redemption." I said and started to torch them. The burned with a bright blue light. The yells didn`t satisfy me. Their suffering wasn`t enough. So I went on and on even after their carbonized bodies where no more. The building caught fire. And while I was distributing my vengeance something got my attention. Screams...screams all over the building. Suffering...unfair suffering all around me. The only thing that got me back to sanity...the screams of the people inside of the burning building. I realized what I have done, but it was too late. I stood there awaiting the inevitable. The flames to consume my body, and get to my soul. Finally, I could rest. But fate, as it seems had other plans.

Alejandro busted open the door. He came in looking at me in terror. No doubt he could hear all the screams. The screams of the innocent who were paying for someone else`s sins, who were paying because of my vengeance. He took me by the hand and guided me to the door. "Is this the way?" I asked in a ghostly manor. "Yes! Now let`s go!" he shouted in panic. But then...someone had to die for the release of my soul. A piece of masonry fell down between us. That took me out of my relaxed confidence in death. And I realized...Alejandro died. Because of me...and for me. The full extent of my selfishness was reveled at last. Before this happened, everything swirled around me. Everything was about me, about MY sufferings, about MY vengeance. I drank the cup of sorrows, finally emptying it. There was no more I could suffer. There was no more suffering. I was saved from death by someone who didn`t deserve to die. Someone who had no business there. Someone who was...my best friend. That was the cruelest irony of them all. I left the burning building that was slowly turning into a pile or rubble, and went to the starport. I left all the screams behind...and his face as he layed there too. But they didn`t let me. Every night I started waking up with the same cold sweat covering my body, like it was trying to extinguish the fire inside me. Every night, every scream of every person in the building came back to me. Accusing me. And his face...his terrible face shouting, and screaming. Laughing at me...and the smell of burned flesh and all th children and women and men burned alive...and the flames. The flames that burned me so bad. Burned me every night. I had to drink the cup of sorrows every night. But I finally came at peace with who I was. But not with what I have done.

As I remembered all of this I finished the last cigarette in the pack. "Just like every night..." I said to myself with a sower smile. I put out the cigarette and I watched the burning ash slowly dying. "Pyro...such a fitting name" I said out loud. Suddenly my melancholic state of mind was disturbed. By the comm link. I picked up the phone:

"Aye? Who this might be at this time of night?" I said sounding more annoyed that I really was.

"Errmm...hello mate...it`s me...Roby..." (This is trouble, I thought) " Listen...things are really weird..."

"Tell me about it?! "Wanted List"? Me? That`s gotta be a joke!" (I refrained from telling him I knew the Order was helping the Nomads)

"Not only that mate...but other things...listen...they want you out of the way because you...you know to much. And that could hurt their plans. Listen...I`m not safe anymore...I don`t agree with what they are doing...I did a little snooping around. And I found something. Something you and your mates should find out...Yeah I know all about your mates, Pyro. Especially Watchwolf. He seems to be the big fish for them...The one that got away. Listen...I have something for you...something you should know...something I pray to God it will help you..."

"How the heck I know I can trust you pal?" I shouted

"Remember the old days...Remember the Nomad Hive...now...I want to meet ya tomorrow. On Crete. Say around...8 pm? Will that be good for ya?" he asked with a tremor in his voice. It was obvious he was frighten.

"Aye mate...so be it. But be careful. If you betray me I will see you burn!"

"I know mate...I only pray to God this gets out in time...I pray to God they can still be stopped..." Roby said in despair and hung up the phone.

"Interesting development..." I thought to myself and lit another cigarette...

Posted: September 6, 2007, 10:48 am

Truth was the gin had done the trick. After a good sleep on Freeport 9, Zeb had shaken off the hangover with a couple of pills from some dubious looking Zoner in the commissary. Zeb missed the port. Loosing the ship had meant losing a large consignment of port that some of the BBD had requested. He sighed." Need to get back to Nabonidus one day and pick up some more of that red nectar", he said to himself.

There was the question of a new ship. Vaguely he remembered a transmission coming through the pod, one from Argh and one from... well one from someone claiming to know Carnival and... yes that was it! Carn had blown Zeb up to save his life...? Zeb sat down hard at the dinners bar. "Two eggs sunnyside up, hash browns, sausage, bacon and the biggest pot of Ptolemy coffee you can muster. Thanks." He presented his credit card and the servobot swiped it and printed the receipt. This was a puzzle indeed. He started piecing the bits together. "Ok, so I need to get me and the boys to Primus. The Nomads are up to no good. The Order is mixed up in this somewhere and its causing chaos. People are going missing and behaving in a very odd way. Good God I wish I had stayed at the bar..." Then again that would have probably been terminal and not just for him but for the girls too. At least this way they would get a bit of peace.

The breakfast arrived and just as Zeb was tucking into the delicious grub, the diner doors burst open and in walked the BBD crew. "Ah! Breakfast!" Hands reached for the bacon, only to be threatened with the eating utensils. "Back off Dogs! Touch my food? Feel my Fork!" Tornado grined and grabbed the coffee pot. Hellboy was munching some bacon and Blazin was nursing a slightly perforated hand.

" Dont worry old man, we will get our own!" laughed Tornado. In all honesty Zeb was glad of the company. Within a few moments they were all eating a hearty breakfast. It was going to be the last decent food that they were to eat for some time.

"Zeb old bean, we got a wierd message and Bomber went off to locate something with your name on it." stated Tornado, between mouthfuls of fried bread and bacon. Zeb looked up from his plate. "Huh?" he uttered. Tornado rolled his eyes, "A ship. Well, at least an Anubis MkII with all the trimmings and some."
Zeb looked doubtful, remembering the adage, "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts", whoever the Greeks were.
Again with the eye rolling, "Its been checked over and nothing, not even the ammo has been tampered with. Blazin took it for a spin just in case. It handles like a dream, shame it has to go to the worst pilot in the quadrant!" They all laughed and Zeb just winked and smiled, thinking "Yeah thanks and ha ha to you too!"

In the hanger the ships were all lined up and ready to head out. They were going to have to hurry this. Contact with FTP had ensured that they would at least get some free space between them and the Unkown 2 jump hole, Bounty Hunters not withstanding. Chances were they might run into some Outcasts, but the Corsairs had dispatched their Angelus De Guardia elite fighters to clear the area. The message had come from AoF central via a trusted source on Cadiz. "Ok mount up and lets head out. I want to at least team up with Wolf and Pyro as soon as we can. Preferably I'd rather get to Primus first and surprise then, so 300k to the first one there and a bonus for every Nomad scalp that gets in our way!"

As they climed into the cockpits it struck Zeb the way that after they had drunk the toast to Greaver, his name had not come up and they had all moved on as if it were ancient history. It was a Navy thing. Never speak of the dead once you have toasted their departure. They took off and formed up heading for the jump hole, Tornado on point and the rest behind in a staggered formation. What also started to occur to Zeb was the problems that AoF had recently had with an attempted take over of their assets in the BMM corporation, which had been part of his old friends business empire, seemed to link in to what was happening here but on a larger scale. The Anderson boys were watching Dublin, Edinburgh and Leeds after tangling with a plot to undermine the Bretonian economy and take over the BMM and AoF assets. The surviving perpetrators were rotting in a Bretonian Penal Colony in New South Wales or some such place. Zeb couldnt shake off that there was a link in there somewhere. "C'mon! Get a grip and concentrate on what your doing!" Zeb chided himself.

Corsair space was empty apart from two very excellent Titanium Crushers with the Angelus De Guardia markings, waiting to escort them to the Unkown 2 Jump Hole. The M-wave crackled.."Heya Zeb, howzit going?" Good lord! It was Mikey Anderson, formerly of Her Bretonian Majesty's Navy, BBD Dauntless and the son of Zeb's old partner. Zeb noticed that the Corsair vessel containing his Godson had the ranking marks of a "Caballero".

"Well you realy do get around dont you!" answered Zeb. The airwaves sprang to life as the BBD crew greeted their former compatriot and fellow wingman. Through it all, Zeb hollered - "OK! Enough! Lets get going for pitys sake, this is not a knitting convention!" The two Corsair ships took point and the Wild Bunch followed.

The Black was quiet. Too damned quiet. They cruised for what seemed an eternity. As they approached the jump hole they entered a war zone. Guardia were all over the place, as were the Nomads and what appeared to be order ships. Crushers on Anubis, WA1's on Anubis, Vipers on Crushers! . Zeb didnt get time to adjust. "Incoming Missile" squawked the alarm. The group split and went for the nearest targets. Two down! Three down! "C'mon....!" hissed Zeb through his teeth. The target lined up and as the cross hairs met, Zeb punched the fire button. There was a rattle and then the target disappeared! "Wow! A one hit wonder!" thought Zeb. "Go for the jump hole!" yelled Mikey over the comlink, "We've got em contained! Get the hell outa there!" Reluctant to leave a good fight, but aware of the reason they had to, the well disciplined former Navy boys dragged their ships in to line and zapped through the hole. Mikey remained to help his compadres.

On the other side, empty except for a couple of Simian Class cruisers. "We've been expecting you. I am Admiral Rufus Silverback. Please follow the two Horus craft to the Primus Docking ring. " Without being asked a second time they followed the two craft and headed for Primus. It was like they wre building for a massive war. As they approached Primus, Zeb noticed that there was a new shipping dock in the process of making warships orbiting Primus. Didnt look like there was going to be much sleep as these guys were into some serious preparation.

After landing, the motley crew followed a rather dellicate looking spider monkey to their designated sleeping area. "Food will be brought to you immmediately", she stated. As she turned to leave, "Oh and another thing, breifing is in one hour and you are all to be there...!"

----------------------------------------------------------:@o0o@:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The fighting had been intense and they were exhausted. They had carved a hole in the enemy fleet but they still came on. It was still raging out there as they sat nursing their wounds. Truth was they were all "walking wounded". This was a tough one. The klaxon sounded. "Clear Bays Three and Four we have inbound friendlies!" There was a scurry and what can only be described as movment in Four dimensions as the Monkey engineers swarmed all over the bay. It all happened so quick! As the ships decended to the landing platform Zeb recognised the ships. It was Wolf , Pyro and friends. "Thank goodnes for that!"
"Wheyhey!!!" yelled Tornado, and the rest joined in. Zeb was already making his way to the hangar..........

2nd Lieutenant Joined: Aug 30, 2007 Posts: 16

"Zebulon." I spoke loudly. "Attend me, if you will."

He turned round, surprised at the sudden voice. I watched him glance around before settling his gaze on me. Then, as he saw my passenger exit the ship behind me, his eyes widened, and he let out a cry.

"Carnival!" He ran over to him and grabbed him, supporting his wieght as Carnival started to fall to the floor. Zeb stared at me with murder in his eyes. "I swear if he's hurt I'll kill you myself."

"He's fine. He has taken too much, but in a few hours the voices will fade and he'll be himself again." I signalled over to the Monkey by the hangar door. "Please get some help for this man. He is need of medical attention."

The Monkey ran inside and shouted, and was followed back by two more with a stretcher. They heaved Canivals form onto it and ran back inside; he had started to twitch and spasm. Zeb watched him go, a concerned expression on his face.

"He will be fine." I started walking into the hangar. "Walk with me."

We strolled slowly into the hangar, looking curiously at the ships parked there. I pointed at one, and spoke suddenly.

"Do you like your new ship?"

"Yeah... yeah I think I do. Its got some strange weapons on it though." He scratched his head. "I don't know where you got them from, but if you've got any more..."

"The previous owner suddenly found he had no use for the ship." I smiled slightly. "I have no idea where he got the weapons, and I'm afraid he is no condition to tell anyone now. He offered it as a bargaining chip, right before I tore out his sanity. If I had known others would be interested, I would have accepted."

I stopped, and turned round. Zebulon had stopped walking and was staring at me. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to find the right words for his question.

"Tore out his sanity? What the hell does that mean?"

"Simple. I left him without his mind intact. I have no idea what nightmares he lives with now, but he has no sentient connection with the real world." I tilted my head to one side. "You have another question."

"How?"

I raised my right left hand, and pulled the sleeve of my robe back. Encasing my arm and hand was a dull grey gauntlet, blue lights glowing from tiny crevices in its swirling designs. I raised the gauntlet and stared at Zeb. The lights began to swim outward encasing my skin in a dim blue glow... and Zebs eyes had turned bright blue.

"This is how."

"This is how." Zebs voice echoed mine perfectly. I dropped the gauntlet and stopped concentrating, feeling sick and weak as I returned to myself.

"Don't ever, do that again." Zeb gasped. "You were doing that to Carn? What the hell is wrong with you."

"It was necessary." I scowled, and ran my hand back through my hair. "I dont like doing it. I hate doing it, but sometimes the people of this Universe are too stupid to understand what needs to be done. So I am forced to guide them."

"Like you guided the pilot... who has no sanity?"

"The man was a thief, a murderer... a rapist." I clenched my fist, and the blue glow started to become more agitated. "He hurt others for pleasure. I have no doubt that I had not intervened, his crimes would have been many more, and worse. He required deletion, but it was too good for him. Now, he lives with the nightmares he visited on his victims."

Deletion? Why did he phrase it like that? God I wish someone was here to back me up right now. I thought Carni and Vengeance were bad, this guy is scoring 12 out of 10 on my "wierd people you dont wana meet" scale. Thought Zebulon.

I looked down at the gauntlet, and flexed my fingers and my arm, watching the metal fold and rearrange itself around me, smiling as I picked up the edges of Zebulons internal musings.

"I stole this from a Nomad, in Rheinland space. He didn't want to give it up, but I left him with no choice."

"Yeah... the Nomads seem to be responsible for a lot of weird stuff round here." Zeb remarked wryly, looking pointedly over his shoulder to where Carnival had been taken away.

"They have depths that we don't know the meaning of." I shook my head. "I doubt we will ever understand them. Or whether we want to."

I looked up and saw more ships descending into the hangar. I stared at Zeb for a second.

"Watchwolf, Pyro and others. Good, you have quite a fleet here." Zeb looked at me, eyebrows raised. "I shall leave you to attend to your friends. Carnival is... better. He will be joining you later, no doubt. He's not as tough as he enjoys making out, but he IS stubborn.

"Yeah we got that." Zeb grabbed my arm. "You've not actually told me anything. Do you know things we don't?"

"More than you can possibly imagine, though most of it unhelpful at this time." I leaned in close, and held his shoulder in a vicelike grip. "Keep Watchwolf safe. I believe he is the key. In time he will know what I know. THAT is when you need to be there. He will require support, without, he will be lost."

I let go and started walking towards my ship.

"Hey, Seraphear!" Zeb shouted. I turned to look a him. "I don't know why you changed your Viper for a Crusher."

I started, and stared in shock at Zebs mocking expression. I was positive I had shadowed him at such a distance that I wouldn't be seen. Either that or he had friends here who were reporting back to him.

"Obviously I am not a skilled enough pilot to hide from you Zebulon." I tilted my head forward. "Well done. And I switched because the Viper was not mine. Don't worry, the pilot got it back, and is still perfectly lucid."

I turned and walked on, shouting over my shoulder.

"Tell Watchwolf we are observing. And stay wary. A new player has entered the field..." I turned round one more time. "His name begins with an E. Beyond that, I have nothing. Not even a species."

But Heaven help you if he makes himself known. He has too much power. Far too much power.

My eyes widened as I felt a sharp pain in my head. The world was blocked out for a split second, and all I could see was grey.

Stencilled in this lack of vision, like scars on the night sky was a single word.

Vengeance?

I ran toward my ship, trying desperately to focus on the noise in my head....

Posted: September 6, 2007, 3:36 pm

At least Carnival was alive. Other than that we would have to wait and see. Zeb's thoughts were focused on the fact that this guy had used a mind manipulation tool. These things were as deadly to those that used them as they were to the victims. They drained the life out of you and the more you used them the worse it got. They had been the stories told to scare kids, but now he new they were for real.

Shaking off his stunned silence Zeb went over to join the rest of the party. Bomber had gone with Carn to the hospital - the best Robot "minds" and Monkey doctors were on the case. That was the weird thing with the Simians, they were very good at putting us humans back together. Must be the four hand dexterity trick, thought Zeb.

The gang followed the perimeter path round the landing pad. So this was the start of the bunch of misfits that were going to be out to save Sirius? Zeb, Watchwolf, Carnival, Pyro, Vengeance, Seraphear, Tornado, Bomber, Hellboy, Blazin, the rest of BBD, AoF, FTP, and their allies. "Jeez, maybe not the bunch I would have picked but they are here and its gonna be for the long haul". Zeb reckoned a drink was needed at the very least.......

Posted: September 6, 2007, 4:10 pm

The lights in the officer were out. As Andrew Anderson entered, his first suspicion that things were not right was when the autolights didnt power up. He reached inside his coat and touched the heel of his blaster. A voice issued from the dark in the direction of his desk. "Don't! Your covered and I dont want any bloodshed right now."

The Voice was one that was used to authority. Andrew noticed a scent and it was a familiar one. Cologne. Expensive Cologne. It was.....

The desk lamp switched on. Andy gave a start. There were two suits. One on his left and the other off to his right. He could have got one but the other would have taken him out. He relaxed. He then realised that the man at the desk was wearing the uniform of a Grand Bashir of the Order.

"My name is Alphonse da Silva, and I need your help."

Andy's first thought was, "Where the hell is Zeb when you need him?" Andy then spoke to the man.

"I don't quite know how you got in here and for some reason I am going to hear you out. Believe me, if shots are fired you wont leave this building alive." he paused to let the last statement sink in. Alphonse smiled.

"You are your fathers son, that is for sure. Mr Anderson, I have a great need. We at the Order are experiencing some difficulties. I am in need of some covert and clandestine operatives that lie outside of my organisation and I am reliably informed that AoF have an excellent, shall we say, 'Intelligence' network."

"Ok, straight to the point." thought Andy. "A drink?" Andy beckoned to the cabinet on the far side of the office.

"No thank you, Mr. Anderson".

"Call me Andy." he responded as he casually walked over and poured an extra large whiskey.

Having done so he turned and faced Alphonse. "Bashir, I have been hearing all manner of rumours from my traders and whilst they are a bunch of gossiping fishwives most of what the say is not without some foundation. Its my job and the head of my intelligence section to filter out the BS and figure out what is going on for real. This can sometimes be a risky business even in the world of commerce." The Bashir was about to speak. Andy raised his hand to silence him. "Hear me out, please. I'm not refusing to help you, I'm just interested why you want me to get involved in what amounts to Military Espionage as opposed to the relatively easy world of Industrial Espionage." The sarcasm was not lost on the Bashir.

"Andy." Alphonse da Silva sighed, "we may need a refuge, there are changes happening and some that many of our ranks are not happy with. I am not one to run from a problem and I dearly need to find out what is happening. People whisper in secret as if they are scared of old friends and this is not the Order that I joined. We fought alongside the likes of Adam Trent and Junko Zane in order to keep Sirius free and not be like we have become."

Andy saw the man visibly age. The lines of worry were deeply written on his face. "We are running short on trust and we are forced to turn to those that we would not normaly consider for help. Your organisation has a chequered past with us, but you have never openly challenged us or hindered us if one of your own was chastised." The Bashir stood up and walked to the door. Andy sighed.

"You are asking me for asylum and for assistance. I can help out any of your famillies that wish to be kept safe from any conflict. I cannot say the same for those with power and authority. That I will have to consider at greater length. I will see what I can do for you Bashir da Silva."

"M-wave me Mr Anderson, I have left a location code on your desk, and thank you." He clicked his heels and bowed to Andy. Something of the Corsair about him, thought Andy.

They left as quietly. Andy didnt press the alarm button. A bit late for that now. And the Colonge? It was the same as his fathers.....

-----------------------------------------------------@oOo@-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Osiris. Order Home System. Patrick McGarret was checking the log. "Damn it! " he cursed. Twenty five missing vessels in the last month. That and a cruiser. Now reports were coming in from Unkown 2 that Order ships had been seen in the company of a Nomad battle group and a least two of the serial numbers matched with the missing ship records! Covert Ops were trawling space for these missing ships. Pat had already lost contact with one in Tohoku and another over in Shikoku. Loosing one was bad luck, two was just damn careless! It just concerned him that there seemed to be a distinct lack of urgency on behalf of the Order Command, sometime it was like running through mud to get things done around here lately. He threw his comms pad onto the desk and stared out at the forbidding sky........

2nd Lieutenant Joined: Aug 30, 2007 Posts: 16

I floated silently in space. Engines dead, life support barely ticking over. I took a deep breath... and died.

A white room. A man, covered in scars, thrashing as Robots held him down. A Monkey, desperately trying to remove the knife that had appeared his hand. A hundred voices screaming out in his head, souls thrashing and battling in his veins! A needle, sedating him. Peace.

Zebulon, in the bar on Primus, drinking and laughing with his reunited friends.

A battle, death, Nomads and Order perishing in the darkness of space, a family forced out of their homes, memories and events rushing past faster than mortal mind could percieve.

And then... A ship. A dead man. A sentience, instructing men to retrieve the body. Death wasn't permanent. The man had no presence here. There was hope.

I gasped as the gauntlet released me, screaming out in anger and pain and horror. So much death. So much suffering. Carnival! How did he live? He should be insane!

Maybe he is. I thought grimly.

I closed my eyes again, and focussed on Zebulon.

"Be ready. The sentience called 'E' is moving. You will be under attack when you leave Primus." I sighed sadly. "I fear you will lose a pilot. I fear more that it will not be of E's doing, that I'm being blinded."

I sent an image of myself raising a mock salute into his head.

"Good luck."

Posted: September 6, 2007, 7:45 pm

The drink flowed as it often did in this company. Thank the Lord for stims and pills to take away the after effects. Bomber joked about how he was on his third liver as the other two had packed up on him after he left the Navy. All the while Zeb had an uneasy feeling, like an itch you cant scratch. Sentience. E. Combat. Death. Destruction.....

Zeb downed another large glass of port and lit up a cigar. The words tickled in the back of his brain. Red eyes. How to tell? Who knew. Watchwolf told his story about the three naked priestesses on planet Bel and the unfortunate delivery of Arcturian cucumbers just at the wrong moment of a fertility festival. We roared at the mental picture of Wolf running for his life being chased by naked women weilding axes and other sharp implements. Like he said, it wasnt funny at the time.....

Zeb sat back. Detached. Watching his friends laugh and mess around. Even Vengeance smiled once or twice and that was a scary thought. Must be the drink, thought Zeb. The bananna beer and the liquor flowed freely. The other human pilots consisted of some former Navy, Order and a few rag tags out to earn a fast buck with no real concept of what they were getting into. The bar was no where near as good as the "Hair of the Wolf"...

Suddenly, as if someone had thrown a switch, Zebs senses were focused on the back of the bar. More specificaly, the storage area at the back of the bar. Something was pulling at his mind. Zeb got up and walked towards the door. A large Urang got in his face. "Can I help you, human?" A large hand placed on Zebs shoulder. Zeb stared at the ape. The door opened and out staggered a woman. She was dressed in a flight suit, her skin was pale and her hair disheveled and her eyes were rolling around like she was drunk. The ape let go if Zeb. Zeb caught the woman before she could fall.

"Where am I?" she asked weakly.

"Primus - in the bar" replied Zeb. The itch in his head grew to a tiny roar. He knew what this was. Respawn. He felt her pain and could feel her nausea. This was a disturbing development. Zeb could detect respawns! He wanted to hurl, but kept it down. He needed to tell Wolf.

The ape was already getting some water for her. Zeb got her to a chair. She glugged down the water, reached into her pocket, removed an injector pen and stuck in in her thigh. Her eyes started to focus and she smiled at Zeb. She was able to stand.

"Patricia Riley, at your service! Elite Sirius Fighters, call sign Electra..."

Sqdr. Commander Joined: Aug 20, 2005 Posts: 1366

I sauntered into the bar, my leather jacket hung nonchalantly from my hand. I felt better than I had in years! The Monkeys had a way with medicine, that was for damn sure. I couldnt even hear the roaring in my veins... they couldn't fix my eyes, but hey. I like red, and it gets attention from the ladies.

Be nice if I knew how I actually got here. I thought to myself. Last I remember we'd just left Hair of the Wolf. Still, I guess that fever counts a lot of the journey out.

Suddenly, I heard a roar of laughter from across the bar. I looked across and saw Watchwolf, Vengeance, all the old crew! Vengeance noticed me standing there, and motioned to me.

"Carnival! Get over here. You're missing out on Wolfs naked women." He laughed as he spoke. "Want a drink?"

"Always." I strolled over and sat myself down, looking at the guys round the table. There were a few familiar faces, and a few unfamiliar ones. "Zeb! How goes it my friend?"

Zeb just sat there, a vague, worried smile on his face. Suddenly, he got up and started walking quickly toward the stock room. I stared after him, wondering what I'd done to deserve being blanked.

"Zebulon!" I shouted, but he didn't hear. I got up to follow him, seeing a large Monkey stop him in front of the store room door.

Zeb darted foward, and it took me a second to realise what had happened. A woman had collapsed through the door, nearly falling on her face. Zeb held her as a Monkey ran to get some water.

She gulped it down, and stuck an injector pen in her thigh.

She stood up and smiled at Zeb.

"Patricia Riley, at your service! Elite Sirius Fighters, call sign Electra..."

She looked past and stared at me. I grinned at her, winking slowly. The red eyes got the expression I was used to.

"Excuse me, Miss... could I get you a drink? You look like you just a had a bad respawn." I asked smoothly, as Zeb was still staring dumbfounded at her.

"So... what happened?"

Patricia sat down at the bar, and started talking...