Fleet Command: Squadron Leader.
- Thread starter Lord Harrab
- Start date
Recommended Videos
Eric nodded at the cleric, offering a smile in return. Best to be polite, and not get brutally killed for accidental heresies.
The cleric suddenly looked shocked at Devon's question, horrified realization that she had used the word creeping across her almost unnaturally beautiful features, then came back and camped there.
"My apologies human, I did not mean to address you so crudely or imply your race is anything less than a treasured ally of my people. I was simply referring to the fact you do not-"
"Perhaps it is best if you keep your mouth closed, Sister-Cleric." said the Knight with the rifle and more ornate Armour, her face was impassive but the voice sounded amused," I understand you are excited to be chosen to represent our people in the Alliance Council, but you should try to avoid offending our hosts further?"
It was spoken lightly, almost causally, but carried an undertone of authority that changed it into an order. the Cleric bowed.
"Of course Paladin Jenifer."
"My apologies human, I did not mean to address you so crudely or imply your race is anything less than a treasured ally of my people. I was simply referring to the fact you do not-"
"Perhaps it is best if you keep your mouth closed, Sister-Cleric." said the Knight with the rifle and more ornate Armour, her face was impassive but the voice sounded amused," I understand you are excited to be chosen to represent our people in the Alliance Council, but you should try to avoid offending our hosts further?"
It was spoken lightly, almost causally, but carried an undertone of authority that changed it into an order. the Cleric bowed.
"Of course Paladin Jenifer."
Tom wondered if it was the Covenant they'd be fighting for. He had mixed feelings about them, on the one hand he admired their unity and their devotion but he was aware that there was such a thing as too far and the rigid heirachy of the order seemed almost claustrophobic to him. He made a note to ask Eric precisely who'd hired them when they got to the Venture.
Mila was examininmg the ornate armour the clerics and knights wore. She was impressed tht the armour could look so astetically pleasing and still serve its battlefield function. She was wondering what the Clerics and knight were up too, but payed her thought little heed.
While in the elevator, Mila pondered what they might be doing for this shakedown run and what it might intail.
"So, what are we going to be doing on this shakedown run exactly, just calibrating the systems or are we doing somthing ore serious also?" she asked
"So, what are we going to be doing on this shakedown run exactly, just calibrating the systems or are we doing somthing ore serious also?" she asked
"the Glatactic Transit Board's combat vessel trails consists of ensuring all ship systems are functioning within legal limits, Combat trails, and finally a short FTL Jump." Lucy announced, her voice surprisingly loud in the confined space, "I'll admit I was worried about the port side engine, but Engineering managed to bring it up to speed by the time the Inspection team arrived. About 4.25 seconds before to be exact."
The Elevator came to a halt with a soft chime that sounded horribly out of place, obviously Lucy's doing, "Deck 23, Errant Venture, Frustrated AI's and Men's fashion. Thank you for riding with us, now get your asses in gear."
The Elevator came to a halt with a soft chime that sounded horribly out of place, obviously Lucy's doing, "Deck 23, Errant Venture, Frustrated AI's and Men's fashion. Thank you for riding with us, now get your asses in gear."
"Gotcha Lucy" Mila said as she steped towards the ship, she was eager to see if her ships her hangered properly and her men had gotten their quarters squared away.
"Gotta make sure no one is fighting over who gets top bunk she said as she raced towards the ship while everyone else behind her was walking.
"Gotta make sure no one is fighting over who gets top bunk she said as she raced towards the ship while everyone else behind her was walking.
Eric smiled at the Sisters.
"Well, this is our stop. Bye."
He followed Mila, waving for the others to do the same.
"Well, this is our stop. Bye."
He followed Mila, waving for the others to do the same.
Mila ran onto the ship and looked around for where the crew quarters were, it took her a few minutes to find where the quarters were and even longer to figure out where her crew in partucular was staying.
Once she reached the crew block, she opened the presurized door to find her men, just as she thought arguing over who got top bunk.
"Okay break it up, break it" she said, puting her self in between the two large men arguing
"You know the rules guys, we settle it one of four ways, Words, Cards, Guess or ThunderDome, which way do you want it?"
Both men looked at each other, they were steaming, but not mad enough to to settle for Thunderdome. Knowing their only choice they both said "Guess" at the same time
"Okay guys I'm thinking of a number between one and twenty, colsest number without going over wins"
Once she reached the crew block, she opened the presurized door to find her men, just as she thought arguing over who got top bunk.
"Okay break it up, break it" she said, puting her self in between the two large men arguing
"You know the rules guys, we settle it one of four ways, Words, Cards, Guess or ThunderDome, which way do you want it?"
Both men looked at each other, they were steaming, but not mad enough to to settle for Thunderdome. Knowing their only choice they both said "Guess" at the same time
"Okay guys I'm thinking of a number between one and twenty, colsest number without going over wins"
Just beyond the gleaming bulk of the Venture was a large glowing blue translucent wall signaling the edge of air and the void of space in the hangar bay, the Calliope, Fayden and P Eugen just arriving through the large ray field. Klau opened his communicator again.Lucy said:
"First impressions, boys. Get docked with the Venture or we'll be late."
"Gotcha Boss." returned a voice.
"Stop being nervous, we've met new employers hundreds of times before, Wyle."
"What gave you tha-"'You forget to call me Captain when you're nervous.
Meet me in our quarters, then we'll head to the breifing. I know as much as you about this one right now."
"Right."
Klau watched the vessels come to a crawl forward, hovering a good 30 meters above, before beginning to strafe left into the open carrier bay of the Venture. Klau began his usual brisk pace to the loading ramp of the Carrier, wherein the rest of the group had already embarked. Just inside the ramp was the average look of being just inside the bowels of a non-luxurious vessel. Minimal paneling, mesh for a ceiling, the only paint being wall guide lines.
"Lucy, which way to my quarters?"
"Follow the green line to your left." she said flatly. A line on the wall lit up leading down to the left, heading around a corner some distance down the corridor.
"Thanks, Lucy."
"You're welcome, meatbag."
Mila and the rest of her men were walking to the hanger, after Mike got the top bunk for guessing fifteen, she figured they should check the systems on the ships. While she was walking she passed by Klau and said hi.
At the hanger, she found Mercury, Redstone and Hyperion parked in their spots. Technically they were not military grade corvettes, they were modified Orion class bulk freighters, but she and her men made lots of modifications to make them combat worthy. However this made it so each ship required a certain degree of special maintence.
She boarded her ship The Mercury and began a diognostic while her crew did similar tasks on the other two ships. She was coordinating with Lucy to ensure the ships were up to her specs.
Here is what the ships look like.
http://media.photobucket.com/image/space%20corvette/Wingscifi/1181354873149.jpg?o=1
At the hanger, she found Mercury, Redstone and Hyperion parked in their spots. Technically they were not military grade corvettes, they were modified Orion class bulk freighters, but she and her men made lots of modifications to make them combat worthy. However this made it so each ship required a certain degree of special maintence.
She boarded her ship The Mercury and began a diognostic while her crew did similar tasks on the other two ships. She was coordinating with Lucy to ensure the ships were up to her specs.
Here is what the ships look like.
http://media.photobucket.com/image/space%20corvette/Wingscifi/1181354873149.jpg?o=1
Tom followed one of his weapons officers down to the Venture's hangers where the bombers were being eased into their docks. From and observation platform he and a gunner overlooked the operation.
"What do you think of the situation so far?" the gunner asked.
"We can work with the captain. Not sure about the others, yet to see much of them. How are the men?"
"Settled in the quarters with no problem."
"The ships?"
"All in decent condition but we'll need repairs soon." There was a tone of rebuke in the gunner's voice.
"That's why we took this job," Tom said. "That's why we joined this company, you know I'd rather go direct to whatever army we've chosen. Take what credit we have left, fix them up. We need them in peak condition, we have to dazzle soon enough." Tom turned away. He had to rejoin Captain Davidson in the bridge for a briefing about the trials.
"What do you think of the situation so far?" the gunner asked.
"We can work with the captain. Not sure about the others, yet to see much of them. How are the men?"
"Settled in the quarters with no problem."
"The ships?"
"All in decent condition but we'll need repairs soon." There was a tone of rebuke in the gunner's voice.
"That's why we took this job," Tom said. "That's why we joined this company, you know I'd rather go direct to whatever army we've chosen. Take what credit we have left, fix them up. We need them in peak condition, we have to dazzle soon enough." Tom turned away. He had to rejoin Captain Davidson in the bridge for a briefing about the trials.
Klau looked at the empty quarters. He'd seen worse, but it wasn't any 2nd class tour shuttle he was aboard either. Enough furniture, appliances and space for personal decoration that they could cover up surfaces that were unpaintable. Klau had seen what irresponsible interior decoration could do to a man aboard a space ship, and it wasn't pretty. People have gone insane serving aboard ships with no windows living entirely inside a gun-metal gray labyrinth of pipes and computers with nothing as much as a painting or vase of flowers. He sat down on the bed, testing its amount of cushion and support, deeming in his mind that it would do.
"[sup]and so I said to him,, 'that's [/sup]gotta be the loudest wop I've ever heard!" followed by hearty chuckles resonated the arrival of Klau's crew to their quarterroom for eight. The six men entered the room, vaguely inspecting it before catching eye of Klau, giving a nod or small fling of the fingers towards the head as a casual salute.
"Afternoon, Cap'n. We brought your stuff, anything special happening?" He tossed a duffel bag containing Klau's personal effects and clothing, Klau catching it with his arms and placing it on the bed.
"Nothing special. Pick your bunks but don't get comfortable yet. We're leaving for brief in one minute. 'Quarree."
"Yessir."
"Try to keep quiet on this briefing, okay?"
"I'll do my best, sir."
"[sup]and so I said to him,, 'that's [/sup]gotta be the loudest wop I've ever heard!" followed by hearty chuckles resonated the arrival of Klau's crew to their quarterroom for eight. The six men entered the room, vaguely inspecting it before catching eye of Klau, giving a nod or small fling of the fingers towards the head as a casual salute.
"Afternoon, Cap'n. We brought your stuff, anything special happening?" He tossed a duffel bag containing Klau's personal effects and clothing, Klau catching it with his arms and placing it on the bed.
"Nothing special. Pick your bunks but don't get comfortable yet. We're leaving for brief in one minute. 'Quarree."
"Yessir."
"Try to keep quiet on this briefing, okay?"
"I'll do my best, sir."
Eric had chosen to head straight to the bridge while the pilots got themselves settled, trying to hide his rising sense of excitement as he waited for the heavy airlock to cycle him through to the heart of his domain.
"Officer on Deck!" Lucy announced to the tiny bridge crew as the door slid open, her avatar currently standing on a pedestal beside his command chair, in the place that was normally held for the Executive officer. then again, that was kind of her role.
She didn't salute though, while the five men standing before the main screen did, all ex-service men, so he could rest-assured that they knew what to do without him bothering them.
Unlike the rest of the ship, no expense had been spared here, everything was top-quality Militarily hardware, after all he would have to run his business from here.
"the Inspection team has just departed and Alliance tower was authorized our launch and follow up tests." the AI continued, as he dismissed his bridge crew with a wave and sat gingerly into his seat. "We can launch on your order."
"Officer on Deck!" Lucy announced to the tiny bridge crew as the door slid open, her avatar currently standing on a pedestal beside his command chair, in the place that was normally held for the Executive officer. then again, that was kind of her role.
She didn't salute though, while the five men standing before the main screen did, all ex-service men, so he could rest-assured that they knew what to do without him bothering them.
Unlike the rest of the ship, no expense had been spared here, everything was top-quality Militarily hardware, after all he would have to run his business from here.
"the Inspection team has just departed and Alliance tower was authorized our launch and follow up tests." the AI continued, as he dismissed his bridge crew with a wave and sat gingerly into his seat. "We can launch on your order."
the Errant venture is laid out like most Republic Carriers of it's period, two launch bays along each flank with the fifth discharging it's cargo from the underside. (the fifth bay is empty until the final squadron arrives.) The three engines are housed at the stern in a triangle patten and take up the rear third of the ship.
the bridge is located between engineering and the Flight Deck on the Port side,like a box attached to the hull only on one face, giving the command crew a large field of view while still offering a measure of protection from hostile fire.
Point defenses are spread about the hull to offer maximum coverage, but this dispersal limit's their effectiveness.
The cannon is mounted in a chin turret on the bow, it can only engage targets within it's 90 degree forward fire arc, there is another identical berth on the upper-side, but it is empty.
the Magazine, crew quarters and the like are located along the ship's spine, in between the launch bays were they are safest.
There is an empty ESM Berth just behind the bridge.
(at some point I'll make a diagram, but for now this will have to do.)
the bridge is located between engineering and the Flight Deck on the Port side,like a box attached to the hull only on one face, giving the command crew a large field of view while still offering a measure of protection from hostile fire.
Point defenses are spread about the hull to offer maximum coverage, but this dispersal limit's their effectiveness.
The cannon is mounted in a chin turret on the bow, it can only engage targets within it's 90 degree forward fire arc, there is another identical berth on the upper-side, but it is empty.
the Magazine, crew quarters and the like are located along the ship's spine, in between the launch bays were they are safest.
There is an empty ESM Berth just behind the bridge.
(at some point I'll make a diagram, but for now this will have to do.)
Now you are on board the ship, characters can contact and converse with the AI at anytime, (this is also possible from your squadron craft, but without a hologram) this is a way for you to ask questions while still being in character.
Life Support: Online
Engines: Offline
Launch Bays: Locked Down
Point Defenses:Offline
Shields: Offline
FTL Drive: Offline
Security Teams: On Standby
Current Orders: None.
Engines: Offline
Launch Bays: Locked Down
Point Defenses:Offline
Shields: Offline
FTL Drive: Offline
Security Teams: On Standby
Current Orders: None.
Tom doubled back to the hanger his bombers were stationed in having received notice from Lucy that launch was imminent. He called his men together.
"Right, things are about to get going, I want the bombers fully stocked with ammo, who knows what they'll want us to do. All men are to be five minutes from launch at all times. When we launch we launch in point formation, everyone forming up on the centre bomber, I think that's A-3. Get moving lads!"
Tom brought up comms with Lucy. "We'll be ready to launch by the time we've taken off Lucy, could you please pass that on to the captain?" Ordinarily Tom wasn't so polite with the AI but this one was a curveball and no mistake.
"Right, things are about to get going, I want the bombers fully stocked with ammo, who knows what they'll want us to do. All men are to be five minutes from launch at all times. When we launch we launch in point formation, everyone forming up on the centre bomber, I think that's A-3. Get moving lads!"
Tom brought up comms with Lucy. "We'll be ready to launch by the time we've taken off Lucy, could you please pass that on to the captain?" Ordinarily Tom wasn't so polite with the AI but this one was a curveball and no mistake.
The AI's reply came instantly, "Khorosho, good. Remain on standby for now, Bridge out."
Contracts
Contracts are jobs uploaded to the PMC Guild's servers by Various contacts in the major factions to make up for the lack of manpower within their own fleets. Once the Errant venture has completed it's field trails, it will allowed to access the list and Lucy will present them to players during briefings, based on her assessment of the difficulty and your ability to carry them out.
Completing a Factions Contract will not only get you money, but also that group will Trust you more and will spread word of your exploits, making it more likely they'll hire you in the future
Trust
Trust is a measure of how much a faction likes you, work hard and loyalty for a faction and they'd trust you more, giving you access to better contracts, more advanced gear and support, and will allow you greater access throughout their territory.
Work against them, however, and they'll refuse to sell you anything, and may even attack you on sight.
Note: Although Lucy is technically a part of the Player Faction, she has a separate trust meter, and it operates differently to the others. There are benefits for staying on her good side. (Simply being polite to her and offering to to shine her CPU will not increase her Trust, so no brown-nosers!)
Supports
Supports range from Long-range ESM support, to escort ships, to full Dreadnought Battle-groups, and are offered depending on that faction's trust in you, once offered that support can be called on at anytime, all you need is a Contact within the Faction and a comm-link to them.
Supports can be withdrawn if the faction's trust in you drops below a certain level.
Contracts are jobs uploaded to the PMC Guild's servers by Various contacts in the major factions to make up for the lack of manpower within their own fleets. Once the Errant venture has completed it's field trails, it will allowed to access the list and Lucy will present them to players during briefings, based on her assessment of the difficulty and your ability to carry them out.
Completing a Factions Contract will not only get you money, but also that group will Trust you more and will spread word of your exploits, making it more likely they'll hire you in the future
Trust
Trust is a measure of how much a faction likes you, work hard and loyalty for a faction and they'd trust you more, giving you access to better contracts, more advanced gear and support, and will allow you greater access throughout their territory.
Work against them, however, and they'll refuse to sell you anything, and may even attack you on sight.
Note: Although Lucy is technically a part of the Player Faction, she has a separate trust meter, and it operates differently to the others. There are benefits for staying on her good side. (Simply being polite to her and offering to to shine her CPU will not increase her Trust, so no brown-nosers!)
Supports
Supports range from Long-range ESM support, to escort ships, to full Dreadnought Battle-groups, and are offered depending on that faction's trust in you, once offered that support can be called on at anytime, all you need is a Contact within the Faction and a comm-link to them.
Supports can be withdrawn if the faction's trust in you drops below a certain level.