A Talarca, IFF Blood Dragon, BD ID confirmed.
Bomber escort also present.
Borderworld Bomber, IFF Blood Dragon, BD ID confirmed.
Seen docking with the Hokkaido Jump Hole. Headed for the Chugoku Jump Hole. Lost sight due to attacks by GC pilots. These new ships made no contact. They seem to be non-hostile but well armed. Caution is advised.......
"Well sir, they have officially reported us." Lance said over his shoulder at his post on COMMs.
"No worry. We aren't here to fight them. As long as we stay clear of them, and don't engage them. Well they should leave a cruiser and bomber alone." He reached down on the arm of his chair and hit a button.
A small screen lit up. A helmeted head could be seen. Black with white trim, shiny in the reflection of the suns in the distance.
"Keith, how's it out there? Your holds full yet?" The captain asked the pilot. Lifting his finger he sat back.
His voice only slightly muffled by his flight suit, Keith showed a thumbs up.
"Ready when you are. We moving out to gather info on these Nomads, Sven?"
"Yes, we are. They seem to be a threat and as such we need to understand them. I aquired this cruiser so we could have a base of operations. The Dragons weren't so happy I did that, but what can they do? I left a fair amount of stone in its place." Looking across the bridge Sven could see his friends.
Lance was on the Comms. His red uniform looked good on him. His short hair neatly clipped, close to his head. He was still a bit green, but could be relied on in a pinch. His family had been close to Sven's for a long time. Sven seemed to have watched Lance's progression towards maturity with more than one wince.
Pidge was in the Engineering detail. A couple hired men waiting for his quick orders. Pidge was not a friendly chap when he was at work. Anytime he got on a ship he got that way. Snappy and kinda grumpy. Once his feet were on a Station or Planetside, he was ll smiles and ready for a good time. In the cockpit he was all business. He was the Mechanical maniac everyone wished they knew. Sven had known him for a long time. They had flown a few systems together runing from a group of Bounty Hunters at one point and had saved each other enough times to read each other like clockwork. His green uniform was a little stretched in the middle. A sign of his lapse of physical regiment in his routine. He'd spent more time in ships engines running diagnostics than running himself.
Hunk was watching the scanners for enemy contacts. His yellow uniform fit snug, almost form fitted. He was all guns and glory Hunk. He'd do a thousand pushups just to get warmed up. His muscles were well defined, even though he spent as many hours in te cockpit or more, he kept himself in prime condition. He never wanted to be unprepared. Unlike most peole running weapons systems Hunk had an affinity for them. He would often practice with up to 4 turrets at a time. He loved to write programming as well, and found it seemed to be 'hardwired' into him as he put it. He had worked with Pidge till they came up with a multi faceted guidance system that had a muti screen hud that Hunk would use for firing and aiming the turrets. The man could mine a hole in an asteroid with 4 turrets and never leave a 2nd tool mark.
Then there was Keith. Currently flying his bomber alongside the Force Explorer. He'd found that bomber and fell in love. The two usually flew tandem in them. His friend and companion in space since they met. They were good friends and had an uncanny ability to almost read each others thoughts and work together like a surgeons hands.
A matching pair the two had been since they met almost 5 years ago. In the search of better suppliers for the ships they had been traveling in. When they met there was a deal going down for one of the bombers they now flew. A chance encounter. An overheard conversation by two people seperately. Who would have thought it would lead to the formaing of a small force, determined to save the world from themselves.
They had all traveled together for sometime now. They had saved themselves, and each other.
Sven sat there in his blue uniform, thinking of it all. Musing to himself.
They were in Sirius now. Sol, Andromeda, and others so many others. The systems seem to blur together now. All they wanted was a place to call home.
Half their force was gathering money, the other exploring looking for a comfortable place to set up base. First they needed to find out what this Nomad news really was.
"Pidge, set a course for the Nomad regions. I'm gonna prep my bomber and get Lances Claw transported to Manhattan for escort duty. Lance, let me know if there are any incoming messages. Keith, form up, we moving out. MAybe the Order guys will have info for us as well." Sven stood, his shoulders stright, as he left the bridge he knew these following weeks would be interesting if nothing else.
[i] Sven and his crew had made good of their time in Sirius. A trade Vessel had been procured, Force Ex the Talarca was now joined by the Hessian Cruiser, Hawq. Lance had his Raven Claw; Sven and Keith both had found BWE Falcatta's and made home in them.
Each had its own job to do. Hawq mostly did recovery for Jasper. A former RoS pilot that now uses his contacts for gun running. Funny that his employee happened to be a Corsair pilot. No matter to him, it was about the money.
Tempest their Transport was busy running items around for his new made friend Cid of the TAZ group. Zoners were willing to deal with most anyone. So it made sense that the new guys would hire on with them for some missions.
Sven still in his Zoner tag and ID, flew his Falcatta with skill and ease. He enjoyed the handling and the punch that the ship gave an able pilot.
Keith, a Corsair tagged and ID'ed Falcatta makes waves wherever he goes. It was his 'going away' present to himself from the Lockup on Palermo Base. He'd been in teh bar and got into it with some locals. A hacker managed to wander past and when he made for his ship Keith got him and made a quick escape. He tried the Praetorian bomber but couldn't get used to the handling. He swapped it off with the Zoner he'd sold the Falcata to. The Zoner thought he'd stolen the ship practically. A new Praetorean for a used Falcatta? Keith has made good his time in the Falcatta. Flying with infamous Brotherhood pilots and working to defend all Corsair territory.
Lance flies a Raven Claw, he is a new recruit. His 'trust fund' so to speak bought his ship. It was used and he got it cheap, made a few more friends to find guns and prove he could make his way if he had too. He has only gotten a few hours under his belt in his new ship. Sven keeps this young man on a short leash. Lance's father and Sven were friends until the mans passing in a battle to escape the law in Edinburgh. He feels responsible for the boys training and safety. He does personal training with him.
So after their mission on Vogtland to aquire the Hessian Cruiser, which went without a hitch. The Hawq its been Christened. Junkers fixed it up and thru a gun or two on it and called it a ship. We were just glad to have a second Cruiser in our forces. Our travels made us a bit nervous of stragers, with good reason. They'd all been old into slavery at least once. Lance was the last time captured adn sold to the Hessians. Thats why we were there, but the fighter we came in on wouldn't carry us all. So we made a plan. And flew away on a Hessian Cruiser. My Talarca was a gift from the man that bought me. A parting gift if you will. He parted with it all that day.
Well 3 fighters and 2 Cruisers. An adv train to gather money to fund the ships, the ship to get work done and know I was going home to the wife.
The wife....it had been years sice he'd seen her. Someday he'd sworn to find her. Until then he bided his time and gathered strength.
Sven sat in the spa like tub in his room on the space station. Relaxing after a long trip and many delays. Mostly his group got held up answering questions. Why you flyin that ship if you from the group you raise on the mast? Why you in this System?
It was always teh same. People always thought the worst, many didn't even bother to learn they just open fire. Whether it be with their blasters in Space, or their mouths in a bar. Sven had travelled to more systems than most of them had even herad of. Seen and done things they wouldn't dream. Still he tried to respect those around him, learn how the workings worked, or something before he made a hasty decision. Maybe the parents were less strict here in Sirius, many tongues Screamed to be freed from the mouths that held them hostage. To wriggle and flap free, thats what the tounges desired. To bad he had only 4 mates, if he'd had a platoon even, he would over run this minor colonizing strip of planets and small bases.
No matter, his mission was clear. Gather information and come home. That had been long ago now. How many civilizations had he visited? Only to find they had no knowledge to help them get home, or of his people. His hunt continued for the jump that would bring him home. To his Commander and the end of his deployment. They were soldiers, the lot of them. Long since become friends, even family, but always soldiers. And to his Wife, maybe a child by now grown tall and strong.
Was it time to move on? To find that jump that would bring him out of Sirius and hopefully to the Twin stars Jarand and Cleola. He knew he wouldn't stay in Sirius long, but they hadn't even collected enough samples or Prototypes. Many things assailed his mind. Duty, Children, his Wife, his commander, sadness, and fear of never gettting home.
He as deep in thought when the door opened and his advisor and friend came in. Kieth had been with him a long time. Been through a lot.
"I got warned by the Gods. They don't like my flying a ship that is spoils of battle. They say its OORP, whatever that means. Others too have rose this cry as I fly by. Corsair and BHG alike. I say its time we move on from here Sven. These people have nothing to offer. They also are willing to learn nothing. Why do we tarry and waste precious time? We search for trinkets and baubles as much as we search for the way HOME! We should continue." Kieth stood there glaring at Sven. "This is preposterous. Why does ANYONE have any right to tell me what or how to fly? Bah, I wish be away from here. These people now make my finger itch. God or no. I've never told him how to run his ship, and wouldn't. Not my place. but a blind rant? Piss on the gods of these people. Men made them, Men can forget them too. Look at the Pieran Empire. They were destroyed and every book, paper, tapestry, house, man, woman, and child put to the torch. Not a thing we could do to help them. We have the memory of them, then they will be gone. All because the 'Godly men' deceded they were better then the rest. The rest didn't see it that way. In the end, well they were wrong. But it was too late. These gods and their people will forget, then die away and become like nothing. It is the way the Wheel turns."
Sven sat forward, "Alright, drop the ID's, get rid of the flags. Paint up for war. Start teaching the new guys how we work. Get all out ships and form up in Delta. The Zoners will get our remaining credits, then we shall leave this place. I won't say tomorrow, but soon, soon we will fly on, and make for home."