Xeno Alliance communications (iRP) (FO)

[Dusty Lens]

After action report, May 04. 816AS

Today was not the day that yesterday was, seemingly amused with my bold proclamations of daring-do, fate decided to show me the other side of her lovely hand.

I first encountered a Colonial gas mining vessel, the Pannonia under the command of Captain Robert Dunn, who informed me of a Junker, Mobster, who was pirating traffic under the protection of the local law. Armed with a bit of knowledge I reckoned on seeing if I couldn't one up the fellow.

The Junker was found to be hanging out at Newark station, where he was moments away from being engaged by -Spear-, seeing a fellow Xeno had beat me to the punch, I opted to join ranks with him and see if we couldn't bloody his nose some. Turns out that Spear had the Junker's stinger dead to rights afor the first trigger was pulled, can't say as I've ever seen a Eagle flown like that that didn't have Cobra or Cottonmouth at the helm.

Given that Manhattan orbit isn't any place for a Xeno with thoughts of eventual retirement the two of us retreated down the road a pace, whereat we were jumped by some feller by the handle of Karl_Vanderbilt in an Avenger. Might be his stick was a little, ah, sticky, but the fight was over 'afor it started care of a clap from my boom stick.

Also, to give irony it's due considering the above sentence the two of us ended up flyin on back to Manhattan orbit to try and put paid to Ushdul,, in a Liberty Gunboat, who was floating by Newark and flinging some foul words in our general direction. Don't know if my momma was tunnin in or no, so it seemed like putting him down afor he could offend the sense was the right thing to do.

It turns out that Ushdul, despite his bold words, wasn't packing any armor upgrades and the first shot I sent his way sans his shields tore out the 'ol fusion engine of his craft right easy. Problem at that point was that -Spear- and I were now thick in it. The two of us had [SA]-Seth.Karlo, [BRA]Flanker and =LSF=_Maverick_ flinging plasma our way along with the usual host of baddens in local orbit.

I managed to put down Flanker in short order, second fellow of the day to fly into my boom cannon, and I turned my attention to Maverick. Not an easy trick as the shots were begining to fly with a little more earnestly at this point.

I more or less lost track of things at this point. Flanker managed to find himself a new ship, guess his escape pod landed right in it, and he was shortly back into the thick of things. I manged to plug Maverick enough times that he reckoned on bidding a hasty farewell, though at this point an additional Liberty Battlecruiser and =LSF=Pluto.B made the scene, amongst some others that I can't quite recall.



Somewhere in there Pluto put a razor through my port stabilizer and sent me out of the fight in a hurry, a dizzying sickening hurry. No fun to be found in pushing the G limit for ten minutes while your burning ship spins out into the blackness.

A passing Xeno put me to right though and towed me wreck back to Ouray where they slapped another coat of paint and some kinda jury rigged can o' air thingie that they promised would fit the bill right as rain. With that I was back out into the Silverton fields to answer some cries o' distress.

Some of our boys were having trouble with a prisoner trader, scum that he is, by the name of United Traders Orca. The trouble coming in the form of my mate Blacktail and another Xeno Pixie not having much fun with said trader sitting by the Rio with an accompanying BH Battlecruiser by the name of Lephi flinging fire at them.

I proceeded to accentuate Blacktail's hastile spewed verbage (hard to set on poetry whilst being shot at from everyside) with by boom cannon, and Orca's vessel was promptly disabled. I then turned my attention to Lephi's craft. Blacktail and I were both flinging a few cannon shots in Lephi's direction until he managed to get a bit too close to the cruiser, earning him a torn wing for his trouble. With him drifting and out of the fight I continued to harry the Battlecruiser, loath as I was to simply give up and walk on out.



Eventually the Cruiser bowed out of the fight, seeing that I wasn't going anywhere and intended to see one of us die in the end, reckoned he figured that fellow would be him given the way the fight was going.

With the system quited down some, I joined up with the other Xenos in the area, now complete with Xenos~Spliotro and decided to see what kinda fun we might conjur up while sitting at the gate. Was about that time that *DW* Marksmen glided on by, in a BH Battleship, sounding a bit of a -oh my ****- note in my brain. Though, it went unheeded along with 98% of the info that my brain churns out on the regular

I noted that said Battleship was harboring an errant Xeno in its hold and, boldly, flew up to its nose (hid behind the jumpgate) and demanded that a bit of a trade take place, the two hunters coolin their heels in lockup for the one Xeno in theirs. The captain of the Marksmen agreed to the notion and we made the swap without any trouble or issue. Was a bit of a moment though, sitting abreast that vessel sitting vulnerable as you please. Was worth it to keep one of our boys out of the lockup for a few more days.



That being settled Diamondback and myself, him in his Eagle while I carried on in my bomber, decided to hop on over to California to see what the score might be. Turned out the score was a bright and shiny Interspace lux liner, the IC.Sterling, floatin about Cali Minor asking to have her pain scratched up some. We were obliging her when -another- BH Battlecruiser, Nexxus, entered the area prompting us to switch our priorities. Once again mashing my 'halp!!!!' button Diamondback and I went to work.



With just the one bomber it was a real chore, but we put up a stiff fight 'afor Diamondback ended up taking one and had to bow out, I decided to throw caution to the wind and finish what I started... When the second BH Battlecruiser, Rixxon, made the scene. These things are mighty popular aren't they?



Things were looking pretty grim, -Spear- showed by to lend a hand but his Eagle nor sharp eye wouldn't be much of a help in the battle. Foolishly I decided to carry on the good fight for as long as I was able, knocking a few more chunks out of Nexxus's hull afor that jury rigged stabilizer gave out on me, sending me out of the fight, care of a few well placed shots from Nexxus's guns. I managed to limp to Freeport 4 where those miners were able to perform a rather nicer patchup job on the 'ol bird.

I was about tuckered out for the day, so I opted to cruise back to Ouray to get myself a little rack time when I heard a cry concerin a Southern Alliance pilot in system, Jarl Thompson. A whole gaggle of us put chase to the fellow, who reckoned on giving us a long 'ol adios Xeno style, which you almost have the commend the fellow for, afor eventually just flying on out into the black.

Returning to Ouray a second outcry concerning a lone LPI in the system gave me the courage to try and even the success/failure ratio of the day to something a little more in my favor, So Diamondback and myself tip toed over to Denver where we engaged the fellow.

Ah, things kinda went wrong there. Note that my friend the Liberty Battlecruiser isn't in this shot, but he's there allright!



Long story short, I lit up the burners, peddled the peddlers and spun up the hamsters and got the heck out of there under thrust as quick as could. It was no short chase ladies and gents, but I managed to make my escape in the end. I think we flew all over Colorado under power. A few pilots lost their minds and opted to cruise in order to put the drop on me, but the good lords of malfunction saw through that they should be reminded that they had other places to go, though the task of said reminders took a bite out of my hull.



I made it to Nome in a single piece, thanked the barkeep for sending down an icechest of the flightline's finest cleaningsolvent/drinking suds and proceeded to hit the rack. Heck of a day, hopefully the next will see a few less ships driven off and a few more good and splashed.

David out.