I've been an on again, off again visitor to the forums for years. The creative section is what finally got me to sign up. I'm out of practice when it comes to writing so maybe this will help me to get back into it.
This story was inspired while I was playing as a Terran. I was hanging out at Nyana's Hideout harrassing the ne'er do wells of the galaxy when one of them bailed. For some reason I decided that this might make a good start to a new storyline, so I took down the pilot's name and began considering plot ideas.
Out of the mods I have listed, I've only used custom starts and cockpits before. Hopefully I don't break the game or anything.
And all things considered, particular aspects of the story such as the Terran war may not exactly be in line with the game due to one of the mods. We'll see how that pans out once I get to that point.
Mods and Scripts
-Custom starts
-Immersive Environments (backgrounds)
-Cockpits
-CODEA
-Pirate Guild
-TC plots in AP
-Phanon Corporation
-Numerical Ranks
-Gate to TOA* (see rules)
Rules (subject to minor changes)
-Not a DiD. My internet connection would inevitably assassinate my character.
-No missions against pirates
-Limit any missions against Yaki, preferably none at all
-No keeping ships from retrieval missions unless the story allows/calls for it. May initiate self destruct for story purposes. Must do this if Terran mission and larger than an M6.
-Main and Corporate plots may be played.
-Treat converted trans-orbital accelerators as if they weren't changed. Only using this mod as Phanon ships can get stuck trying to jump to a toa
Spoilers likely
From Pirate to Executive
Moderators: TheElf, Moderators for English X Forum
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carpeinfinitum
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Thu, 3. Oct 13, 11:30
From Pirate to Executive
Last edited by carpeinfinitum on Sun, 6. Oct 13, 05:00, edited 1 time in total.
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carpeinfinitum
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Thu, 3. Oct 13, 11:30
Prologue
"Here, take my ship! I swear I'll find you again."
Karol leaned forward, her arms crossed over her legs for support. Her heel tapped impatiently with the recent skirmish still fresh in her memory. That Elite had seen many star systems with her in its pilot seat. And it had also seen many raids. She cared for that ship as if it were a part of her. To see its battered hull floating into oblivion before being blasted into shrapnel would have been bad enough. But no. It couldn't even get that much, instead being claimed and sent to fly away without her. To watch while helplessly floating in the void, not able to stop the theft of the one thing that made her feel truly free...
"Hey. Heard ya need a ride. Fighter break down or something?"
Daron Jael. Friend and pain in the can all at once.
"About time," Karol stood and stretched her legs. "What, couldn't pilfer enough jump fuel to get here quicker?" Joining him near the airlock, she continued, "Seriously, if I have to hear one more person ask me about that late wheat shipment I'm going to shove one of those rimes up someone's-"
"Give 'em a break. You know about all this recent pirate activity. Supplies are short across most of the sector," Daron said with a hint of humor. He placed a hand on her shoulder. Karol tried to shrug him off. No use as usual. "Rumor is there's some hotshot in a Thor taking care of the problem. That should make someone happy."
"Yeah," Karol muttered. Waiting until they had privacy on Daron's transport she let loose. "You know how close I came to dyin back there? Right before I ejected I thought I saw the readout flashing at four percent. Four freaking percent!" She could still see the blue-white energy streaking across her view a split second before popping open the cabin.
"Huh. I'm surprised the readout had anything flashing by that point," Daron said flatly. The tall, muscular man ducked into the cockpit with his passenger following.
Karol seated herself in the co-pilots chair. "What the hell's a Terran doing flying patrol in Argon space anyway? I thought they were at war. Or close to it."
With a few switches flicked, the console lit up. Moments later the transport was free from the docking clamps. Daron guided them into position to depart and powered the thrusters. "Dunno. Could be a soldier got hold of one."
"Nah man. It was definitely tagged as Terran." Karol rubbed her temples. It was supposed to be a simple trip across a few sectors. Maybe nab a freighter or three if the opportunity was right. Then some flippin' heavy fighter with its strange electro-whatsits comes in and tears up the squadron without so much as a second thought. The universe used to be simpler. If you were gonna get spaced, you normally at least knew what it was doing you in.
The rest of the flight went with little else said. Daron tried to make small talk to no avail. Karol was still fuming over the events of the day. The quiet allowed her time to think. And the more she thought, well, that's when ideas begin to squeeze themselves in. Sometimes crazy ideas at that. She hadn't been shot down since she was a rookie, and that time it had been her own damn fault for forgetting to properly set her turret priorities. She got quite the tongue lashing for that. Now though this pilot wasn't a rookie. This pilot was a badass in her own mind, and she'd been insulted in the worst way.
"Daron."
"Yeah?"
"I want revenge."
With a sigh, Daron started to reply before being cut short by a raised hand.
"I told that wannabe hotshot that I would find him." Karol paused. She wanted to be sure about what she was saying. "The problem is that I didn't get his fighter ID. I don't so much as have a face to go off of. So, if I can't find him-"
"-or her-"
"Or it. Whatever. I still want to send a message. Whatever the Commonwealth fleets don't trash, I want for myself. One way or another," Karol stopped. She strongly suspected that she was acting more than little 'off kilter' at this point. Before she could continue Daron announced that they were coming up to dock.
"So what do you intend, my angel of vengeance?"
With a shake of her head, Karol said, "Nevermind. It's stupid. I just...I need some time."
A light on the control panel indicated that they were securely in port. Karol got up first and made it to the exit before stopping. Something had been nagging at her since they departed from the Rimes fact. "Where did you get this ride? This isn't your usual junk heap."
"Ah. She's in for repairs. Booze run gone bad." Daron shrugged at his companion's raised brow. "The cantina was running dry and I drew the short straw. I underestimated the distance from the gate against the distance of one of the customs officers."
Karol crossed her arms. "That's it? You're supposed to say something about a valiant race to escape from the clutches of the evil empire with your prize - and sobriety - hanging in the balance."
"I'm glad to see you smiling again."
"Yeah, whatever," Karol muttered. "You still didn't answer my question."
"Oh, this? Extended loan from some Boron. You should've seen it. The squid rambled on about some high paying job involving important passengers and that he couldn't afford to lose this opportunity. My cannons convinced him that there are things in life more important than money."
"Still spreading your philosophy." She took note of the closing distance between them as Daron casually moved closer.
"Yeah, still. And the ship?" Daron placed his hands on Karol's waist, looking down into her eyes. "It's all yours, if you want it," he said in a hushed voice, leaning toward her...
...only to get pushed away.
"Hey, just 'cause I've had a near death experience, I've told you before that we're not meant for ea...what did you say?"
With a familiar defeated look, Daron stepped around her to board the station. "I was going to scrap it. But seeing as you're short a ship and the military is vaporizing what we do have, I just thought that you could use it. It's not going to cap you anything, at least not anything useful, but it'll get you around."
'Great. Now he has me feeling guilty.' "Well, I guess I could get use to flying at less than combat speeds. Playing galactic cabbie and all. How boring," Karol said. Daron stared at her in disbelief. Finally she cracked a smile, relieving the tension. "Thank you. What class is it anyways? I don't normally go after passenger ships..."
"It's an Angel. You know, piloted by a Boron and all? You should learn more than just freighter classes you know. It might prove...convenient." With that he turned and left the ship.
An Angel class. The message wasn't lost in the slightest on her. "Dammit Daron."
------------------------
After a nights rest and some basic preparations, Karol was strapped in and ready to go. This pirate was on a mission. If the Argon government wanted to keep a few Terrans as pets then what business was it of hers? But to sic 'em on her and hers? Whatever unlikely deal had been brokered was going to be unbrokered. These newcomers to her part of the galaxy were going to learn their place. Seeing as the Commonwealth fleets obviously weren't up to it she was going to have to do something about it herself.
If that meant leveling a sector or two in the process, so be it. Assuming Karol could get the manpower and resources under her in the first place.
'Crazy,' she thought.
Assets
$4351
TP Angel
"Here, take my ship! I swear I'll find you again."
Karol leaned forward, her arms crossed over her legs for support. Her heel tapped impatiently with the recent skirmish still fresh in her memory. That Elite had seen many star systems with her in its pilot seat. And it had also seen many raids. She cared for that ship as if it were a part of her. To see its battered hull floating into oblivion before being blasted into shrapnel would have been bad enough. But no. It couldn't even get that much, instead being claimed and sent to fly away without her. To watch while helplessly floating in the void, not able to stop the theft of the one thing that made her feel truly free...
"Hey. Heard ya need a ride. Fighter break down or something?"
Daron Jael. Friend and pain in the can all at once.
"About time," Karol stood and stretched her legs. "What, couldn't pilfer enough jump fuel to get here quicker?" Joining him near the airlock, she continued, "Seriously, if I have to hear one more person ask me about that late wheat shipment I'm going to shove one of those rimes up someone's-"
"Give 'em a break. You know about all this recent pirate activity. Supplies are short across most of the sector," Daron said with a hint of humor. He placed a hand on her shoulder. Karol tried to shrug him off. No use as usual. "Rumor is there's some hotshot in a Thor taking care of the problem. That should make someone happy."
"Yeah," Karol muttered. Waiting until they had privacy on Daron's transport she let loose. "You know how close I came to dyin back there? Right before I ejected I thought I saw the readout flashing at four percent. Four freaking percent!" She could still see the blue-white energy streaking across her view a split second before popping open the cabin.
"Huh. I'm surprised the readout had anything flashing by that point," Daron said flatly. The tall, muscular man ducked into the cockpit with his passenger following.
Karol seated herself in the co-pilots chair. "What the hell's a Terran doing flying patrol in Argon space anyway? I thought they were at war. Or close to it."
With a few switches flicked, the console lit up. Moments later the transport was free from the docking clamps. Daron guided them into position to depart and powered the thrusters. "Dunno. Could be a soldier got hold of one."
"Nah man. It was definitely tagged as Terran." Karol rubbed her temples. It was supposed to be a simple trip across a few sectors. Maybe nab a freighter or three if the opportunity was right. Then some flippin' heavy fighter with its strange electro-whatsits comes in and tears up the squadron without so much as a second thought. The universe used to be simpler. If you were gonna get spaced, you normally at least knew what it was doing you in.
The rest of the flight went with little else said. Daron tried to make small talk to no avail. Karol was still fuming over the events of the day. The quiet allowed her time to think. And the more she thought, well, that's when ideas begin to squeeze themselves in. Sometimes crazy ideas at that. She hadn't been shot down since she was a rookie, and that time it had been her own damn fault for forgetting to properly set her turret priorities. She got quite the tongue lashing for that. Now though this pilot wasn't a rookie. This pilot was a badass in her own mind, and she'd been insulted in the worst way.
"Daron."
"Yeah?"
"I want revenge."
With a sigh, Daron started to reply before being cut short by a raised hand.
"I told that wannabe hotshot that I would find him." Karol paused. She wanted to be sure about what she was saying. "The problem is that I didn't get his fighter ID. I don't so much as have a face to go off of. So, if I can't find him-"
"-or her-"
"Or it. Whatever. I still want to send a message. Whatever the Commonwealth fleets don't trash, I want for myself. One way or another," Karol stopped. She strongly suspected that she was acting more than little 'off kilter' at this point. Before she could continue Daron announced that they were coming up to dock.
"So what do you intend, my angel of vengeance?"
With a shake of her head, Karol said, "Nevermind. It's stupid. I just...I need some time."
A light on the control panel indicated that they were securely in port. Karol got up first and made it to the exit before stopping. Something had been nagging at her since they departed from the Rimes fact. "Where did you get this ride? This isn't your usual junk heap."
"Ah. She's in for repairs. Booze run gone bad." Daron shrugged at his companion's raised brow. "The cantina was running dry and I drew the short straw. I underestimated the distance from the gate against the distance of one of the customs officers."
Karol crossed her arms. "That's it? You're supposed to say something about a valiant race to escape from the clutches of the evil empire with your prize - and sobriety - hanging in the balance."
"I'm glad to see you smiling again."
"Yeah, whatever," Karol muttered. "You still didn't answer my question."
"Oh, this? Extended loan from some Boron. You should've seen it. The squid rambled on about some high paying job involving important passengers and that he couldn't afford to lose this opportunity. My cannons convinced him that there are things in life more important than money."
"Still spreading your philosophy." She took note of the closing distance between them as Daron casually moved closer.
"Yeah, still. And the ship?" Daron placed his hands on Karol's waist, looking down into her eyes. "It's all yours, if you want it," he said in a hushed voice, leaning toward her...
...only to get pushed away.
"Hey, just 'cause I've had a near death experience, I've told you before that we're not meant for ea...what did you say?"
With a familiar defeated look, Daron stepped around her to board the station. "I was going to scrap it. But seeing as you're short a ship and the military is vaporizing what we do have, I just thought that you could use it. It's not going to cap you anything, at least not anything useful, but it'll get you around."
'Great. Now he has me feeling guilty.' "Well, I guess I could get use to flying at less than combat speeds. Playing galactic cabbie and all. How boring," Karol said. Daron stared at her in disbelief. Finally she cracked a smile, relieving the tension. "Thank you. What class is it anyways? I don't normally go after passenger ships..."
"It's an Angel. You know, piloted by a Boron and all? You should learn more than just freighter classes you know. It might prove...convenient." With that he turned and left the ship.
An Angel class. The message wasn't lost in the slightest on her. "Dammit Daron."
------------------------
After a nights rest and some basic preparations, Karol was strapped in and ready to go. This pirate was on a mission. If the Argon government wanted to keep a few Terrans as pets then what business was it of hers? But to sic 'em on her and hers? Whatever unlikely deal had been brokered was going to be unbrokered. These newcomers to her part of the galaxy were going to learn their place. Seeing as the Commonwealth fleets obviously weren't up to it she was going to have to do something about it herself.
If that meant leveling a sector or two in the process, so be it. Assuming Karol could get the manpower and resources under her in the first place.
'Crazy,' she thought.
Assets
$4351
TP Angel
Last edited by carpeinfinitum on Thu, 3. Oct 13, 12:25, edited 1 time in total.
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Song Of Obsidian
- Posts: 305
- Joined: Wed, 19. Jun 13, 19:46
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Sabrina Bergin
- Posts: 2239
- Joined: Sat, 12. Apr 08, 10:53
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carpeinfinitum
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Thu, 3. Oct 13, 11:30
Thanks for the comments. I don't have much in the way of solid plans just yet, but as I play I'm getting a better idea as to where I want to eventually take things.
-----------------------
Chapter 1
During her time with the local pirate bands, Karol had never really made that much of a name for herself. She didn't really go out of her way to start trouble. That was something she left for whomever the wing leader of the moment happened to be. All they had to do was point at a ship, read off the cargo manifest, and she was happy to partake in lightening the targets load.
This arrangement worked well for Karol. She got a cut of the profits and was free to go her own way. Aside from having her name dropped every now and then among the underworld circles she didn't have to worry too much about being recognized wherever she went.
The loss of her personal fighter hurt in more ways than one. It wasn't but a couple of weeks that she paid a hefty amount to have her ship's ID changed. Not an easy task in this day and age, but a necessary one in her line of work. At least it was to her. Most pirates she knew didn't seem to care all that much. Their funeral, she always thought.
Karol knew she'd have to get over her material loss. Even though, there was still the matter of payback. But it was going to take more than the nearly depleted sums - most of which having been used to work on her engines - in her account. In this universe there were plenty of opportunities to make some cash with not enough people willing to take on the work. For the time being it was the life of a free agent for the rattled pirate. Being mostly an unknown would work to her advantage.
A quick check over the local bulletins showed a few open jobs, but nothing that Karol could really do. Two asassination contracts...not going to happen. 'Patchy' Tomes hawking his sector maps. No thanks. And a build order for a 200mj shield fab. Well well. Looks like someone has some ambitions. Too bad Karol didn't have a few million on hand to help with that. It did give her some ideas for the future though.
As a last second decision she spent pretty much what was left of her funds on sunrise flowers. The road to riches has to start somewhere she figured.
On the way out of the sector a group of fighters passing through came up on scanners. Talk about bad timing. Despite that the pirate factions generally weren't supposed shoot at each other exceptions were ocassionally made. Such as now, when Karol was alerted to an incoming Banshee.
"Hey!" she called over her comms. "What the hell you doin?"
A Split greeted her with their equivalent of a grin. "Sorry. Thought you were trespasser. Split be more careful when firing at suspicious Argons." Before Karol could reply, the channel was cut.
"Yeah, sure you will."
The missile was an easy job for the Angels turrets. Finally, she made it through the gate into the PTNI sector...only to be greeted by more hostile "comrades".
"What is it with these guys?"
With only basic scanners installed Karol couldn't get a good read on what other ships were in the area. Fortunately you don't need anything advanced to see a hulking TL class out the window. At closer range it turned out to be one of the space casinos. Perfect. No way these idiots would risk hitting a favorite hangout.
Or maybe they would. With as much speed as her ship had - 129m/s - she flew and strafed around the back of the casino. This caused her persuers to get split up, making it easier for her turrets to fend off the ones who made it behind her. And what do you know, the local patrol finally decided to make themselves useful.
From here it turned into a little game of station hopping. A manual docking at PTNI HQ to recharge shields, then a run for the equipment dock. As it so happened there was a shrike and some ospreys in the area. When they noticed the commotion so close to their casino they must have decided that enough was enough. Not a tear was shed by Karol when the remaining fighters were blasted.
A search of the battleground revealed some parting gifts in the form of missiles. Karol scooped them up and sold a couple of them, keeping a mosquito and dragonfly for herself. She also gave up one of her shield generators, getting her enough funds to fully tune her engines and properly equip the TP with vital software.
A quick check on the bbs showed that a nearby group of fifteen needed a right to a hammer fab a couple of gate jumps over, into Two Grand. Well, time to stop being shy and start picking up some jobs that didn't involve terrorizing random traders.
Two new messages came in nearly one after the other. The first was a broadcast from some corporation Karol had never heard of. It basically said to expect to see ships marked as "Tanditech" flying about along with a not so veiled threat to keep her greedy hands off them. Quite a demand, that.
The next was from Daron.
"Karol, thought I should let you know. Remember those rumors about a so called guild in the works? Word's been going around that the clans are organizing. Nothing too tightly knit as of yet. Mostly more communications between the clans. There's also talk of raiding parties that'll be on call. Maybe I'll join one of 'em, sounds fun enough.
Anyway, some reps from Split turf just got here right after you left. They're helping with the set up. The basic outposts are going to be better equipped now.
Be careful out there. Comm me when you get a chance."
Yeah, Karol had heard the rumors. Never expected it to come this far. If they were getting more resources maybe they could loan her a new f...
Hold on. Split? Right after she...
The chatter among the passengers came to a stop after some very audible choice words were heard through the cabin door.
Assets
$57,542
TP Angel
--------
Commentary
This part actually took a couple of tries. Unfortunately, it turns out that despite being on decent terms with the pirates not all of them like me all that much. On the way out of my starting sector a bunch of red ships appeared. That didn't turn out too badly as they seemed more interested on getting to their destination. My turrets did end up popping a Discoverer though.
After going through the gate into PTNI, more hostiles came charging in. These were more determined to satiate their psychotic urges. I somehow made it to the PTNI station, with a Buzzard bailing on the way. Score! Anyways, I got close enough to the station so that the pirate's anti collision protocols kicked in and they mostly avoided coming in close.
Some maneuvering around later with only a few pot shots taken and I find myself a decent parking spot. Three out of four 25mj's were gone, and all for of my PRGs were blown. Now kicking myself for forgetting that I had a few fighter drones in storage...
I ejected to begin repairs...then my ship decided it had its own plans and began turning on its own. Without thinking I jumped back in to stop it then kaboom. Game over.
In hindsight there's a couple of different ways I could have handled this all this. Manually docking probably would have worked out.
On my second attempt I flew straight up out of the gate for about 10km. Still ran into those pesky pirates, but with much more favorable results this time. I wonder how the Pirates Guild is going to effect these relations, if at all.
-----------------------
Chapter 1
During her time with the local pirate bands, Karol had never really made that much of a name for herself. She didn't really go out of her way to start trouble. That was something she left for whomever the wing leader of the moment happened to be. All they had to do was point at a ship, read off the cargo manifest, and she was happy to partake in lightening the targets load.
This arrangement worked well for Karol. She got a cut of the profits and was free to go her own way. Aside from having her name dropped every now and then among the underworld circles she didn't have to worry too much about being recognized wherever she went.
The loss of her personal fighter hurt in more ways than one. It wasn't but a couple of weeks that she paid a hefty amount to have her ship's ID changed. Not an easy task in this day and age, but a necessary one in her line of work. At least it was to her. Most pirates she knew didn't seem to care all that much. Their funeral, she always thought.
Karol knew she'd have to get over her material loss. Even though, there was still the matter of payback. But it was going to take more than the nearly depleted sums - most of which having been used to work on her engines - in her account. In this universe there were plenty of opportunities to make some cash with not enough people willing to take on the work. For the time being it was the life of a free agent for the rattled pirate. Being mostly an unknown would work to her advantage.
A quick check over the local bulletins showed a few open jobs, but nothing that Karol could really do. Two asassination contracts...not going to happen. 'Patchy' Tomes hawking his sector maps. No thanks. And a build order for a 200mj shield fab. Well well. Looks like someone has some ambitions. Too bad Karol didn't have a few million on hand to help with that. It did give her some ideas for the future though.
As a last second decision she spent pretty much what was left of her funds on sunrise flowers. The road to riches has to start somewhere she figured.
On the way out of the sector a group of fighters passing through came up on scanners. Talk about bad timing. Despite that the pirate factions generally weren't supposed shoot at each other exceptions were ocassionally made. Such as now, when Karol was alerted to an incoming Banshee.
"Hey!" she called over her comms. "What the hell you doin?"
A Split greeted her with their equivalent of a grin. "Sorry. Thought you were trespasser. Split be more careful when firing at suspicious Argons." Before Karol could reply, the channel was cut.
"Yeah, sure you will."
The missile was an easy job for the Angels turrets. Finally, she made it through the gate into the PTNI sector...only to be greeted by more hostile "comrades".
"What is it with these guys?"
With only basic scanners installed Karol couldn't get a good read on what other ships were in the area. Fortunately you don't need anything advanced to see a hulking TL class out the window. At closer range it turned out to be one of the space casinos. Perfect. No way these idiots would risk hitting a favorite hangout.
Or maybe they would. With as much speed as her ship had - 129m/s - she flew and strafed around the back of the casino. This caused her persuers to get split up, making it easier for her turrets to fend off the ones who made it behind her. And what do you know, the local patrol finally decided to make themselves useful.
From here it turned into a little game of station hopping. A manual docking at PTNI HQ to recharge shields, then a run for the equipment dock. As it so happened there was a shrike and some ospreys in the area. When they noticed the commotion so close to their casino they must have decided that enough was enough. Not a tear was shed by Karol when the remaining fighters were blasted.
A search of the battleground revealed some parting gifts in the form of missiles. Karol scooped them up and sold a couple of them, keeping a mosquito and dragonfly for herself. She also gave up one of her shield generators, getting her enough funds to fully tune her engines and properly equip the TP with vital software.
A quick check on the bbs showed that a nearby group of fifteen needed a right to a hammer fab a couple of gate jumps over, into Two Grand. Well, time to stop being shy and start picking up some jobs that didn't involve terrorizing random traders.
Two new messages came in nearly one after the other. The first was a broadcast from some corporation Karol had never heard of. It basically said to expect to see ships marked as "Tanditech" flying about along with a not so veiled threat to keep her greedy hands off them. Quite a demand, that.
The next was from Daron.
"Karol, thought I should let you know. Remember those rumors about a so called guild in the works? Word's been going around that the clans are organizing. Nothing too tightly knit as of yet. Mostly more communications between the clans. There's also talk of raiding parties that'll be on call. Maybe I'll join one of 'em, sounds fun enough.
Anyway, some reps from Split turf just got here right after you left. They're helping with the set up. The basic outposts are going to be better equipped now.
Be careful out there. Comm me when you get a chance."
Yeah, Karol had heard the rumors. Never expected it to come this far. If they were getting more resources maybe they could loan her a new f...
Hold on. Split? Right after she...
The chatter among the passengers came to a stop after some very audible choice words were heard through the cabin door.
Assets
$57,542
TP Angel
--------
Commentary
This part actually took a couple of tries. Unfortunately, it turns out that despite being on decent terms with the pirates not all of them like me all that much. On the way out of my starting sector a bunch of red ships appeared. That didn't turn out too badly as they seemed more interested on getting to their destination. My turrets did end up popping a Discoverer though.
After going through the gate into PTNI, more hostiles came charging in. These were more determined to satiate their psychotic urges. I somehow made it to the PTNI station, with a Buzzard bailing on the way. Score! Anyways, I got close enough to the station so that the pirate's anti collision protocols kicked in and they mostly avoided coming in close.
Some maneuvering around later with only a few pot shots taken and I find myself a decent parking spot. Three out of four 25mj's were gone, and all for of my PRGs were blown. Now kicking myself for forgetting that I had a few fighter drones in storage...
I ejected to begin repairs...then my ship decided it had its own plans and began turning on its own. Without thinking I jumped back in to stop it then kaboom. Game over.
In hindsight there's a couple of different ways I could have handled this all this. Manually docking probably would have worked out.
On my second attempt I flew straight up out of the gate for about 10km. Still ran into those pesky pirates, but with much more favorable results this time. I wonder how the Pirates Guild is going to effect these relations, if at all.
-
Song Of Obsidian
- Posts: 305
- Joined: Wed, 19. Jun 13, 19:46
-
Triaxx2
- Posts: 7229
- Joined: Tue, 29. Dec 09, 02:15
While the death means it's not a DiD anyway, you can still play the game as one without using the Steam DiD mode. That's what inspired the mode to start with.
A Pirate's Revenge Completed Now in PDF by _Zap_
APR Book 2: Best Served Cold Updated 8/5/2016
The Tale of Ea't s'Quid Completed
Dovie'andi se tovya sagain
APR Book 2: Best Served Cold Updated 8/5/2016
The Tale of Ea't s'Quid Completed
Dovie'andi se tovya sagain
-
carpeinfinitum
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Thu, 3. Oct 13, 11:30
Chapter 2
With her taxi trip at an end, Karol took some time to look around Two Grand. Considering the size of the sector she would have liked to have a more powerful scanner. Oh well. If she was stuck flying a transport ship, at least it was one of the faster ones available with a max speed of 155 m/s. The local channels weren't showing any suitable jobs, so it was time to leave.
A couple of gates later and she was in Scale Plate Green. The opposite of Two Grand, this sector was rather cramped. Being full of rocks didn't help the matter. This was the type of place that Karol would avoid getting into fights in unless there was a plan involved. Even then, it could be nerve wracking.
She dropped off her flowers at one of the nostrop facilities for a miniscule profit then took off for Nyana's hideout.
The first thing she noticed after exiting the gate was just how utterly quiet it all was. It was hard to believe that there had been battles raging across the sector just recently. No leftover debris, not even a lost crate to speak of. It was just another quiet day with minimal traffic passing through.
Even more surprising was the distillery floating about. With the crack down on piracy Karol would have expected that to have been a primary target. She guessed the authorities were too busy elsewhere to devote resources on chasing out bootleggers.
A quick check on the commercial channel showed that the station was low on wheat. Perhaps it was time for a visit to see if there were any familiar faces around. One of the local wheat farms had a nice stock, so one fill up later and Karol was on her way.
Before making it there she noticed a pirate fighter...no, two fighters, on scanners. They didn't seem like they were interested in causing trouble. The pair didn't so much as stop to harrass any unfortunate souls. Karol thought that she would see if they had any good info on going ons.
"Hey, you got a minute?"
"Go choke on soja!" Was the only response she got before getting cut off.
"Well, sorry for bothering you."
Karol made her delivery and decided one more wouldn't hurt. The farm had just had its stock cut down by a free trader, but still had plenty left to stay within a decent profit margin. After this she boarded the distillery. Not much going on, just a few merchants trying to make deals. And the familiar face she was looking for.
"Sup Marelle?"
A red head wearing a jumpsuit looked up from the terminal she was working at. She squinted, trying to see who called her from across the room.
"Karol? That you?" Marelle picked up her glasses from her desk. "Hey! What are you doing here?"
"Passing through," Karol said, pulling up a chair. "I saw you were low on supplies so I brought you some more."
"Yeah, I can see the transactions on my monitor. That was you? Don't tell me you've gone legit?"
Karol shrugged. "Times are tough."
With a sigh, Marelle grabbed a chair for herself, turning it backwards before sitting. She leaned on the back, sleepily rubbing an eye. "Tell me about it. You'd think being on the border of Teladi space there would be more of a demand for 'fuel'. I haven't had this many full barrels in, oh, ever."
"Unless I'm mistaken you're barely at half capacity."
"I know! I've resorted to lowering prices to below a thousand creds per load."
Karol smirked. "Oh, poor you. Whatever are you going to do?"
"If I don't start selling more of this stuff?" Marelle seemed to think for a moment. It become apparent she was in fact about to fall asleep until she jerked back to the world of the waking. "What was I saying? Right. If I don't start making sales I'm going to have to dispose of some of it."
"By dispose, you mean...?"
"Getting drunk off my ass? You bet."
Karol shook her head in amusement before changing subjects. "You look exhausted. Don't you get any rest?"
"I've been busy keeping things calm around here. It's been chaotic lately. My business partner hasn't reported in since the recent fighting. So I've been working it alone."
"You have an automated system, right?"
Marelle brought her head up. "I'm not going to leave the running of this facility to a computer without someone around to supervise it. I know, they're supposed to be super reliable. But this is my business. I'm not going to have a glitch blow it all up for me."
"You know, you could hire some employees."
"I could..."
"But you won't." With that Karol stood up. "Listen, I need to get going. I've been going around looking for odd jobs, so, I minus well see what's out there."
Marelle stretched out her arms then partially slumped over. "Why don't you do some trading around here for awhile? I mean if you really are going legit I'm sure there's some opportunities. The locals aren't keeping up with demand as well as they could be. More money changing hands out there could mean more sales for me in here."
"I suppose I could stick around for a bit. On the condition that you get some sleep. In return I'll check in every now and then to make sure your computer isn't broadcasting demands that we all consent to terraforming."
"It's a deal."
Now she was going to be a trader. Talk about moving up in the galaxy, she thought sarcastically. At least she had an advantage over the competition in that none of those freighters could keep up. Her cargo hold may not be as large as an actual trade ship, but at least she'd have a better chance at getting to a station before any opportunities were completely taken.
On the way to the docking port one of the merchants waved Karol over.
"I overheard that you're going to be making the economy spin again."
"Um, sure. Why not."
The man, wearing a ragged tie and hat, grinned. "To make things work, factories generally need people. And people, they generally need to eat."
"Kind of want to get going..."
"I have a small supply of the highest grade argnu beef. I'm not so much in the "pick up, drop off" business myself, so I thought you might be interested in acquiring it for your ventures."
"How much you want for them," Karol asked, expecting some ridiculous asking price.
"For the lot? Twenty three containers for 3100."
"Hmm." These types liked to barter. And she had a friend in need. Maybe there was a better deal to be made here. "How about three barrels of space fuel? The value comes pretty close."
The stranger considered it for a few moments. "With current prices I will essentially be getting less than my asking amount."
"But," Karol interjected, "You know how expensive this stuff can get. I'd almost be willing to wager that before too long you'll find a buyer willing to shell out the cash. Think about it, this could easily be a win-win for both of us."
"True," the man nodded slightly. "Alright, I know a deal when I see one. I will have my product transferred to your ship once you have yours ready to come into my possession."
A short time later and the transaction was done. Karol thought that she might have a knack for this. That merchant seemed a little "greasy" though. Regardless she now had some trading to do.
Assets
$98,498
TP Angel
With her taxi trip at an end, Karol took some time to look around Two Grand. Considering the size of the sector she would have liked to have a more powerful scanner. Oh well. If she was stuck flying a transport ship, at least it was one of the faster ones available with a max speed of 155 m/s. The local channels weren't showing any suitable jobs, so it was time to leave.
A couple of gates later and she was in Scale Plate Green. The opposite of Two Grand, this sector was rather cramped. Being full of rocks didn't help the matter. This was the type of place that Karol would avoid getting into fights in unless there was a plan involved. Even then, it could be nerve wracking.
She dropped off her flowers at one of the nostrop facilities for a miniscule profit then took off for Nyana's hideout.
The first thing she noticed after exiting the gate was just how utterly quiet it all was. It was hard to believe that there had been battles raging across the sector just recently. No leftover debris, not even a lost crate to speak of. It was just another quiet day with minimal traffic passing through.
Even more surprising was the distillery floating about. With the crack down on piracy Karol would have expected that to have been a primary target. She guessed the authorities were too busy elsewhere to devote resources on chasing out bootleggers.
A quick check on the commercial channel showed that the station was low on wheat. Perhaps it was time for a visit to see if there were any familiar faces around. One of the local wheat farms had a nice stock, so one fill up later and Karol was on her way.
Before making it there she noticed a pirate fighter...no, two fighters, on scanners. They didn't seem like they were interested in causing trouble. The pair didn't so much as stop to harrass any unfortunate souls. Karol thought that she would see if they had any good info on going ons.
"Hey, you got a minute?"
"Go choke on soja!" Was the only response she got before getting cut off.
"Well, sorry for bothering you."
Karol made her delivery and decided one more wouldn't hurt. The farm had just had its stock cut down by a free trader, but still had plenty left to stay within a decent profit margin. After this she boarded the distillery. Not much going on, just a few merchants trying to make deals. And the familiar face she was looking for.
"Sup Marelle?"
A red head wearing a jumpsuit looked up from the terminal she was working at. She squinted, trying to see who called her from across the room.
"Karol? That you?" Marelle picked up her glasses from her desk. "Hey! What are you doing here?"
"Passing through," Karol said, pulling up a chair. "I saw you were low on supplies so I brought you some more."
"Yeah, I can see the transactions on my monitor. That was you? Don't tell me you've gone legit?"
Karol shrugged. "Times are tough."
With a sigh, Marelle grabbed a chair for herself, turning it backwards before sitting. She leaned on the back, sleepily rubbing an eye. "Tell me about it. You'd think being on the border of Teladi space there would be more of a demand for 'fuel'. I haven't had this many full barrels in, oh, ever."
"Unless I'm mistaken you're barely at half capacity."
"I know! I've resorted to lowering prices to below a thousand creds per load."
Karol smirked. "Oh, poor you. Whatever are you going to do?"
"If I don't start selling more of this stuff?" Marelle seemed to think for a moment. It become apparent she was in fact about to fall asleep until she jerked back to the world of the waking. "What was I saying? Right. If I don't start making sales I'm going to have to dispose of some of it."
"By dispose, you mean...?"
"Getting drunk off my ass? You bet."
Karol shook her head in amusement before changing subjects. "You look exhausted. Don't you get any rest?"
"I've been busy keeping things calm around here. It's been chaotic lately. My business partner hasn't reported in since the recent fighting. So I've been working it alone."
"You have an automated system, right?"
Marelle brought her head up. "I'm not going to leave the running of this facility to a computer without someone around to supervise it. I know, they're supposed to be super reliable. But this is my business. I'm not going to have a glitch blow it all up for me."
"You know, you could hire some employees."
"I could..."
"But you won't." With that Karol stood up. "Listen, I need to get going. I've been going around looking for odd jobs, so, I minus well see what's out there."
Marelle stretched out her arms then partially slumped over. "Why don't you do some trading around here for awhile? I mean if you really are going legit I'm sure there's some opportunities. The locals aren't keeping up with demand as well as they could be. More money changing hands out there could mean more sales for me in here."
"I suppose I could stick around for a bit. On the condition that you get some sleep. In return I'll check in every now and then to make sure your computer isn't broadcasting demands that we all consent to terraforming."
"It's a deal."
Now she was going to be a trader. Talk about moving up in the galaxy, she thought sarcastically. At least she had an advantage over the competition in that none of those freighters could keep up. Her cargo hold may not be as large as an actual trade ship, but at least she'd have a better chance at getting to a station before any opportunities were completely taken.
On the way to the docking port one of the merchants waved Karol over.
"I overheard that you're going to be making the economy spin again."
"Um, sure. Why not."
The man, wearing a ragged tie and hat, grinned. "To make things work, factories generally need people. And people, they generally need to eat."
"Kind of want to get going..."
"I have a small supply of the highest grade argnu beef. I'm not so much in the "pick up, drop off" business myself, so I thought you might be interested in acquiring it for your ventures."
"How much you want for them," Karol asked, expecting some ridiculous asking price.
"For the lot? Twenty three containers for 3100."
"Hmm." These types liked to barter. And she had a friend in need. Maybe there was a better deal to be made here. "How about three barrels of space fuel? The value comes pretty close."
The stranger considered it for a few moments. "With current prices I will essentially be getting less than my asking amount."
"But," Karol interjected, "You know how expensive this stuff can get. I'd almost be willing to wager that before too long you'll find a buyer willing to shell out the cash. Think about it, this could easily be a win-win for both of us."
"True," the man nodded slightly. "Alright, I know a deal when I see one. I will have my product transferred to your ship once you have yours ready to come into my possession."
A short time later and the transaction was done. Karol thought that she might have a knack for this. That merchant seemed a little "greasy" though. Regardless she now had some trading to do.
Assets
$98,498
TP Angel
-
Song Of Obsidian
- Posts: 305
- Joined: Wed, 19. Jun 13, 19:46
-
carpeinfinitum
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Thu, 3. Oct 13, 11:30
Chapter 3
"Man, this honest work thing is a drag," Karol said to herself. It wasn't so much the work itself as it was flying around in circles trying to find the best prices. After years of making a living off of robbing other pilots with the ocassional combat gig, this was going to take some adjusting. Still, she now had over two hundred grand in her account. It was becoming apparent why so many were attracted to this type of work, even if sometimes the only things readily available for trade were energy cells and wheat.
Ready to call it a day, Karol set her auto pilot to the space distillery. She wanted to say bye to Marelle before heading off back "home" to the pirate outpost. Her console beeped, indicating an incoming message from the station.
"Karol here. What can-"
"Please, I need help," a male voice answered. "I just made it back here. I've been avoiding Yaki's. I thought I lost them but there's one headed this way now."
"Whoa, calm down," Karol slowly said. "Is the station owner available?"
"What? Yes, of course. I'm he. The co-owner anyways. What does it matter?"
Karol thought she recognized the voice. "Hanes, I want you to get Marelle. Tell her what's going on. I've seen some Argon military passing through. Let me try to get them to help." What was he doing asking a personnel transport for help? Was she just the first name on the list or something? She didn't have time to think about this as a solitary scout came speeding in.
Okay, think. There was absolutely nothing one of those could do against a station. On the other hand they may have backup. Although Karol wasn't in a combat ship she still had her turrets and two missiles. That would be plenty. But she didn't want to risk getting on the Yaki's bad side either.
Her console beeped again.
"Thank you for the help. Here's a little something for your trouble. I'm sure they weren't able to get a message out to their friends."
What? Karol read her sensor logs. The fighter was nowhere to be found. Instead, there were a few loose missiles floating near the station with debris spread about.
"No way," she began laughing at the realization of what just happened. The idiot crashed right into the distillery. What did he do, switch on the auto pilot? Those things can be suicidal in the wrong situations. Or maybe he was merely incompetant. Who cares, there was loot to be had.
After claiming her prize Karol docked. Neither owner could be found. Hanes was likely being interrogated by his business partner. Not one to interrupt such things she put in a last minute order for twenty barrels of space fuel.
During the trip Karol picked up a message from a Teladi needing a lost ship returned. A harrier, one sector over. It didn't pay much but it was on the way, so why not?
A hop and a skip later and she was back in pirate controlled territory. The first thing Karol noticed was the increased number of ships. A Galleon carrier mulled around the outpost, with several Blastclaw class fighters patrolling. And the outpost was now tagged as being a part of the new guild.
Karol took her PDA from a slot in the side of the cockpit.
"Begin message for Daron Jael."
"Ready for input," 'Betty' replied.
"Daron, this Karol. I'm in the sector. Tell the barkeep that I'm bringing home some beer. You've gotta fill me in on what's going on. I almost feel as if I'm watching a major raiding party get together." With a tap of the finger the message was sent. Minutes later she was greeted at the airlock by her friend.
"You're a lifesaver," Daron said. "We ran out of the good stuff long ago. Some of the boys have resorted to the lower grade drinks."
Karol crossed her arms. "Glad I could help. So what's the haps?"
Daron grinned. "Oh man. I think you're going to like this. We have this new network now. We're going to be able to better organize raids, share intel on who's carrying decent loot, we even have a news bulletin now. Access is sort of restricted, but if you have the standing that shouldn't be a problem."
"Won't this eventually attract unwanted attention?" Karol asked. "You know, like the military?"
Daron shrugged. "And if we do? I think you're missing the point here."
"Oh, I get it alright."
"Sure. Oh, before I forget, we have jumpdrives now."
That got Karol's interest. "We do? When did this happen?"
"I don't know where the parts are being sourced from, but we have some guys who have been building and shipping them out to the different bases. I know you probably need one."
A Teladi appeared from around a corner. "Jael. Galleon captain wishess to speak with you. Captain sayss to see him before the meeting."
"I'll be right there," Daron replied.
"Moving up in the world?"
"I guess so. I've been asked to help train fighter recruits. Apparently someone thinks I'm smart enough to teach."
Karol 'humphed'. "Or that same someone is desperate."
"Hey now..."
"Go take care of your business. I need to figure out what I'm going to do next."
"You go build your trading empire. And if you could do me a favor," Daron spoke in a hushed tone. "Consider sticking to it. It may not be as exciting but it's a hell of a lot less risky than all this..."
"Daron..." Karol said in an annoyed tone.
"No. Really. And because of your history with the clans we can make sure that you're not bothered. You wouldn't be the first to go 'inactive'."
Karol sighed. It was a nice gesture. But it wasn't one she wanted. "Daron, stop. This," she spread her hands out, "This is my life. I know the risks. I nearly died from them. And yet I'm still here. Tell you what, I'll keep up what I've started for now. Honestly, I won't mind the break from the action. But what I'm doing is a small part of something bigger."
"Okay. I understand," Daron said solemnly. "You do what you must. I have somewhere to be." And with that he turned away.
Karol went back to her ship. She needed to get away from here. Now that she had experience in the markets it was getting time to take this thing full steam. Now if only she could figure out how exactly she was going to do that...
Assets
$32,953
TP Angel
Commentary
I normally don't do a lot of manual trading in X3, much less bartering. For this round I did a fair amount of both. Having a good idea of where some decent trade routes are and a calculator nearby for figuring out which barter deals are worthwhile are really all that's needed. In general, the cash offers are not all that great. For example, I've consistently seen offers for energy cells come out to equal 16 credits each. On the other hand if you have products the merchants want there's a chance of getting a decent deal.
Things should start picking up in the near future. My assets list has been rather static for the most part since I've started. That will begin to change.
"Man, this honest work thing is a drag," Karol said to herself. It wasn't so much the work itself as it was flying around in circles trying to find the best prices. After years of making a living off of robbing other pilots with the ocassional combat gig, this was going to take some adjusting. Still, she now had over two hundred grand in her account. It was becoming apparent why so many were attracted to this type of work, even if sometimes the only things readily available for trade were energy cells and wheat.
Ready to call it a day, Karol set her auto pilot to the space distillery. She wanted to say bye to Marelle before heading off back "home" to the pirate outpost. Her console beeped, indicating an incoming message from the station.
"Karol here. What can-"
"Please, I need help," a male voice answered. "I just made it back here. I've been avoiding Yaki's. I thought I lost them but there's one headed this way now."
"Whoa, calm down," Karol slowly said. "Is the station owner available?"
"What? Yes, of course. I'm he. The co-owner anyways. What does it matter?"
Karol thought she recognized the voice. "Hanes, I want you to get Marelle. Tell her what's going on. I've seen some Argon military passing through. Let me try to get them to help." What was he doing asking a personnel transport for help? Was she just the first name on the list or something? She didn't have time to think about this as a solitary scout came speeding in.
Okay, think. There was absolutely nothing one of those could do against a station. On the other hand they may have backup. Although Karol wasn't in a combat ship she still had her turrets and two missiles. That would be plenty. But she didn't want to risk getting on the Yaki's bad side either.
Her console beeped again.
"Thank you for the help. Here's a little something for your trouble. I'm sure they weren't able to get a message out to their friends."
What? Karol read her sensor logs. The fighter was nowhere to be found. Instead, there were a few loose missiles floating near the station with debris spread about.
"No way," she began laughing at the realization of what just happened. The idiot crashed right into the distillery. What did he do, switch on the auto pilot? Those things can be suicidal in the wrong situations. Or maybe he was merely incompetant. Who cares, there was loot to be had.
After claiming her prize Karol docked. Neither owner could be found. Hanes was likely being interrogated by his business partner. Not one to interrupt such things she put in a last minute order for twenty barrels of space fuel.
During the trip Karol picked up a message from a Teladi needing a lost ship returned. A harrier, one sector over. It didn't pay much but it was on the way, so why not?
A hop and a skip later and she was back in pirate controlled territory. The first thing Karol noticed was the increased number of ships. A Galleon carrier mulled around the outpost, with several Blastclaw class fighters patrolling. And the outpost was now tagged as being a part of the new guild.
Karol took her PDA from a slot in the side of the cockpit.
"Begin message for Daron Jael."
"Ready for input," 'Betty' replied.
"Daron, this Karol. I'm in the sector. Tell the barkeep that I'm bringing home some beer. You've gotta fill me in on what's going on. I almost feel as if I'm watching a major raiding party get together." With a tap of the finger the message was sent. Minutes later she was greeted at the airlock by her friend.
"You're a lifesaver," Daron said. "We ran out of the good stuff long ago. Some of the boys have resorted to the lower grade drinks."
Karol crossed her arms. "Glad I could help. So what's the haps?"
Daron grinned. "Oh man. I think you're going to like this. We have this new network now. We're going to be able to better organize raids, share intel on who's carrying decent loot, we even have a news bulletin now. Access is sort of restricted, but if you have the standing that shouldn't be a problem."
"Won't this eventually attract unwanted attention?" Karol asked. "You know, like the military?"
Daron shrugged. "And if we do? I think you're missing the point here."
"Oh, I get it alright."
"Sure. Oh, before I forget, we have jumpdrives now."
That got Karol's interest. "We do? When did this happen?"
"I don't know where the parts are being sourced from, but we have some guys who have been building and shipping them out to the different bases. I know you probably need one."
A Teladi appeared from around a corner. "Jael. Galleon captain wishess to speak with you. Captain sayss to see him before the meeting."
"I'll be right there," Daron replied.
"Moving up in the world?"
"I guess so. I've been asked to help train fighter recruits. Apparently someone thinks I'm smart enough to teach."
Karol 'humphed'. "Or that same someone is desperate."
"Hey now..."
"Go take care of your business. I need to figure out what I'm going to do next."
"You go build your trading empire. And if you could do me a favor," Daron spoke in a hushed tone. "Consider sticking to it. It may not be as exciting but it's a hell of a lot less risky than all this..."
"Daron..." Karol said in an annoyed tone.
"No. Really. And because of your history with the clans we can make sure that you're not bothered. You wouldn't be the first to go 'inactive'."
Karol sighed. It was a nice gesture. But it wasn't one she wanted. "Daron, stop. This," she spread her hands out, "This is my life. I know the risks. I nearly died from them. And yet I'm still here. Tell you what, I'll keep up what I've started for now. Honestly, I won't mind the break from the action. But what I'm doing is a small part of something bigger."
"Okay. I understand," Daron said solemnly. "You do what you must. I have somewhere to be." And with that he turned away.
Karol went back to her ship. She needed to get away from here. Now that she had experience in the markets it was getting time to take this thing full steam. Now if only she could figure out how exactly she was going to do that...
Assets
$32,953
TP Angel
Commentary
I normally don't do a lot of manual trading in X3, much less bartering. For this round I did a fair amount of both. Having a good idea of where some decent trade routes are and a calculator nearby for figuring out which barter deals are worthwhile are really all that's needed. In general, the cash offers are not all that great. For example, I've consistently seen offers for energy cells come out to equal 16 credits each. On the other hand if you have products the merchants want there's a chance of getting a decent deal.
Things should start picking up in the near future. My assets list has been rather static for the most part since I've started. That will begin to change.
-
carpeinfinitum
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Thu, 3. Oct 13, 11:30
I'm borrowing a name from the phanon mod for this chapter. Here goes.
------------------------
Chapter Four
Phanon Corporation
Tanditech HQ
"Mr. Kormal?"
Kyrdall watched the hustle and bustle from the catwalk suspended above the docking bay. The little people below carried on in their work in a way that the burly man thought of as a sort of 'art in motion.' They each had a purpose, cogs that kept the system moving smoothly. Individually they may not be worth much. Together though, things truly got done.
The thing about cogs and gears, was that sometimes they could be a tad squeeky. Despite the necessity of these parts to the grand whole of the machine, Kyrdall found that they could be...annoying.
"Mr. Kormal," the voice said again.
"Yes Miss Stefanie," Kyrdall replied in restrained irritation, "I can hear you quite well. What is it you need?"
Stefanie Rana, standing slightly taller at 5'10'' and in company garb kept in nearly pristine condition, stepped toward her boss. "Sir, sorry to interrupt your...viewing...there are a few matters to attend to. First, the delegation from NMMC has arrived. Our representatives need your decisions on-"
"No more than five percent of our shares assuming they will match it, yes we are willing to exchange information on asteroid yields, no we will most certainly not participate in any employee exchanges," Kyrdall said quickly and to the point.
Stefanie tapped some points on her data pad. "Next, there are some purchases-"
"Send them to Kelly. That's what she's paid for."
"-which require your authorization," Stefanie continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. She held her pad out toward Kyrdall. He pressed his thumb against the indicated spot while inputting a numerical code.
"Perfect. You may also like to know that our Public Relations department has accepted an interview with the Boron Lar Yili Lo. She's known across various aquatic sports circles for her exceptional journalistic reporting. The Lar will be interested in hearing about our company's participation in next year's games."
It took more willpower than Kyrdall would openly admit to not roll his eyes in exasperation. Why was she telling him this? As long as PR did their job what did it matter? "Miss Stefanie. If there is nothing else of any importance I would very much like to be left to my own devices, thank you."
"No, I don't believe there is sir." With a pivot toward the nearest door, Stefanie took three steps away then stopped. "Oh, there is one matter. I believe that Mr. Cheram has arrived on station."
Kyrdall's eyes grew wide at this news. "He...when...why didn't you tell me this to begin with?!" he sputtered out. Despite being early, the board director wouldn't tolerate being kept waiting for long. With any hesitation he sped down the catwalk at a near run, nearly knocking over a passing dock worker on the way.
If anyone happened to see Stefanie, they may wonder about the satisfied expression she wore.
------------
'Deep, slow breaths," Kyrdall told himself. He pressed two fingers against his wrist and counted the beats. His heart rate was returning to normal. Relieved to at least have that much he patted his sweaty palms against his pant legs.
"Damn this infernal anxiety," he said to himself. To think that he, Kyrdall Kormal, had to live with such a problem. Years of building himself toward perfection, of crafting the reputation which lead to him being granted his prestigious position. He couldn't allow irrational fear to make himself seem weak in front of his superiors.
"Superior," Kyrdall said with disgust. One day...
The elevator came to a stop. Composing himself, he stepped across the threshold to see Mr. Cheram with his entourage. The director's expression was that of complete stoicism. Some found it unsettling never being able to read his emotions. Kyrdall saw it as a sign of strength that he had yet to reach.
"Mis-ter Kormal. I am happy to see that you have arrived." Cheram spoke each word in a deliberate manner. His accompanying men all stood with their hands behind their backs, and all in identical suits. A few seemed a little gruff, but who was Kyrdall to judge the director's choice of company?
"Yes sir. I had just received word of your arrival. If I may say so, you're ahead of schedule. Would you like to begin the tour now?"
Cheram 'hm'd' at the offer. "As you should know, a business that stays ahead of schedule stays ahead of the competition. Hence my early arrival. I thought you would have anticipated that."
Kyrdall stopped himself from swallowing. "Of course, sir. If you would come with me?"
Fifteen minutes followed. Kyrdall gave his prepared remarks as they passed by trading hubs, cargo transfer and processing points, offices, and various other important locations. Cheram stopped when he noticed a sign pointing out the cafeteria.
"I've seen enough. It's apparent enough that you are managing an efficient operation. There are still matters that I wish to speak with you about." He turned around to face his entourage. "Why don't you make yourselves comfortable for a bit? Meet back at the ship in one hour."
'An hour?' Kyrdall thought to himself.
"Don't worry, I won't take up that much of your time," Mr. Cheram said, almost as if he could read minds. "I merely want to give my people some time to relax. I'm afraid that I've been working them harder than normal lately."
"Of course. It will be good for their morale."
"Hm. I would like to see the -other- side of this operation."
Ah yes. The more unpleasant aspect of Phanon's business in the galaxy. "This way, please." They walked down corridors and rode a couple of elevators without much chit chat. Stefanie passed them on the way from the direction of the manager's officer, and gave a curt nod. Cheram gave the obligatory nod in return.
"I take it that your assistant is performing up to expectations?"
Kyrdall hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second. "Yes sir. Miss Stef-, excuse me, Miss Rana is doing quite well here. No preventable hiccups to speak of."
"Preventable?"
"Sometimes outside traders don't agree with our policies. Certain species of the galaxy are more prone to rash behavior. Miss Rana does well at bringing tempers back down."
"I see. As long as these types of situations are kept under hand then it is nothing to be concerned with."
They arrived at a guarded set of double doors. Security verified their ID's with a quick scan from a small device. A second short corridor equipped with sensors checked for weapons and other restricted items. Reading that they were clean, a second set of doors slid open.
"This," Kyrdall said, "Is where our military operations are managed."
Mr. Cheram stepped up to a balcony overlooking a large room. Computer terminals lined one wall. Secured lockers lined another. Cargo containers were moved to and fro atop anti grav lifts. And all around were those from differing specialized backgrounds either busily doing tasks or awaiting new assignments.
"Ah yes," Mr. Cheram said. "Do you know why you were chosen for your position, Mr. Kormal?"
"Because I've proven that I can run a business?"
"No. You were chosen in the same manner as every one of these individuals." Cheram leaned against the side rail. "Your history was analyzed. A psychological profile was put together. And from there we simply watched. It was decided that from a pool of candidates, none of which knew they were being considered, you were the best for our intentions. Despite certain quirks the Board and President voted six to one to place you at the head of Tanditech."
"I am honored to have this opportunity," Kyrdall said calmly. On the inside he was feeling conflicted. He valued his privacy. Exactly how deep did they look?
"Everyone in this company was chosen in a similar manner," Cheram continued, "to differing levels of scrutiny of course. Much of the voting was delegated to trusted advisors. We were meticulous in bringing only the most appropriate individuals for the jobs needed. It's your responsibility to see to it that we weren't mistaken."
"Sir, I assure you that Tanditech will be the best that it can possibly be."
"I hope so. Because Mr. Kyrdall, that dissenting vote toward your promotion? That was me." Silence fell between them. After a stretched out moment Kyrdall opened his mouth to say something but was quickly cut off. "Now then, I'm sure you will do well. I would like to tour the station on my own, so I will let you get back to work." With nothing else to add Cheram excused himself.
Kyrdall decided that he could spend the rest of the day in his office. He was beginning to see why people found Mr. Cheram to be unsettling.
------------------------
Chapter Four
Phanon Corporation
Tanditech HQ
"Mr. Kormal?"
Kyrdall watched the hustle and bustle from the catwalk suspended above the docking bay. The little people below carried on in their work in a way that the burly man thought of as a sort of 'art in motion.' They each had a purpose, cogs that kept the system moving smoothly. Individually they may not be worth much. Together though, things truly got done.
The thing about cogs and gears, was that sometimes they could be a tad squeeky. Despite the necessity of these parts to the grand whole of the machine, Kyrdall found that they could be...annoying.
"Mr. Kormal," the voice said again.
"Yes Miss Stefanie," Kyrdall replied in restrained irritation, "I can hear you quite well. What is it you need?"
Stefanie Rana, standing slightly taller at 5'10'' and in company garb kept in nearly pristine condition, stepped toward her boss. "Sir, sorry to interrupt your...viewing...there are a few matters to attend to. First, the delegation from NMMC has arrived. Our representatives need your decisions on-"
"No more than five percent of our shares assuming they will match it, yes we are willing to exchange information on asteroid yields, no we will most certainly not participate in any employee exchanges," Kyrdall said quickly and to the point.
Stefanie tapped some points on her data pad. "Next, there are some purchases-"
"Send them to Kelly. That's what she's paid for."
"-which require your authorization," Stefanie continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. She held her pad out toward Kyrdall. He pressed his thumb against the indicated spot while inputting a numerical code.
"Perfect. You may also like to know that our Public Relations department has accepted an interview with the Boron Lar Yili Lo. She's known across various aquatic sports circles for her exceptional journalistic reporting. The Lar will be interested in hearing about our company's participation in next year's games."
It took more willpower than Kyrdall would openly admit to not roll his eyes in exasperation. Why was she telling him this? As long as PR did their job what did it matter? "Miss Stefanie. If there is nothing else of any importance I would very much like to be left to my own devices, thank you."
"No, I don't believe there is sir." With a pivot toward the nearest door, Stefanie took three steps away then stopped. "Oh, there is one matter. I believe that Mr. Cheram has arrived on station."
Kyrdall's eyes grew wide at this news. "He...when...why didn't you tell me this to begin with?!" he sputtered out. Despite being early, the board director wouldn't tolerate being kept waiting for long. With any hesitation he sped down the catwalk at a near run, nearly knocking over a passing dock worker on the way.
If anyone happened to see Stefanie, they may wonder about the satisfied expression she wore.
------------
'Deep, slow breaths," Kyrdall told himself. He pressed two fingers against his wrist and counted the beats. His heart rate was returning to normal. Relieved to at least have that much he patted his sweaty palms against his pant legs.
"Damn this infernal anxiety," he said to himself. To think that he, Kyrdall Kormal, had to live with such a problem. Years of building himself toward perfection, of crafting the reputation which lead to him being granted his prestigious position. He couldn't allow irrational fear to make himself seem weak in front of his superiors.
"Superior," Kyrdall said with disgust. One day...
The elevator came to a stop. Composing himself, he stepped across the threshold to see Mr. Cheram with his entourage. The director's expression was that of complete stoicism. Some found it unsettling never being able to read his emotions. Kyrdall saw it as a sign of strength that he had yet to reach.
"Mis-ter Kormal. I am happy to see that you have arrived." Cheram spoke each word in a deliberate manner. His accompanying men all stood with their hands behind their backs, and all in identical suits. A few seemed a little gruff, but who was Kyrdall to judge the director's choice of company?
"Yes sir. I had just received word of your arrival. If I may say so, you're ahead of schedule. Would you like to begin the tour now?"
Cheram 'hm'd' at the offer. "As you should know, a business that stays ahead of schedule stays ahead of the competition. Hence my early arrival. I thought you would have anticipated that."
Kyrdall stopped himself from swallowing. "Of course, sir. If you would come with me?"
Fifteen minutes followed. Kyrdall gave his prepared remarks as they passed by trading hubs, cargo transfer and processing points, offices, and various other important locations. Cheram stopped when he noticed a sign pointing out the cafeteria.
"I've seen enough. It's apparent enough that you are managing an efficient operation. There are still matters that I wish to speak with you about." He turned around to face his entourage. "Why don't you make yourselves comfortable for a bit? Meet back at the ship in one hour."
'An hour?' Kyrdall thought to himself.
"Don't worry, I won't take up that much of your time," Mr. Cheram said, almost as if he could read minds. "I merely want to give my people some time to relax. I'm afraid that I've been working them harder than normal lately."
"Of course. It will be good for their morale."
"Hm. I would like to see the -other- side of this operation."
Ah yes. The more unpleasant aspect of Phanon's business in the galaxy. "This way, please." They walked down corridors and rode a couple of elevators without much chit chat. Stefanie passed them on the way from the direction of the manager's officer, and gave a curt nod. Cheram gave the obligatory nod in return.
"I take it that your assistant is performing up to expectations?"
Kyrdall hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second. "Yes sir. Miss Stef-, excuse me, Miss Rana is doing quite well here. No preventable hiccups to speak of."
"Preventable?"
"Sometimes outside traders don't agree with our policies. Certain species of the galaxy are more prone to rash behavior. Miss Rana does well at bringing tempers back down."
"I see. As long as these types of situations are kept under hand then it is nothing to be concerned with."
They arrived at a guarded set of double doors. Security verified their ID's with a quick scan from a small device. A second short corridor equipped with sensors checked for weapons and other restricted items. Reading that they were clean, a second set of doors slid open.
"This," Kyrdall said, "Is where our military operations are managed."
Mr. Cheram stepped up to a balcony overlooking a large room. Computer terminals lined one wall. Secured lockers lined another. Cargo containers were moved to and fro atop anti grav lifts. And all around were those from differing specialized backgrounds either busily doing tasks or awaiting new assignments.
"Ah yes," Mr. Cheram said. "Do you know why you were chosen for your position, Mr. Kormal?"
"Because I've proven that I can run a business?"
"No. You were chosen in the same manner as every one of these individuals." Cheram leaned against the side rail. "Your history was analyzed. A psychological profile was put together. And from there we simply watched. It was decided that from a pool of candidates, none of which knew they were being considered, you were the best for our intentions. Despite certain quirks the Board and President voted six to one to place you at the head of Tanditech."
"I am honored to have this opportunity," Kyrdall said calmly. On the inside he was feeling conflicted. He valued his privacy. Exactly how deep did they look?
"Everyone in this company was chosen in a similar manner," Cheram continued, "to differing levels of scrutiny of course. Much of the voting was delegated to trusted advisors. We were meticulous in bringing only the most appropriate individuals for the jobs needed. It's your responsibility to see to it that we weren't mistaken."
"Sir, I assure you that Tanditech will be the best that it can possibly be."
"I hope so. Because Mr. Kyrdall, that dissenting vote toward your promotion? That was me." Silence fell between them. After a stretched out moment Kyrdall opened his mouth to say something but was quickly cut off. "Now then, I'm sure you will do well. I would like to tour the station on my own, so I will let you get back to work." With nothing else to add Cheram excused himself.
Kyrdall decided that he could spend the rest of the day in his office. He was beginning to see why people found Mr. Cheram to be unsettling.
-
carpeinfinitum
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Thu, 3. Oct 13, 11:30
Chapter Five
Systems on auto pilot (it could at least handle flying through gates, right? Right?), Karol kept an eye out for jobs. Flying through several sectors didn't turn up much that she could do. Then she noticed a ship flagged for sale.
"Selling something?" Karol asked through the comm.
"Sure am!" the pilot on the other end said enthusiastically. "You can have this beauty for the low price of thirty six grand. You're not going to find another deal like this anytime soon I reckon."
That was quite a bargain. Karol checked her account to find herself short by a few thousand.
"Hey man, would you be willing to come down to thirty four?"
There was a pause, then laughter. "Girl, I don't know where you come from, but around here transports are worth more far more than what I'm asking for. I'm not coming down a single cred."
Okay, think here. This could give a boost to her finances. Karol could sell it or use it to cover more ground. She looked at her cargo manifest, seeing what she could go without. There were the three shield generators. This would make her feel a little uncomfortable but it should be worth it.
"Can you hold on? I'll be right back with more credits."
"Sure, just don't be all surprised if I'm not still here when you get back. If I can't find a buyer soon I'm moving on to another sector."
"Gotcha." Karol remembered seeing an outpost in Black Hole Sun that she could sell her generator at. She made one last check on her nav computer. "Oh, now there's something." A group needed passage to the sector she was headed to. Okay, that was convenient enough. She was risking losing her chance at the discounted ship. Still...she opted to take the job.
Making use of the jumpdrive while flying at full speed in between, Karol was able to drop off the passengers, make her sale, and get back through the gate.
"Just in time! I was just a few minutes from hopping on out of here."
"Transferring funds now."
"Thank you for you business," the pilot happily said. "She's all yours. Tally ho!"
Karol could hardly believe her eyes as she watched the Mercury on her pop up view. The airlock opened up, and out come a space suit. Why he didn't dock somewhere first was anyone's guess. Well, it didn't matter as control of the ship had been authorized for her. Flying up for closer inspection she could see why it was marked down so steeply. Dents, scrapes, tears in the hull, this thing was beat up. She also noticed that there was nothing that suggested weapon fire. It appeared as if there was paint that differed from the color of the rest of the ship.
So either its former owner was a bad driver or plain crazy. Karol did what she could with her repair laser then set it to dock at a nearby station. She could figure out what to do with it once she had more cash. With no work she wanted up here, she went for the next gate.
A strange signature appeared on the Angels scanners. Something floated adrift behind the jumpgate. No one else seemed interested enough to break away from their immediate tasks. There also weren't any official Argon in sight. She turned the ship around.
"Wow. You don't see that every day."
In front of her was a small purple ship. It appeared to have only minimal damage. Shields were fully charged. Power signatures were strong enough. So what was a Kha'ak ship doing all alone and not bothering anyone?
Karol suited up and pulled herself through the airlock. With some concern that something could still be alive in there she floated only as close as she needed for a wireless interface. Despite having limited hacking skills she still knew how to break past a firewall. It took some work to figure the alien system, but all in all there were enough similarities to successfully gain control.
Karol returned to her ship. She uploaded the data from the Interceptor's - as it was classified as - computer. No navigational data. No information on where it had come from. Whatever was there was too corrupt to be retrieved. She was able to find that it had 10 mj of shields and two kyons.
Even with the damage the interceptor was capable of executing commands. Karol set it to dock at the sector's trading station. She had herself a rare prize here. Now what was she going to do with it?
Assets
$81,271
TP Angel
TS Mercury
M4 Kha'ak Interceptor
---------------
I'm a little further ahead in the game at the moment. I can see where I can attempt to take Karol's business full steam, but first a question: How much detail should I include about what I'm doing? I can write it with most of the focus on story, or I can take the time to give specifics on how I'm setting things up.
What do you want to see?
Systems on auto pilot (it could at least handle flying through gates, right? Right?), Karol kept an eye out for jobs. Flying through several sectors didn't turn up much that she could do. Then she noticed a ship flagged for sale.
"Selling something?" Karol asked through the comm.
"Sure am!" the pilot on the other end said enthusiastically. "You can have this beauty for the low price of thirty six grand. You're not going to find another deal like this anytime soon I reckon."
That was quite a bargain. Karol checked her account to find herself short by a few thousand.
"Hey man, would you be willing to come down to thirty four?"
There was a pause, then laughter. "Girl, I don't know where you come from, but around here transports are worth more far more than what I'm asking for. I'm not coming down a single cred."
Okay, think here. This could give a boost to her finances. Karol could sell it or use it to cover more ground. She looked at her cargo manifest, seeing what she could go without. There were the three shield generators. This would make her feel a little uncomfortable but it should be worth it.
"Can you hold on? I'll be right back with more credits."
"Sure, just don't be all surprised if I'm not still here when you get back. If I can't find a buyer soon I'm moving on to another sector."
"Gotcha." Karol remembered seeing an outpost in Black Hole Sun that she could sell her generator at. She made one last check on her nav computer. "Oh, now there's something." A group needed passage to the sector she was headed to. Okay, that was convenient enough. She was risking losing her chance at the discounted ship. Still...she opted to take the job.
Making use of the jumpdrive while flying at full speed in between, Karol was able to drop off the passengers, make her sale, and get back through the gate.
"Just in time! I was just a few minutes from hopping on out of here."
"Transferring funds now."
"Thank you for you business," the pilot happily said. "She's all yours. Tally ho!"
Karol could hardly believe her eyes as she watched the Mercury on her pop up view. The airlock opened up, and out come a space suit. Why he didn't dock somewhere first was anyone's guess. Well, it didn't matter as control of the ship had been authorized for her. Flying up for closer inspection she could see why it was marked down so steeply. Dents, scrapes, tears in the hull, this thing was beat up. She also noticed that there was nothing that suggested weapon fire. It appeared as if there was paint that differed from the color of the rest of the ship.
So either its former owner was a bad driver or plain crazy. Karol did what she could with her repair laser then set it to dock at a nearby station. She could figure out what to do with it once she had more cash. With no work she wanted up here, she went for the next gate.
A strange signature appeared on the Angels scanners. Something floated adrift behind the jumpgate. No one else seemed interested enough to break away from their immediate tasks. There also weren't any official Argon in sight. She turned the ship around.
"Wow. You don't see that every day."
In front of her was a small purple ship. It appeared to have only minimal damage. Shields were fully charged. Power signatures were strong enough. So what was a Kha'ak ship doing all alone and not bothering anyone?
Karol suited up and pulled herself through the airlock. With some concern that something could still be alive in there she floated only as close as she needed for a wireless interface. Despite having limited hacking skills she still knew how to break past a firewall. It took some work to figure the alien system, but all in all there were enough similarities to successfully gain control.
Karol returned to her ship. She uploaded the data from the Interceptor's - as it was classified as - computer. No navigational data. No information on where it had come from. Whatever was there was too corrupt to be retrieved. She was able to find that it had 10 mj of shields and two kyons.
Even with the damage the interceptor was capable of executing commands. Karol set it to dock at the sector's trading station. She had herself a rare prize here. Now what was she going to do with it?
Assets
$81,271
TP Angel
TS Mercury
M4 Kha'ak Interceptor
---------------
I'm a little further ahead in the game at the moment. I can see where I can attempt to take Karol's business full steam, but first a question: How much detail should I include about what I'm doing? I can write it with most of the focus on story, or I can take the time to give specifics on how I'm setting things up.
What do you want to see?
-
Song Of Obsidian
- Posts: 305
- Joined: Wed, 19. Jun 13, 19:46
That is the problem with writing more story than gameplay...your writing lags behind the game.
But most of the stuff in the game, most of us have done countless times already. It's how a player turns that into an engaging story that keeps people reading. But if you do actually want to play the game too, it's best to find a balance.
My preference? Make sure you tell us enough about what you're doing so we have adequate reference, and bring on the story
But most of the stuff in the game, most of us have done countless times already. It's how a player turns that into an engaging story that keeps people reading. But if you do actually want to play the game too, it's best to find a balance.
My preference? Make sure you tell us enough about what you're doing so we have adequate reference, and bring on the story
-
Sabrina Bergin
- Posts: 2239
- Joined: Sat, 12. Apr 08, 10:53
Personally I would concentrate on the story.
Everyone knows it's a grind early game and that is a given when reading a story.
Also as it is the grind section in which we all attempt to accumulate credits and it is a period of game play that we know all too well.
My advice would be to do a brief overview of this period just introducing potential new characters then move on with your main story which is excellent reading by the way.
Everyone knows it's a grind early game and that is a given when reading a story.
Also as it is the grind section in which we all attempt to accumulate credits and it is a period of game play that we know all too well.
My advice would be to do a brief overview of this period just introducing potential new characters then move on with your main story which is excellent reading by the way.