[TC] FROM NOTHING, A Rogue's Tale - Book I [COMPLETED]

Zaitsev · Post by **Zaitsev** » Thu, 8. Mar 12, 20:45

If you want to use MARS you might want to go with a missile mod as well, otherwise you'll probably be pulling your hair out from frustration within a week. I use the one included in CMOD and while it's still quite difficult to get through it is at least possible without giving you the urge to pull all your body hair out with a pair of tweezers.

Otherwise I guess you'll have to start capping destroyers as well

Kirlack · Post by **Kirlack** » Thu, 8. Mar 12, 20:45

Scion Drakhar wrote:I think at first, though, I'm gonna see if I can set it up so that only certain enemies have it. I don't know if that's possible but I fully intend to give it to the bad guys first.

One way to do so would be to enable 'All Enemy Ships use MARS' (or whatever it's labelled as in the AL menu), and then postpone buying the MARS software for your own ships. I know Drake doesn't need to worry too much about money at the minute, but at almost 70k a time installing MARS software on every compatible ship in the fleet will run to a tidy sum

EDIT: Sorry, just a thought. Scion, I know the IR mod has some missile changes amongst the addons, how does that balance out with MARS? Worth a look?

Scion Drakhar · Post by **Scion Drakhar** » Thu, 8. Mar 12, 21:16

Wow I don't even know where to look. I don't know about IR addon's or missile mods, although I'd be open to looking at suggestions.

Kirlack · Post by **Kirlack** » Thu, 8. Mar 12, 22:13

http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php?t=273973

Somewhere in the first or second post of the IR thread there's a short list of addons. Only 4 or 5 at most I think. One of them changes the missile behavior or damage of every missile in the game. Auroras for instance, generally useless in vanilla, lethal when underestimated in IR

Same for the Firelance. Seriously, when do you ever, ever fire a Firelance?

Hammers however, get significantly nerfed, as do Typhoons and Thomohawks

But, the AI uses them all a lot more than in vanilla, and there's typically a shedload left over from battles, so supplies wouldn't be too hard to replenish for the ones you don't currently produce. I've scanned destroyers to find them carrying 300+ typhoons, 800 mossies, 400 auroras etc, and boy, they like to lob 'em!

Now, I'm not personally using that part of IR because I'm just not ready for all my missile knowledge to up and vanish like a fart in the wind, but it would certainly make things interesting

I've not tried any other missile mods, and I only grabbed this because it was part of the IR package. Next time I actually play TC I'll add it in and see how it works with MARS.

Scion Drakhar · Post by **Scion Drakhar** » Thu, 8. Mar 12, 23:09

Oi!

I've been doing a lot of reading today and my brain is shutting down. I've also been re-familiarizing myself with the game and I've got to say that I totally forgot how maddening CODEA could be.

"Do this," says I.

It buzzes at me.

I repeat myself and so does it.

"Why?" asks I.

It remains silent.

I spend the next half hour pouring through the forum thread and cross referencing the installed components on my ships with the manual (while frequently banging my head against my desk.) Eventually I figure it out and lets me add a ship to a hangar bay. So I move on and give it a different instruction.

It buzzes at me.

"AAAARRRRGH!!!"

Yeah.

I swear that guy could have made his mods a little more user friendly. All he'd have had to do is include a subtitle or a message that tells you WHY the software is saying no to you ... because it sure does say it a lot.

ANYway. I've been trying to educate myself on both the IR option (thanks Kirlack) and the CMOD option (thanks Zaitsev) and ... I haven't even found the parts where either site talks about missiles. I'm afraid my eyes glaze over after a pitifully short amount of time these days. I am curious about new missiles but I have to admit I'm rather fond of the Typhoon and would hate to see it nerfed. In fact if anything I'd like to see missiles made more dangerous considering everything in the universe is shortly going to have much better missile defense. I think increased missile speed would be preferable to anything else ... but maybe not. I don't know.

Triaxx thank you for the heads up about the mk2 missile defense. I didn't know that and that's at least an option for adjusting game difficulty. I haven't decided yet exactly what options I'm going to use. Everything in the universe being completely impervious to high ordinance sounds like the tweezers thing Zaitsev mentioned. Is it possible to specify who gets to use what (MK 2 MD / MARS) by race or is it simply on/off for the AI? I've done some searching but I seem to be pretty lame at getting answers ... or maybe I have the answer and don't like it. Hard to say.

Just so you all know I'm about half way - ish through the next post and trying to hammer out some details. Probably by Monday I should have another post ready but please don't hold me to it. I never know how I'm going to feel.

I guess that's it for now. Cheers.

Triaxx2 · Post by **Triaxx2** » Thu, 8. Mar 12, 23:34

There is an option in the MARS command menu to allow One/Some/All AI ships to have MARS. One and Some will randomly select one ship, or a certain percentage to equip with MARS. All passes it out to everyone.

You know, while it suggests only giving MARS to capitals, a TM with MARS is obscenely destructive. It really is awe-inspiring.

And I'm just a PM away if you're trying to figure out CODEA. Usually you've just overlooked one little thing that's either not installed, or is installed that can't be and you've glazed over it because it's normal for ships you fly.

Buying ten brand new ships and then equipping them only for CODEA to refuse because you automatically bought them all SETA is really, really, FRUSTRATING!!!

wreckzors · Post by **wreckzors** » Thu, 8. Mar 12, 23:51

hello! I just want you to know that even though I have been fairly quit for quite some time, I have never stopped reading this thread. Thank you for everything that you do and providing us with such an amazing story.

Scion Drakhar · Post by **Scion Drakhar** » Fri, 9. Mar 12, 00:03

You're very welcome Wreckzors. Thanks for reading. It's really good to see you're still around. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Thanks Triaxx. Yeah that was the answer I didn't like and thus chose not to hear. (Yes I am a selective listener. I confess to the crime. I have three ex wives who will be happy to tell you all about it. In detail. At length. With incident reports and detailed descriptions of the suspect. For as long as you let them. No really. For. As. Long. As. You. Let. Them.) I was hoping to give it to the Terrans but I guess a random 'Some' will have to do. 'All' strikes me as a bit much.

Regarding CODEA. TELL me about it. Any ship with SETA, Boost Extensions or Video Goggles is considered a player ship and not allowed into a hangar. I could throttle him for that one. Another favorite of mine (just happened to me) is when you've double and triple checked all nine of the fighters you've got docked against the list of required components and can't find a single reason why CODEA won't let them into a hangar before it occurs to you to check the carrier and finally discover that the new TL you've assigned the fighters to doesn't have a cargo life support system and thus can't be a CODEA carrier. But the reaction from the software is the same for any of the umpteen million other reasons it won't let you do something. It buzzes at you. There's no explanation. Just that obnoxious frakkin' buzzer.

Okay /rant. I'm done.

Zaitsev · Post by **Zaitsev** » Fri, 9. Mar 12, 01:04

Scion Drakhar wrote:ANYway. I've been trying to educate myself on both the IR option (thanks Kirlack) and the CMOD option (thanks Zaitsev) and ... I haven't even found the parts where either site talks about missiles.

My bad

You have to use the X3 Editor, open the CMOD .cat and rename the file named ___MDMK2_TMissiles.pck to TMissiles.pck. I discovered it by coincidence when I was fiddling around with aXeL's White Star mod.
And to add to the "fun" you might have to save it to the types folder to get it to work, as stuff in the types folder will apparently overrule the .cat files.
If you don't want to screw around with yet another program just PM me your email addy and I'll send it to you.

Triaxx2 · Post by **Triaxx2** » Fri, 9. Mar 12, 05:28

The truly funny thing though, is that carriers don't NEED CLS. If you use Personnel Transporters to put pilots on the fighters you don't need a CLS on your carrier. That's why I have an arming carrier with weapons, and shields and personnel. Then it delivers armed, fitted, and piloted ships wherever I need them. Only full fleet carriers, and fleet support ships, like my Supply Elephants get CLS and the other amenities for pilots. Not only does it simplify my chain of command, it makes it easier to arm fleets. It also means that at any particular moment I have the capability to completely rearm any carrier in my fleet from zero ships to full strength.

I suspect highly that Lucike is sitting in a cave, somewhere in Germany, twirling his mustache and laughing. With a German accent.

Worse still is that I gave a whirl to the CODEA version for Reunion, just for kicks. Good GODS is TC's version easier to work with. I.. I shudder at the thought of using the Reunion Version. Back then I stuck with the far less sophisticated, but much less complicated Anarkis.

Kirlack · Post by **Kirlack** » Sun, 11. Mar 12, 22:27

Right, about time we stopped discussing mods and got down to the matter at hand!

Update time!

***

768-06-03 08:36

Ps'y was grinning like a fool as he and Edison stepped off the transporter pad. There was something about flying his turbo boosted Kestrel at over twelve hundred metres per second which just appealed to his inner lunatic. He'd even pulled a tight loop around the Credo et Amos engines. The huge destroyer had been holding position just a couple of clicks off the Last Words port side, and he thought he'd seen the tell—tale blue shimmer of a transporter beam between the two ships as they were on their initial approach. The loop had put a huge strain on his tiny ships inertial dampeners, even making Edison grip his seat tightly. Ps'y laughed to himself at the thought. When he saw Alex though, glaring at him from the bridge, with fury in her eyes and bitterness wrinkling her otherwise pretty face, his smile slipped. He knew he was in trouble even before she took her first step. She marched down the short corridor from the bridge to the transporter pad and slapped him, hard, right across the face.

“Bastard!” she raged at him.

“Ow! What the frak was that for?” he snapped at her with a glare, somewhat shocked that she'd just hit him, and with so much force.

“You bastard!” she said again, accompanied by a second, equally hard, slap. “I was in bed for fraks sake. It's not very often I get to spend any quality time with...” And just like that it made perfect sense. The Credo et Amo, the transporter beam, the beating he was receiving....he'd gone and done it to her again.

“With Lu.” he finished for her, giving her the most apologetic look he could muster. “Sorry Alex, really I didn't think...”

“No. You rarely do.” She was scowling at him, clearly miserable and spoiling for a fight, so he was on guard for another slap....but it didn't come. He could feel her raging in front of him. 'If looks could kill' he thought to himself 'I'd be a very dead Split.'

“So come on then, what do you need me for this time?” she seethed.

He sighed, and gestured towards the bridge. “Can we talk in your office?”

“No. You can bloody well say your piece right here and then get the frak off my ship!.”

“Oh Alex, come on, it's not like I intended to ruin your day.”

“I don't care! Every time I'm settling in you come along and screw it up for....”

“ENOUGH!” roared Edison and the pair of them stopped and looked at the young Terran in stunned silence. “You two fight like brother and bloody sister!” he said, clearly exasperated.

For a few heartbeats they just scowled at each other, then she suddenly grinned and started chuckling, the laughter breaking the tension between them in an instant. He laughed along with her, and Edison was still stood between them, a thoroughly surprised expression covering his face.

“He's right you know.” she said, swatting the Split gently on the arm. “We do. I think we always have.” Ps'y grinned at her and nodded, relieved that she wasn't likely to hit him again. His face was still stinging. Edison was right though, they'd fought like siblings ever since Rak Gilano had paired them off. He baulked slightly at the thought. It felt like a lifetime ago they'd worked for Gilano. Hell, it felt like a lifetime ago that he'd met Drake. But for some reason he couldn't place, thinking about Gilano always put him on edge.

“Seems that way doesn't it?” he said, forcing a smile, before gesturing towards the bridge again.

“Sure. Come on.”

The three of them had settled into Alex's office and Ps'y was just about to light a joint when he caught her frowning at him.

“Right.” he said quietly and put it back into his pocket.

“Thank you.” she smiled. “So, what did you need to see me about?” Her eyes narrowed at the uncomfortable look that passed between him and Edison. “Ps'y.” He looked up at her and she could see the worry etched on his face. “What's wrong?” she asked softly.

Silently, he reached into his inner pocket and drew out the data crystal. “Your viewer working?”

“Of course it is. Why, what is that?” she asked, pointing at the small blue device in his hand.

“Trouble.” was all he said as he passed her the matrix. “Look at bookmark fifteen.”

As he and Edison watched she slotted the crystal into her viewer and scrolled through the bookmarks Ps'y had set. After a few seconds her eyes went wide.

“By Gunne...” she breathed.

“Yeah.” said Ps'y. “And that's not the half of it. It's not Legion Alex.” Even as he said it she was nodding, she'd paid close attention and could obviously see the cyborg on her screen was not the one she'd come to love.

“Where did you get this?” she half growled at him.

“Drake gave me it a few weeks back. Remember the Dragon that chased us out of Family Zyarth when we were on the run with Legion?” she nodded. He pointed at the screen. “Its captains memories.

“His memories?” For a second she had that same horrified expression he'd seen when they'd rescued Urmankontett. He nodded, a grim look settling on his face. This wasn't easy for her, he could see it. Even being in the same room with him reminded her of it, and it still hurt her. He understood, to a point. She'd never been a killer, always surviving on guile and stealth, or just plain running away. She couldn't do that now. This was a burden only she could carry. The weight of lost innocence. Suddenly he felt angry, and was gritting his teeth as he spoke.

“Yeah. Doc Boni has some sick machine that can extract the memory from a living brain and store it.”

"Cognitive stripping?" she raged at him. "Do you have any idea how invasive that kind of surgery is?" He just nodded at her, all too aware of what the surgery involved. The image of that Split, with bolts piercing his head and drool running down his uniform, still made him feel sick.

“Frak.” she hissed. “And the Admiral is willing to use this technology?” He nodded again.

“Only this once, at least as far as I know. The Dragon commander wasn't being very cooperative, so Drake asked Doc to get the information out of him.” She watched silently as Ps'y tried and failed to suppress an involuntary shudder. “Boni took him literally.”

“Has Legion seen this?” The question, like the earlier slap, was so unexpected it almost stunned him.

“What? No of course not!” She was glaring at him , and for a second he thought she was going to leap across the table to whack him, thought he saw that dangerous glint in her eyes, but she just sat back in her chair, staring at the screen for a few moments.

“No...no I don't suppose the Admiral would want to let him in on this.” she said softly, looking out the viewport at the sector beyond, at the Montalaar sun hanging in the distance. “Ok,” she said looking back at him. “Drake doesn't want Legion to know because his reaction would be an unknown quantity in the Admirals 'plans' , right? “ Both of them nodded slowly. “Ok, I can support that. But at some point Ps'y, Legion deserves to know. One way or another.”

She was still glaring at him, and this time the steel in her eyes was unmistakable. He'd seen that look before, more often than he liked. This was a contract now, a conditional act in their friendship. If he didn't follow through on the deal, she'd be gone. It wasn't the first time she'd done it and he just knew it wouldn't be the last. One way or another, he was going to have to .... how would she put it? 'Do the right thing.'

“Ok.” he said, fixing her with his own steeled eyes. “But not until the Admiral is good and ready to tell him. And Alex?” He said, holding up a finger to emphasize his point. “As much as you want him to know the truth of it, it's got to be on Drakes word. I swore on my honour that I wouldn't show this to Legion. I owe him Alex. I'm not prepared to let him down.” She nodded, and seemingly content with that, leaned back in her chair again.

“So. Why bring this to me now Ps'y? What are you thinking?” she asked calmly.

“I want to know if Njy has anything to do with this.” he growled. Edison glanced at him.

“Njy?” his first mate asked. “I thought this was about keeping Rhonkar off Drakes back Ps'y?”

“It is!” barked the Split, rounding on his young friend with a dangerous look in his eyes. “But if there's anything there that connects to Njy then it's something we can use to-”

“Actually....that would make a horrible kind of sense...” Alex said quietly, cutting him off.

Ps'ys head snapped back around and he fixed her with a dark look.

“What? What do you mean it'd make sense? His eyes narrowed threateningly. “Alex, what do you know?”

“Nothing...yet.” She looked him right in the eye for a moment, then clicked a button on the side of her viewer, lowering it into a horizontal position so they could all see it clearly. Calling up the galactic map she circled her finger around the Split sectors leading east from Family Ryk. “This is all Njy territory, right?” He nodded.

“Aye. Njy's Deception, Family Njy and Ghinn's Escape are all Njy turf. What of it?”

“Well, we know from the information Legion pulled off that Dragon you captured that Tkr are involved in the cover up of your...dismissal.” She looked up at him as she said it, and he could feel the rage burning in his own eyes. “See, I've done some digging over the last few weeks.. I may have been quiet, but I've not been idle.” He nodded again, not sure where this was going, but found he was thirsting for information. “I've been following Njy's finances Ps'y.”

“The old bastards money?” She nodded, once. “And?” he asked, struggling to keep the threat out of his voice.

“Well, that's the thing. According to the intel I've dug up, Njy's finances are in ruins. Some of that stems from Drake blasting the hell out of his assets, but most of it started before that.” She tapped the galactic map twice and typed something into her keyboard, calling up the sector map of Family Njy. “Look here.” she said, pointing at the screen. Ps'y and Edison leaned over and looked down at the map. The shipyard and equipment dock were highlighted in green, the many chelt aquariums in red and the scruffin farms in blue.

“What am I looking at Alex?” he asked looking back up at her.

“The green stations belong to Njy, so the shipyard and equipment dock. All the red factories belong to Family Tkr, the blue to Family Ryk.” She grinned. “Njy is selling off his assets. Well, actually, hiring them out would be a better description. But this is where it gets weird Ps'y.” He stared at her, his heartbeat rising rapidly. “He's not getting any money for them.”

“But you just said he was hiring them out.” remarked Edison. “How is he hiring them out if he's not receiving any payment for them?”

“Odd isn't it?” she said, looking right at Ps'y. “Njy is renting out these stations, but what's he being paid in return?”

“Stars!” Ps'y cried, his mouth agape as the realization hit him. “He's charging them in parts and labour!” She grinned at him.

“Not as dumb as you look, are you? If you're right, and right now that's still a pretty big if, then there should be a trail to follow. I'll need to take some time out and maybe fly out that way to investigate properly, but if there's something there to dig up, I'll find it.” He was staring at her.

“I thought you didn't like putting your ass on the line.”

“I don't, but for you, again, I think I can make an exception, don't you?” She winked at him slyly. “Brother.”

***

Zaitsev · Post by **Zaitsev** » Mon, 12. Mar 12, 00:05

Yay!

Excellent update, Kirlack

Triaxx2 · Post by **Triaxx2** » Mon, 12. Mar 12, 03:31

I like discussing mods. So there.

---

"The room is dark."

"We're trying to be mysterious."

"Screw mysterious. I can't SEE."

"That's the point."

"What's the point."

"You can't see us. It looks mysterious."

"We just walked down the hall into the room together. I know what you look like."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

The third sentient in the room put his head in his hands. 'Humans.' He raised his hands in supplication as one of the other swore his way to the light switch. 'Oh patriarchs what have I done to be stuck with HUMANS?'

One of the voices utters a word ugly no matter it's language of origin then all three wait for the lights to hum to full brightness. The three figures are revealed as the lights arise, and none are precisely pretty. The Split in fact is uglier than average, thanks to a series of criss-crossing knife marks. Most other races would look and see a poor knife fighter. They would probably be terribly surprised in their last moments to know each scar is the mark of a victory without damage. He's known by the moniker 'The Blade' for his skill with a knife. Of course he's a modern Split and equally comfortable in the seat of a fighter, or even in command of a star ship.

The first of the two humans is tall and thin and bears scars similar to the Split, though his indeed are from close calls with knives. So much so that he prefers to shoot people from quite a long distance. In fact his moniker is the Sniper, though he understands the term is Marksman and he revels in correcting people. Often by lasering the message into the wall from several miles away, often through their heads.

The last is short and squat and yet no where near as ugly as the other two. In fact he might be down right handsome, were he not missing his left eye. Instead he manages to be Suave in place of it. Unlike the other two he's not a killer, but instead he's a conman. After all, other than scum, what name is there for a man who's spent his life leaving brides at the altar after they've spent thousands of credits on companies he owns to make it perfect?

Perhaps Dead Man, but only if they catch him. Instead his moniker is the wholly uncreative Casanova. However it as given by criminals, which by and large are not particularly adverse to stealing ideas, good, bad, or otherwise.

The three have been brought together for a contract. So far none of the three know what kind of contract, or on whom. And none are particularly happy about the presence of the other three. Worse still, not a single one of them have met their employer. This changes in a moment.

The door opens, this time admitting two people. One of these is a huge Asian gentleman, and one is a dainty Asian woman. The man appears to have a permanent case of indigestion, possibly from scaring his stomach into leaving the planet. The woman seems almost a blank, staring at the wall.

A moment later a third person enters, covered in a cloak. Hands rise and lower it. The man looks between the three, and turns to speak to the woman.

"These are your choices?"

"They are master."

"Very well." A folder appears from the jacket of the first enormous gentlemen. It's placed on the Table between the three. "This is a dossier on a man named Drake. Or at least that's what his 'friends' call him. He is a pirate. And he killed my daughter."

"Pirates kill a lot of people." The taller human noted. The bodyguard narrowed his eyes and flexed his fingers. The Split inhaled.

"Pardon my friend, he is an imbecile." The tall human glared at him, but said nothing.

"He is correct. However this pirate killed her by accepting her as one of his employees and putting her in danger. In return I want him to suffer. As much as you can make him. Do whatever you need to. Kill him when you deem he has suffered past the point of recovery. At that time you will be paid a sum of 200 million credits each, through accounts set up for the purpose."

"Plus expenses." The short human said. "I've heard talk of this guy. And he ain't gonna be easy to get to."

"Plus expenses within reason." Their employer nodded. "Keep receipts."

"Deal." they bowed.

"Miss Aiko will be your contact should you require assistance." he indicated the Asian woman. "Mr. Haziroomi will accompany her when you meet her. If I learn you have met her otherwise, I will reveal you and your mission to the young man. Are we understood?"

All three acknowledged quickly. "Very well. To the pain and death." They shared the toast.

Kirlack · Post by **Kirlack** » Mon, 12. Mar 12, 10:15

Zaitsev wrote:Yay!

Excellent update, Kirlack

Thanks mate. I do love praise

Triaxx2 wrote:I like discussing mods. So there.

Me too actually, especially Lucikes. They're not user friendly, but they are very good

The plot thickens?

Triaxx2 · Post by **Triaxx2** » Mon, 12. Mar 12, 13:14

I hope so. I'm kind of making it up as I go. I intended to continue the earlier scene I'd done with the Split high command, but I was too lazy to find the original at the time.

Hey, while I'm thinking about it. Can anyone recommend the best way in X to earn 398 million credits as quickly as possible? Is stealing Capitals the best option? If so what kind. I despise trying to take carriers, but that's about the only limit I can think of.

Scion Drakhar · Post by **Scion Drakhar** » Mon, 12. Mar 12, 18:09

Awesome updates guys. I was planning on posting one of my own today but I'm afraid I had some trouble this weekend and for most of the past several days was little more than a couch potato.

Triaxx, the fastest way I know of to earn four hundred million in this game would be nividium mining. Find a good yield asteroid like the one in the Unknown sector north of A148, or south of Menelaus Oasis, or in Perpetual Sin and blast it to rubble. You'll probably need a nuke to crack the original but afterward you can use a laser to break 'em up. The smallest rocks won't shatter when you hit them with a laser but if you keep hitting them they'll vaporize and be gone.

Put twenty to thirty freighters plus one TL all with mineral scanners, ore collectors and special command software in the detritus of the Nividium asteroid collecting rocks. Usually I park a sat in the middle of the debris cloud and tell the TL to move to that position and have all the freighters follow the TL. I stuff a transporter beam on the TL and periodically have it collect all the nividium from the the freighters. When its full I send it to the nearest shipyard, buy cheap and completely unequipped freighters and fill 'em all with nividium. Then I sell 'em back for absurd profits.

Needless to say once you've powdered the asteroid the whole process goes a lot smoother with you OOS.

I also remember from 'Revenge' that you have a mod installed that makes the Nividium disappear after it's been collected. Not having that problem I don't know what to tell you.

Other than that I steal ships. Or used to. I haven't tried it now that I've installed MARS.

Triaxx2 · Post by **Triaxx2** » Mon, 12. Mar 12, 19:47

Yeah, that's Lucike's prospector that does it. I still have some stashes, but I'm trying not to abuse them. Except for having a bunch on a ship for the HUB.

Actually, I'll even say that this is for the sequel to 'Revenge', so you can sit and wonder just what I plan on doing with that kind of money.

Kirlack · Post by **Kirlack** » Mon, 12. Mar 12, 20:21

I smell a huge complex in the near future

Smells like....missiles...and maybe a dose of....more missiles?

Lucikes Prospector script is really good, although I didn't realise it removes debris from the universe as they mine it.

Looking forward to Book 2 Triaxx!

Scion Drakhar · Post by **Scion Drakhar** » Tue, 13. Mar 12, 00:01

97. Shadows of the Past

768-06-04 08:45
"Cap'n?"

I opened my eyes and for a moment I didn't know where ... or even who I was. In those first moments in between bein' awake and bein' asleep I was someone else. The ghost of that word was still loud in my mind and I could see the person who'd spoken in front of me. It was Hayes, the captain of that Carrack we'd captured the other day, only he wasn't quite the way I remembered him. He was tied and bound to a chair the way he was the last time I'd seen him but he was both younger and less distinct, as if I was seein' him through a window covered in pourin' rain. He was starin' at me, both smilin' and scared at the sight of me. Then his eyes grew sad and he seemed to look through me and off into a distance I couldn't fathom.

"Ole Snake’s wily, Cap'n," he said. "Never know where he n' the Fortune might be.”

Strange how dreams can make your blood run cold. It took me a few moments but when I came to I realized I was lyin' on my back in Gin's bed. She was snuggled up close and still asleep in the crook of my arm. I could feel her breathin' against me. For a little while I just lay there, starin' into the dark and feelin' that dream scratch at my soul. I lay there tryin' to find my way through the shadows of my past and the depths of my subconscious to connect dots made across both time and space.

Somethin' was botherin' me. Somethin' just wasn't right. It was somethin' Hayes had said when I was interrogatin' him and it was makin' me itch.

"He's dead, kid," Hayes told me. "Died six, seven jazura past ..."

It was agony. I knew it was right there in my hand but I couldn't grasp it. Random memories stolen from a dead woman tumbled through my mind and Hayes was starin' at me like I was someone else. Then one of those facts that Giorno'd lived her life by floated to the surface and I was starin' at a report about my Dad. If I close my eyes I can still see the report in my ... in her hand. Scion Athan Drakhar .... Captain of the Good Fortune.

"Ole Snake’s wily," Hayes told me. "He n' the Fortune could be anywhere.”

And just like that it started to make a sick kind of sense. "Sunnuva bitch ..." I hissed into the dark.

"Drake?" Gin asked sleepily.

"Gil," I said, as if that explained everythin'.

She pushed herself up to look at me. "Your step dad?" I met her eye. She only had one eye open and was still blinkin' the sleep away.

"He's got my Dad's ship," I said.

"Huh?"

"Hayes said that Snake was wily and that he and the Fortune could be anywhere." She just watched me. "My dad's ship was named the 'Good Fortune.' That son of a bitch has my Dad's ship." She just held my eye, not understandin' the significance of what I was sayin'. "How the hell does he have my Da's ship?"

I was startin' to get to my feet when she caught my arm and made me look at her. "Wait. Slow down."

"Gin my Dad died over six jazura ago." She just stared at me. So I turned to face her. "Gil didn't leave Hayla and I until just three jazura ago."

Her eyes widened just slightly as she started to understand.

"Drake how do you know it's the same ship?"

"Because Hayes ..."

"Hayes?"

"Captain of the Carrack we captured," I said. "One of Gil's lieutenants."

She let go of my arm and I started pullin' my pants on. She nodded. "Okay ... ?"

I met her eye again. "When Hayes first saw me he actually mistook me for my Dad. He looked like he'd seen a ghost and called me 'Cap'n.' Later, when he was talkin' about the Fortune he was talkin' about my Dad's ship, a ship he'd worked on when my Dad was the captain." I stood up and buckled my belt below my navel. Then I looked at her again. "So how the hell does Gil Jerigan end up with my Dad's ship? And if he's been the Captain of the Good Fortune since my Dad died ..."

"Then why didn't you know about it?"

I just stared at her. She nodded. "Are you gonna ask Hayla?"

The question hit me like a bucket of ice water. I met her eye again. "I don't know."

She nodded. A moment later, still barefoot and bare-chested, I bound through the ship to my office. When I sat down in my chair the faux leather was cold on the skin of my back. I opened up my terminal and ignored the half dozen messages that had accumulated over night. Instead I began settin’ up search protocols and sendin' out spider programs to scour the net lookin' for any and all information about the Good Fortune, Scion Athan Drakhar ... and Gil 'Snake Eye' Jerigan. By the time I finished Gin had caught up ... and may the Gods bless her, she brought coffee.

"You okay?" She asked me.

I met her eye but for a moment I didn't say anythin'. "I don't know," I said finally. She handed me the coffee and I took it. I lifted it to my nose and inhaled. I'd found a good supplier recently and the quality of our coffee has improved dramatically. The smell was dark and warm. It filled my nose and for a moment all I did was savor the experience. Finally I took a sip and nodded. "Mmmm ... Oh that's good,” I said. “Thank you." I looked up and she was still watching me. "Sorry about the wake up," I said.

"What happened?"

"I don't know." I shook my head. "It was just in my head when I woke up. Hayes, Snake, the Good Fortune ... it's just ... it’s just considerin’ the character of who we're talkin' about it makes me wonder ... about a lot of things. How my Da died. Why Gil never told me he knew him ... or that he had a frakkin' warship."

"Wasn't your father killed by the Paranid?"

"That's the rumor."

"You don't believe it?"

For a moment I didn't answer. Then I glanced at the terminal's monitor and back to her. "It just seems to have worked out suspiciously well for Gil, doesn't it?"

She stared at me for a long moment. Then she lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Don't you have enough reasons to kill that man?"

"Aye," I nodded. "I do."

She watched me for a moment and I stared at the computer screen. Then she nodded. “But you still have to know the truth.” It wasn't a question.

I sipped my coffee. “Yeah,” I said and held her eye. “Yeah, I think I do.”

She nodded. “Okay,” she said. “I'll leave you to it then. I want to go check on Selek anyway and make sure he didn't break my ship while we were sleeping." I grinned at the statement and met her eye. For some reason her claimin' the Magus as her own felt really good to me.

"Thanks," I said.

"For what?"

"Whatever you like."

She gave me a crooked look before walking away lookin' amused. The hatch closed behind her and I turned back to my computer terminal. I stared at the feed indicators for my spiders for a few moments before openin' my mail. The first message was from H'nt.

H'nt has had the last couple of days to get used to the Guardian and hire pilots for all the fighters he currently doesn't have. This mornin' I got a letter in which he informed me that he, his crew and his ship are ready to get underway and actually start actin' like a carrier. In other words he wants me to actually give him fighters for all the pilots takin' up space on his ship. Which means I'm about to spend nearly three hundred million credits puttin' fighters on that Raptor. Yeeaah. I got to tell yah, I am NOT lookin' forward to what happens after the Guardian gets back in sector with sixty shiny new fighters and starts runnin' patrols and combat drills right in front of Cala Ma. For some reason I just don't think I'm gonna enjoy the conversation that follows.

Yeah. Okay, so ... despite havin' a grand reputation with the Yaki I don't feel comfortable sendin' my shiny, new, and relatively unarmed carrier into Yaki space. Edison has also informed Kleo Rana, who in turn informed me, that the Sirrush has been stuck in Ianamus Zura for the past week doin’ nothin’ but starin' at all my captured ships as they do nothin' but float dead in space and Ps’y's apparently losin' his mind with the boredom. So, seein as I need to do somethin' with those ships anyway, and seein' as I really need the money, I sent a message to the Tradin' Station tellin' 'em to send a Mistral over to the IZ shipyard. I sent another message to Fred Majors and the Rebirth Flame and one more to Gabriel and the Archangel. Fred’s gonna escort that Mistral over to Ianamus Zura. The freighter is gonna dock so we can unload the ships I decide to sell. Majors is then gonna relieve Ps'y and Ps’y is gonna return to Avarice to rendezvous with both the Guardian and the Archangel cuz I'm puttin' him in charge of coverin' H'nt's ass and Gabe's his backup. I don't think the Yaki would actually try anythin' ... but then I didn't expect the Terrans to come at me either and the Yaki are actually known for bein' cowardly backstabbin' bastards. So in the interest of keepin' dishonest people honest I think I’d prefer to be safe rather than risk bein' very sorry and a pair of fully armed Hyperion Vanguard Prototypes make excellent stupidity deterrents.

Ok. We’ve been accumulating an abundance of mosquito missiles, HEPTs, PACs, and Flail Missiles so I sent a pair of Mistrals up to OTAS to sell off our surplus. It won't make much of a dent in what Cala Ma wants from me but every little bit helps. I've also scheduled a meetin' with the captains of the ships I intend to bring with me when I hit the pirates. So far that looks like Lucifer, Cai’t Ct’ic, Malcolm Roberts, Z'ppt, Ea't s'Quid and Ch't F'rst. The idea is to bring 'em all up to speed on what's gonna happen when the last of my marines finish trainin'. My marines, Pico Rider and Toki Fisty, have both been cleared for active duty and were returned to the Magus a few minutes ago. Latasha Seldon is also awake and accordin' to the doctors she's been askin' a lot of questions that they don't have the answers to, specifically about Slamer. So right now we're on our way back to Avarice so I can pay her a visit.

One of the last messages was from Alex Murray. It was a report on everythin' she'd learned from the pirate ships so far. Nothin' to point me directly at Gil but there are references to a contact in the Argon Military that I found interestin'. It wouldn't surprise me at all to find out that Gil has a few members of the border control in his pocket. There were references to the IFF id of an Argon Military HCP operatin' out of the Federal Argon Installation in Black Hole Sun. Now pissin' off the Argon Military is not at the top of my to do list by any stretch, but the notion of havin' a chat with somebody that might know where Gil is, not to mention addin' another of those shiny Heavy Centaur Prototypes to my fleet ... well, that just might be a bit too much temptation for me to turn down.

You know I can't help but think that unlike Hayes Gil knows exactly who I am. "Information is everythin'." It was practically a mantra with him. I'd bet good money that Gil's been aware of me and my crew for some time now. Stars! I'm not gonna be able to let this go until I know the truth. How the hell did that sunnuva bitch end up with my Dad's ship?

Frak!

You know I think on some level I've been hopin' that when I find him he'll have an explanation for all of it. Leavin'. What happened to Hayla. Not contactin' us. You know: all of it. I mean he was the closest thing to a father I ever had. After all the abuse I'd suffered at Leo's hands Gil was ... well he was almost kind. He was nice to me. He'd make me laugh and feel cared about. He brought me with him when he conducted his business. He seemed to be proud of me when he spoke to others about me. He was good to me, you know? But the more I find out ... the more I learn about the past ... I mean how did Gil end up with my Dad's ship? And if he's been the Captain of the Fortune since my Dad died, since before Hayla first took me in, well, that just raises all sorts of questions don't it?

Aaah, hell. This is gonna drive me crazy. I think Gin's right. I'm gonna have to ask Hayla ... but what the hell am I gonna ask Hayla? 'Have you been lyin' to me since the day you took me in?' 'Did you know that Gil has my Dad's ship?' Frak. If she did know ... I don't even want to think about it. I don't know how not to think about it. If she did I ...

Frak. It's a bit early to start drinkin' but that's just what I want to do right now. Cuz on the one hand she's been lyin' to me about ... about somethin' important. I mean that's not a little white lie. On the other hand if she didn't know I'll be tellin' her that Gil has lied to the both of us ... for a long damn time.

Bloody hell. I really want a frakkin' drink ...

768-06-04 10:03
Well I seem to have decided that ten hundred is sixteen hundred somewhere. I think if this day continues the way it's been goin' I'm gonna be drunk before dinner. Frak.

I went to see Seldon. I'd never noticed before but she's actually really small. Most of the time she's so big, you know? So loud. Her voice can fill the entire ship and whenever she's in the room she'll just take over. So I guess it was easy to miss that she's actually kinda little. Lyin’ there in that bed over on the Endless she looked like nothin so much as a sick little kid. Her skin is still so pale and by contrast her hair and eyes were so dark. When I first walked up I didn’t even recognize her. I looked right at her and then asked a nurse where I could find her. When I followed the nurse's finger and looked back Tasha'd opened her eyes and was lookin' right at me. Then she flashed that obnoxious grin of hers at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Hey, sir," she rasped as I stepped up to her bed. "You came to visit me." Her voice was thick and weak and after she spoke she coughed, but even so she sounded touched.

"Easy there, Gunny," I said. "Don't hurt yourself."

"I think that's already been taken care of, sir," she said, still grinnin' at me.

"Yeah," I said. "I suppose so, huh?" I'd brought a box of chocolates with me and held it up and waggled it for her to see. Her eyes lit up and her smile became a little softer. I set it down on a table beside her bed. Then I rested my hands on the safety rail that'd keep her from fallin' out a the bed if she had a seizure or somethin'. She looked at my hands and I saw her go back there, to that moment when we were side by side in the dark ... both of us just knowin' we were about to die. A moment later she looked up and met my eye again.

"That was some pretty hairy shit huh, sir?"

I nodded. "Yeah it was."

"I think I owe you a thank you for ..." she started.

"You don't owe me a damn thing, Gunny."

"If it wasn't for you I'd be dead, sir."

"Right back atcha," I said. "You took those bullets savin' my scrawny ass, remember?"

She looked me up and down rather lewdly. Then she smiled at me. "I don't know, sir. Back when were all on the Destiny, maybe, but I wouldn't call you scrawny these days."

I chuckled. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Gunny."

“That’s what they say.” She met my eye, still smilin’. "So when are you gonna let Slamer off the hook so he can come visit me?"

My smile slipped. She was lookin' me dead in the eye as it happened. In retrospect I'm pretty sure she set up. No one would give her a straight answer so she played me to get the truth. I got to watch as the tears formed in her eyes. She was still smilin' at me.

"Seldon," I said and she looked away. "Tasha ... I am so sorry ..."

That smile was downright disturbin'. The tears spilled over her cheeks and she was still smilin'. I took her hand and squeezed and that smile never wavered.

"Thank you, sir," she said, noddin'. "Thanks for comin' to see me. I really appreciate it."

"Seldon ..." I started, but she pulled her hand away and held it up between us. I watched all the muscles in her face tighten up and she bit her lower lip. She bit it hard. I nodded. "If you need ... anything ... just tell the nurses. I'll make sure you get it." She nodded and covered her mouth with one hand. When I turned and started to head back the way I came I felt like a complete shit. I still do. I did stop at the nurses station and inform them that I wanted Seldon taken care of and that I wanted to be kept up to date on her condition. Then I head back toward the lift. Gunny t'Kt was waitin' for me outside the ward. He'd been stopped by a nurse on the way in who refused to let him onto the ward while he was carryin' all the hardware he had on him. I'm pretty sure it all bothered her but the grenades were probably the deal breaker. I met his eye. "Gunny I want you to stay with her for a while," I told him.

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"We're gonna be in the sector for most of the day .... and I think she could use a friend ... one that isn't me.”

He stared at me for a moment. Then he nodded once and stepped past me. After he'd gone I stood there starin' at the call button for a few moments. I didn't press it. I just stood there and thought about Aaron Slamer clappin' me on the shoulder and shakin' my hand as he told me that my abilities had improved, or smilin' and laughin' with his mates, or givin' Seldon a hard time ... or carryin' her to bed and bouncin' her head off a wall. Then, finally, lyin' in halves with his mouth open and his intestines spread out over several square meters as he gasped for a breath he'd never take. I’m pretty sure that image will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Bloody hell. I don’t even know if anyone’s started putting together a service yet. I’ll have to check with Kleo. You know I ... I’ve actually lost count of how many of my people I’ve sent off. Thirty? Forty? I don’t know anymore. What really scares me is that it’s only been a few wozura since I was on the streets of Old City. How many deaths will I be responsible for after a jazura? Ten? Sometimes I can’t believe how much has happened and how much is about to happen. I mean in a few mizura I’m gonna beam over to the Typhaon to meet my war council. In the meantime I’m gonna finish this glass of whiskey and ... try to remember the faces of all the people I’ve lost.

Triaxx2 · Post by **Triaxx2** » Tue, 13. Mar 12, 03:19

Oooh, nice plot twist.

Ea't: Split hungry. Hungry fro vengeance. For war. For SNACKIES!

Ah hem...

And it's actually a surprisingly small amount of missiles. I'm finding I expend more ordinance capturing ships than I do destroying them. Perhaps because I field such large carrier wings.

Expect a more story related post in the morning.