Fall from Grace (Unholy Traitor AP 3.1)

[Nick Northern]

Setting: Playing the Unholy Traitor start on AP 3.1. Not playing dead is dead on this one, but have set for myself some strict parameters. I am not aloud to improve reputation with Split or Paranid. I may consider repairing Split reputation after the main plot only to be able to do the Shady Business plot, but that won't be for some time if ever. I may not improve reputation with Boron, although I will hold off on targeting them for a while so as to limit enemies until I get built up. I may only improve reputation with Argon in order to do the main plot, and I will not buy anything from them. After the main plot I will target Argon as enemies. I may not improve reputation with Terran.

Goner, Yaki, Teladi and Pirate factions will be available to work with as allies.

Backgroud: My name is Cai't Nnt, black operative for the Family Rhonkar. Tasked to infiltrate a Paranid research and development facility and bring back a Medusa Prototype in order for Split technicians to reverse engineer it's cutting edge technology, things have gone horribly wrong. Killing its test pilot and stealing the Medusa Prototype was the easy part. Thinking I had shaken any tail of the Paranid Military, I made my way to Rhonkar's Clouds and prepared to contact my handler in Family Pride. It was an ambush. A Pegasus scout spotted my new ship and relayed my whereabouts to Paranid Priest Duke Command. Faced with blown cover, the Split Families have disavowed knowledge of me and labelled me a traitor and renegade.

The Story: Abandoned. Disowned. Forgotten. The Families have thrown me out like trash. I have served the Family Rhonkar honourably my whole life and this is what I get?

They will pay. They will all pay.

Thinking he was safe in his Families seat of power, Cai't Nnt now finds himself swimming in a sea of enemies. Split Police Jaguar ships speed towards the Medusa Prototype to apprehend the newly minted criminal and return the ship to Paranid authorities before a national incident becomes unavoidable. With the war between the Argon and Terrans in full swing, the other commonwealth empires are on edge and cannot afford open conflict.

Thinking quickly, Cai't Nnt grips his throttle and pushes the accelerator to it's limit, making his way to the east gate. His Split brothers gaining on him, he engages the strafe drive to add extra thrust towards his destination.

Before making it to the gate to Tharka's Sun, a Paranid Pegasus makes its approach on an attack vector. While the small scout would normally pose no threat to a ship with the capabilities of the Medusa Prototype, these were not normal circumstances. Speed is life and Cai't Nnt cannot afford to slow down as he attempts to escape the Split Police ships. His Prototype is lightly shielded for test flight purposes, not outfitted for combat. Every dent and scratch from an enemies laser or missile will slow his ship down. The slower he goes, the more he will become vulnerable to Split or Paranid capture.

They won't take me alive! I've lived my entire life without abandoning a ship or my pride. They won't take it from me now.

Swapping his particle accelerator cannons to his rear and front turrets, Cai't Nnt designates three of his plasma beam emitters to target the incoming Pegasus. Killing his opponent would be easy, but he could not afford the time to dogfight the Paranid or be slowed down.

Aiming carefully, the Split agent Cai't Nnt glances his PBE's off his enemies left wing and engine, severely crippling his opponents thrust capabilities. Passing his crippled foe and leaving him behind with a grim grin on his face, Cai't continues to the jumpgate and makes his escape to Tharka's Sun.

Continuing to use his strafe drives energy to accelerate the Medusa Prototype past its current thrust capabilities, he avoids the stations and traffic of Tharka's Sun. Cai't checks his duplex sensors compulsively, alert to any red marks of enemies, but easily evades detection and slips behind the east jumgate to make his way towards Cho's Defeat.

Cho's Defeat has more security as it houses military Shipyard and Equipment dock facilities, and Cai't Nnt is easily detected by Split authorities. Notified by Family Rhonkar command that Cai't Nnt is now labelled an "Enemy of All Split Families", a hulking Python slowly bears it's armaments towards the Medusa Prototype. Racing against death and defeat, the Split renegade speeds away from the Python, knowing a losing bet when he sees one. The Python lets loose with Hornet missiles that the Medusa Prototype simply cannot outrun. Changing his vector towards the south jumpgate towards his destination of Patriarch's Keep, Cai't shifts into the rear turret to take up the targeting reticle of his particle accelerator cannon. The Hornets rush in, sickly green death coming closer. Closer.

Waiting for the Hornets to reach the range of his PAC, Cai't opens fire. The Hornets tough housing resists the first few shots but eventually explodes in beautiful rolling waves of flame, the vacuum of space making the plumes dance like a Teladi bar girl.

Shifting back into the cockpit, Cai't speeds away from his slower Python enemy through the jumpgate into Patriarch's Keep.

Almost home free! Cai't can't help but cackling at his impending victory. Once inside the confines of Two Grand and the Teladi Company, his split pursuers will not be able to follow. There, he can take stock of his situation and plan a way to deal with his Paranid problem.

Nearing the south jumpgate, hope dies as two Split Mamba Police break their patrol pattern and move to cut the Medusa Prototype off from his path. Calculating his distance from the jumpgate and his speed in contrast to that of the Split Mamba Police, Cai't Nnt clenches his jaw. A fight is inevitable.

Switching his turrets to automatically attack his enemies, he turns to attack his enemies head on. Training his six gun PBE's at the closest Mamba, the Medusa opens fire. Strafing left and then right, the Medusa Prototype evades all but a few glancing shots of the first Mamba's high energy plasma throwers. Deadly but slow, the pale green lasers pass the Medusa by. The first Mamba is not so lucky, catching the six gun PBE's full in its belly. It's shields decimated, the Mamba banks hard left to evade the Medusa's PAC turrets. The Mamba pilot cannot shake Cai't, now frothing with blood lust and anger. The first Mamba explodes into twisted wreckage and flame.

Too late, Cai't Nnt realizes that his aggressive pursuit of the first Mamba has left his back to the second. The Medusa Prototype is laced with HEPT fire and a feral throaty laugh comes over the com line from its Pilot. "You've used up all your luck Cai't Nnt. And now you die."

Not before you.

His PAC turrets already slamming blue blasts into his attacker, the Medusa swings around and flies head on the second Mamba, PBE's blazing.

Let's play Chicken.

Taking heavy fire, the second Split Mamba breaks off and that is it's last mistake. Swinging behind the Mamba, the Medusa Prototype empties its laser banks and ends it to the background music of a screaming Police pilots com signal. Breathing out in relief, Cai't Nnt checks his hull stability. 48%. More than enough.

Like a wounded animal, the Medusa Prototype limps through the jumpgate and into Two Grand. Teladi Space. Women, spirits and space weed await the victor. Looking back over his shoulder, Cai't Nnt takes one long look at Split space he has left behind. He will be back. And he will have his revenge.

[kaistern]

AWESOME! I very much enjoy your dogfighting sir. Hope to see more soon....



MOAR! MOAR! MOAR! MOAR!!!!!

[Nick Northern]

Waves of Futility

How long will they come for me? How many of them will seek me out?

Cai't Nnt, disavowed agent of the Family Rhonkar and decorated Split pilot, slumps against the cold wall in the corner of a smoky bar. His eyes fight to adjust to the darkness and space weed smoke, his jacket arm slowly grows warm and wet with blood. The Paranid had come at him from nowhere.

His three beady eyes hidden under a red brimmed flat cap, he looked like any bar tough until he had pulled out his low-yield sidearm and aimed it at my face.

An instant reaction to dive to the side and towards his Paranid attacker, borne from years of training and field work, had been the only thing to save Cai't. The sidearm laser blast piercing his right arm, he had reached the Paranid bounty hunter and given him a sharp chop to the throat. Grasping at his ruined neck and gasping in disbelief, the Paranid had slumped to his knees. Raising his boot to the Paranids shoulder, he had shoved the bounty hunter onto his back. Walking up next to the large head and wildly darting eyes of the bounty hunter, Cai't bent over and looks down. Raising his pointed boot again, he had pressed into the throat of the Paranid, further constricting his airway.

How many of you are coming for me? One gurgle means you were working alone. Two means you have friends.

The Paranid had gurgled twice. Nodding in understanding, Cai't Nnt had ended it quickly for the bounty hunter, smashing his heel down and dispatching the Paranids life.

Reptilian eyes around the bar peered in curiosity, but the local Teladi had not moved to lift a finger. It was none of their concern.

Now, collecting his thoughts, Cai't Nnt makes his way to the Teladi trading post hanger and boards his repaired Medusa Prototype. It needed a name.

Vengeance. You are my Vengeance now.

Checking his charts in Two Grand, Cai't Nnt knew he had preparations to make. The Paranid Dukes would throw every agent, religious zealot and bounty hunter they had at him. But it would be on his terms. His way.

The stars and systems stream by as the Vengeance made her way eastwards into the war zone. In Omicron Lyrae, a battle raged between Terran and Argon capital ships, corvettes and fighters. Wreckage strewn across the sector, Cai't Nnt smirks and thinks about the profit that his skill set could earn him should he hire himself out as a mercenary to either side. He had no side now. He was his own side. A pirate. A despot. But a skilled freelancer could go far in days like these.

Vengeance picked its way through Omicron Lyrae until Cai't spotted one such opportunity. Pushing through the wreckage of twisted metal and frozen body parts, the Vengeance scoops unspent payload missiles from a gutted Cerberus into its cargo hold. A firestorm torpedo and some remote guided warheads will bring Cai't Nnt a heft sum and some operation capital on the weapon dealer black markets of Teladi space.

With his new payload in tow, the Vengeance continues on until it again hits Teladi space. Grand Exchange. Looking around and accessing the location, Cai't nods to himself.

Big sectors around here. Lots of fighting and chaos. Good place to get lost.

Heading south, he jumps through the gate into Merchant Haven. On a hunt and kill mission to root out some Boron insurgents, Cai't had heard about a pirate market in Merchant Haven that would buy weapons for a good price from anyone, no questions asked. Some fact finding around the sector confirmed that there were dealers at the Military Base, operating behind the protection of crooked Police and corrupt Teladi Company directors.

Just the kind of people I need to see.

The Vengeance docks and Cai't Nnt has little trouble finding a dealer willing to overlook the scraped off serial numbers and splatters of blood on the Split renegades "salvage". Credits in hand, Cai't has the Medusa equipped with three more 5 MJ shields and a bank of two more PAC's.

Now I'm ready. Now my Paranid pursuers will know what it is like to be hunted.

Calibrating his weapons and shields, the Vengeance slips behind the north gate of Merchant Haven and waits. The sector is big, allowing for Cai't to see his enemies coming. He doesn't have to wait long as the first Paranid Pegasus enters the sector on his trail.

Eyes flat line and narrow as Cai't Nnt prepares to kill. The Vengeance intercepts the Pegasus and makes short work of it in a hail of plasma beam emitter bullets. Two Paranid scouts follow the first and die in kind. Screams fuel the black of space as Cai't Nnt eliminates wave after wave of bounty hunters.

Finishing a wave of Pegasus scouts, the Vengeance is strafed by PAC fire. A Pericles Raider had come out of the gate well behind the wave of scouts and had snuck up behind the Vengeance while it was engaged, giving it a full broadside of laser fire.

With a growl of determination, Cai't barrel rolls away from the blue streaks and gives the Paranid interceptor a reply from his PBE six guns.

Crafty. But he ends the same as the rest. I won't be caught like that again.

Waves of Paranid bounty hunters crash on the Vengeance like the unrelenting blue-green current in a Boron ocean. Waves break and Paranid die. Cai't Nnt begins to laugh. His laughter rolls over the com waves of Merchant Haven and Teladi cargo Captains shiver, piloting their freighters to avoid the carnage of the north gate.

Taking minor damage from two Pegasus scouts that were smart enough to coordinate their attack, the Vengeance erases both with PBE fire. Breathing heavily, sweat and tension oozing from his clenched body, Cai't awaits another assault. And he waits. But none come. They are all dead. Seventy pilots dead. Seventy ships destroyed. The Paranid Empire wanted him dead and they were willing to spare no expense to do so.

It was time to stop playing defence. It was time to attack. It was time for the Vengeance to carve its legacy into the heads of the Paranid and Split Empires.

[Sabrina Bergin]

Nick:

Nice start to the story will be looking forward to more.