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#Post#: 221--------------------------------------------------
Capture of the Dreadnaught
By: MichaelH23 Date: December 24, 2015, 12:08 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Neutral space. Sector 07
Debris littered this sector of space.
Once it had been a convoy of neutral shipping escorted by a
handful of cruisers from the various nonaligned nations who had
formed a League of Armed Neutrality in response to the continued
rebel acts of piracy. The cruisers were supposed to be
formidable enough to persuade a would-be rebel pirate that the
convoy was no longer worth the losses he would sustain in a
prolonged engagement.
But the convoy fell nonetheless.
Even the escort cruisers had been reduced to floating wreckage
by a force unlike anything ever seen in space before. Even the
Barlat Concordiat, for all their boasts of having formidable
starships, did not have the type of floating firepower that
could leave such carnage behind. As Mongol, Zulu, and Imperial
ships responded to the SOS from the lifepods that managed to
drift like the rest of the wreckage away from the killing zone,
a lone starship of a size never encountered before blasted into
warp, setting course for the next target sector. Its mission: to
bring interstellar commerce to a grinding halt, steal as much
cargo as could be secured, and kill as many of the crew
indiscriminately as would end the support to the central
government and bring about the revolution which would, in time,
make Trekylon even more formidable than ever. The name of the
starship was Dreadnaught and it was the latest rebel construct
built using the schematics obtained from the rogue Section 31
agent Harris.
[hr]
Dreadnaught-class Dreadnaught
Captain Ilvide Okensheld had to admit to himself that his first
command had turned out to be quite the captaincy. He was 47
years old with a scar across his forehead, a gash across his
neck which luckily missed his trachea and major blood vessels
(but only by the tiniest of margins) and a penchant for
chauvinism which was almost worse than Alden Tate's own. He
treated his crew as though they were his personal slaves and
showed as little regard for them as he had self-inflated ego.
Other captains with this trait often found themselves in the
brig or even dead as a result of a ship-wide mutiny by a crew
who had finally reached their breaking point. But if this crew
had a breaking point, they were prevented from reaching that
point by the very temperament which the captain displayed. He
would kill without blinking an eye if it kept the crew in line,
and more often than not, it did. His reputation as a man who
replaced crew members as fast as the weather made him a
larger-than-life warlord.
Okensheld - "Have the enemy ships seen us?"
Tactical Officer - "Negative. They're too busy locating the
survivors from the convoy."
Okensheld growled resentfully. He had been prepared to shoot
down any lifepods that emerged from the wrecked ships when the
sensors alerted him to the approach of seven starships. While he
could've easily destroyed them, he decided instead to move to
another sector and strike a new convoy before word of his
activities caused the nonaligned powers to cease commercial
operations and deprive him of targets.
Okensheld - "How long until we reach the target sector?"
OPS Officer - "Three hours at Warp 9."
Okensheld - "Good. Keep an eye on those ships behind us. If they
locate us, turn this ship around and destroy them."
#Post#: 222--------------------------------------------------
Re: Capture of the Dreadnaught
By: MichaelH23 Date: December 28, 2015, 3:09 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Sector 07
The Imperial starships ISS Rosewood, ISS Ethan Allen, and ISS
Khazaria had arrived too late to prevent the destruction of the
convoy under the phaser barrages of the mysterious starship
which even now was traveling so fast that even at maximum warp,
there was no hope of catching up to them. In the end, the best
they could manage was to pick up the few escape pods containing
wounded survivors. Luckily, they were being assisted by two UTM
cruisers and a frigate from the Star Empire of the Zulu, two
nonaligned but increasingly friendly powers who had begun to
render material assistance.
From his vantage point in the Observation Lounge, Captain Martin
DeMarco watched as shuttles and caddies moved among the debris
looking for more escape pods. Caddies were the lastest in
automated drone search-and-rescue vehicles that could clamp onto
the pods. DeMarco felt nothing but sorrow for the families of
those who were not as lucky to get the escape pods and anger
toward whoever had committed the crime. Deep down, he suspected
the rebels, but the veteran 55-year-old Imperial Officer was not
the kind to accuse without evidence. Part of the rescue
operation involved collecting as much debris as could be
gathered, so that an analysis could be conducted to determine
the type of weapon and strength and be matched to what they knew
of rebel weapon signatures.
Voice - "Captain, the commander of the Zulu ship reports they've
transferred the survivors they've rescued to our Sickbay."
DeMarco had not actually met the Zulu ship commander personally,
having only exchanged a ten-minute greeting followed
surprisingly by their offer to render assistance. What little he
knew of the Zulu was that they tended to regard survivors as
more of a burden in a war and thus were more likely to leave any
to their own fate. While he believed it was a rather cruel way
to conduct military campaigns, he knew that it was what allowed
the Zulu to expand their state across seven sectors.
DeMarco - "Send my gratitude and the thanks of the empire to the
commander and his people."
Voice - "Acknowledged."
DeMarco was at least thankful that the Zulu commander showed a
willingness to pursue the attackers, and when that proved
impossible, to turn to rescue operations instead of simply
withdrawing. He watched as the ungainly ship made a graceful
turn before launching into warp, no doubt returning to their
sovereign space. The doors opened, and his colleague and fellow
captain, Samson Zuza, walked in. The 34-year-old with a full
beard he kept neatly trimmed, was just three inches taller than
DeMarco, yet the elder captain felt smaller in his presence.
Zuza - "I've picked up the last survivors in my search area.
They'll be transferred to your ship within the hour."
DeMarco - "I wish I knew who attacked this convoy. Given the
rebels' tendency toward piracy, I want to blame them."
Zuza - "But you aren't in command of a warship. This is a
medical frigate with limited offensive capability and more
hospital beds than quantum torpedos."
DeMarco - "Just once, I'd like to command an Excelsior-class
again."
Zuza - "I feel for ya. But to be honest, military patrolling
isn't as glamorous as you think. Its 90% boredom, 5% curiosity
and 5% extreme excitement."
DeMarco - "All the same, I appreciate you coming to our aid, and
bringing those UTM ships with you."
Zuza - "They just happened to meet us halfway. Commander Gaiju
was a bit eager to go into battle."
DeMarco - "Its the Mongol way."
Zuza - "I better return to my ship. We'll be heading out to
Ameriga shortly. There's been some reports of rebel clandestine
activity there that needs to be checked out."
DeMarco - "Good luck to you, Captain. I'll be taking the
survivors to Medical Base 5 before going back out."
Both men shook hands. Zuza turned and walked through the doors,
leaving DeMarco alone to look out at the sea of debris sparkling
with starlight.
#Post#: 223--------------------------------------------------
Re: Capture of the Dreadnaught
By: MichaelH23 Date: December 29, 2015, 3:34 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Convoy A7114. Freighter Pony Express, independent-contract
vessel. Sector 11
Texas "Tex" Buckford was no stranger to the perils of
interstellar travel. Having came perilously close to a black
hole, rode the shockwave of a supernova to safety before the
stellar matter destroyed his ship, and even encountering a Kiran
patrol ship during the Barlat Assault. The recent incident in
Sector 11, which his convoy was now entering would've been
considered simply another of the many dangers a freighter hog
like him would face on a daily basis.
With one eye permanently squinting due to a run-in with a pirate
three years ago which damaged the muscles and nerves on the left
side of his face, a bushy brown beard with some hints of grey
already becoming apparent, and a slight limp, the portly
freighter captain was what one normally thought of when they
thought of the freighter hog (though he had met several
freighter captains who did not fit the mold, including five
women). His was the lead ship in the convoy which was being
escorted by six Steamrunner-class ships whose names he never
could remember because he never cared too much for the military.
Having them as escorts was still a blessing he would be stupid
to refuse, considering the current situation. One need only look
out the port-hole sized viewports and see the debris from the
recent incident with the rebels to understand the sense of
precaution and urgency felt by all in the convoy.
Voice - "Tex, good buddy. You reading me? What's your twenty?"
Tex laughed at the vernacular use by his friend, Buford Beaumont
Gunn, captain of the freighter Betsie. Known to the freight
clique as B.B.Gunn because of his bar fights, legendary in the
freight-hauling community, which came about due to his quick
temper. It was said that a punch from him was like being shot in
the eye with a BB pellet, hence the nickname. Tex also knew that
the name of his ship was the result of an ex-lover named Betsy
who had left him after three days. Tex recently learned that B.B
took on the convoy assignment because Betsy was now demanding
either child support or his head. Tex often kidded his friend
for having "loved then left" Betsy. He activated the commline to
his friend's ship.
Tex - "I hear ya loud and clear, B.B. You gettin lonely back
there?"
Gunn - "I wish now I had taken ole Betsie with me now. At least
I wouldn't have to hear your voice."
Tex - "Hell, B.B., you'd have given them stiffnecks escorting us
a real radio show with you and Betsie trying to give her baby a
playmate."
Gunn - "Oh please! Those stiff-suited military goons could learn
a thing or two from me about how to actually live, never mind
how to rock a gal's world. I wonder if even half of them have
even seen a gal naked as the day she was born."
Tex - "You're right, B.B. Them schoolboys wouldn't know what do
with a nekked woman if she were presented to them as a gift
complete with a bow on her head."
Gunn - "Speaking of gifts, have you talked to that female
freighter hog yet?"
Tex - "Who, Darla? Pssh! I doubt she'd give me the keys to her
house let alone the time of day."
Gunn - "Tex, you sonofabitch. Don't let that preddy gal slip
past you. Get that bull by the horns and ride til you can't,
man."
Tex - "After this run, B.B. I don't wanna be--"
An alarm sounded on his console. At the same time, a hail from
one of the escort ships, the ISS MacArthur came across the
screen. Shutting off the alarm, and tying his personal channel
with Gunn to the hail from MacArthur, Tex activated the
commscreen. Seconds later, a face appeared on his viewscreen. If
ever there was an accurate description of a military stiffneck,
this guy fits it to a tee, he thought as he locked eyes with the
person on the screen.
cont'd>
#Post#: 224--------------------------------------------------
Re: Capture of the Dreadnaught
By: MichaelH23 Date: December 29, 2015, 3:50 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
<cont'd
Tex - "Why captain, you look like you just spotted a bear in the
woods."
Captain Wilford Benning scowled at the freighter captain, not
particularly liking the vernacular used.
Benning - "There is a sensor reading on long-range. Massive
vessel on a direct course for our location. It's traveling
faster than we ever seen."
Tex's easy smile vanished. Now he was all-business.
Tex - "What are your orders?"
Benning - "Get the convoy out of range as fast as you can. That
ship may be the one responsible for the attack in Sector 07 and
we cannot afford to lose you like we lost them."
Tex - "If we leave without you, we'll be easy pickings for a
rebel squadron."
Benning - "If you don't leave us, you will be attacked by
whatever is coming at us. You don't have much of a choice,
Captain."
[i]he pays you money, he takes your chances, Tex thought
bitterly.
Tex - "And what if that vessel destroys all your escort ships?"
Benning - "Then try to record as much information as you can,
but leave this sector and possible subspace jamming. Inform the
Imperial Command. Most importantly, save yourselves. Don't try
to rescue us."
Tex - "Understood. Don't leave us unguarded too long. I wouldn't
be surprised if the rebels haven't gotten ahold of a cloaking
device and may be using it."
Benning's image winked out, replaced by the starscape on the
viewscreen. Gunn's voice came back over the audio channel.
Gunn - "Massive vessel. I wonder if its the Ghost I've heard
rumors about?"
Tex - "Ghost?"
Gunn - "Yea. Someone was telling me that they had a close-call
with a ship that was larger than anything them Imperial folks
have in their fleet. It was making tracks at a speed so high
that even the sensors could only detect it as a large blur. He
gave it the nickname of The Ghost."
Tex - "Guess we'll find out soon enough. Meantime, you heard
what ole Captain Snob said."
Gunn - "I'm with ya, Tex. I'll inform the other freighter hogs.
Ten-four."
Tex again smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. He
sat back in his seat and keyed in the coordinates to steer clear
of whatever incoming aggressor was charging in, while at the
same time offering a prayer to the Great Bird that the Imperial
stiffnecks wouldn't suffer major loss in the coming engagement.
#Post#: 338--------------------------------------------------
Re: Capture of the Dreadnaught
By: MichaelH23 Date: November 21, 2016, 2:46 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
ISS MacArthur
Captain Wilford Benning hated dealing with freighter hogs who
seemed determined to spit in the eye of Danger when he reared
his head. He had been in the Imperial service for 40 years and
had seen what happens when freighters strayed into a combat
zone. He was approaching 60 years old, and the point in which he
could choose to either continue in the Imperial Starfleet or
retire, and while he had given the matter little thought due to
the raging civil war, one look at himself told the story. His
years sitting in the captain's chair had not been kind to him,
seeming to age him even faster than he thought possible. On top
of that, his joints experienced aches which sometimes threatened
to keep him in bed. Only the medications the ship's CMO gave him
first thing in the mornings made it possible for him to continue
his duties. Most of the rest of his crew were a much more active
and healthy middle-aged group, with no 'youngsters' as he called
the 20 and 30 year olds among them.
First Officer Tad Dodson - "Captain, I'm picking up massive
energy readings from the approaching hostile."
Benning - "I think we found our Ghost. Raise shields and charge
phaser banks. Arm quantum torpedoes."
Tactical Officer - "Shields and weapons, aye."
Dodson - "Our convoy has changed course as you instructed."
Benning - "Good. Damned freighter hogs."
Tactical Officer - "Sir! Hostile has changed vectors, they're
following the freighters."
Dodson - "Seems they've already detected the freighters long
before we warned them. Orders?"
Benning - "Dammit! The empire must be out of its mind to have
convoys traveling through regions of space where pirates are
active, especially now! Have the other escort ships follow us.
Helm, change course to intercept that ship before they reach the
freighter convoy."
Helm Officer - "ETA in nine minutes, sir."
Benning - "Hail the hostile, warn them off the freighters."
Dodson - "The hostile is ignoring our hails, but their aft
phaser banks and gunports are operational. We got their
attention, but they're hell-bent on the freighters."
Benning - "Fire a warning shot across their bow. Let's distract
them."
On the viewscreen, the red line of energy blasted across the
chasm of space, just barely grazing the shields of the giant
starship. In reply, a photon torpedo larger than anything
Benning had ever seen streaked close and destroyed one of the
escort ships in one shot.
Dodson - "Sir, did you see that!?"
Benning - "I seen it, but still don't believe it!"
Tactical Officer - "Orders?"
Benning - "Attack pattern Pi, swarm the bastard!"
On the screen, he could see several of the escort ships, mainly
Centaur-class ships with the occasional Defiant-class bulldog
flashing across the view of the dreadnought, pummel the larger
ship remorselessly. The mammoth dreadnought took all the fire
sent against it, not showing any sign of damage on the hull, nor
a noticeable decline in shield strength.
Dodson - "Captain, not getting any damage on shields or hull."
Tactical Officer - "Captain, they're coming about!"
Benning - "Helm, evasive maneuvers, now!"
Even as the helm officer complied, two of the Centaurs winked
out in a blinding flash and concussive boom as torpedoes from
the dreadnought struck them from aft.
Dodson - "Damn! We lost three ships already, and that thing
isn't even slowing down."
Benning - "Continuous firing, all appropriate banks and tubes.
Continue evasive after each shot."
He felt his ship swing wildly to port and starboard, heard the
whine of the phasers and the twing of torpedoes launching as
they continued to try and fight the mammoth ship. Each time, a
single torpedo from the dreadnought would be fired in
retaliation, to strike one of the attacking ships with
devastation no one ever expected. In only two minutes of combat,
five of the escort ships had been totally destroyed, while the
dreadnought continued to show no damage of any kind.
Dodson - "Sir, if we can target their impulse manifolds, we can
temporarily cripple them."
Tactical Officer - "That might keep them from following the
freighters, but considering the firepower and their proven
capabilities, even if they can't follow them, they can pick them
off one by one."
Benning - "How would we target the manifolds? Where are the
manifolds on that monster?"
Dodson - "Sir! One of the Centaurs is on collision course for
the dreadnought!"
Before Benning could even register the outcry from his first
officer, the screen lit up with another explosion. This time,
the shields of the dreadnought shimmered briefly before
vanishing again, but again, no appreciable damage or energy loss
was recorded. Suddenly, phasers from the massive ship tore
across the stars and destroyed nearly all the four remaining
escort ships. Benning was fast running out of options.
Benning - "Helm, set collision course. Order the remaining ships
to do the same. One of us has to hit their manifolds. Tactical,
launch distress buoy complete with combat log and sensor
readings."
#Post#: 339--------------------------------------------------
Re: Capture of the Dreadnaught
By: MichaelH23 Date: November 21, 2016, 9:02 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Main Audience Hall, Imperial Palace. Gaia
Modigh Tohopka disliked the idea of appearing before Drake I in
the Imperial Palace. It wasn't because he disliked the emperor,
as his actions thus far have proven. It was because of the
feeling, like a troublesome student being sent to the
principal's office. His trek from the spaceport to the Palatial
Gates had been filled with tension. He hoped the emperor would
congratulate him for his recent actions at Hellonde, but one
could never be sure with an emperor who was still untried. He
entered the Hall to find himself in the presence of not only
Drake I, but also Flag Admiral William Adama and an individual
whom Tohopka knew only as the rebel-turned-hero Tarvis Dawn.
Drake I stood up from his seat on the Ruby Throne, a hint of a
smile on his face.
Drake I - "Modigh Tohopka, Hero of Hellonde. It is an honor to
finally have you grace my palace with your presence."
Tohopka - "The honor is mine, Majesty. I finally get to meet the
Hero of the Empire and Saviour of Trekylon himself. Don't deny
that you being coronated emperor actually saved the empire from
being partitioned among the Barlat and Laptev vultures."
Drake I - "No. It was the reforms introduced by the late Michael
III that actually saved the empire. I simply continued and
expanded upon them while coming to terms with our friends,
rivals, and enemies. I know that you already know Admiral Adama,
but you don't know our second Hero of the Empire."
Tarvis Dawn stepped forward as Drake I gestured to him.
Drake I - "Modigh, meet Tarvis Dawn. Tarvis, this is Modigh
Tohopka."
Dawn shook Tohopka's hand firmly, "I hear you're one who is
rather.....unorthodox when it comes to authority. I also hear
you like the 'fly by the seat of your pants' style of tactical
thinking."
Tohopka - "I heard you did pretty good back on New Columbia,
when you turned against the rebels."
Dawn - "I had my grievances against the central government, but
after the terrorist attack on Nihal II and the rebel occupations
of New Caledonia and Bespia, I couldn't side with the rebels.
The emperor was most gracious in addressing my grievances, but
he did ask me to remain connected to the rebels just long enough
for him to lead the campaign to liberate New Columbia."
Drake I - "I hate to break up this mutual admiration society,
but we do have a serious problem to discuss."
Adama - "Our dreadnought struck again. We lost all ten escort
ships, and almost all the freighters."
Tohopka - "How long ago?"
Adama - "Four hours ago. By the time an Imperial rescue force
arrived in the system, there was little left. We did rescue
survivors from three of the escort ships, but that was it."
Tohopka - "You said almost all the freighters. One managed to
escape?"
Adama - "The freighter Pony Express under the command of Texas
Buckford. Like you, Mr Tohopka, he's unorthodox and generally
has no regard good or bad for the military."
Drake I - "Mr Buckford has been debriefed already. Right now,
he's at home resting."
Tohopka - "I do not wish to be rude, Majesty....or Mr
Dawn....but what does that have to do with either of us being
here?"
cont'd>
#Post#: 346--------------------------------------------------
Re: Capture of the Dreadnaught
By: MichaelH23 Date: December 2, 2016, 2:04 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
<cont'd
Drake I - "You are needed for an infiltration mission, Mr
Tohopka."
Modigh couldn't help himself. He burst into laughter at the very
idea he was about to become a secret agent. Tarvis looked at him
as though he had gone mad, which Modigh believed he wasn't far
from becoming after he heard the proposal.
Tohopka - "You want me to infiltrate a dreadnaught with a full
crew complement and few Marines?"
Dawn - "Not a full complement."
Modigh now looked at Tarvis as though he had told a joke and was
waiting for the punchline. For his part, Tarvis continued as
though Modigh wasn't in the room.
Dawn - "That class of super-starship is designed to be fully
automated in the event the crew is neutralized or killed. If
they have a full complement, its mostly troops waiting to be
deployed against the Imperial ground forces. Otherwise, only a
crew of ten could possibly be onboard."
Adama - "How many people would be needed on the bridge, at bare
minimum?"
Dawn - "Three."
Modigh circled Tarvis, looking incredulous, "So we might be
dealing with a fully crewed vessel, then again it could only
have three people aboard. Those odds are too odd for even me."
Dawn - "I thought someone like you would love a challenge?
Seeing how you beamed every fusion bomb buried beneath the crust
of Hellonde into a container, then tractored it into the
Hellonde sun before they exploded."
Tohopka - "I'll grant you the odds then were even less in my
favor, but I also know that when you court that kind of disaster
once, its never wise to do so again."
Drake I - "You won't be going alone. You will have a team of
four plus one more."
Tohopka - "Plus one more. And who will that one more be?"
Dawn - "Me. I have been aboard the ship at least six times just
before its launch. I know the corridors like the back of my
hand."
Tohopka - "That makes me feel better, then."
Adama, having heard enough snideness from Tohopka and making it
clear it wasn't a volunteer mission, stepped away from Tarvis,
coming face to face with Tohopka, his nose a mere handful of
inches from Tohopka's, "I'm not asking you, and I'm not making
this volunteer, mister. You were chosen by me to carry out this
mission and I am making it an order. You have a problem taking
orders, make a note of your objections in a logbook, then
dismiss yourself from Imperial service."
Drake I looked horrified by his Flag Admiral's harsh tone, but
he could think of nothing to say to calm either men down. Tarvis
looked bemused by the situation Tohopka was now placed in.
Tohopka looked ready to deck the Flag Admiral across the jaw,
but wisely held back from doing so.
Tohopka - "Mr Adama. I don't generally follow Imperial Starfleet
guidelines, anyway. If I did, then that bastard Tate would be
sitting on the Ruby Throne, and not His Majesty. If I do this
mission, it isn't because you 'ordered' me to. Its because my
emperor is under threat, and because of that I will do whatever
I have to...legal or not."
Tarvis stepped in before Adama could reach out to throttle
Tohopka, which he appeared ready to do.
Dawn - "Relax, admiral. He did say he'd do it. Just let it go at
that."
Modigh smiled sneeringly at Adama, which did not go unnoticed by
Tarvis.
Dawn - "Mr Tohopka, don't push it any further."
cont'd>
#Post#: 349--------------------------------------------------
Re: Capture of the Dreadnaught
By: MichaelH23 Date: December 16, 2016, 5:23 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
<cont'd
Drake I rose from the throne and walked over to Tohopka and
Dawn. Standing between the two imposing men made Drake I feel a
bit small, but the very fact he had the power and authority of
the crown more than made up for his size deficiency.
Drake I - "Mr Tohopka, as much as you may distrust Tarvis here,
the fact he made the victory on New Columbia possible and has
already been punished for the few crimes he did commit during
the Civil War makes he invaluable. So you need to bury whatever
misgivings you have regarding him and learn to work with him on
this mission. "
Tohopka - "As you say, Sire. Thy will be done."
Dawn - "If I may ask, sire, where will the ambush take place?"
Drake I - "A region of space where dense nebulae and charged
plasma makes navigation difficult, except for a tunnel which is
considered the Eye. Its known as the Storm."
Dawn - "I am not familiar with that region of space"
Tohopka - "Trust me, you don't want to be familiar with that
region of space. If you get too close to the charged particles
and plasma storms, you'll get sheared apart and die of radiation
poisoning faster than you can say 'I surrender'."
Drake I - "That is why we hope to trap the enemy inside the
Storm. They will be unable to maneuver very far."
Adama - "Mr Dawn, I wish you godspeed and good luck. Modigh,
your butt is on the line, so you better deliver when we need
it."
Both men bowed to Drake I, who nodded in acknowledgement. Tarvis
shook Adama's hand, "You can count on us, sir."
Tohopka - "Billy boy, just have some whiskey ready when we
return in victory. And if we fail, I'll whup my own ass, thank
you very much."
Both men turned and made their exit from the main audience hall.
Drake I looked at Adama with some concern on his face. "Was that
really necessary, Bill?".
Adama - "Mr Tohopka is a brash and irritable sort, Majesty."
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