***This entry was skipped (see date) as it was hidden within various paragraphs that were un-postable and basically, I missed it, which is why it appears to start halfway through a paragraph***
20th September, 2008
.....We on the other hand decided to launch a strike against Alpha.
Me, Lucas, Jose, Custo, Ximen with Luis following up went to the docking ring of Malta where we shot holes in it and blasted some Outcasts. Then, like kicking an ants nest, half the Maltese fleet undocked!
Well, we fought like devils but we were overcome. I don't know what happened to the others as I was jousting with Zavala (//he later complained that I was the only one who would face him... :cool://). We fought some but I was being hit from all sides. The next thing I saw was my missile alert going off as his Sabre loomed large in my crosshairs. With no shield, I must of made a nice pretty pattern as the munitions exploded with the fuel tanks aboard my Titan. I was sure he didn't use missiles.....but there were plenty of others there so I'm not surprised.
A Junker friend of ****** was passing and picked me up. He bought me back to Crete, along with the others and we got re-assigned a new ship.
I then undocked again and ran straight into Greebo BH. A bounty hunter in a gunboat. He tried to run but my CD put paid to that. Giving up on that idea, he engaged with everything he had. I went evasive and hoped Jose had picked up my call.
Fortunately, Jose did and turned up with the cavalry. Three titans and a gunboat. Greebo carried on fighting but the game was up.
Soon, the BH was a pile of scrap metal.
Having had a day of various ups and downs, I decided to return to base and retire for the night.
Was out patrolling when HQ got something coming in from Manu in Theta. He was fighting Core pilots, alongside some TBH.
I thumbed the cruise switch, firing up my engines.
I got to Theta in record time and came across a corsair cruiser who had fortunately cleared all the BH from the jumphole on the Theta side. Listening in on the frantic comms, I headed towards the Freeport there. The combat had to be close to it.
Manu was nearest on my scanners. He was fighting with a Core pilot in a Manta. When I arrived, both ships were undamaged. I tore into the Manta and the combat began in earnest.
[Core]Klaw117 started out well dodging, but then he turned to fight. He was shortly sucking on the hard vacuum of space, my guns shredding his hull after Manu had very kindly stripped it of it's shield.
We turned then and went after the others. Rosendo and Jose were inbound, which was lucky because the three TBH pilots had disengaged. Only OPG Cleardark and Benito Huarez remained. They'd wasted Domino Harvey before we got there and Terix died shortly afterward but a Freelancer named 'Dante........' proved to be very agile. VERY agile. Good job he wasn't a good shot then. Despite survivng a long time in the melee, he was being worn down. In his final moments, Jose hit him with four EXCALIBUR code weapons. His shield batteries had been used long ago. Nanobots were exhausted and his hull was just tin foil when it happened.
He'll be sucking his dinner through a straw for a long time if he survived that attack.
We headed back to Gamma, the debris of the bounty hunters floating in our wake.
Benito and Jose had unfinished business and so we went straight to O-91. I was the official and so counted them in. Manu and I watched as they duelled for the tournament. It went well for Jose from the start. He had done his homework, I could tell. He kept his flares on. Benito used missiles so he was less effective. Jose gave Benito a lift back to Alex where he picked up his new ship and we returned to Tripoli to meet Rosendo who was waiting there for us.
Rosendo had been busy. He had been operating in Rheinland and had managed to get his hands on a military transports manifest. It was to be loaded with top secret CODE weapons, bound for New Berlin for analysis.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall when they realize that ship isn't going to arrive!
Rosendo had the cases transfered off his ship at Tripoli. The ground chiefs face was something when he saw the Rheinland military crates coming off but was quite happy to have them stored at pier 17.
That old pirate **** will have a look and let me know later.
*This entry contains a lot of confidential family business at first which has been removed to save me having any unforseen 'accidents'*
....in the family tournament when the word went up that two BH battlecruisers had been sighted heading through Gamma to the O-41 JH. We all immediately left to engage.
On my way past Tripoli, I changed ship for my bomber and hurried on.
I think nearly half the family were there. Lucas, Adan, Ronaldo, Mateo, Jose, Enrico and myself.
In Omega-41, 15k from the Freeport I engaged 'Don't Disturb Me'. An absurdly named Battlecruiser. Soon however she was just more debris. We then turned our attention to the other. She put up a better fight but was soon overcome. I think we lost one ship to her guns and the radiation.
No sooner had we finished when another call came in. Two BH were attacking corsairs in Delta. This time it was Kuun Lan and Meggido.
We flew up there and again, engaged. Two more BH fell with no further losses, adding to our tally that day.
After the battles, most of the pilots went to the bar at Yaren but I decided to head back to Crete and pick up a transport to New London. A young corsair pilot had tried to contact us. He wanted join the family.
I arrived there some hours later and as he didn't know who I was, introduced myself to a fresh faced 'Diego'. He was excited at the prospect of me signing him up there and then!
I had to explain that firstly, it had to be ok'd by the Don or at least an Elder. If he was, there was still a trial to be overcome before we would let him loose in a Titan. He was impatient to be getting on but he can wait. A little patience was to be his first lesson.
I messaged high command his details. A reply would be relayed and recieved while I slept so with that in mind, I retired to a bunk.
I awoke and rolled over to look out my view portal to see our newest recruit, young Diego practicing with an old Legionaire he had bought. Jose I noticed had joined him. As I watched them turning and twisting, the comms came alive.
"Your nicked my lad"!
Constable Sweeney was standing off, not engaging. Diego turned toward him and, firing his guns engaged, despite Jose warning him to be wary of the Bretonian.
The battle was joined and after some early good work by young Diego, the battle was in his favour. Again they clashed but this time, quick as a flash, that damned Bretonian dropped a mine into the path of the now shieldless Diego. 'BANG'.
Jose was also engaged now but I wasn't hanging around. Dancing around infront of the view portal, one foot in my flight suit, I struggled to get dressed, one eye on the combat as Jose and Sweeney fought.
That pig even had time to taunt Jose on the comms as they duelled, despite only having half his hull integrity left.
Just as I was about to leave for the hanger, it was all over. Jose, seeing his oppurtunity, tried to mine the Cavalier. The pig had seen this though and thrusted away, leaving only one target for the deadly explosive. 'BANG'.
Jose's ship was now just one more part of the Southampton debris field.
"Damn those Constables"!
I launched but there was no sign of Sweeney. He had gone, nursing what was left of his ship back to Southampton probably.
I picked up Jose and Diegos pods and returned to Trafalgar.
Not the best of days so far for the family. Still there are plenty of hours still left in it.....
Got Diego his new Legionaire and off he went. No sooner had he undocked when Don Carlos turned up. They did some missions and I went to the hanger deck to get a shuttle back to Gamma.
As I undocked that damned Constable Sweeney was back. Looking out of the viewport of the transport, I saw him come in for Diego, he hammered him on the first pass but this time, Carlos was there and engaged. Sweeney changed tactic and fought Carlos now. Diego was still going at him but it was Carlos that did the main damage. As fast as it had begun, it ended. There was an explosion and Carlos' ship came past, rolling in victory!
Good, I hope the pig rots in hell.
Got back to Cadiz and picked up my battered Titan. I had left it in a bit of a state and the ground crews hadn't touched it. There was a smell coming from the hold. The three now dead BH who had starved in there lay, limbs contorted in agony. I would have to get this sorted out.
Having got my ship decontaminated and paid a princely sum in doing so, I left for Crete.
Arriving back at base, I checked in at HQ. There was an Outcast in Theta. SoB Tempur.
I launched and in orbit around Crete, I met up with Julian and we went, he in a Titan and me in a bomber to fight this Outcast interloper.
I sent a comms to Gentle who said he would be joining me shortly.
Passing the Freeport, 'JoJo', a Zoner in a Fearless class destroyer told me there was an outcast destroyer lurking around the Sigma 17 JH. I thanked him and we turned toward the JH.
Tempur was there, sitting amongst a lot of destroyed bounty hunter ships. We engaged and the fight began. Julian was weaving in and out of his firing arcs and giving me plenty of cover to engage which I did with relish. A couple of SN's later and we were into his hull. We scored a hull hit but then his shield batts fired and they were back to full health. We did it again until he had no more left....
One big hit on his hull later and the ion storm engulfed us all (system crash).
By the time the storm had cleared, he was long gone. The only thing left was the incoming fleet of BH. We despatched them with contempt, by now an OPG gunboat having joined us.
We returned to Gamma to re-equip and I decided to call it a night.
Julian had despatched his duties very well. A damn fine pilot there.
As for Tempur, there will be other oppurtunites....
Went out on patrol with Diego today. The system was quiet, except for half the house police/military showing up if their IFF was anything to go by. I might start cracking down on that....
Met a navy tagged trader, 'Goran' or something. He arrived empty in his container transport. I asked for a contribution which he refused and docked at Tripoli. We waited and he launched so I shot him up a bit and asked for a donation of $2 million. He tried to speed dock at Tripoli but before he could, I blew a big hole in him. Having docked, he asked why he should pay so I explained politely.
I said "I'll kill you if you don't" which got a round of applause from the other corsairs in system. He then said he would pay the $2 million if I let him go. I agreed with one caveat. He leave Gamma immediately. He paid and left.
Diego's shift was over so I went to Crete were I met Julian. We scanned a few incoming traders but then we got a comms message. There was a nomad in the system. Julian busy was stopping a passenger smuggler called 'T344 something' who dropped his cargo in space and left with artifacts. Meanwhile, I sat off Crete in my bomber waiting for the nomad. I suspected he was a cap.
Julian joined me just as the Keeper came on scanners. He sat at 9k and tried to communicate. It was gibberish to us and Julian told him so. Julian then asked for permission to engage.
The nomad was in a fighter so I said I would change to my Titan on Crete which I docked to do. When I launched, Julian had already engaged the Keeper. They were at 7.2k when he engaged. I could tell because thats when the Keepers shield disapeared. No sooner had that happened when a Huntress cruiser engaged. Julian told him to dis-engage but the C.O was having non of it. With his shield already down, one shot from the cruiser blew the nomads ship apart. I just arrived to see an explosion of ship parts.
I will be checking 'Steelrat's ship registration form...
Having returned to Crete with Julian, our patrol over, we docked and met up in the bar. Now that boy can drink Tequila!!!!!!
Fortunately for me, Julian is not like Jose, deep pockets and short arms......
........and after that round of tournament bouts were over, we returned to Gamma where a strike force of RoS ships came in and attacked. The Benitez wing, of which we were nine engaged, as did a lot of indies. The RoS died quickly without distinction. Only Zavala got away via Theta.
Having done with my patrol, I returned to Crete where I got orders from Jose to get my backside to Trafalgar. A new pilot was standing by.
I jumped on a transport and headed off there.
When I arrived, there were two Legionaires waiting.
Jorge and Julian. Poor Jorge was given an old Benitez Legionaire but Julian had splashed out and bought a flashy new model with go faster stripes!
Having given the ground crew their orders to equip their ships, we left for a mission briefing.
The mission was fairly straight forward and we were able to destroy our targets. I think the lads need some patience though. Some of the missions that were chosen were rather tough!
Having set them up, I left for Gamma.
Sitting comfortably in my flight seat aboard the shuttle, I gazed out over the Trafalgar scrap field......what was that?
Bretonian Cavalier!
Intercept course with Julian and Jorge!
The Constables were back. This time it was Sweeney. He came in on an attack vector with Julian.
Jorge and Julian enaged but he was agile and they were unable to pin him down. He then switched targets and went after Jorge. This time, a mine found it's mark and Jorge, without shield, was waiting for the pick-up back to Trafalgar. Now it was just Julian. They fought some more and it looked like the Legionaire was getting the better of the Bretonian but it was close. The Cavalier appeared to be out of mines and missiles. Now the Legionaire was on the offensive.
It was obviously too much for the policeman who in the end evaded and left the area. A close call I think. We should be careful of them. Maybe Carlos could station some more Legionaires at Trafalgar?
A couple of things have happened. Me, Julian and Diego saw a perfect opportunity to pick up Mr Archer. I pulled him over and surprise surprise, an Order ID and IFF. Sadly, I had to let him go.
Picked up another advanced train in Theta by the O-41 JH. I asked for $2mill. He just said "it's worth more than my cargo".....the fool. Was it worth your life?
He died and picking through the debris, we filled our holds with Luxury food!
He must have a good supplier for that cargo to be less tha that. Well the family will eat well tonight hermanos!
Carlos' chef can work wonders with anything. What will he do with this feast?
Having run out of targets, I called in the location of all the food floating around the wreckage and we returned to Gamma.
Later, after Julians patrol was over, Diego and I carried on. Gamma is being over-run with capital ships with no ID, VHF's with dodgy IFF's and the odd hostile.
I was hunting an IFF'd Rogue, ID'd Merc in Gamma when Diego called in with some alarm. A Liberty Siege Cruiser, Navy IFF, BH ID just off Tripoli. Name of [ASF]Goran. I went straight there. Enroute, we linked up with a corsair cruiser, The Royal Fortune, and we went after the cruiser. He saw us and ran. When I say he ran, I mean ran. Diego and I gave up the chase, concerned over fuel reserves at 180k distant from Crete. The Royal had plenty aboard however and continued the chase.
At about 280k from Crete, the Liberty ship must have known she couldn't escape and turned to fight.
The fire fight lasted only a little while as the Liberty ship tried to manuever to get her main gun to bear. In the end though, the better crew of The Royal won through and destroyed the BH fool. Several Corsair pilots were liberated from the ship, along with more food rations, oddly.
It's the second time I've seen a ship named Goran in Gamma. Consider that name worth investigating, everytime.
Having docked at Crete, I spoke with the C.O of The Royal who told me that another ship in Gamma had contacted him to say that the cruiser was under his protection! A Bounty Hunter under the protection of a Corsair?
Fortunately, the commander had recorded the comms from (/LoA)D35-Sturmovik and forwarded it to the powers that be. I would advise we put Sturmovik under surveilance.
I am exhausted and in need of rest. The frontline moves again in Delta.
Went out on patrol when who should light up my scanners but a BH called [ASF]Goran, again. He was in Kappa. Spaceball-3 offered to assist and we went after him. We caught up with Goran but he ran to Delta. We pursued and tried to catch him but this one runs well. Spaceball-3 was adamant we send him a forceful message so we continued the hunt. He fled into the badlands where the mysterious Battlestar is, which is where we caught up with him again. After a brief skirmish, again he escaped. This time Spaceball-3 went for the Freeport and I ran around the wrong side of the planet, trying to fool Goran into thinking he had got away. I hoped he would head to the FP with me in pursuit, straight at Spaceball.
It nearly worked but again, seeing Spaceball on his scanners, he turned and ran. This time however I was all over him. Dropping out of cruise I fired about 20 CD's and dropped him. Then the fight began. He could run no more. Spaceball arrived shortly after and finished him.
Interestingly enough, the last time I met him in Gamma, he was piloting a Liberty Cruiser. This time it was a BH Destroyer. I suppose next time, it will be BH Battlecruiser?
Anyway, we returned to Gamma where we met 'Black Cat'. Some sort of GB with a police IFF. We gave chase but he fled straight away for O-41 and out of the area.
I returned to Crete where I freed the 20 or so corsairs the BH Goran had captured and, thanking Spaceball, retired to my quarters.