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"Frontier Unconquered" (An Enclave Story) - Printable Version

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"Frontier Unconquered" (An Enclave Story) - Catbert - 02-01-2020

[Image: cxXiBKX.png]

Frontier Unconquered
A Gallic Royal Enclave Story


Unnamed plateau, planet Bordeaux
Aquitaine system, Gallic Hebrides
10:45 am, 3 February, 743 A.G.S. (827 A.S.)


The Colonel stood atop of a cliff, staring into the distance. Some would consider the view breathtaking: the lush green jungle below reached almost up to the horizon, surrounded by mountains. Only in the distance was that sea of green interrupted by another, dull-colored and uneven expanse. From atop of this cliff, it was impossible to see it distinctly, but the colonel knew what it was. The trails of smoke also gave it away — a vast camp, something unheard of for a planet that used to be a preserve. Despite being a paradise world teeming with life, this time everything around the Colonel was silent. Somewhere in the distance, a lightning struck. Yet there was no thunder, even after minutes of waiting.

Having taken in the sight, the Colonel stepped away from the window. The ready-room aboard his destroyer Intrepide, with a view on the developing world seemed like a perfect place for a meeting. Still standing, he pushed a button on the table: "Transmit to all EDA captains: we are expecting a certain Doctor John Henry Holliday. If any of our patrols encounter a vessel of his in the Hebrides, scan it, make sure it's safe, take all the necessary precautions. Then escort Doctor Holliday to Bordeaux."

With a pause, he added after some hesitation: "Treat him as you'd treat any guest from Sirius who isn't unwelcome."



RE: "Frontier Unconquered" (An Enclave Story) - Doc Holliday - 02-01-2020

[MFE]Doc's.Shuttle
Aquitaine System
11:00 AM 3 February, 827 A.S

"John, are you sure you want to do this," asked his ship's commander, Nicole Schmidt.
"Nicole, I will be fine," Doc replied, "We are not the enemy here and I think they are smart enough to know that."
"John, I worry about you," she continued, "One of these times you will go unescorted by your security and get killed. I couldn't live with that......" She swallowed, "...nor would I want to explain that to Ashley."
He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the face and softly smiled, "I will be OK. Ashley will be OK. Just stay close to the ship when we land. To them, it is Bordeaux but to us, it is still Gaia, the planet where man is consumed by plants."
She just nodded as Doc pulled away, took her seat and began the command sequence.

"Bordeaux control, this is Commander Nicole Schmidt aboard the Med Force vessel Doc's Shuttle. We are about 30k from your location with Dr. John Holliday, requesting instruction, over."
She looked back at Doc who was sitting in a chair near her on the command bridge drinking some coffee, "You know, John, we really do need to change the name of this ship....."
They maintained course, awaiting instruction.


RE: "Frontier Unconquered" (An Enclave Story) - Catbert - 02-01-2020


Unnamed plateau, planet Bordeaux
Aquitaine system, Gallic Hebrides
11:03 am, 3 February, 743 A.G.S. (827 A.S.)


"Doc's Shuttle, this is Bordeaux control. Stand by for a scan." For the next couple of minutes, there was no more reply. It almost seemed as if the flight control was intentionally dragging this out. It could be the scan taking too long, or a way to throw the people with ulterior motives (or just the more anxious ones) off balance and into making a wrong move. Either way, the next reply came all of a sudden, when it was almost not expected: "Prepare to receive a flight course. Don't deviate from it."

The results of the scan not being announced was just another thing to add to the suspense. Just like a couple of Lynx fighters that took positions by the sides of the shuttle at a respectable distance and would follow it towards the destination, whatever that could be. After a few minutes of flying, the route would take the shuttle away from the central ports, towards a plateau in the distance. There was a ship on the plateau already, and a sizeable one at that: a Triumph-class destroyer. The coordinates were of a landing spot next to it, and a few Gallic marines in full armor with helmets already stood outside. Their weapons, however, were on the shoulders, and their sidearms were holstered.

Meanwhile, the Colonel looked through the observation window at the approaching shuttle. A part of him was reluctant to have the marines greet his guest in his stead. However, he quickly cast that thought aside. There was no other way. He checked his own holstered sidearm, then crossed the arms on his chest continued to wait.



RE: "Frontier Unconquered" (An Enclave Story) - Doc Holliday - 02-02-2020

"We are being scanned," announced one of the flight crew.
"That's fine," replied Schmidt, "I don't mind people knowing that this is a diplomatic ship and it is provisioned as such with a smattering of research materials for delivery elsewhere." She then sat back, "Stay on course. Let's not provoke anyone and power down all weapons....not that we can hurt anyone with them anyway."

The ship entered the atmosphere as Doc looked out. He had always wanted to see Gaia but it was forbidden. "No wonder the Gaians protected this place," he said under his breath, "it is a researcher's paradise."
As they got closer to the plateau, they saw the ship.
"Triumph class destroyer, Commander," said the helmsman in a mild panic.
"Relax," she smiled back, "unless you are provoking, which we aren't, we'll be fine. Now set down next to it."
With that, the Democritus yacht set down. Doc rose to his feet and began adjusting his clothing.

The exit door opened. He and his commander saw the troops lined up.
"You sure you want to do this alone?" she asked as she fixed his collar.
"I am, Miss Schmidt," he replied smiling. He opened his robes a bit to show his guns. "Take them and keep them on board."
In front of all at the top of the exit ramp, she removed his guns and handed them to someone inside and fixed his robes. He was dressed in dark robes with a long cape. His hair was long but kept. He gave a soft bow to her, turned toward the ramp and made the walk down.

He saw the man with crossed arms. He kept his eyesight on him but did so in a way as to not intimidate nor did he allow himself to be intimidated. But was this the man he would meet or an escort? He was about to find out.


RE: "Frontier Unconquered" (An Enclave Story) - Catbert - 02-03-2020


"Doctor Holliday," one of the armor-clad guards stepped forward. His facial expression was covered by the visor, and he called the name without any intonation, as if stating a fact. At the same time, another faceless guard approached from the side. He took out a device which seemed to be a scanner. Without any comment, he engaged it and pointed it at the Doc, moving the device up and down, not saying a word. The first guard disregarded it completely, taking it for granted. Once the scan was complete, the guard continued: "Colonel Saint-Just is expecting you. Follow me, s'il vous plait."

Meanwile, the colonel observed the scan and the meeting from above, through the window, from the safety of his ready-room. He saw how the guard moved towards the ship. If the doctor followed, he'd soon find himself inside the narrow maze of corridors of a Gallic destroyer, escorted by 3 guards: one leading the way, and 2 folllowing them behind. They'd lead the guest towards a turbo-lift and take him to the upper deck without saying a word. Eventually, they'd stop in front of a door. The leading guard would reach for a button on a wrist-mounted computer, and a few moments later the door would open. The guard would then give the doctor an inviting gesture, following him inside the ready-room alone, and closing the door behind them.

The ready room itself was pretty small. It included a wall-mounted holoprojector; a table with captain's computer and a few seats; and a large observation window with a view on the doctor's yacht and the meeting spot below. The colonel would stand by the computer, looking at the guest and seemingly disregarding the guard who was still present. "Bonjour, Doctor Holliday. A pleasure to meet you in person. Pardon me for adhering to security protocols and not meeting you outside in person. Please, take a seat," he gestured at one of the chairs in front of the captain's desk. "Can I get you anything?"



RE: "Frontier Unconquered" (An Enclave Story) - Doc Holliday - 02-03-2020

Doc stood by the chair, his hands behind his back presenting an open front. "No need to apologize. This will be just fine for us to talk."
He gave a light smile, "My ship commander, she gives me such a hard time for going into these meetings without a security escort or sidearms. She is so protective but, I do understand security protocol. Um, a seltzer would be nice to keep my palate wet. I will avoid the Scotch for now."

He sat down. "I thank you for meeting me on such short notice. I had no idea that Gallia was in such disarray. I never heard anything bad from my medical staff on Planet Orleans so I would not have known. Still, minus a couple of doctors, I got most of my people off the planet."
He then gave a look. "I do have some questions which can wait but what in the name of Eris happened to Gallia? I never had problems there up to now. I was even issued permits to work there and gained sympathy for the loss of Gran Canaria. I mean, this was all so sudden."

He just sat back and awaited an answer.


RE: "Frontier Unconquered" (An Enclave Story) - Catbert - 02-04-2020


The colonel made a gesture, and the silent guard walked towards a cabinet that was in the room. He placed two glasses on the table, grabbed a bottle from the cabinet and filled the glasses with seltzer. Without a word, he put the bottle back to the cabinet and stepped back towards the door. Once the doctor sat down, the colonel followed suit and grabbed one of the glasses. "I understand your commander's concern. Half of the sector are prejudiced against Gallia by now."

Taking a sip from the glass, Maximilian listened to the doctor's questions. "What happened to Gallia, you ask?", a serious frown crossed the colonel's face. "Treason, doctor. On multiple levels. First, there were power-hungry revolutionaries who sought to undo everything the Kingdom stands for. They capitalized on the war and advanced towards New Paris."

The colonel ran command on his computer, and old news articles appeared on the holoprojector. "And then, we were betrayed again. By the very people who were trusted to safeguard the Kingdom while the bulk of the fleet was away. They yielded to the rebels, in an opportunistic attemt to seize power from the Crown. Or maybe in an attempt to bargain for their hides, lands, and titles.

Even a part of the Royal Navy disobeyed the orders to protect our people in the Hebrides. They fled to the Core Worlds to join the usurpers, and blamed us in spite of their treason. It all happened so quickly, in a matter of a month or two, so some people might not have noticed it. Simply because this hasn't affected their lives... yet."

Maximilian made a pause, letting the story sink in. He took another sip from his glass, before continuing: "Of course, that's a very abridged version. Suffice it to say that at this point, the powers that be in Gallia are probably blaming us for everything bad that happened during the war."

A sad smirk crossed Maximilian's lips as he thought of something: "But then again, there're multiple powers fighting over the corpse of the old Kingdom now, despite claiming to have reached a consensus. Minarchy, Republique, Duchy... Vultures, all of them." The man put the empty glass on the table, his head lowered, deep in thought. The topic was obviously a very personal one for him.



RE: "Frontier Unconquered" (An Enclave Story) - Doc Holliday - 02-06-2020

Doc took a few minutes to review the information provided to him by the Colonel. As many questions as it answered, it created even more. Seeing the sad look on his face, he wasn't sure what to say for fear of saying the wrong thing even if by mistake.

"Wow," he said with a sigh. "When you are in an office on Planet Orleans and things are going well with the locals, one never hears about any of this. I really do not know what to think or say right now. I just get this feeling that in a time when my services might be appreciated that the risk is too great." He sipped his seltzer as he read through the articles again. It was his face that went sad.
"It is tragic, all of that war over sins committed by generations past results in more war.

He shook his head a little. "I have seen it in Sirius as well. I have no love of Bretonia, especially after they took our homeworld but after a long war with Kusari and then Gallia, they push on fighting the Coalition, Corsairs and Zoner resistance. The hospital I built on Canaria is staffed with my people and they are already busy."
He took off his glasses and sipped his drink. "All this conflict has thinned out my staff. Sure, I can train them on my own facilities but I have found my best results working with other kingdoms which is why I sent a message out."

There was a moment of silence. He took a few steps toward him and was sympathetic. "There is a lot of blame to go around, Colonel. It is not just you."


RE: "Frontier Unconquered" (An Enclave Story) - Catbert - 02-06-2020


The colonel nodded, regaining his composure somewhat. "Indeed. Those who fled from their duty think they can disown their past and mistakes. Side with the new powers-that-be, change the name from Marine Royale to Marine Nationale, and they're suddenly the good guys." With every word, the colonel's tone became slightly sterner: "Brand the Enclave as traitors and terrorists. Pretend that they were the only war criminals. As if we hadn't fought side-by-side... hadn't bled together... handn't lost our friends... All for a better future."

Still sitting in front of his computer, the colonel turned his face to the doctor. He then spoke again calmly, and for a moment a strange, almost sinister smirk crossed his lips: "There is only one thing that the vultures fear more than each other. A DeFrance returning to power, reforging Gallia, and putting them to account for their treason. That'd be their worst nightmare coming to reality. That's why they'd do anything to besmear us, and to bring down everyone working with us."

Hedowned what was remaining in his glass in one go, and waited a few moments longer to let the doctor think of the implications. His tone now dead serious: "Oui, that would include you and your people, if the Confederacy ever finds out about our meeting. So, for your own good, if you ever want to travel to Orleanais again in the near future... It'd be best if you walked out, took your ship, and forgot your way to the Hebrides. I figure Maréchal Laroux and some of the officers would be happy with that outcome... But..."

Maximilian hesitated and gave his guest a long and thoroughly inquisitive look, before continuing. There was something new to the way he spoke — an apparent sincerity. It was the man speaking, not the colonel: "I may become a laughing stock among fellow commanders for what I'm about to say. Despite its somewhat arrogant attitude, the Enclave needs you, doctor. We're up to a good start here, and we can pull it off, but we could use all the help we can get. When a fledging colony gets a sudden influx of refugees..." Maximilian sighed, wiping his forehead. "... then food, housing, and medical supplies become a problem. The former two we can handle somewhat. But medical production lines don't spring up from he ground. As I told you, we have enough well-qualified medical and military personnel, but no facilities to train more... For now, at least."

The more Maximilian said, the easier it became. Apparently, accepting the Enclave's vulnerability was the hardest part; from there, he spoke quickly and on point. He stood up and glanced through the window, before turning to his guest: "Bordeaux is a challenge. To build something from next to nothing. To help millions of people. To deal with all the prejudice somehow. And the only reward I can guarantee right now is the sense of self-fulfilment from the many great things that can be achieved here."

Maximilian made pause, now looking at his guest intently. The dead seriousness and sincerity both mixed in his voice now: "That's what you're about to step into, doctor. Are you certain about that?"



RE: "Frontier Unconquered" (An Enclave Story) - Doc Holliday - 02-07-2020

"I guess the Gallic permit I was issued can be considered null and void then," he answered. "It is a shame but........considering how things are I guess it is to be expected."
The name DeFrance gave Doc some mixed emotions. The betrayal of the Zoner people by Aurelia DeFrance and subsequent hatred was a bitter thought but he had a good meeting with Alice DeFrance. He knew little of the rest of the family. For now, he put that subject on hold.

He took a couple of steps, his hand scratching his chin. "So I am assuming that you wish to base on this planet. That is quite the undertaking considering the fawna on this planet has been well documented to be man eating and I am not talking about biting. I speak of whole search parties being consumed. There is a reason why the Gaians were so protective of this planet, that and they did not want it to turn into another Lees, which is also why I have some apprehension."

He thought again for a moment, wanting to choose his words carefully. "You say that you need me, Colonel." He nodded a little. "I would like to ask a few things. One apprehension I have is the former caretakers of this planet, the Gaians themselves. They were more or less pushed aside and having had friends among them, I do not need them seeing me as an enemy. Would you consider..........offering them a stake here? They COULD be a good ally to you if they were included. I know little of the Enclave...of the DeFrances but right about now, I am sure they could use some friends, that and I would prefer not to work with a target on my back."

He was then sincere in his own right. "Colonel, believe it or not, I would like for this to work as much as you would. It could be of benefit to you, to us and to many others. A medical facility and school would be huge. Work with me, consider what I ask and I can be a strong ally."