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+--- Thread: Breaking Chains (/showthread.php?tid=7216)
Breaking Chains - bluntpencil2001 - 03-25-2008
Captain Ares stood on the deck of the RACS-Havana as repair teams fixed the electronics unit that went up in flames in the battle earlier, burning Ensign Kucinich's face.
He nodded to the efficient technicians as they adjusted a few fittings on the communications array.
"Primary, long-range, communications back online, hermano!" smiled a Corsair tech in her black, Coalition uniform.
"Good work, my brothers and sisters," said the Captain seriously, but with a smile beginning to play across his lips, "head to Engineering Tango and get the shields back to one-hundred percent."
The tech crew scampered off, looking rather pleased with themselves, in spite of the damage sustained to the shields, electronics and weaponry in the earlier battle.
Ares, now on the bridge with a skeleton crew, activated the long-range comms.
"This is Captain Ares of the RACS-Havana... we've pulled back to Location Charlie, repairs are at sixty seven percent. Can I get the situation report, comrades? Over."
He waited for a few minutes until readouts began to display, with some fuzz, on the Havana's main computer.
--- Dark matter storms in Texas forced a disengagement from both sides, our forces being able to claim a strategic victory against Southern Alliance forces. Enemy losses were substantially greater than our own, the Anchorage, Saratoga, Tennessee and Woodsy taking similar damage to our own two Osiris-classes.
The people have witnessed our desire to free the slaves employed in the LPI's prisons as well as the huge trade on Houston. Civil disobedience on Planet Houston is at an all-time high and your own reports show recruits flocking to our banner. ---
As the message, with a large amount of statistics and readouts ended, a holo-image of a uniformed old man appeared before him.
"Captain Ares, Commodore Stakhanov aboard the RACS-Karl.Marx here. We're in a similar situation to yourself. We've picked up Lieutenant Commander KeSi's crack engineering team though... the Grand Admiral sent them from home base and they are now working at a prodigious rate. We'll be rendezvousing at your position and should appear on your scanners shortly.
Also, expect fighter and bomber cover from Commodore Zehn within the hour. Reports also indicate that the RACS-Ho.Chi.Minh has arrived in the region with further reinforcements. The assault shall continue soon. Stakhanov out."
Ares nodded, adjusted a blood-stained bandage on his head and grinned. Good. His first mission in the RACS-Havana had went well. If the LPI prison stations and Planet Houston could be hit with a strong enough force, not only would Liberty's industries be weakened but the slaves which powered them would be freed, fomenting fiery revolution in Liberty's heartlands.
He took his captain's seat and read the scrolling information on his interface. Repairs going as planned, casualties at twenty-seven, including nine deaths. Very low... but not low enough. The beat up, former Corsair officer in the captain's seat scanned various reports as the crew worked to get the ship back to an operating standard.
Ares quietly ordered the communications officer next to him to get ahold of engineering...
He requested, with a slow, inquisitive tone, "Engineering, this is Command. I want a confirmation on Report Three-Two-Beta-Niner, over."
He received a response from Lieutenant Sanchez, the persistently positive Corsair girl that repaired his communications unit minutes earlier.
"Roger that, hermano-comrade! Lieutenant Commander Ramirez, la Havana's chief engineer, ordered an evacuation of engine room four mid-battle. He entered, by himself, and sealed off the engine room before it gave out. We'd have lost half of deck seven and all of six without his heroism, Captain. Uh... over."
Ares sighed before responding. That would have cost dozens of lives and made repairs take weeks... which would in turn endanger the enter crew. They were all ridiculously lucky to have such a big damn hero on board.
"Thank you, Sanchez. I'll be recommending him for posthumous honours for gallantry. As of this moment, you're to take his place. Ares out."
Posthumous honours? He shook his head. The man died, and all he could do was stick a medal on an empty grave. It was all he could do, but it felt so pointless.
Behind him, the elderly scanner operator from Leon, funnily enough named Leon, piped up after a rough smoker's cough, "Y'know, amigo, you'll have to go through this again... being in charge of one o' these birds... you're gonna see some of yer boys and girls die... these things are bad, si, but necessary. You're doing a fine job though, kid... uh... I mean 'sir'."
Ares smirked morosely and grit his teeth. They wouldn't die for nothing if he had anything to say about it.
Breaking Chains - bluntpencil2001 - 05-12-2008
Captain o Jovem stood on the Havana's flight deck, hands behind his back, as Red Wing again disembarked from their bombers after a successful assault into the heart of Liberty.
The Havana's repair teams were quick to work after the thunderous applause that had become commonplace(but no less rewarding) with Red Wing's continuous inflicting of immense damage upon Liberty in return for minimal damage, mostly consisting of scratched paintwork.
Morale was at its highest in months in spite of the setbacks in Corsair space before the campaigning season had begun in Liberty, every member of Red Wing becoming heroes in the eyes of their comrades several times over in the space of but a few weeks.
The Captain nodded to his bomber squadron, his wingmen, as they accompanied him to the debriefing. A smile played across his face, showing immense pride and satisfaction at the precision carried out over the previous weeks.
The well-maintained Osiris-class vessel's pressure doors slid open smoothly, crewmen eagerly stopping to give the pilots admiring salutes as they marched back to the chamber for the tactical and strategical debriefing, hastily but efficiently scrambled together in the back room of the battleship's pub by a few Crete-born Ensigns.
A three-dimensional display lit up over a large round table in the dimly lit barroom, showing different vessels common in Liberty of many various sizes. Some were made in Liberty itself; fighters, gunboats, cruisers and even larger. Others were privately constructed Guild behemoths... there were even Borderworlds vessels amongst the picture-perfect diagrams.
They began to light up in red, explosions colouring the display along to a fast-paced choice of music selected by the Captain.
One of the pilots spoke up, addressing the Captain by his callsign as opposed to his rank, "Ares... this is the flight recordings I took on the past few assaults, right...?"
Ares grinned and sniggered his response, "Damn right, Yuri. It's a beast of a light show and makes for a good video to this song, don't you think? We don't need much more of a debriefing in my opinion. Get yourselves a drink and we'll do the same again soon. Good work."
In the Coalition, morale was at its highest in months. Word on the grapevine suggested that reinforcements were en-route... Liberty had only seen the beginning of what was to come.
Breaking Chains - bluntpencil2001 - 05-15-2008
The RACS-Havana's crew always had music playing. Technically, it was against SCRA regulations, but Captain o Jovem appreciated it. It reminded himself and the crew of home, of Crete. Combined with recent flawless victories in Liberty, it kept morale at an all-time high. He would let them enjoy the respite for a few days.
"Just keep the stealth unit active and we shouldn't have to worry about shields or weapons," he said to his bridge crew, "so long as we stay hidden, we can act as a mobile base for Red Wing's bombers."
"Si, Capitan!" a smiling crew sounded off.
He nodded and smiled calmly as he had become wont to do at the Havana's bridge. The campaign was going better than planned. Not only were they doing ridiculous damage in their mobile, hard-hitting assaults but the part-time volunteers in the propaganda team were doing a sterling job of hacking Liberty's neural nets to inform the civilian populace of their intent and methodology. The oppressive Liberty government wouldn't have a leg to stand on if things continued as they had been going.
He sent a private communication, whispering somewhat conspiratorially to Lieutenant Commanders KeSi and Striatov,
"Xing, Yuri... we have images and documents picked up by Intel and GRU units that give indisputable evidence that the private police force in Liberty, Liberty Police Incorporated, arrest innocent or desperate people to act as slave labour on their prison ships and stations. I'd like you folks to alert the people on Houston, Denver, Pittsburgh and Manhattan with a viral video or image series if at all possible. Gracias."
Ares forwarded the damning information with his teeth gritted into what would be called a smile if it wasn't fuelled by righteous fury.
He strode the command deck as the music gently continued on in the background, raking his mind on how best to move forward.
Breaking Chains - Koolmo - 05-21-2008
Transmission Detected from FLEETHQ
"Comrades! I've been watching your progress, and I must say, the progress you've made goes above and beyond my expectations! When I devised the current action plan, I'd never expected it to carry on so long, or so effectively! Only this week, no less than a dozen merchant captains have pledged their support to the Revolution, and hundreds flock to our banner, more than we can train!"
The man on the screen leans forward, and an even wider grin splits his scarred face.
"My fellow revolutionaries, it brings me great pleasure to award all members of Task Force Castro the Valorious Unit Commendation, with a Red Star to any revolutionaries wounded during the recent battles. Captain o Jovem, in response to one of your earlier messages, Lieutenant Commander Ramirez, promoted posthumously to Commander Ramirez, has been awarded the title of Hero of the Revolution, and the next ship of the Lines will bear his name!"
"Oh, and keep that music on. I like it, see if you can transmit it while going into battle or something..."
"For the Revolution! For the Final Victory! McIntosh out."
Transmission Ended, Replay Y/N?
Breaking Chains - Blodo - 05-21-2008
The recent victories against Liberty were nothing short of spectacular. The entire strike force knew they should be commended for their performance soon, but nobody expected a message would come this quickly and from the Grand Admiral himself. The officer crew was called to the command deck of the Havana immediately to review the message, some of them in a visible rush.
The contents of the transmission were quite enheartening to all of them. It was replayed once more just for good measure. During the replay Yuri couldn't help himself but comment. He turned to Captain o Jovem, standing next to him watching the screen, and whispered.
- "'Red Stars for the wounded', eh? Not to many Red Stars to be awarded then?"
As an answer he got a mildly loud smirk and a short but meaningful answer.
- "Damn right, Eltee."
Breaking Chains - bluntpencil2001 - 06-15-2008
The Havana drifted through vacuum gently, cruise engines powering her along slowly in order to retain fuel, her guns cold, glistening with frost. Small asteroids kissed her shield, bursting into soft clouds of ice as she glided towards her destination.
As a part of Task Force Castro, she herself did not provide too much of a direct effect on their success, but her deck crews and hangar teams were well-appreciated by the glorious Red Wing, now revered as heroes throughout the Revolution. Most of them buzzed around her hull in an apparently lazy fashion, their acting commanding officer taking his place in the Captain's seat on the Havana's bridge, leaning back with a relaxed smile upon his face.
He reached forward to activate his communications array, the click of the button being followed by a hiss of static followed by a sharp squeal of feedback which passed quickly. The men and women aboard ship held their breaths as one, awaiting an update from the Captain...
...a moment passed...
"...Mission accomplished."
After a universal exhale, cheers could be heard down the corridors of the Osiris-class for a good while, the Captain waiting on his men and women to settle before continuing.
"We've done well. Liberty's miliatry-industrial complex is crippled. Detroit Munitions output has dropped to an all time low. Her shipyard's grow quiet. Several thousand slaves of the so-called police forces have been released from servitude, many joining our Revolution..."
The Captain, Ares, paused for a breath filled with sorrow. He inhaled slowly, then carried on, as if he were reading from a speech which he had prepared earlier.
"... Unfortunately, we don't have the manpower to attempt any form of occupation at present. Our actions swell our numbers, but not to what we would require for such a massive undertaking at this moment in time. Any planetfall would have our ground forces caught in a mire, leaving an occupied Liberty open to an attack from other enemies."
He stopped and tried to smile, putting his best effort into giving his voice a positive tone for the troops.
"So, with Liberty's military forces gone up in flames, we move to new targets. Be prepared, you shall be updated soon."
He smirked, and cheekily requested something more of the troops aboard the former Corsair flagship.
"Oh... amigos? Do me a favour and give the revolutionaries that we recruited in Liberty a warm welcome for me, si?"
He laughed as he closed the comms but quickly fell silent, afraid of continuing his gruelling efforts yet buoyed by recent successes. He felt just like everyone else aboard the ship, sitting noiselessly in the calm before the storm.