Entry#: 040
Date: 15 - 11 - 817 AS @ 14:25 SUT
Title: Untitled.
It's been rather quiet the last few days. We arrived at Vieques safely and without incident. I had a look over the progress of the Maelstrom. These lads never cease to amaze with the **** they can get done. An entire cruiser, stripped to the bone and made air-tight in under a month.
Of course, I still owe them a few pennies for their effort; but as is the way with Junkers they're all quite happy for me to pay it back with favours and odd-jobs. That and I think a couple of the younger fellows have a bit of a puppy-love thing going. Not helped by the fact I tend to wander around the station in much the same attire as I do on the ship - my favourite shirt that doesn't quite cover the sweeties after it got into a fight with a sharp piece of metal and lost during a "fun" session in zero-G with Misaka.
Putting that aside, the important stage of the rebuild begins now. The propulsion system goes in first. Two big, fat impulse engines bought from a, uh... "charming", "pleasant odoured" "gentleman"... who I met in Cassini; and a series of smaller boosters to assist in turning, from the same bloke.
Running along side those will be two massive power generators I flogged from an industrial auction for a steal. They burn H-fuel and technically speaking are designed for a factory complex. Eh, details. I'll make them fit. According to the auctioneer they will produce close to the same amount of power needed to run a Liberty dreadnought. Not bad considering they were 1/10000th the price.
After that comes the computer matrix. I'll be keeping things relatively simple. Off-the-shelf scanners, radars and control units frankenstein'ed into the shell.
Then, the good bits: Guns n' ammo. Already have a siege cannon and some AAK's lined up.
She holds air at 100% now, damn good effort for something that was shot full of holes only a few months ago.
Gotta go run some errands for the boys to pay my board for the day.
Entry#: 041
Date: 23 - 11 - 817 AS @ 14:21 SUT
Title: First Flight
I think I've said it at least once before, but the fixers at Vieques are an amazing bunch of people. The Maelstrom has its' engines and basic manoeuvrability all taken care of. With the hull pressurised and the most critical controls online I was able to fly the ship entirely unaided for the first time yesterday (Gotta love plug-and-play).
Granted it wasn't very far or very fast, but it's symbolic more than anything, really. The Maelstrom lives!
I haven't heard anything further from the little birdie who told me about the information bounty on my head, so I think it's been forgotten about. Probably some civilian drongo who got fried by my hands or one of my mates'es in the Rogues, trying to act cool.
I've been in space for so long I've forgotten what gravity feels like. I'm sick and tired of my food floating away, my hair getting into everything, waking up to find myself adrift in the corridor, and the goddamn suction thing in the toilet. I hate that most of all.
I'm going back to Denver and I'm taking my crew with me. Everything else can go suck a fat one, I need a holiday.
Entry#: 042
Date: 25 - 11 - 817 AS @ 09:00 SUT
Title: Bugger.
This is the first time I've been on Denver's surface since the last holiday. I noticed it from orbit, but it does seem that it's winter now. And a pretty serious winter at that. Looking at the atmospheric temperature gauge gives a reading of -3. That's nothing when you're in space, cooped up in a nice warm ship. But I was looking forward to some shenanigans with the girls at the lake.
Unsurprisingly, the said lake was frozen over. My fantasies of virile young girls splashing around in their birthday suits, for the world and my eyes to see, is falling apart around me as I stare out the windows at the wasteland surrounding the Alsatia. It does have a beauty of it's own though... everywhere you look is white. Just white snow with the very occasional twiggy-looking bush or a boulder to break it up.
It's not all bad. There is gravity.
Oh, how I missed gravity. Being able to relieve myself without having a suction pump attached to the girly bits makes my life worth living again. I'm sure the others are thinking the same thing.
Whilst skinny-dipping and skinny-sunbathing have been ruled out of this particular occasion, snow-fights and ice-skating are in. I know I have some skates stashed away in the cargo bay somewhere, the challenge now is finding them - and the all weather gear too.
I've got it all planned out. There will be a 2 vs 2 team battle. The game cannot be won, it can only be lost. The first team to surrender to the cold and raise the white flag will concede defeat. The losing team has to wait on the winners hand-and-foot for a week while wearing the catgirl outfits I have hidden away somewhere.
The teams will start on opposite ends of the Alsatia. You will be able to use whatever you can find in the area to your tactical advantage; however offensive weaponry can consist of snowballs only.
I'll be briefing the girls shortly on the game rules and conditions.
I'll bet that Kana and Fumika are expecting an us vs. them fight. Bzzt! Wrong. Gonna make this interesting. Teams are myself and Kana, Misaka and Fumika. I can foresee what's gonna happen already. Misaka is going to get an Eva special to the face. Fumika won't have the heart to hit Kana and will go after me, getting another Eva special to the face. Me and Kana win, Misaka and Fumika get to be our personal slaves for a week.
Entry#: 043
Date: 26 - 11 - 817 AS @ 14:11 SUT
Title: That's not gone at all well...
At the beginning of the event the two teams were together on the cargo bay elevator. The rule was, after the siren there would be a 30-second no-fire period allowing each team to locate cover.
A blank fired from my pistol begun the match. Kana and me run for the support towers at the bow of the ship, I looked back to catch Misaka and Fumika diving behind the port-side engine. This was the beginning of what would prove to be the most gruelling stalemate in the history of the universe.
I, of course, drew first blood. Misaka made the grave mistake of poking her cute little head out from behind the exhaust manifold, which ended up in a direct hit to the nose. Fumika returned the favour with a shot which I almost didn't avoid - it grazed past my ears as I dived for cover.
We were at a significant disadvantage; while they could easily hide behind the engine and remain completely secure, we had towers which only barely covered our width, requiring us to stand at all times.
For several minutes the fight continued like this, us behind the struts, the others behind the engine. Volleys of snowballs were exchanged with hits scored on both sides.
But then, something changed. The incoming flak ceased. Everything went silent, the only sound the gentle whirr of the Alsatia's heating systems.
I can't say I've ever been as strung out as I was right then. I had no idea where those two had gone or what they were doing. Did they surrender? Did they collapse? Were they planning something? I gave up the scant protection of the struts and made my way out from the underbelly of the ship.
That would prove to be my undoing.
I stopped just beyond the shadow cast by the ship when I heard a voice from above. The voice shouted "Now!". Immediately following that I heard an all-mighty bang, the source of which I could not identify immediately. I had barely a second to collect my thoughts and plan a reaction. I could manage only to turn my head to the sky, enough to view, but not react upon, the massive torrent of snow which was now hurtling towards my face.
I managed to catch but a brief glimpse of the cause of this snow. In that moment I saw Misaka, with a significant boulder in her hands, looking down on me with the eyes of a murderer. I will never forget that look, the way she stared down her nose, her depraved smile betraying the mild facade she bore just moments prior.
I knew then, it was the end for me. I had been out-gunned, out-manoeuvred and out-smarted.
The avalanche hit me and I instantly fell to the ground. The snow that had fallen into my clothes quickly turned to ice-cold water, evoking a blood-curdling shriek from my battered body.
Kana, having witnessed all this from the safety of the underside of the ship, rushed out to help me. I mustered all my strength to order her to stay back. My order was ignored, and I resigned myself to the fact we had been defeated. Kana tried to pick me up, to get me to the safety of the shadows.
I caught another glimpse of the she-devil and her comrade as I lay sprawled out on the cold, wet earth. I saw it coming, but there was nothing I could do to avert it. My body had been weakened to the point of uselessness.
Down came another barrage of snow, this time the cause being Fumika.
Kana never saw it coming. The snow hit her while she knelt down beside me. I watched the snow obliterate her defences and bring and end to to the girl's life. I was on the verge of losing consciousness myself, only managed to shed a single tear before succumbing to my wounds. As the world turned black I could hear Misaka and Fumika rejoicing in their victory. As the world turned dark I muttered a single word to the young maiden who had so gallantly surrendered her life attempting to save my own.
"Thankyou".
Entry#: 044
Date: 26 - 11 - 817 AS @ 15:31 SUT
Title:
I awoke some time later. I had to take a moment to regain my bearings. I realised I was still alive, for a start. I also noticed I was now looking at the ceiling of my cabin.
Additionally to all the above I found Misaka asleep on the floor beside me, her head resting on my bunk mere inches from my face. As I lay there reorganising my thoughts I came to the conclusion that I had lost the snowball fight and would now have to serve this girl's every wish and command. I pulled myself up in the bed, and felt something tug at my hair. After sending my hands in to investigate I discovered Misaka had already taken the liberty of installing the cat's ears to my person. No doubt I was now sporting a set of whiskers, too, given she never forgave me for my previous transgressions.
Not quite sure what action should be taken next I concluded that waking Misaka was in order. With that, I rolled over and gently licked her cheeks. Everything went according to plan and the young mistress was roused from her slumber.
I moved from her cheeks to her right ear, gave it a little nibble and uttered a gentle meow. Misaka, with a heavy blush, backed away and said to me, in a flat, monotonous tone: "make me lunch". Not only had I lost my chance to win over the young beauty; she was intent on making this the most excruciating ordeal I've ever been through.
So me and Kana, who now sported much the same attire, had to make a meal fit for two she-devils.
The rest of the day involved much the same; highlights included Misaka ordering a sponge-bath and Fumika commanding little Kana to finish every sentence with "meow".
Those two really do enjoy degrading us.... but we will get our revenge. I am already working on a plan with Kana.
We will make them know who runs the show here. That is a fact.
Entry#: 045
Date: 01 - 12 - 817 AS @ 18:30 SUT
Title: I will shortly be officially old.
Tomorrow will be my 21st birthday. I will be officially "old". Not sure how I should feel about it. My contract to serve Misaka doesn't expire until the day after, so it looks like I'll be celebrating my 21st with a tail hanging off my arse. Both her and Fumika have been thoroughly enjoying turning us into their playthings; I even received a thanks from the twin-tailed firecracker for such a great idea.
We're still on Denver now, enjoying the wonderful coldness the place has to offer. One benefit it has brought me, and presumably Fumika as well, is the chance to get up close and personal with the better half, using the low temperature as an excuse. I managed to convince Misaka to squeeze into the barracks-styled bunk I call home on one night when the Alsatia's climate control mysteriously stopped functioning. It was a bit squeezey and various body parts came into contact with various other body parts during the night, but I'm sure Misaka understands that I toss and turn a lot in my sleep.
Up till now, we've had rather pleasant weather - crisp, cold air; alternating between clear skies and light snowfalls, and very little in the way of wind to dampen our time off.
That all changed last night though. I went to sleep with a clear sky, the gentle halo of the Colorado system's primary star still visible over the horizon. I awoke this morning to the sound of heavy wind pelting the ships' hull. I, still half asleep, dragged my carcass out of bed and looked through the porthole to be greeted by a wall of white.
So we had been snowed in. Just great. Trying to move the Alsatia in winds like this would be suicidal - she's clumsy at the best of times in atmosphere, throw a breeze at her and she looses all imagination, becoming a lawsuit looking for a place to happen.
She doesn't really fly, so much as hover along; being designed for space flight with atmospheric abilities a distant afterthought. The vertical lift engines keep her off the ground, the primaries make her go forward, while smaller pulse rockets help to stop and turn.
Not really much we can do now except wait it out. Great way to enjoy becoming an old woman.
Entry#: 046
Date: 03 - 12 - 817 AS @ 16:18 SUT
Title: Bugger.
The blizzard we found ourselves in two days ago passed without major incident, not really worth expanding on any further.
The problem is what happened after. It seems that, while somewhat intoxicated, I bought an 80 million credit transport ship. My memory is a bit hazy, the best I can recall is shaking hands with an ugly bastard at the head of a conference table in one of the bars in the capital of Planet Denver. I also vaguely remember being booted out of the same bar for being unruly. It was my 21st, give me a break. Jeez.
80 million credits.... is a pretty big chunk of money. I can afford it, it's not that grave a predicament, but it's 80 million less I have to spend on other things.
All I have now is a deed of sale and some other paperwork telling me where to go collect my new ship. The documents tell me I bought an ex-Gateway Shetland transport. It apparently has been decommissioned from Gateway service and is being sold to the civilian market as surplus. The build date on the sheet puts it right at the very early stages of the war; so she's a bit long in the tooth now, likely explaining why she's being sold off.
I'm actually kind of excited. I remember seeing Shetland-class transports back when I was younger; watching them in atmospheric descent from the surface of New London, the incredible noise they made as they literally pushed the air out of the way; getting within a few hundred meters of a fleet of the things at the Southampton Shipyard dry dock, being completely and utterly humbled by their mere presence... they've been the backbone of Bretonia's economy since the war with Kusari started and I've always had a fascination with them.
So the little girl in me is ecstatic to finally have one, of course the rest of me is whining about the money, what I'm supposed to do with it and other unnecessary garbage. Screw them. The little girl wins this day.
I'm going to fly to Baltimore Shipyards in New York to claim my ship. Once I've learnt the controls I'll fly her to Vieques for the royal treatment and outfit.
Entry#: 047
Date: 04 - 12 - 817 AS @ 08:10 SUT
Title: Sa-weet!
I arrived at Baltimore "yesterday" "evening", finding my prize sitting in dry dock. I moored at the station and after a brief conversation with those in power I had the keys to my very own Shetland.
I flew as fast as my uncoordinated self can manage in zero-g to the dock and made my way down the gangway to the bridge. No sooner had I let myself in that it dawned on me I'd have to find some more crew.
With the girls in tow I set about exploring the massive maze of corridors that made up the ship. One thing I did notice was the climate control was either broken or missing; it was bloody freezing in there.
We wasted a good 2 or 3 hours floating around in there, before I finally gave in and left the Shetland in dry dock and headed back to Rochester Base. Now I'm in the process of recruiting a crew to help me get the Shetland to Vieques for a refit.
I discovered a few neat surprises while rummaging around, first and foremost was a Gateway transponder and IFF codes. Obviously someone forgot to remove them from the ship before it was decommissioned. Adding to that, a lifetime's supply of porn stashed away inthe cabins, the hallways, the cargo bay and the washrooms; some alcohol and half a pack of fags.
So this was a guy's ship. I wonder what other weird and wonderful things I'm going to find...
As it stands I'll be in the Shetland controlling this mob of lechers and pervets, Kana in the Biribiri, Fumika in the Railgun and Misaka controlling Alsatia all by her little self.
I've been running through a few possibilities for new names. So far as I can tell she never received a formal name under Gateway, instead being issued with a serial number and nothing else.
Antaeus' Rising. That will do. She may be only a transport but people will come to know her as something not to be messed with from the power of association alone. Having 3 armed escorts isn't going to do any harm, either.
Entry#: 048
Date: 06 - 12 - 817 AS @ 17:26 SUT
Title: Antaeus has her crew.
I had a few words with various people, checked out the bulletin boards and posted some information to them.
As a result I now have a crew of eight "fine", "young", "gentlemen", working for me.
Name: Raphael Bokman Age: 32 Skills and Experience: Pilot's license; spacedock worker/teamster. Notes: A bit rough around the edges, missing some teeth, but he seems like a decent bloke. Worked for Ageira as a teamster at Detroit Munitions before almost getting arrested for selling guns under the table.
Name: Nolan Galinski Age: 27 Skills and Experience: Capable combat pilot; spacedock worker/teamster; ties to Lane Hackers Notes: Another ex-Ageira employee, escaped capture along with Raphael and became a grunt for the Hackers. Hackers were a bit above his "abilities", so he became a Junker instead. Another nice lad, but he's about as sharp as a sack of wet mice.
Name: Darius Floth Age: 19 Skills and Experience: Teamster Notes: A born-and-bred Junker much like myself, this will be the kids first real job outside his fathers' scrapping and petty thuggery business. He's a real sweetheart and I think he's got a bit of puppy-love for me already.
Name: Jeffery Soricelli Age: Prehistoric Skills and Experience: Navigator, Pilot's license, Notes: Looks, talks and smells like an old fart. But he's been just about everywhere worth going and a few places not. Blind in one eye. Took 3 hours to tell me how it happened.
Name: Kendrick Perque Age: 48 Skills and Experience: Transport Captain, labourer, team leader Notes: Another of Libety's exiled, he was booted out of his post by some shady dealing inside DSE, and hunted by the Police for crimes he never committed. He floated around various pirate outposts before eventually ending up at Rochester. Kendrick will be the ships' captain answering only to myself. He has a wife and child on Manhattan who he sends every credit he makes to.
Name: Carey Dentremont Age: Supposedly 18 Skills and Experience: Pilot's license. Notes: The kid's license says 18 and male. Not so sure on either. I thought he was a girl until I saw the card. He's quite a cute one; I worry about what the guys are gonna do to him on those long stints in space.... Actually, he should be worried about what *I* will do to him. I have some some lingerie and skirts that should fit somewhere....
Name: Elwood Slotnick Age: 30 Skills and Experience: Teamster, Thuggery Notes: A big, fat, scary, angry looking man. Definitely not one to accidentally bump into in a dark alley way. At least, he wants other people to think that. He's actually quite polite and well-mannered. Maybe it's because I'm a woman.
Name: Cliff Shrode Age: 47 Skills and Experience: Computer Hacking, Data Management, Troubleshooting, other nerd things. Notes: Another Ex-Hacker, but this one's actually smart. If it's electronic and broken, he can fix it. If it's electronic, he can break it.
All in all a lovely assortment of blokes to run the show.
We departed Rochester shortly after I had collected my new crew and headed for Baltimore. I took control of my Shetland, and with the boys getting acquainted with their new habitat begun the journey to Vieques Shipyards. Cabins and a pecking order were quickly established while everyone got to know each other.
I must admit it was quite a sight to behold, my empire, in its' entirety, flying in convoy through space. It made me realise just how far I've come from that little CSV I once thought the greatest thing in the universe. In just 5 years I now control a fleet of ships many rat-racers would only dream of.
Whoever said crime didn't pay obviously wasn't very good at it.
Entry#: 049
Date: 13 - 12 - 817 AS @ 08:26 SUT
Title: Untitled.
Where to start? I suppose the beginning would be a good place....
We all trundled into Puerto Rico and got the Antaeus docked with Vieques, right next to my other pet project, the Maelstrom; which in its own right was assembling wonderfully. In just a few hours the boys had new scanners and radar systems installed along side the Gateway Shipping transponders and IFF box the clowns had left on board.
After that there was a bit of shuffling around of my property. The Antaeus, being a container transport, has nowhere to store fighters internally. Which means they'll either be in space for the full tour of duty or not be there at all. Not too fond of either choice, because the terrains we pass through can be quite dangerous for smaller ships; at the same time the people who live in those terrains can be quite dangerous for bigger, unarmed ships like the Antaeus.
I decided that having the escorts with me was still the best thing to do. It simply meant more frequent stops to replenish their oxygen and fuel supplies with some clever course plotting to avoid the gas clouds and minefields.
Everything done and dusted, with Kana and Fumika sharing escort duties between them and Misaka by my side, we started our first revenue journey with the loading of 2,500 tonnes of universal hull panel components from the smelters. Made from the finest recycled garbage they provide the Junkers of Puerto Rico with a large portion of their "legitimate" income stream. Rather than buying and selling, this trip was a courier job. The goods were bought and paid for by the customer in advance, now it's time to move them out, with a cut of the profits going to the shipper. The overall profit is lower, but in some ways it's easier since I don't have to worry about finding a buyer for my wares.
The convoy left Puerto Rico and begun the journey to Freeport 1 in Omega-3. We had to use the jumphole network to avoid the Liberty blockades in the independent worlds linking Liberty with Rheinland, a mere detour for us with absolutely no threat to our convoy bar the occasional Xeno nutcase. But even those guys would know better than to pick on a ship with two trained fighter escorts.
We rejoined the tradelane network nearby the jumphole linking Texas to Hudson. We dropped out of the lane prior to reaching its' terminus at the gate to Hamburg (with the Rheinland patrols guarding it) and flew through open space into the asteroid field hiding Dawson Base. We docked the Antaeus with the station and the crew retired for the evening. The crew enjoyed some of Liberty's finest bootleg liquor.
We set out 14 hours later refreshed and revitalised. The convoy made its way through the asteroids to the Bering jumphole.
On the Bering side we encountered a patrol of Unioner ships. Unioners tend to only care about you if you're Republican or a Xeno; they didn't seem too interested in a Bretonian Shetland with obviously criminal escorts. We gave their base a wide berth simply to avoid unnecessary friction.
A few hours later and we found ourselves in the Hamburg system. The flight to Hamburg orbit was unremarkable. We rejoined the tradelanes for the rest of the journey to Freeport 1. The trip was quiet and uninteresting through Hamurg, New Berlin and the Stuttgart systems with one exception.
Throughout the journey I had been picking up transmissions from a small ship, likely a fighter, which seemed to be following me. I'd first received contact in Texas, and the ship had ghosted me through Hamburg, New Berlin and Stuttgart. I'd engaged in some casual banter with the pilot, without knowing a single thing about him; clogging up the open channels as is typically the case in Liberty, but rather unusual in the other houses, likely because they are as bit less retarded. Through our chatter I deciphered he had the same destination as myself, so I wagered with the man a million credits if he could get there before I did. A bit of harmless fun to keep me occupied for the trip. I had absolutely no idea where he was, what he was doing or who he worked for. Unimportant details, really.
I entered the Omega-7 system from Stuttgart and quickly fell into trouble. A Corsair bomber had taken out one of the trade lane links and ambushed our convoy as it spat out the end of the functional links.
The corsair opened a comms channel and demanded that I hand over 1.5 million credits. Obviously he didn't feel like a casual conversation. The problem with bombers like this one is that even though they can't bear arms against a fighter, he'd be able to get rid of me before my escorts could get a shot in.
It quickly became a rather tense situation, mainly because I couldn't remember the password for the ship's neural net account. Just great. I had it written down somewhere, but the paper had gone away at some point. I got the crew to scramble and find the passwords while I tried to stall the Corsair for time.
Things were starting to look a bit worrisome when, like a knight in shining armour, the ship I'd been chatting with earlier came barrelling down the lane. Project X was it's name according to my scanners, a fighter of some kind I wasn't familiar with.
The pilot quickly analysed the situation and thankfully took my side. Him, along with my escorts now had the upper hand and it was showing. The Corsair backed away from us and held his ground some distance away. He was now out-gunned 3 to 1. Even the best pilot wouldn't be able to withstand that much incoming fire for long enough to be a threat to me.
And, to seal the deal, Project X had called in Rheinland Military support. With the Corsair well and truly on his way to death we high tailed it outta there. We flew directly to the jumpgate to Omega-3 and left the Corsair to his fate.
We reached the first break in the lanes at Aaland Shipyard. The ship was being manoeuvred into position for the next tradelane when my stalker came out the end of the lane we'd just been in ourselves. It then occurred to me that the race was still on.
However by that time, it was too late. The fighter was magnitudes more agile and had been sucked up by the lane entrance long before we were even in position. I reached Freeport 1 in just enough time to watch the fighter dock.
I found the pilot on board and handed him his winnings, plus a bit extra for helping us out. I'll pay 100 times the amount to someone who works with me over someone who works against me. The Corsair wanted 1.5 million, this bloke got 2.
After offloading our cargo me and the crew decided to stay for a little while to recover.
To top it all off, I am 99% sure I just saw the Peterborough docking with the Freeport.
Entry#: 050
Date: 16 - 12 - 817 AS @ 19:44 SUT
Title: Hmm.
In the last three days I:
-Found my mother and had a real nice reunion and "coming out", receiving mum's full support for our relationship;
-Returned to Liberty;
-Sent the Antaeus out on a supply mission;
-Bought a 10 year old girl from a Xeno;
-Become a peace activist for a brief period;
-Got the Railgun blown to bits by the same people who built the damn thing;
-Appeared on the top of the Junkers' KOS list;
-Severed all ties with the Junkers and became a Freelancer
-Moved to Gran Canaria in the Omega edge-worlds.
It all started back in Pennsylvania. A Xeno ship by the name of "The Good Pain" was parading around Bethlehem Station screaming random bull**** down the broadcast channels. I was in the asteroid field collecting silver ore for a Samura transport of all things. He was boasting about having a Kusari child as his hostage, and demanding credits from the locals for the kid's safety. Of course, being Liberty, no-one cared. But I did.
I flew to the station and a scan of the ship did in fact reveal a smaller life signature which could indicate a child. I tried to get some details out of the Xeno such as name, gender etc. but he wasn't able to translate "scared child" into "English". He was still demanding credits for the child, so I decided to hand them over and claim it. He jettisoned an escape pod and I quickly scooped it up. Perhaps surprisingly, when I reached the cargo bay and opened the pod, I received an intact, living, mostly unharmed kid. Being a Xeno I was expecting something morbid.
Immediately I had a problem. I didn't know anything about this kid. So I asked for a name.
Kinomoto Sakura.
I asked for an age.
10.
Then I had a bit of a conundrum. Is this a boy or a girl? Kind of hard to tell at this age. Especially Kusari children, can often only be identified by the clothes they're wearing or how long their hair is.
I asked if Sakura was a boy or a girl.
Girl.
What? No way. The hair, the voice, the clothes, everything says boy. I had to make sure. So I grabbed the kid, pulled down the pants and had a squizz.
...Girl.
At this stage the Xeno ship had wandered off somewhere, I wasn't interested in it really. He had my money and seemed pleased.
So now I had yet another girl on board the already over-feminised Alsatia.
After some time spent calming Sakura down, I gathered the crew together and created a game plan. I asked Sakura where she was from.
Planet New Tokyo.
Just great. Being the honourable citizen of Bretonia that I am, I had every intention of returning this girl to her family. But how the hell was I going to get into New Tokyo?
Oh, right. I'm not a Junker any more. Off go the transponders and IFF systems.
At least, that was the plan. Sakura is still with us now, days after I'd said I'd take her home.
Anyway, putting that aside. I docked the Alsatia with Bethlehem Station and, leaving my crew to enjoy the Zoners' hospitality, took off in the Railgun after the Xeno.
I've said it before; I'll say it again. I don't hate Xeno's. I have nothing against them. If it were up to me we would be working together, but there are elements on both sides who do not want this to happen. Hence, the war continues on. I've always had a vision of of Xenos and Junkers working together the same way we work with nearly all the other criminal organisations in Sirius.
A greatly abridged story puts me working with a collection of 3 of them. The.Good.Pain, the man who had abducted Sakura; Battery.Acid and Canned.Air. Together we: killed a pirate harassing miners nearby, shot down a loud-mouth independent gunboat, blasted a transport carrying Superconductors, had our way with some miners ourselves and got into a stoush with the Liberty Navy in Colorado.
That last point would prove to be my undoing. Although the Xenos were gaining my trust to the point of idly conversing with me, there were people who had taken great offence to what I was attempting to do. Namely, the Junker Congress, who oversee what little political matters the Junkers attend to.
The battle was in the Silverton asteroid field in Colorado. It was my bomber and three Xenos against a Liberty Gunboat and two LSF fighters. I had no intention of fighting originally but my hand was forced when I was opened fire upon.
I disposed of the gunboat with a torpedo to the flank, and disengaged to allow the more agile fighters to duke it out to the end.
It was then the Junker Congress ships showed up. They had been following me for some time. I knew then I was in trouble. The Congress, to put it frankly, are dumbasses. They share a braincell between all... however many of them there are.
I did make an attempt to explain the situation to the Junkers. But of course they wouldn't have a single word of it. They opened fire on the Railgun and I was forced to abandon my colleagues and run.
Using the limited strafe and turning abilities the ship possessed I did manage to run a very long distance. In fact I almost reached Manhattan orbit via the jumphole linking Colorado to New York.
Alas, my efforts were in vain. The Railgun, battered by the incessant volleys of missiles from the pursuing ships, was too much. The ship started to break up. I knew then she was lost. I hit the ejector button. The cockpit in its entirety departed the ship as it erupted into flames, the fuel canisters detonating in a spectacular explosion that shook my tiny recluse.
Then something changed. I felt movement. If the Junkers weren't enough trouble, now I had Manhattan itself trying to kill me. The gravity well of the planet was sucking me in.
The Junker ships, being unable to follow me into the atmosphere, quickly departed and left me to my own devices. Fortunately for me, I had a backup plan. Massive parachutes installed into the cockpit for just such a situation. As I tumbled towards the surface in the uppermost reaches of the atmosphere I deployed the parachutes, and to my delight, they were both fully functional. I begun the long, slow descent to ground level. Hopefully I didn't end up impaled on a radio tower, or sent for a swim, or wind up in someone's back yard.
To my delight, I ended up in open grassland. Whoopee. The escape pod crashed to the earth and after a few minutes nursing a headache and some <strike>minor</strike> major whiplash I stumbled out and surveyed my surroundings.
I was lucky in that I didn't end up somewhere unsavoury, but I still had no idea where I was or where I should go.
I had only barely started walking in a random direction when the unmistakable sound of a space ship perked up in the distance. I watched a civilian fighter, exactly like the ones owned by the Xenos, come down and perform the worst voluntary landing I've ever seen in my life. Out of this war-torn ship came Jimmy.
"How the hell did YOU find ME?"
Jimmy explained the transponder in what was left of my ship was still functional. All he did was follow it.
Right.
Cutting out the dribble, Jimmy gave me a lift back to a non-descript looking factory complex inside the industrial precinct of Manhattan City.
Within it there was a rather motley assortment of battered, worn out boys and men who, as I was told, were all Xenos.
Jimmy was happy with how I'd performed with him and his crew in space. So happy, in fact, that he literally gave me a ROC bomber. It was a bit dusty and needed some minor work, but it was nothing beyond my abilities.
So skipping ahead was now working with Jimmy and his merry band of Xeno terrorists, in one of their ships, flying their colours.
I did have a few more issues to clear up. The Alsatia, for instance, had to be recovered. Luckily for me it was at a neutral base. After getting clearance from Jimmy I departed his company and quickly got myself back to Pennsylvania. Boy did I have some explaining to do.....
With everyone assembled, and the newly christened "Eva's.Vengeance" roughly stashed away in the cargo bay I regained control of my most familiar settings and took off for Puerto Rico.
The Maelstrom needed to be recovered. The ship was now basically functional, in that it had propulsion and controls. Although she was able to fly, she was still incredibly vulnerable due to her lack of a shield or any weapons.
We entered Houston's atmosphere, set up camp on a desolate plot of land miles from anything and fired up Koneko, our pet CSV. We modified the transponders to show a benign junker-ish name. The plan was to sneak into the base during the break in shifts and nick off with the cruiser.
At exactly 17:04 universe time, we left Houston. The workers all knock off at 5pm and retire for their night. We reached Vieques at 10:47pm. Everyone would be asleep. Guards and comm. towers included. Lazy bastards.
We found the Maelstrom, still tucked away in her own dry dock. We snuck into the dock, and in a matter of minutes were inside and had her starting up. People would be awake now, trying to figure out what was going on.
But it was too late. The Maelstrom was fired up and ready to go! I planted the throttle into the console and with a massive lurch the gigantic hulk took off, destroying the gangway in the process leaving behind some charred remains for the goons to fix up.
With the best speed the ship could manage I headed for the Humboldt system. Kana and Fumika were on board with me, controlling what little computer systems were installed while Misaka piloted the CSV. No doubt there were ships after me now, but they didn't stand a chance. The one thing the old girl has on her side is straight-line speed, those two gigantic cruise engines easily moving the massive ship through space.
In due time we reached Humboldt. We flew to an uncharted planetoid in the far reaches of the system. I gently landed the ship on the surface of the tiny moon, whose gravitational pull was almost unnoticible. The Maelstrom should be safe there until I can find her a new home.
Everyone piled back into the CSV and we set off on the arduous round-trip through Kansas, Magellan, California and then Texas to avoid returning to Puerto Rico. What scant law forces were installed there were no doubt hunting us down.
We slept on board Freeport 4 after an extremely long flight without rest. We very nearly didn't make it, the overloaded CSV came within minutes of running out of fuel. That, and four people cramped into a ship designed for one is never pleasant.
We did eventually return to Houston to collect the Alsatia. With most of my property now secure it came time to regroup, reorganise and rethink.
I'm going to go and chase down Jimmy. I still have his bomber....