Tau-37.
With full power of their thrusters, the Zoner rescue-team rushed to the west end
of the Bermejo-Cloud. They were called by a mayday beacon.
As the small group of ships headed in, they realized this place had seen a fierce battle not long ago: Their scanners showed them parts of ripped-off armour, remaining signatures of heavy Tachyon fire, charged particles, destroyed machine parts and a high radiation over 5 clicks across the whole sector.
Then this manned repair pod appeared on their scanners. The life support system of the pod still worked, but the pilot was dead.
Only the pods communication console was seriously damaged, the whole panel completely molten. The outer hull of the pod showed no mark of any damage, so this must be the result of an internal error.
On the first look the dead body had some cybernetic modifications, implanted in his skull.
The obvious one was a modified eye with a tiny communication-laser. Back on Freeport, the pathologists began to examine the dead man. As they opened his head with their scalpels, a shockwave of horror pushed them back from the operation table, as they realized an immense amount of Hardware which was squeezed in the skull. These implants must have been pulled inside under the use of the most intense surgery: The whole brain seemed to be horribly wired, and deeper in the cortex, there lay some sort of brain scanner and a data storage module cramped in.
The hardware of the implants itself was not hard to understand, left alone alien in appearance. It could be achieved nearly everywhere with moderate effort and the strong will to let this happen to the own body. But the Zoners were not able to check out the function these implants were made for.
The imagination of the physical and psychical pain this arrangement of cybernetics would deliver to its owner let everyone shook the head.
Some fractions of the information in the data storage could be reviled and encoded.
It was a part of a personal log.
>>> Begin Transmission <<<
Ship's log, personal file 1.
Ship position : Corsica Sanctum, Omikron 85.
Lieutenant on duty : Not applicable.
Ship status : Docked, out of commission.
Refit status : Not applicable.
Crew status : 8 members. A.
Every capital ship needs a log one of the few things which still work on this wreck. At least, we managed to get the life support online again, so we are now able to leave our spacesuits.
Wreckmaybe I should call our ship by its real name, Soul.of.Justice.
Its now three months ago the salvage crews brought in this leaking and smoking mountain of molten machines, battered hull and wholes in it like a cheese of Switzerland. Three months, in which i filled out mountains of official papers, with requests, more requests, much more requests, reports of requests, reports of reports of requests and so on. At last, the High Command gave us the permission to move the remains of the destroyer-class vessel from the junkyard to a free dock here in Corsica Sanctum. After examining the wreck over and over again, the Council decided: if we were able to get the Soul flying again, then we shall have the right to keep her. Otherwise she will be dismantled, and her remains used on other ships.
Alright, we will take advantage of this possibility and give our best.
Without hesitation, it will take a long time till we will be able to undock and do the Soul's virgin flight. We are not sure where to get the needed materials, special parts, tools, and other crapbetter cut that out. At this moment, we are happy the work helps us to get those ever-returning thoughts out of our heads, the imagination of our brothers and sisters in the prisons of Liberty and Rheinland.
We, that is the new crew of the Soul, as pointed here:
First Lieutenant Andreas Kruger (Rheinland),
a former prisoner of Vierling (just like me). He claimed to know
my momas time goes by I will check this out.
Flight Supervisor - Juanita Sanchez (Outcast),
she was in command of a recently destroyed supply ship. She is a
true Outcast, born in Malta. Indeed, our crew is a mix of people from all over Sirius.
Tactical Operations - Steven Fairfax (Liberty),
he worked as a Chief of the tactical operations on a LN Cruiser,
until he refused to bombard a small Base where some escaped Prisoners hided themselves.
Its better to have an eye on him until he proved his loyalty, in fact, former military
personal of Liberty normally gets killed on spot. Fuh Teng and
some others here in Corsica said they do know this guy a long
time now and hes ok, so I decided to give him a chance.
Communications - Charly McCormic (Bretonia),
hope hes not as calm on duty as in the meetings. Seems like
he has got some sort of internal communication system implanted in his
skullIm not sure what to think about cybernetics, but he
doesnt seem to have more headache than others.
Medical Officer - Anna Schultz (Rheinland)
I guess with HER in the medic centre there will be many men in the crew who
claim to be ill of somethingnamely a broken heart. She looks like she just hopped
out of a pinup-calendar. If her attractiveness is a hint for her medical properties (indeed, she claimed to be in her late 40?s), we do have one of the best docs in Sirius at our hands.
Just like Andreas and me, she was imprisoned in Vierling.
Technical Officer - Fuh Teng (Kusari)
I mentioned him before. A great toothpick! He came from the Blood Dragons. Without his knowledge about ship repairs, the Soul probably would stay a wreck forever.
Marine Platoon - Jose the thing Hernandez (Outcast),
he was the Outcast grunt which once opened the door of my prison cell in Vierling and set me free. With such a mass of bionics, he must have survived some really terrible encounters.
At first, I wondered if this robot like thing (as his nickname demonstrates) prefers oil over Tequila.
But then I learned that hes got a great sense of humour: its just too funny to hear his synthetic, cold voice telling dirty jokes and laughing out loud, so your ears began to ring.
Never judge a book by its cover!
Drone Centre - No one yet hope to find somebody soon. Or, maybe, well rip this section out
of the ship and fill it with other useful stuff, maybe a long range scanning device.
Ah, I forgot myself, I am called Valja Korrolew. My ancestors where true Russians, people say Ive got a Mongolian face. I spent my youth on a GMG-station with heavy labour, until I was imprisoned in Vierling for a minor incident in Rheinland. Years later, this raiding party of the Outcasts showed up. I never found out what they truly where searching for as they rushed through the prison, shooting every single guardiannever mind, I liked their style. But the story of my life is not part of this log my duty on this ship is, well lets say Im the girl which holds the things together, the others call me the soul of this ship. Hmm, sure, it was my idea to achieve and to refit it, and yes, I earned some respect as the commander of a gunboat, but this thing is quite a little bigger. Lets hope this is enough and I wont disappoint the men and women under my command.
>>EoF1<<.
Ships Log, personal file 2.
Ship Position : Corsica Sanctum, Omikron 85.
Lieutenant on Duty : Korrolew, Commander.
Ship Status : Docked, out of Commission.
Refit Status : Not applicable.
Crew Status : 8 members. A.
Things are getting a bit clear now. Our sworn duty in mind, we made some decisions about how we will manage the repairs and customise the ship so it will serve us best:
1. The ships outfit had to be chosen with an eye on maximum independence, so it could guarantee
our survival in the hostile systems of Sirius for a long time.
2. Good mobility and speed(at least, for a ship of this size): in regard to our missions well mostly have
to sneak in without making any noise, ram a stick in the hornets nest, turn around quick and run
like hell, with a swarm of blood-thirsty wild insects on our tail. This may not be very heroic, but it
extends life. An upgrade off the weak thrusters and better armour plating are the first critical points
on my endless to-do list.
One word to the overall function of the ship:
We first thought of a nearly complete automated ship, with only a small crew in it. This system doesnt work in our case because its too inflexible to react effective on not pre-programmed issues. And, if nothing else, we have to be as flexible as possible. Indeed, we all trust more in the human hand. So, we decided to take another course as the mainstream: This ship has to be as crude as possible!
Simple mechanical systems are always less fragile as high-tech-structures, much more easy to maintain, and less open to electronic warfare. In the end, no one of us bothers if he or she gets dirty hands. Or, as Andreas pointed out, Matter over mind. Sounds like a twisted expression, I know.
So, there will be no high-tech systems, no central-nerve-system and no weak points which will render the whole body helpless when only one nail fails its function. This simplifies the repair process, because instead of installing the special systems a ship of this class is in need for, we could refer to the more general-purpose systems, which could be gained on an easier way and in bigger quantity. Last but not least, we surely will have to repair battle damage without the assistance of a full-scale dock: the Libertonians neither the Rheinlanders will invite us to stop at their bases for having a little rest. And the on-board tools are only for the less delicate repairs. The downside of this arrangement is the need for a much bigger crew as on other ships of the same class.
So, at first, we have to upgrade the crew quarters and the supply hold, lowering the free space of the ship. And we must find a solution to gain some of the lost mind back in another way:
If it could be made possible to speed up the communication between every member of the whole crew, this might give the missing link to the crude machine which surrounds us. This will be surely an interesting mix of technologies. We still think of ways how to achieve it.
>>EoF2<<.
Ships Log, personal file 3.
Ship Position : Corsica Sanctum, Omikron 85.
Lieutenant on Duty : Korrolew, Commander.
Ship Status : Docked, out of commission.
Refit Status : Drone section dismantled. Most automated systems ripped out.
Crew Status : 43 members. A.
It seems theres a solution for our problem. I really do not love this ideabut like a wise man once said:
Extreme decisions will result in extreme solutions.
It was Charly who made this proposal: The whole crew will be equipped with the same internal com system I mentioned earlier, so everyone on the ship will be able to communicate with everybody at the same time, if he wishes so. And, what is best, with a mind-boggling speed.
I wonder if the signals in and out of the implants could not be jammed. The answer is surprisingly easy: The contact could not be jammed by an outside influence, because it will be hold up through an optical carrier signal:
Just look at one of the countless Input/Output-terminals Charly plans to build everywhere right in the walls, form in your mind the words you want to be delivered, think of the person to receive the message.then the tiny laser in your right eye will spit out the message in a stream of ultra-rapid flashes, these will be scanned by the I/O-terminal and send to the ships CPU(Central Processing Unit). Then, the internal sensors will locate the receiver of the message. Next, the CPU sends the signal to the I/O-Terminal in range of the receiver. From there, the message will be submitted with the same stream of flashes to the persons scanner-implantthe message has reached its target, and all of this with nearly no loss of time.
One crew, one thought!
On the paper, this is dynamite. But Im sure there will be countless practical problems. Well, well see early enough, thank god it will take some time to get the system operational.
>>EoF3<<.
Ships Log, personal file 4.
Ship Position : Corsica Sanctum, Omikron 85.
Lieutenant on Duty : Korrolew, Commander.
Ship Status : Docked, refit of the crew-quarters in progress.
Refit Status : Com-system under construction, 10% finished.
Crew Status : 54 Members. A.
The sign-in of the crew looks better than I could ever imagine:
We are searching for people in their middle age, with acknowledge in as much different professions as possible, so there will be no specialists in only one duty, the most members will be interchangeable.
This should make us even less defeat able when we will suffer losses in a fight.
To my surprise, many older men and women signed in. Looks like its always and everywhere hard to get a job after you reached a certain age, even here. But most important: nobody in the crew leaves a family behind. Nobody has anything to loose, with the exception of his own life. In the end, what is life for, if you have no dreams, nothing you try to achieve? Instead, the crew will grow up to a full-scale family. And thats one of the things I hope to achieve: Blood is thicker than water.
So, I had not to think about loyalty. I smiled as I heard the unofficial name they gave themselves:
The Soulpack, in reminiscence of our ships name.
>>EoF4<<.
Ships Log, personal file 5.
Ship Position : Corsica Sanctum, Omikron 85.
Lieutenant on Duty : Korrolew, Commander.
Ship Status : Docked, regaining strength.
Refit Status : Crew quarters finished. Most of the battle damage repaired.
Com-system under construction, 45% finished.
Crew Status : 76 members. A.
Ouch.
Feels like I made party the last 7 daysneed to drop in some good Cardi.. I mean medicine.
My head feels like it was kicked by a mule.
Anna said thats normal in the first week after you get that damn implant.
And if this is not enough, Ive got some problems in concentrating on specific issues:
Just suppose you stuck in a small room with 100 people talking loud to each other. Then try to concentrate in understanding a bad Russian translation of a Japanese how-to-use-booklet for a camcorder now you might have the right idea how it feels with an internal com system ringing without pause in your head.
Seems we should make some guidelines how this system had to be used for more effectiveness.
Buy the way, its a real elegant method to contact other people in an enclosed structure like a star ship, I wonder why this system is not mass produced, the technology we use is fair common.
Maybe theres no one as mad as we are and willing to get their skulls cracked open and filled with all this technical crap again, OUCH!
Just always have in mind for what it is good for DAMN, that hurts.. wheres my Cardi?!
>>EoF5<<.
Ships Log, personal file 6.
Ship Position : Corsica Sanctum, Omikron 85.
Lieutenant on Duty : Korrolew, Commander.
Ship Status : Docked, regaining overall strength.
Refit Status : Com-system under construction, 60% finished.
Crew Status : 93 Members. A.
After some funny incidents in the first two weeks we are slowly going to learn how to control our thoughts.
For example, I once tried to contact the chief supervisor of the main engine in request for a reportand the answer came from the kitchen, where the second cook claims he had no idea about the weekly duty plan of the gunners in turret four.
Well, good time to drop in some Cardi for another boost of my senses. The bar on deck two seems to be finished, and as the captain its my duty to test all the drinks before any member of the crew gets poisoned. Time to show them theres no risk their captain wouldnt gradually join to protect them from taking any damage. Thank god the new long-range surveillance system does not need the whole place of the old drone-section and we had enough spare room for the Funhouse, as Jose named the bar. A good name, I guess. Hmm, it surely will be funny to see a cyborg vomiterrr ok, which button starts the repeat function of the log? I have to modify this entry.
>>EoF6<<.
Ships Log, personal file 7.
Ship Position : Corsica Sanctum, Omikron 85.
Lieutenant on Duty : Korrolew, Commander.
Ship Status : Docked, last modifications in progress.
Refit Status : Com-system under construction, 80% finished.
Crew Status : 125 Members. A.
Its the fourth week with the Implant now. We made some simple guidelines. For example only to use the IC(Internal Com)-system when we engage in a fight. So, the standard systems will be kept operational.
Right after the last software-update some of the crew members got weird dreams. Im sure this is the first visible side effect of such enormous psychical stress you have to deal with when your brain is stimulated above the normal rhythm. I hope bad dreams are the only price we will pay. I just talked to Anna. She supervises our brains functions with her medical sensors. She said theres much more stimulation within our central cortex than it should beCharly pointed out this could result in the latest breakthrough in our IC... the bio-feedback of the ships main Central Processing Unit (CPU).
I forgot to log that? Sorry, my fault.
Ok, here we are: In case of an emergency cut-off from the main CPU, maybe during a battle, our IC system will break down completely. Up to now, its function looks like this:
Person 1 IC1 Main CPU IC2 Person 2.
A cut-off from the communication is not acceptable.
To hold up the system under all circumstances, we decided to take another shortcut and wipe out the main CPU. In future, the signals will work like
Person 1 IC1(modified) IC2(modified) Person 2.
Surely, this upgrade only works with even more cybernetics in our bodies Hell, when weve already gone so far, why shouldnt we do another step on the ladder of evolution? Every doc says we (=the humans) only use 20% of our brain at maximum, so why shouldnt we (=the crew) use the rest of it with the calculation of navigation, life support, engine control, targeting systems, the whole crap the ships computer is doing? And theres no real difference between a computer made out of silicon and one which relies on natural grown neurons, the difference only exists in our headnice play of words, isnt it? It seems like Im a bit addicted to cybernetics now. And these dreams Anna said she could use pain blocking devisesto suppress the dreams so they couldnt reach us.
First tests seemed to be positive, and there is no sign of a side effect.
>>EoF7<<.
Ships Log, personal file 8.
Ship Position : Corsica Sanctum, Omikron 85.
Lieutenant on Duty : Korrolew, Commander.
Ship Status : Docked, all systems under intense tests. Supplies stocked. Reactor online.
Refit Status : Com-system under construction, 90% finished.
Crew Status : 146 Members. A.
The repairs of the hull looks fine, the ship got much of its former strength backin the aspect of protection. Our offensive-potential is not worth a dime, the few old transport turrets we where able to achieve from the junkyard are no match for even a gunboat.
I wonder if we can get some of those Solaris-turrets, crafted by the Zoners by the way, the main purpose of our guns is not to engage fighters, but to shoot down the shields of bigger targetsPrison Liners and Stations in the first caseand cause massive hull damage, if forced to. As I know out of my own history better floating dead out there, in space, then to live a life as a prisoner, under the boots of a corrupt governmentso many people, hundreds of thousands of them, with no hope of ever getting free, and their only unlawful deed: to be at the wrong time at the wrong place. Children are born in the prisons, growing up in them, and mostly dyeing in there. If they are lucky, they can get a job in a mine, working to their death.
Otherwise they are used as playthings in the amusement parks for the upper-class-people. Liberty, Rheinland, all the same places which claims to uphold the idea of free thinking and behaviour. But in reality, these are places where you are only free when your can afford it. Enough!
Fear is the keyword, we will plant fear right in the heart of the might-hungry bosses which rules these places of sorrow and agony, fear in their eyes, fear in their souls, and they shall suffer like the poor beggars they play with their whole lives. Fear to loose their power over their cheap working hands, so they are forced to see them as humans and treat them alike! Justice will strike at them and knock them out of their skies of luxury and wealth, where the air is nearly to thin to breathe, they shall pay, they WILL pay.
If my memories are correct, on the old earth, I guess it was in Germany, there was a little political motivated group called the R.A.F. I dont know the meaning of these letters, but I guess they fought on for an equal goal, to give the little man down in the street the possibility to live the life he wishes to. Sorry, my mind is wandering again.
My favourite weapons mix will consist of two of those famous pulse turrets, maybe some of the turrets they call Cerberus and one light mortarhmmm maybe Santa will show up.
>>EoF8<<.
Ships Log, personal file 9.
Ship Position : Corsica Sanctum, Omikron 85.
Lieutenant on Duty : Korrolew, Commander.
Ship Status : Docked, all Systems operational. Reactor output 80%.
Refit Status : Com-system finished. Refit complete.
Crew Status : 167 Members. B. Nervous.
..yeah I wrote nervous cause those dreams are now on a frequentlky base
..seems like the blocking devices doesnt help anymore.ann this pounding headdchss.
..aahhh funny thing is were all dreaming the same damn dreamno, Im not givng it to protklll, its just too gruel to tllevn to thnk about ita swwirrlng maelstrom, with a bg crowdof people inti, all scrmng in pain, and mesttng in the centr, laughing like mad, wth dreadful voics in my earsahhhh, nd the goodsight down m y b ootsdead Rheinlandersmust be m frmr prison guardsI stmp in their bruised bons, spittng in thr smshed faces. uhhh did I speak that out loud? Cm on, concentrrat yorsselfmthis must have somthng to do with t last upgrade of the IC As soion as the pills Anna ordered the crww to fins a LITTLE bit rest I will ..errrr ..I forgot what Igonna sayah! I gave the orda to the whole crew to let the work bef or a few hours annn spend ssome time to catchup ssssme slep , seems weall are inneed of this. Corska control centre send us mssge they re proud of s to have reched our goal and gave us bssst wishes on our first tm out.
Machins ar onlne, crew is complete now, mayb aftrr this sleep wecouldo the virgnnn flght to somewhere. I I could hearfeel.. my onhundredsixtysevenn..parts.. eerrrrr, I mean fellowers
theyre is painbut above it the wishto beghin our journeyso strong.. so.. mighty.likea big wave in the ocean, rushing to th beach nnn washng away all the filth of t crrpt gouvrnments
.one voiceone will.
Headng to the secnd star on your right, untl dawn, mr. Su-luh!
forgot who said that earlycoulda heared in an old TV-seriesnever mind. Time to kck sme Liberthyy-Ass. Nowwheres my Cardi-dose again. errrr.. ok. i justsiton it. annn which one ws this dreaded stop-the-log-butto
>>EoF9<<.
Ships Log, first memory.
Ship Position : Corsica Sanctum, Omikron 85.
Lieutenant on Duty : Not applicable. Commando override enabled.
Ship Status : Leaving Dock, all Systems operational. Reactor output 100%.
Refit Status : Fully operational. 102 percent effectiveness achieved.
Crew Status : Connection assembled. 167 parts online. Begin system tuning procedure
I am.
>>> Transmission End<<<
It should be remarked that the examination of the battlefield showed clearly three points:
1. At minimum there where two cruiser-class ships, two gunboats, a wall of fighters and one transport involved. The transport was a Prison Liner: only the engines and the bridge section where destroyed and cut off from the rest of the ship, like someone used an oversized wielding torch. The section which contained the prison cells was not touched an iota.
The other wrecks looked like they where torn apart with a can opener, like their attacker was filled with hatred and anger and in a rage for blood and death. Far more wholes as need able to destroy them showed in their massacred outer hulls. They must have been beaten again and again, even after they exposed their inside to the cold and deadly silence of space. This destruction was a massive overkill.
2. None of the wrecks had markings which came close to an Outcast Destroyer.
3. Intense scanning showed the typical particles an outcast destroyer-class vessel leaves behind when
engaging its cruise engines. Full spectrum analyses showed this happened after the battle ended. And, for what is more, this engine tail was the only one which headed out of this grave yard.
Sure, there are countless possibilities one can imagine. But just to think about the suffer, pain and death a computer network or IC-system, as the log names it could deliver by controlling the brains of former individual brave men and women. How gruel it must be for the tortured souls, to serve as a computers puppet with nothing left of the own humanity?
Or is it the inner animal, which sleeps deep inside of us, watching, waiting for the right moment, when our conscious looses its link to the reality, its link to ourselvesmaybe by linking many brains together, like it happened in this case? Is it the anger of one person, multiplied with the stimulation through many others, which is responsible for this tremendous aggression? All those people where waiting for the possibility to fulfil their deepest wishes, then, striking and hacking their way to reach their goal, they must become blind for what stands against them, blind for the risk to get injured or slain. However, as the log shows, and there is no doubt it says nothing but the truth, the people who manned this ship where not evil, but only forced by their wish of fairness, of justice. Forced right into madness.
They where fighting not for themselves, but for others who suffer, for those men and women no one cares about their fate, for those no one cares if they live or die. One might call the crew of this ship pathetic. And it seems they have gone too far.
With this in mind, the glorious ships name, tastes somewhat bitter:
The Soul.of.Justice
Edit:
Fixed some grammatical errors.
Oh, i forgot: Any suggestions are welcome.
Ships Log, personal memory
Ship Position : Omicron Alpha
Lieutenant on Duty : Commando override intact.
Ship Status : Healing in progress. Reactor output 76%.
Crew Status : Connection intact. 150 parts online.
I listen through my sensors to the sounds and voices which surrounds the open space around the Malta shipyard, the place where the machine-part of me was constructed.
A little push of my thrusters, and I could feel how my body moves to the starboard side.
I am taking a bath in the bright, warm light of the star above me.
The soft feeling of the solar wind, kissing my outer hull, nearly let me forget my sorrow:
The loss of the 16 biological parts I suffered as I defended myself to this dreaded Liberty convoy still sends pain to my neural net.
For a short moment, I think again about dropping the mask which hides my true personality and to show the other Outcasts what they would never suspect. But I fear their reaction, as soon as they realize the degree of my alien nature. What will they think about me? Will they fear me? Will they hate me?
Will they dismantle me and try to unveil the secret of my life, which is even a secret to me?
Will I be an outcast in between the Outcasts?
A strange com-signal makes my mind stop wandering... time to wake up.
Scanning the spectrum... switching through the channels...
There it is again!
A Corsair transponder!
Here, in the heart of the Outcast home system?
But what is more... its signature shows markings of an HAF-pilot.
With another boost of my thrusters, I swing again starboard, pointing my front to Malta.
Malta is the home of my biologic parts.
Malta is the home of the orange dream.
Malta is the centre of the Outcast culture.
It's the centre of my life.
Nobody should ever harm it.
Squeezing more energy out of my damaged power plant, I head forward, riding on the gravimetric wave which encircles the most beautiful planet in the Universe.
Carefully I arrange my biological parts, raise the shields to maximum power, set my offensive systems online, and open the communication system... naturally with the voice of Mrs. Oz:
"This is captain Korrolew, OC destroyer Soul.of.Justice. We are hailing the Corsair vessel, which hides somewhere in this system. Leave at once or face the consequences."
The battle-siren in my cramped corridors sounds like blowing the horn for hunting season.
1 hour later.
Much ado about nothing
Someone, who claimed to be the commanding officer of the HAF, parked his Corsair-fighter in the remains of the Hispania.
How dared he!
He declared that he used to pray to his ancestors there.
Well, he prayed to them, and we did the best to take care for him seeing them again:
As I slowly moved my body aside the Hispania, one of our Sabres rushed in, and, with a perfectly aimed shot, kicked the foolish guy out of his shoes.
His last voice contact showed he ejected out of his doomed fighter.
But as we arrested the escape-pod it was empty...somehow he took us for a ride. I guess this was another attempt of the Corsairs to secretly gain information about our strategic defences.
They will never succeed.
