...You and the commandoes get into your scoutship. Then your co-pilot tells you that he noticed that the scoutship also had enhanced engines, afterburners, and 2 javilen pods with over 100 javilen rockets. As you take off, your sensors pick up hyperspace disturbances, meaning that several large ships are about to hyper into the system. You see a few Rebel destroyers along with two squadrons of Mantas in the system as you clear the atmosphere. A few seconds later, four Confed frigates enter the system...

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(This message has been edited by Captain Carnotaur (edited 07-11-2000).)

... The Frigates immediately open fire, at this point you decide it would be a wise decision to plot your hyperspace course, your Co-Pilot brings up the star map and enters the jump co-ordinates. You are about to activate the jump computer when one of the Frigates hails you. "Do not attempt to leave the system", says a voice over the comm, "if you attempt to execute a jump you will be fired upon". It is at this point you notice a Frigate breaking from the battle and heading towards you. You freeze, there is no way to escape in time to avoid the Frigate's long range weapons. Suddenly the Frigate is knocked off its axis and its stabilizing fin disintegrates in a massive explosion. You activate the jump computer, looking back just in time to see half a dozen Mantas turn to make another run on your former pursuer. Then you are engulfed by the white nothingness of hyperspace...

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If I fly the ship, shoot the guns, and work the hyperspace, what the hell does my crew do?

The scene blinks in front of you, showing the sphere of New Britain glowing in space before you. "Plot a course for the nearest spaceport," you order to your co-pilot, while slowing the ship down in preperation for re-entry. The planet grows steadily larger, and when it fills over a third of the viewscreen you key the communications mike on to ask the spaceport for clearance. The mike speaks just before you do, making you start in surprise.
"Scoutship 320, a ship of your description was reported leaving a system against the direct orders of aof a Confederation Army Vessel. Please standby to be boarded."
Your stomach collapeses in on itself. If you let them board, well, that wouldn't work very well, would it? If you try to ignor their orders you will be summarily blown to bits and pieces. If you try to run the mission will fail, and you cannot accept that, especially since you still have not learned the knowledge of how to abort when necessary.
Your copilot looks at you, fear and questioning written on his face. Taking a deep breath, you do what you should have done when first entering the system, you look at the scanscreen. A Confederation frigate, and two Gunboats. Great.
The following moments are prehaps the proudest in your memory.
Taking another deep breath you key the mike again.
"New Britain Spaceport two-twenty, requesting permission to land. Our communications gear was damaged by a system failure, and we cannot recieve transmissions. We request a shuttle guide us down." You hold your breath, and whatch the Confed ships.
The two gunboats align themselved to either side of you, and the frigate turns and continues its patrol. In a few moments, a shuttle can be seen rising from the planets atmosphere. The Commanding officer grasps your shoulder. "Good job, my friend. But don't relax yet. I can garantee that when we land we are going to have a welcoming comittee, and one with plenty of questions......."

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We do not live to work, rather, we work to live.

...Before you land your commandoes hide themselves in the back engine section with a scanning dispersal unit. As you exit your ship six Confed guards instantly surround you, and take you to an interrogation room along with your co-pilot. As soon as you get in the room you are flooded by questions. "What are you doing here?" they ask you. You reply "I'm on a cargo delivery, I'm bringing ten tons of metal to..." He cuts you off. "What is your real mission!? We know one of our Confed frigates hailed you and told you to stop! We also know you were leaving the Kathoon system, a system which has recently joined the Rebellion! What is your mission?!" Suddenly there is a huge explosion outside the building, followed by another explosion which shakes the entire building you are in. You stand up, just as another explosion blasts open the door, killing several of the Confed security guards. Several civillians and Confed officers suddenly rush in, carrying laser rifles. Then to your surprise, the point them at the other Confeds in the room. "We are the New Britain Resistence!" Yells one of the civillians, "All Confeds put your hands in the air!"...

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(This message has been edited by Captain Carnotaur (edited 07-12-2000).)

NOTE: this is not part of the story

Comon yall! this could be really fun, everyone can put in their own bit eh, their own names and stuff but theres gotta be more then 3 or 4 authors!

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If I fly the ship, shoot the guns, and work the hyperspace, what the hell does my crew do?

NOTE: Not part of the story

I agree with you Dsalk

Also, what's the name of this captain? Dash Riprock? Rick Hardslab? Mark Wells?

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Anyway, to continue the story...

all the confeds in the room put their hands in the air. "Where is captain Rick Hardslab?" one of the resistance asks. You step forward a pace. "I'm here." you say. "Come with me".

You walk with the resistance person to your ship. "You were bringing some commandoes. Where are they?" he asks. "Just in here, by this scanner..." you say. "Here they are." "Hello again, cap'n!" greets one. "Hi. This is one of the new resistance workers". You motion towards him. "He would like a word with you." The commandos and the resistance worker walk off. You decide to visit the spaceport bar.

A man walks up to you. "Rick Hrdslab", he says. "You are a very good Rebel, you have just shown us that. I would like you to (someone else continue)

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Hornet
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(url="http://"HTTP://WWW.v-west.in2home.co.uk/zac/zac.html")My cool EV/O website(/url)
Email:
(url="http://"mailto:zac@v-west.in2home.co.uk")mailto:zac@v-west.in2home.co.uk(/url)zac@v-west.in2home.co.uk

...Help the Rebellion again. My name is Jason Master, I work for the resistence as their communications and scanner expert. Anyway, my scans of this spaceport and the reports comming in from other resistence fighters suggest that the Confeds have more ships here than before. We think they might of gotten a whif of the plan to capture this planet, and so they're reiforcing it. I need you to pretend you are Captain Scum, a Pirate, but don't worry, there's no real Captain Scum. Anyway, you are to pretend you are a Pirate, go to Evildrome, and try to make the Pirates execute a large raid on the Sirius system. That will draw away some Confed reinforcements, and probably allow the Rebels and resistence to take control of the planet. Do you agree?" You consider for a moment, thinking about how violent Pirates can be. However you finally agree. "Good! Now hurry, you don't have much time!"...

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...Deciding to waste no more time you return to the landing pad. You are more then a bit surprised to discover two plainclothed technicians firing at the scoutship with hand-held disruptors. "What are you doing!?" You ask in an annoyed tone. One of the techs stops and looks at you. "Well yer gonna be a pirate right? we gotta make it look like you have had a run in or two with the Confeds". "Riiiiight" you reply. "This won't wake more then a few minutes" says the tech. You sit down on a nerby bench and study your flight plan. As you are looking over the chart you think about the past few days, been a heluva ride, you think to yourself, but this is definitely the most dangerous mission they have given me so far. You think back to stories that your siblings used to tell you about the pirates. They were rutheless cruel people who would sooner skin you alive then talk to you. You get a cold chill up your spine, "I hope this was a good idea" you say to yourself...

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If I fly the ship, shoot the guns, and work the hyperspace, what the hell does my crew do?

...Then you suddenly get an idea. What if you said that a famous Pirate was killed in the Sirius system by Confeds, and his crew tortured? That would certainly make the Pirates go out to the Sirius system and blast apart any Confed ship they saw. Yes, that would easily work. You could also say that you were with his ship, and barely got out alive. "Hey, you technicians!" you call to the two techs. "Make my ship look a little more beat up! And try to put a few small dents in the hull! I've got a plan."....

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"Well sir you see, one of the Confeds have given the ignition code to us and we would rather have you fly that instead. Would that be all right with you?"
"Would it? Oh man that would be great, but I need some items with it" you reply.
"What would that be sir?"
"I would like the topedo launchers and torpedoes removed from the ship and I would like Armaplast, Duraplast, and Tritanium. I would also like full guns and turrets. I'd like 2 shield enhancers or what ever they would be called along with a shield recharger. Could you also get me some of those dice things? How much space do I have left?"
"You have 37 tons left sir."
"I would like some Javilin Rockets and 2 Launchers and some 5-D Doritos."
"We will pay for half off that so you total will be 1.335644 Credits"
You hand him the credits.....

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Your standing in line,
a very big line,
And you have a gun,
a Big Freaking Gun,
Gee now what do you do?

NOTE: Not part of the story

Ummmm, I'm a little lost. What is the "Ignition Code"? What did the guy buy?

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Note Not a part of the story.

Ummm, yeah, same here. Ignition code to what? A confed ship? I kinda need to know where I am standing before I can contribute.

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We do not live to work, rather, we work to live.

NOTE Not part of this web story

Hey, If he drives a Confed ship, the Pirates will shoot him.

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NOTE not part of the story

ok ok folks, I think we must all agree to stay within the bounds of the set plot and not let it get too confusing, your input has been appriciated but I think we will disregard the last segment of the story and pickup from the point before he departs.

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If I fly the ship, shoot the guns, and work the hyperspace, what the hell does my crew do?

- Interlude-
The darkness of his office hid the face on the vid-display, but the voice carried clearly.
"Did he fall for the bait?"
"Yes, sir, he thinks the Rebels have offered him another mission."
"Good. He handled himself very well during the insertion, he is cleverer than I thought. Make sure the trap is good."
"Yes, sir."
The vid-display went dark.

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We do not live to work, rather, we work to live.

...BOOM! You hyperspace into the NGC-1249 system. "Good, only one more jump till Evildrome," you say to yourself. Suddenly you detect a Pirate corvette on the scanner. It hails you.

"Who are you!?" the Pirate captain asks.

"Uh, pirate Captain Scum," you reply.

"Ohhh, okay. Heh, your ship looks a bit beat up, got into a run in with a Confed?" the Pirate asks, laughing.

"Well actually, yes, I had a very BIG run in with a Confed." The Pirate stops laughing. "You know about Blackbeard the Pirate?" you ask him, he nods. "I was with him in the Sirius system blasting apart Confed freighters when three frigates hyper into the system. They attacked us, destroyed Greenbeard the Pirates argosey, and their was no escape pod." The Pirates eyes grow quite large.

"Anyway, I just barely escaped. I was on my way to Evildrome to tell them the news. So could you..." You are cut off by you co-pilot. "SIR! Five Pirate Kestrels just hypered into the system, and their attacking us!"

You turn back towards the view screen, "Whats going on!" you yell at the corvette Pirate captain. "Why are they attacking me, I'm a Pirate!"

The Pirate hesitates, his eyes very wide now. "Uh, I, I don't know!"...

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Five Kestrels. Ten Lightnings. Zero chance for fighting.
Which leaves you with only one choice - running.
"GET THE EVILDROME ON THE HYPER COMPUTER!" you yell at your copilot, who is already doing just that.
What in the name of the great space parrot is going ON, you wonder, even as the aggressor warning system transmits the multiple shrieks that mean heavy rockets coming your way. Hands dancing over the controls you make a sharp curve that avoids the rockets, head straight for two missiles so that you are to close for them to compensate in time and they pass, then dive under the formation of Kestrels. A few of the sleek ships rolled in time for their turrets to send brilliant proton bolts that melt your shields like a sun melts comets. Then you drop behind a stray asteroid, reverse, apply thrust to kill your movement, and initiate the hyperjump sequence. Automatically, your scoutship points itself on the right rout. On your scanscreen you see the lightnings coming up right behind. A javelin rocket hits your ship, eating away the last of your shields and leaving only your armor between you and death. A missile hits you - already in jump mode your ship doesn't budge, but you breath a thanks that the scoutship has Duraplast plates welded fused on - or else you wouldn't be moving now, increasing your speed at an exponential rate, leaving the cloud of Javelins that should have finished you off far behind, and finally making the jump......

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We do not live to work, rather, we work to live.

Ok folks, this is my first time ever trying to write a short story, so I hope I get it right. Unlike the trend I'v seen, I decided to go with a 3rd person perspective, like in a novel. I feel it allows for more detail in the events. I also decided to name the ship, so it's not just Scoutcraft 320. If the name doesn't sound right, then feel free to change it in your addition to the story. I also named the Co-Pilot; Michael Asterson. Let me know if I'm off key anywhere. Enjoy!

Exiting hyperspace ended with a violent jerk. It was a rough ride, but Hardslab managed to make it safely to the Evildrome.
"I think that last hit damaged the engines.", the co-pilot remarked.
Hardslab sighed a breath of relief. "We're still at 86% efficiency, enough to make it to the planet. Set course and open hailing frequencies."
The comm panel let out a little chirp as the the lines opened. A gruff voice responded.
"What do you want?"
"This is Captain Scum of the SS Hermes. Requesting permission to land."
"Go blow ya' scurvy dog!"
Hardslab's eyebrow's flexed in puzzlement.
"I repeat, requesting permission to land. We've been damaged and require repairs to our shi..."
Hardslab was quickly cut off.
"I don't give a flying shrap what yer' problems are! Now bugger off!"
The comm panel went dead.
Michael simply looked to Hardslab, and dryly stated, "If you're gonna' talk to pirates that nicely, you're not going to land anytime this cycle. Try a more creative approach, Captain "Scum"." The co-pilot smiled slyly as Hardslab got the hint.

Suddenly the Klaxon alarm began to bellow. The HUD read out a ship was coming out of Hyperspace, and the Hermes was directly in it's flight path!

Michael! Afterburners, now!"

Michael quickly jettisoned fuel into the exhaust as Hardslab slammed the controls down to dip out of the incoming ships entry point. For a split second Hardslab thought about how no way Hell could the Kestrels have jumped in this soon! Their engines required a longer warm-up time then smaller craft like scout ships! A blinding flash filled the viewscreen, followed by the image of a Corvette, damaged and burning, small explosions letting out fiery balls of light. The flames were in stark contrast to the deep blackness of space.

"What the hell...", was the only thing Michael could utter.
Hardslab only watched in awe and horror as the derelict ship veered into a dead spin.
"They must have nailed him just as he was entering hyperspace..."
"We need to land, and now!", Michael yelled, trying to snap Hardslab from his daze.
It wasn't Michael's yelling however that pulled Hardslab from his state of shock.
"We have bigger problems. Look!", he shouted as he pointed a finger at the viewscreen.

Tons of scraped ship hull sped towards the Hermes at an incredible speed. Hardslab desperately made an attempt to swerve out of the incoming wreckage’s path, but not soon enough. Over 12 tons of metal slammed into the side of the ship, tearing through the shields and embedding itself deep into the hull. The ship began to shake and jerk as it was repeatedly hit, over, and over again. The landing guidance system exploded, sending Michael flying towards the back of the cockpit, slamming him into the door hatch.
A few minutes later the siege of space debris had ended. The cockpit was filled with smoke, the computer guidance panels on fire, and the Klaxon alarm continued to wail. Hardslab hit the stand-down button, silencing the alarm, and quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher. Without looking at his co-pilot, he barked his orders.

"Get on the systems computer and find out what was damaged!"

No sooner had he finished his sentence when the scanners alerted that multiple jump signatures were being detected. Fearfully staring at the flashing screen, Hardslab had a feeling his problems had just begun...

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"It came with a side of coleslaw, and I must say, it was quite reasonably priced."

(This message has been edited by SaintAndSinner (edited 07-18-2000).)

(This message has been edited by SaintAndSinner (edited 07-18-2000).)

(This message has been edited by SaintAndSinner (edited 07-19-2000).)

NOT A PART OF THE STORY, TO WHICH I WILL GET AROUND TO CONTRIBUTING ONE OF THESE DAYS.

Two thumbs up, great post.

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We do not live to work, rather, we work to live.