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The Black Omegas, Ch XIV: Seraph


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#1 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 02 March 2004 - 08:51 PM

Those Oh-So-Popular Notes:

- One (1), count ‘em, one (1), use of the F-word.

- Anywho, here we go… in an odd decision, I’ve gone and written a chapter that focuses largely on… well… you know her, you hate her, you’ve fantasized jamming her in an electric chair and having a barbeque… and I’m sure you’ve tumbled to who I’m talking about by now. :twisted:

- It’s also pretty lengthy, as these things go. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea to insert a significant “break” anywhere, so I didn’t. It might drag on as a result, though.

- We’ve also got a bunch of shifting viewpoints, which will almost certainly screw with the smooth flow and everything, but hopefully it won’t be too hard to follow.

XIV: Seraph

Starboard Flight Deck, TCS Gallante
1354 Hours, Local Standard

It had been empirically proven: the rear-facing ball-turret on a Confederation Sabre-class heavy fighter was one of the most dangerous places to be in a large-scale space battle. Statistics compiled since the early days of the Sabre’s deployment to front line units had proven that fact without a doubt.

The turret was in a very vulnerable position, just above the fighter’s engines and just slightly forward of them. It was lightly armored, and while it was able to swivel in protection of a good chunk of the fighter’s bulk, that also meant more of the turret was open to enemy fire.

And yet, despite the sheer lunacy of being a Sabre tail-gunner, those who survived their first few missions considered it to be one of the most intensely invigorating places to be in a messy lightfight.

Such was the case with Crewman Tyler James… the young 22 year-old airman was still immature and impressionable enough to “enjoy” fighting a war simply for the thrills. But even he knew that one day, provided he didn’t get himself killed, the “novelty” of it all would wear off; as of yet, however… it hadn’t.

He tugged on his gloves and gripped the turret controls even tighter. He tested the rotational mechanisms and checked to make sure the turret’s neutron guns were powered. He ran a quick scan of his instrumentation and targeting displays. All the equipment diagnostics came back in good order.

“Don’t forget to buckle up back there…” came a voice from the intercom.

Tyler grumbled. “Yes, mother…” he said, serving up a sardonic reply to the Sabre’s pilot as he turned and reached for the end of his harness belt.

“Just checking. I don’t want any accidents… remember the time you smacked your forehead against the rear windshield of your turret?”

“I don’t recall-“

The Sabre abruptly leapt forward a short distance… not all that far, but still enough to adequately demonstrate one of the fundamental laws of motion. The fighter accelerated, but the unrestrained tail-gunner didn’t. His head thumped against the clear transparisteel surface that constituted most of the turret.

* THUNK * “Ow!”

James heard mild snickering on the other end of the open comm channel and rolled his eyes, realizing he’d been bested. “I guess I just walked right into that one, huh?”

The Sabre pilot’s tone, however, quickly went from jovial to all-business. “Flight Control’s given us a launch assignment… we’re getting spotted on Cat Two.” She nudged the fighter’s throttle controls slightly, applying just enough power to get the heavy fighter moving towards its intended destination. The steel landing skids hovered little more than an inch or two above the deck as the Sabre eased its way forward.

With careful precision, the fighter jockey moved her ship into position, dropping the landing skids into the proper grooves. Magnetic clamps locked around them in preparation for launch procedures.

“Sideshow One is go-flight…” she reported in to Flight Control.

“Acknowledge… stand-by, Catapult Control. Sideshow 1, you are cleared for combat launch as soon as the Gallante exits the jump point.”

“Copy.”

Just then, the cruiser’s PA system blared out an announcement. “All hands, transit stations… Gallante entering jump point in five seconds… four… three… two… one…”



“Sideshow One, Bridge reports successful reentry. You are go for launch. Cat Two is hot, watch your six out there, pilot.”



As expected, the scanners were a sea of red. A small cluster of blue dots (representing friendly units) was forming and growing steadily, but seemingly not fast enough. Sideshow One took up a close orbit of the Gallante as the rest of her squadron launched from the Confederation cruiser and took up flanking positions on either side of her wings. There was Minstrel off to her left… Bard off to her right. Maniac and Jazz were behind them. Just launching from the Gallante’s starboard bay, however, was someone she didn’t recognize.

“Sabre 200 Gamma,” she commed the rogue ship, “please identify yourself…”

The responding voice was gruff, yet faintly female, and with a strong Dwarven brogue to it. “This is Flight Officer Iesora Alagar, callsign: Bearded Lady. Who are you? One of the Freaks?”

“Er… t-this is Sideshow One, Flight Officer Alagar.” She tried to scratch her head then abruptly realized she had a flight helmet on. The knuckles of her gloved hand bumped up against the white-painted helmet, brushing across the black letters that spelled out her callsign: “S-E-R-A-P-H.” She spoke again over the still open comm channel. “You’re one of the new transfers from Fort Rostov, right? Um… well uh… welcome to the squadron. Er… lessee…pair up with Spirit… I guess. She’s quiet, but she knows the ropes.”

“Understood, Lead.”

Tyler cut in over the comm, snagging the attention of the woman in the pilot’s seat. “Bandits 11:00 high, boss… couple of klicks out and closing fast…”

“Right. Um. Gotcha. Squad, this is Seraph. Break formation and engage at will. Don’t stray too far from the Gallante, she needs our protection. Bard, uh… ok… close up and form on me… we’re going after that pack of Grikaths… I’m uploading targeting info. Ready?”

“Readier than a red-cheeked maiden, my dove…”

Sideshow One suddenly -was- a red-cheeked maiden. She could feel herself blushing… and, of course, the retching noises coming from her “friend” in the gun turret weren’t helping any.

“Oh… hush, Tyler…” she said, trying to exert some control over the situation, and failing miserably.

Thankfully, there wasn’t much call to play nursemaid once the shooting started…

The Orcish starfighters closed with their Confederation counterparts. Neat and precise formations degenerated into a confused jumble as flight elements broke in all directions in pursuit of their targets. The pilots of Sideshow squadron tore into the hostiles, using their superior agility to avoid enemy fire. Their nimble ships darted this way and that, lining up shots that pinged off of enemy armor. Energy bolts crashed through shields and ripped apart hulls. Missiles exploded everywhere, filling space with shrapnel. Chunks of debris tore loose from damaged vessels. Wounded fighters on both side turned tail, trying to limp out of the fight, their engines sparking erratically, jolts of electricity crackling from exposed wiring. Desperate pilots blew their canopies, rocket boosters in their ejector seats shooting them clear of their stricken craft.

In the end, the Confeds came out on top. Out of the initial ten craft in the squadron, one had been destroyed outright, the pilot and his gunner killed instantaneously when concentrated fire from a Dominion fighter detonated their Sabre’s reactor core. Another of the Confederation heavy fighters was so badly wounded that the crew had bailed, but even now they were getting scooped up by a Search & Rescue transport.

Two more Sabres had sustained moderate damage, and one had sustained minor damage- little more than a few patches of peeled paint and some carbon scoring, really. The rest were unhurt. All things considered, a good trade-off for roughly a dozen Orcish fighters destroyed, with maybe another half dozen running home with excessive damage.

If that had been the extent of the battle, Sideshow One could have taken her surviving pilots home and called it a good day. But there were still more hostiles out there…

There always were…

-----

Bridge, TCS Gallante
1408 Hours, Local Standard

“Flight Deck, report, over!” Ulraunt was screaming into the comm, even as the bridge lights continued to flicker and the Gallante shuddered with the force of several dozen minor hits. “Flight Deck, report status, over!”

The voice that responded wasn’t the deep-voiced rumble he was expecting. “We’re kinda busy down here…”

“Who is this?!” Ulraunt’s frustration was clear, even over the static-filled communications channel.

“It’s Lieutenant Llyr, Captain…” Imoen deadpanned, just barely audible over the blaring of klaxons, the loud banging of metal against metal, and the frenzied cries of harried flight deck personnel.

“Lieutenant-“ the Gallante’s captain cut himself off in disbelief, and went red in the face… more red than usual. “Where is Commander Pierce?! Put him on the comm line this instant!”

Again with the deadpan. “The Commander’s rather indisposed at the moment…”

“Doing what? Having a tea party?! Carry out my order!”

There was a loud hiss… perhaps the sound of a pressurized gas pipe bursting open, or maybe just an annoyed exhalation. Imoen gave up on trying to be “polite,” instead allowing a small shred of the considerable annoyance she was feeling to bleed through. “Captain, Commander Pierce can’t come to the phone right now, seeing as how he’s on fire. Got a little too close to a Jackhammer missile that cooked off in storage.”

”Then who’s in charge of Damage Control down there?!”

“Why… that would be me. If you’ve got something to say, ‘sir’… please say it so I can get back to doin’ my fuckin’ job.”

“I’d watch my tone, Lieutenant…”

“And I’d stop wasting my time and yours, Captain.”

He ignored that last jibe. “What’s the situation down there?”

“You really want to know what’s going on down here?”

“Yes! Of course!”

“Boom. Boom boom boom. Boom boom. Boom! Have a nice day.”

-----

Starboard Flight Deck, TCS Gallante
1405 Hours, Local Standard

“Let’s go, people! Double time it! We got wounded birds coming in, I want that flight deck cleared yesterday! Miller, Horvath, Ryan, we’ve got fires burning close to the torpedo storage lockers. Get over there and seal ‘em, then link up with the fire crews!”

“Aye aye, Lieutenant.”

“Rico, Levy, Ibanez, Cat One’s on the blink. Bridge is calling for immediate launch of all Ready-Five units. We -need- that catapult back up. Fix it. Now.”

“We’re on it.”

“Venkman, Spengler, Zeddmore, we’ve got injured pilots still in their ships. Extrication crews are gonna need some help. Hustle up, and see what you can do.”

“Right away.”

“Grey, Summers, Braddock, you better have a damned good reason as to why that busted-ass Rapier is still on my flight deck!”

“We’re working on it, Lieutenant… the landing skids are a mess, it won’t budge.”

“I don’t need excuses, Crewman, I need that deck clear! Pick up the pace! This ain’t no friggin’ picnic here, folks!”



“Flight Deck, report, over! Flight Deck, report status, over!”

Imoen could have sworn she felt her blood pressure spike even further, just then. It took a concerted force of effort for her to remain calm. “We’re kinda busy down here…”

“Who is this?!”

“It’s Lieutenant Llyr, Captain…”

“Lieutenant- … Where is Commander Pierce?! Put him on the comm line this instant!”

“The Commander’s rather indisposed at the moment…”



Several seconds later…

“Boom. Boom boom boom. Boom boom. Boom! Have a nice day.”

(Click)

”Wanker.”

Falynn came trotting up, covered in soot. There were streaks of grease across her cheek, and several more stained her uniform. She looked woefully haggard. “How you holding up, Im?”

“I’ve been better…” she ran the back of her hand across her forehead, wiping the sweat from her brow and trying hard not to crack a joke at Falynn’s disheveled appearance… especially given that she herself probably looked worse. “What’s the status on Cat One?”

“Shaky, but Jan and I managed to get it working. Good thing you sent over that repair team to give us a hand…”

Imoen sighed, and her shoulders sagged. “I guess. Lynn, what am I doing here?

“Ziggy says you can’t leap until she loves you back, Sam…”

“Funny.”

“Ok. Real answer: because even though I’m the ranking officer, you’ve had more engineering classes.”

A pained grimace. “I hate being in charge.”

“Tough. You’re pretty good at it.”

-----

Meanwhile…

Bridge, TCS Gallante

Ulraunt glowered at the communications panel as if his harsh stare would accomplish something. The obnoxious little monster had cut him off. How dare she –

“Port shields have failed, sir!” That was Tethtoril, firmly, but calmly stating the facts, and incidentally, breaking into the captain’s other tangential line of thought.

“Captain! Incoming torpedo tracks! Bearing 285… coming in off our port bow…” Lucy Moran alternated glances between her captain’s face and her computer console, trying to pick up as much information as she could from both sources. Processing it all would have to wait until a little later.

Ulraunt began to issue a rapid-fire stream of orders, and the members of the Gallante’s bridge crew hurried to carry them out. “Launch all port-side countermeasures… helm! Flank speed! Hard to starboard!”

“Starboard turn, increasing to flank speed, aye…”

“Tactical?”

Moran reported back, quickly and concisely. “ECM pods away, sir… decoy string has spoofed two warheads, four more still hot and tracking.”

“Arm all point defense batteries.”

Ryan Trawl was the primary weapons officer aboard the TCS Gallante. The current situation was clearly keeping him very busy – he almost liked it that way. “Defensive weaponry armed and online, sir.”

“Give them a barrage, Lieutenant Trawl.”

“Aye, sir… point defense guns engaging targets…”

A violent shuddering ran from one end of the ship’s length to the other, and the lights on the bridge flickered slightly as the defensive batteries began pulling enormous amounts of energy from the ship’s power grid. “Report?” Ulraunt prompted after the Gallante had settled back down.

Lucy shook her head grimly. “Sensors detected three weapon detonations… one torpedo still inbound…”

“Shield status?”

Garen Windspear was on the horn, dispatching damage control parties ship-wide as needed. A brief and harried conversation netted him the information the captain had requested. “Engineering reports generator coils are fused… best estimate is at six minutes.”

Trawl’s voice was an almost pained-sounding whisper. “Captain… if that bird hits, she’ll tear through three decks… blow a hole in the Gallante the size of a small moon…”

“I’m painfully aware of that, Lieutenant…”

-----

One minute earlier…

Sabre 300 Alpha, designation: Sideshow One
Combat Air Patrol around TCS Gallante

“Kill confirmed…”

“Good shooting, Seraph…” Minstrel congratulated her over the commlink. “Looks like you’re back on top of the killboard, and the rest of the orc fighters are bugging out…”

“Affirmative. Now for that corvette squadron. We need to take them out before they launch-“

Sideshow Three cut her off mid-sentence. “Detecting multiple torpedo launches… counting four warheads inbound on the Gallante…”

“Sweet Sune…” James gasped as he surveyed the information his Heads-Up Display was feeding him. “The Gallante’s lost her port shielding. She’s a sitting duck.”

But the Confederation cruiser wasn’t about to just roll over and die. She let loose with all the defensive guns she could bring to bear. A hail of short-ranged energy bolts filled the vacuum, annihilating almost everything in their path. There was a bright flash, then another, and another… but when the guns ceased firing, one Orcish warhead remained. It drilled through the clouds of debris as fast as its burning fuel cells could carry it.

“One left…” Sideshow One whispered to herself in burgeoning horror as the last torpedo bored in closer to its target. Her hands shifted nervously on the fighter’s controls, her feet teased the rudder pedals – she practically tingled with the need to do something other than float around and let the warhead tear the Gallante and her crew to pieces.

“Bard, M-Minstrel, keep things together over here. I’m going after that torp…” The comm transmission finished, she shoved her hand forward, ramming the throttle controls all the way to the stops. Red-orange flame boiled from the Sabre’s exhaust nacelles as more and more fuel was fed to the engines. The fighter’s frame, though sturdily built, creaked and groaned from the strain of the acceleration.

Hands clenching the flight stick in a death-grip, Seraph maneuvered her fighter onto its new course. There wasn’t time to feed some numbers into the navigational console and compute a proper intercept course; she had to eyeball it, timing her turn just right, allowing her to swing directly in behind the torpedo just as it flashed by her position.

She had run perpendicular to the warhead for a brief stint, then yanked the stick hard to her right. The Sabre couldn’t turn on a dime, but it did an admirable job here, performing a tight turn that left the torpedo dead-center in the kill-zone of its guns. The pilot squeezed the trigger, sending a flurry of neutron and laser blasts lancing at her target. Small as it was (in comparison to a fighter, at least), and moving faster than the pursuing Sabre could manage, the torpedo was an extremely difficult target to engage and hit, but Sideshow One managed, a few of her shots clipping the tail-end of the Orcish missile.

The stabilizer fins on the tail melted down, some of the liquid metal hardening almost instantaneously afterwards and blocking the missile’s propulsion system. It slowed, then began to spin uncontrollably, falling victim to catastrophic damage.

Sideshow One suddenly saw the warhead looming large in her crosshairs. She reversed her fighter’s thrust as quickly as she could, and tried to drag her fighter up and away, realizing as she made the attempt that it probably wasn’t going to work.

“Oh… Baervan… you must be kidding me…”

#2 Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*

Posted 02 March 2004 - 09:29 PM

Those Oh-So-Popular Notes:


- One (1), count ‘em, one (1), use of the F-word.


Yay!

- Anywho, here we go… in an odd decision, I’ve gone and written a chapter that focuses largely on… well… you know her, you hate her, you’ve fantasized jamming her in an electric chair and having a barbeque… and I’m sure you’ve tumbled to who I’m talking about by now. :cry:


I like Aerie.

XIV: Seraph


A very appropriate callsign for her, I think.

“Just checking. I don’t want any accidents… remember the time you smacked your forehead against the rear windshield of your turret?”


“I don’t recall-“


The Sabre abruptly leapt forward a short distance… not all that far, but still enough to adequately demonstrate one of the fundamental laws of motion. The fighter accelerated, but the unrestrained tail-gunner didn’t. His head thumped against the clear transparisteel surface that constituted most of the turret.


* THUNK * “Ow!”


:wink: Lovely exchange.


As expected, the scanners were a sea of red. A small cluster of blue dots (representing friendly units) was forming and growing steadily, but seemingly not fast enough. Sideshow One took up a close orbit of the Gallante as the rest of her squadron launched from the Confederation cruiser and took up flanking positions on either side of her wings. There was Minstrel off to her left… Bard off to her right. Maniac and Jazz were behind them. Just launching from the Gallante’s starboard bay, however, was someone she didn’t recognize.


Hmm... I wonder who she's got under her command?

The responding voice was gruff, yet faintly female, and with a strong Dwarven brogue to it. “This is Flight Officer Iesora Alagar, callsign: Bearded Lady. Who are you? One of the Freaks?”


:shock: Bearded Lady... beautiful.

“Er… t-this is Sideshow One, Flight Officer Alagar.” She tried to scratch her head then abruptly realized she had a flight helmet on. The knuckles of her gloved hand bumped up against the white-painted helmet, brushing across the black letters that spelled out her callsign: “S-E-R-A-P-H.” She spoke again over the still open comm channel. “You’re one of the new transfers from Fort Rostov, right? Um… well uh… welcome to the squadron. Er… lessee…pair up with Spirit… I guess. She’s quiet, but she knows the ropes.”


I want to know who all of these people are so bad it's giving me a headache.

“Right. Um. Gotcha. Squad, this is Seraph. Break formation and engage at will. Don’t stray too far from the Gallante, she needs our protection. Bard, uh… ok… close up and form on me… we’re going after that pack of Grikaths… I’m uploading targeting info. Ready?”


“Readier than a red-cheeked maiden, my dove…”


Haer'Dalis. Shouldn't he be "Sparrow" though? :wink:

Sideshow One suddenly -was- a red-cheeked maiden. She could feel herself blushing… and, of course, the retching noises coming from her “friend” in the gun turret weren’t helping any.


Oh I bet she is.

“Why… that would be me. If you’ve got something to say, ‘sir’… please say it so I can get back to doin’ my fuckin’ job.”


And there it is. Immy needs to wash her mouth out with soap. Not that Brynn is any better when under stress.

He ignored that last jibe. “What’s the situation down there?”


“You really want to know what’s going on down here?”


“Yes! Of course!”


“Boom. Boom boom boom. Boom boom. Boom! Have a nice day.”


:wink: :wink: Great dialogue between these two. I can feel the hate. Lovely kicker from Imoen.

“Venkman, Spengler, Zeddmore, we’ve got injured pilots still in their ships. Extrication crews are gonna need some help. Hustle up, and see what you can do.”


Who you gonna call...

:roll:

“Ziggy says you can’t leap until she loves you back, Sam…”


OMG! Quantum Leap reference ROTFLMAO!

“Kill confirmed…”


“Good shooting, Seraph…” Minstrel congratulated her over the commlink. “Looks like you’re back on top of the killboard, and the rest of the orc fighters are bugging out…”


Minstrel... Garrick maybe?

Sideshow One suddenly saw the warhead looming large in her crosshairs. She reversed her fighter’s thrust as quickly as she could, and tried to drag her fighter up and away, realizing as she made the attempt that it probably wasn’t going to work.


“Oh… Baervan… you must be kidding me…”


Don't kill her! I like your Aerie better than I like the regular Aerie, and even she's okay in my book.

Great chapter AlphaMonkey.
-Blue

PS: Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :twisted:

#3 Guest_Shian_*

Posted 02 March 2004 - 10:15 PM

The Orcish starfighters closed with their Confederation counterparts. Neat and precise formations degenerated into a confused jumble as flight elements broke in all directions in pursuit of their targets. The pilots of Sideshow squadron tore into the hostiles, using their superior agility to avoid enemy fire. Their nimble ships darted this way and that, lining up shots that pinged off of enemy armor. Energy bolts crashed through shields and ripped apart hulls. Missiles exploded everywhere, filling space with shrapnel. Chunks of debris tore loose from damaged vessels. Wounded fighters on both sides turned tail, trying to limp out of the fight, their engines sparking erratically, jolts of electricity crackling from exposed wiring. Desperate pilots blew their canopies, rocket boosters in their ejector seats shooting them clear of their stricken craft.

Yes, I know I'm nitpicking.

The voice that responded wasn’t the deep-voiced rumble he was expecting. “We’re kinda busy down here…”

…busy doing what I wonder? :twisted:

“Lieutenant-“ the Gallante’s captain cut himself off in disbelief, and went red in the face… more red than usual. “Where is Commander Pierce?! Put him on the comm line this instant!”

Seems he's thinking the same… :wink:

“Who is this?!”

“It’s Lieutenant Llyr, Captain…”

“Lieutenant- … Where is Commander Pierce?! Put him on the comm line this instant!”

“The Commander’s rather indisposed at the moment…”

My, doesn't this sound familiar. :shock:

Several seconds later…

“Boom. Boom boom boom. Boom boom. Boom! Have a nice day.”

(Click)

:wink:

Ulraunt glowered at the communications panel as if his harsh stare would accomplish something. The obnoxious little monster had cut him off. How dare she –

:wink: Doesn't he have better things to be worrying about… :wink:

Hmm… yikes. Interesting chapter.

#4 Guest_VigaHrolf_*

Posted 02 March 2004 - 11:14 PM

Those Oh-So-Popular Notes:

- One (1), count ‘em, one (1), use of the F-word.


Only one? :cry:

- Anywho, here we go… in an odd decision, I’ve gone and written a chapter that focuses largely on… well… you know her, you hate her, you’ve fantasized jamming her in an electric chair and having a barbeque… and I’m sure you’ve tumbled to who I’m talking about by now. :lol:


Hey! I like Aerie! And roasting Avariel isn't very nice.

- We’ve also got a bunch of shifting viewpoints, which will almost certainly screw with the smooth flow and everything, but hopefully it won’t be too hard to follow.


I'll try and keep up :shock:

XIV: Seraph


Good callsign for her...

It had been empirically proven: the rear-facing ball-turret on a Confederation Sabre-class heavy fighter was one of the most dangerous places to be in a large-scale space battle. Statistics compiled since the early days of the Sabre’s deployment to front line units had proven that fact without a doubt.


*sneaks in and signs Theo up for Sabre rear turret gunner* :wink: :wink:

j/k

*signs up CDRRadar instead* :wink:

The turret was in a very vulnerable position, just above the fighter’s engines and just slightly forward of them. It was lightly armored, and while it was able to swivel in protection of a good chunk of the fighter’s bulk, that also meant more of the turret was open to enemy fire.


Sounds like fun!

And yet, despite the sheer lunacy of being a Sabre tail-gunner, those who survived their first few missions considered it to be one of the most intensely invigorating places to be in a messy lightfight.


Its like being a ball gunner on an old -29. Or being a SEAL or any other extremely expendable trooper. Fun times while you live.

Such was the case with Crewman Tyler James… the young 22 year-old airman was still immature and impressionable enough to “enjoy” fighting a war simply for the thrills. But even he knew that one day, provided he didn’t get himself killed, the “novelty” of it all would wear off; as of yet, however… it hadn’t.


Ahh.. youth.

“Don’t forget to buckle up back there…” came a voice from the intercom.

Tyler grumbled. “Yes, mother…” he said, serving up a sardonic reply to the Sabre’s pilot as he turned and reached for the end of his harness belt.


*snigger*

“Just checking. I don’t want any accidents… remember the time you smacked your forehead against the rear windshield of your turret?”

“I don’t recall-“


WARNING: Object lesson ahead!

The Sabre abruptly leapt forward a short distance… not all that far, but still enough to adequately demonstrate one of the fundamental laws of motion. The fighter accelerated, but the unrestrained tail-gunner didn’t. His head thumped against the clear transparisteel surface that constituted most of the turret.

* THUNK * “Ow!”


ROFL!!!!!

James heard mild snickering on the other end of the open comm channel and rolled his eyes, realizing he’d been bested. “I guess I just walked right into that one, huh?”


Yup. Or more just knocked heads on that one. :wink:

“Sideshow One is go-flight…” she reported in to Flight Control.


Sideshow? Jeez, even her flight designator... damn.. poor girl.

As expected, the scanners were a sea of red. A small cluster of blue dots (representing friendly units) was forming and growing steadily, but seemingly not fast enough. Sideshow One took up a close orbit of the Gallante as the rest of her squadron launched from the Confederation cruiser and took up flanking positions on either side of her wings. There was Minstrel off to her left… Bard off to her right. Maniac and Jazz were behind them. Just launching from the Gallante’s starboard bay, however, was someone she didn’t recognize.


Ahh.. we are going to get to play guess the references!!

Let's see.. Garrick and Haer for sure. Maniac from WC (I'd guess), and Jazz? What we got transformers in here as well?

“Sabre 200 Gamma,” she commed the rogue ship, “please identify yourself…”

The responding voice was gruff, yet faintly female, and with a strong Dwarven brogue to it. “This is Flight Officer Iesora Alagar, callsign: Bearded Lady. Who are you? One of the Freaks?”


The FREAKS? The Bearded Lady? DAMN man.. that's good stuff.

“Er… t-this is Sideshow One, Flight Officer Alagar.” She tried to scratch her head then abruptly realized she had a flight helmet on. The knuckles of her gloved hand bumped up against the white-painted helmet, brushing across the black letters that spelled out her callsign: “S-E-R-A-P-H.” She spoke again over the still open comm channel. “You’re one of the new transfers from Fort Rostov, right? Um… well uh… welcome to the squadron. Er… lessee…pair up with Spirit… I guess. She’s quiet, but she knows the ropes.”


Seraph.. once again, great call sign.

And we've got WC's Spirit as well? I always liked her in the game.... :cry:


Tyler cut in over the comm, snagging the attention of the woman in the pilot’s seat. “Bandits 11:00 high, boss… couple of klicks out and closing fast…”


Stupid baddies.

“Right. Um. Gotcha. Squad, this is Seraph. Break formation and engage at will. Don’t stray too far from the Gallante, she needs our protection. Bard, uh… ok… close up and form on me… we’re going after that pack of Grikaths… I’m uploading targeting info. Ready?”

“Readier than a red-cheeked maiden, my dove…”


And Bard is definitely Haer.

Sideshow One suddenly -was- a red-cheeked maiden. She could feel herself blushing… and, of course, the retching noises coming from her “friend” in the gun turret weren’t helping any.


ROFL!! Commentary as well!

“Oh… hush, Tyler…” she said, trying to exert some control over the situation, and failing miserably.

Thankfully, there wasn’t much call to play nursemaid once the shooting started…


*snigger*

The Orcish starfighters closed with their Confederation counterparts. Neat and precise formations degenerated into a confused jumble as flight elements broke in all directions in pursuit of their targets. The pilots of Sideshow squadron tore into the hostiles, using their superior agility to avoid enemy fire. Their nimble ships darted this way and that, lining up shots that pinged off of enemy armor. Energy bolts crashed through shields and ripped apart hulls. Missiles exploded everywhere, filling space with shrapnel. Chunks of debris tore loose from damaged vessels. Wounded fighters on both side turned tail, trying to limp out of the fight, their engines sparking erratically, jolts of electricity crackling from exposed wiring. Desperate pilots blew their canopies, rocket boosters in their ejector seats shooting them clear of their stricken craft.


Starfighter fights!! YUM!

In the end, the Confeds came out on top. Out of the initial ten craft in the squadron, one had been destroyed outright, the pilot and his gunner killed instantaneously when concentrated fire from a Dominion fighter detonated their Sabre’s reactor core. Another of the Confederation heavy fighters was so badly wounded that the crew had bailed, but even now they were getting scooped up by a Search & Rescue transport.


Who went blamo? Jazz?

Two more Sabres had sustained moderate damage, and one had sustained minor damage- little more than a few patches of peeled paint and some carbon scoring, really. The rest were unhurt. All things considered, a good trade-off for roughly a dozen Orcish fighters destroyed, with maybe another half dozen running home with excessive damage.

If that had been the extent of the battle, Sideshow One could have taken her surviving pilots home and called it a good day. But there were still more hostiles out there…


There are always more hostiles...

There always were…


See, told ya.

“Flight Deck, report, over!” Ulraunt was screaming into the comm, even as the bridge lights continued to flicker and the Gallante shuddered with the force of several dozen minor hits. “Flight Deck, report status, over!”


We need some pizza and a couple of margaritas.

The voice that responded wasn’t the deep-voiced rumble he was expecting. “We’re kinda busy down here…”


That isn't a good sign.

“Who is this?!” Ulraunt’s frustration was clear, even over the static-filled communications channel.

“It’s Lieutenant Llyr, Captain…” Imoen deadpanned, just barely audible over the blaring of klaxons, the loud banging of metal against metal, and the frenzied cries of harried flight deck personnel.


She's in charge? Yikes. :twisted: Things are real bad.

“Lieutenant-“ the Gallante’s captain cut himself off in disbelief, and went red in the face… more red than usual. “Where is Commander Pierce?! Put him on the comm line this instant!”

Again with the deadpan. “The Commander’s rather indisposed at the moment…”


I guessed that. And I doubt he's in the can. Although what's left might be able to fit IN a can..

“Doing what? Having a tea party?! Carry out my order!”

There was a loud hiss… perhaps the sound of a pressurized gas pipe bursting open, or maybe just an annoyed exhalation. Imoen gave up on trying to be “polite,” instead allowing a small shred of the considerable annoyance she was feeling to bleed through. “Captain, Commander Pierce can’t come to the phone right now, seeing as how he’s on fire. Got a little too close to a Jackhammer missile that cooked off in storage.”


Ouch. Pierce is pierced.

”Then who’s in charge of Damage Control down there?!”

“Why… that would be me. If you’ve got something to say, ‘sir’… please say it so I can get back to doin’ my fuckin’ job.”


NIIICE

“I’d watch my tone, Lieutenant…”

“And I’d stop wasting my time and yours, Captain.”


*snigger*

He ignored that last jibe. “What’s the situation down there?”

“You really want to know what’s going on down here?”

“Yes! Of course!”

“Boom. Boom boom boom. Boom boom. Boom! Have a nice day.”


And Imoen channels Ivanova again! So we've got B5, WC, and maybe a little transformers.


“Let’s go, people! Double time it! We got wounded birds coming in, I want that flight deck cleared yesterday! Miller, Horvath, Ryan, we’ve got fires burning close to the torpedo storage lockers. Get over there and seal ‘em, then link up with the fire crews!”


Burning torpedoes, bad. They go boom. And I missed the ref here.

“Rico, Levy, Ibanez, Cat One’s on the blink. Bridge is calling for immediate launch of all Ready-Five units. We -need- that catapult back up. Fix it. Now.”


Starship Troopers now? Wow. We're doing the full run, aren't we? :roll:

“Venkman, Spengler, Zeddmore, we’ve got injured pilots still in their ships. Extrication crews are gonna need some help. Hustle up, and see what you can do.”


To echo Blue: Who ya gonna call! Ghostbusters!! ;)


“Grey, Summers, Braddock, you better have a damned good reason as to why that busted-ass Rapier is still on my flight deck!”


And.. the X-Men too? Damn.. busy ship. ;)

Several seconds later…

“Boom. Boom boom boom. Boom boom. Boom! Have a nice day.”

(Click)

”Wanker.”


Dead on there...

Falynn came trotting up, covered in soot. There were streaks of grease across her cheek, and several more stained her uniform. She looked woefully haggard. “How you holding up, Im?”

“I’ve been better…” she ran the back of her hand across her forehead, wiping the sweat from her brow and trying hard not to crack a joke at Falynn’s disheveled appearance… especially given that she herself probably looked worse. “What’s the status on Cat One?”


It be busted. But not completely busted. Just sorta busted.

“Shaky, but Jan and I managed to get it working. Good thing you sent over that repair team to give us a hand…”


See, told ya.

Imoen sighed, and her shoulders sagged. “I guess. Lynn, what am I doing here?

“Ziggy says you can’t leap until she loves you back, Sam…”


And Quantum Leap?! Wow. And speaking of that, in Enterprise, don't you want Archer to just say, "Oh boy" once? Just once? Is that so much to ask?

“Ok. Real answer: because even though I’m the ranking officer, you’ve had more engineering classes.”

A pained grimace. “I hate being in charge.”

“Tough. You’re pretty good at it.”


*snort*

Ulraunt glowered at the communications panel as if his harsh stare would accomplish something. The obnoxious little monster had cut him off. How dare she –

“Port shields have failed, sir!” That was Tethtoril, firmly, but calmly stating the facts, and incidentally, breaking into the captain’s other tangential line of thought.


Someone needs to keep on top of their game.

“Captain! Incoming torpedo tracks! Bearing 285… coming in off our port bow…” Lucy Moran alternated glances between her captain’s face and her computer console, trying to pick up as much information as she could from both sources. Processing it all would have to wait until a little later.


Uh oh.. that not good. No port shields and torps. Things might go blamo.

Ulraunt began to issue a rapid-fire stream of orders, and the members of the Gallante’s bridge crew hurried to carry them out. “Launch all port-side countermeasures… helm! Flank speed! Hard to starboard!”

“Starboard turn, increasing to flank speed, aye…”

“Tactical?”

Moran reported back, quickly and concisely. “ECM pods away, sir… decoy string has spoofed two warheads, four more still hot and tracking.”


Need better ECM stuff Ulraunt.

“Arm all point defense batteries.”

Ryan Trawl was the primary weapons officer aboard the TCS Gallante. The current situation was clearly keeping him very busy – he almost liked it that way. “Defensive weaponry armed and online, sir.”


Go Trawl!

“Give them a barrage, Lieutenant Trawl.”

“Aye, sir… point defense guns engaging targets…”

A violent shuddering ran from one end of the ship’s length to the other, and the lights on the bridge flickered slightly as the defensive batteries began pulling enormous amounts of energy from the ship’s power grid. “Report?” Ulraunt prompted after the Gallante had settled back down.


Now thems is some fun guns!

Lucy shook her head grimly. “Sensors detected three weapon detonations… one torpedo still inbound…”

“Shield status?”


Not fixed.

Garen Windspear was on the horn, dispatching damage control parties ship-wide as needed. A brief and harried conversation netted him the information the captain had requested. “Engineering reports generator coils are fused… best estimate is at six minutes.”


The engineering attache? Why do I just want to hear, "She cannae take much more of this, captain!"

Trawl’s voice was an almost pained-sounding whisper. “Captain… if that bird hits, she’ll tear through three decks… blow a hole in the Gallante the size of a small moon…”


Thank you Captain Obvious!

“I’m painfully aware of that, Lieutenant…”


And its going to be even more painful for some other people I bet.

“Kill confirmed…”

“Good shooting, Seraph…” Minstrel congratulated her over the commlink. “Looks like you’re back on top of the killboard, and the rest of the orc fighters are bugging out…”


Nice... the ol Killboard. Loved that thing.

“Affirmative. Now for that corvette squadron. We need to take them out before they launch-“


Corvettes go BOOM

Sideshow Three cut her off mid-sentence. “Detecting multiple torpedo launches… counting four warheads inbound on the Gallante…”

“Sweet Sune…” James gasped as he surveyed the information his Heads-Up Display was feeding him. “The Gallante’s lost her port shielding. She’s a sitting duck.”


Uh oh.

“One left…” Sideshow One whispered to herself in burgeoning horror as the last torpedo bored in closer to its target. Her hands shifted nervously on the fighter’s controls, her feet teased the rudder pedals – she practically tingled with the need to do something other than float around and let the warhead tear the Gallante and her crew to pieces.


Off to go torp hunting!

“Bard, M-Minstrel, keep things together over here. I’m going after that torp…” The comm transmission finished, she shoved her hand forward, ramming the throttle controls all the way to the stops. Red-orange flame boiled from the Sabre’s exhaust nacelles as more and more fuel was fed to the engines. The fighter’s frame, though sturdily built, creaked and groaned from the strain of the acceleration.


Turn and burn baby.

Hands clenching the flight stick in a death-grip, Seraph maneuvered her fighter onto its new course. There wasn’t time to feed some numbers into the navigational console and compute a proper intercept course; she had to eyeball it, timing her turn just right, allowing her to swing directly in behind the torpedo just as it flashed by her position.

She had run perpendicular to the warhead for a brief stint, then yanked the stick hard to her right. The Sabre couldn’t turn on a dime, but it did an admirable job here, performing a tight turn that left the torpedo dead-center in the kill-zone of its guns. The pilot squeezed the trigger, sending a flurry of neutron and laser blasts lancing at her target. Small as it was (in comparison to a fighter, at least), and moving faster than the pursuing Sabre could manage, the torpedo was an extremely difficult target to engage and hit, but Sideshow One managed, a few of her shots clipping the tail-end of the Orcish missile.


YES!! Score another for Aerie!

The stabilizer fins on the tail melted down, some of the liquid metal hardening almost instantaneously afterwards and blocking the missile’s propulsion system. It slowed, then began to spin uncontrollably, falling victim to catastrophic damage.


uh oh.

Sideshow One suddenly saw the warhead looming large in her crosshairs. She reversed her fighter’s thrust as quickly as she could, and tried to drag her fighter up and away, realizing as she made the attempt that it probably wasn’t going to work.

“Oh… Baervan… you must be kidding me…”


Get out of there! Aerie, get that hunk of junk out of there!!!

And Alpha, you kill Aerie, you.. you.. you're just a bad person!!

Needless to say, more! And soon! Bloody cliffhangers!

VH

#5 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 01:04 AM

I like Aerie.


She's not one of my favorite characters, but I don't -dis-like her... even when she does get all whiny in the game (which, admittedly, is often).

Still, you're almost a pariah around here if you -do- like her. :wink:

A very appropriate callsign for her, I think.


Thanks. It sorta just fell into place.

Lovely exchange.


I liked it. :twisted: I just have to tell myself, though, that it's not a good thing to do to someone if they're in a car with you... even if it -is- an attempt at an "object lesson."

Bearded Lady... beautiful.


Thank Spaceballs for that one. :wink:

I want to know who all of these people are so bad it's giving me a headache.


Well, I just threw in a bunch of names, but the only ones in this squadron that really matter are Aerie herself, and Garrick (Minstrel) and Haer'dalis (Bard). You bring up a good point, though... Haer'dalis might work better as "Sparrow". For one, he does refer to himself as such in the game, and two, keeping it as it is makes it a little too close to Garrick's. I'll probably just go back and change it.

And there it is. Immy needs to wash her mouth out with soap. Not that Brynn is any better when under stress.


Well, that's just it. She's trying to save half the ship from going up in one big, ugly fireball; she doesn't have time to tiptoe past the Captain's "delicate sensibilities." As silly as she can be, I see her as being -very- serious about her responsibilities, and so she's not going to screw around at a time like this. Having her drop the "F-bomb" just seemed like a good way to emphasize that.

Great dialogue between these two. I can feel the hate.


And there's plenty of hate there to feel. :shock:

Who you gonna call...


"If you've... got a dose... of a... freaky ghost, baby... you better call..."

OMG! Quantum Leap reference ROTFLMAO!


(Sniff) You're my hero(ine) for catching that one. Easily one of the more obscure (or so I thought) references I've ever made in a story. :wink:

Don't kill her! I like your Aerie better than I like the regular Aerie, and even she's okay in my book.


I plead the 5th.

PS: Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


This goat thing is coming back to haunt me... well, I won't recant. I still -like- the goat thing. :wink:

#6 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 01:09 AM

Yes, I know I'm nitpicking.


You know, even though you put that "s" in bold, I didn't notice it at first glance. I had to reread a couple of times to figure out what you were correcting.

Incidentally, I did notice that, myself, right after I posted, I just didn't bother to correct it. The version I have on my hard drive is fixed, though. :shock:

…busy doing what I wonder?


Nothing less than saving the ship. :twisted:

Doesn't he have better things to be worrying about…


Yes. He does. And, to his credit, it only takes a little reminder before he gets his head back on straight... (relatively straight, anyway)

Hmm… yikes. Interesting chapter.


What's the "yikes" for? :wink:

#7 Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 01:20 AM

I like Aerie.


She's not one of my favorite characters, but I don't -dis-like her... even when she does get all whiny in the game (which, admittedly, is often).


She gets on my nerves sometimes too. I personally never liked in-game Imoen that much, but the Imoen of people's stories is very enjoyable. I don't see why people can't give Aerie the same benefit of the doubt I give Imoen and just write her to be relatively enjoyable. I mean, people write Edwin to be enjoyable.

Still, you're almost a pariah around here if you -do- like her. :wink:


I've never really understood that.

Lovely exchange.


I liked it. :twisted: I just have to tell myself, though, that it's not a good thing to do to someone if they're in a car with you... even if it -is- an attempt at an "object lesson."


Bearded Lady... beautiful.


Thank Spaceballs for that one. :wink:


I knew I knew that from somewhere!

I want to know who all of these people are so bad it's giving me a headache.


Well, I just threw in a bunch of names, but the only ones in this squadron that really matter are Aerie herself, and Garrick (Minstrel) and Haer'dalis (Bard). You bring up a good point, though... Haer'dalis might work better as "Sparrow". For one, he does refer to himself as such in the game, and two, keeping it as it is makes it a little too close to Garrick's. I'll probably just go back and change it.


Ah, so the others are just laser-bait.

Also. Yay for Garrick! Is Xan floating around somewhere? That elf really needs his own squadron: The Deadmen. They're all doomed, after all.


Great dialogue between these two. I can feel the hate.


And there's plenty of hate there to feel. :shock:


Yes, the hate-ometer it going haywire.

OMG! Quantum Leap reference ROTFLMAO!


(Sniff) You're my hero(ine) for catching that one. Easily one of the more obscure (or so I thought) references I've ever made in a story. :wink:


I used to watch that show all the time when I was a kid. It took me a moment to get it at first, but I sort of did a double-take. Something like, "Did he just... naw, it couldn't be... but... HE DID! He just referenced QL!"

PS: Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa


This goat thing is coming back to haunt me... well, I won't recant. I still -like- the goat thing. :wink:


:roll: Me too. It provides me with much entertainment.

#8 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 01:34 AM

Only one?


Now, now... we've had this discussion before. Swearing is never to be overused. :wink:

Hey! I like Aerie! And roasting Avariel isn't very nice.


Only when there's no gravy involved. ;)

Good callsign for her...


(Nod) As I said to Blue, it just kinda dropped in.

*signs up CDRRadar instead*


That's downright catty, VH... 8)

Its like being a ball gunner on an old -29.


Dead on. That's where the inspiration came from.

WARNING: Object lesson ahead!


Tee hee. ;)

Sideshow? Jeez, even her flight designator... damn.. poor girl.


Another one that just dropped in outta nowhere. It made me giggle for a while, so I kept it.

Ahh.. we are going to get to play guess the references!!


Spot the Tiefling!

Maniac from WC (I'd guess), and Jazz? What we got transformers in here as well?


Zach Colson, callsign Jazz... also a Wing Commander pilot. No Transformers this time... sorry.

The FREAKS? The Bearded Lady? DAMN man.. that's good stuff.


(Solemnly) I'd like to thank Mel Brooks for that bit of insanity.

And we've got WC's Spirit as well? I always liked her in the game...


:lol: Yeah. Mariko was the best. I kinda bawled like a three-year old when she went kamikaze. No matter who got vaped in any of the other games, it didn't hold a candle to what happened to Spirit. (Sniff) Incidentally, Aerie's line about "she's quiet, but she knows the ropes." is the exact line that the Colonel uses when he introduces her in the game. Figured it was fitting. I'm getting all melancholy now. :shock:

ROFL!! Commentary as well!


You gotta admit... -someone- had to say it.

Who went blamo? Jazz?


Ummm... I don't know... uhhhhh... yeah... ok... we'll say Jazz got vaped, and Maniac and his gunner ejected. :wink:

We need some pizza and a couple of margaritas.


Seeing as how it's Imoen on the other end of the line, you'd almost expect that to be the next line, yeah... but she's being serious at the moment. (Shrug)

Things are real bad.


When most of the senior flight deck officers get killed or maimed by a few stray explosions, you're in trouble. She just happened to be one of the highest ranked people around who had some idea what to do next. Yeah. It's real bad.

I guessed that. And I doubt he's in the can. Although what's left might be able to fit IN a can..


That's just funny. :wink: I mean, we're referring to some poor bloke who got practically vaporized, but this is still funny.

NIIICE


A perfectly appropriate response to the captain's annoying prodding, in my opinion.

And Imoen channels Ivanova again! So we've got B5, WC, and maybe a little transformers.


JMS always used to say he loved characters like Ivanova, so that's why she got all the good lines. Im's my version of Susan. :wink:

Burning torpedoes, bad. They go boom. And I missed the ref here.


;) Captain Miller, Sergeant Horvath, and Private Ryan...

And.. the X-Men too? Damn.. busy ship.


I'm a Psylocke fan. :twisted:

And Quantum Leap?! Wow. And speaking of that, in Enterprise, don't you want Archer to just say, "Oh boy" once? Just once? Is that so much to ask?


I'd settle for the show not being o'er-lame. :roll: It's better than Voyager... but not much. (Wince) I miss the glory days of DS9. Must... get... DVDs...

And yeah, Quantum Leap... obscure reference... or so I thought. :cry:

Thank you Captain Obvious!


That's 'Lieutenant' Obvious. :cry:

YES!! Score another for Aerie!


Top of the killboard for a reason... imagine that, huh? Aerie, as the Gallante's hotshot fighter pilot? It's... kinda scary, in a way.

And Alpha, you kill Aerie, you.. you.. you're just a bad person!!


(Holds one hand up, rests one on the Bible) I solemnly swear that I am, indeed, a bad person.

Bloody cliffhangers!


(Cough) Kettle, this is Pot... you're black. :D

#9 Guest_VigaHrolf_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 02:33 AM

Hey! I like Aerie! And roasting Avariel isn't very nice.


Only when there's no gravy involved. :D


I gotta give you credit there... good one. :D

But there does seem to be an overwhelming hatred for the poor Avariel. Sure, she does get a bit whiny from time to time, and they could have done a better job in her development.. but there is a great wealth of character in there. (Shrug)

Its like being a ball gunner on an old -29.


Dead on. That's where the inspiration came from.


I figured.. my grandfather was a tail gunner in one of those, and he had some stories about those guys. :twisted: :wink:

WARNING: Object lesson ahead!


Tee hee. :D


Much like the infamous BRAKE TEST!!

Sideshow? Jeez, even her flight designator... damn.. poor girl.


Another one that just dropped in outta nowhere. It made me giggle for a while, so I kept it.


Good reason, if'n you ask moi. I've done more than a few cuz it makes me giggle scenes.

Ahh.. we are going to get to play guess the references!!


Spot the Tiefling!


*Grabs rifle, sights in* "Target acquired!"

And... you have a real skill in dropping them in, the references. :wink:

Maniac from WC (I'd guess), and Jazz? What we got transformers in here as well?


Zach Colson, callsign Jazz... also a Wing Commander pilot. No Transformers this time... sorry.


NP... I just forgot him. *shrug* Which one was he in?

(Solemnly) I'd like to thank Mel Brooks for that bit of insanity.


Mel Brooks: "Its good to be the king."

And we've got WC's Spirit as well? I always liked her in the game...


:( Yeah. Mariko was the best. I kinda bawled like a three-year old when she went kamikaze. No matter who got vaped in any of the other games, it didn't hold a candle to what happened to Spirit. (Sniff) Incidentally, Aerie's line about "she's quiet, but she knows the ropes." is the exact line that the Colonel uses when he introduces her in the game. Figured it was fitting. I'm getting all melancholy now. :twisted:


She was one of the first really well written NPCs I'd ever run across in a game. They made her so serene, so wonderful, so supportive. And then they have... have her.. (sniff) Yeah. I wanted to slag some serious furball after that. The game was just not the same without Spirit. :twisted:

Who went blamo? Jazz?


Ummm... I don't know... uhhhhh... yeah... ok... we'll say Jazz got vaped, and Maniac and his gunner ejected. :wink:


Damn Jazz... we hardly knew ye.

We need some pizza and a couple of margaritas.


Seeing as how it's Imoen on the other end of the line, you'd almost expect that to be the next line, yeah... but she's being serious at the moment. (Shrug)


Certainly, but someone had to say it.

I guessed that. And I doubt he's in the can. Although what's left might be able to fit IN a can..


That's just funny. :wink: I mean, we're referring to some poor bloke who got practically vaporized, but this is still funny.


:wink: Thanks. Sometimes, sometimes you can take something horrible, and still make a joke out of it. So says the great George Carlin.

And Imoen channels Ivanova again! So we've got B5, WC, and maybe a little transformers.


JMS always used to say he loved characters like Ivanova, so that's why she got all the good lines. Im's my version of Susan. :)


Always loved Susan. Esp Susan and Garibaldi getting up to some sort of trouble.

:D Captain Miller, Sergeant Horvath, and Private Ryan...


Damn!! I'm getting sloppy.

And.. the X-Men too? Damn.. busy ship.


I'm a Psylocke fan. :twisted:


Jean Grey/Phoenix - sucker for a redhead. :?

And Quantum Leap?! Wow. And speaking of that, in Enterprise, don't you want Archer to just say, "Oh boy" once? Just once? Is that so much to ask?


I'd settle for the show not being o'er-lame. :? It's better than Voyager... but not much. (Wince) I miss the glory days of DS9. Must... get... DVDs...


I think Rick Berman needs to retire. And go join Lucas. In some place far away from cameras and movies and tvs so they can stop wrecking great series!!!

Top of the killboard for a reason... imagine that, huh? Aerie, as the Gallante's hotshot fighter pilot? It's... kinda scary, in a way.


But then again.. somehow fitting...

And Alpha, you kill Aerie, you.. you.. you're just a bad person!!


(Holds one hand up, rests one on the Bible) I solemnly swear that I am, indeed, a bad person.


I figured.

Bloody cliffhangers!


(Cough) Kettle, this is Pot... you're black. :D


Hey, cliffhangers are only good when YOU write them. Everyone else's are evil. :D

#10 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 03:27 AM

She gets on my nerves sometimes too. I personally never liked in-game Imoen that much, but the Imoen of people's stories is very enjoyable. I don't see why people can't give Aerie the same benefit of the doubt I give Imoen and just write her to be relatively enjoyable. I mean, people write Edwin to be enjoyable.


Fair enough. Imoen's always been my favorite NPC out of the bunch. I don't know... even from that first instant where she finds you outside of Candlekeep, I was like "Awwww..."

But I'm weird, that way. :twisted:

I've never really understood that.


(Shrug) Me neither. I just accept it as a fact, and move on. :twisted:

I knew I knew that from somewhere!


It's one of my favorite scenes in that movie. They're rushing to the escape pods, and there's that whole deal with the bearded lady, and then the giant bear... it's silly.

Also. Yay for Garrick! Is Xan floating around somewhere? That elf really needs his own squadron: The Deadmen. They're all doomed, after all.


Hmmmmm... maaaaaybe...

I used to watch that show all the time when I was a kid. It took me a moment to get it at first, but I sort of did a double-take. Something like, "Did he just... naw, it couldn't be... but... HE DID! He just referenced QL!"


(Snicker) I didn't watch it all that much, but I still can't help but think Sam Beckett when I see Jonathan Archer on Enterprise.

Me too. It provides me with much entertainment.


Yep. Goats will do that.

#11 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 03:41 AM

I gotta give you credit there... good one.


It reminds me of this one line; I don't remember exactly where it's from, but it was spoken by the actress who plays Imoen (Only in a "sultry" tone of voice, which is kinda neat and scary at the same time)

Anyway, she says something like "You know how I love poor, defenseless animals... especially with gravy..."

I wholeheartedly agree. :twisted:

But there does seem to be an overwhelming hatred for the poor Avariel. Sure, she does get a bit whiny from time to time, and they could have done a better job in her development.. but there is a great wealth of character in there.


Well, I think so... I mean, it's a sore subject around here, apparently, but whatever... it's not like I'm on some crusade to enlighten people or some such nonsense. I simply put her into the plotline, and gave fair warning to those who hate the character. I think that's enough.

I figured.. my grandfather was a tail gunner in one of those, and he had some stories about those guys.


I've seen stuff in movies and on the History Channel and junk about how often, the ball turret would just get blown clean off the bottom of the bomber. Sometimes, the poor bastard inside would get lucky and just get killed outright... imagine just having the floor literally shot out from under you, and then falling, and your parachute not opening or whatever. (Shudder)

And... you have a real skill in dropping them in, the references.


I think I overdo them, actually, but they're still fun.

I just forgot him. *shrug* Which one was he in?


Jazz came in on the second expansion pack for Wing Commander 1 and figured prominently in the second game. He was the one who sabotaged your flight recorder the day the Tiger's Claw went down, and was the one who was trying to sabotage the Concordia, as well. You eventually find out he was involved after Angel figures it out, he pulls a gun on her, she slugs him, steals the gun, and he bolts. You get to shoot him down and haul him in. Like a bad penny, he shows up again in Special Ops 2, the second expansion pack of the -second- game. But you finally get to wax him in that one. Yay!

Man... makes me wanna install all those old games...

She was one of the first really well written NPCs I'd ever run across in a game. They made her so serene, so wonderful, so supportive.


First time I played through the early parts of Wing 2, I remember getting all sad because I just knew they were going to kill her off. She was so depressed during the game, and you could just tell something bad was going to happen. After playing Wing 3, and actually being able to choose conversation paths, I started wishing that I could have done something similar in WC2. I would have tried to ground her, or yelled at Angel to ground her.

The game was just not the same without Spirit.


You lose a lot of wingmen in the various games. Iceman, Hunter, Bossman, Knight, Angel, Spirit, Vagabond... and out of all of them, I still say Spirit is the worst... Vagabond would probably be my second.

Always loved Susan. Esp Susan and Garibaldi getting up to some sort of trouble.


Yep. They're my two favorites. It's just a shame that I don't really have a Garibaldi-type to work counterpoint. Lynn kinda fits that role, but not completely.

Jean Grey/Phoenix - sucker for a redhead.


Oh, I like Jean, but I think she's a little... overrated at times. I mean, the original Jean Grey isn't all that special, if you ask me. When she goes Phoenix, then it starts getting interesting... but Betsy Braddock has -always- been cool. Psylocke and her purple-haired glory. I can get on board with that. :twisted:

But then again.. somehow fitting...


Harlequin: "I'll never understand why you decided to join the Starfighter Corps..."

Seraph: (Wan smile) "I still like to fly... I just had to find another way to do it..."

Hey, cliffhangers are only good when YOU write them. Everyone else's are evil.


A likely story. :twisted:

#12 Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 03:55 AM

She gets on my nerves sometimes too. I personally never liked in-game Imoen that much, but the Imoen of people's stories is very enjoyable. I don't see why people can't give Aerie the same benefit of the doubt I give Imoen and just write her to be relatively enjoyable. I mean, people write Edwin to be enjoyable.


Fair enough. Imoen's always been my favorite NPC out of the bunch. I don't know... even from that first instant where she finds you outside of Candlekeep, I was like "Awwww..."


But I'm weird, that way. :twisted:


She grew on me eventually. I played BG *after* BGII, so at first she was just the creepy girl in the beginning who became the replacement-rogue after losing Yoshimo in spellhold. I didn't have an attachment to her from the previous game, so it was sort of like just having another spellcaster on board with some rogue skills that would never improve. After playing BG I sort of came to understand her appeal. I don't mind her so much anymore.


I knew I knew that from somewhere!


It's one of my favorite scenes in that movie. They're rushing to the escape pods, and there's that whole deal with the bearded lady, and then the giant bear... it's silly.


Spaceballs is, in its entirety, silly.

I used to watch that show all the time when I was a kid. It took me a moment to get it at first, but I sort of did a double-take. Something like, "Did he just... naw, it couldn't be... but... HE DID! He just referenced QL!"


(Snicker) I didn't watch it all that much, but I still can't help but think Sam Beckett when I see Jonathan Archer on Enterprise.


When I was ten or something I had the biggest crush on Sam Beckett (not the actor who plays him, Sam Beckett, the imaginary person.) I have a tragic history of doing that, from my unrequited love of (book) Peter Pan to my current obsession with Legolas (and by association Orlando Bloom, but Legolas had my heart long before the LotR movies came out.) I think I'm just a pervy elf fancier.

#13 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 04:33 AM

When I was ten or something I had the biggest crush on Sam Beckett (not the actor who plays him, Sam Beckett, the imaginary person.) I have a tragic history of doing that, from my unrequited love of (book) Peter Pan to my current obsession with Legolas (and by association Orlando Bloom, but Legolas had my heart long before the LotR movies came out.) I think I'm just a pervy elf fancier.


1. Awwww... too bad... and here I thought you had a Scott Bakula fetish. :twisted:

2. I was never all that big on Peter Pan. I read the books when I was a kid, too, but I just never got hooked on the stuff. I don't know. It's weird.

3. Legolas does rock, I'll give you that, even if I can't help but think "Oh, look, it's the guy that fell out of the Blackhawk!" every time I see him on screen.

4. Pervy elf fancier, huh?

Well, at least they're alive... now if you were digging up elf -corpses-, an intervention might be justified. :twisted:

#14 Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 04:41 AM

4. Pervy elf fancier, huh?


Well, at least they're alive... now if you were digging up elf -corpses-, an intervention might be justified. :twisted:


Leave the dead ladies (or gentlemen) in the other thread. That conversation stopped for a readon.

Ewww

#15 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 04:53 AM

Leave the dead ladies (or gentlemen) in the other thread. That conversation stopped for a readon.


Unlike some people, I'm willing to let the dead stay dead. :twisted:

...

He's gonna come after me, I know it.

#16 Guest_VigaHrolf_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 04:53 AM


4. Pervy elf fancier, huh?

Well, at least they're alive... now if you were digging up elf -corpses-, an intervention might be justified. :twisted:


Leave the dead ladies (or gentlemen) in the other thread. That conversation stopped for a readon.

Ewww


Yes! Stop that lest he see it! And be summoned to continue on his... yes.. we'll leave that alone.

As to pervy elf fancying... I mean Legolas is cool and all. I can understand why the ladies like him. At least he doesn't have a bad weave like Haldir. And its not like you expect Legolas to look at Frodo and say in a voice dripping malice, "Hello... Mr. Baggins."

As to the elfy ladies, Galadriel.. ick. And I like Cate Blachett. But ick. Now Arwen.. well, to be honest I just like Liv Tyler. :twisted:

#17 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 05:09 AM

As to the elfy ladies, Galadriel.. ick. And I like Cate Blachett. But ick. Now Arwen.. well, to be honest I just like Liv Tyler.


So do I... but if you ask me, Faramir's got the right idea...

#18 Guest_VigaHrolf_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 05:14 AM

As to the elfy ladies, Galadriel.. ick. And I like Cate Blachett. But ick. Now Arwen.. well, to be honest I just like Liv Tyler.


So do I... but if you ask me, Faramir's got the right idea...


Can I get a hell yeah!

HELL YEAH!!!

Eowyn not only kicks Nazgul butt, but she's a cutie too. :twisted:

#19 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 05:18 AM

Eowyn not only kicks Nazgul butt, but she's a cutie too.


Damn straight. :twisted:

#20 Guest_cdrradar_*

Posted 03 March 2004 - 05:23 AM


4. Pervy elf fancier, huh?

Well, at least they're alive... now if you were digging up elf -corpses-, an intervention might be justified. :twisted:


Leave the dead ladies (or gentlemen) in the other thread. That conversation stopped for a readon.

Ewww


Yes! Stop that lest he see it! And be summoned to continue on his... yes.. we'll leave that alone.


Erm, just for the record, I'm not the one who started the necrophilia.




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