XXX: “What Time?” – “Show Time.”
Alternate Title: PR0N
Outskirts - Dominion Command & Control Base
5 Alturiak, FY (Faerunian Year) 2258
1906 Hours, Local Standard
“No, seriously. One time, Lynn was so convinced our neighbor was a vampire that she tried to make a wooden stake launcher out of a big, plastic pipe and a bunch of model rocket engines. She chased the guy down the street with it, but it blew up in her hand when she fired it. I had to take her to the hospital that time.”
Jaheira rolled her eyes and nodded. “Ah, yes. Gorion told me about that incident.”
Imoen smiled wanly. “He wasn’t very happy about it.”
“I can imagine.”
A pause. “Jaheira? Are you ok?”
“Of course, Imoen. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I saw you and Lynn talking, earlier, and I’ve just got this hunch that it didn’t go the way you wanted it to. Neither of you looked particularly happy at that point.”
The half elf sighed, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Your sister is a stubborn, young woman.”
“No more stubborn than you can be.”
“I’ll concede that point.”
“Anyway, I may just be going crazy-”
“Going?”
“Okaaaay, I may be crazy, but is that a little bit of “hurt petulance” in your voice?”
“That’s ridiculous. She did not wish to talk to me; I wasn’t about to insist. End of story.”
“If you say so… it’s just… it’s not personal, you know.”
“What isn’t?”
“It’s not that she doesn’t trust you, or that she doesn’t like you, or whatever. I mean, you know that, right? After all this time, you’d think the three of us would all know where we stand with everyone else, right?”
“You’d think.”
“She knows you’re worried about her, and I’m sure she appreciates it, but it’s just… you’re…” She trailed off, and then began again. “You’re not the easiest person to talk to, you know. And before you get all defensive, I don’t mean anything bad by it, I’m just saying. Sometimes it really is just hard to talk to you… for… whatever reason.” She shrugged. “But it’s different with Falynn and me. It’s just a lot easier for us to relate; but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t trust you. I mean, there aren’t all that many people she’d rather have watching her six.”
“Perhaps. But trusting someone with your life is one thing. Trusting them with everything else is quite another. Sometimes the latter is even more difficult than the former.”
“Point taken. Look… I just want to make sure that you know it’s not that she’s got it out for you… and, that she doesn’t really think you’ve got it out for her, either. It’s… complicated. I mean, duh, right?”
“Right.”
Imoen nodded solemnly. “Good. I’m glad that’s settled-” She turned her head to the side. “Sarge? What the hell are you doing?” Harlequin asked, as she watched the veteran Army Ranger put a fingertip in his mouth, then hold it straight up in the air.
“Checking the wind,” he replied, right away.
Imoen frowned in bemusement. “That’s what windage scopes are for.”
He turned to her, his expression that of an adult barely tolerating a child’s silly questions. “I prefer to rely on myself,” he said, shrugging, “instead of a plethora of little gadgets.”
She looked almost offended at the implication. “I’ll have you know, that these ‘little gadgets’ have saved my bacon on more than one occasion.” She lovingly patted her carbine’s receiver, before running a gentle finger over the various bits of gadgetry attached to the weapon – magnification scopes and red-light sights, among others.
Spectre sighed with stressed patience. “That’s all well and good, Lieutenant. Use what works for you. I’ll use what works for me.” It sounded suspiciously like a dismissal – one which Imoen chose to blatantly ignore.
“They don’t have indoor plumbing where you’re from, do they, Sergeant?” she quipped.
“Our wise men have yet to discover the secrets of running water.”
Imoen smiled at that, but didn’t get a chance to offer up a rejoinder.
“Two, you got that target painted yet?”
The infiltrator peered through the sighting scope attached to her target painter and looked for the telltale red dot. It would show up on her scope, but nowhere else, ensuring that the enemy wouldn’t know what hit them. “That’s affirm,” she said to Falynn. “Target is set.”
A transmission came over the squad-wide frequency. “Omega group, this is Sideshow Two, do you copy, over?”
Raven acknowledged the message. “Loud and clear, Minstrel.”
“Do we have a gig? Over.”
“That’s a roger.”
Imoen peeked through her scope again, made sure the laser was right where she wanted it, and then nodded. “Target is lit. Start the music, Garrick.”
High above the clouds, Minstrel nodded to himself and tightened his hands around his fighter’s controls. He nudged the throttles, and gently eased the flight stick forward. “Copy. In to attack… weapon is hot. Target is acquired and lit… coming down…” The Confederation F-57A heavy space-superiority starfighter banked slightly to the left as its pilot made a small, but necessary course correction. Several displays flashed green text and graphics, confirming the readiness of the GBUs (Guided Bomb Units) slung underneath the starfighter’s wings.
The targeting computer beeped several times before changing to a steady tone. That was Garrick’s cue. He flicked his thumb, flipped the red safety cover up off the firing button on his control stick, and then jammed on the trigger. The mechanical clamps holding the bomb to its hardpoint pulled back, and the weapon fell towards the ground.
“Away.”
“Confirmed. Weapon is away. We have track.” Falynn glanced meaningfully at Imoen, who nodded in return.
The heavy bomb punched through cloud cover, and as it did so, stabilizing fins flicked out from the sides. The warhead slowed slightly, and its flight became less erratic, instead pulling into a tight spiral. It continued to fall, all the while receiving course correction instructions from the ground team down below.
“Three… two… one…” Harlequin whispered, more for her own benefit than anyone else’s, “… boom…”
A sudden explosion ripped through the largest building in the Dominion Command & Control base. It started from the outside - the bomb dropped from Garrick’s fighter, thousands of meters above, placed precisely through an open window on the building’s western side. The weapon exploded, its high explosive payload incinerating everything within a radius of several meters. Everything else further away from the impact disintegrated into shrapnel. The force of the expanding blast wave sent that shrapnel tearing in all directions, and compressed the surrounding air so much that it finally gave way with an enormous boom that shook the ground and blew out windows in other buildings all across the complex.
Falynn watched the fiery destruction with almost-clinical detachment. “Circular error probability zero. Impact with high-order detonation.” She paused. “Have a nice day,” she said casually.
Up above, Minstrel’s craft banked hard, its wings perpendicular to the ground. Garrick hauled back on the stick, and his bird peeled away.
Five more Sabres, still loaded down with ordnance, were right behind him.
…
Each of the Confederation teams on the ground had called in a single, devastating air strike. The Omegas had lanced the command bunker, Alpha the main barracks. Delta and Epsilon had teamed up to annihilate the base’s motor pool and its stored supplies of fuel, while Sigma and Tau had put bombs into the few static defensive emplacements that had been constructed. The entire base was afire, panicked grunts trying to find the rest of their units, amidst the carnage and rubble. Others were attempting to haul their comrades out of the wreckage of burning vehicles, or the ruins of collapsed buildings.
“Alpha Team is ready.”
“Delta Group, awaiting instructions.”
“Epsilon is in position.”
“Sigma: on call.”
“Tau Group is good to go.”
Raven acknowledged the rash of status reports, then turned her head and saw the smirk on her younger sister’s face. She couldn’t help but smile a little. “What time?”
Harlequin flicked the safety off, and her laser carbine came to life with an ominous whine. “Show time…”
Omegas, XXX: “What Time?” – “Show Time.”
Started by
Guest_AlphaMonkey_*
, Feb 04 2005 05:12 AM
26 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_Serena_*
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Posted 04 February 2005 - 01:33 PM
“No, seriously. One time, Lynn was so convinced our neighbor was a vampire that she tried to make a wooden stake launcher out of a big, plastic pipe and a bunch of model rocket engines. She chased the guy down the street with it, but it blew up in her hand when she fired it. I had to take her to the hospital that time.”
The half elf sighed, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Your sister is a stubborn, young woman.”
“No more stubborn than you can be.”
“I’ll concede that point.”
*snicker*
“If you say so… it’s just… it’s not personal, you know.”
“What isn’t?”
“It’s not that she doesn’t trust you, or that she doesn’t like you, or whatever. I mean, you know that, right? After all this time, you’d think the three of us would all know where we stand with everyone else, right?”
“You’d think.”
“She knows you’re worried about her, and I’m sure she appreciates it, but it’s just… you’re…” She trailed off, and then began again. “You’re not the easiest person to talk to, you know. And before you get all defensive, I don’t mean anything bad by it, I’m just saying. Sometimes it really is just hard to talk to you… for… whatever reason.” She shrugged. “But it’s different with Falynn and me. It’s just a lot easier for us to relate; but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t trust you. I mean, there aren’t all that many people she’d rather have watching her six.”
“Perhaps. But trusting someone with your life is one thing. Trusting them with everything else is quite another. Sometimes the latter is even more difficult than the former.”
“Point taken. Look… I just want to make sure that you know it’s not that she’s got it out for you… and, that she doesn’t really think you’ve got it out for her, either. It’s… complicated. I mean, duh, right?”
Awww . . . .
She turned her head to the side. “Sarge? What the hell are you doing?” Harlequin asked, as she watched the veteran Army Ranger put a fingertip in his mouth, then hold it straight up in the air.
“Checking the wind,” he replied, right away.
That seems so appropriate for him . . . I like!
He turned to her, his expression that of an adult barely tolerating a child’s silly questions. “I prefer to rely on myself,” he said, shrugging, “instead of a plethora of little gadgets.”
Yep, that's our Valygar.
“They don’t have indoor plumbing where you’re from, do they, Sergeant?” she quipped.
“Our wise men have yet to discover the secrets of running water.”
Harlequin flicked the safety off, and her laser carbine came to life with an ominous whine. “Show time…”
Nice.
And I didn't realize Garrick was Minstrel. Was that up before, and I just missed it, or is that new?
#3
Guest_Clovis_*
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Posted 04 February 2005 - 03:12 PM
“No, seriously. One time, Lynn was so convinced our neighbor was a vampire that she tried to make a wooden stake launcher out of a big, plastic pipe and a bunch of model rocket engines. She chased the guy down the street with it, but it blew up in her hand when she fired it. I had to take her to the hospital that time.”
Reminds me of my *brilliant* idea to try to mount a bottle rocket launcher on the handlebars of my bike when I was 9.
Yeah, you can imagine what happened.
“She knows you’re worried about her, and I’m sure she appreciates it, but it’s just… you’re…”
Aerie: a-a complete bitch sometimes?
Theodoric: Aerie!
Aerie: S-sorry.
“Perhaps. But trusting someone with your life is one thing. Trusting them with everything else is quite another. Sometimes the latter is even more difficult than the former.”
Neracer: I don't do much of either.
He turned to her, his expression that of an adult barely tolerating a child’s silly questions. “I prefer to rely on myself,” he said, shrugging, “instead of a plethora of little gadgets.”
"Never trust any machine more complicated than a knife and fork - Robert Heinlein.
Five more Sabres, still loaded down with ordnance, were right behind him.
Mmm..Sabres...*drool*
(our hero is overcome by visions of Kilrathi carriers vanishing in thermonuclear fireballs)
Harlequin flicked the safety off, and her laser carbine came to life with an ominous whine. “Show time…”
Cleveland...are you ready to ROCK?!?"
#4
Guest_VigaHrolf_*
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Posted 04 February 2005 - 04:54 PM
XXX: “What Time?” – “Show Time.”
Alternate Title: PR0N
I just want to know why the alternative title is PR0N.
“No, seriously. One time, Lynn was so convinced our neighbor was a vampire that she tried to make a wooden stake launcher out of a big, plastic pipe and a bunch of model rocket engines. She chased the guy down the street with it, but it blew up in her hand when she fired it. I had to take her to the hospital that time.”
That's.. interesting. Very.. Buffy-esque. Still, remember kids, homemade rocket launchers are a bad idea.
Jaheira rolled her eyes and nodded. “Ah, yes. Gorion told me about that incident.”
Either laughing or shaking his head.
Imoen smiled wanly. “He wasn’t very happy about it.”
“I can imagine.”
No, I imagine not. Chasing people with IEDs just doesn't make a lot of friends.
The half elf sighed, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Your sister is a stubborn, young woman.”
“No more stubborn than you can be.”
“I’ll concede that point.”
Bran: "Wow. That is impressive."
Tyrion: "Look whose talking."
“Anyway, I may just be going crazy-”
“Going?”
Point! Jaheira!
“Okaaaay, I may be crazy, but is that a little bit of “hurt petulance” in your voice?”
“That’s ridiculous. She did not wish to talk to me; I wasn’t about to insist. End of story.”
Maybe just a little bit.
“If you say so… it’s just… it’s not personal, you know.”
“What isn’t?”
Yeah, just a smidge.
“It’s not that she doesn’t trust you, or that she doesn’t like you, or whatever. I mean, you know that, right? After all this time, you’d think the three of us would all know where we stand with everyone else, right?”
“You’d think.”
But that isn't always the case, even with the closest of friends.
“She knows you’re worried about her, and I’m sure she appreciates it, but it’s just… you’re…” She trailed off, and then began again. “You’re not the easiest person to talk to, you know. And before you get all defensive, I don’t mean anything bad by it, I’m just saying. Sometimes it really is just hard to talk to you… for… whatever reason.” She shrugged. “But it’s different with Falynn and me. It’s just a lot easier for us to relate; but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t trust you. I mean, there aren’t all that many people she’d rather have watching her six.”
Aleria: "There are times it is difficult to bridge that gap, especially knowing what her friendship to you has cost her."
“Perhaps. But trusting someone with your life is one thing. Trusting them with everything else is quite another. Sometimes the latter is even more difficult than the former.”
There is a great line in Farscape Season 4 that so illustrates this point. Jon and Aeryn are alone and talking
And I'm paraphrasing
Aeryn: "After all of this, why don't you trust me?"
Jon: *looks down, he's crying a bit* "Aeryn, I trust you with my life. Completely. But my heart, no. Not any more."
Damn.. I butchered that.... but the sentiment I think is clear. (It's a great moment in Season 4)
Imoen nodded solemnly. “Good. I’m glad that’s settled-” She turned her head to the side. “Sarge? What the hell are you doing?” Harlequin asked, as she watched the veteran Army Ranger put a fingertip in his mouth, then hold it straight up in the air.
He's saying he's number 1!
“Checking the wind,” he replied, right away.
Or that. Very much a Valygar thing to do.
Imoen frowned in bemusement. “That’s what windage scopes are for.”
He turned to her, his expression that of an adult barely tolerating a child’s silly questions. “I prefer to rely on myself,” he said, shrugging, “instead of a plethora of little gadgets.”
Ahh... and his paranoia manifests itself in a bias against technology.
Viga: "Magic and technology are wonderful things, but there is nothing so certain as your own senses."
Imoen: "Even when they're in someone elses body? Like we've been for so long?"
She looked almost offended at the implication. “I’ll have you know, that these ‘little gadgets’ have saved my bacon on more than one occasion.” She lovingly patted her carbine’s receiver, before running a gentle finger over the various bits of gadgetry attached to the weapon – magnification scopes and red-light sights, among others.
Imoen V: "Oooh. Nice toys."
Spectre sighed with stressed patience. “That’s all well and good, Lieutenant. Use what works for you. I’ll use what works for me.” It sounded suspiciously like a dismissal – one which Imoen chose to blatantly ignore.
The tone is 'the master to the student' Kind of a Morpheus Neo kinda thing (the Dojo scene)
“They don’t have indoor plumbing where you’re from, do they, Sergeant?” she quipped.
“Our wise men have yet to discover the secrets of running water.”
Awesome line. That's a top ten piece of dialogue right there.
Imoen smiled at that, but didn’t get a chance to offer up a rejoinder.
Saved by the bell.
“Two, you got that target painted yet?”
The infiltrator peered through the sighting scope attached to her target painter and looked for the telltale red dot. It would show up on her scope, but nowhere else, ensuring that the enemy wouldn’t know what hit them. “That’s affirm,” she said to Falynn. “Target is set.”
Oooooh. Fun times!
A transmission came over the squad-wide frequency. “Omega group, this is Sideshow Two, do you copy, over?”
Raven acknowledged the message. “Loud and clear, Minstrel.”
Garrick! Run!
“Do we have a gig? Over.”
2 Points for integration of callsign.
“That’s a roger.”
Captain Over speaking.
Imoen peeked through her scope again, made sure the laser was right where she wanted it, and then nodded. “Target is lit. Start the music, Garrick.”
And son, KICK IT!
High above the clouds, Minstrel nodded to himself and tightened his hands around his fighter’s controls. He nudged the throttles, and gently eased the flight stick forward. “Copy. In to attack… weapon is hot. Target is acquired and lit… coming down…” The Confederation F-57A heavy space-superiority starfighter banked slightly to the left as its pilot made a small, but necessary course correction. Several displays flashed green text and graphics, confirming the readiness of the GBUs (Guided Bomb Units) slung underneath the starfighter’s wings.
Nice. Aerial bombardment rocks.
The heavy bomb punched through cloud cover, and as it did so, stabilizing fins flicked out from the sides. The warhead slowed slightly, and its flight became less erratic, instead pulling into a tight spiral. It continued to fall, all the while receiving course correction instructions from the ground team down below.
Guided bombing is fun.
Imoen: "At least you feel more confident that your people aren't going to blow your rear end off."
“Three… two… one…” Harlequin whispered, more for her own benefit than anyone else’s, “… boom…”
Heh heh heh
A sudden explosion ripped through the largest building in the Dominion Command & Control base. It started from the outside - the bomb dropped from Garrick’s fighter, thousands of meters above, placed precisely through an open window on the building’s western side. The weapon exploded, its high explosive payload incinerating everything within a radius of several meters. Everything else further away from the impact disintegrated into shrapnel. The force of the expanding blast wave sent that shrapnel tearing in all directions, and compressed the surrounding air so much that it finally gave way with an enormous boom that shook the ground and blew out windows in other buildings all across the complex.
Bran: "Nice. Very nice. Now that's precision bombing."
Falynn watched the fiery destruction with almost-clinical detachment. “Circular error probability zero. Impact with high-order detonation.” She paused. “Have a nice day,” she said casually.
Bran: "I doubt the Dominion is. But then again, that's the point."
Five more Sabres, still loaded down with ordnance, were right behind him.
Woohoo! Party time!
Each of the Confederation teams on the ground had called in a single, devastating air strike. The Omegas had lanced the command bunker, Alpha the main barracks. Delta and Epsilon had teamed up to annihilate the base’s motor pool and its stored supplies of fuel, while Sigma and Tau had put bombs into the few static defensive emplacements that had been constructed. The entire base was afire, panicked grunts trying to find the rest of their units, amidst the carnage and rubble. Others were attempting to haul their comrades out of the wreckage of burning vehicles, or the ruins of collapsed buildings.
Bran: "Excellent weapons dispersal. You've gotten all the major targets and hopefully their main comm system as well."
Valygar: "And the backlighting makes it so much easier to find one's targets."
Imoen: "Woohoo! Hope someone brought the marshmellows."
Bran: *smiles* "Just six bombs too. Gotta love it. Although, calling in orbital bombardment is very satisfying too. Especially when you get to link in to an Olympus class Dreadnaught's fire control. Now that is some fireworks."
Raven acknowledged the rash of status reports, then turned her head and saw the smirk on her younger sister’s face. She couldn’t help but smile a little. “What time?”
Harlequin flicked the safety off, and her laser carbine came to life with an ominous whine. “Show time…”
Weapons free! Weapons free! Cleared to engage!
Good chapter, but I can't wait for the next one. Some orcsies are going to get mucho pasted I think.
VH
#5
Guest_Theodur_*
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Posted 04 February 2005 - 05:24 PM
XXX: “What Time?” – “Show Time.”
Alternate Title: PR0N
Why?
“No, seriously. One time, Lynn was so convinced our neighbor was a vampire that she tried to make a wooden stake launcher out of a big, plastic pipe and a bunch of model rocket engines. She chased the guy down the street with it, but it blew up in her hand when she fired it. I had to take her to the hospital that time.”
LOL! That sounds like a device Jan would come up with – especially judging by the outcome!
“Of course, Imoen. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I saw you and Lynn talking, earlier, and I’ve just got this hunch that it didn’t go the way you wanted it to. Neither of you looked particularly happy at that point.”
That’s maybe because, oh, I don’t know, they actually weren’t particularly happy at that point?
“Anyway, I may just be going crazy-”
“Going?”
Zing!
“Okaaaay, I may be crazy, but is that a little bit of “hurt petulance” in your voice?”
“That’s ridiculous. She did not wish to talk to me; I wasn’t about to insist. End of story.”
Right, right. Of course that the realization that Lynn doesn’t fully trust her is pretty hurtful. I imagine that Jaheira might be thinking something along the lines of ‘we’ve been through thick and thin together so many times – must I really prove myself that I’m worthy of her trust even after all these years?’ Sure… a lot of it is because just how Jaheira is, but I’m sure it still hurts her a lot. Though I also think it’s a realization that might make her reconsider her approach with Lynn… perhaps…
“It’s not that she doesn’t trust you, or that she doesn’t like you, or whatever. I mean, you know that, right? After all this time, you’d think the three of us would all know where we stand with everyone else, right?”
“You’d think.”
Well, that’s just it. Sometimes we falsely assume that the other person just knows how we feel towards them – and on many occasions they just plainly don’t know, because we’ve never told them. I think it’s rather likely that Jaheira honestly doesn’t know just how Lynn feels about her. And that does suck.
“She knows you’re worried about her, and I’m sure she appreciates it, but it’s just… you’re…” She trailed off, and then began again. “You’re not the easiest person to talk to, you know. And before you get all defensive, I don’t mean anything bad by it, I’m just saying. Sometimes it really is just hard to talk to you… for… whatever reason.”
Oh, she can be quite a nasty bi-… vixen, alright.
I’m just that crazy to love that part of her as well. It’s fun! “Point taken. Look… I just want to make sure that you know it’s not that she’s got it out for you… and, that she doesn’t really think you’ve got it out for her, either. It’s… complicated. I mean, duh, right?”
“Right.”
That’s sweet from Imoen to try and fix this as well, but Jaheira really needs to hear this from Lynn. And maybe she needs to say a few things to Lynn as well…
She looked almost offended at the implication. “I’ll have you know, that these ‘little gadgets’ have saved my bacon on more than one occasion.” She lovingly patted her carbine’s receiver, before running a gentle finger over the various bits of gadgetry attached to the weapon – magnification scopes and red-light sights, among others.
Spectre sighed with stressed patience. “That’s all well and good, Lieutenant. Use what works for you. I’ll use what works for me.” It sounded suspiciously like a dismissal – one which Imoen chose to blatantly ignore.
That’s a pretty cool way to transform Valygar’s hatred of magic to this sci-fi universe. Of course, he wouldn’t proclaim all that gadgetry a spawn of foulness and attempt to smash it, but nevertheless, his feelings are clear to see.
A sudden explosion ripped through the largest building in the Dominion Command & Control base. It started from the outside - the bomb dropped from Garrick’s fighter, thousands of meters above, placed precisely through an open window on the building’s western side. The weapon exploded, its high explosive payload incinerating everything within a radius of several meters. Everything else further away from the impact disintegrated into shrapnel. The force of the expanding blast wave sent that shrapnel tearing in all directions, and compressed the surrounding air so much that it finally gave way with an enormous boom that shook the ground and blew out windows in other buildings all across the complex.
Wow, Garrick actually being competent about something… so out of character, isn’t it?
Almost as much as Aerie having a spine and not being whiny and needy… Raven acknowledged the rash of status reports, then turned her head and saw the smirk on her younger sister’s face. She couldn’t help but smile a little. “What time?”
Harlequin flicked the safety off, and her laser carbine came to life with an ominous whine. “Show time…”
Indeed, the stage is nicely set and the targets are sizzling…
#6
Guest_BlueNose_*
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Posted 04 February 2005 - 05:45 PM
XXX: “What Time?” – “Show Time.”
Alternate Title: PR0N
Outskirts - Dominion Command & Control Base
5 Alturiak, FY (Faerunian Year) 2258
1906 Hours, Local Standard
“No, seriously. One time, Lynn was so convinced our neighbor was a vampire that she tried to make a wooden stake launcher out of a big, plastic pipe and a bunch of model rocket engines. She chased the guy down the street with it, but it blew up in her hand when she fired it. I had to take her to the hospital that time.”
Jaheira rolled her eyes and nodded. “Ah, yes. Gorion told me about that incident.”
Imoen smiled wanly. “He wasn’t very happy about it.”
“I can imagine.”
Somehow though it seems more like Imoen to be the mad inventor. Maybe Falynn borrowed something?A pause. “Jaheira? Are you ok?”
“Of course, Imoen. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I saw you and Lynn talking, earlier, and I’ve just got this hunch that it didn’t go the way you wanted it to. Neither of you looked particularly happy at that point.”
The half elf sighed, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Your sister is a stubborn, young woman.”
“No more stubborn than you can be.”
“I’ll concede that point.”
“Anyway, I may just be going crazy-”
“Going?”
“Okaaaay, I may be crazy, but is that a little bit of “hurt petulance” in your voice?”
“That’s ridiculous. She did not wish to talk to me; I wasn’t about to insist. End of story.”
Okay, Falynn is sulking, Jaheira is pouting and Imoen is being the mature one. This is a very frightening chapter.
“If you say so… it’s just… it’s not personal, you know.”
She’s not talking to me either.
[“What isn’t?”
“It’s not that she doesn’t trust you, or that she doesn’t like you, or whatever. I mean, you know that, right? After all this time, you’d think the three of us would all know where we stand with everyone else, right?”
“You’d think.”
“She knows you’re worried about her, and I’m sure she appreciates it, but it’s just… you’re…” She trailed off, and then began again. “You’re not the easiest person to talk to, you know. And before you get all defensive, I don’t mean anything bad by it, I’m just saying. Sometimes it really is just hard to talk to you… for… whatever reason.” She shrugged. “But it’s different with Falynn and me. It’s just a lot easier for us to relate; but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t trust you. I mean, there aren’t all that many people she’d rather have watching her six.”
“Perhaps. But trusting someone with your life is one thing. Trusting them with everything else is quite another. Sometimes the latter is even more difficult than the former.”
[sarcasm] And of course Jaheira, since everyone is aware of how you open up to people so easily they are perfectly happy to reciprocate [/sarcasm]
“Point taken. Look… I just want to make sure that you know it’s not that she’s got it out for you… and, that she doesn’t really think you’ve got it out for her, either. It’s… complicated. I mean, duh, right?”
“Right.”
Imoen nodded solemnly. “Good. I’m glad that’s settled-” She turned her head to the side. “Sarge? What the hell are you doing?” Harlequin asked, as she watched the veteran Army Ranger put a fingertip in his mouth, then hold it straight up in the air.
“Checking the wind,” he replied, right away.
Imoen frowned in bemusement. “That’s what windage scopes are for.”
He turned to her, his expression that of an adult barely tolerating a child’s silly questions. “I prefer to rely on myself,” he said, shrugging, “instead of a plethora of little gadgets.”
She looked almost offended at the implication. “I’ll have you know, that these ‘little gadgets’ have saved my bacon on more than one occasion.” She lovingly patted her carbine’s receiver, before running a gentle finger over the various bits of gadgetry attached to the weapon – magnification scopes and red-light sights, among others.
Spectre sighed with stressed patience. “That’s all well and good, Lieutenant. Use what works for you. I’ll use what works for me.” It sounded suspiciously like a dismissal – one which Imoen chose to blatantly ignore.
“They don’t have indoor plumbing where you’re from, do they, Sergeant?” she quipped.
“Our wise men have yet to discover the secrets of running water.”
Valygar is a rogue. Until Imoen realises this, she will keep falling into these little verbal ambushes he lays for her.
Imoen smiled at that, but didn’t get a chance to offer up a rejoinder.
“Two, you got that target painted yet?”
Falynn’s got her game face on.
The infiltrator peered through the sighting scope attached to her target painter and looked for the telltale red dot. It would show up on her scope, but nowhere else, ensuring that the enemy wouldn’t know what hit them. “That’s affirm,” she said to Falynn. “Target is set.”
A transmission came over the squad-wide frequency. “Omega group, this is Sideshow Two, do you copy, over?”
Raven acknowledged the message. “Loud and clear, Minstrel.”
“Do we have a gig? Over.”
“That’s a roger.”
Imoen peeked through her scope again, made sure the laser was right where she wanted it, and then nodded. “Target is lit. Start the music, Garrick.”
High above the clouds, Minstrel nodded to himself and tightened his hands around his fighter’s controls. He nudged the throttles, and gently eased the flight stick forward. “Copy. In to attack… weapon is hot. Target is acquired and lit… coming down…” The Confederation F-57A heavy space-superiority starfighter banked slightly to the left as its pilot made a small, but necessary course correction. Several displays flashed green text and graphics, confirming the readiness of the GBUs (Guided Bomb Units) slung underneath the starfighter’s wings.
The targeting computer beeped several times before changing to a steady tone. That was Garrick’s cue. He flicked his thumb, flipped the red safety cover up off the firing button on his control stick, and then jammed on the trigger. The mechanical clamps holding the bomb to its hardpoint pulled back, and the weapon fell towards the ground.
“Away.”
“Confirmed. Weapon is away. We have track.” Falynn glanced meaningfully at Imoen, who nodded in return.
The heavy bomb punched through cloud cover, and as it did so, stabilizing fins flicked out from the sides. The warhead slowed slightly, and its flight became less erratic, instead pulling into a tight spiral. It continued to fall, all the while receiving course correction instructions from the ground team down below.
“Three… two… one…” Harlequin whispered, more for her own benefit than anyone else’s, “… boom…”
A sudden explosion ripped through the largest building in the Dominion Command & Control base. It started from the outside - the bomb dropped from Garrick’s fighter, thousands of meters above, placed precisely through an open window on the building’s western side. The weapon exploded, its high explosive payload incinerating everything within a radius of several meters. Everything else further away from the impact disintegrated into shrapnel. The force of the expanding blast wave sent that shrapnel tearing in all directions, and compressed the surrounding air so much that it finally gave way with an enormous boom that shook the ground and blew out windows in other buildings all across the complex.
Falynn watched the fiery destruction with almost-clinical detachment. “Circular error probability zero. Impact with high-order detonation.” She paused. “Have a nice day,” she said casually.
Up above, Minstrel’s craft banked hard, its wings perpendicular to the ground. Garrick hauled back on the stick, and his bird peeled away.
Five more Sabres, still loaded down with ordnance, were right behind him.
…
Each of the Confederation teams on the ground had called in a single, devastating air strike. The Omegas had lanced the command bunker, Alpha the main barracks. Delta and Epsilon had teamed up to annihilate the base’s motor pool and its stored supplies of fuel, while Sigma and Tau had put bombs into the few static defensive emplacements that had been constructed. The entire base was afire, panicked grunts trying to find the rest of their units, amidst the carnage and rubble. Others were attempting to haul their comrades out of the wreckage of burning vehicles, or the ruins of collapsed buildings.
“Alpha Team is ready.”
“Delta Group, awaiting instructions.”
“Epsilon is in position.”
“Sigma: on call.”
“Tau Group is good to go.”
Raven acknowledged the rash of status reports, then turned her head and saw the smirk on her younger sister’s face. She couldn’t help but smile a little. “What time?”
Yes, go on, grin, work those muscles!
Harlequin flicked the safety off, and her laser carbine came to life with an ominous whine. “Show time…”
“Yes folks on tonight’s show we’ve got them all.
Minsc the strong man and Boo the amazing high diving hamster.
Valygar the knife thrower – wizards are asked not to volunteer as the target.
The amazing Jan Jansen riding his own invention – the rocket-powered scythed unicycle [whisper] Are we sure that’s safe?[/whisper]
And our acrobats.
Falynn. I can deal with my problems myself
Imoen. The pink costume is mine!
Jaheira. This tightrope walker needs balance
And introducing Nalia. How are we helping the less fortunate..
And remember people, if we don’t get a full house we’ll send Jan out with a loudspeaker to drum up business tomorrow.”
[gearhead mode] Why send expensive spacecraft and pilots who take 20 years to produce into atmosphere where all sorts of things can be shot at them? Surely the ships have some way to deploy missiles in orbit that lets them enter the atmosphere.[/gearhead mode]
#7
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Posted 04 February 2005 - 10:36 PM
That seems so appropriate for him . . . I like!
I think it works, too... but just the image of him standing there with his finger raised like that. It just seems like a really silly image. It made me laugh. So I used it. And I didn't realize Garrick was Minstrel. Was that up before, and I just missed it, or is that new?
I'm pretty sure I mentioned that in the chapter where I first introduced the Sideshows, but it might not have been perfectly clear. I don't remember too well, unfortunately.
But, for the record, Sideshow has, but is not limited to (
) the following:1. Aerie - Seraph
2. Garrick - Minstrel
3. Haer'dalis - Sparrow (I originally had him as just 'Bard', but Blue suggested Sparrow, and it does work better, after all)
4. Bearded Lady
5. Jazz (KIA)
6. Spirit (From the Wing Commander games)
7. Maniac (Ditto)
There are a few more, but I think those are the only ones that have already been mentioned. It's hard keeping track of all these unit rosters.
#8
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Posted 04 February 2005 - 10:42 PM
Reminds me of my *brilliant* idea to try to mount a bottle rocket launcher on the handlebars of my bike when I was 9.
Yeah, you can imagine what happened.
(Wince)
Yipe. My parents never let me play with anything combustible or explosive when I was younger... for just this sort of reason. They even put a limit on pointy-plastic objects, too.
Aerie: a-a complete bitch sometimes?
Theodoric: Aerie!
Aerie: S-sorry.
The elf speaks truth.
Mmm..Sabres...*drool*
(our hero is overcome by visions of Kilrathi carriers vanishing in thermonuclear fireballs)
Mmmmmmm... the Sabre was one of my favorites in WC2. That particle/mass driver combo was murder, and while it wasn't the fastest, most nimble thing in space, it handled well enough. And it had ITTS, unlike the Rapier. The only thing I didn't like too much about the Sabre was the thin shields. They were like tissue paper. It seemed I was always taking armor damage. Bleh.
#9
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Posted 04 February 2005 - 11:01 PM
I just want to know why the alternative title is PR0N.
Because the chapter designation is "XXX"?
That's.. interesting. Very.. Buffy-esque.
It's actually from MegaTokyo. But yeah, I see your point.
No, I imagine not. Chasing people with IEDs just doesn't make a lot of friends.
Er... "IEDs"?
Yeah, just a smidge.
A tad, yes.
Aeryn: "After all of this, why don't you trust me?"
Jon: *looks down, he's crying a bit* "Aeryn, I trust you with my life. Completely. But my heart, no. Not any more."
Damn.. I butchered that.... but the sentiment I think is clear. (It's a great moment in Season 4)
(Nod) I know, I know, I need to watch the show.
Ahh... and his paranoia manifests itself in a bias against technology.
To an extent, yeah... Imoen -is- gadget girl, after all, which is basically being likened to magic-using, so... he's against gadgets/magic... it works.
Imoen: "Even when they're in someone elses body? Like we've been for so long?"
(Wince)
You gotta get some work on Interludes done, or these guys are gonna lynch you.
Awesome line. That's a top ten piece of dialogue right there.
Awww, shucks.
2 Points for integration of callsign.
I was actually just pulling from Clear & Present Danger, but yeah, it really fits with the whole "music" and "bards" theme. Funny how that turned out.
Bran: "I doubt the Dominion is. But then again, that's the point."
Raven: "Pretty much, yeah."
Bran: *smiles* "Just six bombs too. Gotta love it. Although, calling in orbital bombardment is very satisfying too. Especially when you get to link in to an Olympus class Dreadnaught's fire control. Now that is some fireworks."
Carpet bombing is good stuff. But in Mercs, it's pretty costly. I usually stick with surgical strike support options, but even those are like 40 grand a pop.
And it's like 200+ K to call in one of those Specter-gunships. Yeesh.
Good chapter, but I can't wait for the next one. Some orcsies are going to get mucho pasted I think.
Nope. Nope. It's going to be a boring, dialogue chapter.
...
Yeah, right.
#10
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Posted 04 February 2005 - 11:10 PM
Why?
Er... because of the "XXX" in the chapter designation. Meh. Never mind.
LOL! That sounds like a device Jan would come up with – especially judging by the outcome!
True, true... though if it -had- been Jan, he probably would have been trying to find a way to power the device with turnips or something.
Zing!
Yeah, Imoen walked right into that one.
Right, right. Of course that the realization that Lynn doesn’t fully trust her is pretty hurtful. I imagine that Jaheira might be thinking something along the lines of ‘we’ve been through thick and thin together so many times – must I really prove myself that I’m worthy of her trust even after all these years?’ Sure… a lot of it is because just how Jaheira is, but I’m sure it still hurts her a lot.
I think you hit the nail on the head, there. It's never a good feeling when you think of yourself as being someone's friend, when you think you're close to them, but it doesn't seem as if they feel the same way. As you said, a lot of it is just that her attitude can be difficult to deal with, but even though she knows that, some part of her still wishes it wasn't so much of an issue for the people she considers her friends.
Though I also think it’s a realization that might make her reconsider her approach with Lynn… perhaps…
It's possible, but it's also possible that she simply can't change. She's not the type to ease up on people, even if the situation could use a bit of a lighter touch. She's just wired a certain way, it sometimes seems, and even if she felt she needed to change that, it might be almost against her nature to do so.
I think it’s rather likely that Jaheira honestly doesn’t know just how Lynn feels about her. And that does suck.
I think it goes both ways, actually. They both act distant towards the other, but it may just be because they assume the other one wants to maintain that distance. So it's almost like a bit of a Catch-22... which makes the whole thing more interesting, if a bit disheartening.
That’s sweet from Imoen to try and fix this as well, but Jaheira really needs to hear this from Lynn.
Ah, she can't help it. It's just her thing to meddle.
Of course, he wouldn’t proclaim all that gadgetry a spawn of foulness and attempt to smash it, but nevertheless, his feelings are clear to see.
It's probably more of a situation where "technological advancement" has become such a driving force that people would do anything to keep it going. So, in that way, it would be very corrupting, just like the game Valygar believes magic is.
Wow, Garrick actually being competent about something… so out of character, isn’t it?
Maybe.
Almost as much as Aerie having a spine and not being whiny and needy…
Oh, she's still whiny, and still needy, it's just that she's not that way every single moment of every single scene she's in. But of course she's got to stay somewhat whiny/needy. It wouldn't be her, otherwise.
Indeed, the stage is nicely set and the targets are sizzling…
Care for some sizzling orc on a stick?
#11
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Posted 04 February 2005 - 11:15 PM
Somehow though it seems more like Imoen to be the mad inventor. Maybe Falynn borrowed something?
Eh, not necessarily, if you ask me. They both have scientific academic backgrounds. Specifically, Falynn is "Physics Girl." So, this does seem (to me) like the kind of thing she would do... when she was younger and not quite as educated, of course.
Okay, Falynn is sulking, Jaheira is pouting and Imoen is being the mature one. This is a very frightening chapter.
Sometimes, you just gotta take the stereotypes and slam 'em on their ears.
She’s not talking to me either.
Pretty much, yeah... and when Imoen starts to get cut out of the loop, that's when you need to start worrying.
[sarcasm] And of course Jaheira, since everyone is aware of how you open up to people so easily they are perfectly happy to reciprocate [/sarcasm]
(Snicker) It's a bit of a double-standard, all right.
Valygar is a rogue. Until Imoen realises this, she will keep falling into these little verbal ambushes he lays for her.
If you ask me, she needs to get taken down a peg, anyway. And Valygar makes a good foil for her.
Minsc the strong man and Boo the amazing high diving hamster.
I actually pictured Boo balancing on a huge ball, or maybe riding a unicycle, but the high-dive thing could work.
The amazing Jan Jansen riding his own invention – the rocket-powered scythed unicycle [whisper] Are we sure that’s safe?[/whisper]
Safe? No.
Funny? Yes.
And remember people, if we don’t get a full house we’ll send Jan out with a loudspeaker to drum up business tomorrow.
Would that count as a Weapon of Mass Destruction?
#12
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Posted 05 February 2005 - 01:16 AM
Mmmmmmm... the Sabre was one of my favorites in WC2. That particle/mass driver combo was murder, and while it wasn't the fastest, most nimble thing in space, it handled well enough. And it had ITTS, unlike the Rapier. The only thing I didn't like too much about the Sabre was the thin shields. They were like tissue paper. It seemed I was always taking armor damage. Bleh.
Yeah, my Sabres were always getting shot up, too. Especially on torpedo runs. Statwise, they were as well protected as the Raptor (oh mamma, the Raptor...) from WC1. But the WC2 AI was a little tougher, I think. Plus the Cats finally started putting more than a pair of lasers on their light/medium fighters.
BTW, It was all about the Ferret for me. I could kill anything short of a CapShip with that sucker. Blaze in at full afterburner, strafe with the mass drivers, veer off and set up for another run. Great little ship, as long as you didn't sit still long enough for someone to smack you silly.
#13
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Posted 05 February 2005 - 04:11 AM
Yeah, my Sabres were always getting shot up, too. Especially on torpedo runs. Statwise, they were as well protected as the Raptor (oh mamma, the Raptor...) from WC1. But the WC2 AI was a little tougher, I think. Plus the Cats finally started putting more than a pair of lasers on their light/medium fighters.
1. (Nod) I'd rather fly a Sabre on a torpedo run than a Broadsword, but yeah, flak would tear your shields away real fast. And the usual configuration gave you only two torps instead of dumb-fires, which meant you had exactly enough ordnance to down one cap ship, provided you didn't miss. Only other time I've seen a Sabre with more was K'Tithrak Mang.
2. Raptor = gooooood. The Rapier was my bird of choice in WC1, but the Raptor was a close second. Those mass driver/neutrons were murder on anything. You could shred a Jalthi with a single salvo. Always good.
3. Yeah, WC2 enemies were tougher. Those neutron-equipped Sartha piloted by Drakhai Imperial Guard pilots were a real pain in the butt.
BTW, It was all about the Ferret for me. I could kill anything short of a CapShip with that sucker. Blaze in at full afterburner, strafe with the mass drivers, veer off and set up for another run. Great little ship, as long as you didn't sit still long enough for someone to smack you silly.
The mass drivers on the Ferret weren't bad, and the thing -was- fast, you had to give it that. But I just wasn't a big fan of the Ferret. It was mostly because I hated the cockpit design. Felt so weird not having the two HUD VDUs... and the shield/armor readouts were weird... and the thing had no missiles, whatsoever... not that I ever used missiles much, but still.
I'd have to go with the Sabre as my WC2 favorite. Rapier close second, then the Morningstar (if you ever played Secret Ops 2).
As for WC3, it was all about the Excal, of course, then probably the Arrow, or maybe the Hellcat.
WC4 was the Dragon (Duh), then the Banshee. I love that thing.
And lastly, Prophecy: Vampires rock. Panthers good. Wasps ok.
#14
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Posted 05 February 2005 - 04:34 AM
1. (Nod) I'd rather fly a Sabre on a torpedo run than a Broadsword, but yeah, flak would tear your shields away real fast. And the usual configuration gave you only two torps instead of dumb-fires, which meant you had exactly enough ordnance to down one cap ship, provided you didn't miss. Only other time I've seen a Sabre with more was K'Tithrak Mang.
I got pretty good with the Broadsword, though the lack of an afterburner was a pain in a dogfight. The Crossbow variant RULED but you only get that in a couple of missions.
2. Raptor = gooooood. The Rapier was my bird of choice in WC1, but the Raptor was a close second. Those mass driver/neutrons were murder on anything. You could shred a Jalthi with a single salvo. Always good.
Oh, you know it!
I actually liked the Raptor a bit more than the Rapier. There were a couple of missions I think the Raptor's heavier guns and armor would have worked better (like trying to save the captured Ralari from a wing of Gratha). Both were fine ships, though.The mass drivers on the Ferret weren't bad, and the thing -was- fast, you had to give it that. But I just wasn't a big fan of the Ferret. It was mostly because I hated the cockpit design. Felt so weird not having the two HUD VDUs... and the shield/armor readouts were weird... and the thing had no missiles, whatsoever... not that I ever used missiles much, but still.
I can see that. It took me a bit of getting used to. I mostly liked it because it was one of the few light fighters that suited my agressive flying style.
My least favorite fighter had to be that silly Epee. That thing *had* to be designed by the enemy.
As for WC3, it was all about the Excal, of course, then probably the Arrow, or maybe the Hellcat.
Hmm, and I thought WC3 was all about hooking up with Rachel Coriolis.
WC4 was the Dragon (Duh), then the Banshee. I love that thing.
The Dragon was awesome, no doubt. My second favorite was the Avenger (other than the Ferret, I'm a definite heavy fighter type).
And lastly, Prophecy: Vampires rock. Panthers good. Wasps ok.
Did you ever find the easter egg that lets you fly Kilrathi fighters in the simulator? Me likee the Vaktoth.
#15
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Posted 05 February 2005 - 05:55 AM
I got pretty good with the Broadsword, though the lack of an afterburner was a pain in a dogfight. The Crossbow variant RULED but you only get that in a couple of missions.
I'm pretty mixed on the Crossbow. It was faster on regular thrusters, and a lot more nimble, but the mass driver / neutron combo was hard to hit with at range, and since you had no afterburners, you couldn't chase anybody down. That was one thing that you could do with the Raptor. Nudge your burners and get within gun range. No such luck with the Crossbow. And while it was more nimble, all that meant was that you could spin on a target more quickly. Didn't help when you were getting swarmed from a bunch of different angles and only had one turret to help you fend off the baddies.
I was not a huge fan of the 'bow.
I actually liked the Raptor a bit more than the Rapier. There were a couple of missions I think the Raptor's heavier guns and armor would have worked better (like trying to save the captured Ralari from a wing of Gratha).
Guh. Kurasawa II. It's like the bane of any WC player's existence. We've all been there, we've all suffered through it. Kurasawa II is easily the most difficult mission in the original WC (Not including some of the really hard Secret Missions sorties). And you're right. The Raptor's guns might have helped. But the Rapier has DFs which are also useful to an extent. The Raptor guns do more damage, but you didn't really have -any- time to wait for your gun capacitors to recharge.
I can see that. It took me a bit of getting used to. I mostly liked it because it was one of the few light fighters that suited my agressive flying style.
I tend to mix it up, myself. That's why I always liked a fighter with legs. Some people liked the Thunderbolt, or the Longbow... I couldn't stand 'em.
My least favorite fighter had to be that silly Epee. That thing *had* to be designed by the enemy
Total deathtrap. No shields, no armor... it was awful. You got hit with a spitball, and you were toast. And while the particle cannons were nice, the Ferret's mass drivers were usually almost as effective. I wasn't a big fan of the Ferret, but I'd definitely take that over an Epee. I'd take anything in the WC-games over an Epee, pretty much.
Hmm, and I thought WC3 was all about hooking up with Rachel Coriolis.
I went with Flint.
Yeah, right. I went with the former porn star, damn it. Friend of mine thought I was crazy for hooking Blair up with his mechanic instead of another pilot. Go figure.
Did you ever find the easter egg that lets you fly Kilrathi fighters in the simulator? Me likee the Vaktoth.
You could do that? Whoa...
I always hated the Vaktoth. Always felt it was the hardest fighter to kill in WC3. I always had a harder time with those than anything else. Dralthis were cake. Darkets were a joke. And Paktahns, if you had autoslide and could get on their six, were a walk in the park. But the Vaktoth was a REAL pain.
(Sigh) I miss those games. Kilrathi Saga will run on XP, but the Secret Missions / Special Ops add-ons don't work, I think. I can't get WC4 to run, either. And I think I managed to get Prophecy: Secret Ops (You know, the free one?) to work, but it won't recognize USB joysticks, and as far as I know, they don't sell the kinds that plug into your MIDI port, anymore.
It sucks. I ran with a Gravis Blackhawk Digital for years, and still would if it hadn't worn out on me. (Sob)
#16
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Posted 07 February 2005 - 09:51 AM
XXX: “What Time?” – “Show Time.”
Alternate Title: PR0N
There;s no business like showbusiness, I guess...
The half elf sighed, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Your sister is a stubborn, young woman.”
*whistles*
“No more stubborn than you can be.”
Uh-hum.
“I’ll concede that point.”
“Anyway, I may just be going crazy-”
“Going?”
*snicker* Well, she struck back.
Imoen frowned in bemusement. “That’s what windage scopes are for.”
He turned to her, his expression that of an adult barely tolerating a child’s silly questions. “I prefer to rely on myself,” he said, shrugging, “instead of a plethora of little gadgets.”
Until you get your finger shot off, that is.
The heavy bomb punched through cloud cover, and as it did so, stabilizing fins flicked out from the sides. The warhead slowed slightly, and its flight became less erratic, instead pulling into a tight spiral. It continued to fall, all the while receiving course correction instructions from the ground team down below.
“Three… two… one…” Harlequin whispered, more for her own benefit than anyone else’s, “… boom…”
A sudden explosion ripped through the largest building in the Dominion Command & Control base. It started from the outside - the bomb dropped from Garrick’s fighter, thousands of meters above, placed precisely through an open window on the building’s western side. The weapon exploded, its high explosive payload incinerating everything within a radius of several meters. Everything else further away from the impact disintegrated into shrapnel. The force of the expanding blast wave sent that shrapnel tearing in all directions, and compressed the surrounding air so much that it finally gave way with an enormous boom that shook the ground and blew out windows in other buildings all across the complex.
Make love! Not war! (Unless you're either winning or impotent
)“Tau Group is good to go.”
Raven acknowledged the rash of status reports, then turned her head and saw the smirk on her younger sister’s face. She couldn’t help but smile a little. “What time?”
Harlequin flicked the safety off, and her laser carbine came to life with an ominous whine. “Show time…”
Here we go.
---Weyoun
TnT Enhanced Edition: http://www.fanfictio...rds-and-Tempers
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Sith Warrior - Master, I can sense your anger.
Darth Baras - A blind, comotose lobotomy-patient could sense my anger!
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"The New Age? It's just the old age stuck in a microwave oven for fifteen seconds" - James Randi
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Sith Warrior - Master, I can sense your anger.
Darth Baras - A blind, comotose lobotomy-patient could sense my anger!
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"The New Age? It's just the old age stuck in a microwave oven for fifteen seconds" - James Randi
#17
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Posted 08 February 2005 - 01:27 AM
“No, seriously. One time, Lynn was so convinced our neighbor was a vampire that she tried to make a wooden stake launcher out of a big, plastic pipe and a bunch of model rocket engines. She chased the guy down the street with it, but it blew up in her hand when she fired it. I had to take her to the hospital that time.”
oh dear gods...she's been watching too much buffy and mythbusters...
The half elf sighed, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Your sister is a stubborn, young woman.”
no, really?
“It’s not that she doesn’t trust you, or that she doesn’t like you, or whatever. I mean, you know that, right? After all this time, you’d think the three of us would all know where we stand with everyone else, right?”
you know, i just can't imagine the three of them, sitting down to a gallon of chochate icecream, doing their nails and watching a "chick" flick, talk about their feelings...just doesn't work...
“Point taken. Look… I just want to make sure that you know it’s not that she’s got it out for you… and, that she doesn’t really think you’ve got it out for her, either. It’s… complicated. I mean, duh, right?”
imoen's explainations, like jan's stories, leave you more confused than before...
He turned to her, his expression that of an adult barely tolerating a child’s silly questions. “I prefer to rely on myself,” he said, shrugging, “instead of a plethora of little gadgets.”
gadgets break, run out of batteries, or get hit by a posleen emp bomb...
She looked almost offended at the implication. “I’ll have you know, that these ‘little gadgets’ have saved my bacon on more than one occasion.” She lovingly patted her carbine’s receiver, before running a gentle finger over the various bits of gadgetry attached to the weapon – magnification scopes and red-light sights, among others.
and the electric ration tin opener, inertial tracker, combination microwave relay and back massager...
“Our wise men have yet to discover the secrets of running water.”
just as long as the wisemen have discovered toilet paper...
The targeting computer beeped several times before changing to a steady tone. That was Garrick’s cue. He flicked his thumb, flipped the red safety cover up off the firing button on his control stick, and then jammed on the trigger. The mechanical clamps holding the bomb to its hardpoint pulled back, and the weapon fell towards the ground.
we have tone, we have tone...
A sudden explosion ripped through the largest building in the Dominion Command & Control base. It started from the outside - the bomb dropped from Garrick’s fighter, thousands of meters above, placed precisely through an open window on the building’s western side. The weapon exploded, its high explosive payload incinerating everything within a radius of several meters. Everything else further away from the impact disintegrated into shrapnel. The force of the expanding blast wave sent that shrapnel tearing in all directions, and compressed the surrounding air so much that it finally gave way with an enormous boom that shook the ground and blew out windows in other buildings all across the complex.
SCORE!!!
Raven acknowledged the rash of status reports, then turned her head and saw the smirk on her younger sister’s face. She couldn’t help but smile a little. “What time?”
Harlequin flicked the safety off, and her laser carbine came to life with an ominous whine. “Show time…”
yay!!!
sorry about the delay replying...kotor 2...
been powergaming...
level 50 consular weapon master, capable of doing over 200 points of damage in a single hit...testing out some theories about armor...
#18
Guest_AlphaMonkey_*
Guest_AlphaMonkey_*
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Posted 08 February 2005 - 04:54 AM
*whistles*
I sometimes forget how much you dislike her.
Until you get your finger shot off, that is.
Awww, I wouldn't do that... she's already lost her left hand and is running with a cybernetic replacement.
Make love! Not war! (Unless you're either winning or impotent
Well, they're winning... quite handily. At least in this skirmish, they are. Now the overall war, that's a different story, unfortunately.
Here we go.
Yep. Fun with orc killin'.
#19
Guest_AlphaMonkey_*
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Posted 08 February 2005 - 05:01 AM
oh dear gods...she's been watching too much buffy and mythbusters...
Actually, more that I've just been reading too much MegaTokyo.
you know, i just can't imagine the three of them, sitting down to a gallon of chochate icecream, doing their nails and watching a "chick" flick, talk about their feelings...just doesn't work...
I really can't, either... but you can have these kinds of conversations without the stereotypical "slumber-party" atmosphere. (Shrug)
imoen's explainations, like jan's stories, leave you more confused than before...
Especially when she starts talking about chemistry stuff. Yeesh. I'm pretty good at Chem/Bio (It's physics that messes me up), but I imagine that with her being a chemical engineer and all, she could talk rings around me on related topics.
gadgets break, run out of batteries, or get hit by a posleen emp bomb...
Pretty much. I was watching the new episode of Stargate: Atlantis last week; I was so proud of myself because they were talking about needing to generate a large EMP, and I said (out loud) to myself, "You guys got any nuclear warheads handy?"
And lo and behold, their plan involved detonating a nuke in the atmosphere. I felt smart... which is a huge change from what I normally think of myself.
and the electric ration tin opener, inertial tracker, combination microwave relay and back massager...
Er... none of that... but she does have an MFTAS (Multi-Frequency Targeting Acquisition System). (I'm not actually sure what an MFTAS consists of, but Stormtrooper armor (in Star Wars) apparently has this stuff, and I LIKE the acronym.)
SCORE!!!
Imoen doesn't miss.sorry about the delay replying...kotor 2...
I understand. I'm still playing through Mercenaries, and I just downloaded the demo of Republic: Commando. Holy crap, that game is gonna give me a wargasm.
I can't wait until March... me being me, I'm actually more interested in Republic: Commando than KotOR2. And yes, I know people are gonna think I'm crazy for that, but I can't help it. The idea of a tactical squad FPS game set in the Star Wars universe has been something I've wanted to see for years.
#20
Laufey
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Transcendant
Posted 08 February 2005 - 08:49 PM
“No, seriously. One time, Lynn was so convinced our neighbor was a vampire that she tried to make a wooden stake launcher out of a big, plastic pipe and a bunch of model rocket engines. She chased the guy down the street with it, but it blew up in her hand when she fired it. I had to take her to the hospital that time.”
Jaheira rolled her eyes and nodded. “Ah, yes. Gorion told me about that incident.”
Imoen smiled wanly. “He wasn’t very happy about it.”
Can't imagine why.
“Okaaaay, I may be crazy, but is that a little bit of “hurt petulance” in your voice?”
'Petulance'? Jaheira? Naaaah - I'm sure she's *entirely* composed.
“It’s not that she doesn’t trust you, or that she doesn’t like you, or whatever. I mean, you know that, right? After all this time, you’d think the three of us would all know where we stand with everyone else, right?”
“You’d think.”
Aw...poor Jaheira. She really is taking this rather hard.
I really hope Lynn gets herself worked out soon, for all their sakes.She looked almost offended at the implication. “I’ll have you know, that these ‘little gadgets’ have saved my bacon on more than one occasion.” She lovingly patted her carbine’s receiver, before running a gentle finger over the various bits of gadgetry attached to the weapon – magnification scopes and red-light sights, among others.
Spectre sighed with stressed patience. “That’s all well and good, Lieutenant. Use what works for you. I’ll use what works for me.” It sounded suspiciously like a dismissal – one which Imoen chose to blatantly ignore.
'No magic', eh?
“They don’t have indoor plumbing where you’re from, do they, Sergeant?” she quipped.
Rogues do it from behind.
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