Frozen Soul, and other works

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Epilogue - Patch Notes 12.X

(A Virtual Room in NERV HQ)

“Damn, I’m going to need a cigarette after that battle.”

Morgan looked over to Isaac, who had just leaned back in his chair as they finished watching the battle from the perspective of those aboard the Shinokage. “Virtual cigs don’t cause cancer, but if you get one of the nasty-smelling ones, I’m going to be pissed.”

“Fine, fine. Anyways, it looks like our boy’s out of action for a little while, at least. His forces have been beat up pretty badly.”

“Yeah, what do you think he’s going to do while he rebuilds?”

“At a guess? He’s going to consider some way to take on the big suckers without relying on surprise attacks. If you look at his stuff back at Dimiya, they already have a couple new ship types going up for their Marines. Probably so they can split those two companies up if they need to, and deploy them at different places.”

“Yeah, I was looking at that. The marine troop ship is obvious, basically a Black Star redesign of the Thunderfury, but what is that little thing? It looks like a miniature Starlight Raven, but there’s no way that thing could be a freighter.”

“Not sure. Listed crew compliment is seven, and there’s just barely room for that many berths. There’s some cargo space, but it is mostly dedicated to ‘Task-Specific Load’. Not sure about that. What I do know is that these things are fast, stealthy, and armed to the teeth. They’re almost like a cross between those ‘Raptor’ fighters and the Raven-class freighters.”

“Wonder what he’s planning on doing with them?”

Isaac shrugged. “Probably nothing good, at least as far as his enemies are concerned, but beyond that, who knows? I’m more curious about what he’s going to be doing while his fleet is being fixed up.”

“Won’t he be overseeing the repairs, and probably sleeping with half the planet?”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll get around to the ladies, but overseeing the repairs doesn’t really appear to be his kind of thing.”

“Hey boss, what about that big carrier his Marines captured?”

Isaac slapped his forehead as he nodded to the tech that spoke up. “Damn, I’d forgotten. That was the big new thing for the X’thari. They’ve never done carriers before, so the carrier and its fighters were all new. It was something they started working on after the last set of wars, when some of the Alliance pilots really made them pay for not having fighter screens during a couple key battles.”

Morgan frowned. “So what kind of tech will that give him access to?”

“Well, there’s the X’thari technorganic stuff. No clue how he might fit that into his current designs, since some of it really doesn’t work well with traditional tech. You’ve got some cool weapons for fighters, but the way it looks they’d probably have to trade any missile/torpedo abilities for the weapons, due to size. So that’d make any fighters he modified from X’thari designed pure short-range threats, since they’d need to be within the beam range. The X’thari sublight drives are more efficient and slightly faster, but cause a deformation in shields which is why the battle wasn’t a lot costlier for him. Probably could fix that, but it’d take R&D time for sure. Their Anchor drives are known, but now he has access to one, so he could probably make copies. Problem is that doing this will draw the wrath of any X’thari ship that detects it, which would be a problem.”

“And what of the X’thari? Are there going to be more hunts?”

“Eventually, sure. But with he utter spanking they got in this fight, there’s no way they do more than sending scouts and setting up Sentinels to report in and watch the system. The system is too ‘heavy’ for them right now, and they know it. Of course, that means they’ll try and make raids, both to get new tech, and to try and draw off defenders. So I expect the other major powers will be getting ‘guests’ before long for small hit and run raids, targeting shipping.”

Morgan nodded. “Good. So it will quiet down for a bit, though players and NPCs traveling between stars or at the edge of systems are more likely to run into X’thari raiders, making them a more visible threat from now on. That’ll be a good way of helping to spin this for the rest of the player base. Speaking of spin, have we found where Deus and his minions set up shop?”

“Yeah, we have several systems that they’ve established ‘respawning dungeons’ in. Some are on populated planets, or used to be populated stations. Some are in places that used to be uninhabited.”

“Can we pick one of the ones in a populated area that isn’t too close to the Empire or Confederacy to leak the location of? Let the players know that there’s more in the works than just what our guy is up to?”

“Ah, the old shiny keys to distract the baby trick? Yeah, there’s one just inside Ihm space where a ‘crash landing’ happened. That’ll give people in the Imperium a feeling like we haven’t forgotten them. I’ll run it by the game AI, but I think we can work that with just a minor tweak, having a couple NPCs go out to investigate the site. It is pretty far from the nearest city, so ‘salvage rights’ could work as a motivation for the NPCs to get out there, maybe on behalf of whoever is important in the area.”

“Excellent. That’ll be great. So when can you get it done?”

Isaac considered for a moment, and then said, “If you want it quick, dirty, and obvious that we brute forced it? Now. If you want it done right, so that people who know what to look for can see a subtle GM push, without actively stepping in to control anyone’s characters, then I’d say a week or so for the first reports to get to the characters on that planet. No clue how fast it’ll spread after that, but it should be quick once a Nomad hears of it, since they’ve been begging for dungeons for months now, IRL.”

“I want this done right. No sense botching it, like with the Deus stuff.”

“Fine, I’ll get with he AI and my guys, and we’ll have a plan to run by you before the end of the day. Sound good?”

“Great.”

“Excellent. So, where do you want to go to dinner tonight? I think I’m in the mood for a bit of splurging after watching that battle. Some kick ass footage there.”

“Oh you!”

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-omnibus-i-stuart-grosse/1128953195?ean=2940162052081

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF
Omnibus 1 - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FBPF6HR

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Friday, July 6, 2018

Chapter 120 - Heroes

(National Assembly Hall, Yokosaki, Nuevo Edo)

The crowd was rowdy, celebrating not just the victory over the X’thari that threatened them, but also the arrival of the Empress of the Terran Empire. For a people who had so long been cut off from their ancestral homeland, the arrival of the leader of Earth and her Empire was something that they had never hoped to see. The fact that she was a young woman, who cut a charismatic figure in both her well-tailored gowns and the (discretely distributed) photos of her as Captain of the Triumphant in her Navy uniform instantly propelled her to celebrity status on the still matriarchal planet.

By now, everyone knew that the fight in the skies over Nuevo Edo had been a closer thing than anyone dared speak of before the battle was done. Massively outnumbered and outgunned from the start, it was only the unconventional weapons and tactics that the Black Star forces had imparted to them as they helped build their Nuevo Edo Navy that they had gained even a ghost of a chance. And yet, with one section of the enemy fleet still unfought, the list of Black Star and Nuevo Edoan ships who were capable of continuing the battle was a fraction of the size it had been before, and amongst those, the number of ships that were undamaged was so small as to be counted upon a single hand, and all those ships were support vessels: the Carriers and the Nightforge.

Things had looked bleak, but then, in a burst of tachyons that lit the sky (figuratively speaking), the Triumphant appeared with her task force, and laid waste to the enemy ships, cutting through them like a scythe through wheat! It was a sight glorious to behold, especially when the vid captures from the Imperial fleet ‘leaked’ into the public, including a scene of the Empress herself, dressed in a Navy uniform without rank, standing upon the Flag Bridge of the Triumphant as it emerged from transition, and giving the order to open fire. Or what of the cockpit cameras of the imperial fighters, showing them on their attack runs against the X’thari ships?

And the Empress and her forces were not the only heroes made that day. Many were the stories told and retold of the fighting as those who fought, whether Black Star or Nuevo Edoan, shared their tales over drinks, while their friends laughed and mocked them when they exaggerated too much for polite company. Of particular note was the Last Charge of the Shinokage, as some were calling it, when Commodore Mollen ordered his command ship to launch what seemed to be a suicide run on the enemy dreadnought, braving the deadly fire of the enemy guns to gain a chance at victory as they turned and fired at the weak point in the X’thari defenses with their powerful twin railguns. Battered and broken, but never beaten, the Shinokage had managed to limp into port, with an honor guard of Assassins. The rumors said that her surviving crew were intent on waiting for their time in repair yards, so that the less damaged ships could be repaired first, but the outcry from the Black Star Fleet forced the Commodore to override them, and place the Shinokage as the first to enter the repair slips.

It was happy circumstance that today was Founder’s Day, marking the birth of the Nuevo Edo Colony after the Juan Ponce de Leon had emerged from an alien craft’s wake to find themselves in this system. Though those early years were filled with heroism and tragedy as well, they had come a long way since then, and fought through many hardships. Now, with the Amazons and the X’thari behind them, the crowd was exuberant, to say the least, as they prepared for the traditional festivities of Founder’s Day.

A change in the typical parade this year, was the addition of Commodore Mollen of the Black Star Fleet and Empress Vaughn of the Terran Empire as guests riding alongside Premier Fukuya in her place as the Mistress of Ceremonies. While the three smiled and waved to the cheering crowds, some might be surprised at the conversation that played out as they rode in the parade.

Merida laughed to herself as she waved, “I can only imagine the heartburn I’m giving my poor security team with this stunt. I fear they won’t allow me out of their sight for MONTHS after this!”

Talia laughed in return, from her spot in the center of the three (as it was her planet), and said, “Oh, I’m glad I won’t be the only one, then. Every year the security forces attempt to convince me to cancel the parade, as if doing something like that wouldn’t cause riots. The people need these demonstrations, and anyone who caused trouble here would quickly find themselves a pariah on the planet.”

Merida snorted. “Which would make you no less dead, as my guards like to inform me.”

“Mine say the same thing, but I ignore them just this once out of the year, in return for being a good little leader the rest of the time. Unless something interesting happens.”

Mirikon laughed as he joined in the conversation. “Ah, so is that why all your guards were so upset when we ‘dangerous outsiders’ met you the first time at the quarry?”

Merida looked over, smiling. “Oh, I hear a story there!”

Talia smiled. “Oh, not much of one. You see, we had detected ships coming through the Gateway, but all our instruments were light-speed based, so we knew the ships had been there for hours before we detected the gate’s activation. We didn’t know anything other than the fact that they did not look like the Demons we had been fighting, so we sent them the standard ‘first contact’ package of mathematical series.” Seeing Merida nod her understanding of the old first contact protocols, she continued, “Well, imagine our surprise when the mystery ships answered back with the correct sequence, skipped to the final line of that sequence, and then proceeded to send out the first and last lines of all the other sequences in the protocol, in the exact order we would send them. And then signed off with ‘Hello Cousins. Nice to see the Children of the Juan Ponce de Leon weren’t lost as had been thought,’ in English, Spanish, and Japanese!”

Merida chortled. “Oh, that must have caused some consternation in your ranks!”

Mirikon nodded. “Indeed it did. Their internal communications spiked dramatically after that, and got very frantic for a while, until the Premier got to the bunker where they were going to make contact from.”

Talia’s head whipped around to look at Mirikon. “Wait, you were already in our systems? How? We had just sent you our translation data…”

“My dear Talia, I mean no disrespect, but we were in your systems before you first started those first contact protocols. Your encryption systems were actually primitive enough that if we had not found similar codes in the historical archives our modern codebreaking algorithms would likely not have been able to decipher them. There is a reason why the General and I quietly went over your communications system while we were upgrading your defenses.”

Merida patted Talia on the shoulder in consolation. “Don’t worry about it, my dear. Our Commodore here prefers the ‘beg forgiveness’ option rather than ‘asking permission’. But do continue with the story.”

“Hmph! We will be talking about this, Miri, the next time you want to meet and ‘discuss the evolving political situation’ over drinks in your suite!”

Merida almost choked, and said, “Are you two… together?”

Talia chuckled. “Oh, no. We’ve just had a few ‘liasons’. And yes, I know about his harem. But he is the most famous man on a planet of mostly women. I do not doubt that he has ‘enjoyed’ more than a few of the leaders on the planet by now.”

“It would be a crime, a true crime for me to look into the eyes of all those lovely and willing women, and turn them down. And so I make a sacrifice of my body, bringing pleasure to as many beauties as I can, and if they should offer me gifts, trade deals, or prime concessions, well, it would simply be rude to turn down all those tokens of their appreciation.”

Merida struggled to keep smiling for the crowd. “I feel like I’m in a bad movie or some novel on the net.”

“Ah, my dear Empress, if you are upset that I have not offered you my services in that regard, I must apologize, and I will gladly aid you if you call me to service in such a way. Say the word, and I shall bend all my skills as a cunning linguist to sending you to new heights of pleasure!”

Talia giggled as she watched the Empress’s face grow pink in embarrassment. “Proposition her after the parade, Miri. Unless your time with the leader of the ‘Free Use’ party has prompted you to gain a bit of an exhibitionist streak?” When no one spoke, she continued. “At any rate, the very scary outsiders who we believed to be from Earth asked to meet, revealing a fleet of stealth ships that we had completely been unable to detect, and they were already inside our defensive perimeter!”

Merida nodded. “And he chose a quarry, a nice, open place that your guards no doubt informed you offered nice firing lines if things turned nasty, and he needed to destroy you from the air. And he probably came down not in a shuttle, but with something big and obviously armed to make a point?”

Talia nodded. “His Starlight Raven and four of his Raptor fighters, flying in formation, before the fighters burst in a maneuver and then all landed in perfect synchronization.”

Merida sighed in mock consternation and said, “Pilots. They’re the same everywhere.”

“Then he stepped off his ship with his harem in armor, and had robots set up a building that grew out of the ground to serve as a meeting place! If it wasn’t painfully obvious that he could have overwhelmed us before, by that point even our troopers understood the situation.”

Mirikon shrugged. “We wished to make an impression. If that impression also included things that moved the cookie jar out of reach, rather than leaving it as a temptation for those with more greed and ambition than sense, well, that is best for everyone, now isn’t it?”

Talia turned to look at Merida. “You see what I’ve been putting up with? This is the kind of thing I’m constantly having to fight against!”

Merida simply smiled, and nodded. “Oh, let me tell you about the first time our dear Commodore was introduced to me!”

“This was during the Civil War, yes?”

“Yes, we were in a bad spot, frankly, and while the destruction of one of the Imperial colonies that refused to submit to Travis had fired up everyone, we were expecting the Usurper’s forces to regroup and attack at any moment. But then we started hearing about small rebel groups no one had heard of before, all in possession of mysterious ‘ghost ships’, which attacked Earth, as well as logistics supply points, crippling trade in the Empire.”

“Hmm. I think I see where this is going.”

“Well, I had ordered a small flotilla to make a raid on enemy supplies in order to help distract the Usurper’s forces, but they were suddenly joined by the ‘Ghost Fleet’ as everyone was calling them now, coming to help ‘redistribute’ a good portion of the stored product on that world. As a major producer of Coffee in the Empire, that would be tragic, yes?”

“A world without coffee is not worth living in, yes.”

“Well, according to my captains, here is how the encounter went…”

The rest of the parade went easily, as the three traded ‘war stories’ with eachother.

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-omnibus-i-stuart-grosse/1128953195?ean=2940162052081

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Chapter 119 - Butcher's Bill

(INS Triumphant, Nuevo Edo System)

It felt kind of nostalgic to be back in the pilot’s chair of the Starlight Raven. So much of what we’d done in the last year had been fleet actions, and I hadn’t been able to get as much stick time as I would have liked. Now that I had a couple moments while I flew towards the Imperial flagship, I checked the notifications I’d gotten from the battle.

For leading a fleet defense against a force that should have destroyed you all and emerging victorious, you have been rewarded.

Reputation with Nuevo Edo now Exalted.

You have gained the title Hero of Nuevo Edo.

Knowledge Skill (Space) increased to 21.

+1 INT

Knowledge Skill (Physics) increased to 21.

+1 INT

Navigation increased to 18.

+1 INT, +2 WIS

Perception increased to 18.

+3 WIS

First Aid increased to 10.

+5 WIS

Hardware increased to 12.

+2 DEX

All participants in the battle gain the Perk: Against All Odds.

All ships in the battle gain the Ship Perk: Taffy.

All ships in the battle gain the Ship Perk: Unrelenting.

All Fighters and Bomber squadrons in the attack gain the Unit Perk: Ant Slays the Elephant.

Black Star Marine Corps gains the Force Perk: Into the Unknown.

Hero of Nuevo Edo

You have saved Nuevo Edo from enemy attacks twice in the year you have made yourself known to them, and have become a hero to the people there.

+5000 Fame

+10 CHA

May gain special discounts on goods and be picked for special quests in Nuevo Edo system.

Against All Odds

You have faced battles that by all rights should have been hopeless. Through cunning, guile, and more than a little luck, you have persevered, and defeated a far superior foe. +50% to resist Fear effects, reduce Morale penalties by 75%. Allies within 30’ reduce Morale penalties by 20% (area bonus from this perk does not stack with itself).

Taffy

Like Task Unit 77.4.3 for which it was named, this ship was faced with a foe far beyond what any sane person would expect them to combat, and emerged victorious.

Damage increased by 5% against vessels of a larger class.

Damage received reduced by 10% from vessels of a larger class.

Unrelenting

Battered, nearly broken, but never defeated. Ships with this perk are able to continue fighting long past when they should have quit. Battlefield repairs are 10% more effective.

Ant Slays the Elephant

Small ships like fighters and bombers are meant to destroy enemy fighter screens and weaken enemy capitol ships so that their allies can destroy them. Units with this perk do 10% more damage to ships larger than Frigate class.

Into the Unknown

It takes a certain kind of person to launch themselves into an unknown class of ship in the middle of a fleet battle, all the while knowing that the ship they are on may be destroyed or self-destruct at any time. A force with this perk thrives on launching themselves into the unknown, whatever is waiting there.

Bonus to all actions in situations where one is going into unknown terrain (unidentified ship class, unexplored planets, secret installations with no blueprints, etc.). Bonus increases (max 30%) with the degree of unfamiliarity.

I whistled softly to myself as I saw the perks. My part in the actual battle was really pretty small, since my part was mostly done once I’d laid out forces to respond to the incoming threat. The Hardware and First Aid skill ups had come from having to force a work-around to get out of the ‘flag bridge’ when Shinokage got rocked by the last exchange of fire with the dreadnought, and helping with emergency first aid on crew members as they made their way to the flight deck.

‘Lucky to be alive’ was the understatement of the year, as far as the crew of the Shinokage was concerned, but even before he’d launched the Raven to rendezvous with the Imperials, he noticed a bit of a swagger in their step. Not many cruisers can say they took on a dreadnought and won. If the whole fleet hadn’t been built to punch above their weight class, it wouldn’t have been possible. We were very, very lucky indeed. And it showed that we were definitely going to have to do some design work, and come up with heavier ships for Nuevo Edo’s navy. Black Star could get away with being a ghost fleet, but the NEN had to protect their home. They couldn’t afford to be outgunned like they had been here. They’d need at least battlecruisers, if not a dreadnought or two, and a carrier. More fighter and bomber squadrons wouldn’t hurt, either.

There was a lot of work ahead of us, since we still had to repair the surviving ships. There wasn’t a single warship that hadn’t taken some serious damage in the battle. More than a couple were just barely holding together. If the Empress hadn’t shown up… well, it would have been bad when the X’thari managed to slip out of Point Beta’s tarpit area.

So far, the death toll was holding at a little over six hundred, between Black Star and Nuevo Edo forces. That was, frankly, a minor miracle, despite how horrible it sounded. With the number of damaged ships, it should have been higher. Would have been, if Black Star designs were made to be light on crew, and have a preponderance of ‘little ships’ with force multipliers, instead of the big ships. If we’d concentrated on bigger ships instead of putting out as many fighters, gunboats, and Assassins as we could, we’d have lost many more, and maybe the battle itself.

“BSS Starlight Raven, this is Triumphant Control. You are cleared to dock at Hatch 4, Port Side.”

Breaking out from my reverie, I smiled, and hit the comms. “Affirmative, Triumphant Control. Starlight Raven docking at Port Side Hatch 4. Black Star Prime, out.”

As I got closer, the Raven’s scanners played over the Imperial fleet. Unlike our scrappy ships, the Triumphant and her task force had been easily the match of the ships at Point Beta. Imperial ships were built for a head to head slugfest, so while their smaller ships had been beaten up a bit, and the records of the battle showed a few lost fighters from their carrier, they hadn’t lost any ships, and it seemed like the Triumphant had come through without a scratch. Sometimes size did matter.

Of course, when I’d created the Black Star Fleet, I wasn’t counting on having to do a planetary defense with these ships. The goal was to have a ‘security force’ that could respond to threats with overwhelming force and end things as quickly and unfairly as possible. A slugging match was the last thing we needed. Shinokage had barely survived that last suicidal charge I’d ordered her on, and she was going to be in the docks for a while repairing stress fractures throughout the hull, not to mention repairing all the blown out conduits and equipment that had overloaded when that last shot was fired. When I left, they were still on battery power, but that should have been fixed by now, and hopefully they’d have communications soon. So far, Captain Inatumal had refused to have her ship towed into port, but the Assassins of First Group were standing by her, in case Shinokage lost power before she got into orbit.

As we docked, I checked the Raven’s external cameras, and chuckled as I saw what was waiting on the other side of the airlock. Looking over to Raven, I said, “Tell everyone to get ready to make an appearance. Ops uniform, no visible weapons. Let’s look badass classy.”

Raven chuckled, and disappeared to get into her own ‘uniform’, allowing me to change from the simple Navy blacks I was wearing (and which really needed a bit of repair to deal with the burns and blood stains) and changed into the more roguish black outfit with my long coat that I typically wore when on missions that didn’t require milspec armor. I said no visible weapons, but I most certainly had my main ones stored in my bracer, ready to use if needed. I seriously doubted I would, though.

Five minutes later, I was standing with the rest of the Raven’s crew, and signaled Raven to open the hatch. Stepping through the connecting tunnel, I paused for a moment just shy of the Triumphant’s deck. Standing there were two lines of five Imperial Marines who snapped to attention in unison. At the far end of the little tunnel was a group of eight in two rows of four: four Imperial Guards, dressed in their red armor, standing at parade rest in the second rank, a man in a white Imperial Navy uniform bearing Captain’s insignia, and three figures I knew quite well. With a roguish grin, I continued forward until I was standing in front of the ladies in the center of the front rank, turned to look at the woman standing next to the Captain, and asked “Permission to come aboard?”

Admiral Han Moon-Hee looked like she couldn’t decide whether to greet me warmly, or order the guards to shoot me. I guess she still hadn’t forgotten the whole ‘incident’ when I rescued her from the breeding ranch. Still, she was professional, and said, “Permission granted, Commodore Mollen. This is Captain Sanna Adler, commander of the Triumphant. And I believe you know the Empress and her Chief of Staff?” She motioned to the other two.

After offering a polite nod to the Captain, I looked to the other two, and offered a bow to the Empress. “Empress, you are looking as lovely as ever. I am glad that Lucio hasn’t kept you buried under tons of paperwork.”

The Empress chuckled, and said, “Not for lack of trying, of course. There is a great deal of work still to be done to rebuild after the Civil War, but we’ve finished the trials of those rebels who were not important enough to join the cult and flee with their masters. Now the healing can begin.”

Lucio simply smiled, and said, “When you told us of the incoming attack we were wondering if we’d be transitioning into a battle that was already over, one way or the other. I would not have cared to bet against you, Commodore, but that many ships, it is a wonder that you survived.”

I sighed, and said, “Not all of us did, Lucio, and it was a close thing for many of us. Shinokage was leading the only force without bomber support, and we were severely outgunned. The ship was badly mauled in the fighting. Others weren’t as lucky. But the butcher’s bill for the battle was far smaller than it ought to have been for a battle like this, and it would have been even higher were it not for your task force’s timely intervention.”

I paused, noticing the looks the Empress was giving over my shoulder, and chuckled. I motioned for Sheila to step forward from where she had a hand protectively on Cali’s arm. The limp and the bandages I knew were under her ops uniform were the only sign she’d been in combat. “You’d be proud of your little sister, Majesty. She was helping Shearah and the Shinokage’s damage control teams while the battle was underway. She kept working to help keep the ship fighting even in the worst of the battle.”

Merida rushed past me to hug her sister, but let up when she felt more than saw Sheila wincing in pain. “What’s wrong, Sheila?”

“Conduit blew, and threw me up against a bulkhead. Couple cracked ribs, but I would have been dead if not for Cali when the hull breach came.”

“HULL BREACH!”

I cleared my throat. “During the last high-speed attack run to get behind the X’thari dreadnought, we suffered multiple hull breaches due to their point defense weapons. Twelve crewmen were lost to vacuum. Cali here managed to throw Sheila through a hatch just before the blast doors closed, which is how she injured her knee.”

Empress Merida winced at the mention of crewmen being sucked out into space. Even with shipsuits, there was only so much that could be done in that situation. She looked over to Cali, and said, “But what happened to you?”

Cali shrugged, and said, “I lived long enough to see a X’thari dreadnought explode in my face. According to the logs of our connection to this world, a mix of shrapnel and concussive force is what killed me. But I’m a Nomad. Sheila’s a member of our crew, and she’s only got the one life to live. Easy choice.”

“That may be, but I, Empress Merida Vaughn announce that you, your Master, and all your crew, are Friends of the Empire. For so long as I live, may you go in peace within our borders.”

Friend of the Terran Empire

Those bearing this title have done services to the Terran Empire or to the Imperial Royal Family personally above and beyond any bonds of duty or contract. Reputation treated as minimum of Friendly with all pro-Empire factions.

Cali bowed low. “I am honored, Empress. May you live long, and prosper.”

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-omnibus-i-stuart-grosse/1128953195?ean=2940162052081

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Monday, July 2, 2018

Chapter 118 - Victory

(Planetary Defense Command Bunker, Nuevo Edo)

“Group Alpha reporting in. Invaders at Point Alpha destroyed. Two gunboats lost, some damage to Breath of Hades, and down four fighters and three bombers. Tarpit in that area went down when the dreadnought died.”

Premier Fukuya’s head snapped around from the screen she was studying to focus on the speaker when she heard that last part. “Why weren’t we informed of that as it happened?”

General Akagi spared the young woman reporting the news, and said, “I imagine they were busy fighting for their lives at the time, and did not bother checking those sensors until they were through dealing with people shooting at them.”

Fukuya sighed, and nodded to her friend. “Continue your report, Lieutenant.”

“Point Beta remains at full strength, but the tarpit traps were layered with five times the needed strength to blanket the three primary attack points, so they are being forced to move at sublight until they can clear the tarpit.”

“Point Gamma was hit hard, ma’am. That was the only group without bomber support, and it shows. They are down to four fighters, five gunboats, and one Assassin operational, the Shadowdancer. All other assassins and the Shinokage are too damaged to continue the fight, but should be repairable, according to damage reports.”

Admiral Saez whistled appreciatively. “That’s impressive, considering how badly they were outgunned. I’m surprised they didn’t lose more people.”

“Point Delta is holding. The fighters are making all the difference there, ma’am. The enemy carrier attempted to use their fighters to attack us, but the Black Star squadrons annihilated them. Black Star has lost six gunboats and we’ve lost four, but all Assassins and capitol ships are still in the fight. The Jubilee just finished off the enemy dreadnought. Remaining enemy ships from Point Delta have pulled out of effective range of the platforms. Ten cruisers and twelve frigates remaining, most damaged but still fighting.”

“What about the carrier? Are the Marines in play?”

“Thunderfury reports the Marines have landed, and are meeting heavy resistance. However, ion cannons appear to be keeping the enemy self-destruct systems offline, so they may actually be able to capture the ship intact.”

“ADMIRAL! Multiple tachyon surges at Point Beta! Unidentified fleet just entered the system!”

Admiral Saez, General Akagi, and Premier Fukuya all shouted out at once, “WHAT?”

(X’thari Carrier <Unpronounceable Chittering>, Point Delta, Nuevo Edo System)

First Company, Black Star Marines, had been joined by the newly established Second Company for this fight. Between Black Star personnel and their families, and new recruits from Nuevo Edo or Dimiya, the Black Stars were more than could be fielded in a single company. Fortunately, the Thunderfury was designed with the ability to just barely carry two Companies with their command and logistics staff. Provided, of course, that it was for short spells. Hot-bunking Marines was not something you did for extended periods if you could help it. More than that, and they would need a second Assault Craft. Fortunately, he’d gone with Captain Am’rica to talk to the eggheads that designed some of the new ships, and put together what they’d need for a full assault craft, as well as something for special forces teams, when a Raven-class wasn’t available.

And right now, Second Company was getting their trial by fire. Most of them were Locals, so he’d gotten together with their Major, and come up with new tactics that took advantage of what they learned in the raids they launched during the Civil War, especially the Venus op. The benefit of ‘immortals’ on the battlefield was impressive, but respawn times meant you couldn’t just human wave a strong point with a platoon until you broke them. And the Locals weren’t just sitting back on their thumbs and letting First Company do the really hard work. They were Marines, not Army, after all! However, if your door kickers and rearguard didn’t feel like dying was ‘game over’, then you got a whole lot of options that opened up to you.

First Company led the way into the breach when the Thunderfury pulled up next to the X’thari carrier, when they used their ‘gravpacks’ (gravitic movement assistors did NOT catch on with the Marines, for reasons) to rocket out of the Thunderfury and into the open hangar bay of the carrier. That was where the first real fight came, and Khan was pleased to say that all his Marines, even the new people on Second Company, did damn fine jobs on their first ship to ship insertion.

Now that they had completed the hardest part, getting on board, they had to try and get control of the ship. There was no ‘ask for surrender’, and no ‘stun them’ or ‘take them alive’. Everyone knew the score. The X’thari would not allow themselves to be taken prisoner, so they all had to be put down, as fast as possible, or Bad Things™ would happen. That said, with no knowledge of the ship’s plans, they had to play this by ear. So, Second Company went aft, hoping to find whatever passed for an Engineering section on this tub, and First Company was headed towards the center of the ship, looking for the bridge.

As they were advancing, Major Khan (he really needed to get a full battalion together so the rank was correct) called a halt as he found what they really needed. Looking over to one of his officers, he yelled, “Comms, are we still in contact with Raven aboard Shinokage?”

“Spotty, sir! Last communication said that they’ve been taking a beating. But I have stable comms for the moment, if you need them.”

“Then plug in to this terminal! I know our specialists are all kick ass codeslingers, but I need a map, and I need it yesterday!”

“Accessing… we have good connection to Raven. Wait one… Right! She’s found us a schematic of the ship, but it is hard to read because of being alien. She’s highlighted two sections for us, though. ‘Engineering’ and ‘Central Control’. Guess that is what it translates out to.”

“Forward that map to Second Company, and tell them to get moving! I don’t want this tub blowing up around me, and I know they don’t, either! First Company, move out! We have a Central Control to capture!”

(NEN Santiago, Point Delta, Nuevo Edo System)

“Captain, I must insist you go to the infirmary!”

Captain Gonzalez shook her head, further annoying the ship’s medical officer who was trying to patch the head wound she’d suffered in that last exchange with the enemy cruisers. “I’m not walking off the bridge of my ship in the middle of a fucking battle, doc. Keep it so the blood stays out of my eyes, and then go look to the more seriously wounded. Either we’ll get through this and I’ll have plenty of time to sit in the infirmary, or we’ll all be dead. Now go!”

The doctor gave her that dirty look every doctor must learn in medical school for when a patient is being ‘unreasonable’ by their estimation, but they don’t have the authority to simply force them to stop what they’re doing and take their medicine. Fortunately, the whole ‘in the middle of a battle that might kill us all’ thing got through the doctor’s indignation at her refusal to leave her post immediately. The bandages would do fine for now, as long as they didn’t take another hit like that last one.

She hit the call button on her bracer. “Nagai, status!”

Nagai Juri, her Chief Engineer, was one of the brighter technical minds on the planet, to the point where she’d been told that there had been some rather… lengthy back-room talks between the government and that Commodore Mollen who ran Black Star. Seems they had wanted to poach her for their crews. Considering that she was catching up on tech that was at least a hundred years ahead of where they were, that said something about the young engineer. Ana was glad to have her.

“Captain! We managed to get the shield generator back online, but I can’t promise how much damage it’ll be able to soak. Engines are at 57%. I might be able to get as much as 65% for a little bit, but we’d be getting towed back to dock.”

“What about the primary weapon? When can we fire again?”

“Relays are shot, captain! I can do a workaround, but it isn’t going to be efficient at all. You’re looking at double the charge time, at least! And that’s if we don’t explode the next time you fire. I can maybe get you one shot, but that’s it.”

“Captain! We’re detecting multiple tachyon surges out by Point Beta!”

“Is there anything we can do about it right now?”

“No Ma’am.”

“Then keep an eye on whatever’s going on, let me know if something becomes relevant. Comms! Get me the Cortez!”

“Online.”

The main viewscreen was shattered, but the monitor at her side was (miraculously) still intact. Looking into the picture, she said, “Captain Ara, our primaries have been knocked out. What is your status?”

“Primaries online, but that last attack run took a lot out of us. Engines are at 32% and holding. One more good attack, and we’re finished.”

“All right. We just have to hold out for a little while longer, until the bombers from Black Star get back our way. Lets link up with the Wakizashi. They are in about as good shape as you are, so Santiago will lead the attack run on Cruiser 16. Let’s try to keep them away from Aikawa’s life pods!”

“Understood. Forming up with Wakizashi now. Good luck, Captain.”

Gonzalez sighed as the connection broke off. Quietly, she muttered. “Yeah, we’re going to need it.” Then she took a breath, and said, “All right, prepare for attack pattern Delta-3!” She hit the communicator again, and said, “Juri, give me everything you can to the shields! We’re going to need them!”

“I’ll do what I can, Captain.”

“Captain! Ships coming out of warp at the edge of the Carrier’s tarpit envelope! It is the group from Point Alpha! Dragons incoming!”

“All right! Continue attack plan. Reroute all power to shields. Let’s look big and bad so the others can send these aliens straight to hell!”

(Planetary Defense Command Bunker, Nuevo Edo)

“Ships at Point Beta have been destroyed!”

Saez looked up from the tactical screen where she’d been following the battle closer to the planet. She was Admiral in name only, she knew, since she’d never commanded a fleet in combat (hell, her ‘fleet’ was all brand new) but she was learning everything she could from watching the Black Star forces. When you built an entire fleet out of force multipliers, that could add up, fast. But she had also noticed the weakness of such a system. The Commodore’s forces at Point Gamma, which he’d led himself, had been savaged. They’d managed not to lose any of their larger ships, but no one had heard from the Commodore himself since the Shinokage’s last attack run.

Now, she saw that the previously untouched group at Point Beta had indeed been wiped out, thanks to the mysterious fleet that had appeared in a burst of tachyons. Commodore Mollen said that the Empire used technology like that, but they should be far out of range from any Imperial worlds. “Do we have identification on those ships yet?”

“We’re running them through the Black Star algorithms now, Ma’am. They appear to be Imperial designs. Three superdreadnoughts, one carrier, and support craft. Appears to be a standard task force. INS on the lead ship reads INS Triumphant.”

“Admiral! The enemy carrier’s tarpit field has gone offline. All other ships have been destroyed.”

“Very well. Have our ships form a perimeter with the Black Star ships. Launch S&R shuttles to begin rescuing pilots and pick up escape pods.”

“New contact, the BSS Starlight Raven just launched from Shinokage! Transmission incoming!”

Commodore Mollen’s face appeared on the screen. He looked to be injured, but otherwise he was still breathing, which wasn’t bad, considering that Shinokage had gone toe to toe with a dreadnought.

“Admiral, I see you’re issuing orders for S&R and a perimeter. The Imperial task force is here because of me. I called in a favor or two, and was able to get them to send a few ships.”

“A few, Commodore? Your gift for understatement astounds me. But where did they come from? You said their ships didn’t have the legs to reach us from Imperial Space with their transition drives.”

“They don’t. But the Amazon system is within range, a fact I’d forgotten until my contact asked about it. They used the Gateway to form up in the Amazon system, so they could jump in all together, instead of coming through the Gateway one at a time. But it took a bit longer than we expected to get everyone moving the same way, which is why their arrival was delayed.”

Admiral Saez nodded. “Well, I’m glad you called in those favors, Commodore. I do not enjoy the thought of what those fresh ships would have been able to do to our defenders when we’ve already been beat up as much as we have.”

“Always happy to help, Admiral. If you’ll give the task force an orbital slot, I’ve been informed the Empress of the Terran Empire would like to make her first diplomatic visit to Nuevo Edo and confirm its status as a free port.”

“We’ll send orbit information and language translation software to them now, Commodore. And congratulations. We weren’t certain you had survived, for a while.”

“Neither were we. All Black Star ships are returning to orbit, and we’ll start working ships through the yards in the order of what we can get back online fastest. Mollen out.”

Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rules-free-vrmmo-life-omnibus-i-stuart-grosse/1128953195?ean=2940162052081

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Chapter 117 - Pack Tactics

(Combat Information Center, BSN Shinokage, Point Gamma, Nuevo Edo System)

Point Gamma (L2 Lagrange Point):

9 0 Aeh-class Hunter-Scouts

18 10 Photh-class Frigates

9 7 Mothak-class Light Cruisers

1 Purryg-class Dreadnought

The battle… was not going well. It was like a pack of wolves taking on a group of bears. We were lighter, quicker, but they could swat us from the sky if they hit us. Except these bears were used to being the wolves, not bears. They weren’t used to fighting anyone as fast as we were that wasn’t on a X’thari ship using X’thari tactics. We hadn’t lost any of our ships yet, but we were still massively outnumbered. Ghost Squadron had killed or crippled the nine Aeh-class Hunter-Scouts, leaving them drifting in space. That was good, but they’d spent all their missiles doing it, since Raptors weren’t designed for anti-ship work, at least not for anything bigger than supporting ant-piracy stuff. But the Aeh-class was light enough that the fighters, working together, could punch them out. We’d already lost five of the twelve fighters, though, and the rest were returning to the Return to rearm and refuel.

Acting in cohorts, the little Gunboats were the stars of this show. I didn’t have time to direct the battle all across the system. But I didn’t need to micromanage things. That’s why I had competent commanders, and kept tactical groups together. They knew each other, knew how they’d respond, knew how to help. I had to trust in them to do their jobs. First Group had bigger problems.

The initial kinetic strikes had taken out four of the Photh-class and one of the Mothak-class ships. Now that the agile little gunboats were in range, they were dogfighting with the Photh ships. They had the edge in speed and shields, but other than main weapons, the X’thari ships were better armed and armored than my gunboats. So far, the plucky little gunboats had managed four more kills, striking from the rear. But they’d taken a pounding from point defense, and several of them had to break off to recharge shields.

Meanwhile, the Assassins were in a deathmatch with the cruisers, while Captain Inatumal and Shinokage did their best to keep the damn dreadnought from killing us all. So far we’d been lucky, our ships being smaller, lighter, and faster than the X’thari, but this was one of those situations where it only took a single hit to completely ruin our day. “Time until main weapon recharged?”

Raven looked over to me. “Thirty seconds, Commodore.”

“Analysis of the enemy ships? Can they take a hit from the mains?”

“I’ve been looking at the shield harmonics, and I believe there is a weakness. The X’thari drives are incredibly efficient, and do not cause as much energy leakage as Terran or Confederate drives. This is good for ships who engage in stealth tactics, as they are able to accelerate faster while still being in stealth. However, something about their sublight drives causes attenuation in the shields directly aft of the engines. This is also where the ship’s armor is the lightest.”

“Why on Earth would they leave such a weakness in their designs?”

“While impossible to say for certain, it may either be something they are technologically incapable of fixing with their current technological base, or it may be a racial bias, due to the fact that they are normally seen in the role of hunters, with multiple ships covering for each other. This makes exploiting the weaknesses far more difficult. The idea of them becoming ‘prey’ may be a cultural blind spot for the X’thari.”

“Send out an emergency flash to the fleet. All ships, all fighters, all bombers. Let everyone know that they’re weak when you take them from behind.” I paused, and then looked at the tactical readouts. “As soon as Ghost Squadron is ready, have them launch, and help the Gunboats with the frigates. Assassins are to line up their assault runs as they bear, with emphasis on destroying the engines of the cruisers. We can pick them off from range once all ships are disabled, if need be.”

I broke off that train of thought as massive energy blasts bracketed the Shinokage, missing us by mere meters! Reaching over to my tablet, I hastily typed up an order for Captain Inatumal, and hit send. That dreadnought was becoming a hazard to our health.

(Main Bridge, BSN Shinokage, Point Gamma, Nuevo Edo System)

Captain Inatumal looked down as a chime sounded next to her, signaling new orders from the Master. This was a little surprising, as he thankfully had the sense not to interfere with the running of her ship during combat operations, allowing her tactical control and the ability to fight her ship, while he looked at the larger picture. Bringing up the message, she smiled, before looking at the timer. The mains had just recharged a few seconds ago, and they were working on finding an attack path that could do the most damage. She saw that the information about the enemy shields had already gone out to the fleet, as two more frigates were reduced to space dust, though the little Isis got caught in crossfire just afterwards, and looked to be dead in the water. They would be lucky indeed if they got out of this without more casualties to join those that they’d already lost.

Checking the orientation of their ships, Captain Inatumal called out. “All hands, prepare for high speed maneuvers! All personnel not engaged in critical tasks must be strapped in! Commodore’s sent us a game plan. Helm, information is being sent to your plot now. Weapons, I want you ready on the mains, we’re only going to get one shot at this! Shields, when I tell you, I want you to throw everything into forward shields, but be ready to balance fast.”

The lieutenant at the helm looked up, “Are you sure about this, Captain?”

Captain Inatumal nodded. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant. Just fly like I know you can. You think I haven’t noticed the simulator hours you’ve logged, pretending to fly this beast like it was one of those Raptors out there? Now is the time to prove what happens when you put someone with the crazy of a fighter pilot at the stick of a Cruiser. Just be ready to maneuver.”

The Lieutenant straightened up, and nodded sharply. “Yes Ma’am! I won’t let you down, Captain.”

“I know you won’t. Prepare to activate Painal Maneuver! Now steady… GO! EXECUTE!” Despite herself, the Captain gripped the arms of her chair as the light cruiser suddenly went to full acceleration, shooting towards the enemy dreadnought like an arrow fired from slightly in front and below the ship’s line, limiting their exposure to the ship’s big guns. Inatumal could hear the stresses on parts of the ship as they made high-speed maneuvers, attempting to keep from getting hit by the enemy guns as they launched what very well might be a suicide run.

The suicide tactic must have frightened someone over on the dreadnought, because even as the ship began turning to try and avoid the incoming missile that was the Shinokage, the point defense became VERY concerned with her. If the Captain hadn’t ordered the shields to full front, it would have been really bad. Inatumal held her breath as the lieutenant rolled the ship in flight, almost dancing out of the way of the dreadnought’s main guns as they missed by less than a quarter kilometer. And then they were in the dreadnought’s face, as it were.

“SHIELDS!” The shields balanced out just as they needed to as the Shinokage skimmed the very edge of the dreadnought’s shields at top speed. The ship rocked as two of the secondary guns scored hits, and the alarms going off on the bridge told her they had a hull breach somewhere. Just a few more seconds, though… And they were past!

“NOW, LIEUTENANT!” She didn’t need to give the order, the Lieutenant was already in motion. Groaning with the stresses on it, Shinokage cut forward thrust, flipped over on its axis, and then reengaged forward thrust, cutting their speed at an insane rate that the inertial dampeners couldn’t quite keep up with, subjecting everyone to a relatively ‘unpleasant’ four Gs of pressure. Since that beat ‘splat on the bulkhead’, Inatumal just grit her teeth, and hoped that didn’t injure too many of her people.

The Lieutenant called out, in a pained voice, “LINED UP!”

“FIRE!”

Both barrels of the Shinokage’s primary weapons fired at once, launching their projectiles at almost 8% the speed of light. They were only about two hundred thousand kilometers from the dreadnought’s stern. The projectiles took eight seconds to travel the distance. Some secondary weapons and point defense found the ship and had started to target them, but the helm of the big ship was not able to maneuver like smaller craft could. It had only started its turn when the Shinokage’s main weapons hit.

(Main Bridge, BSN Shadowdancer, Point Gamma, Nuevo Edo System)

Captain Nyna Thelynn growled as her poor Shadowdancer shuddered under the weight of the enemy guns. This was not the kind of battle the Assassins had been designed for. If they weren’t lighter and faster than the Mothak-class cruisers they were hunting right now, then they would have been very, very dead. As it was, each cohort of Assassins was having to deal with a Triad of Mothaks, with the one extra, since they’d already managed to kill a second of the bastards.

“Captain, message from Black Star Actual. Raven analysis says that our best bet is to take them from behind, where their shields are weakest.”

“Main weapon status?”

One of the crew over at the engineering station called out, “Back online! Commander Black managed to reroute the cables that burnt out. He warns you only have one, maybe two shots before we risk taking the rest of the damaged cables out!”

“Right, inform Wisteria that we are commencing our attack run on Cruiser Three. If they have a shot on another of that triad, tell them to light the bastards up.”

“Wisteria reporting main weapons are offline, but they will support as best they can.”

“Damn. All right, tell them to follow us in.”

“Captain! Look at Shinokage!” Nyna spared a glance for the Black Star flagship, but didn’t have time to deal with that now, not while she was trying to keep her ship and her crew in one piece.

“Holy shit, are they insane?”

“Belay that talk!” Nyna snapped at the crew. “That would be one of the Master’s plans, no doubt. And we’ve got some work of our own. Come about, full speed ahead! Weapons at the ready!”

“Captain, with their maneuverability, we’ll have to fire from point-blank range.”

“I know, Commander. Which is why we’re going to do just that!” She paused, and then said, “ALL HANDS, BRACE FOR IMPACT!”

As they tore after Cruiser Three, Cruiser One attempted to cut off their attack run, passing close in front of them, but they didn’t slow down. The pass was close enough that Shadowdancer’s shields ‘kissed’ those of Cruiser One as they passed, trading fire from secondary weapons as they went. But Cruiser One was too interested in Shadowdancer to realize that Wisteria was a threat, until the Assassin pounded the cruiser’s vulnerable rear along with Shadowdancer’s gunners, scoring several hits on their engines and forcing the cruiser to cut acceleration dramatically.

The sensor tech called out, “In range of target!”

“FIRE!”

Cheers rang out across the bridge as Cruiser Three was reduced to its component atoms as the projectile of Shadowdancer’s main weapon tore the stern of the craft apart, causing whatever they used as a power plant to blow.

Captain Thelynn, however, did not join in the celebration. “Recharge the guns! Come about in search of new targets! Status of the Wisteria and Cruiser One?”

“Wisteria is shaken, but with us, Captain. They’re working on main weapons, but their engineer says not to get our hopes up without several hours work. Cruiser One is damaged, looks to be out of the fight temporarily. Cruisers Two and Seven are covering it. Cruiser Four is destroyed, looks like the Hayha got her. Artemis is damaged, forced to withdraw. We’ve lost three gunboats, but the Frigates are dead or disabled. Shinokage has gone dark. They look like they took a couple heavy hits just as they killed that Dreadnought. They’re still under power, but they’re out of the fight.”

“Wisteria is to support the Hayha as her new cohort. Artemis to rendezvous with Shinokage to ascertain status and see if shortrange comms can be established. I see the Return has launched fighters again. Fighters and remaining gunboats to form up on Shadowdancer. Take us after Cruiser Two!”

Previous Chapter Table of Contents Next Chapter

Be sure to read my published works!

Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071VPRNDB
Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0774T354X

Into the Black (Sci-Fi GameLit):
Book I - Game Start https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LT5WGL
Omnibus I - Books 1-4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077X2KR7Y

City of Champions Online (Superhero GameLit):
Issue I - Origin Stories https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075SHXQS1

Lewd Dungeon (Dungeon Core GameLit):
Book 1 - Welcome to the Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BB34DHF

The Kalipshae Affair (A First Contact Short Story): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0739V6R6T