Aces In Exileby StormScarChaptersCrew list of the Flame: In memory of the lostPrologue: Log entry OneChapter One: DeploymentChapter Two: First combatChapter Three: Falling starsChapter Four: Damage controlChapter Five: One small step for manCrew list of the Flame: In memory of the lostCREW MANIFEST: UCFS FLAME OF HOPE: CVX-235 LOST TO THE VOID MAY WE ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM Admiral Artemis Lindrake (MIA) age: 65, born: 2812, short grey hair, average build, serial: 2831HO152 Long serving commander of the UCF navy, with multiple combat commands to his name. Most recently commanded the battleship UCFS Steel Sky: BB-445 during the Vindictum uprising of 2860, in which he and his crew valiantly protected civilian transports from rebel warships as they evacuated to friendly space. Chosen to command UCFS Flame of Hope because of his outstanding record and endorsement from the Admiralty. Commander Melissa Bradich (MIA) age 25, born: 2852, medium length blonde hair, lean build, serial: 2870AG339 Newly graduated from Officer Training School (OTC) on Mars. Though not a combat veteran, Melissa has shown great leadership skills, as well as top scores in marksmanship. High recommendations from training staff and endorsements from the Admiralty lead to her assignment aboard the UCFS Flame of Hope. Head Navigator Martin Webley (MIA) age: 60, born: 2817, medium grey hair, average build, serial: 2839SP050 Martin has been around star ships all of his life, born aboard a merchant vessel and never having made a permanent home on any of the planets in UCF space. At the age of 22, Martin enlisted in the Navy and served aboard the heavy cruiser UCFS Shield of Dusk CA-302. During the invasion of the pirate held world of Agamor in 2846, Martin was part of the UCFS Shield of Dusk's navigation crew. When the ship sustained heavy damage and the Head Navigator was killed, Martin took action, quickly programming co-ordinates into the Nav computer and jumping the ship to safety. Thus saving the lives of all aboard. For his actions, Martin Webley was promoted to Head Navigator and awarded the Federation Medal of Valor. Major Marcus Reid (MIA) age: 48, born: 2829, bald, stocky build, serial: 2849LW991 A decorated combat veteran, served during the Vindictum uprising. Lead the assault to reclaim one of the planet's nuclear defense facilities from rebel forces. Has shown to be an expert in both close quarters combat and marksmanship. Promoted to Major after the conflict and later assigned as the head of the marine detachment serving aboard the UCFS Flame of Hope. Senior Sargent Adrian Williams (MIA) age: 55, born: 2822, crew cut grey hair, large stocky build, serial: 2840BA005 Decorated combat veteran with multiple tours, has served as second in command to Major Marcus Reid since assignment to his command after the Vindictum uprising of 2860. Entered training with the marines on his eighteenth birthday and since completion, has served on dozens of combat operations throughout known space. Wounded during the Vindictum uprising, his platoon was decimated as they defended a space port to ensure transports could complete civilian evacuations. If not for his heroic actions in continuing to fight, even after losing a significant amount of blood, many lives would have been lost. Captain Blake Sheather - callsign: Deuce (MIA) age: 27, born: 2850, short reddish brown hair, lean build, serial: 2868OW210 Squadron leader of the Fighting Fourteenth, Blake has a long family history as fighter pilots for the UCF since it's founding. Top of his class in training in both flight and hand to hand combat, with outstanding scores in marksmanship. He has personally hand picked every single pilot that makes up the Fourteenth, to make it the best squadron in the entire UCF. Lieutenant First Class Alzack Roberts - callsign: Backlash (MIA) age 25, born: 2852, short dark hair, average build, serial: 2870BT735 Graduated top of his class in Combat Flight School (CFS) and has served aboard the carrier UCFS Reign of Blood: CV-198 since receiving his flight wings, until he was re-assigned to the UCFS Dawn of Hope. Though he has yet to serve in combat, Alzack has proved to have a mastery of his machine that any combat pilot would aspire to and has been approached by the navy's aerobatics team, Delta Squadron on multiple occasions, but has turned them down to continue his current career. Lieutenant Second Class Lynne Keller - callsign: Valkyrie (MIA) age: 22, born: 2855, medium dark hair, lean build, serial: 2873KP509 Graduated with excellent grades in Combat Flight School (CFS) mainly in executing combat maneuvers, along with top marks in close quarters combat training. Assigned to the newly formed Fighting Fourteenth soon after graduation from flight school, Lynne has shown incredible dedication to the UCF navy and strives to be the best fighter pilot in her squadron. Lieutenant Second Class Daniel Ramone - callsign: Hammer (MIA) age: 24, born: 2853, short light brown hair, stocky build, serial: 2872GL085 Daniel has served alongside Lynne Keller for many years, being in the same flight for most of their careers, before both being assigned to the Fighting Fourteenth. As such, Daniel and Lynne have developed a friendly rivalry, making them regular sparring partners and occasionally leading to them competing during routine flight training. Though not as competent in hand to hand combat as Lynne or in maneuvering, Daniel has shown to be a much better marksman, both with his sidearm and in flight. This has resulted in a stalemate in the pair's rivalry. Lieutenant Junior Grade Nathaniel Bishop - callsign: Bulldog (MIA) age: 20, born: 2857, short red hair, lean build, serial: 2875AK629 Nathan graduated flight school with excellent marks and was assigned to the Fighting Fourteenth after graduation because of outstanding recommendations from instructor staff. Nathan's family has a long history of serving in the UCF navy and marine corps, his father and grandfather being veteran pilots. In training simulations, Nathan has shown a great tenacity when dogfighting, often latching onto opponents and sticking to them until he scores the kill, which has earned him his callsign. Chief Mechanic Jason Leblanc (MIA) age: 37, born: 2840, balding with light brown hair, average build, serial: 2861EJ691 During the Vindictum uprising, Jason was an apprentice mechanic working at an aircraft rental company near one of the planet's space ports. When the rebels launched their attack, Jason, along with numerous other ground crews at the space port, worked tirelessly to keep the evacuation craft moving, only boarding one himself once the marine force tasked with securing the area was forced to evacuate. Because of his efforts, Jason was awarded the Federation's highest civilian honor, the Federation star. After the uprising, Jason enlisted and because of his background in aircraft maintenance, along with his past valor, was among the first candidates chosen to serve aboard the UCFS Flame of Hope, upon it's construction. Head Engineer Roman Landon (MIA) age: 40, born: 2837, braided dark brown hair, stocky build, serial: 2859PR881 During the construction of the UCFS Flame of Hope, Roman Landon completely designed, and with the help of a hand picked team, built the experimental Tachyon drive core that was to be used as the ship's mode of faster than light travel. Tachyon drive cores have been used for some centuries of space travel now, but none have ever come close to the energy efficiency or jump range that Roman's has. Because of his extensive knowledge of it's systems, it was only natural that Roman be chosen to act as the head of engineering aboard the UCFS Flame of Hope upon it's completion. LOAD NEXT PAGE? YES/NO Author's Note A list of characters, along with some small backstory for future reference. Will be expanded in the future if more characters are to be added. Prologue: Log entry OneVOICE COMMAND RECOGNIZED: BEGIN COMMANDER'S LOG PLAYBACK TIME STAMP OF RECORDING: 18:37 5/11/2877 This is Admiral Artemis Lindrake, first log entry aboard the newly commissioned carrier, UCFS Flame of Hope. Our first patrol mission is to begin within the next twenty four hours. A lot of research, time and credits have been sunk into building this vessel, and as such, many of the higher ups are keeping a close eye on both her, and the performance of the crew. Some of the greatest pilots, marines and sailors have been chosen for our maiden voyage, and if all goes well, then soon the Flame will become the flagship of an entirely new line of carriers. Needless to say, tensions are running high. The chosen men and women to serve aboard for the maiden tour are all people that any officer would be proud to have under their command. Included in that list is the newly formed Fighting fourteenth squadron, nicknamed the shooting stars. Every one of them is either an experienced combat pilot, or at the very least, the absolute top of their class. Next up is the drop ship squadron, the eighty seventh, also known as the Runners. Don't let the name fool you, every one of them is a hardened veteran of the Vindictum uprising of 2860. The marine detail are marines of the three hundred and fifth division. Their commanding officer aboard is one Major Marcus Reid, a highly decorated commanding officer who led the assault on then nuclear defense facility during the battle. My second in command, is to be one Commander Melissa Bradich. Though she's quite new out of officer's school, Melissa has shown an ability to handle any given situation under pressure and an efficiency that other commands could only dream of. I have every confidence in everyone under my command, and I know that they will make me, and everyone in the Federation proud. Admiral Artemis Lindrake, signing off. END LOG PLAYBACK LOAD NEXT LOG?: YES/NO Author's Note It's back ladies and gents. I know that when I first released Aces in Exile, I was fairly new to writing and thus it was quite bad. But now that I've had some practice, my account's launching story is back and it's going to be better than ever! More will be uploaded as soon as possible, but until then, I'll see you among the stars! Chapter One: Deployment"Admiral Lindrake Sir! Supply loading has almost been completed, and the last stragglers of the crew are boarding as we speak." Reported the young second in command as Artemis stepped onto the command bridge. "Very good, thank you Commander Bradich." He responded as they both saluted. "Comms, patch me through to the rest of the ship." He ordered a young Lieutenant. "Aye sir, patching you into the PA system now." He responded as he operated his console. Throughout the ship, a tone rang, gaining the crew's attention for the announcement. "Attention all hands, this is Admiral Artemis Lindrake. As all of you know, this is to be the maiden tour of our fine vessel. Some of the greatest minds in the entire Federation have worked on every single one of its components. I believe that you all understand what's at stake. This is the highest investment the Navy and the Federation council has made in its history. As such, the eyes of the council, and all of the admiralty are upon us this day." Artemis looked upon the face of every single person on his command bridge, before looking out the window into the depths of space and the view of the earth from the Lunar dry docks. "Make every one of them as proud of you, as I know you shall make me, that is all." "Name and rank please." Asked the hologram at the automated terminal in front of the pilot. "Alzack Roberts, First Lieutenant, serial number: 2870BT735" He answered it as he set his bag on the floor next to himself. "Recognized, Welcome Lieutenant Roberts, how may I assist you?" The program responded. "Directions to my quarters from current location." Alzack clarified as he cracked his neck. A map with a line in red from where the terminal was that lead in the right direction replaced the normal face hologram. "Please take the hallway to your left for exactly one hundred and two meters, then make a right turn at hallway C85, assigned quarters is room 18 on the left side." It answered before the holographic face re-appeared. "Do you require anything else?" The terminal asked. "No, that will be all." Alzack answered as he picked his bag back up and began walking to his quarters just as announcement from the Admiral came over the ship's speakers. Finally finding his way, he opened the door to the quarters he would be sharing with the three other members of his flight, just in time to see his number two pinning the second wing's leader on the ground, while the number four and newest of the flight watched from his bunk,thus ending what could have only been another one of their little sparring matches. "Having some fun there Lynne?" Alzack asked with a smirk. "Maybe you'd like me and Nathan to give you and Daniel some alone time?" He joked, causing Nathan to snicker as the other two scrambled to their feet and saluted their leader. "Not at all sir! Just keeping my record going." Lynne responded with a prideful smile on her face. Daniel on the other hand just chuckled with a small smirk on his face. "Almost had her that time sir." He told Zack. "I'm sure you did Dan, but you guys better stop messing around, lift off is soon so get your gear stowed and secured before someone decides to have a pre-flight inspection." He told them all. "Sir yes sir!" They responded in chorus as they all quickly unpacked their bags into their bunk storage. "MARINES, ATEN-HUT!" Shouted the Gunnery Sargent as Marcus entered the last of the marine bunk rooms on his inspection route. Every single man and woman in the room stood at rigid attention in front of their bunk, waiting on the Major's orders. Slowly, the Major and his Gunnery Sargent walked along the rows, inspecting them and the soldiers standing before them, and just like with every single room before, every last inch had been scrubbed clean and every bunk was made with the precision of a well oiled machine. As the pair made their way back to the bunk room's entrance, both turned back to face the marines. "As you were." Marcus finally said as they both turned and left the room. Commander Melissa approached the Admiral and quickly gave a sharp salute. "Sir! The last of the cargo has been secured and all personnel have been logged as aboard." She reported. "Excellent, begin pre-launch checks." Artemis ordered as he signed the last of the documents on his personal tablet. "Aye sir!" Melissa confirmed as she began issuing orders to the rest of the command staff, all of them working their terminals to complete them in timely order. "Retract boarding ramps and seal all external airlocks" "Ramps retracted and locked, airlocks sealed and pressurized" Responded an officer. "Begin Tachyon drive core checks and power up main reactors for sub-light engines." "All checks show green, reactor output at fifty percent." Replied one of the helmsmen. "System checks on all missile launchers and point defense weapons." "Offensive and defensive armaments showing green on all checks." Answered one of the weapons system operators. "Check navigation and IFF systems." "Navigation computer and IFF transponder systems show green." Responded the head navigator. Commander Melissa made a quick turn back to the Admiral. "Checks complete, ready for launch sir." She reported. "Very good, helmsmen, begin detachment procedure and take us out." Artemis ordered. "Aye Admiral." Responded the lead helmsman. "Lunar control, this is UCFS Flame of Hope, designation CVX-235, requesting launch permission, over." The helmsman spoke over the comms link. "CVX-235, this is Lunar control, we hear you, stand by for docking grapple detachment, over." Responded the operator in the control tower. "CVX-235, magnetic locks detached, launch window is 338 by 48, you are cleared, Lunar control out." Came the operator's call as the magnetic grapples detached from the hull of the Flame. "Roger, 338 by 48, confirmed, CVX-235 out." The helmsman responded as the ship slowly began to pull out and lift away from the moon's surface. "Sir! We are away and clear." "Good work, navigation, enter assigned co-ordinates and begin jump procedures." Artemis ordered as he stood up from his chair and approached the observation window at the front of the bridge. "Aye sir, co-ordinates locked in to navigation computer, FTL drive is primed and ready." Responded Head Navigator Webley answered, as he entered the information into his terminal. "Execute jump." The Admiral ordered. "Aye sir, jumping." The navigator responded as the conformation was entered into the console and the ship disappeared in a flash of white light. Author's Note Chapter one is finished. Next up, Chapter Two: First combat Stay tuned for that! And as always, I'll see you among the stars! Chapter Two: First combatSince their arrival at the assigned patrol sector, the crew of the Flame had been running through a list of drills to test both theirs and the ship's performance. So far, according to the reports in front of the Admiral, they had been setting record times. "Coffee sir?" Asked Commander Bradich as she approached with two mugs of the hot brew and held one out to her superior. "Yes, thank you Commander." He replied as he stretched his neck and took the cup from her hand. After taking a small sip, Artemis sat the cup down and gave the rest of the reports a quick look over before signing them. "So how's it looking Admiral?" Melissa asked as she took her seat nearby, sipping her own coffee before sitting it down. "Quite well, the only way the crew could be working faster would be if they were all robots." He said with a small chuckle. Picking his coffee up and taking another sip, Artemis looked over at Melissa. "Did you by chance make this coffee yourself Commander?" He asked. "Yes sir, why? Is there something wrong with it?" Commander Bradich asked. "Quite the opposite in fact, this is by far the best coffee I've had the pleasure of being served aboard all of the vessel's I've commanded." Admiral Lindrake complimented, then took a larger sip. "Oh, well thank you sir." Melissa said with a smile. "Sir, I think I'm getting something." Reported the communications officer. "Report." The admiral ordered as he fixed his attention on him. "Picking up a distress signal sir, sounds like it's not too far away." He informed him. "Let me hear it." Artemis instructed. "Aye aye, patching it through now." The officer worked his terminal until the signal was being played throughout the bridge. "Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is the King's Maiden of convoy A7352, we are under attack! Raider warships have destroyed our escort and disabled one cargo ship, requesting immediate assistance from any UCF forces! Oh god, they're coming back around! EVADE! EVA------" There was nothing but static after that. "Get a fix on that beacon's last known location and order all hands to general quarters!" Admiral Lindrake ordered. "Aye sir!" Responded the comms officer as he worked the controls of his terminal. "All hands, general quarters, general quarters, this is not a drill!" With the push of another button on the officer's panel, alarms began to play throughout the ship. "All hands, general quarters, general quarters, this is not a drill!" Everyone heard the officer announce over the ship's PA system, quickly followed by the general quarters alarm. "Move move move! Get your flight suits on!" Shouted Zack as he and his flight abandoned their card game and quickly started getting into their combat flight suits as further orders were relayed over the PA. "All combat and flight personnel are to report to briefing rooms immediately, all gunners are to report to your stations and prepare for combat." "Alright, everybody ready?" Alzack asked as he grabbed his suit helmet. "Good to go sir!" The others responded as the all quickly made their way out of the room and to the briefing room down the hall. "Attention! officer on deck!" Shouted the marine guard posted by the door as Marcus and is Sargent, Adrian Williams, entered the room. The hushed conversations quickly ended, every marine in the room snapped to attention and saluted the Major faster than anyone could blink. "At ease, all of you." Marcus ordered as he stood in front of them. All of them quietly sat back down and focused their attention on their commanding officer. "Here's what's going on, we've got a convoy under attack by raiders, their escort's down and a cargo ship's disabled, presumable they've already been boarded. So we get to go play hero." Major Reid informed them, many of the marines cheered at the promise of getting to see some action. "Alright, settle down." He instructed them. "Now, we're sending three teams in, two marine squads and a team of engineers to get the ship running again. But, there's going to be no time to mess around, the navigation boys have informed us that there's a decaying star in the area, so we have to get in, get it done, and get out fast, or else we're all dust." Looking over the faces in the room, Marcus let that fact sink in. "Bradley, Kennith, since your two squads have the fastest boarding times, you've both been selected to escort the engineers and retake the ship, get prepped and report to the drop ships, we FTL in five minutes. Good luck." Major Reid and Sargent Williams saluted everyone in the room as they all stood up and made their way out. "Anything good?" Asked one of the masked men. "Oh yeah, got food, water, shit, even got some mining equipment that we can sell for a damn fine price, along with the ransom we can get for the crew." Answered the other "Fuck yeah! I knew this was gonna make us rich!" The first cheered. From down one of the halls came the sound of boots running on metal grates as a third masked gunman entered the cargo hold. "Boss! We got trouble, scanner's picking up a jump signature, and it's big!" He informed the others. "Shit, nobody was supposed to get here this fast!" Shouted the first. (optional battle music - cry thunder by dragonforce) "Exiting jump in, three, two, one, jump cleared." Informed the Head Navigator as the Flame exited FTL near the beacon's last known location. "Scramble fighters and have the drop ships prepared for launch." Ordered Commander Bradich. "Aye ma'am." The flight control officer acknowledged as she worked. "All Dagger flights, scramble now, drop ships prepare for launch as soon as all clear is given." She ordered. "Roger, all flights, ready for launch in five." Ordered Captain Sheather as the engines of every Mark three Dagger fighter on the platform roared to life. Quickly the launch elevators brought the fighters to one of the two internal runways. "Launch!" He ordered as multiple fighter craft raced along the runways on the left and right of the ship, launching into space to engage the enemy. "Alright ladies and gents, form up into your flights and focus on the little guys, the Flame can handle the bigger ones. Engage at will!" Blake ordered as he locked onto a raider fighter and launched a missile, opening the swirling dogfight as both sides mixed in and picked their targets. "All Dagger flights have been engaged sir!" Reported the flight controller. "Very well, what are we looking at for the enemy main force?" Artemis asked as he looked over the monitoring screen for the battle that displayed the various friendly and enemy flights, along with the larger ships. "Readouts show one light carrier escorted by one destroyer class and one light cruiser class to our starboard bow." Reported Melissa as she highlighted the targets. "Lock onto the cruiser and prep missile tubes five to eight, load standard anti-ship ordinance, tell the gunners to focus the starboard one hundred millimeter guns on the destroyer, load armor piercing ammunition and fire at will." Admiral Lindrake ordered the weapons directors. "Aye sir!" They responded as the Admirals orders were hastily conveyed. Soon, the right side of the Flame of Hope lit up as the one hundred millimeter batteries concentrated their fire on the small vessel before them. Their fire was soon followed by four ports opening, revealing four quad-tube missile launchers. The tubes soon lit up as well, as a salvo of sixteen harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles left the tubes, and arced their way towards the light cruiser. It's point defense guns were able to destroy half a dozen of them, but ten of the deadly warheads still managed to impact along it's hull, ripping the doomed ship apart. Just like it's larger ally, the small destroyer couldn't hold out for long under the volume of fire from the carrier's heavy flak guns, and was soon reduced to a hole filled wreck. Detonations from the destroyer's ammunition magazine caused by fires from the barrage, ripped the raider ship in two, leaving only the light carrier undamaged. "Watch your six Hammer, you've got one trying to line you up." Alzack informed Daniel when he spotted the enemy as he engaged a target of his own. "I see him Backlash" Dan answered as he jinked left and right to keep the raider from getting a lock on. "you going to do something about this guy Bulldog?" Daniel radioed to Nathan. "Roger, I got him, dive hard on my mark Hammer." Nathan confirmed as he lined up behind the enemy fighter while his attention was fixed on Daniel. "Hammer, mark!" Nathaniel called. Dan quickly rolled his Dagger inverted and pulled as hard as he could on the control stick, leaving Nathan with a clear shot, and a strong lock on tone. "Blue four, fox two!" Nathan called his shot as his missile bay opened and the telltale white streak shot towards the raider craft quickly, leaving only a quickly extinguished fireball and wreckage as it impacted. "Hammer, your six is clear." "Nice shot Bulldog, I owe you a beer when we get back aboard. Dan said cheerfully as the pair formed back up and looked for their next target. "All flights, looks like they're pulling back to the carrier, make sure the airspace is clear for the drop ship." Captain Blake ordered and waited as the flight leaders confirmed. "Flame actual, this is Deuce, airspace is clear, send the troopers, over." "Roger that, drop ship is on the way." The flight control officer responded. "Headhunter, prepare for launch." "Headhunter here, all troopers and crew secure, ready for drop." Responded the drop ship pilot. "Opening lower launch bay one, releasing in three, two, one, mark!" The controller counted down as a hatch opened on the bottom of the flame and the drop ship fell into the void of space, then made it's way to the disabled merchant ship. "Umm sir? I'm getting some weird readings from the drive core." Reported a technician as the ship's Head Engineer, Roman Landon made his way over and studied the screen. "Hmm, strange." He thought out loud as he worked the terminal to bring up more information on the strange energy fluctuations that the core was emitting. "I don't like this, these fluctuations are within the safety limit for a drive core, but I'm not quite sure what could be causing them... I need to inform the Admiral, report to me immediately if anything changes." Roman ordered as he made his way to the comms terminal. "Docking in five seconds. Three, two, one, contact! Magnetic clamps secured, hard seal established with hatch." Reported the pilot to the marines and engineers in the drop ship's hold. "Copy, overriding door controls.... We're in!" Reported one of the engineers as he hacked the merchant's outer airlock. "Breach and clear, go go go!" Bradley ordered as the two marine squads entered the ship. "Clear!" "Clear!" "Alright, Kennith, I want you to take your squad to secure the bridge and the crew, we'll escort the engineers to the engine room and see about getting the FTL online." Bradley ordered. "Roger that sir, Bravo squad, move out, eyes open." Ken replied as he and his squad moved towards the front of the ship, meanwhile Bradley's squad, along with the engineers moved towards the rear. As Kennith and Bravo squad cautiously moved towards the front of the ship, they encountered very little resistance and were able to take out the few raiders left behind to guard the crew easily and escort them to the bridge. Meanwhile, Bradley and Alpha squad were able to quickly reach the engine room without too much trouble, though when they arrived, the engineers discovered that repairs on the FTL drive would take a little time. As the last of the enemy's fighters landed aboard the light carrier, Admiral Lindrake ordered them to be allowed to flee. "We can't pursue them and protect the convoy at the same time, let them go." He ordered as the smaller ship jumped away. "Recall the fighters and get me a status report on the boarding party." "Sir, Head Engineer Roman Landon has requested to speak with you." The communications officer informed him. "Patch him through." Artemis requested as he took his place in his command chair. "Putting him through to you now sir." Replied the officer. "Admiral sir, I need to speak to you about the Tachyon drive." Roman informed Lindrake as his face appeared on the monitor in front of the Admiral. "What seems to be the problem Landon?" He inquired. "We're getting energy fluctuations sir, they're still inside the safety parameters, but they seem to be increasing." Roman reported as he displayed the data for Artemis to see as well. "I see, any idea what might be causing it?" Artemis asked. "We're not sure yet sir, but we're looking into it right this moment." Landon answered. "Good, let me know as soon as you find something." Lindrake ordered. "Aye sir!" Roman confirmed before cutting off the communication line. "Hey guys, not to rush you, but the Admiral wants a report on how long it's going to be before the drive is operational." Bradley asked the engineers. "Hmm.... Ten, maybe fifteen minutes? A few of the circuits need to be bypassed and she'll be good for at least one more jump, that's the best we can do for these guys without tearing this old thing out and dropping in a new one." Replied the engineer in charge. "Alright I'll let him know." Bradley replied as he hailed the Flame of Hope. "Oh that's not good. Sir! You're going to want to see this!" Called the technician monitoring the FTL drive aboard the Flame. "What have you got?" Roman asked as he moved up next to him. "I did a complete diagnostic scan and managed to trace the origin of the energy fluctuations, it's the star sir. The drive is collecting energy runoff from it as it decays, and it's starting to build up more rapidly. If this keeps up, the drive core's going to overload!" The tech informed his superior while displaying a readout that matched the slowly climbing energy fluctuations in the drive next to a readout of the energy being released by the star. "By the lords above..." Roman stared at the readings, then as quick as he could, sprinted back to the communications terminal. "Done, this old girl's ready to go." Informed the engineer as they and the marines began leaving the engine room. "Alright, good work boys." Bradley congratulated them, then keyed into Bravo squad's frequency. "Bravo, this is Alpha, we're done back here, meet back at the drop ship and lets get out of here." Bradley ordered the other squad. "Roger that Alpha, Bravo is on route, over." Ken replied. "Sir, we have a serious problem!" Roman nearly shouted at the Admiral. "What's going on Landon?" Artemis asked. "It's the star sir! It's basically force feeding the Tachyon drive energy, and it's building up more rapidly than we can drain it away. If this keeps up, the drive core's going to overload. We need to get out of here immediately!" Roman explained to Admiral Lindrake. "Sir! It's accelerating! The star's going to blow any minute!" Artemis could hear the technician shout from off screen. "GET THE BOARDING PARTY BACK HERE NOW! AND GET THAT CONVOY OUT OF HERE!" Artemis shouted as alarms began to sound. "Aye sir! Boarding party, this is Flame actual, we have an emergency, RTB immediately! The star's going to blow! Convoy A7352, commence immediate jump!" The comms officer frantically gave the Admiral's orders. "This is Headhunter, we're away, returning at full speed!" The drop ship answered. As soon as they were at the minimum safe distance from the boarding party, every ship in the convoy initiated an immediate emergency jump, the last one disappearing in a flash of light just as the drop ship entered the Flame of Hope's runway. "We're aboard! Everyone hold onto something!" The pilot quickly reported. "Emergency jump now!" Ordered the Admiral. "Sir, We don't have a destination programmed into the nav computer! And with this much energy build up in the drive, we could end up anywhere!" Head Navigator Martin Webley reported. "Anywhere's better than here! JUMP!" Artemis shouted his orders. "Aye sir! Jumping!" He replied as an override was entered into the computer. "All hands! Brace for emergency jump!" The comms officer relayed throughout the ship. Seconds later, there were two bright flashes of light, one was the Flame of Hope, the other was the supernova letting loose it's fury. Author's Note Chapter two finished, with over 3000 words! Making this the longest chapter I've written for any of my published stories! I hope you like it so far, and as always, I'll see you among the stars! Chapter Three: Falling starsIt was a beautiful and peaceful night once more, Luna's stars shined brightly as she and her sister Celestia gazed upon the night princess' work. Both sisters had managed to finish their work early, so that they could spend time together as they used to many lifetimes ago. "Your work is as magnificent as always little sister." Celestia complimented. "Thank you Tia, it truly means a great deal to hear you speak those words." Luna said as they smiled at one another. Out of the corner of her eye, Celestia spotted a twinkling of light among the heavens. Turning her head to gaze in it's direction, she spotted a new twinkling light in the sky. "Making some new stars Lu Lu?" She asked. "What do you mean sister?" Luna asked as she raised her brow. Her older sister pointed her hoof in the direction of the new denizen of her sister's night. "There, don't tell me you're creating stars without even looking now." Celestia giggled lightly. Luna looked to where Celestia was pointing and examined the new light in the sky. "Strange, t'is not my doing dear sister." Luna told her older sibling. Both of them examined it more closely. It almost appeared to be growing larger. No, not larger. It was getting closer. "Luna?" Was all Celestia could ask as the object kept getting closer. "Sister, I do believe that is no star!" Luna exclaimed with wide eyes as it got dangerously close. Both sisters focused their magic, creating a shield around themselves and expanding it to cover all of Canterlot. Though it seemed that this was not necessary, for at the last moment, the falling object changed it's course and veered away from the mountain top city. Instead, it fell to the ground in the forest near the base, ripping through trees as it did so. Eventually, it came to a stop, and all that the sister's could see in it's direction through the shield they had created, was the massive dust cloud. For a few moments afterwards, all the two rulers did was stare at where the object had landed and think about what just happened. As they looked at each other, Celestia and Luna snapped out of their trance. "GUARDS!" Rewind: Above the planet "Exiting FTL now!" Head Navigator, Martin Webley Announced as the ship shook violently. "Damage report!" Artemis ordered immediately. "Sir! We have fires on multiple decks, damage control teams are being routed to respond immediately." Responded one officer. "Tachyon drive core has commenced emergency shutdown, multiple system overloads reported." Answered another. "Sir!" Called the Helmsman, gaining the Admiral's attention. "Sub light engine reactor is loosing power and we appear to be caught in the gravity field of a nearby planet. We don't have enough power left to establish an orbit, we're going down!" He informed Admiral Lindrake. "Do we have enough to soften our landing?" Artemis asked. "Yes sir, just barely." He answered. "Do what you can, comms, have all crew brace for landing and launch an SOS buoy, then broadcast a mayday." Lindrake told them. "Aye sir." Both responded. "All hands, we are going down, brace for rough landing." The comms officer announced over the PA, then worked his controls to launch an SOS beacon while there was still time for it to establish an orbit. "Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is UCFS Flame of Hope CVX-235, we have sustained damage and are going down. Repeat, this is UCFS Flame of Hope CVX-235, we are going down!" As the ship finished it's entry into the planet's atmosphere, warnings began to sound throughout the bridge. "Deploy the air brakes!" Ordered the Head Helmsman as he and his partner worked their controls furiously to keep the ship under control "Mountain!" Called the other helmsman as an impact alert was displayed on one of his monitors. "Divert maximum power to the bottom maneuver thrusters and turn hard to starboard!" Shouted his superior. As they swerved to avoid the mountain, the bridge crew saw what appeared to be a shimmering golden and blue bubble covering the top of the mountain they had just avoided. Though their attention was quickly drawn away from it as a low altitude warning sounded. "We're coming in hard! BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Twilight and Spike watched on from her balcony at the Palace of Friendship, as the mysterious object narrowly avoided the shield over Canterlot and impacted the ground somewhere on the other side of the mountain. "Twilight, what was that?" Spike asked as he looked up to the Princess of Friendship. "I don't know Spike, but I intend to find out." She answered him as she walked back into her study. Author's Note Chapter three folks! Looks like things are starting to get interesting so stick around for the next chapter! When do I get to throw the party? Soon Pinks, soon. Now get off my laptop. Aww, but look at all the buttons! Ohh! What does this one do? NO! DON'T TOUCH THAT! AHHHHHHHHHHHH~ AHHHHHHHHHHH~ WHY DO YOU HAVE ALL OF THIS IN YOUR BROWSER HISTORY?!? I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH IT! WHY ARE THERE PICTURES OF ME?!? AHHHHH~ I'LL SEE YOU AMONG THE STARS! AHHHHHHH~ Chapter Four: Damage control"Move it! Get that fire out!" Shouted one of the officers in charge of damage control. "We got wounded in here!" Shouted another as a doorway was pried open. "Get them to medical quickly!" Ordered his superior as he directed rescue teams. "More over here!" Called another. It was total chaos throughout the ship, as rescue and damage control teams worked tirelessly to fight the multiple fires that had sprang up throughout the ship because of the emergency jump, followed by the ships unplanned planetary reentry. Coupled with the many crew injured in those fires or suffering injuries from being tossed around from both times. On the bridge, the command crew was sifting through the piles of incoming reports to best direct efforts and have the ship's systems restored. "What's the situation with the wounded?" Asked Admiral Lindrake as he signed reports as fast as he could and directed crew members. "Sir, medical reports that we currently have one hundred and three injured, mostly fractures of varying degrees as well as multiple burn victims." Reported the comms officer. "And the dead?" Artemis asked the grim question. "We've lost 27 sir, one from a broken neck, seven from head trauma, nine from being crushed by improperly secured cargo and ten couldn't escape the flames. Eight of those consisting of two Dagger flights who's bunk rooms were completely engulfed. Though from the looks of some of the injured, that's going to increase soon." The officer concluded his report. "What about the boarding party in the starboard runway?" Artemis asked. "Unknown sir, the launch lifts are damaged so we can't get rescue teams to them currently, but we're working on that as fast as possible." Was the officer's answer. "Get it done, have them cut through the walls if necessary. I want everyone accounted for." The Admiral ordered. "Aye sir." "Are the guards ready Captain Valiant Heart?" Celestia asked the Captain of the Guard as she and Luna approached the pegasi pulled carriages. Each was loaded with a squad of the palace's best Royal Guards. "Just give the word your majesty." Valiant Heart answered as he bowed to the ruler of the day. "Good, My sister and I shall be accompanying you. We leave immediately." Princess Celestia ordered. As they boarded one of the carriages, there was a purple flash of light as Twilight Sparkle appeared nearby. "Princess! What's going on?" Asked the purple alicorn. Luna and Celestia looked at Twilight before looking to each other. "You know she'll follow if you don't tell her sister, we should just bring Twilight along." Luna told her sister. Celestia had to agree with her on this. "Very well, come along Twilight, we shall explain along the way." Celestia instructed as the carriage door was opened for her. Hesitating for a moment to think about it, Twilight quickly boarded the carriage along with the other two princess' "How's the drive core looking Roman?" Lindrake asked the Head Engineer. "Not good sir, too many of it's critical systems are fried. So unless we can get some new parts, we're not going anywhere." Roman Landon answered as he turned his attention away from his work and to the Admiral's image on the comm-link. "Damn it, I was afraid of that. Looks like we're going to have to wait for the UCF to send out a search." Artemis said as he took off his cap and rubbed his palm across his hair. "How about the sub-light engine reactor?" He asked. "That looks like something we'll be able to fix, though we may have to salvage a few parts from the drive core." Answered Roman. "Do it, like you said, it's not taking us anywhere." Artemis ordered. "Aye sir, I'll get on it immediately." Roman confirmed before ending the call. Admiral Lindrake took a deep breath to calm his nerves before putting his cap back on his head. "What's the status of our other systems?" He inquired. "Sir, Navigation is down, but since our FTL is also out of commission, that's not too big of an issue. Fire control is still online and it looks like all defensive and offensive batteries are reporting green. Luckily we had them all retracted before we jumped so they didn't suffer any damage. Our sensor array's are currently rebooting and should be online shortly and damage crews have managed to get the runway lifts working again. Rescue teams are currently at the boarding party's drop ship now and it appears that they're all uninjured. Head Hunter engaged his magnetic locks upon touchdown so they were secured for the entire trip." Commander Bradich reported to the Admiral. "Good, have a commendation drawn up for his quick thinking Commander." Lindrake sighed as some good news was finally starting to come in for a change. "Aye sir, I'll have it ready for you to sign by the end of the day." Melissa saluted. "Sensor array's are back online sir!" Called out one of the officers. "Wait... That can't be right..." "What is it?" The Admiral asked. "One moment sir, running a quick system diagnostic. It's probably just some inter....." He began but suddenly stopped as the diagnostic came up clear. "CONTACTS! LOTS OF THEM! Bearing nine five by seven two! They're coming from the top of the mountain!" The officer reported frantically. Everyone on the bridge quickly remembered the shimmering bubble on the mountain top. "General quarters! Have all available gunners report to their stations immediately, but have them hold their fire until I give the order to do so!" Artemis ordered as alarms began to sound. "We have a possible first contact situation, so until we know what we're dealing with, I'd rather not start a war." "Aye sir!" Responded the comms officer. "All hands, general quarters, general quarters, this is not a drill! Multiple unknown contacts inbound, all available gunners are to report to your stations immediately and await further orders!" As the carriages drew closer to the object, the princess' and their guards were able to make out more details. Rising up around the middle appeared to be some sort of structure with what appeared to be wide tinted windows wrapping around the top. Atop of that were many thin spires, all clustered together. The main structure of the object was wide and long, looking much like a rectangular hexagon. Celestia ordered the carriages to circle it so they could get a better look. As they circled around it, they could see what appeared to be two large openings just above the midway point between the top and bottom of the main structure, set off to the sides of the front and back. "Sister, if I did not know better, I would think this to be some sort of airship." Luna commented. Once they had finished inspecting it from altitude, Celestia ordered the guards to set down near the object so they may inspect it on hoof. Though as they drew closer, hidden ports all along the top of the object began opening, and what appeared to be cannons were raised up through them. Each and every one was quickly pointed directly at the carriage formation. As her eyes widened, Twilight slightly turned her head to Luna. "I think you might be right princess." "Pull back!" Celestia ordered the pegasi pulling the carriages. "Sir! All gun crews are deployed and are now tracking the unknown targets, but some of them are giving some strange reports." One of the fire control directors informed the Admiral. "What kind of reports?" Artemis asked as he faced the director. "One moment sir, mount eighteen is sending us a live feed from his gun camera." Reported the officer as the video image was displayed on the main monitor. What it showed brought silence throughout the entire command bridge. "Can someone tell me exactly what I'm looking at here?" Artemis asked as he pulled his officer's cap from his head. "Sir, it appears to be a bunch of flying ponies." Responded Commander Bradich. Author's Note Chapter four folks! Hope you're enjoying it so far, because I know I am. As always, I'll see you among the stars! Chapter Five: One small step for man"Surveillance three, report." Ordered the Commander to one of the observation sniper teams posted along the hull of the ship. "Three one here, subjects have made base camp approximately five hundred mikes from the ship and have set up a perimeter. As of yet, no hostile intentions have been made apparent. Seems that they're just observing us to see what we do, over." Reported the sharpshooter's observer. "Copy that three one, notify the bridge if situation changes, out." Melissa responded before ending the transmission. "So, it appears that we're out of the fire for now." Artemis lamented as he watched the horizon, the early morning sun slowly beginning to rise into the sky. "Have the gun crews stand down, but be ready if the situation escalates." He ordered before turning back to look over a tactical map of the area. "Aye aye sir." The comms officer saluted and set to work relaying the Admiral's orders. "What's the status of the sub light engine repairs?" Lindrake asked. "Sir, Head engineer Landon reports that we should have full power back within the hour." Commander Melissa informed him. "Good, now then, to the most pressing issue. How do we approach the natives?" Artemis inquired as he zoomed the 3D map in on the alien's campsite. "Well sir, according to surveillance, their tech is either extremely advanced, yet looks like it belongs in the middle ages since their "Carriages" appear to be able to achieve flight with minimal effort, coupled with what might be implants of some sort among two thirds of their force allowing them to do extraordinary feats that our science can't even grasp yet." Commander Bradich explained before taking a pause. "Or..." "Or what Commander?" The Admiral asked as he looked into her eyes. "The current rumored alternative among the crew, is magic sir." Bradich said with the straightest face she could manage. "Well there is an old saying that magic is just another form of science and vice versa" The Admiral said before letting out a deep sigh. "One way or another, someone's going to have to go out there and play ambassador, before one side gets the wrong idea and we end up in an interstellar war." Artemis said, then took his hat off and ran his hand through his grey hair. "Have the marines report to briefing room one, volunteer only assignment for an escort team and an extraction team should things go wrong." Admiral Lindrake ordered as he made his way off the bridge. "Yes sir, but who's going to be the ambassador?" Commander Melissa asked as she saluted. Artemis just chuckled as he stepped onto the elevator. "Me, Commander. You have the bridge." He informed her as the doors slid closed. "ATTENTION! OFFICER ON DECK!" Shouted the door guard as every marine in the room rose to attention and saluted the Admiral. "At ease ladies and gentlemen." Artemis addressed them as he approached the briefing podium at the front, turning and looking over the faces of all those who volunteered for the assignment. "Good morning everyone. You all know why you're here so I shall get straight to the point." The Admiral began as the screen behind him turned on, showing images captured by the gun cameras of the various anti-aircraft batteries. "As you all should be aware by now, the planet that we have made landfall on is clearly inhabited by sentient life." Giving them time to study the various images, Lindrake then got their attention again with a cough. "This is to be humanity's first contact with other sentient life, and in the absence of any higher authority, as the senior most officer aboard, I shall be the acting ambassador." Murmurs from the troops followed his announcement. Those being quickly cut off as he raised his hand. "Since it is unknown what their intentions and technology level are, I am requesting two teams of volunteers, one to act as a small escort, and the other as an emergency extraction team should negotiations break down. The escort will consist of four and the rest are to be on the extraction team. All of those who are willing, step forward." Without hesitation from any of them, every marine in the room stepped forward and saluted. Admiral Lindrake nodded in approval. "Very well, Major, you will head the escort team with three others of your choosing, light load out. everyone else will be under the command of Senior Sargent Williams, full combat load. Gear up and report to your stations, dismissed!" "Ooh rah!" "Anything new to report Captain Valiant?" Celestia asked the guard Captain. "No your majesty, not since the airship stowed it's weapons." He reported. "What doth you suppose the outsiders might be planning sister?" Luna asked as she looked over pictures and drawings from scout teams. "I'm not sure Luna, but I suspect we will find out soon." Celestia replied, then turned back to Valiant Heart. "Captain, how soon will the other element bearers arrive?" She asked him. "They will be here any minute princess." The Captain answered. The sounds of galloping could soon be heard from outside the tent, followed by a panting lightly armored soldier entering and bowing to the princesses and saluting the Captain. "Your majesties! Sir! There is movement from the airship, what appears to be a boarding ramp was lowered and five individuals have exited. They're heading this way as we speak." He informed them, then stood at attention. "Five? Did you see what they looked like private?" The Captain of the guard questioned. "Yes sir! From the distance I spotted them, they appeared to be tall and bipedal. One appeared to be wearing a dark blue dress uniform, though I'm not sure what the others were in. Although I saw what looked like helmets, so battle armor of some sort I would suspect." The scout informed them. "Thank you private, that will be all." Celestia addressed him. "Yes princess!" With another bow, the scout exited the tent to resume his post. "Captain, have the guard allow our visitors passage. It would appear that they are taking the diplomatic approach." Celestia ordered him. "Yes my princess, by your orders." Captain Valiant replied with a bow, then quickly exited. "Twilight." Celestia addressed her student. "Yes princess?" Twilight replied as she approached. "Go and meet with the other bearers and fill them in, then meet with us at the edge of the camp. We will have the meeting there." Princess Celestia instructed. "Of course princess." Twilight said with a smile before teleporting away. Taking a deep breath to clear her head, Celestia calmly waled to the flap of the tent. "Come sister, history awaits." Author's Note Chapter five folks! Let me know what you think. Next chapter will be out soon I hope. As always, I'll see you among the stars!
Crew list of the Flame: In memory of the lostCREW MANIFEST: UCFS FLAME OF HOPE: CVX-235 LOST TO THE VOID MAY WE ALWAYS REMEMBER THEM Admiral Artemis Lindrake (MIA) age: 65, born: 2812, short grey hair, average build, serial: 2831HO152 Long serving commander of the UCF navy, with multiple combat commands to his name. Most recently commanded the battleship UCFS Steel Sky: BB-445 during the Vindictum uprising of 2860, in which he and his crew valiantly protected civilian transports from rebel warships as they evacuated to friendly space. Chosen to command UCFS Flame of Hope because of his outstanding record and endorsement from the Admiralty. Commander Melissa Bradich (MIA) age 25, born: 2852, medium length blonde hair, lean build, serial: 2870AG339 Newly graduated from Officer Training School (OTC) on Mars. Though not a combat veteran, Melissa has shown great leadership skills, as well as top scores in marksmanship. High recommendations from training staff and endorsements from the Admiralty lead to her assignment aboard the UCFS Flame of Hope. Head Navigator Martin Webley (MIA) age: 60, born: 2817, medium grey hair, average build, serial: 2839SP050 Martin has been around star ships all of his life, born aboard a merchant vessel and never having made a permanent home on any of the planets in UCF space. At the age of 22, Martin enlisted in the Navy and served aboard the heavy cruiser UCFS Shield of Dusk CA-302. During the invasion of the pirate held world of Agamor in 2846, Martin was part of the UCFS Shield of Dusk's navigation crew. When the ship sustained heavy damage and the Head Navigator was killed, Martin took action, quickly programming co-ordinates into the Nav computer and jumping the ship to safety. Thus saving the lives of all aboard. For his actions, Martin Webley was promoted to Head Navigator and awarded the Federation Medal of Valor. Major Marcus Reid (MIA) age: 48, born: 2829, bald, stocky build, serial: 2849LW991 A decorated combat veteran, served during the Vindictum uprising. Lead the assault to reclaim one of the planet's nuclear defense facilities from rebel forces. Has shown to be an expert in both close quarters combat and marksmanship. Promoted to Major after the conflict and later assigned as the head of the marine detachment serving aboard the UCFS Flame of Hope. Senior Sargent Adrian Williams (MIA) age: 55, born: 2822, crew cut grey hair, large stocky build, serial: 2840BA005 Decorated combat veteran with multiple tours, has served as second in command to Major Marcus Reid since assignment to his command after the Vindictum uprising of 2860. Entered training with the marines on his eighteenth birthday and since completion, has served on dozens of combat operations throughout known space. Wounded during the Vindictum uprising, his platoon was decimated as they defended a space port to ensure transports could complete civilian evacuations. If not for his heroic actions in continuing to fight, even after losing a significant amount of blood, many lives would have been lost. Captain Blake Sheather - callsign: Deuce (MIA) age: 27, born: 2850, short reddish brown hair, lean build, serial: 2868OW210 Squadron leader of the Fighting Fourteenth, Blake has a long family history as fighter pilots for the UCF since it's founding. Top of his class in training in both flight and hand to hand combat, with outstanding scores in marksmanship. He has personally hand picked every single pilot that makes up the Fourteenth, to make it the best squadron in the entire UCF. Lieutenant First Class Alzack Roberts - callsign: Backlash (MIA) age 25, born: 2852, short dark hair, average build, serial: 2870BT735 Graduated top of his class in Combat Flight School (CFS) and has served aboard the carrier UCFS Reign of Blood: CV-198 since receiving his flight wings, until he was re-assigned to the UCFS Dawn of Hope. Though he has yet to serve in combat, Alzack has proved to have a mastery of his machine that any combat pilot would aspire to and has been approached by the navy's aerobatics team, Delta Squadron on multiple occasions, but has turned them down to continue his current career. Lieutenant Second Class Lynne Keller - callsign: Valkyrie (MIA) age: 22, born: 2855, medium dark hair, lean build, serial: 2873KP509 Graduated with excellent grades in Combat Flight School (CFS) mainly in executing combat maneuvers, along with top marks in close quarters combat training. Assigned to the newly formed Fighting Fourteenth soon after graduation from flight school, Lynne has shown incredible dedication to the UCF navy and strives to be the best fighter pilot in her squadron. Lieutenant Second Class Daniel Ramone - callsign: Hammer (MIA) age: 24, born: 2853, short light brown hair, stocky build, serial: 2872GL085 Daniel has served alongside Lynne Keller for many years, being in the same flight for most of their careers, before both being assigned to the Fighting Fourteenth. As such, Daniel and Lynne have developed a friendly rivalry, making them regular sparring partners and occasionally leading to them competing during routine flight training. Though not as competent in hand to hand combat as Lynne or in maneuvering, Daniel has shown to be a much better marksman, both with his sidearm and in flight. This has resulted in a stalemate in the pair's rivalry. Lieutenant Junior Grade Nathaniel Bishop - callsign: Bulldog (MIA) age: 20, born: 2857, short red hair, lean build, serial: 2875AK629 Nathan graduated flight school with excellent marks and was assigned to the Fighting Fourteenth after graduation because of outstanding recommendations from instructor staff. Nathan's family has a long history of serving in the UCF navy and marine corps, his father and grandfather being veteran pilots. In training simulations, Nathan has shown a great tenacity when dogfighting, often latching onto opponents and sticking to them until he scores the kill, which has earned him his callsign. Chief Mechanic Jason Leblanc (MIA) age: 37, born: 2840, balding with light brown hair, average build, serial: 2861EJ691 During the Vindictum uprising, Jason was an apprentice mechanic working at an aircraft rental company near one of the planet's space ports. When the rebels launched their attack, Jason, along with numerous other ground crews at the space port, worked tirelessly to keep the evacuation craft moving, only boarding one himself once the marine force tasked with securing the area was forced to evacuate. Because of his efforts, Jason was awarded the Federation's highest civilian honor, the Federation star. After the uprising, Jason enlisted and because of his background in aircraft maintenance, along with his past valor, was among the first candidates chosen to serve aboard the UCFS Flame of Hope, upon it's construction. Head Engineer Roman Landon (MIA) age: 40, born: 2837, braided dark brown hair, stocky build, serial: 2859PR881 During the construction of the UCFS Flame of Hope, Roman Landon completely designed, and with the help of a hand picked team, built the experimental Tachyon drive core that was to be used as the ship's mode of faster than light travel. Tachyon drive cores have been used for some centuries of space travel now, but none have ever come close to the energy efficiency or jump range that Roman's has. Because of his extensive knowledge of it's systems, it was only natural that Roman be chosen to act as the head of engineering aboard the UCFS Flame of Hope upon it's completion. LOAD NEXT PAGE? YES/NO Author's Note A list of characters, along with some small backstory for future reference. Will be expanded in the future if more characters are to be added.
Prologue: Log entry OneVOICE COMMAND RECOGNIZED: BEGIN COMMANDER'S LOG PLAYBACK TIME STAMP OF RECORDING: 18:37 5/11/2877 This is Admiral Artemis Lindrake, first log entry aboard the newly commissioned carrier, UCFS Flame of Hope. Our first patrol mission is to begin within the next twenty four hours. A lot of research, time and credits have been sunk into building this vessel, and as such, many of the higher ups are keeping a close eye on both her, and the performance of the crew. Some of the greatest pilots, marines and sailors have been chosen for our maiden voyage, and if all goes well, then soon the Flame will become the flagship of an entirely new line of carriers. Needless to say, tensions are running high. The chosen men and women to serve aboard for the maiden tour are all people that any officer would be proud to have under their command. Included in that list is the newly formed Fighting fourteenth squadron, nicknamed the shooting stars. Every one of them is either an experienced combat pilot, or at the very least, the absolute top of their class. Next up is the drop ship squadron, the eighty seventh, also known as the Runners. Don't let the name fool you, every one of them is a hardened veteran of the Vindictum uprising of 2860. The marine detail are marines of the three hundred and fifth division. Their commanding officer aboard is one Major Marcus Reid, a highly decorated commanding officer who led the assault on then nuclear defense facility during the battle. My second in command, is to be one Commander Melissa Bradich. Though she's quite new out of officer's school, Melissa has shown an ability to handle any given situation under pressure and an efficiency that other commands could only dream of. I have every confidence in everyone under my command, and I know that they will make me, and everyone in the Federation proud. Admiral Artemis Lindrake, signing off. END LOG PLAYBACK LOAD NEXT LOG?: YES/NO Author's Note It's back ladies and gents. I know that when I first released Aces in Exile, I was fairly new to writing and thus it was quite bad. But now that I've had some practice, my account's launching story is back and it's going to be better than ever! More will be uploaded as soon as possible, but until then, I'll see you among the stars!
Chapter One: Deployment"Admiral Lindrake Sir! Supply loading has almost been completed, and the last stragglers of the crew are boarding as we speak." Reported the young second in command as Artemis stepped onto the command bridge. "Very good, thank you Commander Bradich." He responded as they both saluted. "Comms, patch me through to the rest of the ship." He ordered a young Lieutenant. "Aye sir, patching you into the PA system now." He responded as he operated his console. Throughout the ship, a tone rang, gaining the crew's attention for the announcement. "Attention all hands, this is Admiral Artemis Lindrake. As all of you know, this is to be the maiden tour of our fine vessel. Some of the greatest minds in the entire Federation have worked on every single one of its components. I believe that you all understand what's at stake. This is the highest investment the Navy and the Federation council has made in its history. As such, the eyes of the council, and all of the admiralty are upon us this day." Artemis looked upon the face of every single person on his command bridge, before looking out the window into the depths of space and the view of the earth from the Lunar dry docks. "Make every one of them as proud of you, as I know you shall make me, that is all." "Name and rank please." Asked the hologram at the automated terminal in front of the pilot. "Alzack Roberts, First Lieutenant, serial number: 2870BT735" He answered it as he set his bag on the floor next to himself. "Recognized, Welcome Lieutenant Roberts, how may I assist you?" The program responded. "Directions to my quarters from current location." Alzack clarified as he cracked his neck. A map with a line in red from where the terminal was that lead in the right direction replaced the normal face hologram. "Please take the hallway to your left for exactly one hundred and two meters, then make a right turn at hallway C85, assigned quarters is room 18 on the left side." It answered before the holographic face re-appeared. "Do you require anything else?" The terminal asked. "No, that will be all." Alzack answered as he picked his bag back up and began walking to his quarters just as announcement from the Admiral came over the ship's speakers. Finally finding his way, he opened the door to the quarters he would be sharing with the three other members of his flight, just in time to see his number two pinning the second wing's leader on the ground, while the number four and newest of the flight watched from his bunk,thus ending what could have only been another one of their little sparring matches. "Having some fun there Lynne?" Alzack asked with a smirk. "Maybe you'd like me and Nathan to give you and Daniel some alone time?" He joked, causing Nathan to snicker as the other two scrambled to their feet and saluted their leader. "Not at all sir! Just keeping my record going." Lynne responded with a prideful smile on her face. Daniel on the other hand just chuckled with a small smirk on his face. "Almost had her that time sir." He told Zack. "I'm sure you did Dan, but you guys better stop messing around, lift off is soon so get your gear stowed and secured before someone decides to have a pre-flight inspection." He told them all. "Sir yes sir!" They responded in chorus as they all quickly unpacked their bags into their bunk storage. "MARINES, ATEN-HUT!" Shouted the Gunnery Sargent as Marcus entered the last of the marine bunk rooms on his inspection route. Every single man and woman in the room stood at rigid attention in front of their bunk, waiting on the Major's orders. Slowly, the Major and his Gunnery Sargent walked along the rows, inspecting them and the soldiers standing before them, and just like with every single room before, every last inch had been scrubbed clean and every bunk was made with the precision of a well oiled machine. As the pair made their way back to the bunk room's entrance, both turned back to face the marines. "As you were." Marcus finally said as they both turned and left the room. Commander Melissa approached the Admiral and quickly gave a sharp salute. "Sir! The last of the cargo has been secured and all personnel have been logged as aboard." She reported. "Excellent, begin pre-launch checks." Artemis ordered as he signed the last of the documents on his personal tablet. "Aye sir!" Melissa confirmed as she began issuing orders to the rest of the command staff, all of them working their terminals to complete them in timely order. "Retract boarding ramps and seal all external airlocks" "Ramps retracted and locked, airlocks sealed and pressurized" Responded an officer. "Begin Tachyon drive core checks and power up main reactors for sub-light engines." "All checks show green, reactor output at fifty percent." Replied one of the helmsmen. "System checks on all missile launchers and point defense weapons." "Offensive and defensive armaments showing green on all checks." Answered one of the weapons system operators. "Check navigation and IFF systems." "Navigation computer and IFF transponder systems show green." Responded the head navigator. Commander Melissa made a quick turn back to the Admiral. "Checks complete, ready for launch sir." She reported. "Very good, helmsmen, begin detachment procedure and take us out." Artemis ordered. "Aye Admiral." Responded the lead helmsman. "Lunar control, this is UCFS Flame of Hope, designation CVX-235, requesting launch permission, over." The helmsman spoke over the comms link. "CVX-235, this is Lunar control, we hear you, stand by for docking grapple detachment, over." Responded the operator in the control tower. "CVX-235, magnetic locks detached, launch window is 338 by 48, you are cleared, Lunar control out." Came the operator's call as the magnetic grapples detached from the hull of the Flame. "Roger, 338 by 48, confirmed, CVX-235 out." The helmsman responded as the ship slowly began to pull out and lift away from the moon's surface. "Sir! We are away and clear." "Good work, navigation, enter assigned co-ordinates and begin jump procedures." Artemis ordered as he stood up from his chair and approached the observation window at the front of the bridge. "Aye sir, co-ordinates locked in to navigation computer, FTL drive is primed and ready." Responded Head Navigator Webley answered, as he entered the information into his terminal. "Execute jump." The Admiral ordered. "Aye sir, jumping." The navigator responded as the conformation was entered into the console and the ship disappeared in a flash of white light. Author's Note Chapter one is finished. Next up, Chapter Two: First combat Stay tuned for that! And as always, I'll see you among the stars!
Chapter Two: First combatSince their arrival at the assigned patrol sector, the crew of the Flame had been running through a list of drills to test both theirs and the ship's performance. So far, according to the reports in front of the Admiral, they had been setting record times. "Coffee sir?" Asked Commander Bradich as she approached with two mugs of the hot brew and held one out to her superior. "Yes, thank you Commander." He replied as he stretched his neck and took the cup from her hand. After taking a small sip, Artemis sat the cup down and gave the rest of the reports a quick look over before signing them. "So how's it looking Admiral?" Melissa asked as she took her seat nearby, sipping her own coffee before sitting it down. "Quite well, the only way the crew could be working faster would be if they were all robots." He said with a small chuckle. Picking his coffee up and taking another sip, Artemis looked over at Melissa. "Did you by chance make this coffee yourself Commander?" He asked. "Yes sir, why? Is there something wrong with it?" Commander Bradich asked. "Quite the opposite in fact, this is by far the best coffee I've had the pleasure of being served aboard all of the vessel's I've commanded." Admiral Lindrake complimented, then took a larger sip. "Oh, well thank you sir." Melissa said with a smile. "Sir, I think I'm getting something." Reported the communications officer. "Report." The admiral ordered as he fixed his attention on him. "Picking up a distress signal sir, sounds like it's not too far away." He informed him. "Let me hear it." Artemis instructed. "Aye aye, patching it through now." The officer worked his terminal until the signal was being played throughout the bridge. "Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is the King's Maiden of convoy A7352, we are under attack! Raider warships have destroyed our escort and disabled one cargo ship, requesting immediate assistance from any UCF forces! Oh god, they're coming back around! EVADE! EVA------" There was nothing but static after that. "Get a fix on that beacon's last known location and order all hands to general quarters!" Admiral Lindrake ordered. "Aye sir!" Responded the comms officer as he worked the controls of his terminal. "All hands, general quarters, general quarters, this is not a drill!" With the push of another button on the officer's panel, alarms began to play throughout the ship. "All hands, general quarters, general quarters, this is not a drill!" Everyone heard the officer announce over the ship's PA system, quickly followed by the general quarters alarm. "Move move move! Get your flight suits on!" Shouted Zack as he and his flight abandoned their card game and quickly started getting into their combat flight suits as further orders were relayed over the PA. "All combat and flight personnel are to report to briefing rooms immediately, all gunners are to report to your stations and prepare for combat." "Alright, everybody ready?" Alzack asked as he grabbed his suit helmet. "Good to go sir!" The others responded as the all quickly made their way out of the room and to the briefing room down the hall. "Attention! officer on deck!" Shouted the marine guard posted by the door as Marcus and is Sargent, Adrian Williams, entered the room. The hushed conversations quickly ended, every marine in the room snapped to attention and saluted the Major faster than anyone could blink. "At ease, all of you." Marcus ordered as he stood in front of them. All of them quietly sat back down and focused their attention on their commanding officer. "Here's what's going on, we've got a convoy under attack by raiders, their escort's down and a cargo ship's disabled, presumable they've already been boarded. So we get to go play hero." Major Reid informed them, many of the marines cheered at the promise of getting to see some action. "Alright, settle down." He instructed them. "Now, we're sending three teams in, two marine squads and a team of engineers to get the ship running again. But, there's going to be no time to mess around, the navigation boys have informed us that there's a decaying star in the area, so we have to get in, get it done, and get out fast, or else we're all dust." Looking over the faces in the room, Marcus let that fact sink in. "Bradley, Kennith, since your two squads have the fastest boarding times, you've both been selected to escort the engineers and retake the ship, get prepped and report to the drop ships, we FTL in five minutes. Good luck." Major Reid and Sargent Williams saluted everyone in the room as they all stood up and made their way out. "Anything good?" Asked one of the masked men. "Oh yeah, got food, water, shit, even got some mining equipment that we can sell for a damn fine price, along with the ransom we can get for the crew." Answered the other "Fuck yeah! I knew this was gonna make us rich!" The first cheered. From down one of the halls came the sound of boots running on metal grates as a third masked gunman entered the cargo hold. "Boss! We got trouble, scanner's picking up a jump signature, and it's big!" He informed the others. "Shit, nobody was supposed to get here this fast!" Shouted the first. (optional battle music - cry thunder by dragonforce) "Exiting jump in, three, two, one, jump cleared." Informed the Head Navigator as the Flame exited FTL near the beacon's last known location. "Scramble fighters and have the drop ships prepared for launch." Ordered Commander Bradich. "Aye ma'am." The flight control officer acknowledged as she worked. "All Dagger flights, scramble now, drop ships prepare for launch as soon as all clear is given." She ordered. "Roger, all flights, ready for launch in five." Ordered Captain Sheather as the engines of every Mark three Dagger fighter on the platform roared to life. Quickly the launch elevators brought the fighters to one of the two internal runways. "Launch!" He ordered as multiple fighter craft raced along the runways on the left and right of the ship, launching into space to engage the enemy. "Alright ladies and gents, form up into your flights and focus on the little guys, the Flame can handle the bigger ones. Engage at will!" Blake ordered as he locked onto a raider fighter and launched a missile, opening the swirling dogfight as both sides mixed in and picked their targets. "All Dagger flights have been engaged sir!" Reported the flight controller. "Very well, what are we looking at for the enemy main force?" Artemis asked as he looked over the monitoring screen for the battle that displayed the various friendly and enemy flights, along with the larger ships. "Readouts show one light carrier escorted by one destroyer class and one light cruiser class to our starboard bow." Reported Melissa as she highlighted the targets. "Lock onto the cruiser and prep missile tubes five to eight, load standard anti-ship ordinance, tell the gunners to focus the starboard one hundred millimeter guns on the destroyer, load armor piercing ammunition and fire at will." Admiral Lindrake ordered the weapons directors. "Aye sir!" They responded as the Admirals orders were hastily conveyed. Soon, the right side of the Flame of Hope lit up as the one hundred millimeter batteries concentrated their fire on the small vessel before them. Their fire was soon followed by four ports opening, revealing four quad-tube missile launchers. The tubes soon lit up as well, as a salvo of sixteen harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles left the tubes, and arced their way towards the light cruiser. It's point defense guns were able to destroy half a dozen of them, but ten of the deadly warheads still managed to impact along it's hull, ripping the doomed ship apart. Just like it's larger ally, the small destroyer couldn't hold out for long under the volume of fire from the carrier's heavy flak guns, and was soon reduced to a hole filled wreck. Detonations from the destroyer's ammunition magazine caused by fires from the barrage, ripped the raider ship in two, leaving only the light carrier undamaged. "Watch your six Hammer, you've got one trying to line you up." Alzack informed Daniel when he spotted the enemy as he engaged a target of his own. "I see him Backlash" Dan answered as he jinked left and right to keep the raider from getting a lock on. "you going to do something about this guy Bulldog?" Daniel radioed to Nathan. "Roger, I got him, dive hard on my mark Hammer." Nathan confirmed as he lined up behind the enemy fighter while his attention was fixed on Daniel. "Hammer, mark!" Nathaniel called. Dan quickly rolled his Dagger inverted and pulled as hard as he could on the control stick, leaving Nathan with a clear shot, and a strong lock on tone. "Blue four, fox two!" Nathan called his shot as his missile bay opened and the telltale white streak shot towards the raider craft quickly, leaving only a quickly extinguished fireball and wreckage as it impacted. "Hammer, your six is clear." "Nice shot Bulldog, I owe you a beer when we get back aboard. Dan said cheerfully as the pair formed back up and looked for their next target. "All flights, looks like they're pulling back to the carrier, make sure the airspace is clear for the drop ship." Captain Blake ordered and waited as the flight leaders confirmed. "Flame actual, this is Deuce, airspace is clear, send the troopers, over." "Roger that, drop ship is on the way." The flight control officer responded. "Headhunter, prepare for launch." "Headhunter here, all troopers and crew secure, ready for drop." Responded the drop ship pilot. "Opening lower launch bay one, releasing in three, two, one, mark!" The controller counted down as a hatch opened on the bottom of the flame and the drop ship fell into the void of space, then made it's way to the disabled merchant ship. "Umm sir? I'm getting some weird readings from the drive core." Reported a technician as the ship's Head Engineer, Roman Landon made his way over and studied the screen. "Hmm, strange." He thought out loud as he worked the terminal to bring up more information on the strange energy fluctuations that the core was emitting. "I don't like this, these fluctuations are within the safety limit for a drive core, but I'm not quite sure what could be causing them... I need to inform the Admiral, report to me immediately if anything changes." Roman ordered as he made his way to the comms terminal. "Docking in five seconds. Three, two, one, contact! Magnetic clamps secured, hard seal established with hatch." Reported the pilot to the marines and engineers in the drop ship's hold. "Copy, overriding door controls.... We're in!" Reported one of the engineers as he hacked the merchant's outer airlock. "Breach and clear, go go go!" Bradley ordered as the two marine squads entered the ship. "Clear!" "Clear!" "Alright, Kennith, I want you to take your squad to secure the bridge and the crew, we'll escort the engineers to the engine room and see about getting the FTL online." Bradley ordered. "Roger that sir, Bravo squad, move out, eyes open." Ken replied as he and his squad moved towards the front of the ship, meanwhile Bradley's squad, along with the engineers moved towards the rear. As Kennith and Bravo squad cautiously moved towards the front of the ship, they encountered very little resistance and were able to take out the few raiders left behind to guard the crew easily and escort them to the bridge. Meanwhile, Bradley and Alpha squad were able to quickly reach the engine room without too much trouble, though when they arrived, the engineers discovered that repairs on the FTL drive would take a little time. As the last of the enemy's fighters landed aboard the light carrier, Admiral Lindrake ordered them to be allowed to flee. "We can't pursue them and protect the convoy at the same time, let them go." He ordered as the smaller ship jumped away. "Recall the fighters and get me a status report on the boarding party." "Sir, Head Engineer Roman Landon has requested to speak with you." The communications officer informed him. "Patch him through." Artemis requested as he took his place in his command chair. "Putting him through to you now sir." Replied the officer. "Admiral sir, I need to speak to you about the Tachyon drive." Roman informed Lindrake as his face appeared on the monitor in front of the Admiral. "What seems to be the problem Landon?" He inquired. "We're getting energy fluctuations sir, they're still inside the safety parameters, but they seem to be increasing." Roman reported as he displayed the data for Artemis to see as well. "I see, any idea what might be causing it?" Artemis asked. "We're not sure yet sir, but we're looking into it right this moment." Landon answered. "Good, let me know as soon as you find something." Lindrake ordered. "Aye sir!" Roman confirmed before cutting off the communication line. "Hey guys, not to rush you, but the Admiral wants a report on how long it's going to be before the drive is operational." Bradley asked the engineers. "Hmm.... Ten, maybe fifteen minutes? A few of the circuits need to be bypassed and she'll be good for at least one more jump, that's the best we can do for these guys without tearing this old thing out and dropping in a new one." Replied the engineer in charge. "Alright I'll let him know." Bradley replied as he hailed the Flame of Hope. "Oh that's not good. Sir! You're going to want to see this!" Called the technician monitoring the FTL drive aboard the Flame. "What have you got?" Roman asked as he moved up next to him. "I did a complete diagnostic scan and managed to trace the origin of the energy fluctuations, it's the star sir. The drive is collecting energy runoff from it as it decays, and it's starting to build up more rapidly. If this keeps up, the drive core's going to overload!" The tech informed his superior while displaying a readout that matched the slowly climbing energy fluctuations in the drive next to a readout of the energy being released by the star. "By the lords above..." Roman stared at the readings, then as quick as he could, sprinted back to the communications terminal. "Done, this old girl's ready to go." Informed the engineer as they and the marines began leaving the engine room. "Alright, good work boys." Bradley congratulated them, then keyed into Bravo squad's frequency. "Bravo, this is Alpha, we're done back here, meet back at the drop ship and lets get out of here." Bradley ordered the other squad. "Roger that Alpha, Bravo is on route, over." Ken replied. "Sir, we have a serious problem!" Roman nearly shouted at the Admiral. "What's going on Landon?" Artemis asked. "It's the star sir! It's basically force feeding the Tachyon drive energy, and it's building up more rapidly than we can drain it away. If this keeps up, the drive core's going to overload. We need to get out of here immediately!" Roman explained to Admiral Lindrake. "Sir! It's accelerating! The star's going to blow any minute!" Artemis could hear the technician shout from off screen. "GET THE BOARDING PARTY BACK HERE NOW! AND GET THAT CONVOY OUT OF HERE!" Artemis shouted as alarms began to sound. "Aye sir! Boarding party, this is Flame actual, we have an emergency, RTB immediately! The star's going to blow! Convoy A7352, commence immediate jump!" The comms officer frantically gave the Admiral's orders. "This is Headhunter, we're away, returning at full speed!" The drop ship answered. As soon as they were at the minimum safe distance from the boarding party, every ship in the convoy initiated an immediate emergency jump, the last one disappearing in a flash of light just as the drop ship entered the Flame of Hope's runway. "We're aboard! Everyone hold onto something!" The pilot quickly reported. "Emergency jump now!" Ordered the Admiral. "Sir, We don't have a destination programmed into the nav computer! And with this much energy build up in the drive, we could end up anywhere!" Head Navigator Martin Webley reported. "Anywhere's better than here! JUMP!" Artemis shouted his orders. "Aye sir! Jumping!" He replied as an override was entered into the computer. "All hands! Brace for emergency jump!" The comms officer relayed throughout the ship. Seconds later, there were two bright flashes of light, one was the Flame of Hope, the other was the supernova letting loose it's fury. Author's Note Chapter two finished, with over 3000 words! Making this the longest chapter I've written for any of my published stories! I hope you like it so far, and as always, I'll see you among the stars!
Chapter Three: Falling starsIt was a beautiful and peaceful night once more, Luna's stars shined brightly as she and her sister Celestia gazed upon the night princess' work. Both sisters had managed to finish their work early, so that they could spend time together as they used to many lifetimes ago. "Your work is as magnificent as always little sister." Celestia complimented. "Thank you Tia, it truly means a great deal to hear you speak those words." Luna said as they smiled at one another. Out of the corner of her eye, Celestia spotted a twinkling of light among the heavens. Turning her head to gaze in it's direction, she spotted a new twinkling light in the sky. "Making some new stars Lu Lu?" She asked. "What do you mean sister?" Luna asked as she raised her brow. Her older sister pointed her hoof in the direction of the new denizen of her sister's night. "There, don't tell me you're creating stars without even looking now." Celestia giggled lightly. Luna looked to where Celestia was pointing and examined the new light in the sky. "Strange, t'is not my doing dear sister." Luna told her older sibling. Both of them examined it more closely. It almost appeared to be growing larger. No, not larger. It was getting closer. "Luna?" Was all Celestia could ask as the object kept getting closer. "Sister, I do believe that is no star!" Luna exclaimed with wide eyes as it got dangerously close. Both sisters focused their magic, creating a shield around themselves and expanding it to cover all of Canterlot. Though it seemed that this was not necessary, for at the last moment, the falling object changed it's course and veered away from the mountain top city. Instead, it fell to the ground in the forest near the base, ripping through trees as it did so. Eventually, it came to a stop, and all that the sister's could see in it's direction through the shield they had created, was the massive dust cloud. For a few moments afterwards, all the two rulers did was stare at where the object had landed and think about what just happened. As they looked at each other, Celestia and Luna snapped out of their trance. "GUARDS!" Rewind: Above the planet "Exiting FTL now!" Head Navigator, Martin Webley Announced as the ship shook violently. "Damage report!" Artemis ordered immediately. "Sir! We have fires on multiple decks, damage control teams are being routed to respond immediately." Responded one officer. "Tachyon drive core has commenced emergency shutdown, multiple system overloads reported." Answered another. "Sir!" Called the Helmsman, gaining the Admiral's attention. "Sub light engine reactor is loosing power and we appear to be caught in the gravity field of a nearby planet. We don't have enough power left to establish an orbit, we're going down!" He informed Admiral Lindrake. "Do we have enough to soften our landing?" Artemis asked. "Yes sir, just barely." He answered. "Do what you can, comms, have all crew brace for landing and launch an SOS buoy, then broadcast a mayday." Lindrake told them. "Aye sir." Both responded. "All hands, we are going down, brace for rough landing." The comms officer announced over the PA, then worked his controls to launch an SOS beacon while there was still time for it to establish an orbit. "Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is UCFS Flame of Hope CVX-235, we have sustained damage and are going down. Repeat, this is UCFS Flame of Hope CVX-235, we are going down!" As the ship finished it's entry into the planet's atmosphere, warnings began to sound throughout the bridge. "Deploy the air brakes!" Ordered the Head Helmsman as he and his partner worked their controls furiously to keep the ship under control "Mountain!" Called the other helmsman as an impact alert was displayed on one of his monitors. "Divert maximum power to the bottom maneuver thrusters and turn hard to starboard!" Shouted his superior. As they swerved to avoid the mountain, the bridge crew saw what appeared to be a shimmering golden and blue bubble covering the top of the mountain they had just avoided. Though their attention was quickly drawn away from it as a low altitude warning sounded. "We're coming in hard! BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Twilight and Spike watched on from her balcony at the Palace of Friendship, as the mysterious object narrowly avoided the shield over Canterlot and impacted the ground somewhere on the other side of the mountain. "Twilight, what was that?" Spike asked as he looked up to the Princess of Friendship. "I don't know Spike, but I intend to find out." She answered him as she walked back into her study. Author's Note Chapter three folks! Looks like things are starting to get interesting so stick around for the next chapter! When do I get to throw the party? Soon Pinks, soon. Now get off my laptop. Aww, but look at all the buttons! Ohh! What does this one do? NO! DON'T TOUCH THAT! AHHHHHHHHHHHH~ AHHHHHHHHHHH~ WHY DO YOU HAVE ALL OF THIS IN YOUR BROWSER HISTORY?!? I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH IT! WHY ARE THERE PICTURES OF ME?!? AHHHHH~ I'LL SEE YOU AMONG THE STARS! AHHHHHHH~
Chapter Four: Damage control"Move it! Get that fire out!" Shouted one of the officers in charge of damage control. "We got wounded in here!" Shouted another as a doorway was pried open. "Get them to medical quickly!" Ordered his superior as he directed rescue teams. "More over here!" Called another. It was total chaos throughout the ship, as rescue and damage control teams worked tirelessly to fight the multiple fires that had sprang up throughout the ship because of the emergency jump, followed by the ships unplanned planetary reentry. Coupled with the many crew injured in those fires or suffering injuries from being tossed around from both times. On the bridge, the command crew was sifting through the piles of incoming reports to best direct efforts and have the ship's systems restored. "What's the situation with the wounded?" Asked Admiral Lindrake as he signed reports as fast as he could and directed crew members. "Sir, medical reports that we currently have one hundred and three injured, mostly fractures of varying degrees as well as multiple burn victims." Reported the comms officer. "And the dead?" Artemis asked the grim question. "We've lost 27 sir, one from a broken neck, seven from head trauma, nine from being crushed by improperly secured cargo and ten couldn't escape the flames. Eight of those consisting of two Dagger flights who's bunk rooms were completely engulfed. Though from the looks of some of the injured, that's going to increase soon." The officer concluded his report. "What about the boarding party in the starboard runway?" Artemis asked. "Unknown sir, the launch lifts are damaged so we can't get rescue teams to them currently, but we're working on that as fast as possible." Was the officer's answer. "Get it done, have them cut through the walls if necessary. I want everyone accounted for." The Admiral ordered. "Aye sir." "Are the guards ready Captain Valiant Heart?" Celestia asked the Captain of the Guard as she and Luna approached the pegasi pulled carriages. Each was loaded with a squad of the palace's best Royal Guards. "Just give the word your majesty." Valiant Heart answered as he bowed to the ruler of the day. "Good, My sister and I shall be accompanying you. We leave immediately." Princess Celestia ordered. As they boarded one of the carriages, there was a purple flash of light as Twilight Sparkle appeared nearby. "Princess! What's going on?" Asked the purple alicorn. Luna and Celestia looked at Twilight before looking to each other. "You know she'll follow if you don't tell her sister, we should just bring Twilight along." Luna told her sister. Celestia had to agree with her on this. "Very well, come along Twilight, we shall explain along the way." Celestia instructed as the carriage door was opened for her. Hesitating for a moment to think about it, Twilight quickly boarded the carriage along with the other two princess' "How's the drive core looking Roman?" Lindrake asked the Head Engineer. "Not good sir, too many of it's critical systems are fried. So unless we can get some new parts, we're not going anywhere." Roman Landon answered as he turned his attention away from his work and to the Admiral's image on the comm-link. "Damn it, I was afraid of that. Looks like we're going to have to wait for the UCF to send out a search." Artemis said as he took off his cap and rubbed his palm across his hair. "How about the sub-light engine reactor?" He asked. "That looks like something we'll be able to fix, though we may have to salvage a few parts from the drive core." Answered Roman. "Do it, like you said, it's not taking us anywhere." Artemis ordered. "Aye sir, I'll get on it immediately." Roman confirmed before ending the call. Admiral Lindrake took a deep breath to calm his nerves before putting his cap back on his head. "What's the status of our other systems?" He inquired. "Sir, Navigation is down, but since our FTL is also out of commission, that's not too big of an issue. Fire control is still online and it looks like all defensive and offensive batteries are reporting green. Luckily we had them all retracted before we jumped so they didn't suffer any damage. Our sensor array's are currently rebooting and should be online shortly and damage crews have managed to get the runway lifts working again. Rescue teams are currently at the boarding party's drop ship now and it appears that they're all uninjured. Head Hunter engaged his magnetic locks upon touchdown so they were secured for the entire trip." Commander Bradich reported to the Admiral. "Good, have a commendation drawn up for his quick thinking Commander." Lindrake sighed as some good news was finally starting to come in for a change. "Aye sir, I'll have it ready for you to sign by the end of the day." Melissa saluted. "Sensor array's are back online sir!" Called out one of the officers. "Wait... That can't be right..." "What is it?" The Admiral asked. "One moment sir, running a quick system diagnostic. It's probably just some inter....." He began but suddenly stopped as the diagnostic came up clear. "CONTACTS! LOTS OF THEM! Bearing nine five by seven two! They're coming from the top of the mountain!" The officer reported frantically. Everyone on the bridge quickly remembered the shimmering bubble on the mountain top. "General quarters! Have all available gunners report to their stations immediately, but have them hold their fire until I give the order to do so!" Artemis ordered as alarms began to sound. "We have a possible first contact situation, so until we know what we're dealing with, I'd rather not start a war." "Aye sir!" Responded the comms officer. "All hands, general quarters, general quarters, this is not a drill! Multiple unknown contacts inbound, all available gunners are to report to your stations immediately and await further orders!" As the carriages drew closer to the object, the princess' and their guards were able to make out more details. Rising up around the middle appeared to be some sort of structure with what appeared to be wide tinted windows wrapping around the top. Atop of that were many thin spires, all clustered together. The main structure of the object was wide and long, looking much like a rectangular hexagon. Celestia ordered the carriages to circle it so they could get a better look. As they circled around it, they could see what appeared to be two large openings just above the midway point between the top and bottom of the main structure, set off to the sides of the front and back. "Sister, if I did not know better, I would think this to be some sort of airship." Luna commented. Once they had finished inspecting it from altitude, Celestia ordered the guards to set down near the object so they may inspect it on hoof. Though as they drew closer, hidden ports all along the top of the object began opening, and what appeared to be cannons were raised up through them. Each and every one was quickly pointed directly at the carriage formation. As her eyes widened, Twilight slightly turned her head to Luna. "I think you might be right princess." "Pull back!" Celestia ordered the pegasi pulling the carriages. "Sir! All gun crews are deployed and are now tracking the unknown targets, but some of them are giving some strange reports." One of the fire control directors informed the Admiral. "What kind of reports?" Artemis asked as he faced the director. "One moment sir, mount eighteen is sending us a live feed from his gun camera." Reported the officer as the video image was displayed on the main monitor. What it showed brought silence throughout the entire command bridge. "Can someone tell me exactly what I'm looking at here?" Artemis asked as he pulled his officer's cap from his head. "Sir, it appears to be a bunch of flying ponies." Responded Commander Bradich. Author's Note Chapter four folks! Hope you're enjoying it so far, because I know I am. As always, I'll see you among the stars!
Chapter Five: One small step for man"Surveillance three, report." Ordered the Commander to one of the observation sniper teams posted along the hull of the ship. "Three one here, subjects have made base camp approximately five hundred mikes from the ship and have set up a perimeter. As of yet, no hostile intentions have been made apparent. Seems that they're just observing us to see what we do, over." Reported the sharpshooter's observer. "Copy that three one, notify the bridge if situation changes, out." Melissa responded before ending the transmission. "So, it appears that we're out of the fire for now." Artemis lamented as he watched the horizon, the early morning sun slowly beginning to rise into the sky. "Have the gun crews stand down, but be ready if the situation escalates." He ordered before turning back to look over a tactical map of the area. "Aye aye sir." The comms officer saluted and set to work relaying the Admiral's orders. "What's the status of the sub light engine repairs?" Lindrake asked. "Sir, Head engineer Landon reports that we should have full power back within the hour." Commander Melissa informed him. "Good, now then, to the most pressing issue. How do we approach the natives?" Artemis inquired as he zoomed the 3D map in on the alien's campsite. "Well sir, according to surveillance, their tech is either extremely advanced, yet looks like it belongs in the middle ages since their "Carriages" appear to be able to achieve flight with minimal effort, coupled with what might be implants of some sort among two thirds of their force allowing them to do extraordinary feats that our science can't even grasp yet." Commander Bradich explained before taking a pause. "Or..." "Or what Commander?" The Admiral asked as he looked into her eyes. "The current rumored alternative among the crew, is magic sir." Bradich said with the straightest face she could manage. "Well there is an old saying that magic is just another form of science and vice versa" The Admiral said before letting out a deep sigh. "One way or another, someone's going to have to go out there and play ambassador, before one side gets the wrong idea and we end up in an interstellar war." Artemis said, then took his hat off and ran his hand through his grey hair. "Have the marines report to briefing room one, volunteer only assignment for an escort team and an extraction team should things go wrong." Admiral Lindrake ordered as he made his way off the bridge. "Yes sir, but who's going to be the ambassador?" Commander Melissa asked as she saluted. Artemis just chuckled as he stepped onto the elevator. "Me, Commander. You have the bridge." He informed her as the doors slid closed. "ATTENTION! OFFICER ON DECK!" Shouted the door guard as every marine in the room rose to attention and saluted the Admiral. "At ease ladies and gentlemen." Artemis addressed them as he approached the briefing podium at the front, turning and looking over the faces of all those who volunteered for the assignment. "Good morning everyone. You all know why you're here so I shall get straight to the point." The Admiral began as the screen behind him turned on, showing images captured by the gun cameras of the various anti-aircraft batteries. "As you all should be aware by now, the planet that we have made landfall on is clearly inhabited by sentient life." Giving them time to study the various images, Lindrake then got their attention again with a cough. "This is to be humanity's first contact with other sentient life, and in the absence of any higher authority, as the senior most officer aboard, I shall be the acting ambassador." Murmurs from the troops followed his announcement. Those being quickly cut off as he raised his hand. "Since it is unknown what their intentions and technology level are, I am requesting two teams of volunteers, one to act as a small escort, and the other as an emergency extraction team should negotiations break down. The escort will consist of four and the rest are to be on the extraction team. All of those who are willing, step forward." Without hesitation from any of them, every marine in the room stepped forward and saluted. Admiral Lindrake nodded in approval. "Very well, Major, you will head the escort team with three others of your choosing, light load out. everyone else will be under the command of Senior Sargent Williams, full combat load. Gear up and report to your stations, dismissed!" "Ooh rah!" "Anything new to report Captain Valiant?" Celestia asked the guard Captain. "No your majesty, not since the airship stowed it's weapons." He reported. "What doth you suppose the outsiders might be planning sister?" Luna asked as she looked over pictures and drawings from scout teams. "I'm not sure Luna, but I suspect we will find out soon." Celestia replied, then turned back to Valiant Heart. "Captain, how soon will the other element bearers arrive?" She asked him. "They will be here any minute princess." The Captain answered. The sounds of galloping could soon be heard from outside the tent, followed by a panting lightly armored soldier entering and bowing to the princesses and saluting the Captain. "Your majesties! Sir! There is movement from the airship, what appears to be a boarding ramp was lowered and five individuals have exited. They're heading this way as we speak." He informed them, then stood at attention. "Five? Did you see what they looked like private?" The Captain of the guard questioned. "Yes sir! From the distance I spotted them, they appeared to be tall and bipedal. One appeared to be wearing a dark blue dress uniform, though I'm not sure what the others were in. Although I saw what looked like helmets, so battle armor of some sort I would suspect." The scout informed them. "Thank you private, that will be all." Celestia addressed him. "Yes princess!" With another bow, the scout exited the tent to resume his post. "Captain, have the guard allow our visitors passage. It would appear that they are taking the diplomatic approach." Celestia ordered him. "Yes my princess, by your orders." Captain Valiant replied with a bow, then quickly exited. "Twilight." Celestia addressed her student. "Yes princess?" Twilight replied as she approached. "Go and meet with the other bearers and fill them in, then meet with us at the edge of the camp. We will have the meeting there." Princess Celestia instructed. "Of course princess." Twilight said with a smile before teleporting away. Taking a deep breath to clear her head, Celestia calmly waled to the flap of the tent. "Come sister, history awaits." Author's Note Chapter five folks! Let me know what you think. Next chapter will be out soon I hope. As always, I'll see you among the stars!
