Galaxy in Flames

[Alice The Necrofox]

Shiro was in his back room. It was so secure, not even the captain knew how to get in. Or even knew it existed. He probably would have confiscated the whole load that he had back here. Scanners, blasters, lasers, torpedoes, Turrets, anything except the tank. That was a little too big and was stashed in a broken down dorm area that the engineers had never "had time to fix". Old habits die hard.
Suddenly all of the sensors in his room went off. Another ship was en route. He seamlessly hacked into the line. He was no spy, and faithful to his race, but he was always cautious of recapture and imprisonment.
"Kkxxxkxkxx... xkxxxx..Frigate, Fires of Ellan. What is your status, are you in need of assistance."
After all that he had done for the rebellion of the Kha'tar on GC-42. He began packing his equiptment.
That pompus brat on the Fires of Ellan would be overjoyed at his low stature. Stupid tax fattened Hyena.

[White Wolf Guardian]

*He wakes up from dirt going into his face and feels pain in his back and a wet ground from his blood* "Looks like the suit saved me..." *He squints looking up at the bright light and the two guys burying him* "Oh I don't think so! *White quickly grabs his knife and raises up stabbing one of them in the face and then pushing into the other one with his back when he pulls out the knife and turns around slashing the other guy's neck* "ACK! *coughs up blood and he gags with a hand reaching upwards begging for help and then it slowly falters and goes motionless; the other one was clutching his face with both hands screaming in agony*

"You are going to regret shooting me in the back!" *White lifts him up by the neck and slams him into the car* "Who are you?!" *The corporal coughs on the car* "I-I'm Sceepive." "Why did YOU shoot me in the back!?" "You were *cough* eavesdropping... boss wanted you dead." *He slams him into the window and breaks it* "Tell me what you were doing or I'll kill you right here!"

"The ship is set for Sector 3052-988... our base of operation... we were working with the Reavers. They wanted to know about some of human technology and the military advances.. and our boss was." *Cheep-cheep; Sceepive dies and White lets him go quickly and jumping over the car taking cover as more shots go off*

"Blast it! These guys are no good, I'm gonna have to get out of here because this is going to look bad on me if this is military corruption."

[Entaru]

Entaru walked into the command deck and addressed the crew. "Alright, boys and girls.  Lets head back to Gamma Epsilon for our next shipment.  They have a 'jug' shipment with our name on it." 

'Jug' was short for Juggernaut.  They were massive, heavily armored, one man battle mechs made with stolen Eph'tan and Reaver technology.  Sure it was illegal, but that didn't stop weapon contractors from doing it.  Entaru himself had a blaster made by the egg-heads at Gamma Epsilon.  They had even helped him build the Cask of Amontillado.

To say they were his favorite customers was a understatement.

"Mr. Wall, get us ready for departure.  We can get more 'wasps' when we make port again."

The Cask slowly began to move as it left the docking bay, unaware that retribution was lurking just beyond the asteroid field...

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Chrono arrived in the market, and made a beeline straight for what he thought looked like a fruit-stand in the photo, and immedeatly went up to the vendor, shoving the customers out of his path.

"I came to look for a female Reaver, a photo I got showed her at this stand, and I need information on where she went next." The vendor just looked at him with a look of pure annoyance that harbored no intention of assisting.

"Sir, I've seen alot of female Reavers go through here to bring food for their mates, now I be-" Chrono hopped over the counter that seperated them and kicked the vendor into a nearby wall before putting the same foot on his chest and holding the assassin's picture up to his face.

"Tell me where she is, or I'm burning this whole stand to the ground..." The vendor showed a very brief look of shock when he recognized the face, but then his annoyed visage returned.

"Never seen her before, and I'd doubt shes still on this planet if she knows someone is out for her..." Chrono cocked his bolter and aimed it right between the vendor's eyes and towards the skull.

"Nobody will know if I kill the one who heard of my intentions... now fess up!" he accented those last words with the side of his bolter smacking the vendor across the face.

[KittKat chunky~]

Aye sir," replied the mouse as he typed and clicked upon the console, with lightning speed. "R-40 salvage vessel, this is the Frigate, Fires of Ellan. What is your status, are you in need of assistance?"

"sir... we got incoming transmission... its one of ours sir.. uhm... you think we should get the captain Kitt?"
"nah, get 'er up on cam... i'l be the welcoming party"


~~~~
*A young looking feline Eph'tan, wearing an oil stained jump suit came into focus...*
 "Aye Aye, we hear ya loud n' clear Ellan!.... glad ta see yer in system... better late than never... our status iiiis..."
*the camera panned to behind Kitt, a mess of pipes, sparks flying from welding equipment, interspersed with shouts and loud clangs...*
"well ya can see for yerselves, heavy damage sustained... we got around 25% casualities... and the shield generators are down... sooo, i reckon assistance would be very much desired... Skipper out..."

"KITT! What in the name of Eph'tan are you doing!? GET AWAY FROM THE CAMERA"

*the camera blurred, image shaking before refocusing on the captain... face set stern...*

"sorry... R-20 jockeys.... i captain of 'home' ackowledge youre hail and iissue a plea for assistance..."

[Gabag]

"Fires of Ellan to 'Home' We read you and accept your plea for assistance, moving to your location, sending a squadron (Asia) to secure the area..."

(back on the human frigate)

"Captain, scans show the outlaw ship is in sight, your orders..." asked an Ensign

"Open fire, cripple the engines, dont give this traitor the chance to escape, warm up the cannons and fire Scorpio missiles A through E on my mark... MARK!"
The missiles flew from the ports on the ship's port side, missile trails staying motionless in the void of space as the explosives accelerated towards the Cask.

"Sir Cannons are warmed up to 90 % capacity, just ten more seconds and we'll be at maximum power to cannons"

[Entaru]

The Cask rocked as the missiles hit home.  One of the tech officers was thrown from their seat.

"What in the Nine Hells?"  Entaru shouted, holding on to his seat as if it was a life raft.

"Sir, an undentified Empire vessel is firing upon us!"

"Empire?  Why the hell are they firing on us?  Ready the 'wasps' and warp drive." Entaru set the comm screen and hailed the attacking ship. "This is Captain Entaru Korin of the 'human' vessel, Cask of Amontillado.  Explain yourself...and the next words that come out of your mouth better include 'misfire'!"

[Gabag]

"This is Captain Mordecai of the Indomitable speaking, you and your crew have been branded outlaws for attacking an unarmed and non hostile Eph'Tan ship. We have orders from High Council to arrest you. As you can see, we are very much human sir and we're poised to cripple your engines and board since I never expect anyone to surrender. Do not engage or you shall expect a slow and painful death. End Transmission.

Ensign i want you to boost shield strength and fire Aft laser cannons, for all we know, the enemy ship could be armed to the teeth, judging by the damage reports taken from the probe."

The Ensign obeyed and fired the lasers, with a few missing, but more hitting home on the targets engines.

[Entaru]

Entaru nearly fell out of his seat as the ship rocked back and forth from the blasts.

"Sir, shields are at 60%"

"Thank God, most of our ships would be at 30.  Deploy the 'wasps' and open fire!"

The remaining "wasps" left their hatches at high velocity and bolted for the Indomitables engines.  The Cask's turbo lasers burnt red streams into the side of the Indomitable's shield.

"Sir, Eph'tan fighters are inbound!"

"Dammit,  I won't let this happen.  No good-fer-nothing, rug-kissing, sleezebag is going to take me down!"  There was no way the Cask could take out the Indomitable and his men were trained in only basic combat.  Now a group of fighters were on their way.  Not repurposed miners, fighters!  Now Entaru would have to do something that he hated.

Run with his tail between his legs.

He would lose all of his drones and his dignity.  But he would survive..if only for revenge.

Revenge... he knew that feeling most of all.

"Alright, prepare for jump.  The 'wasps' should keep those traitors dancing for a while"

The shields were at 5% when the Cask disappeared in a flash of light

[Gabag]

"Sir, the enemy ship retreated, but launched a suicide wave of drones at us, due to the unknown nature of their vessel, we couldn't track it, the drones are accelerating for our engines sir."

"Organize a point defense and shoot them down, I dont want a single drone to do anything but burn in space"
"Aye sir... relying damage report to the Eph'Tan frigate now, it's their fight now sir..."
The frigate rocked back and forth as the volley from the Cask struck.
"Sir, shields dropped 40 % in that volley, they have highly powerful cannons, sending  this info to our allies" relayed the ops officer.

[Entaru]

The Cask lurched as it fell out of warp, finally dislodging Entaru from his seat.  Entaru tumbled to the floor with a crash.

"Ow! Dammit all!"  Entaru stood up and looked out the viewing glass at a gray planet with two rings.  "What the...where are we?" Entaru looked at Ms. Zettergren in confusion.

"Uncharted area boss.  I figured it would be a nice place to hide since no one has bothered to survey this area.  No usable resources."

"Smart girl."

"Thanks boss."

"Don't mention it.  What's the damage report?"

"Shields are low but rising steadily, but their missiles did some damage to the guns and one of the brothers is in medbay.  Nothing too serious." Entaru sighed in both relief and dismay.  So much for that government job he was going to run for.

He was a branded criminal now.

Many of his trading partners would abandon him.  The Empire would freeze his assets and put out a bounty for his capture.  In fact the only place he could do buisness now was Gamma Epsilon.  It was Mafia run and would gladly harbor him, but they would charge for protection and he now has no way of making money.  Not only that but he needed repairs, drones, and food as well.  The ship was too big and slow for piracy, at least not without a sponser or letter of marque.  Not to mention that he had shot down so many pirates that to show his face around them would get him a nice round blaster hole in his suit.

No money.  No shelter.  A damaged ship.  A reputation that will get him shot on sight.

Entaru collapsed into his seat as a realization hit him.

He was stuck aboard his own ship for the rest of his life...or until a miracle happened.

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

"Lady and gentlemen, get your gear, we got a mission!" Asia bubbled with excitement as he picked up a spanner, hitting the walls to get the attention of his squad. They had gone over to the Fighter Bay, just in case they were needed. 29 times out of 30 they would just sit there chucking balls around, but that one time was more than enough fun.

Shock, the Rat screeched with delight, "Haha! That's what I've been waiting for." She grabbed her helmet, shoving it on to complete the EVA suit, and jumped into the fighter. She continued to babble over the comms, "Tell me, oh TELL ME we're fighting humans."

Ragged piped in, "We're fighting humans." Shock whooped with joy.
"We don't know that yet. We're securing the area, that's all," Asia said before the comms system notified them all.
"The Indomitable has just reported a positive contact with The Cask of Amontillado. You're going in all guns blazing, birds."
"WOOOO!" Shock said, giving Strike something to laugh about.

The fighters prepped and fired up, moving through the bay ready to launch.
"This is Asia squadron of the 107th Direwolves, requesting clearance for launch," Asia spoke through the comms.
"Roger that, you have clearance for launch." The bay was cleared and the doors opened to the dark battleground. One by one, they shot out with the cries of excitement and murderous intent.

With a target in sight, they move to engage... but at once, their quarry disappears in a jump. The comms fill with shouts and whines of complaint... mostly from Shock.
"Calm yourselves, wolves," Asia said. His own frustration was clear. "Ellan, the Cask jumped, what's the plan of action?"
The Frigate replied, "We are well aware of the situation DireWolf 2 Leader, priority is to protect our own, we are to assist Home. The Cask of Amantillado is an Empire problem.
Shock could not contain herself, "You have got to be kidding me! What the flip, Ellan?" For once, Strike chimed in.
"I agree, that ship is attacking our people."

Suddenly, the fierce aggressive tone of Gore, their Wing Commander, burst through the comms. "You've got your orders, 2. Secure the area, we are assissting Home."
"Sir, I must object," said Ragged.
"It is not your place to object. Secure the area. Squad Leader, I suggest you keep your men in line."
"Yes sir," Asia replied.

They sweep over the sector, searching across the land, making particular use of Strike's extended sensor range.
"Area secure, Ellan."

[White Wolf Guardian]

*The wolf had escaped the gunfire and stole the car driving back into town* ~The gunman walks over to the dead corporal and looks him over. With a gun raised he then looks at the other one soaked in a heavy pool of blood and looks towards the direction that the soldier went. He peered at the car with a cold stare as it disappeared into the distance for a few minutes and then he walked back toward the cliffs he came from.~

*White gets out of the car quickly and goes to the military complex marching towards the ship with his knife behind his back* "I'm going to get to the bottom of the mess quickly, whether or not this man survives." *He slammed the door open and walked towards the aircraft going up to the entrance door*

[KittKat chunky~]

"sir... the frigate Ellan is in close proximity... should i send an R-20 over... traditions and all?..."

"fine... send Kitt and the rest of 'tango' they can be the welcome party... we need this ship oporational... and we cant spare many R-20's.... make sure they dont spend too long over there enjoying the new company.... damn those R-20 jockeys..."


~~~~~

"roger that, warm up sequence initiated... this is 'tango'... ready to launch..."

The scratched and heavily scarred R-20 rumbled as its engines engaged, lifting from the dock flooring it took off out through the doorway... heading for the Ellan...


~~~~~

"frigate Ellan... this is R-40 'home' we have sent the tradtional 'greeting party' while we conduct repairs over here... we would like to apologise beforehand for the manners of the R-20 jockeys, and that we are very glad of your assistance...

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

"Roger that, home. We're sending a fighter escort for the R-20," said the comms mouse. The meerkat at the helm turned to the captain.
"That thing's a hunk of junk."
The captain replied, "Yes it is. But atleast they havent lost their manners, no matter what state they're in, send that Direwolf squadron to escort them."
"Already done so sir," replied the mouse.

Asia's squadron surrounded the R-20, watching out for anything that might fall off and hit them mid-flight. As it docked, the returned to the fighter bays.
"I swear the humans are just teasing us now," Shock said as she took off her helmet and ruffled her fur.
"They fled," Ragged replied. "They were scared of a fight."
"Well I guess that's something."

The captain and comms officer walked to the airlock to greet the the R-20 crew and its captain. The winged cat had scrubbed his uniform down and combed what he could of his fur, but his face still looked as though in permanent scowl.
"Nice to see you making an effort, Sir," the mouse said.
"My superiors want me to appear more civilised. This effort ain't by choice."