Garyius2003
SOC-13
This is a game intro I wrote for a game on Yahoo that never got off the ground. The players kept bailing before I could get started and I just pulled the plug.
Please review and let me have suggestions for how to improve.
I will start at the beginning, usually a pretty good way to get started with any story...
I had been in the navy for 12 years, and the Fifth Frontier War had been going hot for the last 3. I was the pilot on the Ember, yet another Fiery class assignment for me, and had just made Chief. I had been putting in OCS applications for the last 6 years, but kept getting enlisted promotions instead.
Anyhow, we were on convoy duty and had just reached Collace when the Lt Commander running the convoy called all officers to the High Port for a conference. He was always doing things like that. That was when the Swordie Raider Cruiser attacked.
One fight, one ruined Ember, and one badly damaged leg later and I was the hero enlisted captain who struck the death blow on an enemy cruiser. I heard the cheers for a week before they froze me in low and shipped me for a rebuild. Once I got unfrozen at Trin they fixed my leg-- mostly before it started hurting again. That was when I got the good news.
The nobles were trying to rally the common people by rewarding the working Imperial military men and women. One of the ways was that on Trin they picked eight enlisted heros (like me) to get an SEH, a commission, and a domain knighthood all at the same time. I was pretty pumped. Of course, by then the war was going our way, but when the suggestion had been formed far away and a year before it hadn’t been.
The public information staff had us practicing for two days for the ceremony. Where to stand, how to smile, exactly what to say to Duchess Mirai when she shook our hand and called us “Sir” for the first time. We were wearing our enlisted uniforms for the ceremony, and changing into officer uniforms afterwards before the reception.
That was funny, the first time I was ever going to wear a full dress Chief’s uniform in public was also going to be my last. We even practiced changing uniforms and how to stand and discuss the weather at the reception, while holding but not drinking a drink.
The big day came and we signed a bunch of forms and went in. The Duchess showed up, first time I was ever that close to a high Noble. She gave a great speech. We were going through the bowing and kneeling, four of us on each side of the central riser where she was posed in front of the Imperial seal. The handpicked crowd was small and about forty feet away, but the show was really for the two cameras anyway.
We got to the part where she ordered us to rise, and she walked to the other side and addressed each of the people over there as “Sir”. She got to our side and had just started to extend her hand to me when it happened. From nowhere a golden coin rang on the floor next to her and bounced. As we all looked, a holo shot up out of it about three feet across, and the cameras and the rest of us could make out the Ine Givar seal in it. The Duchess looked at each of us, sneered, and stormed out.
All four of us were whisked off to some cells. After a few hours they grabbed me out and then put me under some bright lights. After an hour or so they started putting me through the ringer with lots of questions, the same ones over and over. I figured out fast that the cameras didn’t show whoever did it. Strange, my suggestion that one of her staff might have done it was not welcome. I couldn’t tell them anything helpful because I didn’t see anything.
One very long day and night later they took me back to my cell to sleep. I woke up in a ship’s sick bay with the sick feeling you get from being thawed. Once the compartment stopped spinning, I looked around though bleary eyes. Yes, there were the other three of us.
PC #1
Navy, in Fourth Term
58598X
Pilot-2, Nav-1, Pistol-1, Vacc-1, Mech-1, Admin-1, Bribe-2
Pick two additional skill levels from any Navy Table
PC#2
Navy, in Fourth Term
85769X
Eng-3, Comp-1, Ships Boat-1, Elec-1, Vacc-1, Brawl-2
Pick two additional skill levels from any Navy Table
PC#3
Navy, in Fourth Term
49779X
Medic-2, Blade-2, Grav Vech-2, Interr-1, Streetwise-1
Pick two additional skill levels from any Navy Table
PC#4
Marine, in Fourth Term
98767X
Battle Dress-2, Rifle-2, Brawl-1, Eng Weap-1, Turret-2, Gamb-2
Pick two additional skill levels from any Marine Table
The medics helped us get dressed in ships suits. They told us, as quietly as they could, that we were on the Children of the March, which I remembered from the odd name was a High Lightning class. They also told us we had been down in low for about 8 months. After a few whispers to keep quiet we got the hint and stopped trying to ask questions. Once my eyes started working correctly, I could see the ship’s patch on the sleeves. Yep, the Children of the March. No names or rank. After some medications and a drink of nurti-slop, we were told to follow some Marines to be taken before the Captain. Conversation was not welcome.
Once we hit the lift I noticed that the Ship’s Command Master Chief come in behind us. He stopped the lift after a minute and flipped a switch on the small box he was holding.
“Listen up, because I only have a minute. We have orders to leave you out here somewhere in District 268. We have heard different rumors about what happened and why we are shafting you and I don’t like any of them, neither does the Captain.”
“We have been trying to find a way out for you that didn’t involve stranding you with some sensor equipment on a backwater world. We found one when it was dropped into our laps.”
“The Captain’s office recorder is sure to be reviewed when we get back, for giving you this break. Just keep your mouths shut and let us help you out in about an hour or so.”
The Captain was formal and very cold. It seems he was giving us a chance to redeem ourselves by taking on a dangerous mission for the Imperium. They had found a 3I far trader stripped on a moonlet in the outermost remote system of Singer. Records showed the last mention of the ship was on an Imperial Scout charter. Our job was to take it to Karin and allow it to be investigated at the base there. The engineers checked the ship out and thought the J-Drives would work okay. We didn’t deserve it, but he was giving us a collapsible fuel tank and some supplies. He hoped we could restore our honor.
We were marched over to a cutter, and were taken on a five minute flight over to dock with the Bright Queen Star. When the pilot told us where we were going I tried to speak, and was told to shut up.
The Command Master Chief met us over there.
“Okay. We restocked all the parts, repair gear, and tool racks in the ship. Ship’s locker has four vacc suits, four ACRs, four Snubs, spare ammo and mags. Usual survival kits, knives, climbing and rigging gear, filter masks. Portable mechanical and electrical kits. Survival still. PRIS goggles. Multi sensors. Full medic supplies. Two extra vaccs and two snubs locked in the main tool storage in Engineering.”
“We downloaded a standard TAS database and all new programming in the computer. The computer was totally wiped. Seemed to work fine for the computer techs after the reload. Navy issue small ship entertainment download. Two pulse lasers in the port turret, one sandcaster in the starboard. It was all we had overage in spares. They are zeroed.”
“Oh, two snubs in the bridge rack. Health and comfort items in the box over there with some spare ships suits. 200 mandays of survival rations in the hold. 100 days of life support supplies next to them. We stocked the food service area, too. The drives, grav plates, and fuel processors all checked out in testing.”
“Here is a line of credit chip good for 50K for supplies, and a official order chip that should allow you to draw supplies and services from 3I bases. The locks are keyed to the last four of your serials. You should change those. The computer is keyed to your bio signs. The transponder is set to show you on Naval charter.”
“I don’t know why we had a collapsible fuel tank in stores, but we did, so now you do. The fuel processors checked out on test mode, but we pumped refined fuel because it was what we have.”
“Make sure you are sad and sullen in any transmissions over to us.”
“Questions? I have about five more minutes if we are going to sell that we left you on a crippled tramp in the middle of nowhere with little hope.”
Please review and let me have suggestions for how to improve.
I will start at the beginning, usually a pretty good way to get started with any story...
I had been in the navy for 12 years, and the Fifth Frontier War had been going hot for the last 3. I was the pilot on the Ember, yet another Fiery class assignment for me, and had just made Chief. I had been putting in OCS applications for the last 6 years, but kept getting enlisted promotions instead.
Anyhow, we were on convoy duty and had just reached Collace when the Lt Commander running the convoy called all officers to the High Port for a conference. He was always doing things like that. That was when the Swordie Raider Cruiser attacked.
One fight, one ruined Ember, and one badly damaged leg later and I was the hero enlisted captain who struck the death blow on an enemy cruiser. I heard the cheers for a week before they froze me in low and shipped me for a rebuild. Once I got unfrozen at Trin they fixed my leg-- mostly before it started hurting again. That was when I got the good news.
The nobles were trying to rally the common people by rewarding the working Imperial military men and women. One of the ways was that on Trin they picked eight enlisted heros (like me) to get an SEH, a commission, and a domain knighthood all at the same time. I was pretty pumped. Of course, by then the war was going our way, but when the suggestion had been formed far away and a year before it hadn’t been.
The public information staff had us practicing for two days for the ceremony. Where to stand, how to smile, exactly what to say to Duchess Mirai when she shook our hand and called us “Sir” for the first time. We were wearing our enlisted uniforms for the ceremony, and changing into officer uniforms afterwards before the reception.
That was funny, the first time I was ever going to wear a full dress Chief’s uniform in public was also going to be my last. We even practiced changing uniforms and how to stand and discuss the weather at the reception, while holding but not drinking a drink.
The big day came and we signed a bunch of forms and went in. The Duchess showed up, first time I was ever that close to a high Noble. She gave a great speech. We were going through the bowing and kneeling, four of us on each side of the central riser where she was posed in front of the Imperial seal. The handpicked crowd was small and about forty feet away, but the show was really for the two cameras anyway.
We got to the part where she ordered us to rise, and she walked to the other side and addressed each of the people over there as “Sir”. She got to our side and had just started to extend her hand to me when it happened. From nowhere a golden coin rang on the floor next to her and bounced. As we all looked, a holo shot up out of it about three feet across, and the cameras and the rest of us could make out the Ine Givar seal in it. The Duchess looked at each of us, sneered, and stormed out.
All four of us were whisked off to some cells. After a few hours they grabbed me out and then put me under some bright lights. After an hour or so they started putting me through the ringer with lots of questions, the same ones over and over. I figured out fast that the cameras didn’t show whoever did it. Strange, my suggestion that one of her staff might have done it was not welcome. I couldn’t tell them anything helpful because I didn’t see anything.
One very long day and night later they took me back to my cell to sleep. I woke up in a ship’s sick bay with the sick feeling you get from being thawed. Once the compartment stopped spinning, I looked around though bleary eyes. Yes, there were the other three of us.
PC #1
Navy, in Fourth Term
58598X
Pilot-2, Nav-1, Pistol-1, Vacc-1, Mech-1, Admin-1, Bribe-2
Pick two additional skill levels from any Navy Table
PC#2
Navy, in Fourth Term
85769X
Eng-3, Comp-1, Ships Boat-1, Elec-1, Vacc-1, Brawl-2
Pick two additional skill levels from any Navy Table
PC#3
Navy, in Fourth Term
49779X
Medic-2, Blade-2, Grav Vech-2, Interr-1, Streetwise-1
Pick two additional skill levels from any Navy Table
PC#4
Marine, in Fourth Term
98767X
Battle Dress-2, Rifle-2, Brawl-1, Eng Weap-1, Turret-2, Gamb-2
Pick two additional skill levels from any Marine Table
The medics helped us get dressed in ships suits. They told us, as quietly as they could, that we were on the Children of the March, which I remembered from the odd name was a High Lightning class. They also told us we had been down in low for about 8 months. After a few whispers to keep quiet we got the hint and stopped trying to ask questions. Once my eyes started working correctly, I could see the ship’s patch on the sleeves. Yep, the Children of the March. No names or rank. After some medications and a drink of nurti-slop, we were told to follow some Marines to be taken before the Captain. Conversation was not welcome.
Once we hit the lift I noticed that the Ship’s Command Master Chief come in behind us. He stopped the lift after a minute and flipped a switch on the small box he was holding.
“Listen up, because I only have a minute. We have orders to leave you out here somewhere in District 268. We have heard different rumors about what happened and why we are shafting you and I don’t like any of them, neither does the Captain.”
“We have been trying to find a way out for you that didn’t involve stranding you with some sensor equipment on a backwater world. We found one when it was dropped into our laps.”
“The Captain’s office recorder is sure to be reviewed when we get back, for giving you this break. Just keep your mouths shut and let us help you out in about an hour or so.”
The Captain was formal and very cold. It seems he was giving us a chance to redeem ourselves by taking on a dangerous mission for the Imperium. They had found a 3I far trader stripped on a moonlet in the outermost remote system of Singer. Records showed the last mention of the ship was on an Imperial Scout charter. Our job was to take it to Karin and allow it to be investigated at the base there. The engineers checked the ship out and thought the J-Drives would work okay. We didn’t deserve it, but he was giving us a collapsible fuel tank and some supplies. He hoped we could restore our honor.
We were marched over to a cutter, and were taken on a five minute flight over to dock with the Bright Queen Star. When the pilot told us where we were going I tried to speak, and was told to shut up.
The Command Master Chief met us over there.
“Okay. We restocked all the parts, repair gear, and tool racks in the ship. Ship’s locker has four vacc suits, four ACRs, four Snubs, spare ammo and mags. Usual survival kits, knives, climbing and rigging gear, filter masks. Portable mechanical and electrical kits. Survival still. PRIS goggles. Multi sensors. Full medic supplies. Two extra vaccs and two snubs locked in the main tool storage in Engineering.”
“We downloaded a standard TAS database and all new programming in the computer. The computer was totally wiped. Seemed to work fine for the computer techs after the reload. Navy issue small ship entertainment download. Two pulse lasers in the port turret, one sandcaster in the starboard. It was all we had overage in spares. They are zeroed.”
“Oh, two snubs in the bridge rack. Health and comfort items in the box over there with some spare ships suits. 200 mandays of survival rations in the hold. 100 days of life support supplies next to them. We stocked the food service area, too. The drives, grav plates, and fuel processors all checked out in testing.”
“Here is a line of credit chip good for 50K for supplies, and a official order chip that should allow you to draw supplies and services from 3I bases. The locks are keyed to the last four of your serials. You should change those. The computer is keyed to your bio signs. The transponder is set to show you on Naval charter.”
“I don’t know why we had a collapsible fuel tank in stores, but we did, so now you do. The fuel processors checked out on test mode, but we pumped refined fuel because it was what we have.”
“Make sure you are sad and sullen in any transmissions over to us.”
“Questions? I have about five more minutes if we are going to sell that we left you on a crippled tramp in the middle of nowhere with little hope.”