[Episode 1] In Gallant Defense

This archive contains the original story as it appeared on gaia, This is our main story, and what BHotR as a whole started from and builds off of. The setting has gone through many changes, and so the story has many inconsistencies. You can, in this forum, see the evolution of the story and its players as we went from a simple roleplay began in 2006.
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Kai
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[Episode 1] In Gallant Defense

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Approximately five minutes after the Marines had landed on the gate, the space around Terra IV exploded with activity. Ships began moving about, fighters launched, and a number of shuttles headed toward the gate, obviously to reinforce it. Suddenly, from seemingly nowhere, some of the shuttles exploded, and some of the larger craft's shields began flickering and shuddering as they were pounded with Railgun fire from quite a distance. On one Drake-class, several explosions blossomed as a mass of torpedoes impacted upon its shielding, bringing them down, and scorching the hull with what was left of their power, before an immense beam lanced out from the depths of space, striking the old bulk freighter cum battleship and causing it to burst into two halves, which began drifting lazily away from one another. This was followed by a flurry of turbolaser fire which, from this distance, wasn't the most effectively accurate, but still deadly and dangerous. Not far behind the lasers, a dark, dull gray ship's thrusters burst to life, as the Hymn propelled itself closer into the battle, from its previous distance of Twenty or so light seconds, closer toward a more reasonable distance of Five light seconds.

The railgun fire continued, as several HEX corvettes suddenly ignited their own thrusters, after having drifted cold into the battlefield in the last twenty or thirty minutes. Suddenly, the planetary defenses opened up in response, as well, ground-to-orbit weapons causing yet another distraction for the now divided attackers, themselves being attacked.

************

Inside the Hymn, it was all hustle and bustle, as Fighters, bombers, their pilots, and the ground crew all moved and readied themselves for the last time before launch. As the first few waves of fighters began spilling out of the hangar bays, one particular squadron was just getting into their fighters. This squadron, named Green Squadron, was one of the top three squadrons on the ship, in contest with Red and Blue squadrons as well. Of the three elites, the Green squadron was generally considered the best, though the ship had so few combats that their pilots, though mostly veterans, hadn't quite become used to being squadrons or being on such a large ship.

Sasha Corwen, of green squadron, dashed to her Scimitar, the heavily armed fighter opening up as she approached, recognizing the beacon in her helmet, which she slid on over her jet black pony-tailed head, locking it to her flight suit, and letting it begin its duties as a major life support unit. Sasha started her fighter, and began the run-up checks, looking over the flurry of movement in the Hangar bay. She brought up all her commands, and checked the Link to the Spade Drones- two of which would accompany each fighter in the squadron and act as backup and a force multiplier for the upcoming battle.

"Green Eight, Ready!" Shasha called over the comms, waiting for the others to chime in.
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Straken
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Re: [Episode 1] In Gallant Defense

Post by Straken »

“Well’s’bout damn time!” could be heard booming in the hangar as Fred Haverthorn, Green Squadron’s resident Irishman, quickly bounded to his Scimitar. “Ah’ve been giddy since Ah woke up! Ain’t tha’ right Steven!?”

“Yes yes, we are all excited Fred, now save some of that enthusiasm for the dogfights. I’m sure the lizards would love to get in on the fun,” a voice called back. It was Tech. Sergeant Steven Kerning, leader of Green Squadron. The young man was just as excited for this engagement as his wingman, but as the squadron’s CO he had to keep a certain level of composure. However that composure still left room for the officer to have a confident bounce in his step.
This would be the biggest fleet battle for Green Squadron since the move to the Hymn, and the biggest battle for all of the pilots of the squadron since the new additions were added to the roster. As such Steven was also a fair bit nervous, but he dismissed his anxieties by reassuring himself of his pilots’ skill and determination.

Steven quickly climbed up the side of his fighter and made his way to the cockpit. As he dropped into his seat he slid on his helmet and triggered the standard preflight checks. On one side of his HUD were the standard displays of his own personal stats, and on the other side were the CO’s displays which told him the stats of his pilots. As the HUD came to life he noted that a couple of his pilots had already begun their checks. There was a confirmation symbol next to Sasha’s icon, as well as Fred’s as the Irishman finished up his checks.
“Green Leader ready for go,” Steven said into his comms as he waited for the rest of his squadron to finish prep.

“Green Two primed an’ ready ta kick some scaly ass,” Fred called into the comms. “Oi! An’ Sasha, remember tha’ is your turn ta buy drinks when we get back. Ah pulled the last two tabs so ya owe me.”
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Episode 1] In Gallant Defense

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

Amidst the hubbub sat a man upon his Scimitar. He was dark-skinned and sort of a moody-lookin' fella, with a slim cigar stuck in the left side of his mouth and a stare that could kill. His hair was chopped too short to form its habitual scraggly curls, but his eyes had not lost their dark brown severity. If anything, they had become more intense and acerbic as the war progressed.

With the klaxons blaring, he snuffed the cigar on the shell of his Scimitar and slipped into the cockpit of عقاب, Arabic for punishment, rebuke, and retribution. Ibrahim Schwinn had named this craft at the ripe age of nineteen when he was still bitter with a vile, putrid hatred that left a sour taste in his mouth- like the aftertaste of puke. And while his emotions had mellowed over four years, his desire for vengeance had not. In fact, it was that drive for malicious justice that drove him to become a Pilot instead of a ground-pounder. Here, behind these controls, Ibrahim was a master of life and death, dealer of destruction and discord; with one button, hundreds could be sent to their death. Of course this was not the norm, but the Arabic man also relished those intimate one-on-one encounters. One way or another, the Drathonians died.

Which led him to another thing: they're Drathonians, not lizards; lizards are little green things he used to keep as pets, Drathonians are the scum of the Universe, the lowest sentient life-form to exist, and soon to be extinct. This was the sort of thing roiling in his mind as he muttered placidly,

"Green Six, ready."
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Re: [Episode 1] In Gallant Defense

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It had been a long, hard war for the Terrans and their Republic, the one thing that stood between them all and the horde. Sometimes, people forgot just how poorly it was going, how close they were to the brink. This was a bitter and desperate struggle, and Pearl Hultgren's Scimitar was one of the things that always served to remind people of this. Anyone who passed by could see the fighter's scorched, dented and charred paint - it was a source of pride for her, a testament to her very survival. On the side, were several markings as well; she used a small claw for any single kill, a Drathonian skull for ten, and a skull with crossbones for a hundred, which she was so, so close for finally putting on the side of her fighter. As for the skull with crossed swords and a bullet-hole square between the eyes? Those were to stand for a confirmed ace. Her fighter and its tally marks may have been a decent reminder of the war's progress, but the true reminder, the one that was grim and terrible, was Pearl Hultgren herself.

The veteran pilot stood at just five foot two, and liked to keep her blonde hair in pigtails, to which she'd sometimes give a twist to in order to give them that 'drill' look that a lot of the boys her age really liked. Pearl loved, absolutely loved, chocolate, peanut-butter and bananas, and the other girls teased her for how much she ate. But she didn't care. She earned it, since she managed to survive for this long. Pearl had been in the Terran military since as soon as she turned 15 - the legal minimum was 16, but really, what they didn't know, wouldn't hurt, right? And with things the way they were in the past, some records just happened to...vanish. Right now though, they all thought her 17, just about to turn 18 within a week's time. Pearl wrinkled her nose as she walked around her Scimitar in annoyance. 'Even on a battleship, some of the boys are really - grrrrr!'

Moments after she hopped up onto the Scimitar's side and dove/wiggled her way into the cockpit, Pearl fastened herself in, went through the normal system's check, and sounded off. "Green Seven, standing by!" she spoke cheerily. Things were about to kick off, and she was giddy with excitement. She cued the comm, "Freeeeed.~ Any chance you could be my wingman today?" Pearl asked the man flirtatiously. Of course, anyone who knew them would know that Pearl was like Fred's little sister, and vice versa. That didn't mean they didn't joke around though. "I promise we'll have a great time together!"

And the fact it kept away the scrubs who just arrived suited her just fine.
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Straken
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Re: [Episode 1] In Gallant Defense

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“Now now Pearl, my dear lass, ya know Ah would love ta be your wingman, but we have already been over this,” Fred started in a serious tone before quickly fading to light humor, “You an’ Ah are the best two pilots in this Squadron, so we need to spread out, not bunch up in one pair. Instead we can get some lunch once we’re back, alrighty?”

Steven chuckled slightly as he listened in on the banter. “Alright, tone it down a notch you two, we have enough over-sized egos in this Squadron,” he said, which despite the joking phrase was used in a tone that said, “It is almost time to launch, time to get serious.” Not too much later the last of the Green pilots checked in with system confirmation and a little after that the cue came for launch.
“It is show time Green Squadron, watch each other’s backs as much as your own and let’s send these lizards packing,” Steven said over the comms to rally his squadron of fighters. “Green Squadron, launch!”

With that said Steven hit the last switch on his dash and kicked his Scimitar forward. The powerful machine beneath the man rose up and shot forward towards the hangar exit. Fred’s Scimitar and the others were not far behind.
“Good luck in vacuum Greens, an’ Ah’ll see e’ryone at the bars later tonight!” Fred cheered as he roared his Scimitar out after Steven.
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Re: [Episode 1] In Gallant Defense

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"Aww, you're such a killjoy Fred-Fred." the ascending ace pilot cheerily replied. "Why can't we be together?~" Pearl practically sang. She didn't stop there though. "So, what are you getting for my big birthday? I hope it's something good?" she asked him with curiosity. There was so little time left, with days, hours, minutes and seconds ticking off and having it draw ever closer. She was quite young, and knew people like Fred and Steven were likely to think more of the Reaper taking another step closer even as they had a massive kegger to celebrate. But that wasn't on her mind at all; instead, what she had in mind was surprisingly typical for a girl her age, despite being a 'battle hardened' soldier. Party. Presents. Cake. All that, adding to what would be a glorious victory for the Republic, and the beginning of a grand counter attack? Pearl was as happy as she could be.

The young pilot cut the chatter and set aside the cheery thoughts as the small but powerful fighter exploded out of the hangar in formation with the others. There was time to think of all that.

Later.
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Mr. Blackbird Lore
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Re: [Episode 1] In Gallant Defense

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

Throughout all the chatter, Ibrahim was silent. He didn't particularly like their banter- especially between Fred and the squad's bit of jail-bait- but he wasn't one to condemn others (openly). No, to each their own. If some of his squadmates wanted to live lives of debauchery and decadence despite the situation, Airman First Class Schwinn didn't care so long as they could perform on the battlefield. His squad, thus far, had given him no reason to speak up, for which the Arab was grateful.

In all facets of his life, Ibrahim was a methodical and pragmatic individual with a tendency to keep to himself. It gave him a very cold, unfriendly, and aloof reputation, which worked in his favor. He was slowly becoming a recluse, disliking the company of others more with each passing day-cycle, and it was starting to show in his speech. Even, "Aye, sir," sounded distant, disinterested, and perhaps irritated.
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Straken
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Re: [Episode 1] In Gallant Defense

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Silence. Every pilot who flies in space encounters it. The cockpit of a pre-launch Scimitar is deathly quiet, some pilots call it ominous, and others find it comforting. Despite only a barely discernible change in volume after launch every pilot can notice right away the difference between the man-made silence and the silence induced by flying in vacuum. It is a surreal experience to fly combat missions in space. Nothing seems quite right at first as the brain wants to register certain events with results it would normally expect. For example, viewing an explosion; many fresh pilots report hearing the blasts despite the sound of the explosion being unable to transfer through the vacuum. Now, more experienced pilots who have flown quite a few missions will have acclimated beyond the point of this cognitive filler effect, but the silence can still be a surreal feeling.

Steven always felt that the silence was oppressive, and still could remember feelings of claustrophobia on his first flight. Even with several years under his belt he still could feel the silence pushing down on his chest, as such he was glad to be squadron leader for he could monitor his squadron’s chatter to ward off the crushing emptiness that was Space.
Fred on the other hand took an alternative route to staving off the silence by making his own noise. Whether it is jeers towards the enemies or support for his allies, Fred’s comm was rarely silent for too long.
These concerns about the silence of flying in vacuum are however rarely kept in mind for very long. Once the main fight has commenced, a pilot can focus completely on the task at hand.

In one of his brief moments of silence, Fred chuckled to himself at Pearl's extravagant behavior. It is no wonder there are so many misunderstandings about me and her, Fred thought to himself as he also smiled outwardly as he went over in his mind what he had planned for the young girl's birthday.

Once Green Squadron had finished filing out of the Hymn’s hangar, Steven took his first real look around the battlefield he would be required to navigate. So far the large vessels were bearing the brunt of the engagement, but in no time there were sure to be swarms of enemy fighters knocking at the door. It was still too early for the fighter pilot to get a good bearing on how the tide of battle would go.
“Alright Greens, we are fresh to the fight and it looks like our turn in the spotlight is on its way,” Steven said as he addressed his squad, “The full force of the enemy fighter’s is still on it way, so we are going to play conservatively starting out and pull some defense. As soon as I can get a more accurate idea of the lizards’ arsenal then we can get to laying on some real damage. So break off into wingmen pairs and then we are going to travel in two groups; Greens Five through Eight, you are with Two and me, Greens Nine through Twelve are with Three and Four. Second team is to tail high at five o’clock. Let’s start this dance with a nice old one-two punch.”

With orders given, the second group fell back and pulled up as the first group set course on a path to punch into the flank of a couple of Scourge squadrons. “Weapons free, engage as seen fit,” Steven announced as the squadron of Scimitars quickly closed in on the enemy fighters.
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Kai
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Re: [Episode 1] In Gallant Defense

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"Copy, lead." Sasha responded quickly, moving into the formation as directed. As they closed on the scourge squadrons, the ponytailed pilot began assigning targets for her computer, letting the weapon lock disengage and readying for combat.

"Seven, get ready to follow my lead, You take targets Delta through Fritz, I've got Alpha through Charlie." she sent to her wingmate, transferring the necessary targeting data so they both knew what was going on.

"Get ready for a bumpy ride, this is just the beginning of it."


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The battlefield continued to light up as more and more ships activated and began engaging in combat, though for the most part the Drathonian ships were firing wildly, most not even having figured out where they were being attacked from. Fighters continued to spill out of hangars and corvettes likewise disconnected from their motherships, heading into battle to try and head off the Hexes that were proving such a nuisance to the slower Drathonian frigates and battleships.

Lasers lanced every which way, and railgun fire was sent hurtling back at the sudden aggressors, though the accuracy of either was debatable at this distance. More Torpedos hurtled their way into shields, before a particularly large one from the Hymn smashed into a Raptor-class frigate and blew a large portion of its engines into so much scrap metal, Their dirty powerplants glowing briefly as the parasitic substance drained residual energy from the blasts, and began eating away at what was left of the ship, which had now begun spiralling toward the planet. At this speed, however, it would be days before it crashed, and who knew if the crew would die before or after that happened.

Ultimately, it was all Chaos, but one thing was becoming rapidly clear- as potent as the Hymn and its Contingent was, there were just too many targets for them to deal with for very long- especially with fighters bearing down on the smaller, more vulnerable Terran crafts. The company of Marines dispatched to the Fold gate would have to hurry, or they would have nothing to return to. It was up to the fighter squadrons to give them as much time as possible.
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Re: [Episode 1] In Gallant Defense

Post by Mr. Blackbird Lore »

Ibrahim gave a curt, "Roger," before falling into rank and file. For him, the silence of space was not just welcome but comforting. It let him think clearly throughout an engagement, and give what shreds of respect the few capable Drathonian flyers deserved. Ibrahim was a man of Honor, of course.

Then, into Ibrahim's ear came the most detestable voice: Samuel Godwin- AKA Green Five- was issuing his order. "Six, you know the drill." Oh yes I do: clean up after your bleeding mess. "I'll punch a hole, you open the door." That was one of the things that most annoyed Green Six: Five's frankly lame figures of speech. 'Punch a hole, open the door' was definitely a new one, however.
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