By Drache on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 09:54 pm:
| By Drache on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 09:54 pm: |
Mithril Force wasn't the only hand picked personnel Craig had placed on the Eagle and Kim shook his head in resignation at the latest addition. The pilots of Mithril Force, as best he could tell, had 3 things in common, combat experience, strong personalities, and a penchant for using their own initiative in any situation to come out on top. He took just a second to wonder what Craig's reasoning for Martin was.
That's all he had to spend on though however. there were precious few options at the moment and since Martin didn't appear to take advice or common sense at face value without getting his feathers suffled, Kim was really left with two; doing what he could without Martin's help or changing the parameters. He started his VF moving when the answer to the Major's question cut through.
"Vagabond, by my calculations you've got just over 9 minutes to get yourselves and anyone else you can out of there. As soon as we get the last of this group onboard I'll bring the Falcon back to help. There may be escape pods or other EV personnel to retrieve. Over."
Kim changed his mind to the first option and opened a private channel to Murdoch.
"Warlock, looks like your better half is still kicking and thinking clearly. We'd better do our own thing, as the Major said, and get out there. We're not gonna do any good in here. Plus, whoever that poor pilot was that got hucked is gonna need saving."
Kim quickly looked around the darkened room trying to peer through the gloom. His spotlights did little to decipher shapes or mecha after a short distance. His other sensors weren't enough to tell the status on the so far silent pilots but of one thing, he was sure, Kit was still alive. He could feel it. For now that was the best he could hope for.
Kim shot one last glance at the Major but refrained from responding to his order. Flipping off his comm, Kim then shifted to Gerwalk mode and manuevered out of the gaping hole.
"Never thought I'd say this but I miss MacGuiness." He was gonna have a serious talk with Craig when he saw him next.
| By Maj. Amaris Martin (Vagabond) on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 10:27 pm: |
Nine minutes. He'd been hoping for more, but realistically he hadn't let himself hope too awful much. "Thanks, Falcon. One more rather odd request. Can you tell anything about the Eagle's hull integrity? Are there any places that seem solid enough to withstand atmospheric reentry?"
He dragged the next fighter to the opening, maneuvering on verniers due to the lack of gravity. Amaris hurled the silent mecha out into the beyond, moving to the side just as Malak made his exit in GERWALK. Nodding to himself, Amaris continued work. He'd stay till the very last minute if he had to, but hopefully there would be another option...
| By Warlock on Friday, August 02, 2002 - 10:21 am: |
In the back of his mind Murdoch knew that Malak had departed, but he had more pressing matters at hand. The wreckage of his young friend's Thunderbolt hovered in front of him, it's blacken hull a haunting image. She was so young and had such promise, after this was all over he'd grieve over her the most. Even after he learns what happened on the bridge...
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you..." Murdoch said to himself as he pushed Ishtar closer to Ivanov's position. His body became tense and his blood pressure began to rise, in anticipation of what he might find. Her cockpit hopefully was still in good enough condition for him to retrieve it. "It's going to be all right, I'm here to take you home."
| By Sirocco on Friday, August 02, 2002 - 05:47 pm: |
Dragging the remains the First Lieutenant Xero's fuselage over to the hatch, Fazia hoped ever so slimly that he was alive. There was no way for her to tell how much damage the munitions explosion had done to his VF, but from her position it didn't look good.
Lifting it with a burst of power from her Thunderbolt's arms, she watched as the wreck drifted away. May you find your way back to His greatness. She had never been good a public speeches, and giving eulogies to her comrades, even silent ones, was no easier.
Turning to head back to the area she had been clearing, she saw that it was already largely empty. She hadn't realized that until just now. Searching the darkened remains of their hangar, she w\found much the same elsewhere. The hangar was being progressively cleared of anything capable of still holding life.
| By Drache on Friday, August 02, 2002 - 08:09 pm: |
Kim had to dodge several times as he exited the Eagle's hull. He could tell just from the sheer amount of debris that the Eagle was on her last leg. Though he didn't have time to look around now, he activated the external cameras and set them to record. If anything, they'd at least be able to watch the legacy that was the Eagle...die. For it was painfully obvious, now that he was outside, that the Eagle's course had but one destination...destruction.
Whether anyone still inside would survive was yet to be seen but at the moment, Kim had a VF pilot to rescue. Kim brought up the HUD's IFF display and was quickly able to track the recently ejected VF. 2nd Lt. Jordan. Hmmm...hope he didn't get scragged out here. Debris from the Eagle cluttered the area, forcing Kim to dodge, roll and evade. It slowed down his approach but once he got close it was simple to fing the VF. The shiny, silver paint job of the Silverhawks stood out from the black, dull hull of the Eagle and the scorched chunks of her innards that had sprayed outwards.
The fact that Jordan's VF was slowly drifting away from the Eagle amongst all the other debris wouldn't have saved it from entering the atmosphere and thus being destroyed. The Eagle's inertia and thus everything that is or was inside it would go down unless an outside force acted on it. Basic physics. The problem was, the only outside force acting on Jordan and everything else was gravity. And Gravity, like Fate, was a ravenous mistress, clutching at everything and anything in it's reach. It seemed both would be appeased this day.
Kim shifted to Battroid mode and opened a comm to Jordan.
"Just in case you're waking up in there, this is Drache. I'm gonna latch on and get you out of here. Hang on."
Kim's PPB flashed brightly as he batted a person sized piece of debris out of his way with his shield arm. He needed to get Jordan into a stable, geosyncronous orbit with the Eagle's course and that meant he needed to take him the whole way out. Kim rolled his VF and came around so he could get under the VF. (OOC:I'm guessing he's in Gerwalk mode as that's the best mode to land in.)
Latching onto the hip joints of the VF with both hands, Kim slowly put power into his Excalibur's engines. Combined with the already powerful engines, the Fast packs would be more than enough to change Jordan's vector. It would just take time to keep doing this if Martin continued to huck Valkries out the side, like valuables out of burning house.
He could feel small impacts on the above VF as the pair moved away which was unavoidable considering the extra mass and mode of Jordan's VF. It dissapated quickly however, the debris field stayed on the Eagle's course and it didn't take long to get out. Once they were above the debris, Kim took a moment to look down (virtual cockpit) at the Eagle from his higher vantage point.
It was a sad sight though not an unfamiliar one to him. Like a flashback from a different time and place, Kim watched another ship under his protection break apart and die.
A beep from his VF reminded him it was time to stop the ascent. He'd needed a constant thrust to change their initial vector and then move to a higher orbit, though it was only slightly higher. Now that the correct altitude had been reached, he needed to stop Jordan from moving so he'd know where to get him later. Releasing his hold, Kim fired reverse thrusters to gain a little distance on Jordan and then quickly shifted modes to fighter, swung around Jordon and then shifted back to Battroid. Palms out and PPB forward to help cushion, Kim let Jordan's fighter come to him. Like a 50 foot shock absorber, Kim slowed the VF to a stop.
"Don't go anywhere alright?" Kim gave the VF a short pat and then moved away by about 200 meters.
"Drache here. I got Jordan secured in a higher orbit but it's gonna take time too much time to do these one at a time. If uh...someone wants to be the pitcher I can play catcher out here. Over."
| By Maj. Amaris Martin (Vagabond) on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 02:28 am: |
The steady voice of whoever it was at the comm on the Falcon came back over Amaris' headset.
"Vagabond, I can't get a clear shot of the whole ship but she's trailing so much debris that I doubt she could stand up to strong wind at this point. Regardless of that, the Eagle's vecotor alone will ensure nothing survives, even if she weren't so badly damaged. If there's any power left, I'd suggest ordering an abandon ship. We might be able to retrieve some pods before it's too late."
"Understood, Falcon. We've been trying to get out as many of our people as possible. Those fighters in good condition should be able to enter the atmosphere on their own. The others will have to be dealt with individually, securing their escape pods somehow and checking for breaches. I'll need your help with that as soon as you're done where you are. Inertia will keep us falling towards the planet; we'll do our best to slow the process and even attain orbits where possible, but there might be too many to deal with in the short amount of time we have left. I'll keep you updated."
Time. The five minutes were up, and he hadn't heard back from Thornton. Amaris chucked the latest mecha out into space. "Here comes another one, Drache. Warlock, Sirocco, Yamada...keep working. Fast as you can. We need to get out of here quickly."
He jetted back over to the hatch where Lieutenant Thornton had been minutes ago. Swallowing at a suddenly dry throat, he opened up the comm. "This is Major Amaris Martin of the Silverhawks. Any survivors on the UNS Eagle, abandon ship. Repeat, abandon ship. You have three minutes, tops." The extra wiggle room was for the Marines, or whoever would be able to grab the escape pods. If there were any. "Three minutes. The Eagle is breaking apart. Abandon ship now." Pausing, Amaris closed his eyes, then reopened the line. "Lieutenant Thornton. Do you come in. Lieutenant Thornton."
Only silence answered him. In the great husk of what had once been the most sophisticated stealth frigate in the UNS, was there no one left alive? Grimacing, Amaris toggled the line again.
"To any survivors on the Eagle: please close yourselves off from the main hallway to the hangar, or be sure you are secured in an airtight suit. I'm breaching the airlock to allow passage for survivors. Repeat, clear the main hallway to the hangar unless you are in a space suit. I'm coming in."
Amaris examined the door, looking for the best way to get it open. First he checked the controls to see if it was going to be easy. If not, he'd first attempt to force it open, using both the mecha's own strength and the strength of his verniers and foot thrusters. Failing that, he'd use his head laser just on the sections of the door that held it sealed, keeping himself at an angle pointing away from the hallway; he had no desire to accidentally slice Lieutenant Thornton in two.
| By Sirocco on Monday, August 05, 2002 - 06:47 am: |
Fazia had know it to be true since the first moments of the attack. The sheer lack or reason behind them throwing everything that could have held life out into space read like an open book as to what was happening. The broken bits of communication array drifting past her as she threw Captain Keenan's Thunderbolt out the gaping hole told her no lies. Yet until Major Martin transmitted the call to Abandon Ship on all frequencies, she had lived in the vain hope that it was just the Silverhawks hangar bay that was experiencing the end of existence.
Such was not the will of Allah on this day. In His Infinite Wisdom he saw it necessary for the good ship Eagle and the fine souls who served upon her to complete the Final Journey.
Peace Be Upon all those who served on this vessel Fazia prayed as she stopped to watch the pilot in the Excalibur, Drache wasn't it? He was moving Jordan's fighter into a safe orbit.
Drache? Wasn't that Lieutenant Malak's callsign? Not Kit. Her brother..
Pondering the possibilities of who else might be alive and in a situation to stay that way, Fazia went back to work. She walked over to a wreck by a wall. It looked hardly safe, and a tear fell down her cheek as she realized just what the pilot must be feeling if they were still conscious in there. She hoped not. Ripping a torn arm off of the variable fighter with more force than she had ever used, she savagely picked up the craft and started dragging it over the exit.
If you are alive, I will do what I can to help you. Jerking her Battloid around, she grunted as she started forcing her controls in a most unprofessional manner in order to drag the Thunderboolt to safety.
Move! Damn you!
| By Warlock on Wednesday, August 07, 2002 - 02:18 pm: |
Time nearly stood still as Murdoch approached the fallen Thunderbolt. His heart began to race as the utility arms enclosed within Ishtar's forearms came to life and began to cut through the wreckage. The arms were extensions of their operator, in which they danced around with a grace not to cause any additional damage to it's precious cargo.
Once the cockpit was reached Murdoch was met with a horrible sight through the canopy, the limp lifeless body of a slender young female. The face plate of her flight helmet was cracked open, which did not leave any doubt to her condition. Ivanov was dead...
Then in one solid motion Ishtar reached out and removed the pilot's compartment and secured it to her right forearm. She did her best to comfort and protect the fallen warrior, in much the same way as she did her pilot. The Excalibur might have been just an extension of her pilot, but some would say she had a soul of her own.
Murdoch took a deep breath and continued...
"Colonel this is MF-Four, over..." Murdoch requested as he called to the bridge, but he was only met with an unholy silence. "I say again, Colonel Craig do you copy?!"
Reina, no...
"Drache..." Murdoch demanded as he switched channels and attempted to contact his wingman. "God damn it, what's the condition of the Bridge. Over..."
| By 1st Lt. Krystal Thornton (Doc) on Wednesday, August 07, 2002 - 06:18 pm: |
Krystal took a deep breath. She was alright at the moment. But without radio communications, she was going to be in a very tight spot.
Taking a look at the entrance to the hangar bay, Krystal decided that it wouldn't be very prudent to stay near the doors. If Major Martin was coming in, he wasn't going to open the doors nicely.
Grabbing onto handholds to keep her footing as best as possible, Krystal began to pull herself up the hallway. It was hard, but she soon got far enough away to avoid anything too dangerous.
Now she just had to wait and hope Major Martin would come on in soon.
| By Drache on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 01:43 am: |
Kim sighed to himself as his request for help was flatly ignored. Apparently the physics of the universe ere lost on some people. The Eagle was on a sharp descent at high speed and by moving Jordan's VF to a safe orbit, Kim was going to have to catch up.
He had his Excalibut into fighter mode faster than you could say 'Valkyrie' and dropped the hammer.
Already locking in on all the jettisoned VFs, Kim came up with a one man plan for getting the job done. It wasn't the best plans mind you, but it was a solution that just might save lives and the mecha. As long at it was executed properly and timing was key. The next couple minutes would seem a blur to him and anyone who might be watching. If there was record for this type of thing, Kim was on a course to break it.
(OOC: I count three more inactive/NPC characters so I'm gonna use that as the number unless someone says otherwise.)
Kim shot past the first two VFs floating outwards from the Eagle and kept moving until he reached the most recently ejected VF. A quick manuevering burst started his VF in a flip which was completed as he shifted back to soldier mode; leaving his Excal facing back in the direction he came and just in position to grab the nearby valkyrie. Foot and back thrusters fired simultaneously to both stop his motion towards the Eagle as well as move him into grappling range.
Silvery, metal arms curled under the battroid mode VF and the pair twisted quickly to a new heading. Kim glanced at his HUD to see who he had gripped in a bear hug. It was Cedua.
"Hey Cedua..." He purposely mispronounced her name. "...ever wanted to know what a ballistic missle feels like?"
He didn't give her time to answer even if she was alive. The pair of fighters shot away like the missle Kim referred to. Slow at first and then faster, Kim had them on a course very close to where Jordan's VF hovered in space. They passed the other two drifting fighters and were just clear of the debris field when Kim's plan really went into motion.
This time, instead of following through with the transport, Kim fired braking thrusters to slow the pair down but without killing their inertia completely. He left enough momentum to continue the VF drifting out into space. If not stopped, the VF would drift forever but he didn't plan on letting it go that long. Again, timing was key.
In fighter mode once again, he blasted towards the nearest of the remaining two, the furthest out of the three VFs initially ejected but now the closest to his current location.
He didn't have the time to check the HUD readings anymore but he could see the fiery Phoenix helm of his twin sister in the Gerwalk mode fighter. That was all the recognition or reaction he would allow. Combining the process of the first and second VF, Kim got under Kit's fighter and started pushing it out. Also on a slightly different path, Kim propelled Kit's VF until it's motion was enough to escape the planet's pull; after which, he released the VF, shifted to figher again and bolted to the last VF in line.
As he was moving in, Kim took a second to check the spacing on the two VFs already en route. Not bad. He thought but he'd need to be quick on the last, most important piece of the plan.
Grappling with the last VF, Kim put the Excalibur's engines to the test. At full thrust, Kim strained to hold onto the Thunderbolt; G-forces pushing him back into his seat, threatening him with unconsciousness. Within seconds they had passed Kit and shortly thereafter, Cedua and still he kept going.
Finally, though he couldn't open his eyes against the force, his internal counter reached zero and Kim killed the engines. The G-forces died, Kim opened his eyes, and got his bearings on the now, incoming VFs. It was gonna be close.
Still grappled with his last charge, Kim flipped the pair over and it was then a simple matter to stop their momentum.
Now came the tough part. Flying vertically, in relation anyway, Kim slipped into position to catch Cedua. He started in a slow course in the same vector path so as to help ease the catch. Using his PPB as a cushion again, Kim's Excal still jolted sharply when Cedua slammed into his waiting arms.
"Gee, and I didn't know you cared."
Kim's joke went without response not that he expected one. He slowed them to a standstiil and looked over his shoulder in time to see Kit's VF blast past them.
"Damnit!" His growl, along with all his other commentary was lost to the stars.
He released Cedua and still in battroid, started after Kit; the excalibur, in a blur of motion, shifted through it's forms until, like an arrow, was streaking after it's prey.
Kim scolded himself for not having been faster and while he knew Kit was in no danger, he would save her; he had no idea what was going on with the Eagle and who else might be in danger because he wasn't there.
Latching on to Kit, Kim reversed his thrust til she slowed enough for him to get a better grip. Her Thud looked in good order, not like many of the others but he wondered what had happened to her such that she wasn't responding.
He was just hauling Kit into position with the other VFs when Murdoch's angry voice broke the deathly silence.
Kim, and now his motley crew, were so far out from the Eagle that, if not for the bright planet backdrop, he would not be able to make out her dark silouette. The chunks of debris he knew were there were invisible to the naked eye though he thought he could see the faint glow of something or somethings entering the outer atmosphere.
"Warlock, I'm afraid I'm too far out to make anything out. But...if the bridge is like anything else, it's without power and coming apart at the seems. I'm not getting any readings from it anyway. What's the situation? Over."
OOC:Sorry for the long post. I didn't want to have to break all that up.
| By UNS Eagle Head GM (Foreman) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 09:10 am: |
It was apparent that everyone was doing their best to save as many lives aboard the crippled Eagle as possible. Mithril Force acting both in and out made phenomenal efforts to save those dear to them and those not. The Silverhawks methodically cleared the hangar of anything that looked like it could sustain life. Efforts were even made to rescue those without the good fortune to find themselves inside a mecha.
These efforts were all gallant to say the least, but the cruel reality of it all was that there just wasn't time.
-_-_-_-_-_-_
Seconds methodically ticked away as Drache rocketted from one AVF to the next, attempting to play surgeon with a sledgehammer. Placing three damaged objects into a geosynchronous orbit around a planet that you have little if any information regarding things like mass and gravitational pull could be described as impossible at best. Drache watched in horror as the first two VFs continued their descend towards the planet's atmosphere as their speed orbiting the planet was just not enough. What was more, the speed of his sister's Valkryie was actually too great. Her danger was less immediate than that of the other pilots, but if something wasn't done, she would be the victim of a slingshot around the planet and sent out into space. Who knew what was out there.
-_-_-_-_-_-_
All the while, the pilots of the Silverhawks obeyed orders, sending mecha after mecha into the void. With Drache sprinting around like a firefly on crack though, it was plain that help was needed on his end.
That task might be a little easier to accomplish though as the hangar was coming close to being completely devoid of anything resembling a mecha. Those pilots closer to the gaping hole in the hull however could see some of the debris that had actually entered the upper atmosphere begin to glow brilliantly. It was almost like you could reach out and touch some of them.
-_-_-_-_-_
Warlocks transmissions to the bridge fell upon deaf or dead ears. He received no response, not even static. He had no way of knowing if there were other survivors or if there was even a working chain of command. All he knew at this time was that his friend was dead. Cradling the cockpit like a mother holding her stillborn child, Warlock mourned the loss of his comrade while chaos continued to reign.
-_-_-_-_-_-_
As the Major examined the door, it became quickly apparent that this would be relatively simple to open. As there was no power, it was quickly deduced that normal means of operating the door would be a waste of time. The hatch to the hangar though, was sized to only allow those not in mecha to easily traverse its passageways. As it was, the hatch was relatively small compared to the mecha.
Weighing his options quickly and acting, the Major reached with both mechanized arms to pull the hatch off.
-_-_-_-_-_-_
Inside the hallway waited Lt. Thornton. She could tell things were taking forever as it had seemed like an eternity since the power and gravity had gone out. There apparently was still cabin pressure though as she hadn't experienced anything resembling the loss of pressure despite being safe in a space suit.
It was then that she felt it. A tugging, or groping. First at her leg, then higher to her shoulder. Turning her head, the Lt. was taken by complete surprise by none other than a small boy.
He looked no older than eight. Tears had dried on his little almond shaped head and it looked as if he was trying to be brave. Looking into his light brown eyes though, it was plain to see that this little child was dreadfully frightened. His bottom lip quivered and only when the small boy shivered did the Lieutenant notice the blue hue to his lower lip.
Time froze. A screeching from down the hall towards the hangar caused Thornton's eyes to widen in horror. The Major was coming in. Her rescue was here.
The force of air rushing from an area of higher pressure to lower pressure in an attempt to equalize the difference is unimaginable. Just as the Lieutenant gathered the child into her arms was he ripped from her grasp and shot out into space. Search lights poured down the hallway. Her salvation had arrived.
-_-_-_-_-_-_
As the hatch came away from its moorings, the telltale signs of a cabin depressurizing followed. Any and all loose debris was quickly snatched from its purchase and added itself to the fog of debris already in the hangar. Leaning down, the Major found that he could shine a search light or extend his mecha's arm down the passage up to its shoulder.
ooc... no one is aware of the child being among the debris other than Lt. Thornton.
| By Maj. Amaris Martin (Vagabond) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 09:43 pm: |
"Time's up, everyone," Amaris called, even as he stooped to get a closer look down the hallway. "Go. Get out there and help Drache stabilize the other fighters. If you finish with that before I get there, start looking for the bridge. If possible, I'd like to save it intact. If you can't stabilize the fighters, try to keep them up as long as possible, and coordinate their angle for atmospheric entry. We'll do what we can for as many people as we can. Vagabond out."
He didn't have the time to do what he wanted to do, which was personally enter the Eagle and search for survivors. Thornton's five minute scan notwithstanding. The situation was dire, dire beyond words, and it was only by sheer strength of will that Amaris had managed not to let it overwhelm him. So many people would die, if they hadn't already.
He forced that thought down and continued work, crouching so that his cockpit area was close to the hallway entrance.
Despite the resistance from Mithril Force, his evacuation plan hadn't gone too badly. Get everything out of the hangar as fast as possible--that meant foregoing the standard procedure of unclamping the cockpit section and carting it along, both because that took too much time and because there were probably more fighters here than there were arms to carry cockpits on--then jump out and secure the falling fighters in a pattern for planetfall. Entry angle was of dire importance, but as long as those outside were smart, they could put it off until they were completely ready by readjusting position in a coordinated manner. He'd wanted Warlock to assist Drache in this highly complex portion of the plan--that he'd trusted Mithril Force to do it at all should have said something, unless the man simply didn't understand how important the task was.
Regardless, he hadn't heard anything from Drache indicating that the job was a failure, so Warlock's ignoring of orders didn't need to be addressed just yet. Hopefully the man would recognize that he was on a sinking ship and go ahead and evacuate now, though.
The next phase--grabbing Lieutenant Thornton and anyone else they possibly could--was what had to happen now. Thornton would be handled shortly, hopefully, but Amaris didn't know about the others. He'd wanted to go in; there was no time for that now. All he could hope was that someone outside could capture the bridge section--as it was a spire jutting out of the main ship, it shouldn't be too hard to find, unless it had been completely decimated. And he could always hope for escape pods.
Now, though, he had the immediate problem of getting Lieutenant Thornton out of that hallway to focus on.
He shone his lights into the hallway, spotting Thornton almost immediately and then swiveling the lights away so as not to blind her. As there was no atmosphere, there was no beam, simply a circle of light hitting the rear wall of the hallway.
Amaris took a breath, checked the seals on his G-suit and helmet, and then tapped a key to cut off life support to the cockpit. The space suit's own systems cut in, and he slid down the lever to evacuate the oxygen and depressurize the cockpit. It hissed out into the space around him, crystallizing almost instantly. Amaris almost went for the loudspeaker; then, ruefully, he shifted his movement towards the chest cavity release mechanism. Thornton wouldn't hear him in a vaccuum; he'd have to hope she understood what he meant her to do.
The chest cavity of Amaris' Thud swung open gracefully, leaving only his G-suit between himself and the space beyond. He stared out down the hallway towards Thornton's position, activating as many lights as he could in the cockpit to make it as visible as possible, then made a slow, odd gesturing motion. It was hard to move in zero G. Hopefully Thornton would be able to push herself off at the correct angle to land directly in the cockpit; at that point, Amaris would catch her. He dared not unstrap himself, lest he float away, but even so the cockpit area was wide enough that it shouldn't be hard for Thornton to land in it.
He'd considered sticking the mecha's arm down the hall, giving her something to grab onto, but that would mean she'd eventually have to climb around out into open space to get to the cockpit...not extremely safe. This was better; chances were if she missed she could rebound directly into the hallway and try again.
Amaris kept beckoning towards her, the sound of his own breathing loud in his ears.
| By Sirocco on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 03:09 am: |
When Major Martin gave to order to get out, Fazia had just dragged her heavy load to the exit. Throwing it out, she played her light across the bay once more. Anyone who was still in here was dead already. That thought made her sad, but she took bitter solace in the hope they had lived their lives properly, and would go to heaven.
Turning her Thunderbolt back around, Al Hamza stared out into the light-flecked gulf before her. Of in the distance, tiny lights danced around like marsh fireflies on a summer's evening. That was probably Drache doing his job. Taking a deep breath, she jumped away from the Eagle. Allowing inertia to carry her a little way, she activated her jets and pushed up towards the rallying point.
I'm going to miss you... all of you.
| By Warlock on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 01:02 pm: |
"Roger Drache, the bridge must all ready be evacuated." Murdoch replied as he knew something was wrong, but was afraid to verbally express it. Malak knew his relationship with the Council Designate and how it had effected him since she had come on board. In the pit of his stomach Murdoch knew that things were about to get worse. "Didn't mean to leave you hanging, had to make sure I didn't leave anyone behind..."
Murdoch gave the hangar one more look, in an attempt to make sure he hadn't missed anything. He took note of Martin playing HERO in the distant corner and knew that it would never be over between the two. His orders directly before the fold caused the whole incident to be this severe, because even a first year cadet knew a tight formation would only lead to a disordered and bunched withdrawl. But now he had to make sure Ivanov got home...
"I'm coming out..." Murdoch said as he continued his message to Malak. With a short burst he directed Ishtar toward the outside, leaving Martin behind him at least for the moment. "...what's your position? Over..."
| By Drache on Saturday, August 10, 2002 - 03:23 am: |
OOC: Are there any moons or other orbiting objects visible? I may need to modify this post if so. For now, this should do.
Kim growled audibly as he took in the results of his labors; two VFs still on the way down and one on the way out. At least Jordan, miraculously, was stationary...for now.
Kit was the closest but in the least danger at the moment so weighing the possible outcomes, Kim made a snap decision.
A dragon in flight, Kim's Excalibur embodied the concept of perpetual motion and chaos all at once. He locked in on Cedua and the other falling VF and put in an course that would take him past them again.
The comm beckened him for attention so as he rolled his fighter, Kim responded to Warlock while he still had a few seconds.
"I'm still pretty high up, doing what I can to stabilize these VFs. Either that planet has a really screwed up gravity well or there's something else at work out here."
Kim's mind was a flurry of other possibilities; a tactician at heart, it deeply bothered him that he hadn't gotten it right the first time. Something, well many things, just weren't right.
"I've got a handle on these but from the looks of it, there's still quite a few near you that need help. I'm not reading any pods from the Eagle though..."
He purposely left that hanging, knowing full well what it meant to Murdoch. Maybe Kim was just too far out to get a good reading through all the debris but he doubted it. Escape pods, if anything, were like bullhorns in a small valley when it came to locating them. They didn't have much in the way of comforts or anything else but the beacons on those things were purposely designed so a rescue team could locate them within a debris field. If anyone made it off, they should be picking up something...
He didn't have time to speculate further as the first of his prey came into range. It was almost routine as Kim let Ced's fighter fall into his VF's open arms.
"You know Ms. Jones, if you didn't like my joke, you could have just said so. Burning up in the atmosphere, I hear, isn't much fun."
Kim repeated his earlier method with one 'subtle' difference; he didn't shoot for a higher orbit but instead, for beyond the planet's pull. If Ced was still alive he'd have an easier time retrieving her when she wasn't being sucked in by the planet below plus it would also put him a better position once he was done. Watching his sensors carefully, he waited until there was no chance of her being pulled back in and then released his grip.
Not wasting any time, Kim moved on to the second falling VF. He stiffened in his seat when he saw, for the first time, who's VF it was. Araika.
He must not have had time to look before but now, he paused in mid air (space), one hand gripping the VF.
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Kim looked up at her, his expression was resigned and he looked a little disappointed. Despite his round about method, he had hoped he wouldn't have been so badly interpreted. "The past is the past. I have no illusions about reliving or justifying it. I know little enough about what happened as I do how you were involved. Can you blame me for being concerned?" Kim's head cocked to one side but he didn't pause to let her answer. "Your actions have spoken for you. I have seen you in action and I know you would never deliberately endanger anyone on the team nor would I suggest you do not know your job better than the rest of us. At least that was not my intention." Stormy gray eyes, clouded by a seriousness that Kim had never shown, peered into the gold-flecked infernos. "The Eagle...is about to go places that you know all too well I imagine." He had no idea how she'd answer this question but there was nothing stopping him from asking it now. "You may not have an answer to this, I know I would have a hard time with it. Perhaps you shouldn't answer at all. I'll just pose the question and leave it at that." Taking one final deep breath, Kim asked the one question he'd been unable, in all his research, to guess at. "What will happen if you find yourself in a battle with friends on both sides? What side will you choose? Who's lives are truly in danger?" Kim knew what it was like to have loyalties on two sides though he'd never had to make that choice. He hated having to put someone else in this situation but he had friends...and a sister on one side and he wanted his position known.
"Tha's for me to figure out, ain' it?" she said easily, the mask returning and if anything, the cold aura increasing from her direction. "When the time comes, whatever I owe'd be paid back in full at the end of it."
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Irony didn't begin to describe the situation and Kim's face contorted in anger. He was too much like his uncle, analytical and requiring proof, to jump straight to the easy conclusion. However, the rage that filled him when the first explosion rolled through the Eagle returned in full force. Here he was, about to save someone who he'd called a teammate, maybe even more than that but who practically told him she had no loyalties and his friends, his family were just people...
A small part of him understood her way of life but a large part of him just couldn't accept that after all the time with the Hawks, she'd put so little worth on...on anything. Kim's curiousity and need to save his twin won out over his restrained rage.
His gut coiled tighter but he forced down the urge. Hurling Araika's VF out into space may have been the best thing for him to do but he couldn't live with that. He still held to the possibility that there was no connection to recent events and...something else.
Kim held tight to Araika's VF and shifted course towards Kit's outbound VF. It didn't take long for them to catch up to Kit and he didn't bother to latch on just yet. Matching speed was good enough for now. Hovering just a few meters from Kit, Kim killed his thrust and just drifted alongside Kit's Thud.
"Warlock, Vagabond, I hate to do this but I'm gonna have to go around the planet at this point so I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to do anything more. Good news is I've got Jordan, Jones, Faloise and Kit accounted for. Judgeing from the size of the planet and our speed, we should be back around in fifteen to twenty. Jordan's VF is in geosync at coordinates, 15-20-128 relational. I'll head back there once we've come around. Over."
He figured he had about a minute and a half before the planet would block transmission. During that time he should be able to figure a course to intercept Cedua by slinging around. Then all he'd have to do is bring the strays back to the fold.
He glanced down at the planet and the barely visible Eagle heading down. He could just make out the red glow off the hull, he guessed, as the main bulk entered the atmosphere.
"Stärke, Ehre und Vollständigkeit."
Kim gave one final salute to the legacy, the inspiration and a ship he once called...home.
| By Jade on Monday, August 12, 2002 - 03:09 am: |
The voice of the marine pilot called once more. It was still professional in tone but sounded somewhat relieved.
"Falcon to Vagabond. We've got our team accounted for and onboard. I'm bringing us around for rescue operations. What's your situation? Over."
| By Heather (Illusion) on Monday, August 12, 2002 - 10:59 pm: |
Everyone, please read the Announcement thread.