The Motivation

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relanat
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Part of what makes this so good is that you can picture in your head what is happening with images from Transcendence. Great stuff.

Mental note: make a ramming mod so I can slam my Manticore into other ships :lol: .
Stupid code. Do what I want, not what I typed in!
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TheLoneWolf
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It would require reworking the collison detectors. It can't be done with transLISP, but C++ed directly into the engine.
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DigaRW
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relanat wrote: Mental note: make a ramming mod so I can slam my Manticore into other ships :lol: .
The problem is, when you face a massive horde of light gunship. Like when defend Korolov in Charon, or defend Huari Temple, or even defend Point Juno. It's impossible to avoid enemy, or even friendly ship. You will always crash your ship into other ship, station, asteroid, planet, or even star.
And we will know the final result, Death. :-D
Download Transcendence mods from Reinvented Workbench Project!
Click this link!
MikeAngora
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aa
Last edited by MikeAngora on Wed Mar 09, 2016 1:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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TheLoneWolf
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Expanded upon the CSC EUROPA story! Heck ya! But I still thirst to know what is going to happen next!
MikeAngora
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A Few Good Men

It took us a few minutes to return to the Korolov station from the destroyed Charon Fortress. Our trip to the Fortress had seemed like a few hours to us but due to the warping and the ripples caused in the Space-time fabric, we actually had expended almost 5 full days. The station was taking shape very quickly and many of the ports had even begun their business as usual. We all docked at Korolov and immediately headed for the large conference hall. There the station commander was waiting for us along with some Commonwealth officers. They saluted us as we entered and refreshments were served quickly to my ragtag squadron. I had already ordered a clean-up team to be sent to the Fortress to recover any survivors and more importantly to the Korolov people, loot the hell out of it.
Everyone ate quietly expect for Nova, Jenna, Tychus and myself. Chuck, Sally and their father were also reluctant to eat but I insisted it for them.

One of the Commonwealth officers was the Second-in-Command of the Point Juno supply base- he was on a family holiday in Starlton but I had him warped in on an urgent basis.
He was a tall dark skinned and bald man in royal navy blue uniform. "I am Commodore Edison Phillips." he announced in a dark baritone voice.
I didn't waste time with the introductions and immediately got to the issue of the Europa.
"I need information as to where that ship is headed. She docked with you before coming down here to Charon." I asked impatiently.
"Ah you mean the one commanded by Real Admiral Fredrick Watson and my brother Matthew? I am sorry, they are on a classified mission." he replied in jest- something that got me very, very pissed.
"THE C.S.C EUROPA COMMODORE! WHERE IS SHE HEADED!!?" I stood up and screamed- everyone stopped eating and began to stare at me.
The Commodore didn't blink and politely reiterated his earlier statement. "I am sorry Lieutenant, I cannot tell you anything- it is beyond my jurisdiction."
I regained my composure and apologized to the Commodore and to my squadron however everyone stopped eating and continued to look at me intently.
"The C.S.C Europa is in grave danger. We have confirmation that a Phobos dreadnought is out hunting for her. There are almost five thousand people on board that ship. I'm certain that that Phobos would probably be flying with Deimos class destroyers and swarms of smaller Ares gunships which a lone Commonwealth Star-ship Carrier cannot handle. I need to know about that ship Commodore- please for the sake of your brother, for the sake of those men and women." I began again.
Chuck and Sally's father also stood up from his seat and re-confirmed my information.
"I am the Communications officer of the Pirate Ship Kronosaur. After the Europa attacked us some Ares Sandstorms had flown over our destroyed fortress." he said.

The commodore took deep breaths and stared at me in silence along with everyone else. He looked at my squadron women and then turned to me.
"So you know about the fusion triggers. The Europa is carrying a crack team of scientists- they have probably assembled the weapon already." he sighed.
"The weapon!!" my entire squadron of 65 pilots jumped up from their seats and screamed as did I.
Jenna stood up from her seat and walked over to the Commodore. "Commodore, if the Europa is carrying that weapon then it's not just the Europa that's in danger- Point Juno itself could be attacked!!" she screamed and the entire hall broke into tumult. Nova hushed everyone down quickly and stared at the Commodore.
"Oh my God! Commander Anderson, the Europa is headed towards some Ares Communes to test the weapon. The Ares must have waited this long because they wanted the weapon in working condition." the Commodore said hastily.
"Damn straight! We gotta get our asses to Point Juno right now! That ship is walking into a hornet's nest with honey smudged all over it " Tychus hadn't finished speaking that every single pilot in the room began to rush towards their ships.

I also ran- it was probably the fastest I've ever had run since my days in the C.M.C Sniper School. We didn't ring any alarm bells this time because we wanted to avoid creating a ruckus in the station.
The Commodore also hurried into his Aurochs VIP transport and formed on our wing- his escorts of Centurions with him.
Thankfully, our ships were already being prepped by the diligent Korolov staff before we got to them so we wasted no time.
My squadron cleared the Korolov station and once clear of the station's magnetic field we warped towards the star-gate- now this was where things got interesting.
As we all gathered in front of the enormous star-gate Tychus' Advanced Jump drive began to encircle our entire squadron with waves of flashing colorful lights- everyone except Sally knew full well what was going on so I instructed Nova to put her to sleep.
"Gentlemen and gentlewomen, get ready to enter the Elysium System." Tychus declared and our ships entered into a tunnel of bright flashing lights of all sizes and colors. It lasted for around five minutes and we appeared in a large solar system dominated by one large blue star. There were no lights from the stars, no planets or anything a human eye could recognize. Ancient star-gates orbited the star.
This was the mythical Elysium system- a large system made by the ancient alien races to travel between different star systems.

We quickly warped into the Point Juno System and landed almost a few thousand miles away from it.
"Attention all flights. I'm going to find the Europa and possibly retrieve that weapon. I need everyone else to follow Commodore Phillips and head straight for Point Juno. If I don't return with a few days consider me dead. Tychus you'll assume command of the squadron along with November. Am I clear?" I announced.
"Negative War-wolf. I'm going with you." Nova replied.
"Damn straight! You ain't getting your hands on that weapon without me." Tychus also said and with that every single pilot in the squadron also began to insist going with me including Commodore Phillips.
"I cannot risk my entire squadron to a single Phobos. At the most I'll take Tychus and Nova with me because their ships are heavily armed. I need you all to report to Point Juno and upgrade your ships- get better deflectors and weapons- especially the Ronins. Chuck and Sally you're both experienced Viking Pilots, I think Point Juno will have a couple of Ronins or I.A.Vs for you to fight in. I need you all alive long enough to fight for Point Juno. Commodore, can I please take your word for it? " I said solemnly.
After a short silence everyone accepted my orders. "I'll take care of this band of misfits Michael. I'll make sure every single ship is battle ready in no time." The Commodore replied. "And Michael, please bring my brother back safely, can I take YOUR word for it?"
"Yes Commodore, I will bring Matthew back. I swear" I said.
"What about me? I won't go anywhere without Nova!" Jenna yelled.
Nova then docked with Jenna's Ronin and sent Sally and her father over. "I won't leave you alone in Point Juno my dear. I'll be back before you know it." she said and bid an emotional goodbye to her loyal apprentice.
Tychus also bid his goodbye to his squadron of Molotok pilots and Centurions.
"See ya later alligators!" he exclaimed.
"Hey Tychus, you make sure you bring back somma dose pretty chicks from the Europa yeh?" his pilots laughed back.
As we prepared to warp towards the last known coordinates of the Europa, Tychus offered a sincere apology to Sally, Chuck and their father. They willingly accepted and we warped away.
All three of us knew that the Europa would have probably been under attack already and that the chances of any of us returning were bleak at best.

--- Approach to Europa---

We were done warping but continued to travel at just below light speed. Our ships were vibrating violently and we knew full well why this was happening.
"Guys, I'm detecting heavy electronic activity ahead. Looks like she's taking fire." Nova reported.
"Copy that- particle residues detected. That's a Tev-9- we gotta get to her fast." I replied.
"We're still a few light minutes away... I'm activating the jump-drives, it should land us close enough. Standby." Tychus said and engaged the jump-drives a second time.

As the warp finished, we saw what could only be described as a beehive. Swarms of Sandstorms were pounding the large Star-ship Carrier.
The C.S.C Europa was indeed a very beautiful ship. Her four flat spanning landing bays were something of a wonder in themselves.
Her fleet of Britannia and Centurion squadrons were fighting hard but she was struggling to defend herself- one of her four Tev-9s had been disabled.

"ATTENTION C.S.C Europa; this is War-wolf flight, we're inbound to assist. How do you copy?" Nova announced.
"Affirmative War-wolf squadron! We're under heavy fire from Tundras and Chasms. We could use all the support you can give!" the ship responded.
"Damn Straight! You're not going down so fast Admiral Watson! I need cover fire- I'm coming in." Tychus also blared.
"War-wolf flight affirmative! Providing cover-fire!" the response came.
"C.S.C Europa, this is War-wolf lead. Heard you folks are having a party without us! Gimme something to shoot." I exclaimed.
"Copy that War-wolf, you couldn't have come a moment too soon! Threats due Victor East- fully loaded Chasms. Strip and engage!" The joyful comm officer replied.
The Europa directed her fire at groups on Sandstorms that were coming flying in to intercept us and obliterated them instantly.

"Lets jump in folks! Engage at will!" Nova ordered and we charged into the battlefield.
Tychus and I immediately let loose our barrage of thermonuclear 98R high-flux MAG rounds and Mark V howitzers.
Although Nova's heavily modified Wolfen was a tad less powerful than us, it was astonishingly more maneuverable. She tore through the Sandstorms like a fly squatting racket with her quiver full of Lucifer missiles.
"Attention all flights this is War-wolf 2, focus your fire on the Tundras and Chasms. Let the ship handle the small fry." Tychus announced as the squadrons of Tundras unleashed their deadly micro-nukes.
"This is Panther flight; we're engaged with groups of Sandstorms- requesting immediate support!" cried a Centurion pilot in the melee.
"Copy that Panther I'm right on em. Firing Fox 2!" Nova responded and literally nose dived into the squadron of Sandstorms and blasted her way through.
As I engaged the waves of Ares ships, I noticed a large group of around thirty Tundras gathering together below the ship. They were planning a saturated attack on the engines- essentially a kill shot.
"Those Tundras are going in for a saturated attack on the ship!! Get your asses on them now! Move! Move! Move!" I said and dove towards them. Everyone else followed.
"Roger that War-wolf. We'll cover your sixes while you attack. Attention all units of Gorilla and Panther squadrons; break right and cover the teams attacking those Tundras. Gorilla out."
"They're launching their warheads! Hit those warheads- they'll kill the Tundras too!" Nova declared.
Every single gunship surrounding the carrier disengaged their targets and swooped in towards the Tundras- that had already launched their warheads. Our weapons impacted the warheads and immediately tore through the very ships that launched them.
"Nailed em! Yeah!!!" the jubilant pilots screamed.
"Damn it, I'm hit! I don't think I can take it anymore. Hull breach is imminent. May-Day, May-Day, May-day- This is Gorilla 4; I'm going down."
"Roger that Gorilla 4, I've got your ejection pod covered. Get outta there."
"Thank you War-wolf 2. I've landed on the ship."


Our own ships also began to take damage but we kept up the dogfight and eventually began to clear up the space around the ship.
The last squadron of the Ares fighters warped away in retreat - signaling the end of the fighting. All allied ships rushed back to the ship while also checking for any survivors in their ejection pods.
We landed on the Europa to roaring cheers. We still had our armors on and trampled into the large hall where Rear Admiral Fredrick Watson was waiting and personally greeting every pilot with an embrace.
Admiral Fredrick 'The Stinger' Watson, a tall man with a sprawling white beard and bright blue eyes, was not your ordinary C.S.C commander. He was a Commonwealth Marine commander too.
Tychus and I knew this man all too well. He had trained us to fight and shoot at the Commonwealth Marine Academy and served as our mentor and father for countless missions.
Standing next to him was a tall dusky man- Lieutenant Commander Matthew Phillips, the older brother of Commodore Edison Phillips. I recognized him instantly due to his remarkably similar appearance to his brother.
As the Admiral saluted us the lieutenant whispered something into the Admiral's ear. The Admiral gave a mock laugh and introduced us to his crew.

""My fellow brethren, family of the Europa, I introduce to you Lieutenant commander of the Commonwealth fleet, Michael Anderson, son of Supreme Commander Anderson" he announced proudly- pointing towards me. "And of course my own apprentice Tychus Edward Findley!" The admiral announced in his typical Scottish accent.
None of us smiled or cheered however, we knew full well that the attack was far from over.

Nova walked over to the Admiral and stared up into his eyes.
"Admiral Watson I am Major November Caesar. I'd like to ask you and your crew some questions." she said firmly, not bothering about the rank difference.
"Questions?" the Admiral asked curiously as he looked towards me and then towards Tychus.
"Yes Admiral, questions." I began morbidly. "I'd like to know about who gave you information about the Charon Pirate Fortress?" I finished and looked at his assembled crew.
"You don't know? We were given instructions from the Supreme Commander himself. Your father Michael." the Admiral replied. This answer shook me to my bones and I felt the surge of nasty feelings burning through my veins but this was no time introspect.
"The Boss? Mikey?" Tychus exclaimed in amazement but I ignored him.

"The battle is not over sir. Rather, it has just begun. We captured a comm officer from the Pirate ship Kronosaur. He reported an Ares Phobos dreadnought and possibly some Deimos Destroyers tracking them to the Charon Fortress. We need to get this ship to safety or..." I began to speak but I was abruptly interrupted by a transmission on the ship's large comm screen- which was essentially a bloated cinema screen. Everyone turned their attention to the man on it. He was a grey haired man with a full beard and a glowing robotic right eye behind him was a bridge of what appeared to be a large ship.

"Young Michael speaks correctly Admiral Watson." he began in a heavy Russian accent. "We have been tracking your special cargo for quiet sometime. However I would like to inform you that my intentions are by no means malevolent. The weapon you are carrying will destroy my people and possibly your own if Decker and Anderson have their way." he finished. Everyone looked on in astonishment.
I had seen this man before- his image was nailed into our minds during our training- this was Admiral Vasily Gorbachev- commander of the Ares Fleet.
Despite the many questions that were racing in my head, I looked into the comm screen and responded.
"This weapon is to bring peace into human space. It is to unite all humans so we can open the quarantine that the aliens have imposed on human space!" I said firmly but Gorbachev laughed.
"Is that what 'The Boss' told you Michael? Is that what Decker told you too? Michael I'm offering you a wager- just to prove I mean no harm. You can destroy that weapon on board that ship and I'll let little Europa fly way to fight me another day. Otherwise, my fleet stands ready to sterilize the Point Juno System- first your pitiful carrier, then the Point Juno supply base. You're the Boss's son- your call. I'll give you time to decide." the old man replied and the screen went black. The mention of Point Juno sent waves of fear through the entire crew. Point Juno was the largest and the only supply base that catered to the Commonwealth Stars-ship Carriers- the mainstay of the Commonwealth Fleet. If Point Juno were to fall it would effectively cripple the fleet fighting on the front lines.

Everyone on the ship, including the Admiral gave me dumbfounded stare and after not more than a good five minutes of silent contemplation, I finally made a decision.
I knew my decision would haunt me for the rest of my life but I had predicted this exact situation the moment I realized the Europa's true mission.
I instructed Admiral Watson to have his entire crew shifted to their escape pods within immediate effect. The crew was in uproar and demanded to stay with their ship and their 'father'.
I knew exactly how much the crew of the Europa loved their ship and their commander but I could not risk the lives of five thousand able-bodied men and women.
The Admiral looked at his family and assured them that he would join up with them later but there was tumult in the large hall.
The Admiral eventually had to pull rank and firmly ordered everyone except Lieutenant Phillips to head for the escape pods.

Nova turned to the lieutenant and patted his shoulder.
"Program all escape pods and gunships to head directly for the Rigel Aurelius system. Commander Kate Morgental is waiting in the Battle Arena for them there- and disable any manual override systems." she said as the Admiral looked on proudly. "And you lieutenant, are coming with us to Point Juno. We have made a promise to your brother." she finished. The young man saluted and immediately ran off to the bridge.
"Admiral, we'll need to keep that Phobos busy enough for your crew to escape. My squadron is waiting for me at Point Juno. I also need a report on the weapon." I asked the Admiral solemnly.
I knew I had to leave the weapon on the Europa. That Phobos would have been well within firing range of the escape pods and last thing I wanted was for the weapon to be blackmailed out of me.
"I understand Mikey. I'll keep her busy until you're all gone. The weapon is in the vault and Matty has set passwords to it. The Vault is secure and surrounded by five thousand tonnes of Enriched- weaponized Americium. If anyone enters the password wrong three times the outer shell will disintegrate everything within a ten light minute radius. I know the Ares won't take that risk in this system so you can come back with the fleet to recover it." The Admiral instructed- leaving me more than satisfied.

Admiral Watson was going to sacrifice his life and the Europa for his crew, for us, for Point Juno and for the entire human space. This request would haunt me for the rest of my life however I knew there was no other way.
Tychus, who was quiet until now suddenly jumped out of his suit and embraced the Admiral- the impact flung the Admiral's hat off his head. He wept loudly and the Admiral allowed him into his arms.
"My father! My father! The Chariots and Horsemen of Starlton Eridanus!" he cried loudly. I had never known Tychus for being an emotional man- actually he was the opposite but I understood what he was going through. Admiral Watson was the closest thing he had to a father.
"Ah! You take care of these kids Tychus. After all things left unsaid, I am very proud to have trained you." the Admiral beamed proudly as Tychus quietly stepped back into his suit.
I slipped on my suit's heavy helmet so that I could hide my own tears. This was the first time I had cried in many years and I was not liking it. My Adam's apple hurt as tears streamed down my eyes.
"I'll need that Phobos distracted long enough for your crew to warp out. Try and stay alive for as long as possible sir. It's been an honor Admiral Watson." I said as I gained my composure.
"The honor has been all mine laddy! Thank you for saving my children. I'd like to speak to them once before they warp out." the Admiral replied proudly.
"Certainly Admiral. You owe it to them." November replied on my behalf.

Some red lights began to blink on the communications console and I went over to check it out.
"Point Juno is broadcasting a distress signal. They're detecting a large fleet of Ares ships including Comet-falls. We need to leave right now. We need to conserve our munitions to assist Point Juno. I won't risk taking on a Phobos here. Admiral, please make it look convincing." I announced.
After around five minutes lieutenant Phillips returned and reported all surviving crew members had been shifted to the escape pods. I then instructed lieutenant Phillips, Tychus and November to report to their waiting gunships. The lieutenant did not bid farewell to his Admiral and hurried off towards the ships- Tychus and November followed. The Admiral looked somewhat surprised at his behavior but breathed a final sigh of relief.
I turned on the Comm unit and the Phobos commander appeared on it.
"The honor of the Ares is known throughout the galaxy. Will you keep your honor Admiral Gorbachev?"I asked as professionally as I could.
"Michael, you are ignorant of your father's wickedness. On the day you find find out you will want to kill him with your own hands but fate will not let you. I will not fire at the escape pods. I will not kill innocents. Admiral Watson my name is Admiral Vasily Gorbachev. You have shown nothing less than the greatest honor by sacrificing yourself for your crew. Do-Svidaniya Admiral- it shall be but the greatest of victories to bring down a great man such as yourself." the Phobos commander said and signed off before the admiral or I could respond.

I shook hands with the Admiral for a last time and walked out towards my ship. Tychus and Nova were already space-borne by the time I got to the Manticore, I assumed that Phillips must have gone up with them and launched away.
As we cleared the ship we noticed the eighty five or so sleek escape pods warping towards the star-gate. Tychus pulled back and floated his Molotok directly in front of the bridge. He was using his private frequency and I assumed he was saying his last goodbyes.
"Common Tychus! That ship's gonna be attacked any second!" I ordered and we warped away.
"Hey Nova, is Matthew with you? He's the only one who has those codes to the Vault." I asked Nova.
"Negative Mike. He gave me the mnemonic cube and the codes to unlock the vault. For reasons best known to him, he has stayed back with his ship, with his father. I'm sure the Commodore will understand." she said solemnly.
I was a little annoyed but I didn't argue- I was in no mood to aggravate an already tense atmosphere.
"We'll get em Tychus. The Ares will pay with blood for what happened this day. I swear." I said to Tychus but I received no response.
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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TheLoneWolf
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Why the shift to a lower post?
MikeAngora
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TheLoneWolf wrote:Why the shift to a lower post?
I want to continue this story here... should I post the other chapters in a new post?
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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TheLoneWolf
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Sure help yourself!
MikeAngora
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relanat wrote:Part of what makes this so good is that you can picture in your head what is happening with images from Transcendence. Great stuff.

Mental note: make a ramming mod so I can slam my Manticore into other ships :lol: .
Thank you Relanat!!!
"Umm, I'm sorry I just killed your officer Akira, but he was getting on my nerves''
"Can I take his ship now?"

Calvin E. Taylor to Akira Gorbachev, the daughter of Ares Chief Admiral Vasily Gorbachev, after brutally killing one of her Tundra pilots.
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