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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 6, 2005 2:53:14 GMT -5
OOC: I thought that he'd already gone FTL. I've edited my last post.
The incoming projectile warning flashed up on Innes's screen. Slime bombs? What sort of lunatic...?
"Point defences. Helm, see if you can get us out of the way."
Unlikely, she knew. Destroyers were no where near as manoeuvrable as corvettes. As a rule they didn't need to be. Sludge couldn't have more slime bombs on board the Double Bubble, could he? There wasn't that much space.
"Prow guns. Fire as soon as you are in range. Try to disable."
Point defence firing was handled by the Carpathian's computer. Small projectors mounted on the front of the hull fired narrow beam lasers to destroy physical weapons. The effectiveness of the system was part of the reason that no one used torpedoes in modern space warfare, but none the less Innes couldn't help but feel worried as the bombs came hurtling towards them.
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Post by Norris on Jun 6, 2005 4:00:55 GMT -5
Sludge tried as many manouvers as possible to try and throw off the projectors, and then an idea came to him.
As they entered a small dead solar system, Sludge used some moves to reflect the light of the neutron star from his window onto the Carpathian.
"Short-wave light radiations," he said to himself. "It should confuse the detectors."
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 6, 2005 4:26:38 GMT -5
Laser beams were supposed to be invisible in space but the clouds of stellar dust in this system allowed Innes to see the strobing of the point defence system as it tried to nail the incoming bombs. The laser wasn't powerful enough to completely vaporise the bomb, and since Innes didn't know whether they had any sort of guidance system that would work in space she had the worrying feeling that she would only know if they were safe or not when the bombs hit the shields. The sensor technician spoke.
"Sir, the neutron star means that radiation levels in this system are too high for us to get a lock on Sludge's ship."
"Is it interfering with the point defences?"
"Yes, but the bombs might have been hit already. The ship is switching to a random firing pattern."
"Deploy remote sensors. Spread them out. I don't want Sludge leaving this system without us knowing."
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Post by Norris on Jun 7, 2005 4:09:35 GMT -5
Sludge too was unsure if his only slimebombs had done any damage. For all he knew, the low gravity could've just made them float out into space. Desperate to elude escape, he tried to veer onto the surface of a long-dead planet, when...
From the surface, his Double Bubble was shot down by a maser cannon. Sludge ejected safely, but his ship was completely destroyed. The cannon had come from The Screaming Mimi, who were running a survey on the system for any locations for new bases. Dressed in her spacesuit, Mimi LaFleur, along with Dile O' Crock, dragged the unconcious Sludge toward their ship.
On board, Jonothan was curiously gazing at the radar. He glanced up as Dile and Mimi returned. "Look what the fox dragged in!" he joked, but his smile turned to a frown when Mimi looked at the radar. "More Toadies," she murmured. "Let's fry 'em!" With that, the tiny frigate slowly got underway and headed towards the Carpathian at all speed.
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 7, 2005 8:19:01 GMT -5
OOC: Err... I pointed this out before, but the Carpathian is a destroyer class ship, about twice the displacement of an S.P.A.C.E. frigate. Just so you know.
Innes's heart nearly stopped when the proximity alert alarm started up. Please let them not be active. She killed the alarm just in time to hear a dull thud as one of the bombs hit the hull.
No mini nuclear blast... or gelatinous slime... or whatever it was those things were supposed to do. She started breathing again.
"Do we know where the other one went?"
"Urp... n-no sir."
The sensor technician was visibly shaken. Innes checked that she didn't look as nervous as she felt. Kaptain Staan had always been clear on that: lead by example. Be harder on yourself than on everyone else. Only then do you have the right to command.
"I've got incoming telemetry from the drones sir. Looks like weapons fire."
"Directed at us?"
"No. At least, I don't think so. He's too far away."
The panel chimed. The technician frowned, and began pressing buttons.
"There seems to have been some sort of explosion. I think Sludge's ship has been destroyed. Hang on... there's something else... It's a frigate! U.A.C.!"
"Shields to full. Masers live. Charge the main gun. Lets see if this ship is as good as it's supposed to be."
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Post by Norris on Jun 8, 2005 5:44:19 GMT -5
OOC: I'm aware as how big the Carpathian is, but did that stop the Righteous Indignation attacking Toad Cruisers and Motherships?
IC: The Screaming Mimi flew upward to try and steer clear of the masers before they had a chance to fire.
Mimi looked over to Jonathon as they manouvered. "Where's the best place to shoot?" she asked sternly. "If they're shields are on, then I'd say the exhaust. It may just slow them down and hopefully cause havoc with the fuel tanks." Jonathon answered.
Flicking on her radio, Mimi bellowed into it once they were in range. "All three barrels on the boosters, Larry!" Larry opened fire on the exhausts, hoping that Jonathons' theory was correct.
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 8, 2005 7:21:43 GMT -5
OOC: Yeah, but they never actually destroyed a Mother Ship. Or a cruiser, if I remember correctly (the matter transmuter doesn't count). One Mothership was destroyed in the opening set by the Genus defence Network, and that was it. Their firepower gets upgraded by about 400% in the web series.
Also OOC: This post has been modified.
Innes watched the approaching frigate. Now it was in visual range she quickly identified it as the Screaming Mimi. The Kaptain's low opinion of the build quality of U.A.C. warships was the one part of his doctrine that hadn't rubbed off. She'd seen the wrecks of too many Double Bubbles. On the other hand, she also knew how strong their shields were. The prow particle beam projector should have no trouble penetrating, but they were now too close for an accurate shot.
"Make sure that the shielding covers the exhaust manifolds. I don't want them winging us with a lucky shot. All maser cannons, fire when they come into range.”
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Post by Kooshmeister on Jun 8, 2005 7:40:35 GMT -5
The Steadfast, the ship that Renfield Billings had taken from Genus, came out of hyperspace near Toxus Two and the battle going on there. Renfield, standing in the cockpit behind the pilots, Stavros and Englund, observed the goings-on not too far away.
"Just our rotten luck," he grumbled, making a fist, "some stupid mammal frigate just had to be engaging the toads this close to Toxus One, and us in a UAC spaceship. Stavros, see if you can hail that toad battle cruiser and get them to let us by."
"Yes, sir," Stavros said, grumbling. He was still uncertain about all Renfield had told him. The 'hare' he'd been guarding all these years was reall a toad? Luckily neither he nor Englund had anything against the toads just because they were toads, and he figured that, if Renfield was sincere, he could get over it.
As Stavros was about to hail the Carpathian he spotted the mammal frigate and blinked. "Sir," he said, pointing, "isn't that the Screaming Mimi?"
Renfield looked where Stavros was pointing and moaned in frustration. That frigate was the Screaming Mimi! A gung-ho mammal commander was the last thing he needed right now. He prayed that Captain LeFleur wouldn't attempt to shoot the Steadfast.
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Post by Norris on Jun 8, 2005 9:24:51 GMT -5
Mimi hadn't noticed the Steadfast, she had problems of her own. Barely a scratch on the stern of the Carpathian, and she had a killer bubble on her hands. Thinking fast, she quickly placed a radio link on with the Carpathian.
"This is Screaming Mimi, we have Wing Commander Sludge here this end, so unless you want to blow up your own officers, I suggest you ceasefire now." she hissed, feeling mad enough to strike that ship with her bare hands. Jonathon was about to inform her of the Steadfast on radar, but the look in her eyes suggested that this wasn't the best of times.
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Post by Kooshmeister on Jun 8, 2005 10:12:21 GMT -5
"I think they've picked us up on radar but oddly they're making no move to hail us or even shoot us," Stavros said.
"More likely they're worried about that toad ship," Renfield mused. "Contact them."
"Yes, sir," Stavros replied and then switched on the comm. "Toad ship Carpathian. This is the Steadfast. Requesting permission to pass through your skirmish with the Screaming Mimi safely. Over."
Renfield twiddled his thumbs, hoping this would work.
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Post by Norris on Jun 9, 2005 1:51:10 GMT -5
At the same time, Mimi was also twiddling her thumbs. How difficult was it to acknowledge a message? If they blew her up, they would also blow up Sludge, and get court-martialled for taking down their own.
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 9, 2005 5:03:26 GMT -5
Despite herself Innes was impressed with how well the Carpathian's shields held up under the Screaming Mimi's attack. Her own gunners had, it was true, been slightly less accurate, but her ship was less manoeuvrable and couldn't keep any one of them on target in the way that the mammal ship could. The Kaptain had been right, destroyers worked best with a corvette escort... which was why she had sent a message to Kaptain Staan's Double Bubbles as the fight began. If the mammals were forced to engage them as well then the Carpathian might get a kill shot with the main weapon.
"Incoming message from both other mammal ships sir."
"What do they want?"
"The smaller ship claims to be carrying an Imperial intelligence officer. Their codes check out. They want us not to shoot at them as they travel to Toxus One."
"Signal our ascent. What does the b*tch want?"
"They say they have Wing Commander Sludge. They want us to stop shooting."
The fog of war, mused Innes. They don't know that we don't care...
"All guns, cease firing. Lieutenant Innes to Captain Lefluer. We're backing off. We certainly don't want any harm to come to the Commander."
She nodded to the pilot, and then to the technician in charge of the particle beam projector. He grinned, and began making final adjustments.
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Post by Norris on Jun 10, 2005 2:21:17 GMT -5
Mimi smiled slightly at the reply.
Looks like that b*tch blinked! she thought.
"Alright, Innes, here's the deal," Mimi answered. "We will release Sludge into your custody only if we can be guaranteed safe passage away from here. Don't bother trying anything, as that neutron star is so sensitive to maser beams, all of us including you will be blown to atoms if you so much as breathe on your triggers."
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Post by Brian the Flying Penguin on Jun 10, 2005 4:15:30 GMT -5
Innes raised an eyebrow at the toad scientist who served as the Carpathian's science officer. She vigorously shook her head. Neutron stars sensitive to masers? And the sad thing is, a few years ago I would probably have believed her.
The Carpathian slowly began reversing away from the Screaming Mimi. And if their was a slightly increased energy output from the assemblage at the front, well, maybe the point defence system was still active.
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Post by Norris on Jun 10, 2005 10:45:00 GMT -5
Larry had already shut down his maser cannon so as not to arouse suspicion. He was all the more worried about Innes double-crossing on them.
Mimi switched on her radio once again. "Our engineer is about to pass on Sludge in our Toad Croaker. Remember, if you try anything, he could always send Sludge drifting out into space."
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