The vast expanse.

  As Shadow moved into position at the Bow end of the ship, He  Opened  a Line to MArco....Marco... This is LT Shadow?... I am turning on my Gun Cams...I will be doing a slow  fly over  from stem to stern.  then  Back  from under the Keel.... I will then fly along   both sides of the ship? Please record the  feeds... and match them with  The Marco's appearance before  we Left.... sent  the Feeds to the Captain and  Lt Maxwell..and?  anyone else you think should  see them...

 Flying  slowly, Kray keeps  his   screen up  to keep the feeds   centered..High enough so  both  port and starboard sides  are in the picture...This is gonna hafta do , Lady.... they can always  zoom in.....Nice to be out here again..eh? Pretty damn dark though...be nice  ta know where  we are....

 Continuing on... he  will go, well past the  Engines.. so they can get a good  feed of what the  look like. Then Invert so he flies 'over' the  Keel as he  did the topside.

Doing his run a voice comes over the comms. Its the bridge officer in charge of operations. The feed comes in as clear as day. The man might as well have sat in the back of Kray's cockpit.

"Lt. Shadow. Could you please do another run past the ship engines, in a crossed pattern? Cams showed an abnormality, we would like a closer look."

  Shadow   nods with  downturned lips   and satisfaction...Lt Shadow...  on it....

 The  Hellcat   banks gracefully away  as he bellies out  to come in..Slowly.. allowing the CAms a good  view... he will stop if asked... if there is no COMs,  and he makes his first pass, he will  do an Inverted turn ( more for fun then anything else)  then come slow  from the port  side..
This message was last edited by the player at 22:39, Thu 16 Mar 2017.

   he makes a few more passes..slowly or stopping if asked,.. so?.. what are  we looking at?..Never  seen a star ship from the back before....

 he was watching his time... as much  as he loved it out here.. he didn't want to over do it , until Lady was   secure.

Bridge quickly replied.

"Please do another run past engine three. Especially the top side. It seems the exhaust there is dented, could be from an asteroid impact. Could also just be shading, but we need to be sure before we start up the engines."

  ..will do....

 the  Hellcat is  bent around..using only thrusters  now.. he turns on his laning lights  to give..what little  extra light he could ad.

  Holding postion  and   inching along on thrusters, so they can see the damage.

Kray immediately notices what the bridge crew had seen. One of the exhaust vanes, used to direct engine thrust in much the same way as the Hellcat had, but massively bigger, was bent out of  shape. Pieces of space rock were still embedded between them, locking the vane and those around it together in a slightly bent left angle. It doesn't look too serious for a ship that large, but for a hellcat it would mean an infinite left turn.
Worth fixing indeed.

  Kray shook his head,..Look . Mate?  I can tinker  with  my fighter. but there is some things i won't bloody mess with... Now this  thing here?... we need ta fix.... don't know how  long the engines were on after  we were  sent..'on out way'... but you may want ta back-vector out course for the last 100 plus  years... if ya do that.. with a percent of veer ,caused by the engine... you should find out where we are..by a  light year or two?  Folks with better  math..and  information on how long  engine 3 burned... they could narrow it down to a sector?...But..anyway... that's me thoughts...we had to do that in SIMs   for a malfunction  for the hellcats?  so eggheads on board will have to do this?

 ..if we're  done.. i'm gonna go back to the underbelly   and continue the  'mapping' the ship... don't want to keep me fighter out..too long , the first trip.

Copy that nineteen. You can charlie mike.

   for  the rest of his flight. he flies a bit slower, so the  keel can be seen, but those watching. one he reaches the Bow, he   does another  Immelmann  cruising   slowly down the Ports side. Until he reaches  the stern....then he will cruise back up to the Bow, along the portside once more.

  Once he reaches the Bow  again,  he'll repeat the flight along the  starboard side. when he finishes his second  pass  he COMs,Alright ,Mates? That's as Good  as a scan as yer gonna get of the MArco.... I'm ready to bring , me Lady in , 'less ya have somthion' else  fer me out here?

Feel free to bring her in unless you wanna test her some more.

  Check... coming in , after a few minutes...

    He   stays  close to the ship , takes Lady off and  pushes her  a bit. checking  loops  a spins  and banks... Turning away from the Ship , he tests the  guns  with a few  fires   just to check the sight lines and make sure they work.

  Right after that, He Peels around, and Happily  brings Lady in. Hanger 2... LT Shadow here..requesting  bay doors open...


 he hovers  100 yards  off the ship.

The doors to bay 2 quickly open, allowing the Hellcat easy access next to the shuttles.

In the middle of manouvres suddenly a red light starts blinking, causing Lu to snap her chair back into place and nearly launch herself over the dashboard to look outside.
"Ack!" she curses as she quickly starts tapping away on the controls of the winches. "Keep steady now. We have locked up line."

Shadow knew even before she mentioned it, the Rhino suddenly jerking violently left.

    Shadow,  flicks   toggles  and  eases the throttles on the thrusters.Trusting the   momentum of space to help  stop/change direction of the Shuttle.

 ..So?   do  we have to Jettison it ? Or can you attack it?

Getting up from her comfortable seat Kong-We shoots Kray an evil stare.
"I get out and unlock! Ack!"
Snarling a bit she gets out of the cockpit into the airlock between the pilot compartment and the load bay. Soon Kray hears the hissing of decompression.

A minute later he sees the warning lights. Load bay door open. He sees Lu drifting slowly, weightless, towards the polo, carefully guiding herself along the stuck line. Untangling the line from the plating it is stuck on takes her a moment, then she slowly comes drifting back inside.

The warning light goes off and her voice comes over the comm.
"Take us in."

..You bet, On our  way in.....

 He  checks the screens to make  sure the cables aren't messed,  the pushes off, away from the   marco. Then  Pivots  about  to belly out  so he can have  a straight  run at the  Hanger  Bay doors.

 ..double check?  The  Cable is all in?

  Once he hears the confirmation he   guide the shuttle into the Hanger Bay.

<<<< coming back out with engineers.

  The Shuttle held its place  relatively firm. a tiny hiss of a thruster  here and there, would keep her   steady.

  Now see? This  is  why a bloody fighter pilot can be a shuttle pilot..we're  so used ta lookin' around  and quick actions... that this is sorta ...calmer?

  There  is  a self depreciating  chuckle,..'course  , one of the reason Shuttle pilots  are better at this?.. is they aren't wired as tight.. so sittin' around is  all right  fer them!

<<<<<<<<  from Hangers....

  After  launching, Shadow kicked the ship into a few hard Turns, ad climb and a dive... letting the readouts track the performance .

    he circled  around  waiting for the drones  to appear as if he were on a hunt,getting Acquainted with the  HUD.

 ..right..ya tin fish.... show me why i show like ya..

Call it superstition, call it coincidence, but the #22 just didn't feel as good as the #19. The fighter performed as it should, no doubt about it, but it all felt a fraction slow. Still a beauty to fly.

The four drones are coming in in a standard formation, reacting at maximum range by spreading out. They scatter into four directions, as to be expected in a dogfight.  The HUD easily tracked all four. Fast, agile, mimics of the Hellcat, no match for the targeting systems. Soon the four contacts were locked. The void missiles were in range.
Back on earth that meant they usually missed untill you got much closer.

  Shadow Kicked the Hellcat's engine.. and   gave a burst of thrust to Help him slide to the Left. His thoughts were to Isolate one, to make sure the others   didn't  interfere with the lock on...

 Then he fired  his  first  Missle, he has in 100m + years....

 he watched eagerly  as he brought the tail around to go after the second closest..his frown showed he  did not like  the way the Missle was flying.

  Taking his eyes off that one  and going to the second..He fired  again...

  Hitting the side of his seat, he   Rolled to the third.... muttering  some  soft curses...

   the third one    felt   better..looked  Real good... the Flash told him  it was gone as he was already locked on the 4th....

  As he   closed in..he fired  the last Missle...

 This one flew  true..much better then  the first two..

 but his reactions were already Bringing the fighter, 'up and over as he rolled out at the top... Looking for the two that 'got away' so he could bring the guns to bear.

   Now the Hellcat twisted  as he tried to get the drones where he wanted,   , more or less 'behind' them..if one could  truly be 'behind' a drone.

  the  further on Peeled off to the right, Kray Grinned  as he  Kicked to the Left..and didn't   even wait for the  tone..  the rounds lit  up The Black, Just missing the  drone...

  He wasn't as mad as he was with the Missles... He almost expected it, tyrning over   and Kicking BAck..he caught the Drone that Peeled off, trying to come in behind him... Hellcat wingman for sure...

   This time..he did  wait for the tome...firing as they headed towards each other... he checked his screens, the   destroyed  Drone didn't get a lock..so it was clean..

 He  Pulled back hard and went  straight up  looking at the screens    as the drone  tried to follow him up, then, titling the  noes over..in the wonderous feeling over going head over heels   and diving towards  on the drone..not quite the same  feeling as in atmo..because in space..there was no up or down, unless you had some perspective.

 right now.. the Tone began and he pulled the trigger. the rounds   zipped  By the  Drone, he had  to kick out of the drone's  'lock' or be counted as  a kill..he  shook his head,,they should have all been  scrap a minute a go...

   settling down to try a deflection shot..which was nice..because there was no wind in space.. he fired again.

 he laughed   at himself... These drone  were either better prepared...or he needed a lot more work...

  Zipping down and  around to Keep the Drone  from getting on his  Tail   Corkscrewing up he chuckled,..well..they'll get alot of bloody readouts on this one!  The  drone made a mistake, Giving him a chance to settle in on its  tail again... he didn't know whether to trust the tone or not..so he trusted his eyes....

 this time the Drone  Vanished  as the round blasted into it.  He Leveled off, lokign back at the MArco, he was 'upside down'...  he  spun the  craft  and headed towards the Hanger.

 It was damn fun to do this again... the hits   the Missles made..were damn near perfect..the misses..were bad.... on the other hand, he didn't do much better  with guns... Until he trusted his own eyesight and skill..  he may have to book time on simulators... or  do some  'screen shooting'..but that wasn't ever as good as doing it against something 'live'

 In a half  disgusted  voice he said,..Shadow , to Marco..coming in....

 Shadow to  Hanger....>>>>>>>>>>

<<<<<<< shadow from Hanger

  23 glided out  into  The Black, when  given the OK....well , little Shelia? let's see if we can make you dance a bit.. an' maybe ya can tell me what ails ya?

 he started off slow...then began to  do simple   moves..the   started to ratchet up to  the moves he was using in combat...

23 decided to give Kray a hard time for a while, but only for a bit. Once they got to the faster and more tight manouvres the oil lines connecting the flaps managed to get their aged tubing into gear, and soon there was no longer any difference in response times.
After ten minutes, convinced the fighter was in okay shape, Kray passed along the back of the Polo.
Turbulence immediately grabbed the fighter, swinging her away into the vast expanse.  The Polo had fired up her engines, the blast catching the 23 on the wings, spinning her.

  The   Poor  Fighter Bucked  abit... He never saw it coming and reacted out of instinct .    puling  away  From the MArco and  diving down  Under her, he Kicker The Hellcat around  in a rising Climb  aiming for the Hanger doors...

 He  called into the  COMs,..what the bloody 9 'ells!... Isn't there a bleeding  passage in the  book that say "..warn your  bloody fighters the  ship is starting the blood 'hell up!

 Tracking the hanger  door, he says,..ready to come aboard.. I think this  little shelia's  had enough!
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 21:06, Fri 07 Apr 2017.

<<<<<<<<<  from Hanger


    jetting out  away from the Marco, Shadow  COMs the Bridge,..Lt Shadow  Ta Bridge... I'm shakin' down  the  fighters...how 'bout lettin' me know if  yer gonna take off on me... almost lost the last fighter when the engines kicked  in ....

   Starting  off with easy moves, once more to check the feel of the  throttle  and such, the  slowly working up to  his favorite   battle moves....


  Moving  through climbs , dives,   and turns, rolls  and sideslips, he things  about his  career..as it were. Two combat postings..4 sorties..no confirmed kills.. those still rankled him.... but the Gun Cam footage was there... everyone saw them... they just never were stamped.

  He chuckled,Lots of kills in  Wargames... but that's what that was for... the 'kill' on the Drone  transport Launcher made him famous...infamous , depending if you were sitting in the Cockpit, or behind a desk..

#21 reacts as if she's straight from the factory. She even has that new factory smell. The smell every fighter pilot loved. Leaked fusion cooler, pneumatic oils, ground metal. You'd have expected the factories to clean them before delivery but no...

Busy checking the fighter Kray ponders his career so far, as a red warning light on the cockpit suddenly snaps him back to reality.
He checked twice to be sure.
It clearly showed.
Checked again.
Yes, he wasn't mistaken, he wasn't dreaming.

2 contacts, other side of the Polo, hidden from the naked eye by the hulking mass that was his home now.

    Shadow Flicked on the COM ,Attention..Bridge..this  is LT Shadow.. Something Coming  from MArco's Port side.. I am On the starboard and  well sneak  over the top  to get a look


 ..The screen reads ..Two Unknowns coming in...  If the ship has  defensive countermeasure..now  would be the time to ready them... I have my Gun Cams on to send  feed back of what I see....

   He checked his weapon systems  for the 4th time.... part of him felt the rush that he might get to use them... the bigger part hoped, for the sake of the Polo..he didn't have to.

  Like a WWI  trooper in the trenches.. Shadow  move  the fighter  with thrusters .. peeping  up, very slowly over the Polo's starboard side.. to get a Glimpse of what was coming.....

Creeping up along the hull #21 sudenly emits a high pitched sound from its speakers. A sound Kray wasn't too familiar with. Last time he heard it was at the 2025 wargames in Finland. It was when Timochev had gotten a lock on him.

Something had a lock on him.

Then, in a flash the two contacts shot by. Two drones.
They managed to position themselves firmly behind him.

Then his comms cracked.

"Shadow, this is Ascott from tactical. Those two drones are yours to play with. Theres a catch though... You're unarmed, and both are programmed after your flight style.
Can ya make it in before they shoot you?"

  Shadow  frowned..and then smiled.....well.. I guess i'll find out, never  was much of one to run from a fight....been that way since me Dad, was shearin'...But  we'll see what  we can do..eh?

  programmed to fight in your style....

 Right.. let's see if  I can make that hanger..... He took off towards the Bow.. going full power   after  a few hundred  yards  the  Dropping  down Under the marco... when he  flew under  he pivoted on his own nose, and  shot  along the Bottom towards the stern....

 This  was harder then he thought..he wanted to go to guns, but...he  wasn't supposed to have them..so he used his other skill set..honed from running the streets.. and slipping into building..only now he did it in a Hellcat.

   as he   mixed  in match zig Zags, he saw the stern coming up.. using  a tilt of  wings to signal his  favored right  turn,  he rolled the whole way around to   turn to the Left,.  Trying to Curl as  Close to the Engine wash of the MArco as he could, Hoping at least one, if not both , Drones would get caught up in the  engine's field.

  One  he  curled up  over top , He  zipped   along the starboard again  looking  for a chance to make his  run at the doors... he spared a glimpse at the screens  to see if  either one got caught in the 'propwash' of the  MAroc.

The drones dive after Kray, following his movements while trying to regain their lock.
The first one reacted to his movements just a tad late, making a left turn where there was no room, and blasted itself into the number two engine, exploding in a bright flash of orange light.
The second managed to avoid the wash, staying close on Shadow's tail. The hud lit up in warning. He was being tracked.

   There was a mixture for amger  and Glee  as the HUd  Lit up..he got one, the other was  was closing in on him..but? Thatw as the fun of it..eh?


     He was  ready  to  hit the  thrusters to reverse himself..but?..that's what he'd do.. so   He   Rolled out  to his   left and tried to   do an Immelmann turn as he came back up the Marco's Portside... He checked his Screens  to see if the drone followed and How  close , then  head full spped towards  the  Bow, along the spine of the Ship..when he  reached the Bow He  would dive in front of the bridge   doing a corkcscrew to Hug  ship..hoping that the drone..might not be as fast..and  maybe , catch a piece of the marco...
This message was last edited by the player at 15:05, Tue 11 Apr 2017.

.... shifting  his eyes  from the screens to the  glass, Shadow looks for  sign that the  drone  has  wrecked, or where it is in relation to Him getting  to the Hanger Bay doors...

It shot past at full speed, passing him by above him, then turning on a dime. A move by the book, if Shadow had written it. A move he would have done himself.
The hud lit up right away. Bright red. targeted. Hit.
He knew the feeling, but when it came from a drone, it sucked.
The subsequent order to land coming from the bridge sucked about as much.
Shadow 1, drones 1. Not too bad a score.

   The Pilot's shoulders  slumped.... Bloody 9 'ells..... he  rolled out     and  made a wide turn to line up on the Hanger door,...Shadow... comin' in.....

 and he   focused on his landing.

There is no sound in space, so the roaring blast of the engines propelling the mass of CS-8 forward is all but lost to the vast expanse. Slowly at first, the four ion-fusion engines straining despite the ship being wieghtless, slowly it's hulk begins to move. Sluggish, like a snail just awakening, the vessel begins its motion forward, towards Keppler 118.
Slowly, ever so gradually increasing its speed, untill finally, over the course of just five minutes, it reaches its cruising speed of 0.8 lightyears per year.
The snail has become a gracefull swan, moving through the expanse like a streamlined beauty, cutting through the vacuum like a hot knife through butter. If there had been anyone to witness it, it would have surely been a sight for sore eyes.

CS-8 Marco Polo was finally on its way.

The Hellcat blasted fluidly past the colonyship for the fifth time, and once again Yuri wondered why the hell they were out here. There was nothing here of interest, and certainly nothing that warranted the readyness ordered by the bridge. Dragon flight could be seen in bay 1, all four of them ready to launch at a moment's notice, but he had nothing to launch them at.
"Timochev to all," he updated the others, "Clear as a bright day out here. No contacts besides the Polo itself."

Time for another pass. A top-bottom circle this time, instead of running the shipś length. The same route all the time quickly became boring.

  Shadow's   COM call came ,..hey captain?.... since  were are dressed up and ready Ta go?... Maybe het 15 minutes or so, so they can stretch thier wings?

"Lt. Shadow, bridge here. Captain Dorn request you stay at the pad. Repeat, stay ready at the pad."

"Looks like they expect something," Timochev replied over a secure line as he blasted by once again outside. "What do you think is going on Kray?"

  There is a chuckle  as he waits for a second, that  says, MAking sure the channels  were set for the Bridge..his flight  and   Timochev,..well?... Its a bit of a bloodyt puzzler?.. but  where we are.. there's   somthing' either Outside the ship.... or inside?..... if ya don't  see anythin' out there... it must be in here?..... whu have us ready?.... 1ts thing would be, so no one is attacking us?... second thin' would be, so something doesn't  want ta get away?.... we had  one shittle elave us... no reason to think others might not try?

"If it is prevent people from going out, why not post soldiers in other two bays no?" Timochev stated the obvious.

   ..I dunno, Yuri?  But somethin' ain't  right....... could be anythin'?.... Maybe..there's  folks on board  all these ships, who  were to 'End Humanity"..so we wouldn't infect the universe?  you knbow..holy rollers.. or over-the-top Lab coats?

  ...could be power  players from Earth, sent somthin' up so's they coul be the Bloody Orverlords of the Universe , Kinda Thing?

  ..all I Know?... when  we woke up and had to save the ship...that wasn't  about  no mistake... that was  someone tryin' ta kill us? Heck?   I was woke up.. and I was one of the lastone to be OKed to come aboard.. else wise  I'd been dead already..maybe  after having become  Player of the Bloody year a few dozen  times!


 ..anyway?.. right now?.. no one can lauch with us  sittin' here.... Keep your eye peeled out there... If someone  deciedes that want to come back and Loot MArco... they'll know you'er out there and  try to come in dark.... but you can't hide afterburners  from a good set of eyes...

"Its dark as a matrushkas innards here Shadow. Nothing but us, Polo and the stars. If anything comes from outside, we will see it." There was an uneasy silence.
"See it from miles out. The problem must be inside..."

  There is a bit of silence,...well?.. then me and My flight are all set to bloody well escape?.. I have no clue what's bleedin' 'appenin'......

  ..right then Dragon flight...make sure yer  sidearms  are  bloody well, 'andy, and be ready to punch the birds  if  they want us out there...

  ..Yuri?  While you were sleepin' i went up and down the ship a buncha  times.. I even have   Vid  records   to match up with the specs from  the MArco, if i ever get the chance.... But?  you were  gonna be  on Marco from the get-go? If  ya have a mind to? Look for a structures  that  ain't  supposed ta be there?... if those folks had  time to take off and steal stuff.. they had  time to add something to the outside, figuring    no one would be alive to check it out..

"Good point Kray," Yuri replied. "Opening live feed from my gun cams. Everyone watch them, more eyes see more things!"

The vids from Timochev's cameras were projected on Kray's HUD. Slowly the CS-8 drifted by on the footage, Yuriś Hellcat slowing down for better pictures.

    Kray flicked the CAMs  to his flight as well......Look fer anythin' 'new'.. smomethin' that hasn't  seen too much space time....question  anythin'..  better   be told that 'it is nothin' '... then  miss somethin', because you didn't want ta ask...

 He  looked over the scene.. he had   watched this all before as he did his scan before

After drifting past the Polo twice all pilots agreed nothing looked out of the ordinary. There was simply nothing interesting to be found anywhere on the outer hull of CS-8.

"Bridge, this is Timochev. How much longer do you want us out here?"

Reply came swiftly.
"Stay out untill further notice, run defensive protocol 14."

Protocol 14. Shadow knew that one. Circle the vessel on opposite sides, keep an eye out for contacts. In case of contacts, identify but do not engage. Things were just getting stranger.

    Bloody 9 'ells....  he  knew they would  wait.. they couldn't get out, that few minutes it  took to get  hooked up and back  in could be costly...

   Looking across  to Kelly he says,... So?.... You come 'ear often? he grins from inside his cockpit as he looks.

"Dragon flight, launch one and two."

The voice came over the comm clearly, calmly too. Outside Timochev and his wingman slowed, linig up for the landing pads.

"Might as well rotate shifts Kray. Its boring out here, but the bridge wants eyes."

Timochev then opened a channel to the technicians too.
"Lu, can you check my bird once we touch down. I keep getting a heat warning in the number two engine, but temps show green. Likely a sensor, but I'd like it fixed asap."

Outside, the vast expanse of space seemed unchanged, unaware of the presence of CS-8 Marco Polo.

   Kray Nodded,Ok  Wallace.... Me and You.. Wild Bill You and Swede Come out In an Hour..  we can rotate through the who wing, so folks can log at least and  Hour...

   Kray saluted  the    Deck Boss  and LAunched.. Once Kelly was out there he said, OK? I'm gonna fly Over watch..  'ave some  fun for about 15 minutes,,,shake  down your Aircraft.. then we   and   Patrol around  The MArco....

   Wild Bill and Swede , already in their craft  waited for their  turn..or a call...

Slowly the clock creeps towards 1900 hours CTT (central Terran Time) and Dragon flight starts to conduct their third circle of the CS-8, when suddenly something catches Kray's eyes. Or rather, does not catch his eye, as in the distance suddenly several stars vanish.
A moment later they return, as if something blocked them from view, for just a moment. Something as black as space itself. Something big.
A shadow? Or something else entirely?
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:39, Wed 25 Oct 2017.

....... Kelly?......  mark   My position and 45 degrees to the starboard?.. there is  somethin' out there... could be  nothing to worry about... or..could be a big thing to worry about...


 ..Shadow Ta   'anger.. got somthin' out here.. 45 degrres and moving Aft direction.. its... well..bloody Black as the night... only noticed it when stars  vanished  and Reappeared...

 ....Dragom  3 an' Dragon 4... should LAunch ... then set up the next Bloody Batch... can't  tell what is is.... but until  we know  what the  bloody 9 'ells is goin' on.. i want ta treat it  as bad...


 .. Kelly..  You approach from  the Afte of Marco.. all swing  from the  Bow.. keep me in sight.... look for where the star's  aren't..go 3/4 spped..so we have somthin' ta suyprise them with... if the bloody  bastards  are hostile...

"Affirmative One," Wallace replied as she threw her Hellcat into a shallow turn.

As the two Hellcats approached what Shadow had thought he had seen, they both soon discovered they had been right.
Right, and wrong.

There was something there for sure. Something big. Something dark, at least at first.
As the Hellcats closed distance quickly, the object they were going for soon revealed itself. Or rather, its origins.

It was man made. With every click they got closer, Kray could see more and more of what was a human made ship. A large ship, easily half the size of the Marco Polo.
It was dark grey, like Marco, but because it had no lighting, and had been drifting in the shadows of the Polo, it had seemed black, almost invisible.

It was a colony vessel. Or it had been once. It's hull was torn, it's engines had been ripped off, and the entire outside was scorched. It was adrift. Moving fast, but without a destination, without any control.
Lifeless. Silent.
Eerily silent.

"Holy crap Lieutenant," Wallace explaimed as her feeds transmitted a part of the hull that contained lettering. "This cannot be..."

The lettering was hardly desciferable. Vague, but readable, it stated simply:
'Vasco Da Gama'

A cold shiver ran down Kray's spine.

It was what remained of the long lost CS-3.

  ..Bloody Nine 'ells... he half whispered.

 Then he flicked the COM switches to the Hanger  and  the Bridge...Attention.... Dragon 1  , LT SHadow  with  Lt Wallace.... we  see what  the oblect is... mark  our Vectors.. we have it bracketed ...Its Moving... fast?

 ..Its Vasco Da Gama..its neat up bad.. must be movin' on  impetus.... My suggestion?.... we  board it.. raid it for supplies and equipment..might get a few more fighters and shuttles?.. maybe  find some Popsicles  we  kin save too...

 ..Kelly and  I will ride  shotgun for it.. when Dragon 3 and 4 get out here..  they'll join us..... Captain?... without thier engines? You have to think, that the same thing happed here, that me and the others stopped on the MArco...

"Lt. Shadow, this is Captain Dorn. Are you certain it is the DaGama? Beyond any doubt?"

Outside Shadow now saw the name with his own eyes, doing a close fly by of the colony ship. There was no doubt. There was also no doubt how she had been lost. All along her hull there were blast marks, the metal ripped and shredded outward. The ship had been destroyed by internal explosions, ripping apart most of her upper decks and aft side. Where there had once been a bridge, there was now just torn structure.
At least that meant her hangars might be intact, maybe even her cryop chamber and cargo bays.

"Run guard, I just ordered the rest of your wing to launch. At the first sign of trouble fire first, ask questions later. The Polo will pull up alongside her and lock her. See if we can slow her down, stop her. How does it look from there?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:40, Thu 26 Oct 2017.

     Shadow shook his  head... The Da Gamma to him.. was  just a story.. he never thought he'd see another  ship out here..

  ..Aye  Sir..Dragon Flight is  gonna fly with her..,,,, The Bridge..is gone.....

 his eyes   looked over the  ship and shook his head,..If  not excatly right.. i'm pretty damn close, sir.. metal bent out... scorches..most of the Upper  dec is open to The Black   looks like they might have Hangers..... and  if they do.. we should be able to get  their cargo...Sir?  I mean..  unless there are folks alive in there.. they won't need any of that stuff...  and everything we can get is something we don't have...

"Understood Lieutenant. Run a protective pattern, see if you can find any clues to what happened out there. We will get back to you once we have a decent work plan."

,,Aye Sir, Will keep COMs  open to   Hanger and Bridge incase something happens.

 The Dragon Flight he says,..Right.... All Gun Cams on, Wild Bill and Swede?  As you approach this Bloody Mess, 'ave you  Gun CAMs focused  of the  Starboard side, so's  they can get a good view of  what's  left..Maybe , when they get aboard?  they might be able to get an engine  runnin' an' we can Tow the Hulk along with us.. we kin salvage every inch of it..

 ..Kelly?... until  they get  'ere, me  an' you work a  corcksrew pattern from the  stern to the Bow.. and  we'll fly back an' do it  again, Until they feel they have  enough footage... we gotta look for   entry  'wounds'' too..but  mpost of this looks  like it  came from within...

Dragon three and four quickly join up, slowly followed in the distance by the lumbering hulk of CS-8. With his team present Shadow can now conduct more thorough searches.

  As the rest of his mates came out , Shadow  COMed them, still leaving the channels open in case anything happened the Bridge , Flight ops  and Hanger would Know.

  . Swede , Wild Bill... you blokes take the Front of the Beast... look for  any sign  , other... then the thing  blowing up from inside...


   Kelly and I will drop Aft  and study where the  Engine sections blew out.. keep you Gun CAMs on the  whole bloody time... somthin' we miss.. others  might pickup...

 Then  To Kelly he says,..while you all were sleepin' i checked out MArco..Just like this... we found are engine was bend.. sort  pushed us to one side for a blood long time... Gotta  wonder , who we  managed to meet up  with Da Gama...

 He studied  the  Hull as he and  Kelly orbited the  Aft to amidships... while Wild  Bill and Swede did the same  from the Bow to Amindhsips

After a couple fly-bys Dragon Flight can only conclude the troubles with the DaGama came from the inside. All the evidence points to an explosion at the back of the ship, likely near the engines, and chain reactions causing most of the upper decks to be blown off. While several of the lower decks also show signs of damage, they seem mostly intact.
Only an on-board crew can thoroughly assess the actual damages onboard.

  After  COMs  from  Swede, Wild  Bill and Kelly...all COMs open so the Bridge and Hanger dec  folks can  get an idea.

    Captain, from where we sit, we  agree on the explosions from inside......If they  something happened though...didn't work out  for whomever set the thign up?.. The  lower parts of the Ship seem to be intact... Maybe they wanted ta salvage it later?  Who knows...

   if we  could   Land a couple  shuttles on the Bow... we  could use thier thrusters ta slow  the thing  down...

(( Flipping   over to Yuri he  asks,..hey?   Yuri?   do they have a  surprise  in their hanger Deck? ))

  Flicking back to  the  main feed to listen and await orders.

"Not likely," Timochev replied. "When they bdeparted the Hellcat wasn't even available to them, let alone anything better. According to the records they have a compliment of six F35s with the stratus upgrade. Better in an atmospere, but space capable."

(( answering   Yuri .....ahh well?.. anythign we  can take from that  ship is somethign we don't have..and , no matter what is out here.. they don't  know what bloody fighters  we have...'cept for them traitors.... We Gonna stay with the  Da Gamma, until you call us back....  ))

  alright , mates? Here's what ole  Dragon Flight's  gonna do.....  I'll Fly 10:00 High on the Port side Bow... Swede  Fly 10:00 high on the  Portside, aft... Kelly fly 4:00 low on starboard  Bow... Wild  Bill take  10:00 High on Starboard side... that will keep us outta the way  of   them Grappling with the Hulk.....

  ..an' Since we're out here... Starting  with Swede... then  wild Bill.. then Kelly.. You  each take  15 Minutes to  go have some  fun with your aircraft, away from the ships... be looking  for  things that have 'gone dark;.. you'll see the  stars   appear and reappear..but..this  will give   you some time ta shake the Ice off...

  ..Swede?..go ahead...

 As an After thought he   says to the CAptain, Captain? If ya look at  any logs  Maxell made of us working  on those  reactor things?... and..maybe  take  Cornell, an' Connely along... you might have a good place to start the investigation, cause  engines  wis where we stopped the  booby trap?.. along with Patterson...

Dragon flight this is the bridge. Be advised you will be having two incoming shuttles at 20.00 hours. You are to escort and run cover. Bear flight will join up at 2030 to relieve you.

   Shadow left the COMs  open. anything they say could come in handy if something popped up... Aye Sir...  Going over Now....

 ...Kelly ?  Rotate Up to  be above the Bridge....  Wild  Bill swing out to the Starboard... Swede..  drop  bello the  belly.. Gun  CAMs on, head ona bloody swivel... I'm Gonna   go  to the  'anger doors ta wait for the shuttles... As soon as He  sees  Kelly Rise  up,   He noses down into a dive.. a bit steeper  then he need 'just because'...

   Hovering over the Hanger Doors he says, Shadow Here.....Alright  Major.. I'm Hover   above the Hanger  Doors.. Got   my mates staioned around the hulk..  and   I'll be above   year birds    to walk ya ta school....
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 23:30, Wed 01 Nov 2017.

   Shadow  hovered  above the HAnger  Bays,  could  see Swede  and Kelly, he COMed to Wild Bill, ..Hey  Wild Bill... Why don't you range out a Bit, shake  some dust off yer lady?....  Keep lookin' around  fer Darkspots......

 He  Kept  checking the  HAnger Doors  and his  screens..... Kelly?   You'er the ehad out here  right now..  Keep lookin' forward  ...

"Lieutenant?"
it was Bill's voice. His Hellcat was just a small dot in Kray's perefiry vision, the englisman running his craft through a series of manouvres designed to test the controls wiothout too much strain.
"Is that what I think it is?"
Bill's guncam showed a small capsule drifting in the magnetic field of the ruined hulk. It's size was about three meters in length, and cilindrical.
A rescue pod.

 Sure looks like?..but  don't get to Bloody close, who ever did this to them, and triesd to do it ta us.. couldn't booby Trapped it...Godd on Ya Will Bill!...

 ..Wede?..  Move Up  behind It.. Wild  Bill has it Flanked....

 and even though the COMs  were opened he said  to the hanger and  the Bridge.....Captain?... Major?  Wild  Bill found.... what look like...a bleedin' rescue Pod..it seems ta have  hitched a ride  in the  Da Gamma's wake....

 ...'bout   3  meters  or so?... Not familar with the stuff on   MArco Class ships..but... I'm still  'Angin' above the 'anger doors... Wild  Bill was it  flanked.... Swede is  Movin' up  Behind it...... Kelly's  wav to the Bow  end....It ain't goin' no where... But i gues we need  ta  crack it open?

"Affirmative Dragon One. Go take a look for yourself, see if you can get any more information on it. We will launch Mpinkele and Koizumi for the shuttle detail."

..Aye Sir   on my way.....   he  double  checked His  Gun Cams  as he    went off towards the Pod.

  Wild Bill, Swede....  watchy me going in.. I'm gonna  do a fly about.. let the Cam feed  to the MArco... Keep an eye out fer  some more..or?.. somthin' lurkin' out there....Them Pirates  that ran about near the Top of Aussieland..used to use ships  fer bait....Not sayin' there's pirates... but.. the cargo  on that ship.. food... plants all that stuff?... can  make a big differance.... and them folks that tried to torch us... know it..

 ..Kelly..Go a bit Higher.. be lookin' about as well....

 As an after thought he adds to through the  Pilot COMs,.. G'day Koizumi?.. didn't meet ya ate Ops  room when everyone was thawed... when this is over, I'll introduce  you to me mates in Dragon Flight... I'm Lt Shadow.. Lt  Wallace....Lt Piirinen, an'  Lt Taylor...in case ya have to COM us  while yer  out 'ere..

Shadow quickly closed the distance to the escape capsule, confirming it was exactly that with his first fly-by.
The gun cams registered its designation, and confirmed it was coming from the Vasco DaGama. Kray's systems then pinged a distinct warning. A triple beep as the sensors scanned the pod fully.

There was life aboard that capsule.

    well... Crikey!... Wild Bill.. You just  earned   another Drink on me!.... Captain? I  Dunno if my readouts  are crossin' over.. but  someone... something?.. is  alive in there...


  ..Swede?... Wild Bill   take some  more slow laps  see if we find anymore.....

 The  his Voice   got a bit colder,..now?  if this  bloke 'ad time ta  get out... other's should  'ave too?....'less  less this Bloke  is the one who set the thing off?

"Affirmative Lt. Shadow. Run a pattern around it, we are sending a shuttle out for retrieval."

  Shadow     kept an eye on the screens  to make sure he know  were his people were...Aye Sir... I'm Just Babysittin' it... the Find Goes ta Wild Bill.. he's the  one who saw it....

 ..Swede.. Wild Bill.. Kelly?... Make  sure you all can see  each other... and  keep lookin' for more.... even if you just see salvage  get Gun CAM pics  and keep your COMs  open... I want ta  'ave  everthin' recorded for  the Bridge.... Let's face it?.. we all are now the 'Country Of MArco"... and this  'ere Hulk was  one of us.... who ever...an'  whatever  we can  save an' use.. 'elps  us start anpther Bloody  colony..

"Aye, we are all MarcoPolians now," Swede joked. All three started circling the pod, making their trajectories ever wider to look for more.

"How big a magnetic field are we talking here Lt? And where were they when she blew? There could be pods like this one scattered over the last fifty lightyears or so... People that might never ever be found again." Kelly's voice skipped a bit, she was obviously considering the worst case scenario.

"I'm sure the brass has techies that can calculate the course she ran," Bill replied. "We better find ourselves a home first before we go chasing back fifty years or more."

"Dragon flight, Shuttle One, callsign Bucky Beaver, has just launched and is en route to your position. Pilot is Sgt. Geoffry Appigan. Coordinate with him for the recovery of the pod, then guide him back in. Charlie Mike once the shuttle is back aboard."

Hanger--->

From the Marco a shuttle slices out of Hanger 2.

{Shuttle One to all. Call sign Bucky Beaver in the air. We are search and rescue. Send us navigation on the lifepod.}

Inside Appigan was quick on commands. At his own console he tapped in a waypoint for their launch position.

"Sheppard pick up visual search. Bartosz scanners. Both of you watch out for debris."

With Bartosz working the systems to his side Apple has enough time to run the shuttle through some basic manouvres before getting close to the four small dots at his horizon. The shuttle performs well despite its age,and there is hardly any delay in the controls. One might say she performs better than the shuttles he flew at the academy.

[From the Hangar]

"Roger that, Bucky Beaver. Your escorts are Hydra One and Two. I'm Hydra Two, sitting off to your port side."

She listens to the Lt. introduce himself in his almost incomprehensible accent. "Pleasure to meet you, Lt. Shadow. I look forward to the real thing back on the Marco. Hydra Two out."

"Hydra Two from Bucky Beaver. We intend to close on the pod ASAP. Request look outs for debris. We'll soon have suits in the air and those don't like being scratched."

 ... Right Then... Bucky Beaver... The Pod is right in the Middle of us circlin'.... Me other MAte is  Froward, keepin' out a watch for ...um..anyhtin' we need ta watch fer... That's  How   Wild Bill found this Pod....  Close  In on the Circle... Nothing  else   floatin' that we  see.. but be mindful of tiny stuff... guess there could be that....

  Kelly? once this  Pod is picked up.. we can run back  scan  the trail... the good thing for  those pod  folks?.... they'll never know.....

"Copy that, Bucky Beaver. Hydra Two to Hydra One - I'm going to take the lead and do visual and sensor sweeps for debris. Bucky Beaver, I'm taking your 12 to plow the road."

Mariko gives the engines a little more power, enjoyng the effortless feeling as the ship moves forward in the formation. She can feel the engines wanting to be given their head but she keeps them reined in for now and begins sweeping the area for debris.

   watching the approach of Mariko, Shadow    says into the COMs......Ok?  Wild Bill... Swede.. Up we  Go a bit  ta let then under us......


  ..... Hydra 2.... keep your  COMs open  and Gun CAMs  on... never know what the Bridge can find  if we give them enough Looks....


 Each Time  he  passed the Bow.. Shadow looked   out to see if he picked up any more pods... and... in the distance.. another  'shadow' of  a Colony ship.

 Question   for ya Sir?... where all these  colony ships   sent ta the same  area?... or did they spread  them out?...Cause?... finding   One   ship... is a shot in the dark... and I  mean The Black... dark....but... if we weren't  suppsoed ta be together?.. who ever tryin' ta ruin this whole thing...might be collectin' Colony ships.. to salvage?

{Copy Hydra Two and Copy flight control.}

Appigan thinks, "I so have to find out who every one is."

He turns his attention to his own interior.

"All right Beavers in our SAR* we adapt to me being the medic. That means I will almost always be part of the off board team. Lucky for you Bartosz that means more stick time in your log book. Especially important is precision station keeping. Sheppard, you will normally be rescuer number two. That means you bring and operate heavy rescue gear, spare suit, tether lines or stand ready in the door to receive. Number one, that's me, needs his hands free to do first aid or keep the patient's limbs out of the way. The EVA packs we brought will be worn by Rescue 1 and Rescue 2.

Bartosz take the controls.

Any questions?"

Appigan gets out of his chair sliding his way to where the EVA packs where brought on board. As he listens he begins to mount it on his back.




*: SAR stand for search and rescue
This message was last edited by the player at 18:50, Sat 04 Nov 2017.

Mariko flips on her gun cam and opens her com, toggling them to remain on. "Hydra 2, copy Lima Charlie, gun cams are active and coms are open."

"Dragon One, Bridge. According to our files VascoDaGama was the first colony ship sent to Alpha Centauri. CS-4 to 7 all had different destinations. As for any colony ships sent out later, we have no information on that. We can only confirm CS-3 had the same destination we had, and were deemed lost about a year before they reached the system."

  well...  we found it? Not that there's  anyone back home alive  ta care.... Thank you for that Info.... but the one thing that    still leaves us  with 2  things in common..... we were both sent out here.. and   we almost, bloodly well  ended up  like them.... The Major  only has ta take a quick look.. if the reactor went.. then..someone tried ta stop them too...

"Hydra 2 to Bucky Beaver, Shadow. We have a piece of tumbling debris so don't be alarmed when you get fire notification. Hydra 2 to Hydra 1, advising of live fire."

Mariko lines her gun up (what is the standard weapons load for flying CAP or in cases like this?) "Hydra 2, firing."

She triggers her cannon and blows the debris into tiny bits. "Bucky Beaver the road is clear, over."

Oh yes, this is what she lived for. Her desire to learn the helm of the Marco wasn't diminished in the slightest but as long as she got to fly her Hellcat she would be happy.

"DRADIS is clear to the shuttle, Bucky Beaver."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:41, Sun 05 Nov 2017.

  Watching the Debris being shot...he keeps shifting his eyes from screen and The Black.

  ..Ok..Wild  Bill. Swede, and Kelly... once the  back up fighters get 'ere..  spread out, shake  some more dust off your ships... and looked for  more   pods..... go 'ave  some Fun... I 'll stay close by until they 'ook up the Pod, then I'll Join ya...

Appigan goes to open comms mode.

["Thank you Hydra Two. Bucky Beaver approaching. Rescue 1 is myself medic Apple. Rescue 2 is flight engineer Sheppard.

I know we all have high hopes but something needs to be said. We missed our own wake up by over a century. I'm going to check whether the occupant is viable. Either way there may be clues to what happened on the Vasgo. We are going to bring the pod on board for inspection."]

Bartocz glides the Bucky Beaver into a parallel course before sliding in closer. The shuttle aft opens. Two figures emerge on bulky EVA backpacks, Apple and Sheppard. Each has two tether lines, one for themselves and one for the pod.

Apple takes the lead position. He slides along to the pods dataport. He plugs into the pod's data port to get data. If there was no power he already knew his answer.

Sheppard's face had gone from playful to white at the Appigan's warning. While Appigan is working Sheppard steers his mind from fear by focusing on his job. Sheppard hooks on a his spare tether line to the pod then fetches Appigan's second to hook on the other side of the pod.

["Tether lines on pod and doubled."]
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:23, Sun 05 Nov 2017.

Pod data showed clearly the occupant was alive and in cryo, the pod itself somewhat dented but in a decent shape. With the tethers hooked secure, it would be no effort to draw it back into the Bucky.

["Apple here. Pod cryo functions in operation. Occupant vitals active. Going to reel this one in. If this one made it the others may have to. Request area search to seek out other pods."]

With a gesture to Sheppard the two of them take hold of each side of the pod. Tether line controls on the shuttle begin to reel in slowly on all four lines. Apple and Sheppard use their arms and legs to 'fend off' when the pod comes through the shuttle ramp. The ramp closes. The rear shuttle section pressurizes.

Appigan looks at the pod. In theory they could open it here. With the pod operational there wasn't any rush. He recalls his own concerns of waking up in the Marco. A lot of other factors were weighing in too. Right now he felt uneasy being the one to make that decision.

["Apple here. I need an officer's directive here. Topic is whether to open this pod up now with limited medical assets or give them full assist back on the Marco. I am also wondering about the mutiny on the Marco. If the Vasgo had one too this might be one of the trouble makers. In which case keeping them on ice until security can manage them is a lot smarter. If we do the revival, and it goes okay, we get someone who can start talking to us about what happened. I'm a Sergeant and this seems above my pay grade."]
This message was last edited by the player at 00:07, Mon 06 Nov 2017.

"Bridge to Bucky Beaver. Bring the pod in. Medical team will be standing by to retrieve it. It will be opened in medical where we can control the circumstances."

"Hydra 2 to Marco Actual - do you want us to escort Bucky Beaver back in or keep flying CAP?" Mariko asks, keeping an eye on sensors.

["Bucky Beaver copy RTB"]

"Bartocz go ahead and land us."

He felt he should give the co-pilot a chance to shine. It was their first operation together. Letting them each contribute would help build their teamwork. A part of him wanted to go back to the controls but doing would so he didn't or wouldn't fully trust the co-pilot. Future events he might have his hands deep in someone's guts. The co-pilot needed to believe in themselves.

Sheppard was already working to strap down the pod. He tosses the other end of straps to Appigan. Appigan runs them through the four rails on his sides then locks the strap down to the shuttle side points.

In space Bucky Beaver does a gentle 180 turn. Then it fires the engines to make for the Marco.




--->Hanger
This message was last edited by the player at 15:52, Mon 06 Nov 2017.

   watching the  shuttle  head back to the HAngers... Shadow   says over the COMs,

   ..If the CAptain... or Yuri doesn't 'ave any problems with it?.. I suggest    Hydra   one and Two..  shake some carbon off there  engines..... there are enough of us out 'ere ta make sure   the shuttles reach  an' deploy on the De Gama?  We're gonna 'ave to have folsk  log some time  anyway?.. might as well be now?

“Copy that, Dragon leader. Waiting on orders from Marco Actual. Maintaining station keeping until then. Hydra Two, out.” Mariko keeps her attitude thrusters on auto to maintain station until she receives orders.

Appigan's voice comes on the comm lines.

["Apple here. To search and rescue assets. I have a date of launch of the pod: November 5th, 2033. That is 124 years ago. Recommend reversing the orbital trajectory of the wreck and celestial bodies. Our searches need to consider where other pods may be free floating. Also anyone who sailed off in a powered craft like a shuttle may have gone to a celestial object that was nearby at that time."]
This message was last edited by the player at 04:28, Wed 08 Nov 2017.

"Hydra One and Two, conduct some basic manouvre tests untill the shuttles come back out with the marines. Once they do, conduct escort.

Dragon flight, return to hangar bay 1, get those ships checked and get some chow. Viper flight will take over."

   Shadow  frowned, but it was only fair, he had a few extra hours out there, then the others,..Dragon One , Shadow here... we'll  stay on stat5ion Until Viper Flight  reaches us.. give the 'anger time ta clear...

 ..Hydras?... go ahead  an' shake your carbs out..

  ..Shadow  ta Beaver?.. Let  Hyra's know when yer mountin' up...

Appigan comms back, ["Transferring delivery now. Take off to follow new loading."]

  He nods  as he Looks around,..Dragon flight?.. take yer last bit of  circles around the hulk.. I'll COM ya when the Vipers  come out....

 ..Hydras?.. Go have  Fun.. I'll  'ang on 'ere when the beaver comes out..and turn them over ta ya

 he makes   a smaller pattern, over the distance  between the two  arks as he lets the others  enjoy their   flight time.

"Hydra Two, copy that, Dragon Leader." Mariko says, a little excitement creeping into her voice.

"Hydra Two to Hydra One - ready to let these birds fly after a century of sitting?" She asks and gives her Hellcat her head, ecstatic as the acceleration slams her back against the seat.

  there is a bit of a chuckle,..you Hydra  Folks?.. keep gun cams  on and COMs open... never know what  the Cams will 'ear  or see , that we don't... but the Bridge folks will...

"Copy that, Dragon Leader. We have our heads on a swivel too and are checking DRADIS." Mariko replies as she flips her Hellcat into a roll. Being out in the Black in the Hellcat felt incredible; all the power that was at her fingertips.

   As his  circuit takes him around he watches his  people, who have  opened up their  range, knowing they were getting pulled back in soon.

  he'll watch the  two Hydras  as  well.  waiting for the shuttle  to break from the  hanger doors.

"Viper leader to Dragon leader. Switch to channel seven," Timochev's voice comes over the comm. A simple order, a mundane task, and yet the implications were severe. Channel seven, the one channel the bridge could not monitor.
Giving Kray a moment to switch over Timochev continues.
"Lieutenant, what, in your opinion, do we have here? An accident, or a deliberate destruction of a colony ship? Is there a chance we are walking into a trap? Speak freely."

 flicking over and hearing  Yuri's  question.,..too right, I'll speak bloody freely!.... when  I woke up with a  small hand full o'blokes, we  ended up havin' to  break inta the  Recators... THat LT SEC lady, guided us.. Marco helped us a bit..but he was, bloody compromised...if i didn't know better? I'd say  he woke us up to save us..an'  'course  'imself...

 Now that patterson Bloke, bloody good  fella.. but  got real sick....

 ..now?.. all that made be real easy?..  I checked your Pod, when i found out a bloody Rhino was missin'... an' I managed to figure out there was that extra  space on Marco...

 ..so?.. someone didn't want us to bloody succeed... I'm no bloody  engineer, but i'll tell you what?.. that damage on the back end ? I'm bettin' those poor bastards  didn't get to thier  rector in time....So?  someone didn't want  Earth folks to survive...or?... only wanted a certain ship ta survive....Now?.. I don't  know  all what's goin' on... on Marco right now?... But  you can bet, there isn't anythin' nice on the Da Gamma..be nice if we could salvage it...may be tow it along...maybe theremight even be folks  still alive?.. I dunno... But i would go in there expectin' bad  stuff.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:55, Sat 18 Nov 2017.

"Agreed there," Timochev replied, his voice stern. "I hear they had the same destination we had, Alpha Centauri, and according to all the news Marco has filtered out, there is no GNA colony ever established there."
A moment of silence...

"However, there does seem to suddenly have been an american colony established there. I wonder how, as they launched their first colony ship way later than we did, and it seems to have travelled those six lightyears in only one, establishing the colony too in that same time. No I too am not a rocket scientist, but unless they have a means of faster than light travel... they didn get there on their own..."

Shadow noticed the four Hellcats of Viper flight being launched, circling around the exits of the hangar bays.

"So who can we trust Shadow? Are the americans on board okay? Like Wallace for instance? Or are they all possible traitors? Or am I just seeing things that aren't there?"

  Shadow is   silent  for a moment... YOu vetted all yer  pilots  but me?  right? they all served, trained together?.. You pulled me from the rack.. I don't have any conncetions..least ways ..none that are alive... I had some....extra  train' an' all.. but i don't have  any one  ta report to? 'cept you and the MAjor?

 he  frowns  as he adds,..piltos are a wee bit differant then normal Folks?  Kelly didn't seem ta mind me too much, not only was i a bleedin' 'new guy'..but i was also  a flight leader over  the others?.. so?.. if they accept  me?  they should be good.. pilots  tend to stick together....'less there is somethin' they are worried about.

 a bit of  quiet again,..an'  if there is a pilot that's gone  bad... I'm bettin' i'm the first one they talk to..since they know I don't have  any links to anyone else here?

 A soft chuckle is added as he says,..right now?.. we gotta  look for thigns that aren't there... that's how  we found the Bloody De Gamma... and how Wild Bill found that Pod?....One thin' for sure? we get someone  who we can question... we need ta be as nasty as we need to..ta  find out ...'casue?  this is  it?.. we don't have  no more   mates out there to send help...

Hanger--->

<Bucky Beaver to space control we are enroute with marine search detail.>

Appigan looks over his shoulder to call to the marines.

"So where do you want to go in? Airlock? Hanger bay? Cut your own?"

As the Beaver departs, the second shuttle is launched right after, falling in line with Appigan's crew.
"Bucky Beaver this is Sergeant LaPlage, shuttle two. The marine sergeant here would like a first hand look of the hulk before deciding upon a spot. Personally I think we should see if we can get into one of the hangars, so we don't have to use the tethers. This shuttle has been sleeping for a hundred odd years, I'm not sure she is up for it yet."
With the comms of shuttle two not quite off yet Apple hears LaPlage tell his crew he wants a cool callsign too. The section leader of the marines he is transporting meanwhile sticks his head into the cockpit so he can have a first hand look of his own, letting out a soft whistle as the remains of the DaGama come into view.
To Geoffry's left and right Hellcats fall into formation, escorting the two shuttles.

Appigan ponders briefly.

<Copy that Double Down.>

He smirks giving Shuttle Two an interm callsign. Back to his professional tone Appigan speaks with confidence.

<Bucky Beaver to Double Down. Run hazard approach procedures. Pilot slow on the stick and forward visuals. Copilot on DRADIS running for debris and lifepods. Engineer on visual side and rear.

Bucky Beaver will approach on Z normal to De Gamma. Double Down invert to watch the other half of the sphere. Mutual approach toward De Gamma's hanger.>

In space craft can be near each other but flipped relative to each other. This points their turrets and windows in different directions for good spherical awareness.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:19, Sat 18 Nov 2017.

  Shadow watches the shuttles leave the hanger and two   Hellcats   fly out. He lets his flight, MAriko and her  wingman shake down thier   aircraft, while he  flies over watch.


 As the shuttles cruise   the De Gamma,  Shadow says to  Yuri,.. Ya know, Yuri?  them shuttles  could unload , pretty easy where the reactors Blew?..an' there's a Damn good bet there isn't any booby traps back there.. After what happened top us?... we gott figure  it happened  'ere too?

"Good point Dragon One."
As the two shuttles approached the hulk, the lead Hellcat of Viper squad, Commander Yuri timochev, banked left, away from the shuttles, to allow himself a clear visual of the aft section of the DaGama. Once he was confident a team could board there he opened his comms, hailing the shuttles.
"Shuttles One and Two, viable point of entry aft, deck 15, between the two main engines. At least, what remains of them. Tethers will be required as you cannot land there. I hope you boys checked your gear."

"Hydra One and Two, fly overwatch as the shuttles unload, then start circling the Polo and DaGama, each fly by ten clicks bigger. At a 50 click radius, return to base. Keep recording, and let me know if you encounter anything."

"Shadow, get your flight something to eat, we might need you lot back up here again depending on what we find in the hulk."

  Shadow checks his  people One more Time  and says into  all COMs,..Alright , Mates? Time for  Us ta take our ladies  'ome.. Dragon Flight  ta the HAngers... file your reports, I'll meet  and  an' eat..and Debrief ourslves...

    he  keeps circling   until his flight  forms  up  then sends  them in With Kelly first..and him last..


Shadow to Hanger>>>>>>>>>

"Hydra Two to Viper Actual, copy fly overwatch on shuttles then perimeter flights in 10 klick intervals out to 50 klicks then return to base. Gun cams on, comms open. Over."

Mariko lights up and changes course to intercept the shuttle. "Hydra Two to Hydra One - here we go."

<Bucky Beaver copies change of entry point to by the engines. Double Down same formation while we close. Much more debris risk in that area. Bucky Beaver will tether down first then the Double Down.>

With an eye to the other formation keeping Appigan guides the shuttle on graceful turns to the newly designated point. Once there he moves the shuttle into close range for tethering.

(OOC: Im not sure how the tethers work. Do we fire them off or to people tie them off? Do our spacesuits have mag-boots or something for walking on the exterior hulls? If so we probably would have the same tech on the shuttle tethers. They could fire, mag-lock then winch the shuttle in slowly like how helicopters land on ships in rough seas.)

"Hydra Two to Bucky Beaver, we're on overwatch again until you unload, headed to your position now."

She slows down her main thrusters and goes to vectored thrust to manoeuver into position.

The Bucky Beaver reaches the aft of the hulk that was once the DaGama, where massive holes have blown out three of the four engines, and burned the one that remained to a blackened crisp. From outside they can all clearly see several decks have ruptured and been opened to the vacuum of space, anything that had not been bolted down long gone.
There are ample places for the magnetic tethers to hook up, but for that to work Appigan has to match the exact speed of the drifting hulk. One error, and the shuttle becomes another towed coffin in its wake, or it will snap the tethers and anyone attached to them.

Meanwhile Mariko circles the area, looking for any signs of trouble. Her Hellcat responds perfectly to her commands, operating well within its optimal limits. To her right Hydra One seems to be leaking some kind of fluid from its left engine however, sending tiny droplets out into the vast expanse of space.

Mariko’s comms are open so the squadrons and flight ops can hear her. “Hydra Two to Hydra One, you have a fluid leak from your left engine. Repeat- fluid leak left engine. Hydra Two to CAG- recommend Hydra One return to the Marco for evaluation. I can continue CAP until another squad launches.”

In reply to Space (msg # 122):

Appigan looks the Da Gamma's damaged areas over. He takes a nervous breath in. In true veteran fashion making a quiet expression regarding the officers.

"Couldn't just go to the nice smooth hanger deck. Hotshot fighter pilot officer wants our big ass shuttles to slide around like we're teeny girls in dance shoes."

He gives a glance to co-pilot Bartocz then back to his screen.

...Course the risk to the shuttle is offset by less risk to the marines walking into booby traps, if they even bothered laying explosives other than at their primary target...

He starts to softly sing tune from Mary Poppins:

"It's a wonderful day with Mary"

He taps the controls as gently as he can.

Apple quickly discovers that tapping the controls gently simply will not do in the gravitational pull of the drifting hulk. His efforts to keep the shuttle steady in a parallel hover alongside the engines is met with heavy turbulence. There is no way he will be able to keep the Bucky safe and steady for the marines to use the tetherline. At best they might be able to jump over, but using the hangar would be by far the safer bet.
"Bucky Beaver this is Two. I don't know about you, but I'm not risking my shuttle here in this wake. Better check the hangar entry right?"

***

Hydra One immediately breaks formation as Mariko warns Lieutenant Mpinkele of the leak, setting a direct course to the Polo's hangar bays.
"Thank you for the heads-up Hydra Two. All systems here show green, so I have no idea what I am leaking. Control, Hydra One returning to bay with a leakage. Viper squadron, be advised, Hydra Two is on her own."

<"Oh lovely suggestion sir!">

Appigan was eager to fire a pulse of thrusters away from the wake toward clear space. The shuttle 'bucks' in the maneuver. Passengers and crew a like jolted by the experience. He steers back to outside the Da Gamma's hanger bay.

"Hey, Bartosz. Try to get a data link to the Da Gamma's ILS*. Maybe we are lucky. It can give us a flight path indicator. We won't go to automatic control. We'll verify visually our manual approach."

Appigan steers the Bucky Beaver for a hanger landing on Da Gamma.


* : ILS = Instrument Landing System. An airport or carrier can transmit data to landing vehicles. The vehicle compares the ILS signal and the planes motion to display a suggested flight path.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:20, Mon 20 Nov 2017.

Mariko uses her attitude thrusters to keep an eye on the two shuttles until they touch down, having matched the rotation of the wreckage.

"Hydra Two to Bucky Beaver and Shuttle Two: I have your six whilst you get inside the wreckage. Sound off if you need something."

She speaks with a thick Japanese accident but is obviously well conversant with English.

"Hydra Two to CAG, be advised I'm on station with the shuttles. Everything is five by five."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:21, Sun 26 Nov 2017.