I've been trying, unsuccessfully I might add, to create a story for my campaign. I've come up with some good ideas, but nothing solid. Then it dawned on me, I should write it. Not as a mission synopsis or step by step plan, but as a story, as it should be. I need some opinions on this however, and I'm hoping to get some creative feedback here. This is what I have so far.
The familiar blue swirl of a subspace jump came into view, forming a massive vortex of spinning light. Appearing, as if from the mouth of a great beast of space, was a lone ship. Its dark, militaristic green paint coating doing little to dispel the darkness of space around it. The vessel was massive, though not nearly as massive as her adversaries had been. Deep scars, no doubt formed by beam weaponry, crisscrossed its hull. In a few spots, one could even make out the shapes of breaches, the result of explosions tearing through the armor and spacing sections. Across her port side, nearly unrecognizable from battle damage, the words GTD Franklin came into view.
Facing the huge destroyer was the new headquarters of the GTVA, Boone Station. Huge numbers of ships were swarmed around her, many even more damaged than the Franklin. Supply ships and repair teams operating in the vacuum of space attended to every ship they could, but were woefully undermanned. From every ship came Argo transports, carrying thousands of wounded and bringing back more materials. The mood was grim, the situation dire.
On board the bridge of the Franklin, Admiral Yukasi Togishe stood at the view port and surveyed the damage. Standing only an average six feet, and a man of small frame, many took him to be a simple commander, and a fairly ordinary person. His regular black hair and typical brown eyes did little to discourage this stereotype. It was his face, however, and the gaze of his eyes that broke this illusion. His crew and those who served with him knew even more of the truth, for they had seen his fierce demeanor in battle, and his cunning in the most desperate of situations. Many knew that if not for him, the Franklin and her crew might’ve have perished along with countless others in Capella. A capable tactician, and an imaginative strategist, Togishe had fought in many incursions, first against the NTF, and then against the Shivans. Despite the chaos and horror that greeted the crew on their return to allied space, Togishe remained calm and impassive. To himself only did he consider his sheer despair.
And these were the lucky ones. He thought.
Surveying the damage, one undeniable fact dawned on the survivors, both of the Franklin and other ships: there were very few destroyers present. Only a handful, it seemed, had made it out. Only twenty were at the station, and only a small minority were Hecates. In a bizarre twist of fate, the older Orions had outlasted their newer counterparts. Though Togeshi suspected some of that was due to their rearline action, he had to admit that some of them must’ve had the best luck in the galaxy.
“Admiral, we’re approaching Boone station.” Togeshi’s navigation officer, Lieutenant Brian Ricger, informed him.
“Very good. What’s their status?” Togeshi asked the comm officer, ensign Jessica Erendis.
“They report their repair staff is a bit overwhelmed at the moment, and that no docking ports are available on pylons one or two at this time.”
“Overwhelmed is an understatement. What do they suggest we do about our damage?”
“All necessary materials for ship repair are being loaded onto transports right now. They request that we use our own crews until more personnel can be freed up.”
Togishe knew that was a bad idea. His crews had been working non stop just to keep the ship intact, and many of their repairs would not last without permanently damaging many of the ship’s vital systems.
“Tell them to transfer the materials into docking bay. Move us into position near the station, then power down all nonessential systems. Order the repair crew to take at least four hours rest, and then to resume their duties.” Togishe ordered.
“Aye sir, taking up stationary posting just above the station.” Ricger replied.
“Relaying message to the station Admiral. They concur.” Erendis reported.
The destroyer glided gracefully amongst the horde of ships, scattering supply transports and debris in its wake. It pulled up in a climb, rising above the station. It turned, facing the ragged fleet, and stopped. The massive engines flashed brightly once, then died. Four ships, Ellysium class transports, headed for her fighter bay.
Togishe, for all the sorrow of the situation, couldn’t help but feel relieved at having fought the good fight, and returned alive.
Elsewhere, near the remains of the Capella jump node.
Four blocky ships moved in slow formation away from the edge of the system, each one bearing the last precious cargo of the lost colony. Triton freighters, each crammed with civilians, made their way to the station, feeling no particular urge to hurry. For many of the passengers, and even the crew, the loss was still difficult to believe. A home, a place of refuge, a symbol of stability in the chaos of the times was gone. All that was left were the survivors, and the cold debris that was once the Capella system. Beside them, like sorrow filled guardians, five Perseus class interceptor fighters kept a vigil over the tiny convoy. These five, the last of a proud squadron decimated by the Shivans, felt no less apathetic than their charges. One of them, the lead fighter, bore the proud mark of an eagle, the symbol of his unit. The pilot inside bore even more uncertainty than his comrades.
“You awake Delta leader?” a female voice chimed over his comm.
“Yes, four,” Commander Sam ’Cleric’ Tajev replied.
“Oh, so its just four now?” she replied.
“Sorry Alex” Sam replied.
“They made it out Sam, don’t worry. They were on the first convoy.”
The commander had lived in Capella, in what seemed like a lifetime ago. There, with his beautiful wife, his son and his daughter, he had built a home, and found a sense of peace far from the conflict with the NTF. That was before, however, before the destroyers had returned to claim his home. He had fought bravely, his entire squadron had, but to no avail. Watching in helpless horror, he had seen his ship, the Norfolk, ripped apart by two Ravana destroyers. Then, as if that had not been enough, his squadron had been overwhelmed by what seemed to be millions of Shivan fighters. Only Delta wing, led by himself, had managed to break away and regroup. Fleeing, they had encountered the convoy, fleeing to the jump node. Fighting against all odds, they had reached Vega just before the supernova. It had torn him in two to see so many ships left behind, unable to reach the jump node in time. It was even more heartrending, because he had lost contact with his family just before all hell had broken loose. He had no way of knowing if they had indeed made it out.
“You don’t know if they were or not Alex.” Sam stated grimly.
“Trust me, they’ll be fine. I have a sixth sense for this kind of thing.” Alex replied.
One thing Sam had noticed, in the four years he had flown with Alex, was her undying optimism. No matter the odds, no matter how grim or hopeless things seemed, her upbeat spin on things always put the situation into perspective. Sam couldn’t help but laugh at that, despite the state of things.
“Alright, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. So tell me, what happens now?” Sam asked.
“Well, first, you and I get promoted to admiral. We then take a huge pay raise, and spend the rest of our lives living on a beach on Sirius six.” Alex claimed.
“Yeah, and the Shivans turn out to be pink bunny rabbits.”
“Don’t mock my dreams.”
“And such wonderful dreams they are.”
“You’re no fun.”
“I’m a commander, you’re a lieutenant, when you get promoted, you stop having fun.”
“Sure commander. Hey, we’re coming up on Boon station. Holy ****!”
“What?”
“Reading massive energy readings, we’ve got ships swarming all over. I got aa beams and cannons going off all over the place.”
“How can that be? Is it the Shivans?”
“Negative, fighters read as Terran, picking up multiple contacts.”
“What’s going on?” the captain of one of the freighters inquired.
“Stay clear of the station captain, we’ll handle this.” Sam replied.
“Handle what?”
“That’s what I want to know. All fighters, kick in your burners and let’s get in there!”
Five bright flames flickered in the dark, heading back into the carnage and destruction that was the destiny of every warrior.
