[Singh]

Chapter 9[/u]
The Bloody Costs of War[/i]

Bosch sighed, a sense of guilt washing over him. He turned, heading to the table. The doctor…he wasn’t a soldier, he didn’t understand. But Bosch couldn’t blame him. After all, Ramayan had been taught primarily during his basic training the methods to uphold and save human lives, regardless of what happened. Bosch had been though the methods and means by which to destroy them for the sake of the majority; sacrificing the few for the many.

But as he sat down and contemplated the doctor’s predicament, Bosch realized that his own problem was even worse now. He had to do something now that no other would – no, could even comprehend. Sighing, Bosch leaned back in the chair. Unsure how to proceed. This task…it had to be done. Everyone else was just waiting for him to push the button now. Had he been wrong? This monster he was about to unleash…how much power did he have over it? Did he have enough to stop it? Maybe here…maybe now…but in the future? Bosch knew well enough that once the dam of rage broke, and the hatred started to flow, there little that could actually stop it. And here we was, quite literally holding a bomb on top of that dam, ready to break it…with possibly his entire family in the town below.

Perhaps…perhaps there was another way to do this. Something that took less violence, spilled less blood. He thought deeply, searching for some answer, some alternative to the situation at hand.

He found none.

There was no other way that he could see, no other way that he could accomplish this damning task.

Bosch sighed again, rubbing his temples with the palms of his hands. No use dragging it along - he may as well get it over it. Tapping some controls on the table, a small portion of the glass surface slid back, revealing a display that popped up from underneath it. On the screen, the face of the comms. Officer came up.

“Connect me to the station immediately, tell them I am looking for Jessica Bosch.”

The officer nodded and replied.

“One moment sir, the station computer is connecting the call.”

“Thank you. Ensure that there is double encryption on this, and disable all recording functions.”

“Acknowledged, sir. Jessica Bosch is now on the line, I am transferring you to her.”

Bosch didn’t respond as the screen went blank. It then came up again, revealing Jessica’s face. Bosch didn’t recognize the green background, but it appeared to be in some sort of room. Before she could say anything, he spoke. His tone was low, and had an undercurrent of sadness.

“Jessica, are you alone? I need five minutes to talk to you.”

Hearing his tone, she frowned, leaning closer to the display.

“Yes, I am alone – not many people up here in the Radio tower - and I do have a few minutes to spare. What is it, brother? It sounds serious.”

Bosch simply nodded slowly, the expression on his face a grave one.

“Yes, I am afraid so…”

He paused…unsure where to start.

“Well, get on with it then.”

Bosch looked at her…she was adamant, impatient…he might as well get this over with.

“Jessica…this is something I have to tell you, and you alone. Not even dad can hear of this, all right?”

Jessica simply nodded, her interest suddenly focused on the screen, and what Bosch had to say next.

“Thirty years ago, when the Shivans attacked Ross 128, our mother was injured in one of the transports as it left the system. She was taken down to a hospital down in Lamaris, where she died two days later.”

Bosch paused…contemplating what to say next. Jessica seemed to get even more impatient, however.

“I already know that, Bosch. Get to the point already.”

Bosch ignored her, continuing. He averted his gaze from the screen, looking out the window instead.

“What I…or your farther ever told you was that I was training at Lamaris at the time, along with the rest of my squadron. When I heard the news…I was given leave to go and see her for a few hours. Although she was severely injured….”

Bosch paused…he couldn’t go on…but he needed to. He had started this, and he needed to end it now.

“…she was still alive; but barely. She was quite literally one the edge; holding on. Her body…my god…”

Bosch looked down, as if he could physically see it again.

“It wasn’t there, Jessica, I don’t know what to call it….she had lost so much, and yet she pulled through…and she could speak. She talked to me for several minutes when I was there. She said that she had been waiting for us…any of us, to come to her before she could die, just so that she could say goodbye and make me promise something to her...”

Bosch paused. A lump was forming in his throat – he couldn’t continue. Jessica’s face had turned pale. She had never heard any of this – the truth of what had happened. Bosch could imagine how hard this must be on her; to drag up the memories…but it still would be nothing compared to the bombshell he was going to drop next. He clenched his fists in an attempt to regain control. Bosch couldn’t afford to give in to his emotions like that.

“She made me promise, for now and forever, that I would look after you, sister. That I would always be the big brother at your side. She made me promise to pick you up whenever you fell and be there when you needed it, till you grew up.”

Bosch looked directly at her, into her eyes. Unwavering, he continued.

“And my god, you have grown up magnificently, Jessica. But now…now…I just want to say something. I know for a fact that you will never forgive me for this, and neither will she, but while I still have the chance...”

Bosch looked away, down at the hat on the table…he took off the GTVA hat that he was wearing. Looking at the symbol in front. It was a symbol that he had fought for, with, alongside – for over 30 years. He had given it his sweat, blood and tears…and now…he had the do the worst thing possible for it…he had to betray it.

“I joined the GTVA knowing that I would serve Earth proud, that I would serve humanity to the end. I did it in the hopes of joining our Father in the glory and honor of this service.”

Bosch placed the hat down on the table to his left. Calmly, slowly, he reached to his side for the other one, and picking it up, placed it on his head. He straightened it, briefly touching the symbol on it.

The symbol primarily consisted of a backward ‘Z’ superimposed on a small image of the Earth. The ‘z’ itself was divided into three parts – namely one stroke with the bottom dash, a central plain stroke and the last one with the dash on top. This, in turn, was superimposed on what appeared to be a grey color ‘eye’ shape, where the image of the Earth was the pupil. However, the planet was significantly larger than a pupil, but the similarity struck.

Bosch looked at Jessica in the midst of her confusion, her sadness. The full implication of what Bosch had just done hadn’t hit her yet.

“What I want to say…need to say, Jessica, is sorry. I am sorry, to both you, and our mother…sorry that I couldn’t keep her promise; my promise…”

Bosch paused. Jessica was about to reply when he just shook his head, cutting her off.

“Don’t say anything, sister…I still love you as a sister, as family. But my love for the rest of humanity must come first, and it is for their sake that I do this…I cannot ask you to forgive me; for I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for this.”

He looked at her, right in the eyes.

“I’m…I’m so sorry…” He tore his gaze away, slamming his hand on the control panel, cutting off the channel. Bosch took a breath, trying to control the sadness…the feeling of guilt that had nearly overwhelmed him just now…but at least….at the least, it was over.

He had gotten it done with, and no doubt, the rest of crew would be waiting for him…waiting for the announcement.

Then Bosch realized…it wasn’t over…it had only started. What he had done now was basically burn his bridges back, in essence trapping him, leaving the only escape as the route forwards. He had merely closed a door behind him, and now, he had to go ahead and open another.

But he didn’t want to. Burying his face into his hands, Bosch struggled to control himself. Every muscle, every moral fiber in his being kept him glued to the chair. Finally, after a full minute, he got up. Bosch wasn’t sure what made him get up – he hadn’t willed it, didn’t want it…but yet, here he was, standing and getting ready to leave the room. A sudden clarity seemed to blanket him, allowing him to think clearly. He knew what he had to do, and the fact that it needed to be done, regardless of whether he felt like it or not. He had already said what needed to be said to his family and gained his closure…in some senses, Bosch was now a free man…

But free men had choice…choice on where to go, what to do. Bosch wasn’t a free man…he remembered what Ramayan had said earlier…

No…unfortunately, Bosch realized that the only way to succeed in his goal would mean stopping at nothing, and for nobody. If needed…yes, he would have to become a butcher of innocents. In the end, though, he prayed that it was all worth it…

Turning around the table, Bosch headed to the door. Just before it opened though, he sighed, and then stepped forwards.

*****

When the doors opened and revealed the bridge, Bosch saw that all the personnel were gathered there…not only that, Each and every one of them had switched the hats and berets of the GTVA to one that had the same symbol that Bosch was wearing.

Gibson snapped to attention. Saluting, he shouted out loud.

“Admiral on the deck!”

Everyone else stopped what they were doing, and turned to Bosch. They, too, snapped to attention and then saluted Bosch.

Bosch paused, somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected all of his crew to be there, like this. The only one not wearing the symbol was the Doctor, who stood off to one corner and was watching Bosch cautiously, but he too was standing at attention. Bosch felt…honored, revered almost, that everyone was so willing to back him like this.

Bosch stood at attention and returned the salute.

“At ease men…and thank you.” Bosch replied, nodding, a small smile on his face.

Everyone stood at ease and returned to their duty stations. Gibson stepped forwards.

“Sir, everything’s ready. We managed to hack into the local COMNet system, but we’ve so far only managed to get Audio transmission. We are ready to transmit on your order. Also, just to let you know, nobody has chosen to leave the ship, sir. For better or worse, they are all here.”

Bosch nodded.

“Understood. Send my thanks to the crew.”

He walked pass Gibson and towards the captain chair. Taking the seat, he turned to the large display up front. Gibson walked back to his own console.

Looking around, Bosch contemplated what he was going to say next… he hadn’t prepared a speech as of yet, so he’d technically have to ‘wing’ it, as it were.

“All hands ready battle stations on my mark.”

Pressing the intercom, he opened a line to engineering. He took the mic from the nearby holder and placed it on his ear and in front of his mouth.

“Engineering! Get the beam cannons ready for a cold start and prepare to cut all power to the engines when I tell you to. I want maximum power buildup to all batteries and heat sinks starting from now. I want them at a hundred percent so that we have emergency power when we need it, as well as overcharge to the beam cannons for a single, long burst.”

“Aye sir! We’ll get ‘em ready.” Came the reply. Before the channel cut, Bosch could hear Venson shouting orders to the rest of the engineering crew.

He turned the chair around to face Sargo, who was sitting at the FCO control panel.

“Order John and Sarno to get ready – get them to position themselves behind the other wings so that they have the advantage when we get going.”

Bosch then turned to face Gibson.

“Allright Gibson, before we get started we’re going to need a way to get our forces in. What’s the tactical situation like?”

Gibson nodded and cleared his throat.

“Well, the node to Vega is blockaded by a sentry network, as well as the Amenti, the Anouke and the Rampart. The Golem, however, is patrolling the station and is ahead of us to our starboard. Current course is to the node, with the station to our rear port side. The sentry network will be a problem to take out even with our beam cannons. However, they are remotely controlled from the station. If we can take it out, then we may have a shot at letting our forces through unmolested.”

Bosch looked at the screen. He could see the other cruisers and corvettes patrolling it, as well as the light gleaming off the nearly hundred sentry guns that surrounded it. It posed a problem for any ship cruiser sized or below, and in the long run could end up even disabling a destroyer, if not damaging it. With the ships patrolling the node as it is, even the tiniest amount of damage could prove fatal.

“Understood. Which part of the station is controlling the network?”
When Bosch heard Gibson’s reply though, his blood froze. It was as if he was speaking in slow motion, damning Bosch to hell, rather than answering his question.

My god…not there…please…not there Bosch prayed, refusing to believe the answer. Was it not bad enough that fate had thrown the earlier problem at him…and now…this?

“Sir…?” Gibson asked, confused that Bosch hadn’t responded. Bosch’s face paled for a second. He turned to Gibson, and asked again.

“Gibson…which part of the station was it again?”

“The radio tower, sir. That’s the part that is controlling the entire sentry network. If we can take it down, we may have a chance. Otherwise we may as well call this off – there is no way we can survive against two cruisers and two corvettes on our own out here.”

So this was how fate played out…karma Bosch thought to himself. He had forced Ramayan to make a choice…and now, he too was faced with that same choice – except this time the consequences were far more sinister and personal.

He nodded slowly, the features of his face returning to a more expressionless tone. He had to maintain professionalism here, especially in front of his crew.

“Understood, Gibson.”

Bosch paused…and then realized…his decision had already been made for him.

Bosch turned to Reynolds and Terrick, who were at the lower-left tactical and centre navigational consoles respectively.

“Terrick, on my mark bring the Iceni thirty degrees to port, and cut the engines. Raynolds, at that time, I want you to over-power the starboard beam cannon as much as it can go without melting and fire it at the Golem – I want to take out at least one of it’s forward beam cannons before it can return fire. At the same time, I want you to use exactly enough power to on the port cannon to disable the Radio tower. It is not to be destroyed under any circumstances, is that understood? If you require a second blast just to make sure then you can have one – but we only need to knock that tower out, not destroy it.”

Both men nodded.

Bosch turned back to Gibson.

“Open the channel to the rest of the fleet. It’s time.”

Gibson nodded in reply.

“Channel open….now.”

[Mefustae]

*Edges closer to the computer screen in anticipation*

[FireCrack]

“What I…or your farther ever told you was that I was training at Lamaris at the time, along with the rest of my squadron. When I heard the news…I was given leave to go and see her for a few hours. Although she was severely injured….”

ever should be never

[Singh]

Bosch nodded. The channel would be scrambled, so they wouldn’t be able to trace it immediately. He took a breath and spoke.

“To all those who may be listening in to this channel; I am here, today, to expose what many of you already know, what many of you already suspect and feel deep within your hearts.

Thirty years ago, we made an alliance with the Vasudans, bringing upon our civilizations a hope for peace, a chance at salvation against the Shivans. But I have seen, just like many others, that through their ignorance, disrespect and sheer arrogance, they have served to do nothing but belittle the human race in the process. Thirty years ago, the Alliance promised us a better existence, a better life. The alliance has now stalled that promised, only to satiate and keep the Vasudan’s main interests first. They haved turned a blind eye to the massive problems that plague us everyday, and then serve only to cover it up. We have given our sweat, toil and blood to the alliance – only to remain in poverty to this day! Lamaris, Deneb, Epsilon Pegasi and Capella are just examples of their work, and the mockery they make of us!

Twenty years ago we were prospering under the GTA, but ever since we lost contact, the Alliance has attempted to find a way back to Earth, billions – nay, trillions of Credits and resources has been poured into it, and for what? Nothing! The Alliance ignores the poor on the street in the hopes of regaining the power and favor of the rich - the alliance has failed what is left of humanity out here in it’s mad quest to regain a lost dream!

This is where I reach out my hand to you, this my friends, is where I offer an alternative. Many of you have no doubt heard of a movement…a new foundation that has been forming amongst the ranks of the GTVA. The Alliance has held the power for the longest amount of time, and as we have seen, they have stagnated, leaving them vulnerable and allowing those who truly deserve that power – the people – to once again take it.

This new foundation shall move boldly where the Alliance has not dared to; where the alliance has not even bothered to consider. While they spend their resources at a futile and effortless dream, we can work together to bring about a new system, a new order. No longer do we need to go to Earth; for it is lost to us in the sands of time. No, now is the time for something else – a new world, a new Earth.

Now, my friends, is when Neo-Terra shall arise. I call upon you, all of you, to join me in this dream, in this bold new plan. No longer shall the Vasudans hold the reigns of our civilization, no longer shall the alliance hold back the true power of the Human race. I call upon you to come to arms against the treacherous wrench that is the Vasudans, and to wipe them out from our influence.

For those of you willing to listen, and willing to join us, you know what needs to be done. I, Admiral Aken Bosch, Supreme Commander of the Neo-Terran Front, now stand before you, the citizens of the NTF, those whom have been watching and waiting for this moment…”
 
He paused to catch his breath. Bosch closed his eyes, mentally saying a small prayer before he continued, almost shouting.

“I ask upon you, the citizens and soldiers of Neo-Terra, to take up arms; to arise and to prepare for war!”

On several worlds; in thousands of locations, hundreds of ships across the GTVA and even more cities and pubs, many people rose. Some shouted, cheering. Some instead took to their weapons, checking the safeties and prepared themselves for the conflict that was sure to come.


With that last sentence, Bosch nodded to Gibson and ordered him to cut the line. From the tactical station, Raynolds shouted out.

“Sir! The Golem and the other ships have targeted us, and are turning into attack vectors. IFF status change is in process. All stations are waiting for your orders.”

Bosch nodded. Indeed, the war had truly begun and it was now time for him to take on his role at it’s helm. For better, or for worse.

[Singh]

Originally posted by FireCrack



ever should be never

gah. right before I posted too O_o

I'll edit it ASAP. Going to bed now though (its edited in my master copy though)

[Kie99]

'Farther' should be 'Father'.

Can't wait for the next chapter.

[FireCrack]

The alliance has now stalled that promised,

promised -> promise



Youre gettting sloppy

Anyways, still going very good nontheless, just a bit of spelling here and there...

[Singh]

Originally posted by FireCrack
The alliance has now stalled that promised,

promised -> promise



Youre gettting sloppy

Anyways, still going very good nontheless, just a bit of spelling here and there...

Noted and edited in the master copy. Its rather sloppy cause Im writing and posting immediately - sort of on a roll and I don't want to stop yet. This particular section needs to be finished, so that I can get a move on with teh rest of the story

Anyways, new part will be ready soon. Thanks to teh admin that changed the title!!

[Singh]

The design of the Iceni was such that many, many people called it the ‘Grasshopper’ as it resembled one. The forward ‘head’ area was thick and round, unlike the smooth surface normally present on the Deimos. Two plasma cannons dotted the front of the head, while on either side was a massive beam cannon. The short neck was lined with turrets as well, some were standard plasma turrets while others were anti-fighter beam cannons and missile launchers. The body itself was box-like and thick. The edges changed to different angles, with the back being In a shallow ‘<’ shape. At the bottom of the Iceni was the second feature that gave it it’s nickname: two engine pod hung from there much like the legs of a grasshopper, pushing the ship forwards. A slightly narrow extension went out from the centre box-like structure and to the rear engine complex. Unlike a Deimos or a Sobek, the engine complex here suggested great redundancy; with several smaller engines pushing the ship along as opposed to two large ones.

Overall, the ship had been designed for simple combat; capable of taking on either a single slightly larger ship, or several smaller ones.

And now, it was going take on both.

****

Bosch immediately leapt into action. He turned to the two in the front.

“Terrick, bring us about to port; Raynolds, do you have the targeting solution on the station and the Corvette?”

“Yes sir! Ready to fire on your command!”  Raynolds replied. Terrick didn’t reply though, he worked frantically at the controls, turning the warship to port. Bosch felt the turn and inertia pushing him to the right, but for the most part it was a minor problem.

“Wait till the end of the turn and prepare to fire!”

“Sir! The Golem is powering up beam cannons! They will open fire in three seconds!” Gibson spoke out from behind him. From in front Terrick spoke as well.

“Turn complete – we’re in position sir! Shutting off Engine power now!”

“Excellent, all cannons, open fire!”

From the starboard side of the Iceni, the beam turret began to charge, emitting at first, a small whitish glow. The glow began to grow in size, till it covered the entire beam cannon and the space around it. It kept on growing, till it finally stopped when it was around half the size of the head. It stayed there for a second, looking like an insect or bug crawling upon the surface of the hull. Finally, it lashed out across space, firing a green colored beam that arced across the vacuum and buried itself firmly into the smooth front of the Deimos class corvette. It continued to fire, staying like that for nearly five seconds, burying itself deeper and deeper into the ship’s starboard beam cannon, causing a series of explosions that finally destroyed it. The corvette did not stand still either, it too returned fire with the other cannon – however, rather than simply focus on one point, it’s beam slashed across the Iceni’s hull, leaving a black trail on the armor plates and scarring the previously glistening armor.

On the other side of the Iceni, a beam cannon struck out, hitting the Arcadia installation near the top extension. The cannon barely did any visible damage – but it’s effect was clear as the station’s radio tower went black.

Onboard the bridge, the impact of the cannon shook the chairs slightly as the damage reports came in. Gibson read out the list from his station.

“Sir, engineering reports that we’ve lost two plasma turrets and a missile launcher to starboard. Hull integrity is at 95% and holding. The Golem’s hull integrity is at 80%. The shot appears to have gone through their entire beam array; their rear starboard beam cannon is out as well. We’ve got three wings of Myrmidon fighters inbound though!”

Bosch didn’t look back. Instead he focused on the tactical display to the top right of the screen, as well as the sensor readings on the station itself.

I hope you made it out in time, Jessica. he thought to himself. A sick feeling began to form in the pit of his stomach, but Bosch buried it.. The other ships were moving to engage the Iceni. However, he observed that the sentry network was down.

“Understood! Sargo, get Sarno and John to change IFF immediately and re-designate them as Alpha and Beta wings. They are to engage all hostile fighters and clear our airspace.” Bosch nodded.

“Raynolds, keep firing at the Golem when you get an opportunity, overcharge the port beam cannon and see if you can get another shot. Terrick, bring us 180 degrees port, we need to spread the damage otherwise that thing will chip us away! Engines on full burn! Gibson, tell the rest of the fleet that the area is clear! Get them in ASAP!”

They didn’t respond, and instead got to work on the controls. The ship once again turned to port, and this time the inertial dampeners weren’t able to keep up as fast, and everyone was swung to the right. Had it not been for the straps, Bosch would have most likely been thrown out of the chair.

The ship came about; the engines roaring to life and pushing it forwards and to the left – just in time as the beam cannons on the Deimos recharged and opened fire again, slashing the position where the Iceni had just been. However, she did not escape unscathed. Twin beams – this time gold in color – carved a path through the ship’s armor. Tracing back the source, one could see it was from one of Vasudan ships that were standing guard near the node – the GVCv Anouke. The Sobek-class corvette had moved to engage the Iceni, with the other two cruisers remaining on guard around the node.

Bosch cursed as the bridge shook. This wasn’t good at all. To his right, a console started to spark and then exploded. Fortunately, the crewmember that was there had gotten away in time.

“Damage report!” he shouted.

“Hull integrity at 80%; we’ve lost another plasma turret. Minor damage reported to decks 18, 24 and 25 and the targeting system. The Repulse and the Belisarius are inbound – ETA 3 minutes!” Gibson replied from behind him.

Bosch cursed. There had to be another way to get this over with quickly.

He turned to Terrick.

“Terrick, continue the turn, bring us about to face the Corvette after the port turret has fired. Raynolds, see if you can’t get a shot off at the Anouke with the starboard first!”

Bosch then opened a line to engineering.

“Venson! Prepare to bring the SFI online – we’re going to have to do a test run now.”

A burst of static came over the channel before Bosch could hear Venson’s reply.

“The main reactor’s red-lining it as it is, sir, we can barely power the beam cannons on overcharge – it’s either activate the SFI or the cannons – we can’t have both running unless you want me to use the emergency power or divert away from the engines.”

“Push the reactor harder then; we don’t have a choice in the matter. After we fire the starboard cannon, shut it down and divert the power to the engines – we won’t need it after this turn.”

“Aye sir, we’ll push it, but I don’t know whether she can take anymore of this.”

The line cut, but Bosch didn’t worry much. Venson had built that reactor himself – he knew the ins and outs of it, and if anyone could accomplish this, it was him.

“Opening fire on the Anouke now!” Raynolds said from the left. Bosch could hear the high-pitched whine as the beam cannon powered up and then fired. He watched on the screen as the shot lanced out and hit the Anouke in the middle of a dive; hitting directly in the narrow mid-ship section that connected the head, the engine complex and the rear ‘tail’. The beam only hit it for a second though, as the Iceni moved, it too moved through space, throwing it off the mark.

But it did the damage, leaving a dark scar where it buried itself through the slender warship’s armour. The Anouke continued in it’s dive, and then came up, attempting to attack the undefended belly of the Iceni. A fighter flew by past the camera, and then another, followed suit by the bright explosions of flak turrets tracing the enemy fighters.

“How are the fighters faring?” Bosch asked, turning to Sargo.

Sargo simply shook his head. “It’s a stalemate sir – We’ve neutralized the three enemy wings, but we’ve got more inbound on the station. Alpha wing has sustained 2 fighter losses, while John is the only one left on Beta wing. The station may deploy their Perseus fighters – if they do, then John and Sarno may not be able to keep up in the Hercules.”

He turned back to Gibson.

“Gibson, order Koth to deploy all his fighter wings to assist us – we’ll need as much backup as we can get against the station. Evacuate all the forward decks and put damage teams on standby for hull breaches”

Gibson shook his head and simply pointed to the screen.

“Both have already been done sir – we’ve got three friendly wings inbound. Gamma and Delta wings are making a run past the cruisers to help us, while Delta wing’s bombers are attacking the Amenti. More are en-route.”

Bosch nodded. That was some good news, at the least. He turned back to the Helm.

“Show me the Golem on screen.” The tactical display changed to the Golem. It was not facing directly at them, still presenting the strong bow to them. The bow started glowing again, before another beam struck out and slashed the Iceni, rocking the bridge with the force of it’s impact. The Iceni was coming about to face the Deimos, bringing it’s now overcharged port side beam into it’s firing arcs.

“Raynolds, fire at will. Once the beam shuts off, take it off-line and divert all power to the engines.” Bosch then began to tap co-ordinates into the small control panel in his chair.

“Terrick, I am sending you subspace entry and exit co-ordinates. Prepare to jump on my mark, and no sooner.”

He then re-opened the line to Engineering.

“Venson! Activate the emergency power and feed it to the subspace drives. Keep the engines running as hard as you can.”

“Say what?? You want subspace drive, the SFI and the engines? Heatsinks are past red line already! I can’t push her anymore, Sir! If I do then I can promise we’ll all be nothing but little peaces of debris!” Venson replied, shouting across the line.

“Then shut off all non-essential systems and re-direct power – inclusive of the life support systems. If we don’t make it now, it’ll be useless.”

Venson sighed.

“Aye sir, redirecting power.”

Bosch didn’t close the line, but did mute it for now.

On the screen, Bosch saw the beam cannons fire again, leaping out directly at the Golem. The ship took the beam dead-on, to little effect. Bosch cursed – the beam retardant armor was good, perhaps too good. The forward cannon started to glow again and was about to fire.

“Golem now at 60% hull integrity – her forward quarter has taken a lot of damage, but the beam cannon is still acti-“ Gibson was interrupted as the entire ship suddenly heaved, causing everyone to shout in alarm. Twin gold beams once against arced their way outside the external camera, firing in unison with the Deimos’ own beam. One of the displays exploded outwards, injuring some of the crew.

Gibson started to shout out the damage report that came in.

“Hull integrity at 60% - damage to all decks! Hull breach on decks 14 and 25! We’ve lost half the port weapons array – starboard beam cannon is offline! Port cannon is leaking deuterium particles!”

“Shut off the cannon completely! Terrick, bring us about – I want to go head on with that Corvette! Engineering, activate the Structural Integrity Field!”

Bosch looked at the Corvette on the screen, an evil gleam in his eye. This was action, this was combat – it coursed through his blood, his veins. Bosch pointed at the ship, shouting the next order out loud.

"All engines – double burn!! Bring us up to ramming speed!”

The engines went dark and silent for a second before coming back on at nearly twice the previous intensity. The bridge lights went dim and turned amber red to conserve power.

Outside, if one were to observe the Iceni – they would notice two things. The first and most obvious one would have been the fact that it shot forwards like a bullet, heading head-long into the Corvette ahead of it.

The second would have been the Iceni’s head itself. Small pinpoints of light suddenly started to glow on the head itself. The glows began to grow larger and whiter, eventually spawning several small rays of light that shot off in various directions. The hull itself seem to churn and writhe; much like a storm. Then the entire outer hull of the head instantaneously took flight – no longer a solid, it became nothing but superheated plasma that gave way to inertia, washing over the rest of the hull and leaving a white-hot trail behind the ship. The gases, gave way to reveal a strange super-structure underneath – a shallow, white-hot cone that glowed with a shade of red. It’s tip was sharp, and appeared re-enforced to withstand tremendous impact. The head of the Iceni was now much shorter, with a majority of it forming the cone and the base.

This was the secret trump card that Bosch had held – what the GTVA never knew about. He had barely managed to sneak it into development, and now Bosch was glad that he did. The Iceni was the only ship in the entire fleet that was capable of ramming another and actually get away with it intact. The re-enforced superstructure allowed it to withstand the tremendous amounts of kinetic energy that came with impact, while the cone itself was capable of burying itself deep into enemy warships. Worse still – it was superheated by all the burnt off plasma, meaning that once it got past the outer armor, it would cause hell with all internal decks.

A perhaps barbaric weapon, it was still Bosch’s only option in this case.

Probably realizing this, the other captain started to immediately turn to starboard, bringing about his operational cannons at the Iceni, while firing the forward beam cannon in a vain attempt to stop the approaching ship’s suicidal charge.

The Iceni rocked again as the beam cannon criss-crossed its way through the forward hull. Unfortunately for the enemy, it would only add to the heat of the cone.

Bosch watched as the ship came closer. This would be a perfect strike had it not been for the distance. They were still 4 seconds from impact and the enemy ship had already started to maneuver out of the way, even though their current velocity was nearly three times that of the Corvette. There was a good chance they could miss this almost entirely. Even if they hit – the beam cannon would tear them to shreds at that range.

Bosch checked the instruments and did a quick calculation of the ship’s course. He nodded.

“Terrick, activate the subspace drive – take us in!”

The immediate response was the tearing open of a white-blue vortex directly ahead of the Iceni, occupying the space where the Golem was just half a second ago. The Iceni plunged into the vortex, and the display ahead of them turned the familiar blue rotating tunnel that was subspace.

Still moving at the same speed, the Iceni hurtled through subspace. Bosch sent several co-ordinates to Terrick’s console.

“Take out at these co-ordinates now.”

Terrick nodded and did an emergency jump-out on the drive.

On the other side of the Golem, a white-blue vortex appeared just six hundred meters off the starboard brow. The ship had turned to maneuver starboard in an attempt to dodge Bosch…only to fall into the trap that he had set for them.

The Iceni exited subspace full-tilt at almost three hundred meters a second. The Golem’s crew had no time to respond as a million tons of metal hit the Corvette amid-ships, the forward cone cutting through the armor like a hot knife through butter.

The cone, propelled forwards by the rest of the ship, easily sliced through the exterior armor, and then burnt it’s way through the interior, leaving a massive gaping hole in the side of the ship – one that was just the right size of the Iceni as it went through. Inertia kept the Iceni moving forwards, all the way through the Corvette till, finally after what seemed like an eternity, the Cone appeared on the other side, breaking through the armor as if it was nothing. The entire corvette shattered into two; the parts closest to the middle of each section crumpled up by the force of the impact. The reactor cores started to detonate on the rear; starting off with a small series of explosions that grew in size till, finally, a massive explosion completely vaporized both sections.

The shockwaves and heat washed over the Iceni, sending it tumbling uncontrollably end-over-end.

On the bridge, Bosch briefly blacked out at the G-forces as the dampeners struggled to keep up. When he recovered though, he saw crewmembers sprawled all over the bridge – and there were apparently some casualties as well. The main display screen was offline, while several others on the side simply showed static. Shaking his head, Bosch turned to Gibson.

Gibson was recovering as well, shaking his head. A line of blood trickled down from his head, dripping onto the floor.

“Gibson, you all right?” Bosch asked, somewhat concerned. He was about to get off the chair and get the medkit when Gibson simply raised his hand and shook his head.

“I’ll be fine.” He replied, looking up at the display and wiping off some of the blood on it.

“Damage reports coming in….the reactor has taken too much damage and has shut down – auxiliary power is now online to the sensors. However, we’ve lost both beam cannons and all the flak turrets. Casualty reports are coming in – we’ve lost twelve men on some of the forward decks, while the med bay is dispatching medical teams to the bridge and other locations. Engines are online, but only barely. Engineering reports that the engines will take several minutes to fix at the least. Hull integrity is holding steady at 20%, but we won’t be able to take much more damage and last.”

“Tell engineering they have two minutes. Status of the enemy?” Bosch asked.

“Bringing it up on screen now. Sarno and John have managed to take out one of the Anouke’s primary beam cannons, however the corvette is moving to bring the other into position.”

Bosch turned to look back at the main display. They had taken a lot more damage than expected. However, had he continued to stay and fight like he had before, they probably wouldn’t be here to talk about it.

The tactical overlay came up along with the external camera. Bosch could see that the Corvette was approaching them – it was closing in to their position.
Bosch cursed. They were trying to get in a critical strike now that the Iceni was crippled.
“Terrick, get all power to the engines – move us away from that Corvette.”

“Aye sir, moving away.”

Bosch watched as it approached closer. They were deliberately holding their fire; waiting to come into range where their beam cannons would do the greatest amount of damage. The Iceni could only limp away at half power, only delaying the inevitable.

“Raynolds, open fire with what we have left – order the fighters to take out that beam cannon. If it fires at this range, we won’t stand a chance!”

But it was too late – Bosch watched as the nose of the corvette began to glow a bright gold color.

It was about to fire when, suddenly, a massive green beam appeared out of nowhere; striking the ship at the base of the narrow extension and then coring it’s way through, cutting off both ends of the ship.

The screen turned blank and the familiar face of Commodore Koth appeared, smiling.

“I heard that somebody here called for the cavalry?”

Bosch looked at Koth, deadpanned. He was silent for a full second.

“Commodore Koth….” He started.

“Yes, sir?” Koth asked, puzzled as to why the Admiral hadn’t responded yet.

”Consider yourself promoted. Welcome to the ranks of Admiralty.” Bosch continued, smiling.

Koth smiled, but then his bridge shook, causing him to frown.

“Sir, we’ve taken out the Amenti and the Anouke – this leaves the Rampart as the only ship in the system. We are moving to engage it now.”

Bosch shook his head. “Don’t. All ships are to stand down now.” He turned to Gibson.

“Get the captain of the Rampart on the line.”

With that, he turned to Admiral Koth, his expression a sad one.

“We’ve lost too many good men today, I’d rather have the body count down if I can help it, Commodore.”

The screen split into half as the connection came in from the Rampart.The captain’s face showed up on the screen. He was frowning.

“What do you want, Bosch? My surrender? If so, I’m afraid all you are going to get is my beam cannon.” He spat out, obviously vehement regarding the entire affair.

Bosch didn’t take the bait.

“Not at all Captain. What I want is to give you a chance to leave the battle and retreat. You are outnumbered, outgunned and outclassed here – staying back would be guaranteed suicide.”

“You want me to what?”  The captain asked, somewhat surprised at what Bosch said.

“You heard me Captain. Too many lives have been lost here today and while I can extinguish yours in a few seconds, both you and I know that it would serve little purpose. Consider your options, captain – even if you do attack, you will inflict so little damage that it will not matter in the end.”

“Maybe for you. I am not a coward Bosch, and I am not going to run from you.”

Bosch sighed internally. This was going to be harder than he thought.

“You are courageous, Captain. And while I do not doubt you will give up your life for the GTVA, you have to consider that it will be a waste. Enough dead bodies are here as it is – all for naught. Consider the lives of your crew – would you want them to go to such a waste as this?”

The Captain paused, thinking. Bosch pressed on.

“Take your losses, retreat and then get back to the GTVA. Leave now, so that you can fight another day, captain, for if you die here and now, I can guarantee that your crew’s sacrifice will effect nothing”

This seemed to have caught the Captain’s attention enough.

After a long moment of though, he finally spoke. The captain must have been smart – he realized that there really were no options here.

“Fine, Admiral, you win this round. We will retreat.”

Before he cut the line though, the Commodore piped in with a last comment.

“You better hope that we never find you again, Captain, otherwise I will personally come and destroy your ship myself.”

After the signal cut though, the small cruiser immediately leapt out into subspace, leaving the scene. Koth nodded from the screen.

“The area is secure sir. The station appears to have been abandoned – several escape pods have left it and jumped into subspace. We are launching boarding craft to take over the station. We now await your orders.”

The station…Bosch remembered. He could only hope that Jessica had gone out in time…that she had escaped. He simply nodded at Koth.

“Understood. You have immediate control of the situation and battle zone. Bring us under tow and take us into Deneb – we’ll need major repairs and refit to become battle worthy again.”

Koth nodded and the screen went blank. He would take over command of coordinating the forces and the invasion.

Bosch removed the straps holding him to the seat and got up. He headed into the captain’s room. Along the way, he passed by Ramayan, who simply stared at him as he went.

So this was how it all began…in bloodshed and irony.

From the looks of things though, it was probably how it was going to end as well.

End Backflash[/u]


Paradigm Shift

[Mongoose]

Just amazing... Somebody has to FRED that ramming scene

[Kie99]

I will.



If you model the ship and write in the extra code required for a scene like that.

[WeatherOp]

I must admit, this is the first part of this I've really read, very good stuff, might have to go and read the whole thing.

[Goober5000]

Originally posted by Singh
After a long moment of though, he finally spoke. The captain must have been smart – he realized that there really were no options here.

“Fine, Admiral, you win this round. We will retreat.”

Before he cut the line though, the Commodore piped in with a last comment.

“You better hope that we never find you again, Captain, otherwise I will personally come and destroy your ship myself.”

You forgot that the Commodore had just been promoted, though.

Aside from the ubiquitous spelling errors, excellent work.

[Fenrir]

The "Commodore" in question was the commander of the Rampart if I'm not mistaken...

[Goober5000]

You're mistaken. The CO of the Rampart is a captain.

[Singh]

Thanks, I guess.

For the ranking system, I'd think that most cruisers and small ships would be under the command of a Captain, with command of larger vessels coming with rank. The first thing any military recognizes during peacetime is the rank, with the second being battlefield accomplishments. Although it would technically be possible for a Captain to demonstrate enough prowess to be given command of a destroyer, he or she will never command one as a captain - they probably will be promoted to Commodore rank first and then given control....

[FireCrack]

what is the rampart again? i'm sure it's in fs2 somwhere...


Is it that aeoulus class that acts as the bait for Admiral Koth, luring him towards the colossus...

If so that's a nice twist of subtle irony...

[NGTM-1R]

It's a Leviathan, but you're correct otherwise.

Personally I maintain that destroyers are commanded by captains, corvettes by commanders, and cruisers by commanders, lieutenant commanders, or very occasionally senior lieutenants. (The newer and more powerful the ship the higher the rank of the skipper is a good rule of thumb.) The admiral aboard the destroyer is the fleet commander, not the ship commander. (Actually, a destroyer probably has several folks of captain rank aboard, rather like a CVN. At the minimum the aerospace group commander would also be a captain.)

[FireCrack]

Oops, i meant levi, yeah...

[Singh]

Small update. Having a lot of trouble writing atm - too many distractions and worries (good hcance ill be headed back to India nad further studies, if i cant get a job somewhere )

Paradigm Shift

Raynolds stood stiff at attention. It was cold. Too damn cold. Of course, it wasn’t as cold as it was before, but he cursed the weather nonetheless.

His face round and slightly chubby, Raynolds was undoubtedly the youngest member of the team. With a stocky build, he was probably the fattest too. At 5 feet 8 inches, he was arguably one of the shortest members of the team, not to mention the one least suited to this type of environment.

His brown eyes shone with cunning, a developing intelligence that had convinced Bosch to make him a member of his inner team. They also held within them a fire that had kept him loyal to the NTF, to the point of fanatism. But now, in the icy cold of the ring, that fire was slowly beginning to fade.

Born and raised in the desert regions of Delta Serpentis, Raynolds had grown up there with his family and had stayed there for nearly two decades before joining the GTVA and moving out. Although he had served on a variety of planets and ships, he had never gone to a world as cold as this one.

Still, he didn't let it get to him. After all, Bosch had managed to get through the cold – if barely – and he didn't have the environmental suit that Raynolds was wearing. It had been a miracle the old man had made it up; much less without much help. Where they went after that, though, was a mystery. But it wouldn't stay that way, since they were apparently all going to go inside soon.

Thinking about Bosch brought Raynold back to the matter at hand; could the man be trusted anymore? He personally didn't know how many of the others thought the same, but ever since their entry into the Nebula, Bosch had told them little, if anything at all. The only thing he kept on re-iterating was that this would be for the good of all humanity...he never once mentioned how though.

Not once had Bosch mentioned to the men how his plans, how this accursedly cold ring would ever save humanity. Sure, the Shivans were helping them...but they had been helping only them so far – God knows what they might have been doing back in GTVA space. For all they knew, the Shivans could be out there running rampant all around the GTVA and blowing up everything – maybe even the suns!!

And now, his best friend was dead. The only person that had remotely been close to Raynold, Sarno was one of the best pilots that God had blessed upon the NTF. Capable of needling the eye of a Ganeymede installation with any ship – including the Ursa – Sarno had gotten the rest of them out of many tight spots. When the Vasudans had ambushed them and the Hinton, Sarno's wings were right alongside the Iceni, taking out enemy bombers and destroying beam cannons. Fortunately, they had caught the traitor that had tipped off the Vasudans. Last Raynold heard, the traitor was supposedly set up for extermination – whether it succeeded or not, however, Raynold had no idea.

The burial detail was over; Bosch had led it with honor and distinction, just as he had every other funeral detail so far. Yet, Raynolds could sense that Bosch had done this one differently...as if his guilt was too undeniable this time around. He looked at Bosch, who stood right in front of both the graves, his back to them. He was simply staring at the graves, as if unable to reconcile what had just happened. The entire platoon had gathered in formation behind him. Unsure what to do next, they had simply stood at attention for the moment, waiting for the Admiral's orders.

Finally, after a minute or two, Bosch looked down and sighed. He turned around to face the men. His expression was one of sadness, and quite easily racked with guilt. It was clear, though, that he had something to say. Clearing his throat, Bosch spoke.
“We came here today, each one of us, to honor and bury two of our colleagues, our comrades - as well as two of the greatest members of the Neo-Terran Front. They died in the line of duty, serving till the end. I knew both personally, and their losses will echo in our hearts and souls for all eternity.”

Bosch paused.

“However, their sacrifice would be to avail, if I do not reveal the truth to you, here and now. Each one of you knew why I created the Neo-Terran front and when I abandoned it.I mentioned to each one of you, that for the survival of humanity, our future could no longer lie with the Vasudans, but with the Shivans. Although I do recognize that some of you may have doubts, understand that I do not intend to stop until I find the truth of such a thing myself – the truth that is not only hidden in this ring, but the one above. However....”

Internally, Raynolds frowned. They all knew this. Why was Bosch simply repeating all this? He was shocked, however, when Bosch continued.

“However, I must reveal that this entire thing, this entire journey has been nothing but a gamble from the start. I never firmly knew for a fact exactly what the Shivans wanted from the start. Both Ramayan and I only suspected their true purpose; their true identity. Our encounter and communication with them has debunked a lot of those theories; but it has re-enforced yet others. I do not have answers for any of you now, for everything now lies in the structure in the middle of this ring.”

Raynolds was not only shocked, but he was absolutely fuming. How dare Bosch play around with them like this? He had quite literally used them in every sense of the word...and for what? nothing!

Bosch continued to speak, however, and Raynolds simply kept on listening, keeping his facial expressions steady.

“But what we have found out has indicated and confirmed one thing – the Vasudans cannot be trusted. Before us, they knew of the Ancients, and betrayed them. Humanity has no future with them, and from the efforts that they went to stop us, it appears this is the big secret that they were trying to keep. The Vasudans betrayed the ancients after several centuries of peace. Not only that, they took several of the ancient’s ships, and attempted to use it against them. This was still the Shivans came for them, and wiped everything out. During the great war, the Shivans came at Ross 128, most likely following a Vasudan squadron as it engaged our own. Since we met them, they not only brought death upon us, our parents, our planets, but they have also angered and brought forward the wraith of the Shivans – something that we have suffered as well.”

Bosch paused. He took a moment to make eye contact with everyone first before continuing. He glanced up at the installation that revolved above them first though.

“Someone needs to warn the Terran Government about this, or else what we have fought for today will be for naught. As such, I want each and every one of you to decide now. Once we activate the teleporter and go up to the installation above us, there is a good chance we’ll get the supplies we need, as well as a means of returning back to GTVA space via the Shivans. I have already asked too much of you, so know this: I will be going alone. None of you need to join me and can instead go back to terran space if you so desire – either way, if you wish to join me, it is entirely your decision.”

Bosch paused, giving out a short sigh. Raynolds was fuming even more. Bosch…the goddamned fool! Didn’t he know – didn’t he realize what they had given up to be here? There was no home where they would be welcome, nowhere else for them to go, and now he wanted to just dump them back and go on his own? Raynold’s anger grew as he realized just how much Bosch had used them, just how much a fool he had made them. Who had been in on the whole scheme anyway? Probably Gibson and Sargo, maybe even Ramayan. He only spoke to those three most of the time – perhaps he viewed the rest of them as mere baggage?

“You all are honorable men, the greatest members of Neo-Terra. Now on this ring, we are pretty much the last remnants of Neo-Terra. I cannot force you to continue it, however, without knowing the truth. Now each of you decide: If you wish to join me take one step forward. If you wish to go back, then stand where you are.”

Raynolds already knew his decision. He didn’t have any place to go back in GTVA space. But he sure as hell was not going with Bosch either. Bosch had used them all till now; and there was no way in hell Raynolds was going to let Bosch use him again.

He remained stock still where he was standing. He watched as, around him, Gibson, Sargo, John, and Venson took one step forward. Glancing to his right, though Raynolds saw that Terrick was standing still as well. He was frowning and his expression was one of anger and a bit of defiance as well. Glancing to his left, he saw that Dave hadn’t moved from his spot just behind where Sargo was standing earlier. Gerald was standing right next to him as well. A total of four had decided to go with Bosch, with four going back. Tactically, at least the group that was going back had somewhat of an upper hand – Bosch would be a burden to them, so if things did get ugly, at least they had an advantage.

Bosch simply nodded at this.

“Very well then, I see you have decided. For those going with me, thank you. For those going back, thank you as well. Without any of you, there is a good chance that I would not standing here, or that any of us would have be alive. I thank you for your dedication and hard work – you have done not only Neo Terra proud, but all of humanity as well.”

You never said why they would be proud of us. Raynolds thought to himself.

No matter, he would have his chance soon, and at least they would be getting out of his hell-hole for now.

“All right, everyone get your bags – let’s move out.” With that, the group dispersed to collect their bags. Around two minutes later, they all moved out.