Fiction for the week

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Fiction for the week

Postby Soelien-Twa » Wed Apr 08, 2015 10:25 pm

[Author’s note: They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well my wife and I may not have the right recipe for lemonade because we keep getting lemons. From talking with some of you I understand a lot of you are in the same boat, either with health issues, financial woes, or death of loved ones. I feel for you and can say I understand. Luckily the game can be an escape from real life and the burdens we face. On that note I took a few minutes and penned a couple of tales based on common actions. I hope you read them, see your own empires in them, and escape the labours of real life into imagination, even if only for a few minutes.]

“Creating a GMU” by James MacKinlay

Action Code: 89 Location#1: XYZ12312 Fleet#1: 89
Action Code: 88 Location#1: XYZ12312 Fleet#1: 88
Action Code: 82 Location#1: XYZ12312 Fleet#1: 82 Special#: 300
Action Code: 99 Location#1: XYZ12312 Fleet#1: 99 Special#: 5000

Thomas MacGregor looked at the rest of his militia group as his thoughts went back to the previous night. They had started out as twenty young men and women out to defend their homes and their world. Now, including Thomas, there was only seven.

The majority of the battle had been over almost before it had begun. The orbital Fortresses had been hit first. No warning! Missile cruisers had just appeared, sent their deadly payload on their way and left orbit. They were gone even before the first explosions were visible in the night sky.

And then came the fighters. Wave after wave, stripping the Union of Planets fighter cover and then focusing on the marine units. Strafing run after run had destroyed any command and communication among the helpless defenders.
And then the true bombardment started. A massive fleet of missile destroyers and cruisers raining down their kinetic energy weapons on the heavy weapons squads and armour that the fighters had bypassed. Defending armour units were targeted multiple times and when the morning light came not a single one survived.

It was then that the assault shuttles started landing. Yesterday Thomas had been proud to serve in the Union of Planets Militia. Between the regular marine units and the militia there had been 264 companies divided up into 16 regimental army groups available to defend the planet. But that was before the fighter attack… and before the enemy landed 5000 companies of shock troops.
Not all his men were dead. Some had given up early in the fight… some had run. These seven were all that had stayed fighting until the armistance. These seven were all that agreed to fight the occupation. These seven would make the nucleus of a guerilla unit. And there would be other groups like this one scattered across the planet…. men and women, young and old… willing to fight. Maybe, just maybe, one of the other Union of Planets member worlds might be able to smuggle in some regular marine units to help fight.

But that was a long way off. First comes food, then shelter, then weapons. Thomas looked at his watch. Just about noon. “It took them 12 hours to take a planet” he thought to himself. “How long is it going to take me to get it back?”

-----

“A new flagship” by James MacKinlay

Action Code: 3 Location#1: XYZ12121 Fleet#1: 45 Qty:1 BCde: 27 Empire/Ship Name: Mistress

It had taken the better part of a decade but at long last Rick Buchanan’s dream was about to come true. It had taken years of petitioning government ministers to get them to have MegaCorp upgrade the shipyard. Then months of waiting while the shipyard, factories, and mining facilities were retooled. Then a little over a year of cajoling ministers to approve the funding. And then there was the battles over the cost over-runs as the tech needed for the build outstripped the empires technology. But now, within the hour, The Mistress would be complete.

The first in a new line of Carrier Mark 2s, The Mistress would only pack the same weapon tonnage as a Class 2 Destroyer Escort but its real power was the 40 fighters it could hold in its bays. She would be the most powerful ship in the sector, even the entire empire, at least until her sister ships were commissioned over the next six months.

Buchanan looked out the viewport at his vision becoming a reality. Never again would she be so perfect. Hopefully her guns would never see action but that was unlikely. Definitely her fighters would. Already Fleet Command had plans afoot, and even if she never suffered battle damage there was always micrometeorites that would penetrate the navigational shields and eventually pockmark her hull. But for now she was perfect, shiny and new, lights from the orbital shipyard illuminating every facet of her hull.

“Sir” the aide beside Buchanan said. “It’s time.”

Turning to face the crowd of VIPs behind him Rick Buchanan, head engineer of the Hrak Shipyard, dug out his prepared speech. Soon it would be time he thought, going over the actions in his mind. Press the button to release the bottle out of the airlock. When it smashed against the Mistress’s hull he would proclaim her commissioned and reveal to the Empire the name he had chosen. The name of the “lady” that had pulled him away from his family and occupied so much of his time over the last decade. Today the empire would get its new flagship.
Last edited by Soelien-Twa on Sun Apr 12, 2015 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Fiction for the week

Postby Soelien-Twa » Sun Apr 12, 2015 7:57 pm

“Colonization” by James MacKinlay

Action code: 8 Location#1: XYZ33311 Fleet#1: 8

Antonio took another slash with his machete at the jungle foliage in front of him.

“See the Galaxy she said” he muttered under his breath. Sweat dripped down his forehead and past his re-breather as he took a few more swings, barely making any headway.

“Explore new planets she said” he muttered into the facemask. He slashed at a purple thorny vine hanging neck height.

“Expand the Empire she said.” He paused to check his progress. Sixty minutes and maybe a hundred feet. He could still see the habitat bubble behind him. Turning to take another swing the machete rebounded off a hidden branch sending a vibration all the way up his arm.

“Faaaarrge!” he tried to shout into the air.

It was all her fault he thought to himself, taking a break from swinging the machete. If she hadn’t been so damned attractive he would never have gone over to the colonist recruitment booth. He thought about the others that she had signed up that had come with him.

Lorne had gone quickly. He had seemed like a nice guy but had believed all the hype about “paradise found.” He had stepped out of the colony ship to find the atmosphere not nearly as breathable as they had promised.

It had taken the better part of two days to find Max. Antonio had not even known that there was plants that could swallow a human. Max had still been alive when they found him… or at least his heart had still been beating.

Then there was that flaky chick Ashley. She just had to pet the first small furry creature she came across. Her hand was only the first thing she lost that day.

Remembering the others made him think of his life on the Homeworld. Being a sanitation technician 3rd class hadn’t been that bad of a job. He could clean most of the stink off after a day’s shift. He might not have gotten rich on that job but it had paid the bills… well… mostly. But she had been so damned attractive…

“It’ll be fun she said” he muttered swatting at one of the large toxic insects buzzing around his face.

“Sign here she said.”

[The End]
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Re: Fiction for the week

Postby Soelien-Twa » Tue Apr 21, 2015 10:31 pm

[author's note: When a kid has an imaginary friend parents panic. We have whole "imaginary" empires and that is perfectly all right!?]

“Only a designation” by James MacKinlay

Action code: 16 Location#1: XYZ31313 Fleet#1: 16

Dale looked at his watch. “Might still be able to make that dinner date” he thought to himself. It would make the third date with Rebecca, the new nurse in medical. So far she had only given up a kiss on the cheek each night. Hopefully tonight would be better. Otherwise he was in danger of falling into the “Friend Zone.” Once he was in the “Friend Zone” there was no way he was going to get any action.

The whine of the ship’s engines attempting to land in front of him brought him back to reality. Four massive Hector Stardrive engines kept the square bottomed ship suspended as the maneuvering thrusters lined the ship up with the foundation pad the colonists had laid down. Dale could just see the ship designation coming into view. “BCS-17.” He still thought it odd that he served on a ship without a name, just a designation. He wasn’t superstitious. It had nothing to do with luck. He just thought it was odd.

“Ground Control… BCS-17…” a voice came over the speakers in Dale’s headset.

“Ground Control here” Dale responded.

“BCS-17 ready for touchdown” the voice said.

“BCS-17 ready for touchdown” Dale repeated taking one final look around. “The pad is clear.”

“BCS-17 touchdown in ten…” The whine of the four engines changed. “…nine… eight…” The downward force of the engines started kicking up dust “…seven… six… five…” The dust became a duststorn violently swirling around Dale. The view through his goggles became just about non-existant. “…four… three… two…” The engine whine changed again, becoming deeper, more of a roar. “… one…” And then with a barely audible click the ship set down perfectly on the pad. “Touchdown” said the voice as the engines whine went back to normal.

“BCS-17 has touched down” Dale confirmed into his mic. “Okay for deployment.”

“BCS-17 deploying anchors” the voice said as the eight massive struts, two per side dropped from the sides of the ship and anchored it to the landing pad.

“BCS-17 anchored” Dale confirmed.

“BCS-17 initiating shutdown”

“Shutdown initiated for BCS-17” Dale said.

Looking at the landed ship with its engines finally becoming quiet Dale thought it was hard to believe that within days this was going to be the planets first factory. The Bridge would become the factory’s control room. The engine room would become the factory’s power plant. Even the crew quarters would become living accommodation for the factory’s workers. Almost everything would stay. Of course the massive Hector engines would be shipped back to the shipyard to be re-used. They were too valuable. But just about everything else on the ship would be used or recycled. This first factory would build more factories and then be retrofitted to supply colony goods for the Homeworld.

Dale, Rebecca, and the other support staff would continue with the flotilla of colony base ships until the last one was installed. Meanwhile the flight crew of BCS-17 would be sent back on the first Starliner home.

Dale looked at his watch. “Yep. Should still make that dinner date” he thought to himself.
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Re: Fiction for the week

Postby Soelien-Twa » Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:03 pm

“Increasing your POPulation” by James MacKinlay edit by Sam Stockton

Action Code: 3 Location#1: XYZ32121 Qty: 1 BCde: 261

Planetary Governor Klaus Szufnarowicz walked out of the council meeting in frustration, his aide Tim hot on his heels. Orders had come down from above that the population on New Hazelton had to be increased, and the council meeting was supposed to give the governor some idea of how to do it. Unfortunately, it had illustrated more problems with increasing the population than coming up with any viable solutions.

There was space on New Hazelton… that was for sure. One thing they were not short of on this size 9 world was space. Unfortunately there was a zero population growth rate and that wasn’t expected to change. People were just not having lots of kids any more. Having kids was just not fashionable.

The council had come up with several suggestions such as tax breaks for larger families, releasing inmates from penal colonies or petitioning orphanages from around the empire for custody of their charges. One council member had even suggested cloning!

Unfortunately, New Hazelton could not afford tax breaks. Releasing inmates was just plain dangerous. And, although the orphanages idea might provide long term growth, unless the planet repealed its child labour laws there would not be a significant increase in the working age population for years. As for cloning…the moral consequences of that were not even worth considering.

“Tim. Start drafting a memo saying we have no way to increase the population at this time.”

“Yes sir,” the aide replied. “But there may be a way that wasn’t brought up in the meeting.”

“What’s that?” Szufnarowicz asked. “Raise the dead? Encourage alien invasion?” the governor said sarcastically.

“Well sir, I was thinking Mormon settlers.”

“Mormon settlers?! Really?!”

“Yes sir” the aide said with the tone he used for calming the governor down. “My understanding is that they are an honest hardworking people and they are looking to send out emigrants from planet Nauvoo before it becomes overcrowded. And…they tend to have lots of kids.”

“There has to be a catch though. What do they want? Cash? Tax breaks?”

“I don’t believe they work on Sundays sir” Tim said blankly.

“WHAT!! Not work on Sundays!! How will industry run with people not working on Sundays?”

Tim recognized the Governor’s fake blustering and hid a grin as he had done so many times before. He stood quietly patient as the Governor continued to fume for a few minutes. Finally, Szufnarowicz spoke in a more rational voice.

“Maybe hold off on that memo for a bit Tim… and see how much it is to charter a Starliner from this Nauvoo.”

“Yes sir,” Tim said turning to head back to his desk. “Right away sir.”
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