Alpha Centauri 2

Community => Planet Tales => Topic started by: NewAgeOfPower on October 21, 2012, 02:29:28 AM

Title: An Lieutenant's Regrets
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 21, 2012, 02:29:28 AM

Chapter One

Adjunkt-Lieutenant Shaun Stevenson loved the University, loved his Provost, even loved Planet, despite her attempt to kill him every day, but most of all, he loved his brothers-in-arms.

Said brothers were some sorry fools, fresh undergrads right out of Baikonur, but they were not only enhanced by the Cyborg Factory, but were sailing a Prototype Shard-Probability AAA Battleship, equipped with a Fusion reactor, and had guidance from the Maritime Control Center.

Against last-generation Spartan and Hive foils, equipped with missile pods and plasma steel armor, powered by Fission reactors, this was a cakewalk. During the year they were deployed so far, Doktor-Captain James J. Jameson led their ship to run down an advanced Hive Foil with a Chaos gun, and it's Probability Armor combined with superior reactor design allowed it to shrug off attacks from two Spartan missile boats and blow away a Hive Needlejet.

After they broke the naval blockade at the of House Of Martyrs, orders came from the Provost to refit and repair in the allied Naval Yard- and hold it for the next 6 months, as reinforcements would be arriving.

The Believing residents were expected to be cold, given the fact they were allied to the University only after a long war in which they were nearly exterminated, and the Provost forced their leader, Sister Miriam, to submit to him.

But the fanatics were overjoyed to see support (ultra-modern support, to boot), after 6 months of losing men to Spartan and Hive Air raids. The citizenry even showered the Harbor with flowers as the battleship pulled up to the docks.

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Captain James J. Jameson smiled at his sailors: "Alright boys and girls, the locals are MUCH friendlier than expected. Still, don't embarrass the University, and for Science's sake, don't go around trying to pick up the local women- OR MEN, female sailors. These people are going to be dramatically more... prudish, than at the Gaian base we stopped over at."

Nodding his head again, he dismissed them for shore leave. As Lieutenant Stevenson tried to disembark, the Captain put his hand on his shoulder. "Lieutenant, I need you to oversee repairing the secondary Shard Battery's fire-control computers..."

Dammit, he thought. 'One of the cute women throwing flowers at the battleship had not only made eye contact with me, but threw a kiss at me too.'


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Chapter 2 will be up tomorrow.

Title: Re: An Lieutenant's Regrets
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 21, 2012, 11:23:19 PM

Chapter 2

Central Engineering was uncomfortably warm- the Captain ordered that the Auxiliary Reactor be left running, in case they came under attack before repairs finished. Lieutenant Stevenson was willing to put up with some heat for the ability to shoot back, at any rate!

"Lieutenant Stevenson! I just checked the machine shop, and no, there are no spare Reactor Control Units!" Master Chief Petty Officer al-Bakr interrupted his thoughts.

"Master Chief PO al-Bakr, thank you. But... Crap." He noticed al-Bakr smile. al-Bakr was a strange one, even for a high ranking NCO. There were rumors about him...

"Indeed sir. We've replaced the reactor struts out of spares, but unlike the University Standard Mk18 Fission Reactor the new Fusactor isn't self-stable, needs constant nano-second inputs to control the reaction."

"Perhaps we can requisition some room-temperature super-conductor and have the Machine Shop jury-rig a new Reactor Control Computer?" interjected a third person, entering the room.

"Doktor-Captain!" The two subordinates stood up ramrod still, and saluted.

"No need to be so formal, Master Chief, Lieutenant. I'd like to send the Lieutenant out to speak with this town's local garrison commander, but I'm afraid he might forget to tie his shoelaces or fall flat on his face and embarrass the University. Might you be so kind as to escort our fledgling officer?" Drawled Captain Jameson.

"Yes SIR!" al-Bakr had a grin plastered across his face. "Come now, L-T."

*outside, walking to the Bishop-Militant's office*

"Geeze, don't these guys have weird titles?"

al-Bakr snorted. "Imagine an outsider, seeing our own titles. Doktor? Adjunkt? The way the University assigns it's commissioned personnel Academic ranks is simply a sign of how we value academia and learning, the same way the Believers assign religious rankings as a symbol of how faith is valued for them."

Stevenson gave him an alongside look, and thought about the rumors some more. "Why do you smile so much whenever someone calls you by your title?"

"Well, there was this Old Earth virtual game... before virtual reality..." At the look on Lieutenant Stevenson's face, he stopped. "We're here. Lets not embarass ourselves."

*15 minutes later*

"Alright, they agreed to deliver some additional tooling and a block of superconductor in a few hours... Why don't you take your shore leave?"

"Excuse me, Master Chief?"

al-Bakr looked slyly at Stevenson. "The Captain didn't say when we had to get back on Ship, and I saw how you were looking at that blonde-haired Hydroponics worker as we were pulling in. Why don't you go look for her? I'll meet you in the waterfront bar after I deliver the Captain's instructions to the Engineering Officer... Half an hour?"

Stevenson stared for a second. "How do you know she's an Agri-worker... How are you so familiar with Believing work coveralls?"

Wincing, al-Bakr gave Stevenson a fierce look "The rumors are half-true. My family migrated from Blessed Saviour to Baikonur after the first University War. But we always believed the Knowledge would free Man, not willful blindness. Still, there are questions about the Provost's adherence to ethical... questions." al-Bakr finished, giving a meaningful look to Stevenson's hair, jet black, streaked with violet. A product of the Human Genome Enhancement Project, creating new lines of Talented Transhumans.

"My grand-father was a volunteer, and yes, while many did succumb to insanity, the majority of us have improved resistance to diseases, enhanced strength, cognition, and reflexes, are better coordinated..."

"Look, I know the spiel. But the birth of so many Psykana and the increased insanity rates, this mutilation of human purity for combat purposes?"

"The Empaths help control Native and protect humans from Planet! We KNEW the risks! We never hes-"

"Sorry to interrupt your deep and meaningful debate, gentlemen, but I believe the good Master CPO has something to deliver to the machine shop, and there is someone the Lieutenant should be looking for." A voice interrupted them, from the deck of the Battleship.
 
Mouths agape, stunned into silence, the Captain read their expressions and snorted. "To answer your question, I've been here listening since the beginning." Turning around, and striding back into the Conning Tower, he continued "That was not a request, gentlemen."

Nodding at each other, the two ran to attend to their duties.