A Man Named Alex

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Crimson
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A Man Named Alex

Postby Crimson » Thu Apr 07, 2016 8:23 pm

Chapter 1 - A New Beginning

Every story starts somewhere, and mine is like most these days. Too many people competing for what little there is - jobs, food, space, air. Not rich enough to buy my way out of a cramped mega city. Too proud to join the pitiful masses that had given up long ago and spent their time begging or stealing so they could exist just one more lousy day. I was struggling each day to get by, and there was no way out in sight.

No way, it seemed, until word came that the Pilots Federation was offering a one-way ticket out. Seems they needed all types: explorers, traders, bounty hunters, and they were willing to make a deal. They would provide you a ship and some credits, and all they asked in return was that you turn your back on everything the world had to offer and strike out for the untold riches of space. Since I didn't really have much to lose, I sold, gave away or just plain left what little I had and signed on to the CMDR program.

The Pilots Federation put me through some "very" basic training, then shipped me along with a couple hundred or so other "harmless" Commanders to the LHS 3447 system. It was the first time I'd seen how cargo gets shipped in space. I don't remember much about it though, because I was tucked away in the cargo hold inside a metal cryo-tube. I remember thinking that maybe the joke was on me, maybe they are simply sticking me in this tube and dumping me in space; that maybe this whole story was too good to be true. The last thing I remember was the cold and the gas...

When I awoke we had already been offloaded on Trevithick Dock. I climbed out of my tube and was directed to meet the others at the shipyard for our briefing and our ships. That was the first time I'd seen that many ships so close. It was really something!

The ship I got was standard for the deal - a not so gently used Sidewinder Mk I. Really not much more than a nice metal coffin if you don't know what you're doing. Or are really unlucky. Or both.

One good thing about the Sidewinder is that it's easy to fly. Another good thing is that if anything catastrophic happens the Pilots Federation will gladly provide you another one free of charge (provided, of course, that you survive said catastrophe). Back in basic training we had been told that the unofficial motto of the Pilots Federation was "Fly or Die!". I guess they weren't kidding...

I hung around Trevithick for about a day blasting in and out of the dock to see the sights and getting lots of practice docking. As my confidence grew, so did my wanderlust. I set my Nav lock on the closest system and never looked back.

No one can really prepare you for your first jump through "Witchspace". Tumbling through a spiraling mosaic of light and sound, your ship bucking and sounding like it's slowly being ripped apart. It's fascinating and unsettling at the same time. If you're lucky, it only lasts for a few seconds before you drop back into "normal" space. If not, it lasts for the rest of your life...

Space travel can become routine, but it is rarely boring. Speeding along at super cruise you cover light years in seconds. The scanner constantly pops up points of interest - random signals, systems, star ports, other ships. Some are worth checking out, but I found you need to drop in ready to fight or run. That distress call you're responding to might turn out to be your own.

That's not to say you shouldn't explore. I remember the time I dropped out of super cruise to check out a large signal source. Turned out to be a funeral procession. I killed my thrusters and sat there awed at the sight of a line of ships moving slowly through normal space. The largest ship (a Type 9 I think) was broadcasting something like "Now they are one with the stars..." Very sobering and yet strangely comforting. Maybe I'll be eulogized like that someday.

Chapter 2 - Pulse Laser Diplomacy

Hang out in space long enough and sooner or later you run into something that will try to kill you. It's unavoidable. Space is really only made up of two things: those that will kill you and the distances between them. Asteroids and gravity wells are bad enough, but the things with brains are the worst kind. As big as this old universe is it's still overrun with pilots that will shoot first and pick over your remains later. I find it pays to have a hand on the throttle and a finger on the trigger. Just in case...

The first time I ran into trouble I panicked. It was a small ship, but I couldn't tell you which one - never got a lock on him. He was on me hard and fast and had my shields down before I even deployed my lasers. I was taking hull damage, and I couldn't seem to get the guy in my sights. Too much adrenaline and way too much throttle! (Always, always, always keep your throttle in the blue if you want to turn fast!) Well, like I said, I panicked. So with the throttle pegged I kept watching him dart by this way and that - stripping off layers of my hull with each pass. As he raked me once more and flew past I figured he'd had enough. I stowed my weapons, straightened out and headed as fast as I could in the opposite direction. He got a few parting shots into my tail before I made the jump to super cruise.

I throttled down half way back to the dock to change my shorts and give my shields a chance to rebuild.

That's pretty much how it went at first. I got shot at (a lot)! Sometimes I'd get the upper hand and the kill, other times I'd practice my evasive maneuvering. Once I even got the chance to test the Sidewinder replacement policy. It's lonely out in space with just the fragments of your ship to keep you company...

As time went on my skills grew along with my credits, and I was finally able to afford an Eagle Mk II. Compared to the Sidewinder, the Eagle looked and felt like a real fighter. And best of all, she was all mine! No more standard issue Sidewinder for me. I outfit it with the best that my money could buy (which, admittedly, wasn't much). I did remember to save enough to cover the insurance payment. I'd heard too many sad stories of pilots that left dock a little light in the pockets, only to return with no ship and no way to cover the re-buy costs. It's one thing to have to start over from an Eagle. It's gotta almost drive you to breathing vacuum to lose a Python.

With a ship built less like a box and more like a swift moving angel of death, I decided to try my hand at bounty hunting. I hung out at Nav points where the pickings were slim, but safe, and there were always a few other bounty hunters if things got rough.

Most times I was able to get in on the kill. I didn't really have a problem letting someone else crack the nut first, as long as I got a shot at the meat. There were a few times I took a target on my own, but most of the time I was circling with several others in the dance of death. Once or twice I might have accidentally shot another hunter. Hey, it happens. A quick apology over the comms followed immediately with a boost away to let things cool down a bit, and everything was right with the universe again.

Sequel: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=4963&p=58145#p58145
Last edited by Crimson on Mon Apr 11, 2016 6:50 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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Re: A Man Named Alex

Postby Xebeth » Thu Apr 07, 2016 8:57 pm

To be continued
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Please make sure you have read the Mobius GroupPolicy

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Crimson
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Re: A Man Named Alex

Postby Crimson » Thu Apr 07, 2016 9:59 pm

Thank you. I'll try to keep 'em coming.
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