City of IF

[Smee]

Chapter 7

The elegant monstrosity of the Jump gate came into view before anything else. Nearly two thousand meters tall, and twice as long, the huge metallic construction that propelled ships between star systems still seemed a marvel to Mart as he watched it hang stationary in space.

The incredible speeds of warp streams allowed the crossing of solar systems in seconds instead of months. But the vast distances between star systems meant even at warp speeds it would take years, decades, to move between them. Whilst he had no idea how it worked, Jump gates allowed near instantaneous leaps to its paired gate in another solar system.

Mart thought back to the long dead ancestors of the four races whom had once travelled those vast distances in great fleets of construction ships to actually build the jump gates in the first place. It had taken thousands of years for the network of jump gates to expand as the ships slowly powered there way to each system using conventional engines.

And none had been more stoic and determined in that task than the Ammar Empire, its own Jump Gate network by far the most extensive across New Eden.

The ancient Amarians who had built this particular gate had designed it to their typical racial preference. Large and golden; a tribute to the holy light that was blessed on them by their god. Mart had to admit it was impressive, especially when compared to the significantly smaller gates made by his own people. Corporations and profit were the gods of the Caldari, and a comparatively cheap, but functional gate was their preference.

Since partnering with Targh, Mart had seen many examples of Ammarian style and architecture. At first it had seemed excessively grandiose and pompous, a self-important race puffing themselves up to look more impressive to their enemies. But listening to the quiet talks from Targh as he spoke of the guiding light flowing from his God, Mart had begun to have a growing appreciation for the extraordinary efforts made by the huge empire.

"Scan signatures?"

"Gate is clear, Sir. No sign of anyone."

Mart let out the breath he'd been holding. J'iony had done it, the CONCORD customs patrol had been lured away.

"Move us up to Jump range and contact the gate for clearance. Engage as soon as they give us the ok."

It took a further twenty nervous seconds for the Bestower's engines to power them within 2500 meters of the massive structure, the range required to initiate a jump. Almost immediately the helm officer spoke up.

"Jump initiated."

Mart closed his eyes, having no desire to witness the strange distortions he knew he would see with his eyes open. Regardless he felt the strange 'rippling' effect that indicated the start of the jump. To an outside observer it would seem as if the entire ship rippled, like it was caught in the centre of the flowing rings that formed when a stone was dropped into a pool of water. Then the ship would simply vanish from sight, and the massive jump gate’s main array would power up. In a flash of yellow light the jump was complete, and Mart's ship materialised in a new solar system.

One down, five to go.


~


Targh felt trapped. How had he got himself in this situation! The smug look of victory flowing from the Overseer's eyes wasn't helping his mood either. He couldn't help feeling like he'd been played for a fool. Random suspicions flowed through his thoughts, each seeming less likely than the last. The Overseer and the boss working together. The Overseer was the Boss! It was all the work of some disgruntled pilot from his past out for revenge.

But maybe it wasn't all bad. If Jacrim kept to the bargain and did pay the original contract amount, then Targh and Mart would still come out of this as wealthy men.

Mart! Where was he? If he'd made a run with the shipment and got caught then CONCORD would have all the goods now. No deal he made here would make a difference unless they could catch up with Mart.

And yet, what if Mart had found J'iony? Targh couldn't help the inward smile as he pictured Mart's reaction to the cocky pilot. If J'iony had agreed to help him, Mart could well succeed in making the original drop off. The thought wiped out all trace of the smile.

As his thoughts whirled, Targh tried to think of an answer. Only seconds had past since Jacrim had made his offer. Still the smug look decorated the Overseer's face.

Suddenly Targh felt a wave of hostility rise up in him. Every shred of anger at the whole situation rose up demanding attention; the drugs, the kidnapping, trapped on a planet, Mart all alone, having to start from nothing all over again. It all rushed through him, feeding upon itself, growing in strength, and rushing through him again.

On and on it stormed, boiling inside him, roaring, demanding a target to be unleashed upon. The Overseer! With a target to focus on the anger became a uncontrollable torrent. This man, playing me like a fool. Through the haze of anger the Overseer's rank, his title, meant nothing to Targh. It was this man that caused his problem. It was this man masterminding the whole scam. The only question was why?

Targh didn't even consciously think before it happened. In one blurring movement he bullied into Jacrim, forcing him up against the wall with the momentum of his charge. A swift kick with his leg shut the door to the room, trapping them in solitude. With a free hand, Targh reached out to the nearest thing to hand, The Reflected Blade, mounted on the wall next to the Overseer's head. The metallic plate it was fastened to was solidly fixed to the wall, but a anger fuelled jerk of his wrist broke the thin wiring around the handle and the lethal dagger came free of the sheath in one smooth movement. Without hesitation Targh held the keen blade to the side of Jacrim's neck.

"You and I are going to have a little chat."


~


"Comm signal coming through."

"ID?" Mart asked.

"It's coming through as 'CORD bait' again, Sir."

"Patch it through."

A new voice sounded in the speakers.

"Captain Mart I assume?"

"Rapht?" Mart replied.

"That's me."

"We're in system, are we clear at the next gate."

"You sure are, got me two CONCORD birds chasing me as we speak. I don't know how long they're going to find it fun chasing me though, so I suggest you get moving. Rapht out."

"You heard him - set course to the next gate, and engage. Jump on contact." Mart yelled.

Once again the bridge became a hive of activity as the orders were followed. The command 'Jump on contact' meant just that. As soon as the gate was in range, initiate jump with no further need for orders.

Mart used the time to trace the route on his neocom map. Their next contact was someone called Malik. Everything had been arranged so fast, Mart couldn't shake his dislike at such haste. Nerves were creeping up on him, like a spider slowly crawling up his spine. The rippling distortions announced the next jump before Mart could think to close his eyes. Everything seemed to bend and stretch in gut sickening ways.

"I've got multiple contacts on scanners."

The announcement brought Mart straight to attention.

"Ships? Where? How many"

"4 contacts, about a thousand km away."

"Can you get a fix on them?"

"Scanning now, Sir."

Mart turned to his comm officer. "If you do be getting contact from someone identifying themselves as CORD bait, or Malik, put them through immediately."

Turning back to helm he ordered the ship align to their next gate, hovering on the brink of initiating warp in a second should any trouble appear.

"Sir, the contacts are closing in, 800 km, still no fix on them."

"Alignment complete, ready to initiate warp on your order, Sir."

Mart chewed his lip, wondering which was the biggest risk. Warping to the next gate not knowing if CONCORD had been lured away, or staying here with the unknown ships approaching. The decision was taken away from him.

"Incoming comm signal from another CORD bait, patching through."

"Malik here, I's heading to the gate now, CONCORD will be taken care of in one minute. Be aware, potential hostiles in system, I just caught a glimpse of them before they warped away, their fighting ships."

"Yes, we've spotted those ships on scanners. They do be here, closing in on us, we need to warp now!" Mart answered Malik.

"500km, and closing, Sir. Getting some details now. I'm definitely seeing four targets, all cruiser class, still too far out to get more."

"Malik!" Mart yelled out.

"Yes, yes, I'm at the gate, but they ain't taking the bait. Come on you meat headed dogs, chase me!"

"250km, they're coming on grid*, three Maller's and a... an Arbitrator, Sir."

Mart's heart sank in the same way his officer's voice did on announcing the last ship. The three Maller's were bad enough, big heavy gunboats covered in armour and lasers, but the Arbitrator was a jack of all trades, capable of being fit for many different occasions, but mainly it was known for it's EWAR [Electronic warfare] abilities. With one of those properly fitted, it could shut down the Bestowers warp engines leaving it a sitting duck whilst the Maller's ripped the ship to pieces.

"Helm, take us into wa..." Mart started.

"Sir, incoming comms from the four ships."

"Patch it through."

"Am I speaking with Captain Targh D'yer?" The voice was strong, confident and definitely Amarrian.

"No, no, this is Captain Martof. Who be you?"

"I come on behalf of Mr Feolin, he has received intel that gives him concern for the safety of the contract you are fulfilling for him, and has ordered us to provide you escort."

"Escort!" Mart's heart leapt back down his throat, but his mind whirled. Did this 'escort' know about the boosters? Just what was going on?

"Sir, something has just decloaked 20km away. It's Galente!"

"Galente!"

"And another, Sir. And a... there are five Galente stealth bombers orbiting us. They're locking on."

Mart floundered, not knowing where to devote his attention. He yelled out to his apparent escort. "Well it do seem that the intel was correct. We do have company."

"Yes, we see them. We're engaging them now."

"Viewscreen - get this on the screen," Mart ordered, and immediately the scene outside appeared in the middle of the bridge. The five stealthbombers circled ominously. Out of nowhere a bright beam of red light sliced through the black and slammed into the lead Bomber. Almost immediately another dozen similar beams followed it. The bomber's armour sizzled under the intense assault, and without warning the ship exploded. The other four bombers turned to this new threat, almost immediately unleashing their own salvos of cruise missiles in retaliation to the laser fire."

"Captain Martof, get out of here. Go! We'll hold them off."

Mart didn't need to be told twice. If CONCORD hadn't been enticed by Malek yet, they would be drawn to this fight in just a few seconds. "Engage warp, now!"

Already aligned and at speed, the effect was instantaneous. In the midst of laser fire, missile explosions and railgun shells the cargoship shot off into warp.

"Sir... we have a problem."

"Another one, what now?!"

"One of those bombers must have had a Neut, our energy capacitor is drained."

Mart swore. Energy neut weapons were devious and underhand, literally sucking a ship dry of power without them even noticing.

"The warp bubble is collapsing, Sir, I can't maintain it any longer. We're dropping out of warp."

Mart stared at the black nothingness they'd landed in. "Bakaaro!"** he swore again.


~


To Targh's satisfaction, the look of triumph on the Overseer's face had been replaced with one of fear. But the anger was still coursing strongly through him so he barely noticed as he held the dagger's lethal blade close to his captor's neck.

"There's something going on here, and I'm done being played. Hold still."

Jacrim didn't react as Targh used his left arm to pat the Overseer down, looking for a weapon. Sure enough he found a small pistol stored on his belt. Putting pressure on the dagger to ensure complete cooperation, Targh slid the gun out, and immediately pointed it at Jacrim's chest. Slowly he eased the dagger away and stepped back, still pointing the gun. His hand was steady despite the cocktail of adrenaline and anger.

"How do you know so much about this contract?" Targh demanded.

Jacrim sneered. "You know nothing do you?"

Pocketing the dagger, hilt down to avoid cutting his leg, Targh aimed and briefly squeezed the trigger on the gun. A barely audible hiss announced the release of the weapon's lethal energy, sending a bolt of yellow power just above the Overseer's head.

"And you're going to enlighten me. But first I'm getting off this dustball. You have a hangar nearby I assume!"

Jacrim was staring at the barrel of the gun in horror, seemingly surprised that Targh had fired it so readily. He nodded dumbly in reply.

"Good, you're taking me there, now." Targh threw open the door, and ushered the Overseer out first. As he moved, Targh pushed the barrel of the gun into the Overseer's side, following him closely.

Almost immediately a slave appeared, an elderly man looking to the Overseer for instruction. Fully aware of Jacrim's ability to command his slaves with the tiniest of gestures, Targh dug the barrel in deeper, a silent warning. Jacrim dismissed the slave with a small wave, and they were alone again.

"Get moving."


~


"Report!" Mart demanded.

"Capacitor is completely drained, Sir. It'll take at least an hour to recondition it because it can be charged, and then another twenty minutes to get enough power for warp."

"Location unknown, Sir. We seemed to have dropped out about 22AU away from the next gate. The middle of nowhere, Sir."

"With power down, Comms is limited to emergency systems only, system wide is the best we'll get."

"No sign of the other ships on scanners. No planets, moons or space stations within 10 AU's, Sir."

Mart considered the reports. Away from any nearby gate, or celestial body they couldn't be found by conventional scanners. The only way they could be tracked down was with probes. That could take minutes if one of those bombers had a probe launcher already fitted, or hours if they had to find a station to get one installed. Either way, they still had to finish the fight with the escort, and escape from CONCORD before doing anything so for now they were safe. Mart doubted they could wait the whole 80 minutes to get the capacitor charged normally though. For one thing, CONCORD would be back at the gate in front of them, and if they fell for Malik's trick before, they wouldn't again.

There was also Targh's ships in his cargo hold. They were just sat there with big fresh capacitors full of power, could he use those to speed up repairs somehow? They were both pod-ships, it'd require a pod pilot to activate them. Perhaps J'iony and his friends could find them and help, and they could make a run for the gate before CONCORD got back.

If the escort survived, then instead of dodging CONCORD they could alter course into a low security system out of CONCORD's jurisdiction, with the escort providing protection from any opportunistic pirates.

Plans and thoughts continued through Mart's mind... he wasn't defeated yet.


~


The trip through the Overseer's manor was a nerve wracking one for Targh. Around every corner another slave appeared looking to serve. Each time though a jab with the gun meant the slave was silently dismissed. Finally they reached the main door and exited into a courtyard with several other buildings, one notably a ship hangar. The sun on this planet was huge and white in the sky, and very hot, surprisingly so considering the relative cool in the house, and the fires that had been burning in every room. The ground was a dusty blue colour, pretty despite Targh's dislike for planets.

He nudged the Overseer in the direction of the hangar and he obediently started walking. "You got any pod-fitted ships in there?" Targh asked, praying earnestly that he said yes.

"Just the one," came the reply.

"What kind," Targh shot back, very aware his skill-chip training wasn't hugely progressed and he couldn't pilot every ship out there yet.

"You'll see." Jacrim smiled, looking himself again for the first time since Targh had pulled down the dagger.

Targh frowned, but didn't pursue an answer, looking up instead at the approaching hangar. It was deceptively huge. The curving golden architecture of his people soared upwards in front of him, the metal glowing brightly in the sunlight. When they reached the two massive hangar doors, Jacrim moved to the right hand side and placed his palm on a pad. A soft beep confirmed a matched scan and the groan of gears announced the doors opening.

As the doors slid open the first part of a gleaming golden hull came into sight. Targh gasped, recognising it almost immediately, unconsciously already giving a whispered prayer of thanks to God for answering so spectacularly.


Before him, standing gracefully in the huge hangar, was nearly 400 metres of golden armoured beauty. A Harbringer, battle-cruiser class and a juggernaut of power in battle. Targh barely remembered to keep aim on the Overseer, as he stood in shock admiration at the ship. Inwardly he was already making calculations, implants in his head bringing up records of his skill-chip logs, cross referencing them with recommended profiles for flying battle cruisers. His smile grew wider as his analysis came back with the answer that he could fly it, if not brilliantly, at least more than enough to get off the planet. The results also offered two recommendations for skill-training immediately if he planned on flying the Harbringer. "Armour tanking Level 3 - 18 hours" and "Medium energy weapon Level 4 - 27 hours".

With his gun he ushered the Overseer into the hangar, and around to the ramp leading up into the ship. Noticing a large bulk at the back at the ship, Targh had a sudden realisation.

"It has a drone bay?"

"Of course, it comes as standard." The Overseer replied.

"Do you have any skill-chips*** in here?"

Jacrim looked surprised for a second, but then nodded glumly, pointing to a shelving unit a few metres away.

"Get down on the floor, hands on your head."

The overseer complied, and only when he was looking down at the floor did Targh move over to the shelves. He quickly found the right container, and shuffled through the various chips. Finally he found it. 'Drone Interfacing.'

Now faced with his escape, thoughts began racing through Targh's mind. When he was connected in the pod he couldn't watch over the Overseer anymore. Should he simply leave him in the hangar, tied up or something? Lock him in the ship somewhere? Kill him?

Then, what about Mart, the shipment. What was his plan once off the planet?

And what about his training? At the moment he had no training with drones. Should he use the time between now and finding Mart to train Drone Interfacing, allowing him to mentally control the Harbringer's drone compliment in battle, using them as extra flying weapons that could tip the balance if he gets in trouble. Or should he instead follow one of the other recommendations. Armour tanking level 3 - offering him the skill to get much more out of his defences if he comes under attack, or Medium Energy weapons, allowing him extra expertise at getting the most damage possible out of the many laser turrets on the ship?

Big plans had to be made, and he didn't have time to waste.

* Grid is the standard scan range of short range scanners. 250km for just about every spaceship
** Bakaaro, literally 'bugger' in Mart's native Caldari
*** Think like the Matrix disks for learning karate etc.. skills for pod-pilots are literally recorded into the brain via implants. However, no where near as fast as the matrix. Simple low level skills can be as fast as an hour, but as they get more complicated, it can take days, and weeks. Every skill can be trained from Level 1 to Level 5. The higher the level, the more proficient the pilot is at that skill, but the time to get to subsequent levels is considerably longer.

~

Ok - quite an ambitious chapter here. You have 4 decision points to discuss and decide on here. 1 for Mart, and how he reacts to his power loss situation. And 3 for Targh - What to do in general, what to do with the Overseer, and what training to do.

The training may seem a bit of a novelty decision point - don't worry about it too much. The whole concept of training is a major part of the eve game, and I don't want to skip it entirely, but I also don't want to get bogged down in it.

They'll be separate polls for them all - so get your voting fingers warmed up. But first we need ideas!

Happy Playing :)

[Mirel]

This one took some thought. Sci-fi usually isn't my thing but this for some reason has got me hooked, due mostly to the fact the technology, although advanced seems rather straight forward and is described in a way that someone without foreknowledge of the world of Eve can understand it, yet the same time in a way that doesn't keep the reader bogged down in details that in the end aren't really all that neccessary.

So as a non techy, I have a few questions as well as a few suggestions that may or may not work.

Let's start with Targh's problems:

What should we do with the Overseer? Let's face it, Targh's already in trouble...big time. For all he knows those subtle gestures that appeared to dismiss the slaves earlier could have been subtle gestures to back off for now but to prepare a mass attack on Targh later. Second, the Overseer seems pretty pleased about something right now and everything is just starting to seem too easy....too good to be true. And like you said in an earlier chapter...anything that seems too good to be true, probably is.

Targh should be on the guard for further tricks and should be suspicious of anything that the Overseer offers to readily. Such as: He led Targh straight to one of the best ships in his hanger...without even an attempt to mislead him to a different corridor or trying to fight back when Targh was briefly distracted by the ship. Might suspicious if you ask me. Even worse, the Overseer didn't even skip a beat when Targh asked for the drone chip.

Possibilities? 1.) The ship has a tracking system that will allow the Overseer, or the Overseer's servants, to track Targh down which is why the Overseer is letting Targh go so that he could follow Targh right to Mart and the shipment. 2.) The ship has some atomatic halting system or someother tech. inquience that could cripple the ship and its polite with a single eletronic order from CONCORD or the Overseer. 3.) The ship can only be flown by one person...maybe due to a DNA recongizer or something, it won't fly without that person's DNA being present in the pod, essentially making the ship useless to Targh. 4.) The Drones are preprogramed in some way that they only follow the Overseers orders, or have been preprogramed to react negatively in some way if the ship is stolen.

I, therefore suggest, that Targh ties up the Overseer while having a little chat with the Overseer seeing what he can find out. If he refuses to coperate, at very least take him on board ship with you and put him somewhere he can't escape but that Targh can watch him very, very, closely. If left tied up in the Hanger, sooner or later a servant will come along and the Overseer will be able to tell them everything, and once free go after Targh or track Targh down in some way, either personally or through contacts. On the other hand, it is very likely that the Overseer would be recongized, via scan (is that possible), if on board ship. Targh has no way of knowing if the Overseer will continue to coperate. Either way its a no win situation. Take him or leave him, the Overseer is a threat. Is there anyway Targh could work with the Overseer, not trusting him of course, while leaving him in charge of the situtation? I'm clueless there, but if anyone else has any suggestions, I'm listening.

Is there anyone Targh can trust to help him figure out the situation? Or trust enough to keep the Overseer in safe keeping to give him time to think? If so, I suggest once aboard ship to contact that person.

About the Training...is there anyway that Targh can both fly the ship while training at the same time? Training would be a big advantage, however, there isn't exactly time to waste. If there is I would suggest the Armour training. If nothing else Targh knows he can expect trouble and the extra Armour could come in handy. He might be able to depend on the sheer size and impressiveness of the ship to be able to bluff with a few fancy light displays using the weapons. Mart after all seemed pretty impressed, and scared of the Harbringer earlier using that clue as a deduction that the Harbringer is a ship respected no matter what the pilot's training level. I therefore conclude that most smaller vessel would back off rather than risk tangling with someone who may or may not be skilled at using those Energy weapons. Either way, I strongly suggest that even before thinking about training, that Targh contacts Mart as soon as possible, as Targh has no idea where Mart is or what kind of trouble Mart is in.

As for Mart, as a non techy, I can only think of a rather basic earth solution....Jump Cables. Is there anyway that Mart could somehow connect the energy of the pod vessels to his own and jump start his vessel?[/url]

[Smee]

Excellent comment Mirel, for a non-techie there were some good techy thoughts there ;)

Quote: About the Training...is there anyway that Targh can both fly the ship while training at the same time? Training would be a big advantage, however, there isn't exactly time to waste

Yes, the skill chip is simply slotted into his implants, and they churn away at the data whilst he's busy doing other things. Once the needed time has passed for all the data to be downloaded and 'written' into the brain he suddenly and simply 'knows' it at Level 1, and the skill-chip is thus 'used' and discarded.

~

As for the ship - I'll give you one piece of info for free. There is nothing wrong with the Pod/Ship - Targh will be able to use it, and fly it away. Whether such a thing as a tracking device, programed drones or your other thoughts are true will be determined later.

I would have ended the chapter with him getting into the Pod and flying away, thinking about what to do next etc... but I also wanted you to do decide what to do with the Overseer, and he can't do that if he's inside the pod.

Quote: Is there anyone Targh can trust to help him figure out the situation? Or trust enough to keep the Overseer in safe keeping to give him time to think? If so, I suggest once aboard ship to contact that person.

The only people nearby would be Mart or J'iony, the young pod pilot. Of course Targh doesn't know that J'iony has already left the station to help Mart.

Quote: Mart after all seemed pretty impressed, and scared of the Harbringer earlier using that clue as a deduction that the Harbringer is a ship respected no matter what the pilot's training level.

Right and wrong... you're right it is an impressive ship, significantly larger than anything we've seen in the story so far. But you're wrong in that Mart was impressed. That was a different type of ship - an Arbitrator, which is of the same, smaller Crusier class as the Mallers - and about half the size of the Harbringer.

Quote: On the other hand, it is very likely that the Overseer would be recongized, via scan (is that possible), if on board ship.

A scan of the ship wouldn't recognise the Overseer (it would simply see another life form on board) - but you're right, if he were dropped off at a station for example, and seen by someone, he'd very likely be recognised.

~

And finally - jump cables is a fine idea. But the ships have to be powered up before such a 'technique' could be bodged together. And there's no controls on a Pod ship save for the pod itself. So we would need to get a pod pilot to us.

[Mirel]

*mutters something about their being two many violent ship names....* Ah can well then, let's see if I can put some more thought in this.

Since Targh can train while in flight, I say he does so and trains with the Armor for reasons I stated earlier. I also hold by my orginal suggestion to contact Mart as soon as possible, to get information of what's going on.

As for the Overseer I still say bind him, talk to him, and get all the information he can. Possibly see if there is some kind of deal Targh can make. If he refuses to coperate, shove the Overseer on board where he can't escape and Targh can keep tabs on him. He might come in handy later, for negotations or something, and some time in solitary may convince the Overseer to work with Targh. I also restate my earlier opinion to be wary of the whole situation and be ready for trouble.

As for Mart, sitting there like a waiting duck is not a good idea. Try to contact J'iony if you can, and see how far away they are. It may be that they are too far away or that they won't be able to find Mart, I get the hint it would sorta of be like looking for a needle in the haystack. In the meantime start charging the ship and see if there is some way he can "McGuiver" it with the tools on hand. Maybe the lazers could be of some help?

[Smee]

Just looked up the Harbringer in game - and I got my measurements waaaaay off.

In the chapter I originally mentioned 60 meters in length, when it's actually 396m! :shock: (edited now).

To put some of this in context...*

Targh's original ship - The Punisher - which sadly he only got to fly very briefly before all this trouble is 80m

Mart's big cargo ship, the Bestower is 800m long! :-o

The attacking ships - the Mallers and the Arbitrator are about 250m

The biggest cargo ship available is 1800m long!

And the absolute biggest ship in the EvE universe is just shy of 18 kilometres in length (bit like those ridiculously long intergalatic ships in Starwars).

I'm sure some of you don't care - but I'm a geek :lol:


*Remember of course size isn't everything ;-)

[Crunchyfrog]

For Mart: I'm at a loss at what he can do. He's losing power, fast. All he can really do is warn the escort bombers that he's being depleted of energy, (it may happen to them, too) or contact the gate to see if there's anyway his ship can be 'grabbed' and flung through. I suspect, though, he's fighting a losing battle.


For Targh: - his ultimate mission I'd say would be to find Mart. (DP 1)

(DP 2 - what to do with the Overseer) I say take the Overseer with him - as a hostage and as a strategic move. I agree with Mirel, Jacrim leading him to that specific ship is too good to be true. If Targh leaves him behind, all the Overseer would need to do is put out the word that his ship's been stolen by a narcotics smuggler. If he has him on board, he can force Jacrim to confirm he's piloting the ship of his own free will.

The risks involved with that would depend on who he comes up against - but if the Overseer is working with 'the boss', though, then that may put Targh in a good position.

I think that also, whether he takes or leaves the Overseer will have no impact on how long it will take for word to get out that Targh is hostile. The slaves have all seen their master paraded through the mansion at gunpoint - and their loyalty to him will be tested once they discover he's no longer there to command them.

This could be interesting since we've seen at least one Gallente slave in his house, which is apparently illegal.

(DP 3 - the Drone Training) - Well here's the risky bit. With the Overseer on board, he'll have more than his hands full. He can't risk doing the training, unless he can incapacitate Jacrim. But that would mean he couldn't use Jacrim as a shield. So, in a nutshell:

Mart: Warn everybody and see if he can get someone to catapult him through the gate

Targh: 1) Go find Mart
2) Take the Overseer on board as a hostage
3) Training takes a lower priority in the short term.

:)

[Smee]

For emphasis - as it didn't come across well in the chapter.

The training is an entirely subconscious, automated process which Targh doesn't have to devote any conscious time to.

Only one skill can be trained at a time though, so he does have to decide which skill is the prority to train right now.

:)

[Crunchyfrog]

OK scrub what I said for the training in my last post.

Smee wrote: And what about his training? At the moment he had no training with drones. Should he use the time between now and finding Mart to train Drone Interfacing, allowing him to mentally control the Harbringer's drone compliment in battle, using them as extra flying weapons that could tip the balance if he gets in trouble. Or should he instead follow one of the other recommendations. Armour tanking level 3 - offering him the skill to get much more out of his defences if he comes under attack, or Medium Energy weapons, allowing him extra expertise at getting the most damage possible out of the many laser turrets on the ship?

Okay, so that's basically learn how to remote control drones to do attacking, learn how to get more defences on the ship, or learn how to do the most damage with his laser cannons.

Well, he's no idea what situation Mart is in, so I will strike that from the equasion. He knows he could be up against more than one adversary here - any of the Overseer's enemies, CONCORD, or even the Boss. He'll know that Mart will be dodging CONCORD as well, (from the earlier chapters) so if in the event he does catch up with Mart he'll need to defend the goods remotely as best possible.

Therefore I'd say - learn how to use the Drones. :)

[Zeke]

My gut is to agree with Crunchfrog and Mirel. Take Jacrim hostage, learn drone combat, look for Mart.

* One strategic point to be noted is that the Harbringer itself is a kind of hostage. It's obviously a valuable ship. The Overseer wouldn't sacrifice a ship of such value. How does the Harbringer's value compare to the drugs?

* How big is the realm of Eve, anyway? I'm having trouble getting a sense of the scale. Does it take hours to travel across the known realms? Days? Weeks? Years? If Targh were to end up lounging on the beach sipping margaritas out of a coconut, figuratively speaking, where would that be?

* What is Targh's goal in all this? Does he want money, or political power, or the coolest ship ever? Does he want to explore the universe? Does he have have any spiritual inclinations?

A few things are transparent, I guess. Targh is worried about financial security and doesn't want to start from nothing again. He also is worried about Mart, in more than an abstract he's-another-human-being kind of way. Mart is his friend, right?

[Thunderbird]

Well written chapter Smee. Striking a fine balance between description and action there.

Mart needs to hide somehow... is there a nebula or a planet system nearby? Get to the nearest region of interference where he can gain some concealment and hold out until the ship can recover. In the meantime, the others can engage the enemies to spread them far and wide, paving the way for his eventual return to the original route.

Tarhg would be wanting to return to check up on Mart, ASAP! Once he found Mart has left, he knows the route and would follow it as quickly as possible.

Training? If he can get more speed out of the drones as Mirel suggested, then that should be his training path. Then go for extra firepower, if there's time for it.

What to do with the Overseer: Knock the guy out and put him in the ship's holding cell. Have a chat with him later when there's a good time for it. Make sure he can't escape and cause trouble because the pod is not a place to be when a rogue element is on the ship itself.

[Smee]

Some good questions Zeke. I'll see if I can answer some now.

~

The Harbringer is quite valuable. About 35 million ISK or so for the basic hull. Quite possibly considerably more depending what 'toys' are fitted on it.

Compared with Targh's ship - the Punisher - that is worth about 200'000 isk.

However, the original mining laser contract was worth well over 100 million (I think I said exactly how much in Chapter 2), and the drugs a lot more so, making the Harbringer a very nice bonus (if Targh manages to hold on to it) but nothing compared to the value of the drugs.

~

EvE is very big, comprising of several thousand solar systems with over 30'000 planets. Traversing across the known universe is usually measured in the number of jumps required to get to a destination. Top to bottom it's about 70-100 jumps across, and the same wide. If I were playing the game it would take me a good 4 hours to do 70 jumps depending on the speed of the ship - we can consider that as being quite a bit longer in actual time, but I haven't thought about a specific break down.

As for sipping margaritas... Targh would do that via a tube in his pod, or on a space station. He's not a fan of planets.

~

I'll try to get more of Targh's aspirations into forthcoming chapters, but yes money is a major motivator, and cool ships is definitely up there on the list too. Mart is a trade partner, and friend - yes. They're in business together.


~

Glad you liked it TB.

Nope there is nothing nearby - it is very literally in the middle of nowhere. Which given EvE's technology is often the safest place to be short of docked in a station. This is a little complicated to explain though.

A warp engine on an EvE ship needs something to lock on to to initiate warp to the target. On entering a system, all planets, moons, space stations and jump gates coordinates are automatically broadcast to the ship, allowing them to be warped to.

Anything else though has to be found first before it can be warped to.

Every ship has an on-board scanner than can identify any ships, or phenomena within 14AU (1 astronomical unit = about 150million kilometres). Showing up on such a scan though doesn't mean you can simply warp to the it. To get a signal strong enough to lock a warp target onto requires the exact spot to be triangulated within the range of no less than 4 probes.

To launch such probes requires the ship be fitted with (simply enough) a 'probe launcher'. And that the pilot (or crew) need the necessary skills to use probes.

Once the probes are launched it's a matter of moving them around the solar system, using their scanners to narrow down exactly what you're looking for. The higher the scan range you use on the probe, the weaker it's signal - so you start off with a large range, covering most of the system, and then it's a process of trial and error, using ever smaller range, more accurate scans gradually zero'ing in on your target. Once all 4 probes simultaneously lock on to the same target within their smallest most powerful scan range a warpable lock on signal is established.

As you can see from this process, scanning something down takes time, depending on the size of the particular solar system, and good old fashioned luck.

This process is what gives Mart his current safety. For now, he has time before he can be scanned down.

Were Mart to send his location to someone though - say, one of J'iony's men - they could warp straight to him, without having to scan him down first.

~

Hope that helps :)

[Thunderbird]

Then staying still might be his best strategy then?

Apparently he was pulled out of the jump stream. How is he going to get back on track when the coast is clear?

[Smee]

If you were actively trying to hide within a system, you'd move from 'safe spot' to 'safe spot' but given Mart doesn't have warp capability at the moment, all he can do is potter with normal engines. His big cargo ship can't go much more than 80 metres/second. So yeah, might as well stay put.

Getting back on track is as easy as setting destination for the gate again. A new stream will be created. Warp travel is all about the destination not your current location.

[Thunderbird]

I take it he wasn't far into the jump then. How long will it take to return to the gate from his position?

[Smee]

That all depends how big the system is - some systems are over 70 AU across. Others just 10 or so.

Without warp drives? Hmmm....

(Edit: Never try and do maths at 4am....)*

1AU = 150'000'000 kilometres

divided by 80m/s

= about 21701 days per AU ... however many it is back to the gate.
= about 60 years per AU
= about 0.33 seconds at warp

Basically - any time spent in warp - even a second - is years of 'slowboating' with normal engines.

Space is a big place :)

[Zeke]

I don' t have much more to say regarding the decision point, but I just wanted to thank Smee for the descriptions. It really helps to paint a picture. I appreciate it.

[Shady Stoat]

Good story Smee. Great decision points too.

Mart's in trouble. Unless there's any way he can jig together some sort of stealth or sensor scrambling technique, to hide him in the middle of open space, I think he should call SOS to one of the decoy pilots. 80 minutes seems to be a long time to spend with his thumb up his nose.

As for Targh, that's a little more complex. I'm going to be a pain in the parts only a Stoat can reach, and ask for a little information on the law system within this world.

What powers do the Overseers wield? What gives them their authority? And who dictates what's right and what's wrong in the universe? Are we working on a type of Wild West gunslingers system here, where each province is a law unto itself? Or are there Galactic Emperors sitting in some out-of-the-reach corners of the stars, setting the rules for the common man?

I know that could take a book to write, so I'll be more specific.

How much trouble is Targh in already, just for holding this Overseer at gunpoint? What resources is the Overseer likely to have, to protect his little corner of the galaxy? Because there's a third option here that nobody seems to have discussed yet.

Take the overseer with you. Leave the overseer behind. OR... kill the overseer and take any further resources you might need from his base, in order to strengthen your position. With him gone, I can't imagine the slaves being loyal to the death any more.

As people have said, the Overseer is a liability at the moment, whether you leave him behind or whether you take him on the ship. If Targh has already incurred a death penalty for holding him hostage (which no doubt Smee will be able to provide more details on situation-wise), then what more does Targh have to lose in torturing him for information and then disposing of him? Whilst I realise that Targh is primarily interested in getting out of earthbound prisons and back into space... he might be able to make himself near-unassailable here, if he's prepared to be ruthless. And the profits involved would be a kazillion times larger than drug-running or weapons trading.

Besides, it would wipe that smug smile off the overseer's face, once and for all :P

[Smee]

Quote: As for Targh, that's a little more complex. I'm going to be a pain in the parts only a Stoat can reach, and ask for a little information on the law system within this world.

*giggles*

Quote: What powers do the Overseers wield? What gives them their authority? And who dictates what's right and what's wrong in the universe? Are we working on a type of Wild West gunslingers system here, where each province is a law unto itself? Or are there Galactic Emperors sitting in some out-of-the-reach corners of the stars, setting the rules for the common man?

The different people of EvE have their own governments, but this story is set in Amarr territory so that is the jurisdiction I'll cover.

The Amarr people are ruled over by an Empress who has absolute power. She, like all the Emperors/Empress' before her use every available advance technology to prologue life, and as such tend to rule for a good few hundred years.

Directly below the Empress are the five great families of the Empire, including the Empresses own family - each with their own emblem, which Targh recognised on the Overseer's clothing.

Each family rules over a large region of Amarr space. The families then divide their areas up and appoint Overseers to each one, who then goes on to split the space further and assign Holders to each one.

A single Holder may control 2-3 'solar' systems of territory. A single Overseer may have up to 20 Holder's under them.

~

The Empress's word is law, like I said, but the Amarr aren't alone in the Eve Galaxy.

Amarr law, as I've mentioned briefly before, still allows the keeping of slaves, but intergalatic pressure from the other races has forced the Amarr Empress to re-address to some degree. Now a days, only slaves from the Mimmitar race are allowed, something the Amarr's refuse to back down on.

The power of CONCORD to police the high security parts of space is also an intergalatic agreement. CONCORD are funded in part by monies paid by all 4 races as part of a deal made over a 100 years ago when the delicate ceasefire between the four races was declared.

~

Without waffling further lets get to your more specific questions.

Quote: How much trouble is Targh in already, just for holding this Overseer at gunpoint? What resources is the Overseer likely to have, to protect his little corner of the galaxy? Because there's a third option here that nobody seems to have discussed yet.

I'm guessing the above explanation I gave suggests that Targh is definately in trouble now, if found out. Overseers are just below the Great familes, and third below the Empress herself. Defiantely important people.

Overseeing 20 Holders, over 40 systems of wealth and resources at his control, makes Jacrim a very wealthy man.

This Overseer definately seems rather shady though, and possibly created his own share of enemies doing his business. Politics within the empire is a deadly game all its own, and some very ambitious Holder, or some neighbouring Overseer might well be looking to take over Jacrim's area for themselves - with maybe protection a negotiable in a deal.

Quote: With him gone, I can't imagine the slaves being loyal to the death any more.

That depends. Slavery of the Mimmitar people has been going on for dozens of generations. Many billions of them have never known anything else. Some have a fairly good life as a slave, they are educated, work in good jobs (although unpaid), have a warm bed and food gaurenteed. Sort of Stockholm syndrome gone crazy, over a couple of thousand years.

Younger generations though are starting to get caught up in the whispered propaganda from the few million Mimmitar that broke away some decades ago to form the Mimmitar republic. They have waged a constant war over recent years with Amarr to free the vast majority of their people from continued slavery.

Depending on how cruel a boss Jacrim was, the age of the individual slave, their general content with life etc will determine whether they would welcome freedom with open arms.

The Galente slave I'd guess would definately welcome freedom though.

~

Man I can waffle on... :P

[Crunchyfrog]

Interesting info.

Having read that, I'm even more for the idea of hanging on to Jacrim as a hostage.

This could work in Targh's favour whether confronting Jacrim's friends or enemies, depending on how he plays each situation. As for the slaves - it seems that their response to this situation may be mixed. However, as we've seen them all offer Jacrim their assistance and have all seen Targh parade him through the house at gunpoint, I'll guess they'll hedge their bets and not do anything rash unless their master gets killed.

If Targh kills him before he gets off the ground, the slaves could do one of two things - fight among each other, or attack him - (maybe both, depending on how many of them they are.)

Of course he could kill Jacrim once he's dragged him on board, then the slaves wouldn't know either way.

Interesting....



(edit to add:) The Galente slave could be a potential ally. But it may be too late to go looking for her now.

[Crunchyfrog]

Sorry for the double post, but here are a few more thoughts on Mart's part of the DP, after re-reading his situation.

As far as I understand it, he's in the middle of nowhere. He can't get a gatekeeper to haul him through on the next leg of his warp journey, because he's not close enough - and anyway, his capacitor has been drained and he can't do warp - it will take at least an hour to recondition it before even attempting to recharge it.

Although he's safe for now (space is big, etc.) it will only be a matter of time before somebody probes him down. Worst case scenario that could only take a few minutes.

He could use the capacitor from Targh's ship which is in his hold, but he needs a pod pilot to activate it. He aint no pod pilot, but Malik and his friends are. Trouble is, while they might be able to lock on to him and find him they're busy with the battle Mart's just escaped from. Don't want them leading the enemy to him unintentionally.

So... I think this DP needs some Mart magic. He's a techie - a whole capacitor in a pod capsule may need a capsuleer to activate it - the nuts and bolts that it is made of certainly don't.

Therefore my suggestion for Mart is to take his screwdriver to Targh's capacitor, and cannibalise it into some kind of power source that will jump start his ship. :)

It's got to be better than shouting through the space-com to his friends for help.

:D

[Smee]

A lovely option, thanks Crunchy... that'll certainly be on the poll.

Ok - I'll be making the polls next time I'm not in the mood to procrastinate, so any last minute thoughts and questions get them in now.

Happy Playing :)

[Crunchyfrog]

How can you procrastinate putting up a poll? I have to physically sit on my hands to stop myself putting one up!

*ahem* sorry, that was OT wasn't it... :blush:

[Smee]

I can procrastinate because it's actually 4 polls... man the effort! :P

Anyhoo - all the polls are now up. Mart's DP you can vote for in here, and Targh's 3 DP's all have seperate threads in the Trade Window's forum.

Get your votes in!

[Smee]

Last day or two for voting then folks... and I've noticed a couple seem to have missed voting in this poll for Mart.

Happy Playing :)

[Smee]

The votes have been counted and verified.

The results of my biggest selection of dp's ever goes as follows :

Mart will be :

- Pulling one of the ships in the cargohold apart to try and adapt one of the capacitors to work as a kind of "jumpstart"

Targh wil be :

- Learning Drone interfacing!
- Taking the Overseer aboard, tying him up and storing him somewhere out the way.
- ...and heading to the contract drop off point by the most direct route?

Thanks for all the great voting, the last one in particular was a very close result and would have made the story entirely different, exactly as Storygaming should. Couldn't do it without you.

Look for the next chapter soon where we'll be catching up with Mart, Targh or both - I haven't decided yet ;-)

If you're bored whilst waiting, feel free to head to the top and mark this as a favourite!

Happy Playing :)