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Trade Windows Chapter 8 : Engineering Magic.
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Smee



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
Posts: 5215
Location: UK

Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 5:51 am    Post subject: Trade Windows Chapter 8 : Engineering Magic.  

Chapter 8 : Engineering Magic.

It really wasn't a choice when it came to the training. He'd contemplated skilling up drones for some time now, and here was the opportunity. Being able to independently control the little fighters would be a great advantage in combat, bringing not only more damage to the field, but also the distraction of multiple targets to his enemy.

Grabbing the skillchip, he activated it and slotted it into the bioport underneath his hair at the back of his head. The connection established instantly and the chip's information was injected into his implant in just a few seconds. A soft beep issued from the port, and Targh removed it and flung it back on the shelves. Internally, his implant began processing the information and automatically began the unconscious process of translating the instructions and wiring the knowledge into Targh's memory. In a little over thirty minutes he would know enough to activate a drone, and a few hours more would give him the knowledge to control several at once. Targh dismissed it from his thoughts, and left his implant to its work. He turned his attention back to the Overseer and the current situation.

"I don't think I can leave you here." He muttered to himself, although audible to the still kneeling Overseer. "But what to do with you?"

~

Mart looked around his bridge, at his crew busy with consoles evaluating their current situation. An idea was slowly forming in his mind. He caught the attention of his second in command.

"I do be wanting you to carry on with the standard capacitor reconditioning just in case, but I have an alternative idea. Send an engineering team to meet me in the cargo bay, and tell them to bring their 'big tools'."

"Aye, Sir," came the crisp reply. A slight twitch of an eyebrow belied a curiosity at the orders, but he said nothing more.

"You do be in command whilst I'm gone, hold our position, keep up scans and inform me of any changes." Mart waited for a nodded acknowledgement before standing, and leaving the bridge. He made the journey to the cargo bay quickly, going over his idea in his head. It hadn't been tried before, but in theory...

As he entered through the double doors the engineering team was stood waiting for him, an array of toolboxes and bags swung over shoulders and hanging from heavy belts. He scanned the bay and saw the Maller anchored in a alcove on the left. He waved the team towards it, and strode off with them.

"We do be needing the capacitor from this ship." He announced as they walked. "I want it found, and removed in twenty minutes or we do be wasting our time."

A few mutters arose from the crew. A ship's energy capacitor was embedded deep in the ship hull during manufacturing. They weren't removed, replaced or maintained manually. Routine problems were fixed by nanobeams and internal repair systems. A major problem and the ship was just scrapped. As such they weren't made easily accessible.

"I don't want to be hearing your problems. We'll slice through the armour if we be having to."

They arrived beneath the shining golden hull, it's great bulk towering above them. Some of the engineers let out audible sighs, wondering how on Eve they'd find the capacitor buried within.

Mart frowned. "Start with a high frequency sweep of the nose cone. Focus your scans just above the fourth plate. If you get a reading higher than fifteen M/u's then we've found our capacitor."

The team hurried to follow his orders, and just a minute later one of them called out confirmation of a signal, an element of surprise in his voice.

"Aha, right where I thought." Mart said with satisfaction. "Ok, heavy cutting beams, carefully does it, lets peel our way through this skin one layer at a time. Hurry now."

The team worked efficiently under Mart's guidance, working their way through the several layers of armour plating, and then the tough but thin hull underneath. As the last sheet of metal was hauled out of place the dull glow of a inactive capacitor came into view.

"Someone get in there and disconnect it. Then I want mag-clamps secured on it, and a line brought out. Someone fetch a couple of maintenance bots, we'll need then to carry it once its out."

Again the team jumped to follow the instructions, all fascinated by Mart's strange familiarity with ship components they'd never seen before. By the time the clamps were fitted, two large mechanical bots were motoring over to them, under the remote control of individual engineers.

"Line them up with side of the hole. Get their arms level."

As they moved into place, a cable was passed through the clamps and through a pulley rig fastened to the ceiling.

"OK, we do be close. Carefully now, start the winch."

A sharp grinding announced the cable getting tension on the capacitor. "Gently!" Mart warned. "If that capacitor breaches there won't even be space dust left behind for your family to find."

Inch by inch the pulley towed the capacitor out of its place, and along the short shaft they'd cut into the ship. The mechanical arms were in place just below the opening, ready to catch the precious load. Tensions were high as the capacitor came into view at the opening. Mart kept up a litany of commands, ensuring progress was careful.

The comm system suddenly came to life, surprising one of the bot controllers and causing a mechanical arm to drop slightly. "CAREFUL!" Mart yelled.

"Sir," came the sound of his second over the comm. "Scans are beginning to show ships in range. Too far out yet to see if they're on our side or not, but they're definitely looking for us."

Mart cursed to himself. "Keep monitoring. If anything gets within 5 AU's let me know. I'm on my way back up shortly."

He turned to the engineering crew who had paused in motion as they listened to the comm. "Well! You heard him, someone's looking for us. Lets keep it moving, but carefully!"

A few minutes later the large capacitor lay in the grasp of the two bots. Both controllers looked petrified, yet handled the controls with the sure movements that spoke of much practice, keeping themselves in perfect sync.

"We need to get this up to the bridge. You have six minutes, no more. I'll go ahead and get things prepared."

Mart left them, arriving back on the bridge within a minute. "In a few minutes a capacitor will be brought up from the cargo bay. I need a terminal opened up, and high-voltage cables."

His second looked at him, a shrewd look on his face. "You're going to try and jumpstart us?"

Mart nodded. "In theory it should work."

~

With some trepidation, Targh sent the mental command to the ship's start-up routines. The great craft came to life with a gentle shudder as the engines warmed up. Floating in the unfamiliar pod, Targh looked out through his connection with the ships cameras, checked through various systems, and familiarised himself with the ship, all at the speed of thought.

A mental impulse called forth images of a small supply cupboard across his mind's eye. The tied and gagged form of the Overseer could be clearly seen deep within the ship. He wouldn't be escaping any time soon.

Targh admired the array of modules and equipment fitted in the ship. A full complement of high powered, long range beam lasers, an afterburner for a burst of speed, and an array of armour hardeners to minimise damage from most weapon types. This was a ship designed for battle and Targh revelled in the sensory data flowing into his mind.

Gently he engaged forward thrusters, moving the ship forward just a few meters. The control was exquisite for such a large ship. A grinding sound on his audible sensors alerted him, and he switched his view to the front of the ship. The giant doors of the hangar were closing.

Had the house been alerted? Who had initiated the doors closing? They were already too far closed to squeeze through. I guess I'll be trying out these lasers sooner than I expected, Targh thought, with a grin. He initiated a switch of focusing crystals to close range, and brought the targeting sensors online. Once he was locked on to the hangar doors he held his breath as he went to fire. Six beams of dazzling white laser power smashed into the huge doors buckling them instantly. A second salvo shot out, and the doors were blown outwards, white hot metal dripping from a hole melted where the beams had hit.

With a smirk, Targh manoeuvred the ship out the hangar and began an ascent sequence. Finally he would be getting off this planet.

A warning alarm sounded inside the cockpit, and Targh viewed his sensors. A half dozen small fighters were ascending with him from a launch site some fifty kilometres from the house. They were catching him swiftly.


Time to see what this baby can do, Targh though as he activated the afterburner, and began locking on to all six targets. The ship soared upwards under the force of the engines and afterburner. The pressure began to tell even on Targh protected within the pod. He just smiled, remembering much worse during his training. If those ships chasing him weren't capsuleers though, they sure would be feeling it!

The target locks finished and Targh split his six lasers into groups and opened fire on three of the targets. Twin beams shot out towards each one, causing one to explode instantly, and another to swerve off in a rapid descent, smoke trailing from one engine. The four remaining continued to close, and the computer informed Targh they had established their own locks.

"Weapon analysis," Targh ordered the computer. The ship was beginning to jolt as he pulled into the higher atmosphere. The shields heated up under the pressure. A stronger jolt announced he was under fire from the remaining ships. He fired his lasers again, taking out one more of the ships, but missing the others. They're getting too close for the targeting computers, he told himself. Such small fighters, against a big ship like the Harbringer, it was like swatting flies with an anvil.


"Skill training complete!" The voice sounded inside his head, confirming level one of Drone control was now integrated into his memory. 'Only one drone for now, but it could make the difference.' Targh thought.

He launched the drone, just as the weapon analysis completed, showing they were shooting him with low power pulses and small missiles. He adjusted the armour resistances to help compensate. They were clearing the upper edges of the planet's atmosphere, and entering space proper. Targh dropped speed, and swung the ship around violently, firing all 6 beams at the incoming fighters. A glancing blow shook one of them, but didn't penetrate the shields. Targh ordered the drone on the damaged ship and it zoomed off, it's own weapons firing almost immediately.

Targh watched it in close orbit around the fighter, marvelling at its speed. The six beams fired again, but they all missed as the fighters closed to within five kilometres. They were in optimum range of their own weapons now, and multiple flickering beams shook the large Harbringer although doing no real damage.

A sudden explosion announced the destruction of another fighter, the one the drone had been shooting. With a smile Targh watched the remaining two turn tail and flee back to the planet. He recalled the drone back to the bay, now eager to see what a full squad of five could do when his training was fully complete.

As the beepings and warnings of battle faded away, and the shields began their repair cycle, Targh looked out at the blackness of space and felt himself relax for the first time in days. There was something so calming about the open expanses. As if no problem was insurmountable. He murmured a short prayer, and then began focusing. He tried contacting Mart's ship, but almost immediately it bounced back unable to connect. That was worrying. He contacted the spacestation where'd he'd been kidnapped, and managed to confirm with the controller that Mart had indeed left several hours earlier. Another few minutes of conversation confirmed J'iony had left too. Had they left together? Targh certainly hoped so.

If J'iony had a plan, and it worked, they should be nearing the drop off point by now. Targh decided the best course of action was to head straight there and if necessary backtrack along the route they should have taken. No sooner had he thought it, the course was set and the ship swung around and aligned with the first gate. He was in space, with a very capable ship, and he had a plan. Targh let himself relax further in his pod as the ship zoomed off into warp.

~

Jacrim groaned, feeling the large bump on the back of his head where he'd collided with a shelf during the battle. It throbbed like a gravametric jackhammer digging through his skull. How long had he been out? He could feel the ship's engines humming, and recognised the deep pitch of warp travel. The Overseer remembered the battle. That fool trader flew his ship with no finesse, like a brick through polycement. No wonder the ineffective fire from the defence fighters had shaken the ship so much. So much in fact Jacrim had been flung around like a dishrag within the confinement of the supply cupboard he'd been so unceremoniously stuffed. Unable to keep his balance or protect his head whilst his hands were tied behind his back, he'd eventually been knocked out. 'My hands,' he thought. With repressed delight he realised his hands were now free. Cautiously he opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor of the cupboard, something sharp jutting into his back. With slow, careful movements he pushed himself up to a sitting position and took stock.

A small hand-saw was what had poked his back. Had that severed his bonds? God must have really smiled on him for such a feat, and Jacrim offered a swift prayer of thanks. He looked about himself. 'And not a cut on me,' he thought with some awe. His head still pounded though. In the low light, Jacrim stood slowly, feeling out above himself, not wanting another head collision with anything up there. Finally he stood upright staring at the door directly in front. Here was the important moment... had the trader locked it? Fearing he'd used up all of God's grace already, he reached out for the handle. The soft click as it opened was a beautiful sound. Tentatively he stepped out, finding the corridor deserted.

"Now it's time this upstart bastard found out just who he's dealing with." And Jacrim smiled as he headed toward the armoury. A comm station would be next!

~

"Capacitor status?" Mart asked, just as he had asked every 10 seconds.

The officer watching the electronic systems panel nearby smiled for the first time since the seemingly crazy process had started. "I'm showing a green, it's charging! At 15% and climbing."

"Scans show we need at least 35% before initialising warp, Sir." Another officer reported from across the bridge.

Mart wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead, and stood up feeling an ache in his knees. "Keep the flow steady, no faster you hear! And I do be wanting a sit-rep from all systems."

The bridge became a hive of activity and the reports quickly came in.

"Engineering report everything green."

"Sensors are fully operational."

"Shields and weapons operational."

"Comm system still down. ETA twenty minutes for repairs."

Just as Mart was about to offer himself some congratulations, his number two came over and started talking quietly in his ear.

"Sir, whilst you were down in the cargo bay, we launched a probe toward the next gate. The scans are in, and CONCORD are all over it again. We can't get through. Not with our current cargo."

Mart sighed. What now? Risk low-sec space, turn around, sit there and hope for help? Various ideas floated through his head.






So no decision point for Targh.. but things look like they could get tricky for him soon. Meanwhile it's problem after problem for Mart. What does he do?

Happy Playing :)

P.S Apologies for the delay in this chapter, it's been near done for a while, but I've been struggling with the overall story direction and I wanted to get some plans sorted before I boxed myself in further with this chapter.

P.P.S I may have dropped off your favourites.. refresh it with the link at the top right of the chapter. :)

P.P.P.S Thanks to Crunchyfrog for the Capacitor picture!
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Tikanni Corazon



Joined: 25 Oct 2009
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Location: Running through the plains of my mind, my wolf spirit at my side (but doing so in the UK!).

Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 10:16 am    Post subject:  

Okay, I've read this through six times, and I think I've finally got it embedded!

I really like the character Jacrim. I'm not sure why though. He's obvoiusly not a particularly nice person, but I love his dignity and smug pride. I hope he's in the story for a while longer.

As for the DP, I'm assuming that low-sec space is low security? If so, I'd go for that. I think it would work out most exciting, if not really the best option for Mart and crew. I don't know how closely this story is based on the Eve game, but I like the thought of them being attacked by pirates! But then, I'm just nasty! ;)

This is a really good SG, Smee! Well done!
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scissorkitty



Joined: 04 Mar 2008
Posts: 789
Location: Escaping the Hair Lair

Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 2:30 pm    Post subject: Re: Trade Windows Chapter 8 : Engineering Magic.  

Smee wrote: [color=darkblue]Chapter 8 : Engineering Magic.


Inch by inch the pulley towed the capacitor out of its place, and along the short shaft they'd cut into the ship. The mechanical arms were in place just below the opening, ready to catch the precious load. Tensions were high as the capacitor came into view at the opening. Targh kept up a litany of commands, ensuring progress was careful.

The comm system suddenly came to life, surprising one of the bot controllers and causing a mechanical arm to drop slightly. "CAREFUL!" Targh yelled.



I think both those "Targh"s were supposed to be "Mart"s. :)

Excellent chapter! Hmmm... Poor Mart is in deep water all the time out here! Doesn't he have any "connections" or "favours" of his own he could cash in on? He seems like a wiley sort of guy.
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Smee



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 2:36 pm    Post subject:  

Good catch, Skitty! Corrected, thanks :)

J'iony's friend... Malik, is still somewhere in the system, and quite possibly the escort ships that appeared to help earlier too. Attempts could be made to contact them, the comm system is still working within the range of the system.

As for his own friends, Mart is a engineer/hauler - he relies on Targh for more combat related contacts.
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scissorkitty



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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:57 pm    Post subject:  

Okay, then I think Mart should try and contact Malik and the escort ships for aid. If need be, he can offer them repairs and/or upgrades from the now dessicated Mauler to help them along in repayment, at a later date. Mart seems to me like a guy that would be more comfortable with a definite repayment plan for aid, then just one to lean on the kindness of others, so to speak.
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Crunchyfrog



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:19 am    Post subject:  

Yes, now we have Jacrim loose aboard the Harbringer, there's lots of potential for spicing up Targh's side of the storyline. Good plotting. And it will be interesting to get inside the Overseer's head, too. Could be quite revealing.

Back with Mart...

I wonder what would happen if Mart jettisoned the cargo to pick up later? If they can't get through with the cargo, perhaps they could get through without. CONCORD could search the ship, but if they've got nothing to pin on Mart, there's not much point in detaining him.

I guess I don't know how 'big' the cargo is, but it may only show up as shrapnel on a distant scan.

Mart's not into combat tactics, as you say, and is having to rely on his wits. Can he contact Malik without CONCORD tapping into his communications? Perhaps somehow Malik could pick the cargo up after Mart escapes.
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Smee



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:26 am    Post subject:  

Interesting thoughts, Crunchy.

He could jettison the cargo, but the containers wouldn't last long in the rigours of open space. More than a couple of hours they'd disintegrate. Could be a short term plan.

The cargo is big enough to require a hauler ship, the little frigate Malik is flying has no where near enough room. You're right though, it'd barely show up on scans, if at all.

He has spoken with Malik before, and has his comm details from J'iony, to initiate a private transmission. So CONCORD (or the attackers if they're still around) won't be able to intercept it.

However, he doesn't have the details for the escort ships. He could only try and contract them via a general all comms broadcast, which would be picked up by anyone in the system. It wouldn't however tell any one where they are.

CONCORD has no reason to listen in on Mart at the moment though, they haven't see or scanned the ship to suspect him.
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Crunchyfrog



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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:29 am    Post subject:  

Ah, then that may very well be the short term plan. If CONCORD dont even suspect him for anything yet, perhaps temporarily dump the cargo while his ship is scanned, and pick it up again once CONCORD move away from the gate.
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Zeke



Joined: 31 Jul 2009
Posts: 56

Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 7:54 am    Post subject:  

So is CONCORD undefeatable? I'm not only thinking about Targh's "borrowed" weaponry, but also a possible tech solution--a cloaking device, a sensor scrambler? Aside from electronic countermeasures, even a simple chaff or flare device could create some instrument confusion.

Can they play Smoky and the Bandit? Perhaps J'ioni or Malik can distract CONCORD attention from the cargo ship enough so that they can pass through.
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scissorkitty



Joined: 04 Mar 2008
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 2:40 pm    Post subject:  

Zeke- i think that's the plan, basically, that Mart used to get through the last set of gates.. love the Smoky reference, though! hehe.

Hmm.. okay, so Mart jettisons the cargo temporarily.. hm. What about the Mauler? If it were repaired, is IT big enough to hold the cargo? Could we load the stuff into the now-unworking Mauler, and sort of park it out in space somewhere, with Malik to guard it in his little ship, and then come pick up the whole shebang later? Wouldn't that be enough protection from space that the cargo would stay intact?
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Zeke



Joined: 31 Jul 2009
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:49 am    Post subject:  

Oh. That's right. It would be a little dull to have a repeat of the lure thing.

I like the idea of cacheing the cargo to pick up later. Do the starships need a beacon to warp to a particular spot or can they jump blind to coordinates?
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Smee



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:02 am    Post subject:  

OK - there's some edging towards an idea or two here. Let me provide some information and clarifications.

~

The cargo is approximately 4000m3 in size.

-Malik's ship can store 150m3
- The Maller (if we hadn't just cut a hole in it and removed its capacitor!) can store 320m3
- The Bestower (Mart's ship) can store 12000m3.

It's a large haul, and no average combat ship can carry any where near the amount.

Sealing the hole, and stuffing the Maller absolutely full of the stuff in every nook and cranny... *umms and aaahs* ... I can allow that, but the Maller will be scannable by others and may be discovered.

~

CONCORD is a tricky one. In the game, CONCORD is the means of protecting newbies. It's all powerful, they simply 'teleport' to where an act of aggression is committed and there is no beating them. As soon as they appear, you'll be warp scrambled, and destroyed before you can so much as blink.

This story has already bent that a little - allowing the little trick that J'iony and his friends tried to pull.

So whilst I'll bend the rules a little at times, when it comes to confrontation with CONCORD, consider them undefeatable.

~

Cloaking devices do exist. In it's most advance form they allow warp travel whilst cloaked, and a ship can jump through a gate without revealing themselves. However, they are for specialised covert-ops ships. Not something big and bulky like Mart's Bestower.

The basic cloak that Mart could utilise would only work whilst the ship is stopped, or moving under normal engines (and that speed would be reduced to half). Warping, would require dropping the cloak.

If this is something you wish to persue as an option, then Mart will need to dock up somewhere in the system to buy one and fit it.

~

Warping to a spot. I discussed warping in some detail during the comments on the Chapter where Mart first got stuck.

Warping under ordinary circumstances requires a specific 'body' to lock on to. Whether that's a planet, spacestaton or jumpgate. On entering a system, details of all such 'celestial bodies' are put into the computer, and they can be warped to.

A series of 4 probes, locked on to the same ship/wormhole/strong sensor signal can also provide enough of a lock on for a warp in, so long as the signal strength is strong enough.

Friendly ships can provide their own coordinates and you can warp directly to them.

'Bookmarks' can be dropped in your current location and then you can warp back to the same spot as the 'bookmark' at a later date. Bookmarks can also be shared amongst friends.
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Zeke



Joined: 31 Jul 2009
Posts: 56

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 7:54 am    Post subject:  

So, in the game, it sounds like CONCORD probably serves as a proxy for the game masters/moderators. In that spirit, one could take an interpretation of that and say that CONCORD serves as a peacekeeping force and probably is more interested in the letter of the law than in taking sides. So being "technically" within the law actually provides protection from CONCORD, regardless of the ethical issues or ambiguity. It sounds like CONCORD could even protect them against the reprisals from the Overseer, provided that one is "technically" within the law or at least provides the convincing appearance of being law-abiding. Perhaps this can be exploited somehow...

It does sound like if Mart can find a good place to cache the goods, he will be able to bookmark the spot and go back without it being broadcast to the entire galaxy. However, game mechanics make it very difficult if not impossible to hide large amounts of cargo.

More to think about....
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Crunchyfrog



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:29 am    Post subject:  

So what is this bookmark thing? Can Mart do that here, too? He'd need to if we decided to dump the cargo and pick it up later - or maybe for Targh to pick up. Although of course, he's no clue where Targh is at the moment, and it looks like Targh is going to be busy with his own problems, with a hostage loose aboard his ship and all.

Dumping the Mauler could be a clever thing to do, maybe not now, but later - make it look like Targh got shot and killed in a space fight. Don't know how that would help things here, though.

Hmmm....
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Smee



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
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Location: UK

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:52 am    Post subject:  

Yes Mart can bookmark his current spot.

It's simply a way of marking an otherwise unremarkable point in space, so that it can be warped to again, when ordinarily there's nothing there to establish a warp to.

EvE is all about having a destination. It doesn't work like Star Trek - you can't simply point in a direction and 'engage at warp 2' and you shoot off in that direction. You have to have a destination. Whether that's a celestial body, a scan signal from probes, or a bookmark coordinates.
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The White Blacksmith



Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 2629

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:29 pm    Post subject:  

I can't remember whether this was covered before, but are there any low-sec areas bordering the intended cargo destination? And can CONCORD follow/catch someone moving at warp?

What might be possible is for Mart to cloak himself and move as close to the jumpgate as possible. Once there, he could sprint for the jumpgate and more into whichever low-sec area is closest to the destination. Spending a little amount of time there should make CONCORD less alert to his prescence, assuming that he's not retuning to a high security area in their jurisdiction or that he's just been killed. When their guard is down, he might be able to send Malik's ship (if he keeps contact with Malik) and the Maller (if it can be repaired) into the drop-off zone and, although they'd have to make several trips, they could make the delivery. Then, when he does return to high-sec areas and if he's captured he will have a ship free of contraband.

There are a lot of ifs in there, but it might work. If...
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scissorkitty



Joined: 04 Mar 2008
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 6:07 pm    Post subject:  

Ooo! Whitey- it looks like you've kind of neatly packaged all our ideas with that one! Will it work, Smee?
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Smee



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
Posts: 5215
Location: UK

Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:27 am    Post subject:  

I'm not sure I follow your plan, Whitey - could you clarify it.

In the meantime I'm working on a simple map, so you can see the general state of things, and where everything is in relation to each other.
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Mastermind



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Location: Right here.

Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 12:26 pm    Post subject:  

How do scans differentiate between ships and (for example) a minor asteroid? Would it be possible to stash the cargo in the Maller, and then disguise it as such?
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Smee



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
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Location: UK

Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 3:56 am    Post subject:  

An interesting question Mastermind. I'm not sure how the close range scanners onboard work, but I do know for longer range scans with probes, there are two different types, including one that specialises in spotting ships compared with other space phenomina.

So therefore I'm assuming there is some sophisticated stuff going on, and that such a disguise, whilst possible to be convincing visibly, won't mask the traces of metals, components and other such things the Maller has.
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Mastermind



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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:31 am    Post subject:  

I that case, Mart should contact Malik, if only to let him know that the plan failed. If the escort survived, and J'iony can provide some help, I think they should risk low-sec space. If it didn't, see if J'iony's friends can come up with a better plan, and wait in the system - I think you said something about staying hidden inside a system -

Quote: If you were actively trying to hide within a system, you'd move from 'safe spot' to 'safe spot'

Yeah. Do that.
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Smee



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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 7:38 am    Post subject:  

A good option, Mastermind. It'll be added to a poll once I get round to it :)
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Smee



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
Posts: 5215
Location: UK

Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:19 pm    Post subject:  

OK - Here is a map of the general area that Trade Windows is set in, along with some key areas.



- The left hand yellow dot is where the story began, in the Space station where the pickup was made.

- The second big yellow dot is the destination, where it all needs to be dropped off.

- Small green dots indicate solar systems that are in High Sec space, and are protected by CONCORD

- Small orange dots indicate Low Sec solar systems where pirates roam.

- The bottom large blue dot is where Targh was kidnapped too - taken via the purple dashed line from the space station.

- The Green line is Marts journey. Where the green line turns dashed is the remaining route to take if he continues via High Security space.

- The dashed red line is another possible route involving going into Low Sec space.

- The blue line represents the route Targh is currently taking to try and meet up with Mart at the drop off.

Remember - this is a 2D map visualising 3D space, and not every system can connect with all the systems near it.

~

And here we have a closer up image of Mart's current situation :



It's a solar system, like most... a sun in the middle. The big green dots indicate Jumpgates to the other High Sec systems nearby as shown on the big map, and the big orange dot, likewise the jump gate to the nearest Low Sec system.

The Red X marks where the fight happened after arriving in this system.

The Blue X marks where Mart is currently sat, in the middle of nowhere, making repairs.

Pale pink dots mark planets in this system, and the darker purple dots mark asteroid fields.
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Reiso



Joined: 27 Oct 2004
Posts: 917
Location: Western North America

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 10:02 am    Post subject:  

Locations can be bookmarked? You mean the ships were designed by Netscape? Nooooo!!

 :scared: 

Ok, got that out of my system. The more I fall behind, the better this story gets. I really need to keep a better eye on it. Maybe I'll try this favorites thing...

Anyway, I can't believe that Targh took this really smart powerful dangerous threat, tied only his hands, and placed him behind an UNlocked door. That was just stupid. I'm very disappointed in him. I know this DP isn't for him, but I am hoping that checking on the very wily and dangerous prisoner is somewhere before being overconfident and relaxing on his priorities list.

As to Mart. You've said that if he did an open broadcast that no one would be able to trace their location. Is the same thing true for the private secure transmission he would send to Malik? If not, that may be attention best avoided, at least for now.

Nice maps by the way. Say, there are asteroid fields huh? Well I like this idea of dumping the cargo now and picking it up later, but I hate hate hate how exposed the cargo is in the intervening time. I mean if delivery of the cargo is the main priority, then such a risky move in which it could be stolen lost or destroyed is too high stakes for me. But wouldn't it be possible to stow the cargo in one of the larger asteroids? Are they big enough that some might have craters or pits that the patched mauler could hide within? Just a thought.

Also, a bit off topic, but a few chapters back you mentioned something about how you had written part of the following chapter but while you had free time at work, the chapter was stuck at home. If this is something that happens to you a lot, you might want to try something like google docs, which lets you upload documents to their site so they can be edited from any location with an internet connection. It's increased my productivity a lot.
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Smee



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
Posts: 5215
Location: UK

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 11:17 am    Post subject:  

*chuckles, and pretends not to notice the Netscape comment*

Hey Reiso, good to have you onboard again. :P

Quote: Anyway, I can't believe that Targh took this really smart powerful dangerous threat, tied only his hands, and placed him behind an UNlocked door. That was just stupid. I'm very disappointed in him. I know this DP isn't for him, but I am hoping that checking on the very wily and dangerous prisoner is somewhere before being overconfident and relaxing on his priorities list.

Hey, give the guy a break, he hates being on planets, is really excited about flying such a big ship, and kidnapping Overseers isn't a professional hobby of his. Can you blame him if he left in a hurry :lol:

As the chapters are getting a bit long following both our main characters, the next chapter will be leaving Mart to contemplate his troubles, and will focus on Targh. So you'll get your chance to reprimand him "soon" (tm).

Quote: As to Mart. You've said that if he did an open broadcast that no one would be able to trace their location. Is the same thing true for the private secure transmission he would send to Malik?

Indeed it is.. private secure transmissions are just that; private and secure.

~

I'm glad you liked the maps, and yes, some of the asteroids are pretty big. Big enough to shelter a ship, and give it some protection from the ravages of open space.

However asteroid fields are the main source of minerals in the EvE universe, providing the raw materials for the market to snap up and use to produce everything from ships, to guns. Chances are most asteroids will be frequented by specialised Mining barges, designed to strip an asteroid bare of it's ore, leaving little but dust behind. Leaving a ship filled with drugs in one comes with it's own added risks of discovery. A bit like it's the innocent dog-walkers who always discover the dead body hidden in some country ditch. However there's a lot of asteroid fields in the universe, and it's quite possible no miners happen by. ;)

~

Quote: Also, a bit off topic, but a few chapters back you mentioned something about how you had written part of the following chapter but while you had free time at work, the chapter was stuck at home. If this is something that happens to you a lot, you might want to try something like google docs, which lets you upload documents to their site so they can be edited from any location with an internet connection. It's increased my productivity a lot.

Thanks for the tip... I've actually taken up something similar, using the new Google Wave to write my chapters in, to gain the same benefits. (Look it up, and if you want an invite to try it out, PM me your email address :) )

~

I can feel the next chapter bubbling inside me, it won't be long folks.

Happy Playing :)
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Thunderbird



Joined: 13 Sep 2009
Posts: 2139
Location: Rising from the ashes

Posted: Wed May 19, 2010 8:17 pm    Post subject:  

Exactly what the hell is this doing in the archives? Hmmmm?? Lol.

Yeah, some stories take a while to get the next chapter out...

Anyhow, caught up and loving it. I'm in general agreement with the consensus. Now, if only there were an idearium mine somewhere nearby...
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Smee



Joined: 16 Oct 2004
Posts: 5215
Location: UK

Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 12:25 am    Post subject:  

*Breaks out the feather duster*

You're quite right, TB. Time for this one to get out of here.

As well as the next chapter, I'm working on collating all the 'additional' background information that is littered throughout the discussion comments into one easy place to view (probably something similar to Lebby's idea, although I am unlikely to go linking everything....we'll see) so that it is a little easier for new readers to catch up.

Look out for this soon :)
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