Johnathan Roman's Story

Johnathan Roman sighs as he sits on one of the two benches in The Silver Dawn, a ship relatively new in service to it's captain, and the ship nor the captain had much combat, and Johnathan hopes they don't.

He picks his guitar up, and strums a couple chords. He hums a little bit, then sets back down his guitar.

Lorian pauses for a second.

"I guess I just want to help out those who need to get somewhere. I know the feeling, but I just haven't found my place yet."

He goes up to a cooler in the ship and takes out two sandwiches, throwing one at Roman, who catches it.

"Eat. We probably have a long day ahead of us."

Roman mutters a reply and takes a bite of the food.

Sky's Edge - High Orbit

A small ship, miniscule compared to the Aschen ships, arrives just outside of the blockade. It does not seem to be armed, and poses no visible threat, for it would be only one ship against the entire Aschen fleet. The ships name was The Silver Dawn. It made no attempt to contact the much larger ships all around it, and hardly anybody would notice its presence. It made no advancements to get past the blockade. It was just... There. For what reason, it was unknown. The crew need only consist of up to three people, but could carry up to ten more. If anybody were to scan for life on the ship, however, they would see only two beings on board. No more, no less. The ship was silent. Absolutely silent.
The rebel base below knew nothing of its presence. The Aschen fleet likely did, however. It didn't seem to matter to the little ship what they did.

On closer inspection of the ship, it would appear to have no activated shields, no armed weapons. Not even an armored hull. The little ship was clearly not designed for spacial warfare. The only real advantage, it seems, was its size and those heavy thrusters.

Onboard the ship, the two crew members sit anxiously at the controls, one, named Johnathan Roman, at the comms, and the other, Charles Lorain, at the flight mechanism. Neither of them say a word to each other, and Charles slowly moves the small ship so that is at an even distance with the blockade surrounding the planet.

They have one mission.
And I hope it doesn't fail.

The CIC of the Keeper of Abassid was a flurry of activity while the fleet re-positioned itself over the planet. Two cloaked reverence S stealth corvettes moved into position in geosynchronous orbit above the planet, slipping through the cover of blackness, and adjusting their phase shift drives so they would be undetectable to even the most sophisticated of countermeasures.

"Sir! Unknown contact bearing two nine seven carom one two eight, CBDR!" The tactical officer called out, as a red icon flickered into view inside the large three-dimensional holographic display in the center of the Command Carrier's CIC.

Admiral Clegg gritted his teeth, there was no IFF, and it was an unknown design. EVE had already began trajectory analysis while the tactical crew worked to bring the command carrier to bear. Quickly he made his way from his ready room back to CIC, while one of his officers passed him a data slate.

"EVE, coordinate targeting solution for that unknown ship!" Clegg called out. "Reposition the Escutcheon, and move a harbinger onto an intercept course."

"As soon as it's in range, destroy the ship." Clegg ordered.

Moments later, the Keeper of Abassid launched a single Aschen Harbinger class gunship under escort from a squadron of Raptor Talon starfighters. In addition to this, a single Aegis class cruiser, the Escutcheon broke from it's formation on an intercept course for the Silver Dawn. Given the vastness of the enagagement distance, and at current speed, the small group of Aschen strike craft would be within weapons range in about a minute.

Watching the green icons move to intercept the red icon, Admiral Clegg sent out a wide range broadcast.

"Attention unidentified vessel, this is the Keeper of Abassid, Imperial Aschen Navy, you are instructed to disengage your present course, depart this system, and return to a minimum safe distance of one light year." The Admiral ordered. "Failure to comply will result in your immediate destruction, this is your only warning."

The ship gave an almost immediate response.

"This is the, ah, The Silver Dawn, Nobodies Navy, and, uh, we don't want any trouble, but we were just, uh-"

The voice on the comms changes to that of Charles Lorain.

"This is the captain of The Silver Dawn speaking, I determine your request to be unfair. We are here to offer our services to the people of Epsilon Eridani, mainly in trade, and do not wish to present any harm to the Aschen Fleet. We will retreat approximately... Why is our retreat required? As far as I can see, we are on the other side of your blockade. We are not violating any laws, either of the international space travel act- oh, Johnathan here says you don't honor those. But hey, can't we just chill here? We mean no harm. We don't want any trouble. We'll leave."

Unbeknownst to the Aschen, the ship drops a single, metallic object, the size and shape of a plate. It is undetectible by any purposes, and almost invisible to the naked eye.

"In compliance with your demands, we will retreat one light year from this area. We don't want any trouble."

"So what makes you think my ship is your, our salvation here Cossack?" Rei asked indignantly and crossed her arms. "The only reason the god damn Aschen have us blockaded is we have a leak." She knew that much, given how easy it had been to find this current base. Everyone in town had seemed to know that there was something going on in the jungle, and while it didn't interest them much, it had certainly interested them enough to talk about it for a price.

"Things are bad everywhere, Roland. Not just here, the Aschen are tightening their grip as if they stand to loose everything." At least that was the impression she had gotten back on Langara, the desperate move to keep them there at all costs and the underhanded tactics involved. "The message exists and we're rumored to have friends in some pretty high places. This may just be a set back." She added.

There had to be a way to get off planet, and even if it rested with the possiblity of them finding her ship, it still had to be operational. Who knew what junkers had taken when they had gotten a hold of it? Rei just hoped that the AI had remembered contingency protocols, things that had long been put in place in case something like this happened.

"But cavorting with xenos? Seriously? Did you forget I'm one of those xenos?" Rei scoffed. Maybe she had been better off just going it on her own, and for a moment she was lost in her own thoughts considering doing just that. Until Roland's whinging and whining introduced a new name into the room.

"Both of us huh?" She mumbled looking Thomas over with curious glance. He was young, but they all had been at one time. Listening to the youth, she tried to recall what was in Epsilon system worth using, that the Aschen hadn't taken from them so slowly they hadn't noticed until it was too late.

"No Asylians. I don't think they'd support our efforts." Rei couldn't remember why it bothered her so much. But, there was a nagging sensation in the back of her mind warning her that that way led to certain doom, and it was too difficult to ignore. "However... I think you are onto something." She agreed. They couldn't give in, they had worked for too hard and too long to ceed victory to the Aschen.

"There's an old transmitter aray off Tangerine Dream, I think it was used for gas mining, and there's a few scattered throughout the habitat bands." She added turning to shove bits and pieces off the work bench to clear space. Picking up a small piece of chalk she sketched a rough diagram of the system, "So Sky's Edge is within the habitable band, not to hot, not to cold. But Tangerine Dream is just a hop, skip and jump outside of this zone. A bit of a no man's area, but nothing the Aschen really care about. We'll still need a ship to get off world, but if we use radio burn through among other things... and I can rig that for your guy easy... we might stand a chance." At least she hoped they did.

"We'll still need my ship though. Like Roland said, it has some technology on it that's pre-occupation."

Lorian looks out the viewport as they retreat back exactly one light-year, staring intently at the Aschen fleet. He's come and done what he needed to, a favor for his favorite radio host when they got cut off by the Aschen. Now he just hoped said Aschen didn't fire on him. They might have reason to, if they knew what he did, but they didn't, so all was fine.

Roman leans back in his chair, and lets out a deep breath. "Deeeeaaaar lord. They sure have a problem with outsiders." he comments. "... Yeah." is the response from Charles. Roman reaches over and picks up his guitar out of its case, making a slight noise as his hand grips the neck, causing the strings to hum with a note.
He strums a chord or two and puts it back, obviously thinking.

After a couple minutes of silence, Roman asks, "Where to next, bud?" Charles looks up, a bit startled, and says "Huh?" Roman repeats his question.


"I dunno... Probably another Aschen world. Not a core, though. A backwater one, probably. I'll have to look."
Roman nods and stares off at the stars.

Standing firm within the Keeper of Abassid's CIC, Admiral Clegg watched as the unidentified ship began it's retreat. The Admiral rested his hands on the console in front of him, and focused his attention on a readout of the planet below.

"Recall the strike, and log that ship's profile into the data registry, if it surfaces again, make sure it's seized and it's crew interrogated." The Admiral remarked, he was ready to move to the next phase of the order.

"The Intelligence Director will be here soon, we're to move into formation." The Admiral added, before he keyed up a wideband communication, with a hint of trepidation, he reached down to pick up the communications reciever.

The Command Carrier would broadcast a powerful transmission to every radio receiver on the planet.

"Attention Citizens of Sky's Edge, this is Admiral Clegg, commander of the fleet currently holding position above your planet. I have recieved word, of a rebellion festering within the bowels of your planet. It has thus hencefourth been decreed by the Emperor, that this rebellion, and all those who aid, and give comfort are named enemies of the Empire. The Consequences of your actions will be most severe. Therefore I implore you, if you are party to this rebellion to reveal yourselves and surrender. You have exactly one centar to comply."

Manipulating the holographic display, Clegg turned to his Executive officer.

"Start the clock."

A holographic clock flickered into view, and began counting down.

"Move the fleet into line formation, low orbit." The Admiral continued.

With an incredulous expression on his face, the XO turned to face the Admiral. "Sir? Are we about to do what I think we're about to do?"

With a heavy look of regret on his face, the Admiral nodded.

"We cannot spare the resources for a protracted conflict with rebels, therefore I've been instructed to glass the planet if the rebels do not surrender. Orders that only the Intelligence Director, the Emperor, and the Quorum can rescind."

The XO frowned, the Chain that binds was clear, and the man knew the stakes.

With a grim expression, the Admiral turned to his XO, and spoke.

"It is a sign of strength to cry out against fate, rather to bow one's head, and succumb. Inevitably many shall fault the hands upon the sword which felled sky's edge, this fleet. But this navy merely performs the duties of it's office. To further fear them is redundant, to hate them, heretical.

Those more sensible will place responsibility with those who forced the hands of the Emperor. With some fortune, they may foster this hatred into purpose, and further rule their own fate by coming into the Emperor's service."

Turning to face the screen, he stared outwards, and clasped his hands behind his back.

---

Slowly, the Aschen fleet began to move, it was moving from it's position in high orbit, to a lower orbit, cruisers moving into a long line that stretched thousands of miles, side by side, they were supported by escorting frigates, and the Keeper of Abassid which maintained a middle orbit, to those familiar with Aschen doctrine, the formation was easily recognizable.

The clock continued to tick.

Though at times he can be quite the empirical asshole, Roland still yielded to Rei’s offense at his mention of xenos.

“Right. Sorry. You know what I mean. You’re basically from Yellowstone, and not exactly as foreign as the Imperium.”

He sat back as both Thomas and Rei suggested a plan involving getting a radio relay out. It would certainly be a breakthrough in communications, and any help they could get at this point would be a godsend. He noted Thomas’s emphatic speech, and kept in mind the boy was still a child in all of this.

The man he named, Jack Scott, was yet another cause for concern to Roland for as long as he could recall. The idea of having wireless information sent from any of the Children’s bases wasn’t exactly comforting, but Scott’s means of bouncing signals had proved to elude EVE so far.

“Alright, Tangerine Dream. Sounds like a lead. Even if we just use it to find your ship, Rei. I don’t think people outside Aschen space have any idea what happens here, but anything to disrupt the monotony of things I suppose.”

As if on cue, Daniel rushed back into the room, somehow more panicked than before.

“The fleet… Moving down, preparing something…” Daniel said, clearly out of breath. He handed a communicator to Roland, which played out Admiral Clegg’s message for the three to hear.

At first, Roland was white in the face. He knew exactly what this sort of thing meant. A chill ran up his spine and froze all his thoughts, and all he had wanted to do was fall down and cry. “It’s happening again…” He said.

Almost immediately his head jerked back up and started issuing orders to Daniel. “It’s alright. This is what we’ve been waiting for, really. This world’s already on fire. They don’t realise how hot it is. Make sure the generator’s running. Get the Rocketeer on it. I need to visit our resident radio jockey.”

Daniel left, heading straight back to the Rocketeer to give him yet another job. Roland headed out behind him, rushing into the next room over to find Jack Scott in his usual place.

“Scott!” Roland shouted. “Can you backpack the signal they used so that our broadcast originates from their carrier?” He bared his teeth, holding back the tidal wave of emotions festering in that head of his. “They deserve a warning.”

Thomas takes a deep breath as he hears the message. How did they know? How did they figure it out? He's not sure what's happening, as everything happened in a rush. He looks at Rei for a second. "What's-" Then he realizes. It has to be Joseph. He turned. They must have caught and broke him. This must have been his own brother's fault. He puts a hand up to his face and drags it downward, shaking his head. "Oh God."

"Huh?" Scott says, looking up as Roland busts through his door. "Uh- Sure. Put a Backpack on the Aschen? Might take a bit, but I think I can do it." He puts on his radio headset and tosses a microphone to Cossack, then begins to mess around with his transmitter, flipping switches and then hitting the transmit button, looking expectantly at Cossack.

The Rocketeer is still fiddling with the Skull Probe when Daniel opens his door and quickly explains to him what Cossack needs him to do. He quickly nods and runs out the door, past all of the confused and slightly scared rebels, and flips up his mask to run down the hall to the generator room.