Goliath And The Archangel
20 Jul 2015Shadowmatty
What was the first sign that anything of import was occurring? You ask…well, how do these things normally begin? It was a routine patrol: Commander TTMJ and I had dropped out of super-cruise near ‘Kerimov Dock’ when T called out that he was reading a large signal on his sensors. I was eventually persuaded by my wingman to inspect the source of this strange signal and with mild trepidation we began our scouting mission.Dropping from super-cruise once more, in very close proximity to one of the system’s planets, we were met by an Imperial capital ship; we had never seen such an awesome vessel before and curiosity led us to approach this behemoth for a closer look. As we came into range, a message, a stern warning flashed on the comms panel “Keep your distance commanders, you are not authorised to come any closer.” We did not regard the prospect of annoying our Imperial allies as a good idea and swiftly turned around for home.
It was the arrival of that capital ship - 'The Goliath' - that had served as an omen for the coming events. Another war was brewing, this time at the other end of our trade route: ‘LTT 9810’ and this time the Empire’s dominance was supported by the ‘Dynamic Services’ corporation. It was in our own interests and indeed our duty to put down the dissidents: the independent ‘Jet Cartel.’ The 6th Interstellar Corps began to mobilise for a foray into the thick of it, and I wondered for a moment how quickly, how cleverly I could make a fighter ready for launch. So I headed to ‘Fotla’ - our local equipment dock - with a head-full of calculations, aspirations and possibilities.
I - with guidance from Commander Sigsy - decided upon a Viper, being the most inexpensive, agile and fit for the purpose at hand. I worked furiously at the outfitters to make best use of every limitation, to make her fast and fearsome. Other members of the wing visited me at the dock and they offered their honourable advice, for which, I gave my propitious thanks. Soon she was ready for launch, I set the navigation computer for a combat zone next to 'Whitford Vision.' As her thrusters awakened, she nimbly lifted from the pad and thus began the maiden voyage of the 'Archangel'...