Unguided, 5: Fight Them Back
02 Mar 2021Meowers
( 27.02.3307 - 02.03.3307 )
( Lenore - G 59-7 )
Hell sure I've decided to heap up my stuff and pretentiously call it a 'Base of Operations' in an interesting piece of space. It's good at keeping me busy, entertained and full of that genuine 'I'm doing damn right things' feeling. So, while I was away at Jambin, another uprising in the neighbouring system had started, this time in Lenore. Local party of Revolutionary Lenore Independents clashed with Tellus Group corp and, um, had the exquisite experience of being thoroughly thrashed. I don't know the entire story about how it started, was it a cliche corporate expansion over the other's interests or a none less typical "we're tired of you" riot, but hey, there are corporumps asking for a boot again! So I didn't chill in Komotae for too long, only one refreshing night sleep, check on field self-maintenance supplies such as tea and canned foods, quick face washing to look a bit more like human and less like an ancient fantasy tales battle monster, and there I go, to the Lenore system.
Almost lifelong idea of relying on myself and all the stuff that I had brought along with me paid off again. The fetid stench of air filters failure and sewage eruption combo hit me as soon as I landed, lights were dimmed and unstable, indoor temperature controllers had gone crazy, and so on. Well, almost everything was malfunctioning or worked at fractions of nominal output, except, maybe, the exit airlocks: they were a popular place. Frowning discontent people running around with everything they could grab and yelling at each other, trash and broken machinery parts all over the place, overcrowded rooms connected by flooded corridors and other similar kinds of happy pictures. It looked more like something in between an evacuation in a state of total disorder and a Bosch painting, rather than a dignified grandiose last stand. Those fellows sure had a knack at being old-school decadent revolutionaries: they almost lost their war and had their toilets clogged at the same time.
(Day 0 stats)
So I went back onboard, trying not to step into anything oozy and disgusting on my way. Had to get my flight helmet, even canned oxygen certainly beats the local bouquet of aromas, and also to double-check the ship's coded lock to ensure much needed safety for my two-week supply of towels and toilet paper. And only then I've started to look for anyone responsible for this terrific mess. If it were a few years ago, I would've been repairing their water pumps, replacing air filters with everything that looked suitable, up to my own socks, crawling around with coils of wire and, probably, cleaning the toilets, right 'til the bitter end. But here am I, here's Marshmallow, and here's my terrible itch in the trigger finger.
To be honest, they tried, they surely had better times, but my return from Jambin was a great coincidence, a kind of spark of light for those people: sure they won't be able to get through another day like this without any help, their situation is an outright disaster. I cannot be sure that everything might work out, but even if they eventually surrender, their rivals won't be celebrating such a sweet swift victory.
(MacVicar Enterprise outpost)
People may have their turmoils, may scurry around their values, but the Universe is sure an unending source of amazing views.
Just look at these two tiny planets. They have completely different colours, they both are tidally-locked to the parent gas giant, yet dancing circles with each other in a distance of a mere few megametres, with the gap between them barely wider than their own size. Going at low altitude above one, you can see her sister slowly rising on the horizon, with all the ridges and craters, an ice cap reflecting the light, and soon, if you fly towards it, you will be gaining altitude relative to the first planet while descending to the second. A short, less than a minute, flight across the gap, and there you are, welcome to another planet. Even caught myself pondering about gravity fluctuations here: maybe it's really close to zero-G at the 'middle' points, where the distance between the planets are minimal, and a bit heavier gravity at the 'tops', placed on the opposite sides, and gravity extremum points are sliding across the surfaces as the planets move. Curious, indeed.
(Flying over the surface)
Definitely it's an interesting place to see. Or even build a station at their Lagrange point. I wouldn't mind purchasing a personal living compartment. Maybe.
(Binary planets from a distance)
Anyway, I have to remember what I'm here for: to pretend I'm a combat pilot. That mouldy surface base, MacVicar Enterprise, was placed on the 'green' sister planet (A2c), on the border of the polar ice cap, and one of the battle zones was above the 'red' one (A2d). So it was some intensive flying back and forth with buckets of lead and plasma for all those wishing to get some.
Plasma Accelerator. I'm starting to make friends with this thing, thankfully. Shooting at something like Asps, Alliance combat ships and other stuff of similar size is getting better, let alone the larger opponents. Still some awkward close misses from time to time though, to give me a chance to remember what shame is. Plasma requires a special comprehension: it's not only about plain accuracy, it's about when to pull the trigger too, since your target can change its movement direction, boost away or even roll so you'll face its narrow side. You better wait one second and score a hit than miss and wait for almost three and a half. But now I'm feeling far more confident, and that means a lot.
So at the end of the day, which was Day 1 of my involvement (fourth day of ongoing conflict), the overall situation had improved from 'absolutely hopeless unredeemable cruel downfall' to a 'grim bitter slump'. Day 2 brought the most curious news: Tellus Group was preparing for another war in the G 59-7 system, a single jump away from Lenore, now targeting side facilities of the Wolf 412 Labour faction. Corporats going for the throats of grumpy revolutionaries and labourers of agri/mining systems, in an effort to squeeze every bit of possible profit out of everything and everyone. That's completely damn textbook classic!
(News report at Day 2)
During my second day here I've managed to ease the Lenore situation even more: RLI now was 'at least standing on their feet', the advantage of corporates had diminished to minimal. But no way it ends quickly, I feel that I'm stuck here for long, on this crumbling surface outpost with metal rust in water, foul smells in the air and groups of non-combatants still herding around exits and sleeping on their bags, ready to leave wherever the transports can take them.
And yes, the much anticipated update: Tellus Group had opened fire in G 59-7. Even without leaving battles in Lenore. Seems like they got an endless supply of mediocre ships and no less mediocre blockhead pilots to utilise in these conflicts. Or maybe they've been celebrating 'victory' for two days already, unable to read the latest field reports about their flying dimwits being pushed back violently. Or Tellus white-collar department was too afraid of losing chairs under their arses and decided not to shock the big bosses with new staggering 'expenditure' calculations.
So, my trouble just went double. I couldn't turn the blind eye on exactly the same scenario unfolding one jump away, so let it be the second front. Lagrange City will be my starting point there: it's a neutral ground, civilian outpost on a high orbit of another unremarkably common planet. Gloomy place floating in the void obviously can't boast the views, in contrast to the sister planets, but let's be tactical, I don't have to climb out of the damn gravity well on each takeoff from here. Short distance, in theory, could ease my struggle of switching attention between battlefronts, but, to be honest, Lenore had it worse.
(Largrange City outpost)
But the bottom line of Day 3 was somewhat controversial and had me changing my plans completely. While I've been out there fighting, some decadent RLI strategy genius (who, obviously, had brought the whole faction into that mess) had surrendered. So they have no more stations in Lenore now, going completely underground. Was it someone helping the corp (don't have any intel on this) or maybe they formed up a queue to their last functional toilet and made a collective decision like 'we can't take it anymore'? Who knows. Damn that was a backstabbing. So it's no more dreaming about living on a 'maybe someone would build it someday' station between sister planets for me, at least while there are so much corpobrats around, have to take out the rubbish first.
But the second front had better news, as intel reported about Wolf 412 folks having their first advantage over the same foe with my little help in the morning. So it's time to move on there, and it should be another story (perhaps).
Have to go and fight them back.
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Next part: #6: Democracy for Dummies
Next part: #6: Democracy for Dummies