Ramblings of an Argon Nephew (Page 34 of 35)

Written by TTD



"...Zo 'ere Oi am stuckered in the Duke's Haven.Please send in our limited navy an see if we kin push zome zence inta these Duke's renegades."

"...erm Sorry sir,there must have been some static and breakdown in message relays. Could you repeat sir?".. he was not about to tell his boss he had been asleep at his post.It had been a long quiet shift with no interruptions until now... 0300!

"Just send some navy to the Dukes Haven.See if the Akuma can sort this problem out..while you do that I'll enter details in the company log"....

"oi 'ope ee unnerstud me dat time." Norman muttered to himself.Now where's that log pad....

"...Flying time 44-13:09
...Date 768-05-15

Company log data entry type : MAYDAY under attack from renegades.

Cause?

Well I was just sending all my traders new order for CAG, where possible.Nice and relaxed like, when I get this message that The Duke's supply station complex was under attack.Could I be so kind as to deal with it as the Dukes captains seemed to be pre occupied.(space fuel/weed if i know them !)

So I sent Hoshi one down to deal justice to the Pirate Nova that took a dislike to the SPP in the complex.

No sooner do I get a mission complete when all the Duke's ships turn red and start attacking my trading fleet in the sector.

Better go and talk to these captains and see if I can get some sense into them before their addled minds gets them in more trouble.

So down here I came and they all just hurled the verbal back at me.
I checked the Haven, and sure enough it was still blue so here I came, finding myself under attack on route.
I sent the Hoshi back somewhere safe and have asked for the Akuma to assist.
If I can destroy these renegades,with me still docked,I might get a chance to do some missions to makes amends for the situation."

For the story, Norman had words with the old Duke and had his renegade captains rounded up and their ships confiscated....

In reality i tried many different tactics by reloading the last station save,including scanning the pirate with the Eclipse prototype and again trying with the much more deadly Akuma.This pirate would not turn blue or bail. When I shot it down,the renegades came after me. When I shot them down all stations turned red. When I was docked and had the renegades shot down even the Duke's Haven turned red with me still dock.(That has never happened to me before! )

In the end I tried just using seta to get the pirate to blow up my station complex quicker... But he just flew into the SPP and destroyed his own ship, leaving my complex intact!!

So Norman is busy doing build missions down there and trading, while catching any possible trade missions at the same time.

By the time he is ready to continue building his supply complexes,he should have better rep with the pirates.

Unfortunately for Norman,he was so busy enjoying himself collecting all the loot that was left behind each time the Dukes ship captains chased someone down, building station for pirate and generally making good trade with or without missions, he clean forgot to keep an eye out for his beloved Eclipse Prototype.

Somewhere along the line, it must have undocked and fell foul of predators. Not even an entry in the logs! So...

"This is Norman Fiesty here..." he bellowed down the comms device. "Why do they never recognize my voice?" he muttered to himself.

"Sorry sir,just following orders sir." replied the clerk at Duke's Vision. "How can we help you sir?"

"Get the Chief of Security,tell him from me I want him to select the best M3 he has in stock. Send it with a reliable pilot/marksman to the Duke's Haven ASAP...Got that?" "Yes sir! Are you experiencing trouble sir? The Akuma is laying idle there, according to our records, sir" "Iv oi a be wantin'da Akuma ,Oi wud be a usin' noo wouldn't Oi? Now just run along and do your job. And don't forget who's paying you! "

Norman settle back into his seat and ordered another coffee.

"Zomwone's a gonna pay for this! The only one in the universe Oi know ov an' they let it git blown apart! Last toim Oi'll be leavin' moi personal ship in dock anywhere not owned by Oi, thats a true."

Sometime later he got a brief message.

"An Advanced Barracuda with all fitments and expansions/upgrades plus 8x HEPTs fitted. The only one in the fleet, is on it's way to you, piloted by an old acquaintance."

Well guys, Norman was waiting at the Dukes Haven, when he was asked to take a "routine medical".

"Rooteemn med-dee-call?" objected Norman. "Oi be in purfik 'elth, Oi be!"

"Then you have nothing to worry about then do you? Come with me, sir, if you will. As I said ,this is just routine. With so many pilots coming and going ,and from all the far reaches of the known universe and beyond, we do have the welfare of our patrons to think about.... Always good to nip things in the bud,before they have time to spread,so to speak."

After what seemed an eternity of probes ,monitors and questions about his lifestyle and diet etc., he was asked to wait in the medical lounge for his visitor.

Bored with waiting he eventually dosed off a bit,not realize it was the effects of a tranquiler that had been surreptitiously given him while being examined. He woke up just in time to see the door slide open and see the face of someone familiar figure of the past.

"Sansi Li? Is dat really you underneath your aqua-lung?"

"Dr. Sansi Li,now Norman. Well you HAVE been over working yourself lately haven't you? Ever heard of delegation of responsibilities?"

"Dar's nowt wrong wid me," replied Norman as he tried to stand up to meet his friend, only to realise he was strapped to a bed "for his own safety". "What the? How'd Oi get here? release me at once! he bellowed.. or tried to, but barely managed a gasp.

"Now, now, Norman That is not going to help you to de-stress now is it?"

"DE-STRESS? Oi be stressed alright.So would you be if you nod off in a chair an'wake up strapped to an 'ospitol bed.What's going on?"

" For now. All you need to know is you have overworked yourself.Your construction team are unaware,except for those close to you. But the board of directors have re-shuffled and continuing your last set of plans for your empire....By the way the Queen sent me when she heard of your symptoms.It is very rare for her to dispense with me.We still have to monitor her daughter on a daily basis. But Hosi Wo has return for duty while I'm here."

"Symptoms?What symptoms?"

"The most recent one called in the medics at your base in Duke's Vision...Loss of temper and distorted memory. You claimed to have had an Eclipse Prototype removed ,stolen or destroyed,when you have never owned one and it never appeared on the inventory list...ever...."

"But..."

"But nothing Norman. Your personal ship is an Advanced Eclipse,and has been safely docked at your complex here from the moment you left it. However, since you asked for another M3, They saw fit to send it via the palace,and I volunteered to fly it myself, as it's an Advanced Barracuda. That's one hell of a ship Norman,fitted with 8x HEPTs no less."

Norman managed a mischievous grin and relaxed a bit. "Now THAT,would be a tellin' noo wud it not?... so what happens now?"

As you seem to have accepted your circumstance, your straps can be removed, but chamber forcefields will still be in place, with security outside for your protection....too many pirates and such like milling around.When we are sure you have been de-stressed, then you will be given extended shore leave in Menelaus' Oasis. You will find it is very conducive to relaxation. After that you will have one more medical and meet with your board of directors to discuss any future plans you may have."

And so concludes this Tutorial/story...for now.