A Sage's Story(Endless Sky Fanfic)

[Star Sage]

Okay, I did this with Smuggler 5 a year or so ago, and I enjoyed it then, so how's about I do this again with a game I've played and enjoyed even more? Now, to be clear, this is a text longform lets play. Basically, this is my story, sculpted around the plot given in the main game. There are a few differences though. For one, the Pilot is identified as Male, not as Ageless-Faceless-Gender-Neutral-Culturally-Ambiguous-Adventure-Person as in the main game.

For another, the ship has an AI as a character, this one being STAR. Yes, Star and Sage, I wonder where I came up with that. The other difference is the New Game Plus aspect. I'm playing as someone who's beaten the game 9 times now, and dominated every world all those times, and I like to add that tribute, and my salary, to my characters as a pseudo-New Game Plus mode. I will be doing that for this let's play, mostly so I don't lose those numbers as I nearly did once already while editing them into a save. Still, I tried to work that into the plot, and I hope you enjoy. Remember, as with anything of this nature, opinions, good and bad, help the author keep going.

If you just want to read the story itself, as this topic can get a bit cluttered/hard to follow, I've been posting it on Spacebattle.net and Fanfiction.net

https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-sage-of-the-endless-sky.464188/

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12014897/1/A-Sage-in-the-Endless-Sky








I walk onto the bridge of my new ship, a Shuttle really, but still, it’s mine, and I sniff the air to find it smells brand new, like it had just rolled off the shipyards at Betelgeuse. I know that’s not the case, this ship had probably been sitting on the lot outside for more than a decade before I’d finally bought it, but no one anywhere could have convinced me that this ship wasn’t as spotless as a newborn, and waiting for me to take it wailing into the skies overhead, which, in opposition to all my hopes, was overcast and gray.

“Hello, Captain, welcome to your new ship. All systems conforming to your biometrics now, please hold,” said a pleasant sounding, male voice, and I smiled at it as I settled into the seat, feeling the motors beneath move, adjusting everything from the cushiness of the padding, to just how high the gravity was, as the engines test fired, the sound vibrating, and the computer logging how my ears sounded against them, buffering the space between till the roar was a pleasant sound, rather than a harsh rumble.

“Biometric adjustments complete. This vessel welcomes you aboard, Captain. I am the Strategic Tactical Analysis Recorder, you may call me, STAR, if you wish,” said the voice, and I nodded, running my hand over the controls in front of me, letting them fill my head with thoughts of freedom, as I looked out at the shipyard, or rather, junkyard, before me, where the man who had sold me this vessel was already working on the next sucker, trying to get them to buy a huge Star Barge with no engines, weapons, or anything else one would need to explore, while I had selected the slightly cheaper shuttle.

“Would you like me to alter my voice, Captain? I have many accents and tones you might enjoy. My previous captain said she most prefer an assistant AI like myself to be the opposite of their own gender, for instance?” as the computer spoke, the voice changed, from a rather refined sounding male to a woman who herself might have been a woman of class, in business or the like. I chuckled to myself.

“STAR, you can keep the old voice, if you prefer. I know AIs grow to enjoy their own voices, and I bet you’ve had that one for a while,” I told him, as I began to run through the settings on my controls, including beginning my preflight checks for the journey that would take this ship out of the yard, and to the starport a few miles away.

“Very good sir. I must admit, I was beginning to wonder if anyone would buy my old hulk. So many these days tend to purchase more...shall we say, copious or combative chassis. They all seem to want to haul freight or fight pirates, no one wants a personnel transport anymore,” he complained, and I nodded, looking towards a Sparrow light interceptor out the window. The thing gleamed far more brightly than almost anything in the yard, probably spit polished twice a day every day, hoping someone would purchase the glorified turret.

“I don’t mind myself. You’ve got more tanks than the Sparrow, even if you’re a bit slower, and you’re no clunker like a Star Barge. No, when I go up, I want a hull like this,” I told STAR, as we began to ascend, taking off into the wild gray yonder, and then being auto assisted towards a bay that was already prepped and ready for us.

“Ah, so sir wishes to go far? Any particular destination in mind, if I might be so bold to ask?” said STAR in that proper way I was beginning to enjoy myself. Something about his accent really made him sound nice.

“Well, how’s about, while we get down, you tell me your story, and I’ll tell you mine?” I offered, and the AI seemed to take a moment to consider this, before the screen in front of me changed, showing me logs.

“I find that an interesting proposition, but sadly, my own tale is not one that’s long. I was built on some backwater planet Rust, out in the fringe of space in a tiny system called Kraz. My owner’s mother had recently died, some accident that she blamed on her brother, and she had me made before taking off. Sadly, her own tale was not long either, as she was visiting the planet Hope when the supervolcano there erupted,” as he spoke, images began to play out, mostly showing the images of the ship’s cameras shaking, as everything around it became chaos.

“She was caught in it?” I asked, and got a red blinking light I assumed was the AI shaking his head.

“No, my owner then wanted to save people. This shuttle, she loaded it with as many as she could, and brought them here, to New Boston, but sadly, she caught something in the several day journey. One of the Hope refugees had been infected by some virus the eruption had released, and my owner ended up succumbing. I have sat on that lot for fourteen years now, because the government claimed me when no one could find her brother,” he told me, and it was my turn to nod.

“A tragedy, a hero that was lost in the shuffle of those days,” I told him, remembering the reports. Not that many from Hope had come to New Boston, as most had been taken to nearby Navy bases, as those had been the majority of the evacuating ships.

“Indeed, still, one soldiers on, and I’m happy to finally have a new master. What of yourself, sir? What tale do you have to tell?” he asked, and I chuckled again, as we slowly descended towards the port, mostly just a collection of concrete pads that were slowly being consumed by the surrounding swamp.

“Heh, my tale isn’t much longer, at least not my personal one, but I have a family story I could give you. First, what do you know of the Sages?” I asked, and I could hear the chirp as the computer searched his database, and probably those of the planet, for information.

“Sage, a knowledgeable person, often male, who tends to dispense wisdom, but not always in the ways one would expect. Hmm, an odd term to use for oneself,” he said, and I actually burst out laughing, slapping my knee as I sat there.

“Hmm, the response indicates that the information is correct, but incomplete,” he ascertained, and I nodded, pulling a tear from my eye, before recounting my tale.

“Indeed, I didn’t mean sage as a person, I meant as the name of a family,” I told him, and this time the chirping only took a moment. After all, you only had to do a cursory search of New Boston’s records to find my family.

“Very interesting,” as he spoke, a list of accomplishments flashed on the screen in front of me. My ancestor, the first of my line, that we knew of, Elizabeth Sage, who set out from Earth in a long range vessel, like so many others of her era. About twenty years later, she reappeared, unlike most of those, having scouted several new routes, including being the first human to enter the Deep, before it had become one of the most powerful single areas in humans space with technology there being almost a decade ahead of the rest of the galaxy.

It then went farther, my ancestors, always exploring, always pushing at the edges. From scouting for fleets during the Alpha Wars, to simply going away into the dark places, my family was always going where others feared to tread. Then my Great-Grandfather happened. The man, reaching his middle years, had decided to settle on a world only just starting to build itself up as a trade stop, New Boston. Investing his not inconsiderable fortune as arrived, he carved out a nice niche for himself and his family.

He’d figured the world would grow, after all, it was near enough to Earth to be considered near the core of humanity, but also far enough away to be right there when one wanted to escape the humdrum of the crowded cities. Then his ship had been claimed by some bit of the planetary government on some trumped up charge, and all the funds he’d had coming from the family’s various ventures dried up, as a stipulation of the family was that a Sage always must own a ship. While they held his, the planetary government itself claimed the incoming funds, as per the will of old Elizabeth.

That had trapped my family here for almost a century now, my great-grandfather dying of a broken heart when the corrupt officials had destroyed his Lady Anne, the ship of his youth, melting it down for scrap, and fragmenting the onboard AI. His daughter, my Grandmother, had fought all her life, trying to earn the money to gain a ship, and they’d blocked her at every turn, before she’d passed the duty onto my mother, and then, finally to me. I was now twenty five years old, by old Earth standards, and the old men who had blocked my family for three generations had found themselves stymied by my tactic.

I’d gone to the galactic bank, a common sight on any world, and gotten a loan, putting everything my family had up as collateral, the banker looking like he was going to be sick as he signed the forms, knowing this was the end of his job here on New Boston, as the old men would surely drive him off. Still, I had the money, and before they could buy up every ship in my price range, I’d bought my shuttle, and now it stood on the pad of the space port.

“So, once we take off, we’ll get not only a million and a half credits a diem, but I’ll get you a bigger hull. How’d you like to be in a speedy ship. Say, we seek out a Flivver hull for you? They’re the fastest ships in the galaxy, even more than the aliens can build. Then we’ll get you some escort ships to command,” I offered, and the AI’s screen actually went through a kaleidoscope of colors, before settling down.

“Hmm, something with a real display would be nice. I good enough processor, and I could even make myself a face. Heck, if you could splurge on a holodisplay, I could have a body,” he said, his voice actually getting misty on me.

“For the one who got me off this mud ball, anything. Just let me confirm our course at the port authority, and we’ll be flying away into the heavens,” I told him, rising from my seat, and then walking out into the port. This was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship, I knew it. Star and Sage, sailing the cosmos together.

[Star Sage]

We jumped back into Unfettered space, at my side a Hai of...interesting looks. She’d been called an ambassador by the Hai governor, but her demeanor, her way of moving spoke of a holy person. Sayari wore nothing, not uncommon for Hai given their fur, but her fur itself was the interesting thing. Each strand appeared tied in such a way to be obviously meaningful, but without drawing attention to it till you got closer. She was a true believer in whatever religion the Hai had.

“Captain, we are entering the Ehma Ti system now,” STAR informed me as the blue fire faded from my vision.

“Alright, set course for Firelode, we’ll dock there to refill our tanks then...STAR, what’s going on?” I asked, looking towards the tactical screen to find the system was quiet. Not empty, as there were many more ships here than there should have been, but they all hung close to the planet. A quick count on the screen said the fleet there was more than twice as large as my own, ton for ton, though it had fewer capital ships, instead featuring a mixture of large and smaller craft, all at a dead stop.

“Unknown Commodore. The Unfettered vessels are powered, ready for combat, but they’re not moving. I have...receiving a transmission,” the android speaking waved a hand in the air, creating another floating window, and then passing it towards me. Inside, static played at first, as the message was decoded and translated, eventually showing an image, one of a bridge much like my own, with a chair floating in it. Except rather than a single person sitting in a large chair with an android, it was a human, surrounded by the crew such a vessel normally required.

“Claire...so, the old men find me even here. That is most distressing,” I tell the woman in my view, wondering just what is going on here.

“Mr. Sage, Commodore I suppose is what you choose to be called now. I must admit, I expected Bernard to deal with you. His pirate allies seemed to believe that they would easily be able to destroy your fleet, and yet, he is dead, and those we paid so generously have faded into the background,” I actually smiled at the memory of that bastard dying to my guns, and remembering his expression as the hull of his ship buckled.

“He overestimated himself, and fell to me. Will you do the same?” I asked, hoping to not have to kill her. I was not one of those who believed women deserved the benefit of the doubt, I knew Claire, like the rest, had done some awful, awful things, but right now, I was busy, and a holy person on my bridge tended to mean moral objections to even justified killings.

“Heh, you ask that, even seeing the fleet at my command? No, I do not underestimate you, Sage. I know every vessel in your fleet, I have studied your AI and how he operates. This battle has already been planned down to the last shot fired, and it ends with your death, and the death of those in your crew. Unless, of course, you agree to a compromise,” she said the last while leaning back in her chair, looking very confident in her bargaining position. Considering the sims I could see STAR running out of the corner of my eye, the confidence was not without merit.

“You have my ear. Talk, and I promise to consider it,” I said honestly.

“You will jump into the space currently claimed by the avian species, the Wanderers as I’m told they’re called. Once there, you will land, and we will give you hyperdrives for your ships, while claiming all your jump drives. Once the exchange is made, the Unfettered shall leave you alone, and will not be venturing into the space for the remainder of your lifetime, say one hundred years,” she offered, and that took me aback. All told, it wasn’t a terrible deal, considering how much she outclassed me. Still, such a deal told me a lot of what she was doing.

“Something’s going on in human space, something you don’t want me to get involved in,” I said simply, and Claire just smiled without answering. The bombings almost a year ago now, the ones that had started me on this path. That had to be part of it, and I’d probably already damaged their plans enough. My money wasn’t what they wanted now, they wanted me gone.

“I make this offer in good faith. Should you refuse it, I can tell you right now, your ship, and those in your fleet, will be reduced to nothing but expanding vapor clouds,” she told me, and I watched some of the Unfettered ships close up lines, like a predator preparing to pounce.

“And what does the leader of this world say? The one who promised me safe passage in Unfettered space? Is he a man to go back on his word?” I asked, hoping to buy time with the ploy. It didn’t buy much, however, as the face of the old squirrel soon floated beside the image of Claire.

“I’m merely returning one dishonor with another. Those drives you ‘sold’ to us, belonged to ships we lost to the north. Either you claimed them from the Wanderers, or you captured them yourself. Whatever the case, our deal was not made in good faith,” he told me, and I chuckled a little. I hadn’t really trusted him to be held to his word, as it was rather easy to figure out where I’d gotten the drives, but still, he threw that back in my face rather well, and left me with very few options.

“Ah, Coth, it seems your clutch brother’s death was not exaggerated,” said an expected voice, Sayari, next to me. She startled me, but I tried not to let that show, as the image before me tilted, so that she had a good view of it as well, and far more importantly so Coth could see her.

“What? A Word Bearer? What are you doing on this human vessel?!” the last was shouted in incredulity, and I could almost see every ship in the enemy fleet that had been getting ready for battle, begin to hesitate.

“I Bear towards the north, where those who speak the Word are to be found, according to this human and Wing Commander Joe. I would speak with them on behalf of Hai Home and all its forces, and thus require a ship capable of reaching them. This human, who speaks not the Word, needs my voice, as I need his engines. An equitable arrangement, no?” she asked him, a chuckle from her lips, and I could see a mixture of hate, disgust, and what I had to say was almost worship in the eyes of the Hai on the other side of the screen.

“Coth, you will allow me to pass through this space. As a Bearer, I have the right to ask for this boon of you,” she tells him sternly, and I can see him consider her words.

“No, no you will not. We have Sage, dead to rights, right now. If allowed, he will find another way out of Wanderer space. I demand you uphold our bargain,” said Claire to the Hai, who looked to the side, obviously a monitor displaying her, before looking back at me, his face very thoroughly conflicted.

“Our human ally is correct, Bearer. I will instead allow you to dock with my vessel, and I shall Bear you to the north,” suggests the old Hai, but Sayari just shakes her head, not even considering the offer.

“This human is the one who Bears my Word. This was agreed upon, and I shall not allow another to do so. Either you must allow us to pass, or you shall be barred from the Grove when it comes time,” she declares, and that gets Coth to blanch, his fur taking on a silver hue as the flesh beneath goes pale.

“Bearer, I can’t. To ask me to give up my allies…” his voice trails off in a defeated tone.

“Coth, arm your weapons now!” orders Claire, as she starts forward, her ship obviously moving into an attack position on my ship. I can see STAR already preparing our defenses, when suddenly the fleet behind Claire fires. Missiles, Hai Trackers, fly in a swarm, enough to cause the sun to dim as they pass between us and it. Their target, close as it is, can only shoot down a few with its defenses, as dozens of explosions bloom against the ship’s shields.

“Coth! Wh-ZZAT-,” Claire is cut off as the shields on her vessel fail, the Trackers now impacting her hull directly. Unlike Bernard, the explosions are slow, and so her screen goes to static, however, I can just picture her in a panic as flames burst from every direction, as her ship is reduced to a cloud of vapor. In my viewscreen, I see Coth look out, his vessel still stopped, not having fired on Claire’s ship, and instead just staring at the spot where it was, before turning to face me.

“Bearer, I allow you to pass now, but never again. You have cost the Unfettered much this day, more than you can truly grasp. For that, I declare Anathema to you. This Road is Barred,” he said, and then cut off. The fleet before us then descended back to the planet below, as if we were no longer worth it.

“I’m guessing your people expected something like this?” I asked as I watched the fuel gauge move upwards as we refueled from the local primary, letting the ramscoops work.

“It was anticipated, yes. I did not know one of your kind would be here. I am sorry for the loss to your people,” she said, and I simply nod, rather than scoff. I knew enough about holy people to know that any death, even one of someone like Claire or Bernard, tended to be mourned.

“I’m guessing this is a one way trip for you, then? I mean, we might be able to make our way past them, with some luck, if you want,” I offer, but Sayari just shakes her head.

“No, to pass this star again while breath lies within me would bar my spirit from the Grove. I knew this might be the case, and have made my arrangements. Hopefully, these Wanderers will not mind a missionary,” she says with a very sad smile, before we jump out of system, leaving Hai space behind.

[76561198258661848]

Ow! X(

[Star Sage]

Landing on the Wanderer world again a week later, I found myself greeted by what I assumed were the same eight who’d met me before. Of course, that was impossible to tell, considering while I could see differences between Wanders, like color and plumage, I had not made a note to remember the details of the ones that had met me before. Luckily whoever they were, they spoke at length to Sayari, and after a long bit of that, one of them offered what looked like a disk to me.

“This holds their language, a basic course on it at any rate. Your AI should be able to use it to translate their words to your tongue,” says the female Hai, and I nod, handing the thing to one of the droids beside us. It engulfs the thing in silver goo for a moment, before making some odd noises that sound like bird screeches, and then motions towards the Wanderer who’d handed me the disk.

“Hello, do you understand me?” I ask, and I can literally see the edges of the beak curl upwards in a smile.

“This one hears and knows your words, Human Sage. This one is proud to be known to you as Iktat Rek,” says the Wanderer in a masculine sounding voice, before flaring out his wings, revealing his two small arms beneath them. You don’t try to mimic the gesture, as you lack the wings, but instead bow your head. After that, you begin to trade basic ship information as the remainder of your fleet is given berths, refueling them using the mimetic polyalloy to allow interface with the oddly designed pumps of the Wanderers. After every ship is linked up, I, a droid, Bandit, Sayari, and Joe walked with Iktat to a small building built into the cliff, and sit in what I can only guess is some kind of office or meeting room.

“You have many questions on your tongues about our flights. Let them flow, and we shall stem the tide with knowledge,” said the Wanderer as he took a perch on an odd hanging thing from the ceiling. My companions and I did likewise, save the droid that just stood.

“Alright, let’s get the big one out of the way first. Why do you speak the Holy Tongue of Old Chitter? One would assume you learned it from the Unfettered, and yet, that language is not something taught outside the priesthood,” asks Sayari before I can voice your own pressing questions.

“Ah, such words are known to our beaks by what remained. When the Eye gazed upon these world, it beheld the death that comes of stone and steel. We took from the remnants the words of those who passed, and then began to add life once more unto these spheres,” responded Iktat, and it took me a moment to parse what he’d said, as the phrasing was odd, still, what he said made me think of the Coth’s words when he spoke of this past.

“So these worlds, the ones in this area, really did once belong to the Hai?” I ask, and the avian nods.

“Indeed those called Hai once named these spheres as theirs, but that was in the long ago, an age long before the Eye opened upon this sight,” he answered.

“So, the ruins had Old Chitter in them, and you studied them to learn the language. Did you learn anything else, like what drove the Hai away?” I pressed.

“Our wings taste familiar winds on the spheres. No war of gun or blade was done to harm these places. No, merely the touch of a tool, to be repaired by we who Tend to broken worlds. When our work is done, all shall be returned, as commanded by the Eye,” he explained, and you took a moment to consider that. It fit with what the Unfettered said of their history, and you turn slightly to see Joe looking very dour at the statements. Reaching a hand out, I take her paw in my grip, and give a light squeeze, getting her to look up at me.

“Whatever the past, we make our own future, okay?” you tell her, trying your best to smile, and she returns it as best she can, before you both turn back to Iktat.

“What is this Eye you speak of?” I ask next, and at this, Iktat Rek seems less than enthused to answer, ruffling his plumage for a moment, then sighing.

“The Eye is the Eye. It opens upon the stars that are burdened by the scars of thought beings, their stone and steel stacked, and the lands torn asunder. When it opens, we pass through its gaze to come to those worlds that are so scarred, to heal them. Once the worlds are life filled once more, the Eye opens, and we ride its gaze to a new world in need of healing,” he said, and I tap at my chin in thought. The Eye must be some kind of wormhole, but it sounds far too regular to be natural.

“Ah, so the Eye is a holy thing to you?” asks Sayari.

“The Eye is all to the Wanderers. It guides us to worlds that we might make them whole. In the healing, we ourselves are made more than we were,” he says.

“Do you have people who speak of the Eye? Holy texts or the like?” she asks, and Iktat nods.

“Those Who Gaze. They are the carriers of Old Winds, giving us our history, and speaking of past worlds we have healed,” he tells her, and the old squirrel woman smiles.

“Might I be taken to them? I am a holy woman of my people. Due to how we came here, I’m afraid I cannot leave this place, and would like to beg sanctuary if it is permissible,” she explains, and Iktat seems to consider this for a moment, before walking over to a wall and pressing against it. The wall...slides as he does so, a bit of it spinning around to reveal some kind of communication device that he breathes into for a moment, seeming to make no noise. After a moment though, he turns back, his feathers ruffled a bit to appear even softer.

“Those Who Gaze freely welcome the Hai Sayari to their nest. When we are done here, an escort shall be found,” he says, and I can almost hear the relief in the Hai woman thanking him for his people’s generosity.

“So, going back to the Hai, I’m guessing they’ve been attacking you for twenty-two years, eight months, three weeks, and maybe a few days, correct?” I ask, and the gathered people seem taken aback by the specificity of my statement.

“That is when the winds of the Hai blew unto us. How do you know that, Human Sage?” he asks, and I motion towards the droid, whose hands shift into projectors, eventually displaying a list of ship names and timestamps in the air before him.

“We sojourned on an Unfettered world a few weeks ago, to scout around. While there, my AI companion, STAR, was able to infiltrate their system. We copied everything we could, for later perusal. During our passage through their space to bring Sayari here, we were accosted by them. During that, I learned they had dealings with a human woman of my acquaintance,” as I spoke, the list focused in on the Shield Beetle Claire had been on.

“Cross referencing this vessel’s arrivals and departures with the manifest lists puts this ship as the one trading the jump drives with the Unfettered, starting at that date,” I told him, and waved a hand towards a ship receipt that spoke of a transaction. No details on payment for the goods, or the goods themselves. Just weight. Specifically the exact weight of ten jump drives.

“Hmm, distressing. The winds have never before spoken of your kind, Human Sage. Would this Human be willing to take offerings for ceasing their trade with the Unfettered?” asked Iktat, and I actually let out a barking laugh, before shaking my head.

“If she were alive, never. Claire and her associates get an idea in their head, and they never let it go. That won’t be a problem, however,” I tell him, and the avian face seems confused for a moment, then takes on a defeated expression.

“You slayed her and those who flew with her?” he asked, and I quickly shook my head.

“I’ve slain one, but there are still three others. Claire’s death came at the hands of her allies. The Unfettered did not take kindly to her trying to attack their holy woman,” as I spoke, I gestured to Sayari, who looked uncomfortable at the reminder that thanks to her, someone had passed onto the next life.

“Ah, so her death was merely a tragedy?” asked Iktat, but again I shook my head.

“I would not say that. I’m seeing now you aren’t ones for violence, but I won’t sugar coat it. I’m an independent captain, sometimes I do very un-nice things and take pleasure in this that might not be considered right. My family and Claire’s group have had our differences, and seeing her reduced to her constituent particles makes my steps a whole lot lighter,” I explain, and the wanderer and hai holy woman both seem to take a moment to reflect on me with sorrow. The quarg, non-religious hai, and android seem to be completely at ease, however.

“This news, while not of the warmest winds, sings with promise of the future. You say this Human Claire, was the one who gave the Unfettered their drives. Would one of her flight take up this task?” he asked me, and I have to think about that for a moment. Think about what I knew, or thought I’d known about the old man, before finally sighing.

“No, I don’t think so. The old men like her always had their own business dealings, and I don’t doubt they kept their own kingdoms quite independent of each other. Likely the eight seven drives they have now, are the only ones the Unfettered have left,” I say, and the Wanderer seems to sigh himself, this time with relief.

“Much warmth then. I will pass this wind along,” he said, turning back to the odd device on the wall. This time his breathing into it takes a while, and I fidget a bit in my seat, finding that the odd design is actually sending my butt to sleep, right up until the avian turns back to me.

“The Flight Leader of our defenses would like to digest your food for you,” said Iktat as he finally takes his seat again.

“I assume that is a good thing,” you say, and a very human smile tugs at the edges of the beak.

“It is indeed. You have solved a problem many years in the making, and for that, we thank you. While our warships will still all be needed for the defense of our worlds, we now know our enemies number, and may place them in such a way to prevent further intrusion. In gratitude, our yards are to be opened to your fleet,” as he spoke, he rummaged around in his desk, and gently passed me a disk.

“This holds data regarding our technology. You may acquire anything on it, save the warships themselves,” he tells me, and I pass the disk onto STAR’s android.

“I assume this will have to be a tit-for-tat trade. You won’t just be giving me these units, correct?” I ask, and Iktat shrugs his wings.

“It is true, we cannot part with equipment lightly. The winds of war have blown too hard on some of our charges with the Unfettered making their displeasure known. Still, I assume your people have some form of currency?” he asks, and I nod.

“Republic Credits. What use would those be to you, however?” I respond.

“Such has been our way, moving where the Eye gazes, that many patterns have emerged. You have come here, without war winds on your wings. What will follow after will be traders and diplomats. Having a currency they already use will make the skies of trade far simpler when such visits us,” he explains, and you nod. A few more platitudes are traded, with our group parting as we leave the office. My friends and I to the yards, STAR saying he sees promise in some of the outfits, if not the ships, while Sayari bids us farewell, taking off towards a monastery.

It takes almost an hour of haggling over the price of a credit compared to the Wanderers ‘Stones’, a jewel like currency they use, before we purchase our goods. Reactors are loaded on board, stronger than the Hai’s. Better yet, Sunbeams, powerful ray type weapons, stronger than anything in human space. Bigger too, given I can only equip two of the regulars and two dual turrets aboard each Beetle. And finally, the Wanderer Ramscoops, so much more efficient than the things I had from human space.

“Alright, everyone ready?” I ask, and get confirmations across the board. My fleet, now ready for war, launches moments later. On my galactic map, a course is set, one out the ‘backdoor’ of Wanderer space, and into some pirate systems in human space. I was going to be a big surprise for some of those guys, and better yet, a nice shake down for my fleet, before we got onto the bigger issues. Claire had confirmed, human space was about to be shaken up bad, if it hadn’t already started, and I knew I needed to be there at the center of it if I could.

[Madison]

T I T-for-tat got censored, lelelel

[Star Sage]

“Alright, we’re ready,” I said, looking over my fleet status lights. Behind me, trailing in a long silver cloud was the fleet. And truly, it was a fleet, two and a half years had passed since the attacks that had given me notice of the Korath, almost three since finding the Hai, and now I had command of what was probably the largest force in the galaxy under a single command. Each ship was a capital, a Shield Beetle to be precise, with a single pilot and androids running off an iteration of STAR doing everything but the driving.

“All fleet assets stand ready, Admiral,” said STAR’s voice as we launched. Behind us was the Deep world of Valhalla. The skies ahead parted in our wake as we took to the Endless Sky once again. Every ship, more than three hundred now, was loaded with a mixture of tech from all over the galaxy. Jump drives for travel, atomic engines, including reverse thrusters, for real space movement, System Cores for shields, control, and hull repairs, while heat shunts made us nearly heatless.

“Weapons check,” I ordered, and got a staccato of clicks over the comms as each vessel blasted out with the Sunbeams, six on each ship, a stunning stream of yellow lights passing into the heavens. With Wanderer reactors and ramscoops helping to power and fuel, my fleet was ready for almost anything the galaxy could throw at us. Heck, already five pirate worlds had fallen to us, their leaders sending tribute to me. Only a few hundred a day, really, but still, it kept them in line for the moment.

“All checks complete, we are combat ready, Admiral. Where should we head?” asked my AI companion, and I had to consider that for a moment, bringing up a holographic display of the galaxy in the air before me.

A year ago, when I’d left Wanderer space, I’d wanted to go straight to the source, to demand answers, but I found nothing on New Boston. Not a single shred of the Old Men were left anywhere in the system, and they didn’t try to flee either, as my then fleet of one hundred and seven escorts had stayed in orbit to ensure that. With that avenue dried up, we’d begun making our way around the galaxy, searching for any sign of our foes. That had led to a few jobs, including traveling with They Might Be Riots, a band, and helping the world Rand with its terraforming troubles.

Oddly, no matter where I went, the story was the same. The Old Men, a group who had command of fleets, and had somehow had regular access to jump drives, were just gone. Worse, the situation in human space was hanging by a thread. War was threatened by both the Republic and the ‘Free Worlds’ yet neither side was willing to make the first move. It didn’t take a genius, luckily for me, to figure out there was something up with that. Three years since the Free Worlds withdrew to an almost simultaneous terrorist attack on two of the most valuable assets in the Republic, and yet, nothing.

That last bit was disturbing. Images were on the news almost daily of the fleets of both sides just kind of staring at each other across space. Nothing beyond that though. Everyone seemed to be aware that something, anything, should have happened by now, and the silence was nearly deafening. Worst of all, the Syndicate, the massive corporation that produced many of the goods, seemed to be selling to both sides, at inflated rates, which kept all the goods times flowing for them.

Staring at that map, I knew somewhere there was an answer. The Old Men couldn’t hide forever, and now I had a force to be reckoned with. Using my finger, I plotted a course through some of the less populated systems, where they wouldn’t be able to house half the fleet I had. I figured it was the best way to shake something loose, and better yet, would provide some shake downs for my new captains and the command structure I had installed, with me at the top, Bandit and Joe below, and various Wing Commanders in charge otherwise. Who knew? Maybe my answer would be waiting in one of these ports?

[MessyMix]

Okay. Still on page one, but i'm LOVING it. Keep it up!!! :DD

@edit: nonstop marathon and finished. It's SO good. keep it flowing!!

[Star Sage]

Początkowo opublikowane przez MessyMix:

Okay. Still on page one, but i'm LOVING it. Keep it up!!! :DD

@edit: nonstop marathon and finished. It's SO good. keep it flowing!!

Heh, always a good ego boost to get comments like this. Here's some more.



I wasn’t lucky enough for our first destination to have the answer. Nor the second. By the fifth, my fleet captains, some of which hadn’t gotten off their ships in a week, due to how many there were, were starting to grumble a little. As such, I took a detour towards the Paradise worlds near Earth. Figured I’d give them some time to stretch their legs, and maybe let those who’d found the flight a bit more than what they’d anticipated off. While my two alien cohorts, an android, and myself were sitting in a cafe near the port, however, we were approached by a man.

He didn’t give his name, just identifying himself as an archaeologist, one whose special interest lay in the Deep. He offered me a good sum if I’d do some vandalism for him. Not how he described it, obviously, but still, the principle was the same. He believed that a certain church in the Deep, one of the oldest holy sites, actually predated human expansion into the region. That seemed absurd of course, but then, Elizabeth Sage, the first of my line, had supposedly left behind colonies that her single person exploration vessel simply wouldn’t have allowed.

I agreed to do his dirty work, transporting him and a few of his associates to an out of the way world called Vinci. He was, of course, quite stunned by the size of my fleet, and the odd things about it. His associates, some of which included a xeno-sociologist, actually nearly demanded a tour. I wasn’t exactly feeling charitable at the time, but STAR convinced me to allow it, one of his droid bodies taking them around to show the sights to, keeping them out of the more sensitive areas, and finally taking them to their cabins.

“You could stand to be a bit nicer. What has come over you lately?” he asked me privately as we waited for some of the ships to refuel at a star some time later. Facing his silver skinned form, I tried to look placid, but I couldn’t out stare a robot, and finally just sighed, rubbing at my eyes and turning away.

“Honestly? I’ve been thinking alot about our current situation. When we started out here, it was just the two of us, expanding our horizons in a small ship, just two beings out for adventure. Now though, we’re involved in stuff way bigger than us, and I don’t like it,” I admitted at last.

“You feel we should abandon this quest for the Old Men and go back to just exploring?” he asked, and after thinking about it for a moment, really considering it, I shook my head.

“No, even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t feel right doing that either. We saved the Wanderers, doing what we did. If we hadn’t intervened, the Unfettered probably would have continued to raid them, and we both saw those manifests. It may have taken Claire a decade to get them ten more after that first delivery, but she was speeding up. In a hundred years, like she offered, the Unfettered would have been able to equip a huge fleet with those drives. Probably conquer both the other Hai and the Wanderers at a stroke,” I admitted, imagining that scene in my head, and not liking it at all as I saw ghosts of the avians and squirrels vaporized by Unfettered strikes.

“So then, you feel responsible for the galaxy at large? You think it is your responsibility to keep everyone safe, because you have the power to do so?” he presses farther, and I’m about to reject it out of hand, then I consider the statement for a moment. It seems to be, from the outside, what I’m thinking, but inside...no, it’s not that at all.

“No, I think I want revenge. That’s what’s bothering me. I know we’re doing good things, but we’re doing it because I’m a terrible person inside,” I said, and then waved my hand, pressing a few holo buttons. What displayed in the air before me was my most watched video clips, namely Bernard and Claire dying. Their faces, twisted in pain, the first blasting through Bernard’s hull, while Claire just kind of stares into space. It still brings a smile to my lips, one that only gets a bit broader as I look at the three blank slots beside them, waiting for their own videos.

“Yes, I want to make them suffer, in the same way they made my family suffer for all those years. You don’t watch your mother work dead end jobs, and literally have her savings stolen twice, without wanting to get back at the ones who did it,” I said, dismissing the screens with a wave of my hand. STAR, for his part, was silent as I sat back down in my seat, staring out at the star beyond, watching thin trails of glowing light be scooped up by my fleet.

“I see,” he said at last, and then he waved his silvery hand. Instantly, more screens popped up, scenes from our adventures. They showed our fleet engaging pirates, helping to defend merchants and civilian vessels against aggressors, before we warped away without ever asking for anything. It also showed us loading supplies, and then an image of myself, literally giving the stuff away at Martini back after the bombings.

“You’ve done much good over the years, and while I won’t say you’ve always had the best of intentions, you are a good person at heart, no matter what you might think of yourself,” was all he said, finally displaying an image of the Hendersons smiling at me, before he stood silent, his mind focused elsewhere. Left alone in the darkness of my bridge, I wondered at my own heart, until a beeping told me it was time to go, and my fleet set off once more for our destination.

[Star Sage]

Valhalla, the Heart of the Deep, as it was sometimes called. It was the oldest settled world of the area, and the site of so many R&D facilities that you would be surprised to find the surface itself was mostly rural. Oh, sure, there were the Valkyries, the six largest cities on that sat on the planet’s equator at almost equidistance from each other, but beyond the borders of those, you’d find nearly wild forests, small towns, and, in my case, a small church the traced its history back to the founding of the colony itself.

“Ah, so good to see a visitor to Our House. Have you come for the services?” asked one of the women at the door. Around me stood the church, smelling of age, with a few worshippers in the pews, kneeling on rugs towards a statue of their holy figure, or sitting on benches reading the Holy Writ. I made a noncommittal noise, and moved towards the second group. I proceeded then to pick up the book, and with a glance through the first and last pages, found myself just disgusted with it.

I was unsure to what religion the church was built, as I was never one for such things. Not that I believed in nothing, I had been raised as a Foundationer on New Boston after all, but that had some basis in the life force of a person at least. Its origins were newer, having come about during the Great Diaspora, as humankind expanded into the galaxy, and spoke of how we were to conquer the stars, with wits and will. This holy text spoke of gods and monsters, with the last page ending on words of love for all under the banner of their holy figure.

Placing the book back on the pew, I surreptitiously looked around me, finding not a soul was looking up from their reading or praying. Even the woman at the door was standing, head bowed to the statue with the church’s symbol on it. Then I nearly fell to the floor as a loud clang echoed over the chamber. It took me a moment to realize it was the bell at the church’s roof, and another to quickly draw out the sample jar from a pocket. With the sound covering me, I reached beneath my seat and pushed a large chunk of wood into the jar, before slipping it back into the pocket.

“May peace walk with you, always,” said the woman as I left, and I nearly turned to yell something at her, as two faces, twisted in pain and consumed by fire and light played across my mind. I ignored that feeling, ignored those faces, as I walked back to the car that had brought me here, and within an hour was once more rejoining my fleet in the city where we’d docked. Within the afternoon, we were again in space, and I sighed heavily, taking out the sample and looking at it.

What I expected to see, I wasn’t sure. It was from a church, and something inside my heart told me it had to be special. Churches were holy, after all, and that meant the materials to make it were holy as well, right? The wood refused to cooperate with that ideal, and instead appeared to be just a bit of varnished pulp, with one side looking far fresher than the other, as it had been only recently exposed to air. Shaking it brought no reaction from the sample, and I pocketed it again, as we flew onwards towards Vinci.

Landing there was easy, though most of my fleet ended up having to stay in space as the local port just didn’t have enough docks for the full force. That got only a little grumbling from my captains, but nothing more than that. So Bandit, Joe, and myself made our way down, and then to the lab where our current employer had set himself up. Once there, he eagerly took the sample from me, handing it delicately to another lab assistant, and then shooing him away to do the actual work, while he motioned for the three of us to follow him.

“Excellent work, Admiral. We’ve been trying to get this sample for years now, but no one we’ve contacted has returned,” he admitted, leading us out onto the balcony outside so we can stare off into the distance, where one could see ships moving off into the sky in a fairly steady stream.

“Are you saying that many others have been killed attempting this mission?” asks Joe as she stands there, her fur bristling a little around the edges.

“Oh, no, not that we know of anyway. We figure they just say yes to humor us, and then go off somewhere else. I’ll admit, we don’t have the most sterling reputation, our group. Our theories have gotten us laughed out of the major scientific community, and worse yet, we are, all of us, banned from traveling into the Deep,” he explained, trying his best to smile at the squirrel woman, but failing rather miserably, as her stern face stared into him.

“Why are you banned?” I asked to break the tension, and the man’s face seemed to soften as he turned to me, and then faced out towards the ships.

“Well, that’s a story, Admiral, and not one I feel right telling. Suffice it to say, we made some enemies amongst the Deep’s upper echelons with our theories, and they have used their every effort to bar our entrance to their area of space,” he told you, and you thought over it. The Deep, for all it was heralded as being the most free and open area of space, with less corruption than the Parliament of Earth, and fewer controls over the average man than the megacorps of the Syndicate, still had an aristocracy of the old sort, that wielded powers both political and military.

“So you made some big wigs mad just questioning if their colonies are older than they claim? That seems unusual,” I say, and the man nods.

“It is, but I have a theory about it. The Deep were the saviors of the human race at the end of the Alpha Wars, their technology being the sole reason we survived those terrible days. That legacy persists even now, and yet, if we’re right, perhaps they are not the heroes they believe themselves to be,” as he spoke, he looked at Bandit and Joe for a moment, and then shook his head.

“What I mean is, what if aliens, perhaps the Quarg, or perhaps someone else, aided them in their time of need. Gave them the technology that saved us all?” he suggested, and Bandit quickly shook her head.

“The Quarg would never share tech with a less advanced species. Too many examples in our history exist of just that sort of event causing wars which dwarf any in humanity’s history,” she said, defensively, and I nodded, remembering my time on the Ring, and my discussion with the Speaker. Even sharing information was frowned on, so sharing tech was right out. The archaeologist was about to respond to us, when the assistant, his breath coming in deep gulps, ran out onto the deck we were standing on, pointing an accusing finger and papers at me.

“You-huff-you didn’t-gasp-switch-wheeze-the samples?” he demanded, in as stern a voice as he could manage, and I took a moment to realize he was asking if I had somehow faked the sample I’d given them. I shook my head, and the guy nearly collapsed as he shoved the papers in the archaeologist's face. The older man turned away from us, reading and muttering over the data, before finally folding them up with a steady hand, and then sighing.

“It’s true. All these years, and this one test proves it,” he said, and you could hear the joy in his voice as he did it, a single tear rolling down his cheek, before he turned back to face me.

“Sir, we now have proof that the church you were at predates human colonization outside our own solar system by five hundred years. That is reason enough to ask this. I want to go there, I want to see Valhalla. Take me there, and I will conduct a scan from orbit, one that would give me all the proof I need, and more. I can offer you money, and a prominent place in our papers, when this gets out,” he offered, and I quickly agreed to it. This mission was sounding like something amazing, and besides, I did like thumbing my nose at authority.

A day later, the lab assistants, the scanning equipment, and the big man himself was loaded on my ship, and we rejoined the fleet in orbit. As we left, I got a feeling, just a niggling doubt, that this would not be an easy mission, and quickly ordered everyone to form ranks, and keep them tight, before we jumped out. Blue fire consumed our ships, and we were gone, leaping beyond the typical checkpoints, so none would know we were coming till we got there.

[MessyMix]

I always get so excited when you post a new story. Well, gotta start reading!

[Sanolo]

This story is just amazing, and I think that you should keep writing and posting it.

[Mantising]

This story is amazing, and you havent even gotten to the FW campaign yet.

[Sanolo]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Mantising:

This story is amazing, and you havent even gotten to the FW campaign yet.

The purest truth

[MessyMix]

Its so gud :3

[Sanolo]

I'm so anxious for the next part..

[Talon]

This is awesome. Loving it.