Time to share my FTL story.

It was a stealth ship - gifted by the Engi, a race of half organic half mechanical engineers who seeked to assist the Federation in any way they could. The Federation of course, were more than happy to accept the gift - In particular Tomas, JP and Shelton who were estatic at commandeering this state of the art technology. To aid them in the task, they hired an Engi, an act which they agreed would be fitting for it's first journey.

Off they went, with hope hanging on a basic cloak system, the glaive beam and a couple of lasers. It was tough going at first without a shield, but they managed to rescue a Mantis, save a Rockman and acquire a drone. With a growing crew and the debris of pirates and foolish aggressors in their wake, the ragtag bunch of aliens fled the ever advancing rebel fleet. At one point the rebel fleet and the stealth ship clashed - but Tomas held steady at the helm, trusting his new crew members to fend off the enemies who boarded the craft and fired incessantly upon the blue-black creature. At one point, the engine caught fire - and JP came running out, it was unfortunately too much for a human. The gruff Rockman took one look, went in, and came out unscathed.

It was a close one - they managed to escape and maintain some distance, but clearly things needed an improvement. And so in a timelapse-esque style, the ship grew in power and systems - upgraded engines, triple shields, terrifying drones and an energy sucking glaive beam that nearly bankrupted them all. But the stats of this weapon were too good to pass up, and Tomas the captain willingly threw in most of the ship's power to accomodate the beast.

A few scrapes and cloaking maneuvers by Shelton made complete mincemeat of anyone who dared challenge the stealth ship, and by now the Rockman had made a friend, who was more than willing to see the mission through. Elsewhere, a young mantis teenager eager to participate in war games hopped on from his homelands, making the group seven in total. Though they all spoke different languages, and had different ideals, none dared challenge the eternal darkness and death that came with space, and it was this silent wish to live that propeled them onwards, as an engine would propel a shuttle.

Of course, all journeys have to lead somewhere. For the lucky 7, it was time for the final battle. The rebel flagship closed in and Tomas maneuvered the craft with expert skill. Meanwhile, Shelton hammered at the enemy, drones fully engaged whilst the Rockmen focused their efforts on keeping the shields and cloak in orchestrated time. The Mantis ran around the cabins watching the carnage unfold - his time would come.

Yet the mistake soon presented itself - the glaive beam was a too slow and power hungry and a wayward shot took it out almost immediately, leaving the ship with pitiful lazers. A barrage of missiles punctured metal and ripped debris into space - and with it, a horrible whine and woosh as air vacated the mangled rooms. It was at this time that the enemy teleported in, and the Mantis sprung into action. He clawed and carved his way through flesh and bone. The rockmen ran from room to room, extinguishing fires. Too little too late. With alarms blaring, Tomas looked on in horror - the engines were down, the health station was completely engulfed in fire and worse of all, the oxygen system had failed. Leaving the controls of what was now a sitting duck, the frightened Engi and Tomas crouched over the oxygen system, desperately trying to revive the lungs of a cold beast.

Meanwhile, the Mantis was not having a easy time. Inexperienced and without help, a delicate dash ensued, as he dodged through vacuumed rooms and flaming debris. Dazed and terribly hurt, he headed to the engines. JP was nowhere to be seen - he was in fact also horribly injured, and lay in the sensor room, flames just feet away.

Shelton had in this time also suffered terribly - first fire, then half his health to suffocation - he left the Rockmen to deal with the flames and crawled back to his controls, and it was then he realised that in all the frantic action, and with the ship 2 bars to oblivion, his prized drones were still up and running! The words hull critical flashed over and over through his screen, but he took several deep breaths.. and waited.

The enemy ship turned to face them, it's weapons drawn, ready to seal the fate of it's prey. Shelton paused. There. The drones took the shield down for a split second and Shelton fired.

A single desperate lazer shot made itself across the minute gap, past the regenerating shield. It tore into the hull and hit the engine with a horrifying explosion. In space, no one can hear you scream, and no one heard the explosions either. The crew watched as the flagship ripped itself apart. They were alive. Barely, but still alive.

And that is the story of my 7 man crew. Tomas and buddies/10. Highly recommended.

Time to share my FTL story. It was a stealth ship - gifted by the Engi, a race of half organic half mechanical engineers who seeked to assist the Federation in any way they could. The Federation of course, were more than happy to accept the gift - In particular Tomas, JP and Shelton who were estatic at commandeering this state of the art technology. To aid them in the task, they hired an Engi, an act which they agreed would be fitting for it's first journey. Off they went, with hope hanging on a basic cloak system, the glaive beam and a couple of lasers. It was tough going at first without a shield, but they managed to rescue a Mantis, save a Rockman and acquire a drone. With a growing crew and the debris of pirates and foolish aggressors in their wake, the ragtag bunch of aliens fled the ever advancing rebel fleet. At one point the rebel fleet and the stealth ship clashed - but Tomas held steady at the helm, trusting his new crew members to fend off the enemies who boarded the craft and fired incessantly upon the blue-black creature. At one point, the engine caught fire - and JP came running out, it was unfortunately too much for a human. The gruff Rockman took one look, went in, and came out unscathed. It was a close one - they managed to escape and maintain some distance, but clearly things needed an improvement. And so in a timelapse-esque style, the ship grew in power and systems - upgraded engines, triple shields, terrifying drones and an energy sucking glaive beam that nearly bankrupted them all. But the stats of this weapon were too good to pass up, and Tomas the captain willingly threw in most of the ship's power to accomodate the beast. A few scrapes and cloaking maneuvers by Shelton made complete mincemeat of anyone who dared challenge the stealth ship, and by now the Rockman had made a friend, who was more than willing to see the mission through. Elsewhere, a young mantis teenager eager to participate in war games hopped on from his homelands, making the group seven in total. Though they all spoke different languages, and had different ideals, none dared challenge the eternal darkness and death that came with space, and it was this silent wish to live that propeled them onwards, as an engine would propel a shuttle. Of course, all journeys have to lead somewhere. For the lucky 7, it was time for the final battle. The rebel flagship closed in and Tomas maneuvered the craft with expert skill. Meanwhile, Shelton hammered at the enemy, drones fully engaged whilst the Rockmen focused their efforts on keeping the shields and cloak in orchestrated time. The Mantis ran around the cabins watching the carnage unfold - his time would come. Yet the mistake soon presented itself - the glaive beam was a too slow and power hungry and a wayward shot took it out almost immediately, leaving the ship with pitiful lazers. A barrage of missiles punctured metal and ripped debris into space - and with it, a horrible whine and woosh as air vacated the mangled rooms. It was at this time that the enemy teleported in, and the Mantis sprung into action. He clawed and carved his way through flesh and bone. The rockmen ran from room to room, extinguishing fires. Too little too late. With alarms blaring, Tomas looked on in horror - the engines were down, the health station was completely engulfed in fire and worse of all, the oxygen system had failed. Leaving the controls of what was now a sitting duck, the frightened Engi and Tomas crouched over the oxygen system, desperately trying to revive the lungs of a cold beast. Meanwhile, the Mantis was not having a easy time. Inexperienced and without help, a delicate dash ensued, as he dodged through vacuumed rooms and flaming debris. Dazed and terribly hurt, he headed to the engines. JP was nowhere to be seen - he was in fact also horribly injured, and lay in the sensor room, flames just feet away. Shelton had in this time also suffered terribly - first fire, then half his health to suffocation - he left the Rockmen to deal with the flames and crawled back to his controls, and it was then he realised that in all the frantic action, and with the ship 2 bars to oblivion, his prized drones were still up and running! The words hull critical flashed over and over through his screen, but he took several deep breaths.. and waited. The enemy ship turned to face them, it's weapons drawn, ready to seal the fate of it's prey. Shelton paused. There. The drones took the shield down for a split second and Shelton fired. A single desperate lazer shot made itself across the minute gap, past the regenerating shield. It tore into the hull and hit the engine with a horrifying explosion. In space, no one can hear you scream, and no one heard the explosions either. The crew watched as the flagship ripped itself apart. They were alive. Barely, but still alive. And that is the story of my 7 man crew. Tomas and buddies/10. Highly recommended.