First fan fiction

[oni14128]

Foreward
Let me begin by saying that this will be my first short story that I have ever written. I say this not to excuse poor writing but to urge the community to read and help me fix any mistakes. This fanfic is based in the Evochron Universe and I would like to make it as technically accurate as possible. That being said, I would like to thank Vice for creating this marvelous universe that we have all come to be a part of. While I have started many sci-fi stories none of them get past the first couple pages, not because I am lacking in ideas for plot or characters but because I have difficulty with descriptions of the physical aspects of the “world�. Evochron has a wonderful backstory and political history with which to base a story and its sandbox design basically allows each of us to live our own personal stories as we play. While the technology, astrology and politics will be based exclusively on Evochron, characters and events borrow from some of my favorite sci-fi series; Joss Whedon’s Firefly heavily inspires my character development. Again, if I make reference to something in the Evo-verse that is false please message me with the correct information. Thank you for reading.

Chapter 1
The rain was coming down in sheets as the AEV Onimusha screamed through Onyx Prime’s upper atmosphere. Friction began turning the ship into a fireball that lit up the morning sky of the planet below. Power was draining from the forward shield array and the struggle with Onxy’s atmo threatened to overwhelm it. Not to mention the angry pirate raider intent on stealing their cargo. Bright green streaks of gamma radiation lanced past the ship as the pursuing pilot tried to weaken the Oni’s rapidly depleting shields. It was obvious that the pirate had no intention of allowing its prey to escape.
“Hatch! Get me more power for the forward array!� shouted the Oni’s Captain.
“Cap, we are already drawing all available power from the cannons,� replied a short, thin, bespectacled man in a white jumpsuit. “There isn’t anywhere else to pull it from!�
Hatch, had been with Captain Lance Leandre since the academy. He had earned his nickname after Lance had found him locked in an airlock by some of their classmates. Even his fellow science officer recruits had had little respect for him. Jealousy seemed to be the motivating factor; Hatch wasn’t a fighter, or a lover for that matter, he was however a brilliant scientist and skilled doctor and that seemed to draw the wrath of his colleagues. Lance could tell real talent when he saw it and appreciated Hatch for the qualities that others harassed him for.
From that day on, the two had been inseparable. Hatch helping the Lance, who at the time had been the Ensign, with his homework and Lance looking out for Hatch and all the trouble that jealous classmates aimed at him. After graduation, both had served in the Arvoch Conflict, Lance working his way through the ranks as a pilot and Hatch serving aboard the carrier as a medical officer. In addition to being a skilled doctor, Hatch was also talented behind a sensor scope and gifted at geology.
It was why their partnership worked so well. After the conflict, they had pooled resources and bought the Onimusha. Not the fastest ship out there but definitely not to be trifled with. With Lance’s skill behind the stick and Hatch directing them to the most lucrative mining sites they had done pretty well over the past few years.

The bandit had been cloaked in low orbit and had waited until the atmosphere began to drain the Oni’s shields before attacking. It was a cheap trick; in atmospheric combat whichever ship was on the other’s six was usually the winner. Not to mention the bandit’s fighter was faster, more maneuverable and had better shielding. The odds were definitely stacked against them.
“Cap! We just hit 2000 meters a second, if you don’t slow down, atmo is going to burn us up!�
“Alright, one last trick up my sleeve,� Lance said. “Pray it works else we aren’t going to be around long enough to know,� he mumbled under his breath. Sometimes Lance doubted his own skill and chose to attribute his success to blind luck. This was definitely one of those situations; shields failing, enemy closing on his six, hard ground rushing towards the ship, most pilots would have given up by now. Lance wasn’t most pilots.
“IDS disengaged,� intoned a feminine computerized voice.
The friction that had been plaguing the Oni slammed into the ship as the thrusters cut out, rapidly decelerating it. The nose of the ship swung around towards the bandit’s ship. Quickly shunting some of the remaining shield power back to the particle cannons, Lance was able to fire off a quick burst of superheated plasma at the offending ship. The increased surface area facing the planet served as a speed brake and slowed the Oni down dramatically while the pirate, caught unaware by the maneuver, zipped past connecting with every shot that Lance had fired. The pirate ship’s shields, also weakened by the rapid planetary descent, could not withstand the barrage. The Ferret that the pirate was flying may have had superior shielding but its hull was fragile and without the shield array to protect it from the extreme heat of re-entry the ship quickly turned into an expanding ball of flame as it rocketed by.
A cheer went up from the engineering bay and Lance could tell Hatch was celebrating surviving another near miss. If only he had had the credits for that Mk 4 shield booster back on Olympus Prime, well no it still would have been a near miss; just not quite so near. Damnit they needed more work, hell at this point Lance wouldn’t have minded a nice routine solar array cleaning. Right now, he just wanted to drop his cargo off at the Alliance Base and leave this system behind.
Onyx wasn’t known for its hospitality; in fact it was known for just the opposite. This system attracted every sort of scum the universe churned out, pirates, drug dealers, slavers all called this part of the universe home. It wasn’t lawless, it was just that with a few credits in the right pockets police could be bought and witnesses silenced. There was an Alliance presence, but lately they were focused on Vonari incursions one system over in Cerulean. This base was mostly a collection point for supplies and equipment making its way to the warzone.
Not to mention that the combined might of every malfeasant in the system with a ship would have no problem removing the small outpost on Onyx Prime. And so the crime and dirty political dealings went generally unnoticed by the rest of the universe as crime tends to do in the more affluent regions throughout human history. It’s not until it spills over into our own lives that we begin to take heed…
“You know,� Hatch had come up behind Lance, “shields and power emitters really aren’t my strong suit.� Hatch was right, science ops typically didn’t deal with those types of things. Now, locating the most profitable asteroid in a field, triangulating the location of a salvageable derelict or stitching Lance up after a brawl, those were the things Hatch was the best in Alliance space at.
“Alright, so we need to hire on some more help,� Lance acquiesced, “but you know I’m not going to trust just anyone with my boat. Let’s just finish this contract and get the hell off this rock. We ain’t exactly popular with the local law and,� Lance nodded his head towards the cloud of debris formerly a pirate Ferret, “our late friend might have known some people who wouldn’t lose sleep over spacing us for our cargo or worse.�
“Agreed,� said Hatch, “One horrifically close call is enough for a week.�
The rest of the landing was uneventful, punctuated only by the landing skids’ gentle impact with the docking pad.
************************************************
This is just a taste, up to page 3 of the 16 that I have written so far. All feedback/technical corrections are welcome.

[Edited on 11-30-2012 by oni14128]

[Maarschalk]

Very cool, can't wait to read more!...

[-splosives-]

To get some great writing tips, read this
http://www.starwraith.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10013

[oni14128]

Thank you for the comments. Thanks for the link splosives, I read that yesterday before a posted as well the beginning of Kikoni's story. Seems like a much better writer than me, but I'll do my best. I am in the process of finding out from forum admin whether I should be posting the rest of the story as an attachment with a disclaimer about mature audiences. Seems my use of the word ***tard may offend people and that is not my goal. And while swearing will be used as well as references to other mature themes (non-pornographic) I would still like to share my work with everyone. As soon as I hear back from admin I will post another chapter.

P.S. I am editing out the quote where the offending word is myself. That line never seemed fluid anyway.

[oni14128]

Ok, so here's the deal. I am having to revise my fic due to the content. I will be posting the "censored" version here on the forums, so please forgive the cheesy dialouge. Just replace jerk in your head with a more colorful expletive and you'll have the jist. That being said, here is the second part of the first chapter. Enjoy and constructive criticism is most welcome.

*******************************************************************************
“What do you mean 30,000?!?� Lance still couldn’t believe the outrageous docking fee they were charging. Chavez, the man Lance was bargaining with, was a snake. In fact he would probably sell his own mother if the coin was right. In reality Lance knew the standard fee on this planet was half that price, Chavez would probably pocket the difference.
“Well now, you ain’t zactly popular right now. And I’m sure some of the locals would just love the fact that you’re back in town…�
“Cap, 30s half our commission! Can’t we just fly over the base and drop this lot out the bay do…� Hatch stopped when he realized Lance was staring daggers at him.
“See, there’s your problem,� chided Chavez, “taking Alliance contracts in this system won’t earn you many friends. Someone clearly wants to make your life difficult so pay up or shove off!� Lance pulled out his PDA and began transferring the funds. “Pleasure doing business wit ya,� said Chavez sarcastically tipping an imaginary hat.
When the transfer was done, Lance grabbed Hatch’s arm and led him away and across the tarmac to the elevators that would give them access to the city below. Onyx Prime was a desolate place, thick clouds of smoke filled the air from constant volcanic activity. It covered everything in soot and made it almost unbearable to be outside without an environment suit. Most of the buildings that made up the city were small squatting structures that housed workers and their families. The larger buildings were all clustered towards the center around the large jutting spire that was the spaceport. Their destination, the Alliance base, was on the eastern edge of the city.
From the landing pad that the Onimusha was docked on, Lance and Hatch entered the closest elevator that would take them to ground level. It was a long way down and the elevator was in terrible shape, creaking and groaning under the strain as it made its descent. Perfect Hatch thought I survived another laser battle only to be finished off by some piece of junk elevator. Mercifully the doors opened at ground level a few minutes later and they stepped out into the oppressive volcanic environment. As they began their walk through the mazelike layout, Hatch could tell that Lance was mad.
“You know, for being so smart you sure can be an idiot! Why’d you mention we were hauling Alliance Cargo? Especially in Onyx! We’re lucky he didn’t double the fee!� Lance finally exploded, “Or shoot us,� he added silently
“Sorry Cap, I wasn’t thinking. But with them taking half our commission we’ll never be able to afford that new shield booster, or hire a good engineer for that matter. Why couldn’t we just set up shop in New Hope? Nice quiet cargo contracts, no bandits shooting at us every time we turn around. Speaking of, you think Chavez will rat us out to the pirates anyway?�
“Definitely, so let’s finish this contract and get the heck out of this system. It doesn’t look like we’ll be hiring anyone today.� Lance continued walking, pushing the dolly full of Alliance meds closer to its destination.
An hour later, they were back on the street headed back to the star port, slightly richer than when they started this venture. Between the docking fee, fuel and repairs they were looking at a very narrow profit margin. Lance was irritated by this, “almost�, complete waste of time that he didn’t notice the woman until she ran into him.
She was very nondescript, wearing worn black boots, a pair of dirty tan trousers, a rough spun grey tunic and grey wool shawl wrapped around her head. Everything was covered in a layer of soot, including her face that was so smudged with the black stuff that it was hard to make out her features.
“I’m sorry,� she mumbled keeping her eyes downcast.
Lance noticed a PDA that must have fallen from one of her pockets, “Let me get that for you,� he began to reach for the device but her hand darted out and snatched it away. He hand brushed his as she pulled away and she met his gaze just for a moment. Lance knew he would remember those eyes for the rest of his life. Bluish hazel with streaks of yellow around the iris, it was almost as if a nebula was contained within; similar to those clouds of ionized gases, her eyes spoke of a tumultuous strength that threatened to trap and confuse the unwary.
It wasn’t until Hatch cleared his throat a moment later that Lance realized that he was staring, “I’m sorry ma’am. Are you alright?�
“Fine,� she said brusquely quickly casting her gaze back towards the ground. She was lying of course; the look on her face said it all. It wasn’t an expression of hurt or annoyance but one of worry and fear. She rushed off hurriedly and rounded the first corner she came to. She had just made it around the bend when two thuggish looking characters appeared and quickly but discreetly walked in the direction she had gone. As the men passed Lance and Hatch, they cast venomous glares at them, most likely intended to scare them into going on their way. Lance watched them round the bend.
“We’re helping her aren’t we?� Hatch questioned. Then without waiting for Lance’s response, “What happened to getting the heck out of the system?�
“Hatch, go get Oni prepped for take off. We may need to make a hasty retreat.�
Hatch just rolled his eyes, this was so typical. Why couldn’t he save the damsel for once? Lance loosened his pistol in its holster and jogged after the suspicious duo. Well, there was his answer; despite his vast knowledge of physics and medicine, Hatch was an admittedly terrible shot and coupled with his poor self esteem was not a lover either . Hatch took off for the spaceport at a run, if he knew Lance; it wouldn’t be long before they were being chased off-world in a fiery laser battle.
Lance though he had lost his quarry completely when he heard arguing coming from an alley. “Thought you could get away from us did you? That PDA you took could be very troublesome in the wrong hands, and MR. X doesn’t like trouble,� Said one of the thugs.
“Please! You don’t have to do this!� It was the woman that had run into Lance earlier. When it came to women in trouble Lance seemed to have a sixth sense. “Take the PDA, but please, please just let me go,� she continued pleading.
Thug #2 stepped in closer to her, brushed some hair from her face and stroked her cheek mock affectionately, “I’m afraid, that’s not how this works. Mr. X takes offense to his property running off. My associate and I have been given instructions to teach you a lesson before we take you…�
Lance had heard enough, drawing his pistol he cleared his throat, “I believe the young lady doesn’t wish to accompany you.�
“What the!?! Who the heck are you?� The first thug demanded whirling around only to face the business end of Lance’s gun.
“Ma’am, you might want to take this opportunity to come with me,� Lance instructed the woman.
“This “young lady� is the property of Mr. X! So get lost jerk!� the second thug finally found his tongue.
The mystery woman shook hear head, almost as if coming out of a trance then hurriedly ran over to Lance, hiding behind his shoulder, “I can’t go back with them. They’ll kill me, or worse,� Lance didn’t want to begin to think about what the “or worse� meant.
“You two, against the wall,� Lance ordered motioning with his pistol, “Mr. X will just have to x’cuse the two of us,� how is it that these puns always manage to present themselves in life or death situations thought Lance, “but we will be taking our leave. I’d appreciate it if you two stayed here until we’re gone.�
“You’re making a big mistake. You’ll never make it off…� The thug was cut off as the butt of Lance’s pistol slammed into the back of his skull. First the ridiculously bad pun and now the stereotypical bad guy’s last comment before getting smashed in the brain pan, it’s almost as bad as the holo vids reflected Lance.
All humorous inner monologue aside, now they were running. Lance was gripping the woman firmly by the forearm, leading her through the crowed streets to the star port. Five minutes later they were waiting patiently as the elevator lurched skyward towards their salvation. Shortly thereafter, they were rushing across the landing pad towards the Onimusha’s open cargo bay door. Hatch was standing at the bottom of the ramp waiting for them. The whine of the Oni’s engines filled the air.
“You hit someone didn’t you?� Hatch asked as Lance rushed the woman into his arms. It was a rhetorical question, he always hit someone. “This is why we can’t stay anywhere…�
“Not now Hatch! Get her strapped in,� Lance ordered.
“Thank you,� the woman said weakly as Lance handed her off.
“Save your thanks for when we get out of here,� Lance shouted back as he ran for the bridge.
Lance sat heavily in the pilots chair and applied power to the vertical lateral thrusters. The Oni’s bulk slowly lifted off the tarmac. “Come on, come on,� he thought. It seemed like an eternity before the ship cleared the docking bay walls and as soon as they had Lance slammed on the afterburner and rocketed out over the city. The craft shook violently from the sudden acceleration and once he had some momentum going Lance angled the nose up 90 degrees, the quickest, albeit most dangerous, way out of atmo.

[Kikoni]

First off, loving the story, mate. Good vibe, good humor. It's pacing is a bit odd, and it feels a bit rushed, but improvements to that problem only come with more experience.

A few tips for your story in particular:

-Not everything needs to be one big paragraph. I see you trying to improve that, and that's great, but take it one step further. Hit 'enter' twice instead of just once.

-Denote character thoughts by using italics. Example: My thoughts are in italics, thought Kikoni.

-Colorful expletives are never ultimately necessary. Use descriptive, more intelligent insults to avoid lines sounding cheesy.

Those problems aside, I see a few grammar mistakes here and there. Other than that, though, I'm excited to see the next addition to the story.

Keep it up and remember to take criticism in your stride!

[oni14128]

Thanks Kikoni, I appreciate the advice. I am trying to slow the pacing a little, everytime I start writing I read the story from the beginning and add little bits here and there before starting on the new stuff. Dialogue is prob what hurts me the most as I have a hard time making it sound not forced. I haven't written creatively since grade school so I am doing my best with grammar. Thanks again for the tips, the next part is already written just polishing a little before I post.

[Maarschalk]

Yes, love it, keep it coming!....

[SeeJay]

Excellent stuff.

[DaveK]

I can see more additions to the Short Story Collection coming . . .

When is the next installment due???

[oni14128]

It's written up to page 20. I think with the two I have posted brings us to page 7. More to come in a little bit. Taking some of the offered advice and revising what's been written. Thank you all for the support and criticism.

[Kikoni]

It's written up to page 20. I think with the two I have posted brings us to page 7. More to come in a little bit. Taking some of the offered advice and revising what's been written. Thank you all for the support and criticism.

The story is well worth every bit given. Keep it up! Can't wait for more.

[oni14128]

Ok, time for some action! When we last left the crew of the Onimusha, they had just completed their cargo run and were about to head off world. A chance meeting with a strange woman has lead to a frantic break to the space port.

Chapter 2
For a moment Lance thought they had gotten away clean, but that hope was dashed when a voice crackled over the ships comms, “Mercenary vessel Onimusha. You are in possession of stolen property.� Lance couldn’t believe that the slavers were actually reporting a runaway slave to the police. Even though the system may turn a blind eye to their activities, no law enforcement would actively pursue a runaway. “Two fighters have been dispatched and will escort you back to the star port. If you refuse to comply, you will be fired upon,� the voice continued.
This was getting to be way to much trouble for a couple of thugs harassing a woman in an alley. There had better be one heck of a story behind all this. Suddenly, a warning klaxon went off as the promised escort came into range.
“Hatch! Try again with that forward shield array. We are coming up on 1500 m/s and I can’t slow us down! We got fighters on our tail and they’re closing fast!�
A moment later the atmosphere outside the cockpit turned into an inferno as friction and gravity pulled at the craft that was desperately seeking to escape its bonds. Lance spared a moment to grieve for his poor ship. This was the second time today he had forced it to endure so much punishment. Slowing down was not an option; the aerodynamic fighters chasing them would easily overtake them. The Oni’s shield readouts were beginning to fade and Lance’s heart sank, this was definitely not how he had pictured going out. Running away, not a single shot fired by either side.
Lance glanced back at the readout, trying to figure out how long they had before the end. So close to, only two kilometers until the air would thin out and they would be home free. Wait the shields weren’t fading anymore! Hatch must have found some power in reserve! Just then the Oni broke free of the atmosphere and streaked out into the space beyond. Born again from the flames like a legendary bird he had once read about, Lance wasted no time and hammered the button to engage the ship’s fulcrum drive.
Onyx’s moon and the nearby stations zipped past as the ship created an artificial black hole and accelerated itself towards it at an exponential rate. Space distorted into a swirling blue mass as the Oni plunged through the tear in space-time and hurtled towards its destination. Lance had preprogrammed an escape route as he was waiting for the ship to clear the docking bay walls back on Onyx. Nothing fancy, just a quick jump towards the system’s northern border, as far as the fulcrum drive would take them. While he was waiting to emerge from the jump however he began plotting a course back to the south. The goal had been to fly to Cerulean after the Onyx job and that was where he still intended on going. The northbound jump was just to throw off any potential pursuers; it would have been foolish to head right for their destination.
The way Lance figured it, they would come out of the jump, have time to recharge the fulcrum drive and be able to make the jump to the Cerulean gate in the southern sectors before those fighters back on Onyx could scramble a long range vessel to pursue them. Lance heard the jump drive begin to wind down and moments later, real space returned. A few adjustments to the power regulator, diverted power back from the shield arrays to the fulcrum drive’s power core.
Lance went back to the nav computer to check his jump coordinates. This next one could get a little hairy; Lance had programmed the nav computer to have them emerge from the jump about 2 kilometers from the jump gate. At a speed of about ten thousand meters per second coming out of a jump they would traverse the distance in .2 seconds; nowhere near enough time for traffic control to register a contact let alone identify it. As far as anyone in the Onyx system was concerned, the Onimusha would never have left. That is, as long as no other ships were coming through the gate at the moment. If there were, neither ship would ever know what hit it.
After a moment’s hesitation, Lance reengaged the Fulcrum drive and plunged his ship back into the depths of space-time. Roughly a minute passed before the black hole gave way to space, Lance had judged correctly and the Onimusha was lined up properly with the jump gate that was racing towards them. It had never ceased to amaze him; jumping millions of kilometers in a minute yet having to spend that same amount of time flying from the atmosphere of a planet to its surface only about one thousand or so kilometers away. The time for pondering the universe’s mysteries was over as the Oni slipped through the gate only two tenths of a second after it emerged from its jump. Even though sector jumps could be completed relatively quickly, going from one star system to another would take some time.
Lance stretched as he got up from his chair, time for some answers. “Hatch,� he started as he walked into the crew compartment, “What ever you did with the shields really saved our butts that time.�
“Well, as much as I’d like to take the credit, I’m afraid that praise should be directed at our new passenger,� Hatch replied.
“What?� Lance couldn’t believe it; he glanced around the room looking for the strange woman they had just rescued. He finally spotted her half hidden behind a bulk head. She had taken off her shawl and long blonde hair cascaded down over her shoulders. The woman had a slight build, barely 5’ 3�, but the way she stood defiantly hinted at a tremendous inner strength. Even though her face was still covered in soot and her hands were now covered in grease, Lance didn’t think her had ever seen such beauty in his life.
“How did you pull off that trick?� He questioned her. It wasn’t often that someone unfamiliar with his ship could make sense of the engineering bay much less completely re-route the power grid; whose access panel was a mass of tangled wires and capacitors at the best of times.
“I…Uhh…Well you see,� She was still quite shaken from their escape and was having a difficult time with the words.
“Listen,� Lance began, “It’s not that I’m not grateful for the assistance, but we wouldn’t have needed it if not for you. So you either make with the answers or I’m turning this ship around.�
“I never asked for your help!� the woman spat, “You just appeared out of nowhere and started hitting people!�
Hatch couldn’t help but chuckle. Lance glared daggers at him and he quickly stifled his laugh. “So sorry to have gotten you out of your predicament with the local muscle! I forgot, you had those two under complete control! I went out on a limb for you…�
“Which you always seem to do for a pretty face,� Hatch interjected.
There were the daggers again, “…and now I have god knows who’s looking for us,� Lance continued. “So if you don’t mind you can answer some of my questions. Just the facts please, we have some time before we hit Cerulean but not enough for wild fantasies and embellishment. Now who were those guys I hit?�
“Slavers,� the woman replied curtly.
“And you are?�
“A slave.�
Lance had already figured as much, “So what’s on that PDA you stole that everyone seems so keen on getting their hands on?� Now we’re getting somewhere Lance thought.
“Trade routes to be ambushed, political payoffs, ledgers for drug and slave sales, you name it; if it’s illegal, it’s on this pad. I thought I was out, I paid my families debt…� The woman tried to continue but Lance cut her off.
“I thought I said no stories, I ask the questions you answer. Simple right?� Lance asked.
“No! It’s not alright, I volunteered for indentured service to work off my families debt. A week ago I was finally finished with my contract; I was going to go home. But Mr. X had my family murdered, had me erased from all the databases. See he decided that as talented a mechanic as I was, I would be more profitable to him elsewhere,� Tears began welling up in her eyes as the woman continued her story. “There was no way I was going to do… That,� she said with disgust. “Mr. X likes to “sample� all the new girls, so while I was waiting for him, I did a little snooping in his room. I found the PDA and when he came to try his merchandise, I stabbed him with a letter opener I found in his desk. It all happened so fast, before I knew it I was out the window running down the street.�
Lance was taken aback by the woman’s sudden outburst. A slave’s story was never a happy one, but this was something else entirely and definitely the reason why he hadn’t wanted to hear it. He would have been perfectly content to drop the young woman off on a decent world and be on his way. Now however, he knew that no matter where he left her, this Mr. X’s thugs would find her. The evidence that she claimed to possess would bring down every Alliance force in the quadrant on Mr. X’s head; slavery, drugs, dirty politicians and cops. No way was Onyx Prime going to slip under the radar once this PDA got out.
By now the woman was crying, long deep sobs that she had been saving for years. The moment she gained her freedom it seemed she was to be cast off, discarded on some desolate world by someone who even upon hearing her plight would not lift a finger to help her.
“What’s your name?� Lance asked.
The woman sniffled and cast a defiant look at Lance, “Celeste�.
“Celeste, I need you to take a look at the shield array. It’s taken a real beating today and we need to be ready for any more surprises. We will be in Cerulean space inside two hours and I want to be ready just in case any of your “friends� are waiting for us,� Celeste’s eyes brightened as Lance began giving her orders, “After that we are headed for the war zone to the Alliance carrier there. I know some people who might be interested in that PDA and you’ll be safe there for the time being.�
“You’re not going to leave me there are you?� Celeste asked sheepishly.
“Now why would I leave my new mechanic behind when there is so much work to do?� said Lance mockingly.
Her response was immediate; she raced across the room and flung her arms around his neck.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!�
Hatch shook his head, no one ever threw themselves at him and that just seemed to be the way of the universe.
“Now, I know how keen you are on the whole indentured servitude but on this ship everyone gets a share. Granted sometimes it isn’t much as repairs and fuel and food do come first…�
“Yeah and he likes to beat the tar out of this ship,� Hatch laughed.
“Yes, well I don’t mind taking contracts that get my hands a little… dirty,� Lance retorted, “That’s where you come in. The better you take care of my ship, the less damage we take in fights and the more money we all walk away with.�
“I think I’ll be okay with that. Tune the engine, charge the shields, and make some money,� Celeste laughed, “yeah, definitely okay with that.�
“Don’t forget the exploding and sucking vacuum if any of us screws up,� Hatch reminded everyone. Hatch couldn’t help but worry, even though she had saved their bacon with her trick with the shield array, they were going to be putting their lives in her hands from now on. Routing a quick burst of power to an array was one thing, rebuilding a damaged engine using only scrap metal was an entirely different thing altogether. And lately that seemed to be all they could afford in the way of spare parts. What they really needed was a decent Alliance contract, one where they didn’t spend half their take on docking fees.
This can only end is disaster Hatch thought. Glancing around, Hatch realized he was the only one left in the room. He could see Lance in the cockpit checking charts and plotting a course for the warzone. He could also hear Celeste in the engineering bay, presumably poking around familiarizing herself with the various components of the (ship name)’s frame. Hatch decided to head to his bunk and get some rack time before their next near death experience, which as luck would probably have it would be when they emerged from warp in less than two hours.
A violent flash of bluish white light marked the Onimusha’s arrival at the Cerulean<>Onyx jump gate. The engines spooled down and began cruising at port speed.
“Mercenary vessel Onimusha,� came the voice of the port authority officer over the ship’s comms, “Welcome to Cerulean, please state your I.D. and business.�
“Cerulean Port, this is Captain Lance Leandre on route to the A.C. (Ship Name) in the warzone with an important message for Admiral Johannsen. Transmitting Alliance I.D. now.�
Celeste looked at Hatch who was sitting in the co-pilot’s chair and silently mouthed the word “Captain?� Hatch just smiled, she had no idea. Probably thought we were just some mercenary outfit. Well technically they were, they had both retired early after only ten years in the service. Hell most pilots that flew during the Arvoch conflict had. That didn’t stop them from maintaining a relationship with the Navy. They would help out in certain hotspots and in return the Navy often threw them courier contracts and would refit their ship; looks like we are going to call in some favors on this one Hatch thought.
“Onimusha, you are cleared to proceed. Fly safe out there.�
“Alright crew,� Lance began, “We are headed to the conflict zone in Cerulean so buckle your seat belts as we could be in for a bumpy ride. The carrier is only a couple of clicks from the jump gate but every now and then the Vonari manage to gate camp if Naval forces are focused elsewhere so be ready for anything.�
“Jump Drive engaged,� the computer informed everyone.
Once again the space in front of the Onimusha stretched out into a swirling blue mass as the ship dove into its artificially created black hole. The gate to the warzone was only a few sectors north of where they entered the Cerulean System so the jump didn’t take that long. When they emerged they were greeted by another gate and a quadruplet of sentry guns guarding access into Alliance space.
Celeste watched nervously as the guns tracked their ship’s movement towards the gate. Sensing her discomfort Lance attempted to calm her down, “Don’t worry, the access code that I gave to the port authority deactivates the guns. They won’t fire on us.�
“Then why do they keep following us?� Celeste asked.
“Just in case we do anything stupid; clearly it’s easy to get a hold of classified documents,� Lance said referencing the PDA she had stolen from the crime lord on Onyx, “however these turrets are mostly for the Vonari trying to get into the system.�
“I guess that’s reassuring. Have they ever fired on anyone by mistake?�
“Sure, these things break down all the time,� laughed Lance. Celeste wasn’t laughing though, she continued her nervous vigil until they passed through the metallic ring of the jump gate.
As soon as they returned to real space, the ship was rocked by a duo of laser blasts. “Stupid Vonari! I really wasn’t expecting them to be camping today,� shouted Lance.
Hatch grabbed Celeste’s arm and lead her hurriedly back to the engineering bay. It was terrifying and exciting all at once. She hadn’t thought of her original escape as being in combat, this time was different. She could feel the pull of the ships gravity as Lance executed what must have been a complex maneuver and stumbled a bit, bracing herself on a bulkhead. The ship rocked as more lasers and condensed particle packets connected with the ship. A dull “plunking� sound reverberated though the hull as Lance engaged ECMs to spoof a Vonari missile followed by an abrupt forward lurch as the missile’s shockwave pushed the ship forward. The excitement was definitely wearing off.
Up in the cockpit, Lance was still loving it. This was nothing he thought, only two Vonari-Bs, he might as well as let the new girl fly. Coming out of a wide loop, he pointed the nose at the first Vonari fighter and disengaged the IDS. Applying a bit of lateral thrust he angled the ship’s directional velocity so that he was traversing his targets view horizontally. The Vonari attempted to turn its ship to keep the Oni in its sights but every time if fired, the particle cannon only hit empty space. Lance’s side slip maneuver had confused his oppenent’s MDTS targeting computer while allowing his on to maintain a solid lock as his enemy headed straight for him. Lance depressed the trigger on his control stick and crystal blue laser beams blasted across the intervening space to decimate the Vonari’s shields. At a distance of 500 meters from the enemy ship Lance re-engaged the IDS and the retro thrusters kicked in slowing his ship as he realigned it to the passing enemy.
It was almost as if they were jousting on some medieval field, one pass after another until one was “unhorsed�. In this case however it would be foolish to wait for his enemy to complete its turn before attacking again and with the second Vonari closing in, Lance needed to end this. Squeezing the trigger again, a burst of condensed particles sprayed out of the Maxim-R cannons and tore into the Vonari’s six, rupturing its engines and detonating the ship.
Lance jerked sideways as another volley from the second Vonari impacted the Oni’s hull. Now he was at a disadvantage as the enemy was on his 4 o’clock and by the time he would be able to complete a turn, all his forward momentum would be lost and they would be sitting ducks. More impacts on his ship demanded a quick response and there were precious few options.
An even more violent explosion shook the ship and Lance looked out the port window to see that his right wing was on fire. Damn, that last hit really did some damage he thought.
“Cap! What’s going on up there? The control board for the port wing just went dead!� Hutch’s voice broke through on the intercom.
“Uh… Not to worry, the control panel doesn’t serve much purpose if the wing is gone,� replied Lance.
“Gone!� Lance heard Celeste’s voice in the background.
Lance really didn’t have time for this distracting conversation and hit the mute button for the intercom. Well, he thought, I can’t pull off any more fancy maneuvers with only one wing, so this could get a little ugly.
The Vonari was closing fast after coming around from its next pass. Once again on his six, if it managed to get off another volley, that would spell destruction for him and his crew. Already at full throttle, Lance engaged the afterburner praying that he could get far enough from his pursuer to get a missile lock before its guns came back in range. Just past the 2000 m/s mark Lance disengaged the IDS and flipped the ship over so that he was still travelling in his original direction but now facing the Vonari.
He saw a burst of light from the Vonari’s engines and could tell that it had also engaged it’s burners to catch up. Lance watched in agony as the missile reticule slowly collapsed around the enemy ship, while the range counter crept closer to 550 decameters, the range of the Vonari’s cannons, and his destruction. 700… 600… 580… The missile reticule fully collapsed and began spinning wildly around the targeting brackets. Lance mashed his thumb down on the launch trigger and two Exodus missiles screamed off of their wing mounts and spiraled off through the intervening space. He could almost see the look of surprise on the Vonari’s face as the missiles smashed into the cockpit and detonated.
A long moment passed before Lance remembered to breathe. This was just not his day, two Vonari should not have been this much of a problem but, he mused; it is really difficult however to get the upper hand when you are getting shot at as you come though a gate. Everything emerges at a specific point so it is not difficult to lie in wait and blast a ship as soon as it enters real space.
“Are we still dying?� Hatch’s voice crackled over the intercom.
“No, I think we’re good,� Lance sighed.
Bringing up the navigation console, Lance located the A.C. (Ship Name) and realigned the Oni to a 180 degree 0 pitch heading and engaged the fulcrum drive. They came out of warp a few kilometers from the landing bay and he let the ship glide in on inertia.
“Captain Leandre, we’ve been expecting you,� came a voice of authority over the comms.
“Good afternoon Admiral, permission to come aboard?� responded Lance.
“Looks like you’ve seen a bit of action today. Should I have emergency services standing by?�
“No, just give me a clear deck to set down on Sir.�
“Bay two is all yours, get settled in and meet me in my quarters,� instructed the Admiral.
“Yes Sir.�
*******************************************************************************************
Whew! Ok, so things slow down a little after this; hope you like backstory. I am still trying to keep a brisk pace and promise to try not to bore you with the details. I do feel like we really haven't gotten to know our characters with the exception of a few asides, so I am going to take this time to fill us in on Lance's history before and during the navy (which are just a few abstract thoughts in my brain at this point) as well as Celeste's life on Onyx before her indentured servitude. This whole thing is evolving as I am writing and the advent of one new sentence often sends me back pages to add some detail to a previously half formed idea. So, I hope you are all still enjoying my work; as it is your comments that keep things going. I am now off to see if Evochron updates when I load steam, if not oh well. I need so stick time in the Cerulean warzone for inspiration anyway. Until next time, fly safe everyone.

[Maarschalk]

Very Cool, keep it coming!, I'll be waiting to read more! Thanks for a good read so far!...

[SeeJay]

Excellent read mate.

Keep it up!

[oni14128]

So, LOL,after I posted the last bit I went in for some inspiration. I hit the Cerulean Warzone and got jumped by 2 vonari-Bs coming through the gate. Thankfully the outcome I experienced was way better than having my wing blown off (idea for future update: destructible parts on ships?). That's why this story practically writes itself. Next part coming soon with lots of bad dialouge (sorry). Bear with me and I'll have the crew back to braving the dangers of the evoverse in no time.

[DaveK]

Is it OK if I add it to the Short Story Anthology?

[oni14128]

A thought occurs... Yes, I do have them occasionally. Would any clan like to be a part of the story? I am looking for a squadron name for some backstory purposes. Should have fought in the Arvoch conflict and still be active military. If you would like to be included let me know and give me a roster so I can include accurate callsigns. I will U2U all sections that involve your clan before posting to ensure accuracy. I would not want to offend anyone by using your name and then having you perform actions or make comments that are not typical.

[SeeJay]

Feel free to include any active HB member in your story if you wish.

I can't see anyone being offended by being in your fiction story.
We have a Fighting Squadron (Not active right now) called the "Hornet Battlegroup".

You have the rooster here: http://www.starwraith.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7412

Knock yourself out!;)

[oni14128]

Is it OK if I add it to the Short Story Anthology?

I would be honored. Do you want the word doc? Or are you just going to copy/paste?

[DaveK]

Feel free to include any active HB member in your story if you wish.

I can't see anyone being offended by being in your fiction story.
We have a Fighting Squadron (Not active right now) called the "Hornet Battlegroup".

You have the rooster here: http://www.starwraith.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7412

Knock yourself out!;)

I thought we are bees, not hens

[oni14128]

Ok, so I'm not 100% happy with Lance's meeting with the Admiral. To many ideas flooding in all at once and if I don't keep writing I lose it. Needless to say that section will be expanded upon and I will post when I get around to editing it. So, here is the start of Chapter 3 "Attention on Deck" (the name just came to me. Eventually I'll name all the chapters, and the story for that matter.)

Chapter 3
Once they were on the deck, Lance retired to his room, he needed to change into his alliance uniform before his meeting with the Admiral. What I really need, he thought, is to sleep for about a week. The day’s events had definitely been taxing, but there was still work to do. At least for they were safe, or at least as safe as an Alliance carrier in a warzone could be.
Stepping back out into the corridor, Lance ran head first into Celeste who had been looking for him. “Wow,� she commented, “you really are a naval captain.�
“Former naval Captain,� corrected Lance, “I got out a couple years ago after the Arvoch Conflict. Every now and again we pull some jobs for Alliance Command and it helps to look respectable when we do. That’s why I keep the uniform, personally I can’t stand the thing.�
“Well… Captain,� Celeste began, trying out his title, “I took a look at the booster for the forward array like you wanted. Not sure if you’re going to be able to salvage it. I mean maybe before that last fight but now it’s just a piece of slag.�
“For now, don’t worry about that. I need you to oversee fitting a new wing system, we needed an upgrade anyway.�
“I thought you said we were low on cash, Alliance gear isn’t going to come cheap,� Celeste questioned.
“I’m headed to the Admiral’s quarters now, seems like he might have some work for me. And the kind of work I get summoned for usually pays big. Just tell the techs that it will be coming off my pay, they’ll know what you mean,� Lance instructed.
“O.K., I can handle that. What about the shield booster?�
“You can check, but they usually keep those for the fighters. With all the action they see up here, the boosters burn out pretty regularly. Anything you find will probably be pretty outdated. More than likely we will have to do without until we get back to the system core and hit up an outpost,� said Lance.
“One more question, when you say ‘oversee’…� Celeste couldn’t think of how to finish that sentence.
“I mean, you’re in charge. Don’t let these Alliance techs push you around, if you’re as talented as you say, they’ll fall in line and do what you tell them.�
“Yes sir,� Celeste said promptly with a halfhearted salute.
“You know,� Lance said as he started walking away, “you don’t have to address me by rank.�
Celeste let out a long pent up breath when Lance lowered the access ramp and left the ship. This is going to be interesting she thought, an Alliance maintenance crew following my orders?
“We should get to work,� Hatch had come up behind her, interrupting her thoughts, “A wing mount will take some time and there is no knowing how long he’s going to be gone.�
“Well lead the way,� she said.
Hatch lead on, shaking his head and starting to laugh, “Sir.�
Celeste blushed clearly embarrassed that Hatch had been witness to her faux pas with Lance’s title. “If it’s so funny, why do you address him by his title?� She demanded.
“What, Cap?� Hatch asked puzzled, “Cap’s always been Cap.�
*********************************************************
When Lance entered the Admiral’s quarters he was already sitting behind his large mahogany desk shuffling through some paperwork. Despite his average stature, the Admiral gave off an intimidating aura; his slate blue eyes bored into subordinates and perpetual scowl made them constantly strive for perfection as if they could coax a smile for a job well done. Lance still felt intimidated by the Admiral, almost as if he were back in the academy receiving orders for the first time. He knew however that the Admiral never asked more from his men than what he was willing to give himself.
“Captain Leandre,� Admiral Johannsen said, breaking Lance from his reverie, “good to have you aboard.
“Thank you Admiral it’s good to be back.�
“Missing the action that bad that you thought to just drop in?� queried Johannsen.
“Well sir, after today’s event I actually think I need a break from the action,� joked Lance, “all kidding aside what I really need is a favor.�
“I think you’ve earned more than a few of those.�
“Sir, I’m in possession of a PDA that documents some serious wrong doing in the Onyx system.�
“That’s nothing new Captain,� said Johannsen. Why would Lance Leandre of all people bring up such a trivial matter like it was a life or death situation?
“It’s not just the typical drugs and guns Sir,� Lance continued, “I’m sure you know about the slavery but now they are abducting Alliance citizens right from Onyx Prime! This Mr. X may be some serious trouble, the PDA I have is a detailed record of all his deals; Political payoffs, guns, drugs, slaves. The woman that we just took offworld says that he murdered her whole family and was about to sell her…�
“You can’t believe every pretty face you pick up,� Johannsen chided, “Now you say this woman is here. Why would you bring her to a warzone for Christ sake?�
“Sir, they sent police interceptors after us when we ran,� Lance began, “I couldn’t just drop her on the next world and be on our way, she’d be dead inside a week. Whoever this Mr. X is has deep pockets and they must be lined with dirty politicians. I’ve never heard of police going after runaways even on slaver run worlds. I worries me that this guy might even be in government himself, X is probably an alias…�
“Alright Captain, at ease. I’ll look over this PDA, but if it turns out to be nothing and it probably will, you just used up a favor. Still you are right, police never pursue runaways. I just can’t believe that something is that wrong on Onyx, we do have a presence there after all.�
“Thank you sir, that’s all I’m asking,� Lance knew he would be able to persuade the Admiral, they shared the same ideals and bad politics was always a sore point. All that was left to do was sit back and wait, he knew that something fishy was going on on Onyx and it was in Johannsen’s hands now. When his investigation turned something up Lance wanted to be the first to know, so it looked like the Hawk would be home for a few days.
“I can tell you’re not going anywhere until you get some closure on this,� Johannsen said read Lance like a book, “so why don’t you go fill in for Viper Squad’s flight leader while he’s recovering. We just got in a compliment of the new Evoch-Es and Hornet’s been assigned to put it through its paces.�
“Thank you sir, it would be my pleasure. Besides it will be good to see SeeJay again,� Lance saluted and turned to leave.
“Lance,� the admiral addressed him informally, “You’re gonna love that ship.�
Lance smirked and left Johannsen’s quarters.

******************************************************************
For Celeste, the maintenance bay was chaos. Engineers were running everywhere welding armor plates back on, testing the charges on particle cannons, recalibrating warp cores. She couldn’t seem to get the attention of anyone, much less the team that was supposed to be assisting her. They kept running off to lend a hand to their crew mates instead of finishing the tasks she assigned them.
Through some miracle the new Night Hawk Mk 1 system had been fitted in place, the electronics and control surfaces had not been tied into the ships cpu and power grid though. Celeste could easily finish the job but it would take her several days. Why wouldn’t the other engineers just help her link the systems, it would only take a couple hours.
Most of them couldn’t believe that they had been tasked with replacing a wing system on a civilian vessel. This was a war zone for crying out loud, they had their own combat ships that were in dire need of attention. Why did they have to babysit this woman who had clearly never given an order in her life? They had paid attention for a little while, now they were just ignoring her completely; hopefully she would just give up and either do the job herself, which in their minds was quite impossible, or just give up and leave entirely. That ship could make it to a civilian station with the damage it sustained.
Celeste was so frustrated that she was on the verge of tears when Lance appeared at the opposite end of the bay. He casually made his way across the deck, stopping every now and then to chat up some eager crew member. His dress uniform looked completely out of place in the mass of bodies cover in grease. Finally he made his way to the Onimusha.
“Wow, you do work fast,� he commented upon see the new wings attached to the ship.
“It’s not exactly finished,� Celeste said apologetically, “getting the wing mounted only took about an hour. The automated assembly plant is amazing! Getting everything hardwired is another story. I can’t seem to get anyone’s attention.�
Lance looked out across the sea of engineers and upon seeing a familiar face waved him over. The young man jogged over and stopped just short of him throwing up a quick salute; it was one of the techs originally assigned to help Celeste.
“What can I do for you Cap?� he asked.
“Jimmy, why isn’t my wing mounted yet?� Lance asked a tone of disapproval in his voice.
“This is your bird?� the tech stammered.
“Do you treat all your assignments as half assed as this one?� Lance continued his assault.
“Sorry Cap, I had no idea she was yours. I’ll get some guys and have this thing up to spec in no time.�
“Actually, I need it better than spec. This young lady here is going to tell you how she wants it done. Whatever she says, that is the new specification for my ship.�
Jimmy turned around and waved to several of the techs who all rolled their eyes and came over. Jimmy spoke quietly occasionally gesturing to Lance each time it was followed by a look of surprise from the other engineers. After a moment they all lined up in front of Celeste at attention awaiting orders.
“They’re all yours,� Lance said to her with a smile. As he walked away he could he Celeste issuing orders with renewed confidence. And while this would be interesting to see Lance had more pressing concerns on the flight deck. He realized that he should probably check in with Hatch first and give him an update on his meeting with Admiral Johannsen.
************************************************************************
“So, how do you know the Captain,� Celeste asked Jimmy the engineer as they pull off an access from the Onimusha.
“I served on the Hawk back during the Conflict,� Jimmy replied, “Actually I had just turned 18 when I joined up. I had no idea what I was getting into, thought I was playing it safe going into the engineering corp. Turns out there’s lots of casualties in that division. This one time a Ferret was coming in hot, major damage and a malfunctioning retro thruster. Anyway this one tech wasn’t paying attention until the ship hit the deck at 600 meters a second. The thing slid across the bay floor and would have taken the guy out if Captain Leandre hadn’t pulled him out of the way.�
“M’ah hero,� said Celeste in a mock southern accent, “That still doesn’t tell me how you know…�
Jimmy looked at Celeste and raised his eyebrow.
“Got it,� she said.
“Never got caught not paying attention again, in fact I paid such close attention that I ended up with my own team less than a year later. We worked exclusively on the Hornet Battlegroup. Some of the best pilots I’ve ever done maintenance for. Lance wasn’t a Captain yet but he was a demon behind the stick.�
“Yeah, I got a feel for that earlier,� Celeste said, turning green with the memory of the days physics defying events.
“Anyway, sorry for earlier. If we had known you were with the Captain we never would have been so hard on you.�
“Oh,� an indignant look crossed Celeste’s features, “So that fact that I’m just as skilled as anyone here has nothing to do with you being helpful?�
“That’s not what I… I mean…� Jimmy had really put his foot in his mouth this time. It was like having that fighter flying across the deck at him all over again. “We don’t get that many female engineers,� Jimmy started over, “Let alone civilian ones. And let me say, the way you optimized the actuators for the control surfaces was brilliant. I’ll be teaching that at our next meeting you can be sure.�
Celeste’s scowl lightened, “Go on…�
“All I’m saying is, I wish we would have given you a chance. You would be a welcome addition to any crew on this ship. Do me a favor though.�
“What’s that?� Celeste asked.
“Keep the Oni in the air, ok?�
Celeste laughed, “At the rate Lance gets in trouble; that may be a real chore.� They both burst out laughing earning some curious glances from several passing crew members.
After Lance had stepped in, the engineers that had been assigned to her project became much more forthcoming with their assistance. They all seemed impressed with her skill and knowledge of what they believed to be classified hardware. A few were even embarrassed that her optimizations were better than their own.
“There, almost… Done,� Celeste heaved a sigh of relief as she finished her adjustments on the actuator for the port wing. “Let’s get that access panel welded back on and I think we can call it a day.�
“All the diagnostics check out. The Oni’s green across the board ma’am,� Jimmy said proudly checking a digital readout.
“Do you think he’ll mind?� Celeste inquired.
“Mind? Oh, you mean that you performed some ‘minor’ modifications to the rest of the ship. No, in fact I think you may actually surprise him.�
A loud gurgling sound echoed through the crawl space they were occupying. “What was that?� Jimmy questioned.
“Umm, I really haven’t had any food at all today. Everything’s just been so hectic,� Celeste responded shyly.
Jimmy smiled in understanding and poked his head out of the access hatch. Addressing the rest of the team he shouted, “Boys! Chow time!�
A cheer went up from the crew and Jimmy hoisted himself out of the hatch and hopped down to the deck. Turning around he extended his hand to Celeste as he helped he down from the wing strut.


[Edited on 12-6-2012 by oni14128]

[oni14128]

So, about this anthology... With the remarkable tool that is the internet might it be possible to market it on amazon as a digital book. Of course vice would have to approve as its his intellectual property. I have downloaded some terrible fiction on my kindle it was clear it never saw an editor or publisher. I'm just saying 1$ download or whatever where vice gets the proceeds (i shamelessly plug evochron to whoever will listen). I'm not sure what process amazon uses to approve digital books but a,cheap anthology of sci fi fan fiction def has a market. Every Merc has a tale to tell let's expand our medium.
Anyway just a thought, good or bad you decide.

[SeeJay]

Hi mate.

Love the story and it's great to see real
pilots included. It takes the game/community
to new hights.

It would be a great idea to go on Amazon
with it, but I have no idea how that works.
I'll ask around and see if I can get some info.

Keep it coming.

[oni14128]

So, the rest of chapter 3 is well underway. Might be a day or two until I am able to finish writing it. I am caught up posting everything I have written so far but the story is far from over. Was doing some outlining yesterday for the rising action and climax portions of the story. Good stuff (i hope), even going to incorporate some TW combat. No Lance will not pilot the walker, shortly a weps officer will be introduced who will be its pilot. So just give me a moment to muddle through some more background and ill have us back out in the black taking down bad guys in no time. Once chapter 3 is up, Chapter 4 as I've envisioned it will focus on Lance and the Hornet Battlegroup doing some patrols and Celeste helping Hatch in the weapons lab (Vice, you gave me some awesome material to work with with the expansion). And thanks to SeeJay and the HBs for allowing me to use their clan for the story.