Tearstone

Star Wars - Jedi Exile

Sep, I'm interested as Master or Knight, but just as easily would do Padawan.

New Apocalyptica

Name: Daniel Johnson
Nickname(s): Danny, DJ
Age: 27
Height: 5' 9"
Build: Athletic

Appearance

Arsenal:
Slingbow with 15 arrows.
Shotgun - w/ military steel ammo box (100 shells)
Kimber handgun - Springfield 1911 model .45 cal - 50 rounds.

Equipment - some gear is on person, some is in the duffel bag, some in the knapsack, it looks like a lot, but when distributed across person and a couple storage items, it's not.
Two sets of clothes, good boots, running shoes, gloves (leather), sunglasses, baseball cap, Leatherman, binoculars, machete, a few Bic lighters, a firesteel, pocket knife, box cutter, survival/field/bushcraft knife, backup knife, e-tool, hobo stove, vaseballs, duct tape, bank line, tarp, bed roll, couple sets of eating utensils, a few stale power/protein bars, crowbar (for B&E), small tool kit, backpack, knapsack, duffel bag. mirror (old CD), chap stick, small jar of vaseline, storm matches, canteen

Transportation - bicycle w/ small trailer

Bio/Narrative:
They say you never really realize what you have until it’s gone. God that’s so damn true, isn’t it? Let me introduce myself, dear reader. My name is Daniel Johnson. I tend to go by Danny or DJ a lot among my friends, when I had them. I figure it’s a good idea to talk to you like this instead of talking to myself. That’s not healthy, right? I mean sometimes it’s the only intelligent conversation you can have, even before … the Turn. Anyway, Daniel Johnson, you might or might not recognize the name. I used to be an entertainer. I started out doing set construction stage as well as big and small screen companies. One day they needed a stand-in for somebody I looked like. It went well, I was invited back to help. Soon after, I was working on getting my certification in stunt work through the stunt actors guild, basically. I picked up stage fighting, driving, falling, all sorts of things. It was fun, and I enjoyed the adrenaline rush. I’ve always been a jack-of-all-trades kind of person, so when I wasn’t doing stunt work, I was doing production work. Training in Kali through Guru Inosanto and Kuya Marcaida. They thought I was a natural, and maybe I was. I picked it all up. Never thought I’d have to use it for real.

So if you know my face, that’s great. If not, that was part of the job too. I got to do some cool stuff in the day. Least I got paid for crazy stuff. These days I don’t work for money, I work for my life. Thirty foot fall into a raging river? Yeah I don’t have divers to pull me out now, or give me air from a scuba tank. Better know how to swim, and you better be able to put your own shoulder back in if you pop it out.

So, skills. I mentioned some. I can cook, decently. I’ve several years in Filipino Martial Arts and stage fighting, and some kickboxing, but since then I’ve had to make use of it for real. I can handle most firearms pretty well. My armorers on set saw to that. I can build and wire a house, repair most mechanical things. I can do general repair and maintenence and jury-rig a lot of stuff. I can drive and handle a radio. Set work and the training made me strong, but I’m not a bodybuilder. I’ve got some mobility training for doing stuff like parkour but.. I’m nowhere near some of the people on Youtube, even after all this time. I play guitar, and can sing decently. It helps from time to time. Beatbox as well as just general impressions and impersonations. Sometimes it’s good to talk my way past people, other time it gets a smile or a laugh. So what first aid I picked up on the set, I’ve had to live by and it’s gotten better. I had to learn survival out here in the wild, scrounged up some books, but I’ve run into a few good ol’ boys. Jason Raynes was one of them. Former Army CavScout/Sniper, was running with a motorcycle gang for a while. Film crews sometimes have to make good out there, and you pick up stuff, but he took what I knew and built on it a ton. I heard he’s alive in Colorado somewhere. Might have to track him down.

I guess being able to do a lot is the advantage of above average intelligence. It sounds like I’m some sort of war machine, but I’m not. The injuries catch up to you, especially on the cold days sometimes. I don’t fight unless I gotta. Running is usually a better option. Ammo is scarce, even in Tennessee.. you know the patron state of shootin’ stuff. I’ve had to learn how to use a bow in the process. I had some training, but these days you have to live by it. Jason introduced me to ‘em. Most of the time I carry a sling-bow. Small, compact, folds up, easy to find the parts for, can take down a deer or a man no problem. Undead too with a clean shot. Ammo is cheap for hunting small game. Rocks will usually do just fine. When you need something meatier taken down, a quick conversion and it’s ready. Arrows can be hard to come by. Most department stores were out of them after hunting season when the Turn happened. I have to make my own. I’ve got a few things to help, but I can make do with just a pocket knife in a pinch.

Most of the time you’ll find me wearing at least a leather jacket. It rubs less than cloth, cuts the wind, and oh yeah… the undead can't scratch or bite through it most of the time. I’ve got a couple old t-shirts I wear. Ripstop cargo pants, olive drab are usually what you can find me wearing, with a pair of broken-in hiking boots, or a pair of running shoes sometimes. I usually have gloves, shades, cap and hoodie. Been having to scrounge warmer clothes lately, heading up north.

Into the Maw: Space Command

The farther ship seemed to falter, then it began to roll. With it’s yaw rotating to the left, the roll began a relative down-turn, clearing the the first ship, where it’s weaponry could return fire. The battleship had built up a fair amount of delta-vee, or forward acceleration. “Range to second ship,” Alex requested. “One point seven five em-kay-es,” reported Alex’ tactical officer. “Main cannon is ready to fire, Captain,” SARA chimed in. The ship ahead was already seeming to gain more confidence in it’s movement. “Energy spikes detected. They’re charging weaponry,” came the report from one of the sensor officers. “Helm, on my mark, I want you to swing to port, just enough to avoid any shots they get off.”

Alex looked at the rest of her command staff, namely her first officer, Commander Lawrence. He was only a little older and wasn’t quite as ambitious, other than wanting to be in the fight and on a battleship. “We’re not going to have too many more freebies. The reports from the outer defense grid were pretty grim. They haven’t seen all the things we can throw, but we don’t know a whole lot about them either…. It’s going to be a brawl.” The Commander nodded, then pointed to the Fenris nearby. “The ANS Fenris is calling for support,” he said, “Or at least they were before our last shot we made.”

The captain cracked a faint, very brief smile. “If the Wolf cant bring down badly wounded prey, then maybe it should starve.” She took a deep breath, “Comms, reach out to the Fenris. Let them know we’re chasing their.--” “Captain!” The sound of momentary panic was unmistakable as two ships stabbed into the black just off to starboard, close enough to be visible. “Two heavy cruisers dropping out of micro-jumps,” the young female officer reported as she got her voice under control. Green flickers appeared on the surface of the Thresh warships. “Incoming fire detected,” Tactical reported. “Return fire with the particle batteries. Make sure the gun crews are ready for contact. Main cannon you’re cleared hot.”

“Attackers have been launched from the second cruiser. I am detecting a picket line of their version of fighters screening their ships. Not tightly, but still there,” Sensor Officer Nelprin reported. “Launch the alert fighters. Bolt squadron takes the lead. Angel squadron screens us,” Alex responded.

As orders were issued many things started happening at once. The golden glow at the mouth of the great cannong began to glow as though the great Tiamat began to take a breath, about to breathe incandescent death once more. The beam stabbed outward, lancing across the distance in the blink of an eye, boiling off part of the ship’s dorsal hull before stabbing through the starboard quarter. A moment later the power plant of the ship went critical, as all materials and forces keeping it stable were no longer there. It blossomed into a fireball, slinging metal and chunks of material in it’s death throes. Part of the engine housing caromed off the first, nearly derelict light cruiser that had been victimized.

Small craft, Hammerhead exo-atmospheric jets… fighters, interceptors, whatever one wanted to call them, began pouring out like bees from a hive, burning hard on accelerator cones.

Flickers of blue-white energy traced along several dark strips that went along the long axis of the ship. Several beams of charged particles stabbed out at the closer of the two heavy cruisers. At the same time green bolts and globules of plasma began hitting the navigational shields, scattering or sticking, shimmering before their energy was dispersed into space. “Tickles,” Captain LeFores muttered. “Coms, check on the status of the Fenris.” A brief acknowledgement greeted her. “It’s too bad most of our support craft and tenders were taken out before they could make it back from the re-supply.”

“I know what you mean,” Commander Benjamin Lawrence said on the ither side of the tactical display table. Long range sensors were showing some returns from ships nearby. “Tie in to the FTL coms, make sure the quantum entanglement arrays are functioning. Tie in the IFF and transponder signals we can pick up, while we wait on the sensor data,” Lawrence requested to SARA. More green and blue blips began to appear on the long-range map. “We’re not alone in the fight, just not too many people in the neighborhood,” Captain LeFores said.

“Main cannon ready to fire,” SARA reported dutifully. Alex glanced toward the two cruisers spitting bio-plasma at them. “Magnetic shields are still up but they’re about to wear a hole in them. By now the particle batteries had been cutting into hull on the enemy cruisers, stabbing and probing, looking for weaknesses in all the places that seemed somewhat logical. Secondaries and short gouts of fire were erupting here and there, but they didn’t seem to be doing a great deal. One of the larger blisters on the closer cruiser seemed to swivel, and them belched out a massive ball of plasma the size of a house or bigger, sending boiling matter and energy like a comet toward the battleship.

The plasma slammed through the magnetic shields, only managing to peel a thin layer off the strike. It took them on the right side of the forward shields and seemed to roll down the length of the ship like someone pouring fire over glass. The decking lurched from the feedback of physical force from the gravimetric shielding. It handled the burning substance better as the rotation of the field flung and dispersed the substance away. Two more big fists of energy were headed for the Tiamat. “Helm, thirty degrees positive yaw, negative pitch, then one hundred-eight degrees positive roll if you please,” Alex ordered. The ship began to swing to the right, bringing it’s main cannon into firing position while the change in course slipped past the slower bio-plasma. The roll put fresher shields, both magnetic and gravimetric in line. Out the bridge view screens, which were just giant displays (windows on a battleship were a bad idea, on the bridge) the stars pinwheeled and the two enemy cruisers swapped sides, though it was the Tiamat that had changed orientation. That was the beauty of zero-gravity. Orientation was relative, subjective, most of the time. “Helm give me ten degrees positive yaw, ten degrees negative pitch. SARA, give me the shooting plot for the main cannon,” Alex requested.

A moment later three lines appeared, which collapsed to a point, giving the exact path of their main weapon’s muzzle travel, essentially. “Long burst fire,” she said just before the lines would have touched either ship. Again the glow built and then erupted, only taking a second or so, but this time it wasn’t just a second or two when the beam burned through space, but much longer. The beam swept across the two ships, shredding into their hulls, removing chunks from them both as charged particles skittered over the surface, destroying tissues and knocking out circuits. Secondaries rippled here and there. A few of the plasma emplacements erupted as well, but others were still firing.

And then green, as well as blue-white blasts of plasma began heading their way, not just one or two, but several, a half dozen… a dozen… “Oh, now they’re mad,” Lawrence said. The metal behemoth rocked from the volley of shots, half of it covered in a roiling sheet of plasma. “Helm, rotate us so fresher shields come into line,” Alex snarled.

“I knew we should have let them load the torpedo tube module on the ventral side,” The Captain griped. Overhead the glow panels flickered some, and a few sparks erupted from some of the control relays, but the tough bird seemed to handle the pounding decently. The particle beams continued to hit back, targeting the heavy plasma ...cannons? … that seemed to fire on the ship, and had downed several. The heavy firepower was beginning to dwindle. “Communications, update on the Fenris,” Commander Lawrence requested tightly.

Into the Maw: Space Command

Its not really Star Trek... he basically popped a balloon that... when it popped turned loose a bunch of burning napalm inside the ship.

Long post incoming.

Into the Maw: Space Command

Cool.

I didn't know before hand that the Delphi-Class's navigational/magnetic shields were going to be a serious advantage in this, but once it occured to me yesterday or today, it just made me smile.

Into the Maw: Space Command

What about the ones on Luna (The Moon?... I thought there was a group needing extraction there, or maybe I misunderstood..)

Also, I'll be more than happy to take some initiative. :D

Into the Maw: Space Command

Post toasties as well.

Into the Maw: Space Command

ANS Tiamat

The thousand yard long tri-blade arrowhead designed warship sat floating in the blackness of space. Captain LeFores sat in the command chair, studying the tactical displays and the occasional blossom of light as a ship was destroyed. It was so fast you'd miss it if you blinked, with most of the oxygen being consumed or dispersed. "SARA, any word from Command," she asked quietly, knowing the ship's AI would hear her. "No. Our objectives are still the same," replied a pleasant feminine voice, one that was familiar to Alex as her own. Sighing, some she shook her hands out. "Tactical, please hook into our satellites and probes, realtime, passive scans. SARA, show me the board."

Ahead of them was the array of the fleet near Gaia station. They'd made a micro-jump from deeper in the system, down the bottom of the well toward the sun, near Venus. The EM radiation had hidden their signature for the most part. A green blip appeared nearby as well, and began moving into an aggressive attack posture. The tag ANS Fenris appeared over it, as a holographic display of the battle began to be overlayed on the display table she had approached while making her orders. "Distance to the two cruisers targeting the Fenris," she asked. "Two mkm." the tactical officer reported. Well within range of their heavy lance. Someone once compared the design to a dragon breathing fire, which inspired the battleship's name.

"Soon as the Frenris is below the firing arc, I want the main cannon to put a shot through those ships. SARA begin acquiring a firing solution please," she ordered. "Wit pleasure, Captain," the AI responded. "Angel and Bolt squadrons need to be ready for launch. Prepare them for a CAS loadout, but make sure they can ACM if they need to," she relayed to her tactical officer. She received a quick "Aye, ma'am."

A small display from SARA indicated that a solution had been reached. "Navigation, plot a course to put us between the Fenris and any shooters. We'll get their attention in a minute. We won't have long before we get their attention. I want to make our first shot in this fight be a double knockout."

Glancing up she noted the firing solution and then glanced at the ships' systems. "Alright, bring the magnetic constrictors up. Charge all weapons, raise shields. Set Condition One throughout the ship." An alarm blared and red emergency lights popped on, but the alarms went quiet after a few moments. "All sections reporting ready for combat, ma'am," her tactical officer reported. "Burn them to ash," she ordered.

At the end of the great cannon a light began to blossom, seeming to gather and grow, pressing against an invisible force, building and brightening, until it was brighter than the sun,. Golden lightning began to crawl along the tines of the ship and arc along the scaffolding, before the front seemed to explode. A lance of tightly compressed photons, muon particles, and energy erupted forward shooting across the distance as close to instantly as they could register. The closer ship was hit amidships. A gout of fire erupted out the side with a ripple of secondary explosions. Engines flared out while the beam continued on, nicking the second ship's accelerator cones. Lightning skittered and crawled over the hull with a few secondary explosions as some systems overloaded. The second ship lurched drunkenly, veering to the side, heading for the first, now stricken ship.

"Close enough," Alex muttered. "Your move."

Into the Maw: Space Command

Yaaaay!
*cannonballs into the pool*

Into the Maw: Space Command

Hmm... *taps chin* Maybe if this comes up in a fleet fight, somebody from the engineering division could come up with a solution, such as adding capacitor banks, so the capacitors charge, and shunt power to the lances when they want to fire all of them, instead of drawing from the powerplant directly. I'd have it kind of a jury-rig solution and for some time later. Course, it would take time to build the capacitors. Maybe the machine shops on the Yellowstone, the Typhoon, and maybe our dreadnought could work on that.

Or maybe scavenge something that helps with it from enemy tech. *taps chin* Either way, I do like the setup. Every ship has it's strengths and weaknesses, but as a whole, they all cover each other very well, I think, between the eight ships in this battlegroup.