wedge009.net version 2.6.5
Special Operations 1: Ghorah Khar System – Part 1
Ghorah Khar A
Barracks, TCS Concordia.
Paladin: Maverick! Good to see you again, laddie!
Maverick: Paladin! I thought you weren’t going to be here until tomorrow.
Paladin: Well, we had to move up the schedule a wee bit… can you be ready to leave in half an hour?
Maverick: I’ll be ready in ten minutes. Just need to get my duffle and flight suit from my locker…
Paladin: Good. Colonel Ralgha and Major Edmond will meet me on the Bridge so we can brief the Admiral before we leave.
Maverick: Major Edmond?
Paladin: She’s the best communications specialist in the sector, Maverick. The Major and I will leave in the Bonnie Heather, an’ you, with Ralgha as your chief gunnery officer, will be flying escort for us, Maverick. I’ll see you on the deck in ten minutes, laddie!
Concordia: Colonel Blair, report to the Flight Deck immediately!
Flight Deck, TCS Concordia.
Angel: Christopher, I heard you are leaving with Paladin in a few minutes. I will miss you. Sans toi, tout ça n’a pas beaucoup de sens.
Maverick: I know, Jeannette. I feel the same way… Without you, my life has no meaning.
Paladin: Maverick, I’ve set our course to the jump point via Nav 1. We’ll AutoNav on your mark, laddie!
Maverick: Affirmative, James. Are you ready, Hobbes?
Hobbes: Of course, sir. All turrets armed and ready.
Maverick: Olympus Station, this is Colonel Blair, do you read?
Olympus: Reading you loud and clear, Colonel. Your status?
Maverick: We ran into some cat patrols on our approach to the station. I accounted for 11 Kilrathi and a Dorkathi, but there may still be some others in this area. Recommend you send out additional patrols.
Olympus: Affirmative. We’re engaging ALS, Colonel. Olympus out.
Officer: Welcome to Olympus Station, sir!
Ghorah Khar B
Flight Deck.
Olympus Station, Ghorah Khar System.
Maverick: It looks like Olympus Station is preparing for another battle, James.
Paladin: That isn’t half of it, lad. Let me explain the situation at Ghorah Khar to you. The native Kilrathi on Ghorah Khar successfully rebelled ten years ago. Since then, the Empire has made several attempts to retake the planet and Olympus Station, which Confed built here eight years ago to defend the Ghorah Kharrans. But now the political stakes are much higher. Three other planets along the Kilrathi-Enigma frontier – N’Tanya, K’arakh, and Shariha – are also rebelling. As each Kilrathi planet joins the Confederation, the Empire is slowly being whittled away from within. The Emperor can’t afford to lose any more planets. The political damage will destroy his regime. So we believe his plan is to retake Ghorah Khar, or destroy it, if necessary. If he can hold Ghorah Khar, the first planet that rebelled, the others may fall into line. Our mission is to make sure that those Imperial furballs can’t succeed. Hobbes has already left for Ghorah Khar, he’ll organise the ground resistance while we work with the spacers. I need to check with the station commander about the new shipments of Crossbow bombers, then I think I’ll have a mission for you. Meet me in the Auxiliary Commo Room in an hour, Maverick.
Edmond: I’m detecting communications from the Ralatha en route from N’Tanya, Colonel Taggart.
Paladin: An’ what are they saying, lass?
Edmond: They’re en route to the rendezvous point.
Paladin: Transmit that we’re on the way, Major. Ready for another mission, Maverick?
Maverick: Of course, James.
Paladin: We’re running guns and supplies to the Kilrathi rebels at N’Tanya. They’re sending a Ralatha to rendezvous with us. Maverick, take the Clydesdale to meet the Sh’ar N’Tanya via Nav 1, and return to Olympus via Nav 2. But be careful who you shoot at, laddie, we have friendly cats out there!
Maverick: Sh’ar N’Tanya, this is Colonel Blair of Olympus Station.
Sh’ar N’Tanya: Captain nar Raktha wants to speak with you, sir. Hold on this channel…
Maverick: Affirmative on that, Sh’ar N’Tanya.
Raktha: We send you greetings, Colonel. Did you bring our supplies?
Maverick: Yes. The Clydesdale tanker will jump back with you to N’Tanya.
Raktha: Excellent! If you will escort us and the Clydesdale to the jump point, we must get those supplies to N’Tanya Station very quickly.
Maverick: Affirmative, Sh’ar N’Tanya. Blair out.
Edmond: Colonel Blair, this is Major Edmond. Colonel Taggart requested a status report.
Maverick: Both the Sh’ar N’Tanya and the Clydesdale jumped out okay.
Edmond: Not bad, Colonel. But this mission took you longer than expected. We don’t have time for that, sir.
Maverick: We’ll discuss that after I’ve landed, Major. Blair out.
Officer: Welcome back, sir!
Ghorah Khar C
Maverick: I don’t like your tone, Major. If you have a problem working with me, let’s talk about it now.
Edmond: I don’t want to talk about it, sir.
Maverick: It’s an order, Major, not a request. Start talking.
Edmond: Colonel… when you transferred aboard the Concordia… all I could think was that I was serving with “The Coward of K’Tithrak Mang”. You reminded me of everything that I’d done wrong…
Maverick: What are you talking about, Major?
Edmond: Four years ago. I was Comm Officer on the TCS Kirsk. We were on a mission in the Hell’s Kitchen system, trying to slip past enemy patrols and destroy a Kilrathi starbase. But the Kilrathi were using a new code, I didn’t unscramble it correctly… I thought the enemy hadn’t detected us yet, that they didn’t know our location. Suddenly we were surrounded by squadrons of enemy fighters.
Maverick: Mistakes happen, Major.
Edmond: That mistake killed two thousand people, Colonel. I spent six months in a burn ward, afterwards. They rebuilt my face, and I was reassigned to the Concordia. And then you transferred aboard the Concordia. Every time I saw you, all I could think of was the TCS Kirsk… and my mistake.
Maverick: I’m sorry, Major. I never heard about that incident.
Edmond: I don’t need your pity, sir. Just leave me alone and let me do my job.
Maverick: Very well, Major. Dismissed.
Flight Deck.
Olympus Station, Ghorah Khar System.
Paladin: I have another mission for you, Maverick. Hobbes just returned from his assignment downside on Ghorah Khar, where he’s organising the resistance and training the rebel leaders. He’s returning with a team of young Human pilots who will command the Ghorah Khar squadrons. I want them to learn from you – your combat tactics, your style of command. And I want them to learn how to stay alive in combat. This’ll be a straightforward mission, a patrol around Olympus Station. Your main objective is to keep these boys alive, Maverick, we need them to lead the resistance. That’s more important than any scoring any kills on this mission. Hobbes has already launched, his team will meet you at Nav 1. You’ll patrol through Nav 2, and return via Nav 3. Good luck, Maverick. Dismissed.
Olympus: Maverick, this is Olympus. Your report?
Maverick: I rendezvoused with the kids and we continued on the patrol. There were a lot of Kilrathi out there, more than I expected. There was a Kamekh and wing of Sartha at Nav 2. A wing of Jalkehi was waiting to ambush us at Nav 3. All the kids did just fine on the field trip, Olympus.
Olympus: You are cleared to land, Blair.
Officer: Welcome back, sir!
Ghorah Khar D
Maverick: Any word from Colonel Taggart, Major?
Edmond: Paladin is still meeting with Colonel Marnier from Ghorah Khar, and the station commander. But he asked me to brief you on the current situation here at Olympus. Paladin’s agents informed us that an Imperial Kilrathi intelligence team is planning to drop a data pod with the invasion plans at the edge of the system. The data pod should be at Nav 2. Patrol Nav 1 and 3 to make sure none of the intelligence team escapes. We’re going to retrieve that data pod, crack their codes, and substitute another data pod with our invasion plan. If we can substitute the data undetected, we can select their invasion route for them, and lead the Imperial Kilrathi right into our main defensive forces. Colonel, you and Hobbes are assigned to go after the Kilrathi intelligence squad and the data pod. They’re readying a pair of Sabres for you on the Flight Deck right now.
Flight Deck.
Olympus Station, Ghorah Khar System.
Maverick: Another five minutes until they finish fuelling the Sabres. I hate waiting. You’ve been very quiet since you returned from Ghorah Khar, Hobbes.
Hobbes: The situation on Ghorah Khar is very desperate, Maverick. The Kharrans know that the Empire has no mercy for traitors and rebels. I wonder what has happened to my family, in the last ten years. They are Thrak’hra, of the noble class, so the Emperor cannot harm them directly. If they were Kilra’hra instead of nobility, they surely would have been imprisoned or killed. How long until this war is over? Until I can see my family again? How many must die before the Empire finally collapses of its own dead weight? Perhaps we are doing this wrong. A simple assassination, kill the Emperor and the Heir…
Maverick: Wouldn’t matter, Ralgha. Kill one cat, another will take his place. This game is bigger than any of us. One man can’t make a difference.
Hobbes: It is strange to hear that from you, Christopher. Of all of us, surely you have made a real difference in this war.
Edmond: Major Edmond here, sir. Colonel Taggart requested your report.
Maverick: We intercepted several wings of Kilrathi fighters. I took down 5 Kilrathi, and Hobbes accounted for 5. And we retrieved the data pod without any difficulties, Major.
Edmond: Good work, sir! I’ll relay that to Colonel Taggart. Olympus is engaging ALS now. You are cleared to land.
Officer: Welcome back, sir!
Ghorah Khar (Losing Track)
Maverick: Any news, James?
Paladin: Well, we sent two of the Olympus pilots, Rodriguez and Hathaway, after that data pod. They retrieved the pod, but Rodriguez didn’t make it back. Poor lass. An’ I just received a report from Ghorah Khar. A Rigakh cruiser made it past the defensive forces on the Ghorah Khar-Rarkath border. They dropped some ground-burst bombs before one of our boys could take them out.
Maverick: Civilian casualties?
Paladin: No way to know yet, not until the smoke clears. Something irks me about this situation here, laddie… Here we are, manoeuvrin’ the Kilrathi to attack us from a particular approach– But I’m getting the feeling that we’re being manoeuvred, too. There’s a pattern to what’s going on here, but I can’t see it yet.
Maverick: I’m sure you will, James, in time.
Paladin: Aye, but time’s the one thing we dinna have right now, lad.
Edmond: Colonel Blair and Colonel Ralgha, report to the Flight Deck immediately!
Maverick: Olympus, this is Colonel Blair, requesting patrol data.
Edmond: Maverick, this is Major Edmond. We’ve received a distress call from two pilots en route from Olympus Station to Ghorah Khar. They are under attack by a wing of Gothri fighters. One of the pilots is Colonel Marnier, the Ghorah Khar space forces commander. Their Sabres have been damaged; it is imperative that they return to Olympus immediately. You are to assist them at Nav 1, and then escort them back to Olympus via Nav 2. I’m uploading your Nav computer data now. Olympus out.
Maverick: Olympus Station, this is Colonel Blair on final landing approach.
Olympus: Hold your position, Colonel, we’re clearing another patrol for take-off. Do you have anything to report, Colonel?
Maverick: Ran into that wing of Gothri at Nav 1, attacking Colonel Marnier and her wingman. None of those Gothri survived. Nav 2 was uneventful. No enemy ships. A wing of Grikath was headed towards the station. They’re all history, Olympus.
Olympus: Colonel Blair, you are cleared to land.
Officer: Welcome back, sir!