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Enigma Sector Campaign: Novaya Kiev System (Losing Track)
Novaya Kiev (Losing Track) A
TCS Concordia, Novaya Kiev System, Enigma Sector.
Barracks, TCS Concordia.
Maverick: Paladin! Glad to see you’re still on board. Suppose you’ve heard about Olympus…
Paladin: Aye, laddie, that I have. I dinna believe it, though. You’re not the kind to sit on the sidelines…
Maverick: Might as well have… There were just too many of them. No matter what I do, his Lordship the Admiral will twist it around to make me look bad.
Paladin: So ye’re flyin’ ta make a hero of yourself, then?
Maverick: No, James. I’m flying to stop the blasted furballs from conquering our whole race!
Paladin: Then what does it matter what Tolwyn thinks of you? Or anyone else?
Maverick: Because if Tolwyn gets his wish, I’ll never fly against the Kilrathi again!
Paladin: An’ if that happens, me offer stands.
Maverick: Thanks, James, but I can do more good here, as long as I can keep flying.
Paladin: Perhaps, lad. But there’s more than one way ta fight a war…
Maverick: What are you talking about, James? Just what are you into?
Paladin: I canna tell ye, lad… unless you’re willin’ ta sign on. But in the meantime, Christopher, you watch yourself. After the attack on Ghorah Khar, the cats have pulled back, forcing the Concordia to check out Novaya Kiev. But it makes no sense for the Kilrathi to pull back now. The cats are preparin’ for something big, I’m sure of it.
Flight Deck, TCS Concordia.
Angel: I have an urgent mission for you, mon ami. I need you to launch immediately. You will fly a Broadsword, and assist an attack force in an assault against a Fralthra cruiser. The top brass have ordered our retreat to Novaya Kiev, but sometimes the best defence is a good offence. You must be careful. We are getting energy readings along the cruiser’s flank… Almost certainly, there are Kilrathi fighters lurking in this system. Your Broadsword’s Nav computer will have complete data on this.
Maverick: Will I have a wingman?
Angel: Mais oui, Maverick. Doomsday and the assault wing will meet you on the Flight Deck.
Maverick: No problem, Angel. I’m on my way.
Sparks: Welcome back, sir.
Colonel Devereaux’s Office, TCS Concordia.
Angel: Welcome back, messieurs, please give me your report.
Maverick: At Nav 1, we were ambushed by several Drakhri. We headed to Nav 2 to engage the Fralthra cruiser. A battle fleet was already in-system – a wing of Jalkehi. Doomsday and I joined the Broadswords to engage the enemy… The Fralthra’s history, Colonel.
Angel: But of course, I have it all in this report… I understand that you destroyed 5, Maverick! And Doomsday got 4.
Doomsday: I’m surprised we survived this.
Angel: You were lucky, considering the difficulty of this mission. We lost one of the younger pilots today… Dallas, flying on Stingray’s wing. Maverick, I know you and Doomsday wish to prove yourselves… But I do not want to lose any more pilots. That is all, gentlemen. Dismissed.
Novaya Kiev (Losing Track) B
Observation Deck, TCS Concordia.
Maverick: Stingray… I’m sorry about Dallas.
Stingray: I’ve never lost a wingman before… It was horrible. I saw him on the VDU… He said his targeting computer was down. I ordered him out of there… then his thrusters went haywire. He was flying in circles, out of control… He lost all power just as the Kilrathi closed for the kill. I saw his face on my screen as he died…
Spirit: We’ve all lost friends, Stingray. Friends and lovers…
Hobbes: That seems an unlikely series of malfunctions, Captain.
Stingray: Those weren’t malfunctions… It had to be sabotage!
Hobbes: Sabotage? Dallas was just another young pilot. Why would he be a target for a saboteur? His death is no great loss to the Confederation.
Stingray: No great loss? You furry son of a–
Maverick: Stingray!
Stingray: Listen to this cold-blooded hairball! Every day it gets more obvious. Hobbes is the spy! He’s a Kilrathi double agent!
Spirit: Stop it! We have enough problems without fighting each other.
Stingray: Maybe you’re right, Spirit… And maybe that’s just what he was sent here to make us do! We’ll talk about Dallas later, Ralgha.
Hobbes: I think you’ve said enough already, Captain. Most of us are flying again tomorrow, so I suggest we all get some sleep.
Repair Deck, TCS Concordia.
Sparks: I heard you’re flying a patrol today, Maverick…
Maverick: I wish they’d assign me something more exciting. Though life around here has been a little too exciting lately… I’m really starting to get worried. Everything that’s been happening… the explosion, the tech that was murdered. Now Stingray is saying someone sabotaged Dallas’s ship.
Sparks: I didn’t see anyone down here before his flight – but I was working on another ship. I suppose it’s possible.
Maverick: That’s a scary thought. A person could just tinker with your ship…
Sparks: Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on your ship. By the way, they’re saying the Flight Deck explosion was caused by a broken fuel line. ’cept there aren’t any fuel lines in that area of the Flight Deck. All of this makes me just a little nervous… By the way, I put your mission flight disk in your Navigation computer. Looks like you and Doomsday are going to spend the day searching for stray cats.
Maverick: That should be fairly boring.
Sparks: I hope so, pilot. Good luck.
Maverick: Concordia, this is Captain Blair requesting landing clearance.
Concordia: Concordia here. Anything to report, Maverick?
Maverick: At Nav 2, we tangled with a wing of Drakhri. Jalkehi were waiting for us at Nav 3.
Concordia: The Admiral is requesting a scorecard report, Maverick.
Maverick: I nailed 4 ships, Major.
Concordia: And your wingman?
Maverick: Doomsday took out 4.
Concordia: You are cleared to land, Blair.
Sparks: Welcome back, sir.
Novaya Kiev (Losing Track) C
Ten minutes later…
Spirit: Hello, Christopher. It is beautiful here, isn’t it? I’ve always loved star-gazing. Sometimes I wonder if Philip is out there, watching these stars from a Kilrathi planet.
Maverick: Mariko, the Kilrathi captured your fiancé ten years ago. There’s no chance he’s still alive by now.
Spirit: Oh, Maverick, I used to dream of rescuing him… I’d fly in, guns blazing, and steal him from the Kilrathi. But it never happened. We should not talk of such things… You seem angry, Christopher. Is something wrong?
Maverick: Nothing. Nothing at all.
Briefing Room, TCS Concordia.
Angel: Before I assign the wings, I have something to say. Our mission in the Enigma sector is very difficult. We cannot afford to fight among ourselves. This for everyone, but especially Jazz and Stingray. No one will speak poorly of other crewmembers. I have had enough of this! Jazz and Stingray will escort the garbage shuttle to the asteroids.
Stingray: Colonel!
Angel: On another note, we have reports of attacks all across the sector. Everyone should be on their toes. Since the retreat from Ghorah Khar, the Kilrathi have hit bases in the Fiddler’s Green, Niffleheim, and Piper systems. We have no idea of damages, or casualties.
Angel assigns the other pilots to their duties.
Angel: The next mission is an interception. We have detected energy curves at Nav 1 characteristic of Sartha fighters. Maverick and Doomsday will engage the Sartha at Nav 1, then proceed in a diamond patrol of the rest of the system. You will fly Broadswords for this mission. After you reach Nav 3, return to the Concordia. Dismissed.
Sparks: Welcome back, sir.
The Bridge, TCS Concordia.
Tolwyn: Captain Blair, your report. Keep it short, then kindly get your butt off my bridge.
Maverick: Well, Admiral, the patrol wasn’t the milk-run you intended. Sir.
Tolwyn: Explain.
Maverick: The Sartha at Nav 1 were just a diversion. They weren’t too much trouble, we took care of them, Admiral. At Nav 3, we intercepted a wing of Jalkehi, and a wing of Grikath en route to the Concordia.
Tolwyn: WHAT? Size and disposition of force, mister!
Maverick: The exact data is in my flight recorder, sir. They’re all dead, sir. I confirmed kills 6, Admiral.
Tolwyn: Your wingman’s performance?
Maverick: Doomsday got 5, sir.
Tolwyn: Well, at least there’s that. Congratulate him for me. It’ll lift his spirits a little.
Maverick: Very little, I’m afraid.
Tolwyn: All right, that’s all, Blair. You are dismissed.
Maverick: Yes, sir.
Novaya Kiev (Losing Track) D
Barracks, TCS Concordia.
Angel: I’m glad you could join us, Maverick. Admiral Tolwyn spoke to me about your mission yesterday–
Maverick: I can imagine what he said…
Angel: No matter what I say, Maverick, his bias against you does not change.
Doomsday: You’ll have plenty of chances to die, Maverick, when we jump to Heaven’s Gate. We’ll need every pilot when we launch a suicide attack to recapture our space station there.
Maverick: We’d need more than just the Concordia for that kind of mission.
Spirit: Do you think we’re going to Heaven’s Gate alone, Jeannette?
Angel: You know I cannot comment on that, Mariko.
Doomsday: I’ll bet fifteen. Though I’m sure I’ll lose it all…
Maverick: Call. Anyone beat two pair? Jacks over tens?
Spirit: Sorry, Christopher. Full house, aces over eights. Lucky in cards, unlucky in love… Deal me out, I have patrol duty in half an hour.
Two hours later…
Maverick: Mariko, can we talk?
Spirit: About what, Maverick?
Maverick: I’m worried. You’ve been very quiet lately, more than usual.
Spirit: Thanks for your concern, but really, everything is fine… everything…
Maverick: What’s wrong, Mariko?
Spirit: You know me too well, old friend. I cannot hide from you. I received a message in e-mail… from whoever murdered Specialist McGuffin.
Maverick: Who was it?
Spirit: I don’t know. There was no name attached to the message and I couldn’t trace it.
Maverick: Why would the traitor contact you?
Spirit: I can’t tell you that right now.
Maverick: Mariko… you’re not a Mandarin?!
Spirit: NO! You must believe me… I would never betray the Confederation. Maverick, I was your wingman on your first combat mission… you’ve always been like a brother to me. Please, trust me now.
Maverick: I do, Mariko. You’d better tell the Admiral about this. I don’t like Tolwyn much, but he needs to know. He’ll probably send you to a computer technician to see if that message can be traced.
Spirit: I will. Thank you, my friend.
Concordia: Captain Blair, report to the Flight Deck for immediate launch!
Concordia: Captain Blair, this is the Concordia. Do you read?
Maverick: Roger, Concordia.
Concordia: Your orders are to jump to the Talbot system. A courier ship dropped from communications there, and it may be under attack. Intercept and escort that ship back to the Concordia. That ship has vital communications data on board. Whatever you do, don’t come back empty-handed. Be very careful. We’ve lost contact with half the bases in this sector. The Kilrathi are all over the place. Your course is programmed into your Nav computer… just follow that route and watch your six, Maverick.
Maverick: Roger, Concordia.
Courier: Concordia pilot, we’ve lost shields… decompressing fast – I’m ejecting a data capsule… get it to the Admiral at all costs!
Sparks: Welcome back, sir.
The Bridge, TCS Concordia.
Tolwyn: Your report, Maverick.
Maverick: I flew to the jump point as instructed, and encountered Drakhri. I jumped out and began my search for the missing courier.
Angel: Were there any enemy in the vicinity?
Maverick: Sartha and a Ralatha capital ship, unfortunately. I was too late… they iced the courier. But the courier ejected a data pod just before they were destroyed. I was able to recover the data pod, sir.
Tolwyn: I suppose it’s too much to ask, but did you inflict any casualties?
Maverick: Of course. I killed 7.
Tolwyn: Finally decided to earn your pay, eh? Good. Now that we have the data pod with those messages that the courier intercepted, we can proceed. Colonel, you’d better call Spirit in here immediately.
Angel: Sir, I request that I be allowed to deal with this matter personally…
Tolwyn: Request denied. Maverick, you’re dismissed.
