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Special Operations 1: Rigel System
Rigel A
Observation Deck, TCS Concordia.
Maverick: Angel, there’s something we have to talk about.
Angel: Christopher… you are not being transferred, are you?
Maverick: Tolwyn’s sending me off to work on a covert operation with Paladin.
Angel: I will miss you, mon cher. But I will not tell you to be careful – because I know that you won’t. Just come back alive, please?
Maverick: Don’t worry, love. I always do, don’t I?
Admiral Tolwyn’s Office, TCS Concordia.
Hobbes: You wished to speak with us, sir?
Tolwyn: At ease, gentlemen. I have new orders for you from Confederation High Command. Because of the situation here in the Rigel system, your transfer to Special Operations has been delayed, Maverick. These pirates have captured or torpedoed several Free Traders and we believe they may have destroyed the Rigel Supply Depot as well. Ralgha, I’ll send you with Maverick to Ghorah Khar once we’ve dealt with this problem.
Hobbes: Sir, with all due respect, my mission at Ghorah Khar cannot afford to wait! Several million Confederation citizens are relying upon us! They may not be Human, but we owe them a debt of honour! It is our responsibility!
Tolwyn: I know, Ralgha. But we also have a responsibility to the Gettysburg crew.
Maverick: What do we owe them, those mutineers? They’re pirates!
Tolwyn: Maverick, we don’t know the entire situation with these pirates and the Gettysburg, but we are going to do everything in our power to recover the cruiser intact. But we’re running out of time… once they realise that we’re here, they’ll run to another system. That is all, gentlemen. I believe Colonel Devereaux will be briefing you shortly. Dismissed.
Ten minutes later…
Colonel Devereaux’s Office, TCS Concordia.
Angel: Blair, we have intercepted a distress call from a Kilrathi corvette. You are to investigate this, proceeding with all due caution. It is very likely that this is a Kilrathi trap. Your Nav course will take you first to Nav 1 and then Nav 2, where the long-range signaller on your ship will automatically begin transmitting. The signaller will send an encoded message for the Gettysburg pilots.
Maverick: I don’t understand this, Angel… these people are mutineers and traitors. Why are we trying to talk to them instead of tracking them down and icing them?
Angel: Maverick, we do not know the true situation aboard the Gettysburg. Until we do, the Admiral has ordered us to avoid a direct attack on the cruiser. After you touch those two Nav points to transmit the message, proceed to the Kilrathi corvette. Use your best judgement on this. The Kamekh may be alone and an easy target, or it may be another trap, like the Johann in the Goddard campaign. After you go to the Kamekh, return via the asteroids. Tactical believes that is the most likely area for an ambush, if these pirates intend to attack the Concordia. Sky and Shelton will be your wingmen. You’ll be flying Epees for this mission. They will meet you on the Flight Deck. Dismissed, Colonel.
Kamekh: Kamekh ni’lakh, ki’ha rakra Terran’ra–
Maverick: Kamekh, this is Colonel Blair of the TCS Concordia. You have fifteen seconds to transmit surrender.
Kamekh: Concordia pilot, we are under attack by pirates–
Sparks: Welcome back, sir!
Flight Deck, TCS Concordia.
Angel: Your report, Colonel?
Maverick: I reached Nav 1 without any difficulties. Unfortunately, the pirates were waiting for us. All the pirates at Nav 1 are taken care of, Colonel. There weren’t any enemy ships at Nav 2. The broadcast went out without any problems. The Kamekh wasn’t a trap. The Gettysburg pilots were attacking it. They destroyed the corvette just as I arrived. It was tough, but none of those pirates survived. Tactical was right, Angel… there was an ambush in the asteroid field. They won’t cause us any more problems.
Angel: Tactical will need to review the data from this mission. I will take it to the Bridge immediately! Maverick, we are still on alert – I hope I will not have to send you out on another mission immediately. I would suggest that you get some rest while you can. Dismissed.
Rigel B
Observation Deck, TCS Concordia.
Stingray: Anyway, I didn’t hear any of this. What else did they tell you, Major?
Edmond: Well, the Gettysburg has been missing for several weeks, and it carries a complement of Ferrets and Epees. That would explain how these pirates are flying Confed ships, wouldn’t it?
Stingray: I’m not sure I believe that the Kilrathi would do that, Major – hey, Maverick! The Major and I were talking about all the rumours we’ve been hearing about the pirates.
Maverick: The Admiral doesn’t need his officers spreading rumours, Dirk. There’s already enough speculation among the non-coms and the crew.
Edmond: But Captain Blair… I mean, Colonel Blair… I really don’t think the Admiral can expect people not to talk about this–
Maverick: I thought I had made myself clear, Major. This is a military vessel, not a rumour mill. Is that understood… Major?
Edmond: Of course, Colonel.
Colonel Devereaux’s Office, TCS Concordia.
Angel: I have a difficult assignment for you, Maverick. The Admiral has briefed me fully on the Gettysburg situation, and why we are trying to contact the mutineers. He told me the Gettysburg was stationed at N’Tanya, during the rebellion in that system. When several refugee ships of Imperial Kilrathi loyalists tried to leave the planet, the commander ordered his pilots to open fire on the unarmed transports. The pilots refused, and that triggered the mutiny.
Maverick: If they were issued an illegal order, then they had the right to disobey it– That’s what the Admiral is doing! We’re trying to bring them back, aren’t we?
Angel: Yes. Confed High Command is already planning the court-martial for the commander, who was released with his officers in a Crossbow bomber, and returned to Olympus Station two weeks ago.
Maverick: A Crossbow? I’ve never heard of that bomber.
Angel: It’s very new, an improvement on the Broadsword technology. The Gettysburg was testing the prototypes.
Maverick: So these mutineers have the hottest new Confederation ship technology now?
Angel: And we can only hope that they won’t use them against the Concordia. Maverick, one of our patrols intercepted a message from the mutineers, saying that they’re willing to send a delegation to talk with us. Your mission is to rendezvous with those pilots and bring them back to the Concordia. Their message said that there are two factions among the Gettysburg crew. One group that wants to deal with us, and the other that does not trust us at all. So you must be prepared for a fight, Maverick. Patrol your Nav points, then rendezvous with the Gettysburg pilots. Good luck, mon cher. I will see you when you return.
Bear: Epee pilot, this is Lieutenant Jason “Bear” Bondarevsky of the TCS Gettysburg. Identify yourself now or we will take hostile action.
Maverick: Lieutenant, this is Colonel Christopher “Maverick” Blair of the TCS Concordia. I’ll escort you back to the carrier now.
Bear: We’ll follow you, Colonel. No fast moves, or we’ll open fire on you.
Maverick: I’m not your enemy, Bear. I’m here to help you and the Gettysburg crew.
Bear: That hasn’t been proven yet, sir.
Sparks: The Admiral wants to speak with you, sir!
Admiral Tolwyn’s Office, TCS Concordia.
Tolwyn: Your report, Colonel?
Maverick: I rendezvoused with Bear and his wingman. I brought both Bear and his wingman back safely.
Tolwyn: Good work, Maverick! Anything else to report, Colonel?
Maverick: I took down 8 Gettysburg pilots. I wish there could’ve been some other way, sir, but they were trying to kill me, and I didn’t have any choice.
Tolwyn: I know, Maverick. This awful situation is killing good pilots whose only crime is disobeying an illegal order. I’ll have another mission for you shortly, Maverick. Dismissed.
Rigel C
Concordia: Colonel Blair, report to Detention Area 1-D immediately!
Tolwyn: Maverick, I’ll want to talk to you in a moment. Lieutenant Bondarevsky, please continue.
Bear: Admiral, we took the Rigel Depot because we needed the supplies. We didn’t want to kill anyone. But Colonel Ransom’s team, one of the prisoners tried to escape, and… and it was a massacre. My squadron and Lieutenant Colonel Poelma, we told Ransom to get lost and left. Admiral, maybe what we did was wrong, the mutiny against Commodore Cain… but we’re not murderers and traitors, sir!
Tolwyn: No one’s saying that you are, Lieutenant. Maverick, let me explain the tactical situation to you. A majority of the mutineers’ forces are stationed at the Rigel Supply Depot. I thought that depot had been destroyed, but as it turns out, it is now their temporary headquarters. We’ll need to retake that depot and the Gettysburg to resolve this situation. Bear says that Lieutenant Colonel Poelma and his squadron want to return to the Confederation, while the piratical forces are now occupying the depot. Your opinions on the success of an attack on the supply depot, Colonel?
Maverick: Not good, if they can bring in the Gettysburg to defend the depot.
Tolwyn: Yes, that’s what Colonel Devereaux thought. Blast it! We need to separate those two forces, the Gettysburg and the depot!
Bear: I’ll return to the Gettysburg, sir. I can convince them–
Tolwyn: Not possible, Lieutenant. Regulations require that I keep you here, under arrest. But if I could, Bondarevsky, I’d give you a medal and promotion, instead of this cell. You’re a fine officer, and I’m very proud of what you’ve done. No, I’ll have to send someone else to contact the Gettysburg crew.
Maverick: Admiral, I’ll fly this mission.
Bear: No! They’ll kill you, sir!
Maverick: I’m willing to accept the risks, Lieutenant. Admiral?
Tolwyn: It’s a good idea, Maverick. I’ll let you know what I decide.
Flight Deck, TCS Concordia.
Angel: Admiral Tolwyn has advised me of your next mission, Maverick. Lieutenant Bondarevsky gave us the Gettysburg’s last co-ordinates. You’ll fly your programmed Nav course, touching each Nav point. As you do so, your onboard system will begin transmitting the Admiral’s message. With luck, the Gettysburg will learn from this message that they have been pardoned. If you can, land on the Gettysburg and convince them to return with you. The Admiral has advised me that the Rigel Depot crew are to be considered… unsalvageable. We cannot allow that depot – or the Gettysburg – to remain in the pirates’ control. Your orders are to destroy the depot and the Gettysburg if that occurs. I am assigning Lieutenant Haley to you, Maverick – he is our best Sabre gunner. Christopher, this is a dangerous mission…
Maverick: I can do it, Angel.
Angel: I know, mon cher. I wish you did not have to go… But if you cannot succeed at this, no one will.
Gettysburg: Sabre pilot, this is the TCS Gettysburg, do you read?
Maverick: Reading you loud and clear, Gettysburg. Please transmit your co-ordinates.
Gettysburg: Negative on that, Sabre pilot. Recommend you leave immediately, sir, or we will take hostile action against you.
Maverick: I’m staying here until you rendezvous with me, Gettysburg.
Gettysburg: Copy that, Sabre pilot. Hold on this channel…
Five minutes later…
Gettysburg: Transmitting Nav co-ordinates. Please proceed to rendezvous point.
Poelma: This is Lieutenant Colonel Poelma of the TCS Gettysburg. Sabre pilot, identify yourself.
Maverick: Poelma, this is Colonel Christopher “Maverick” Blair of the TCS Concordia. Your Lieutenant Bondarevsky is aboard the Concordia. He gave me your co-ordinates so I could speak with you.
Poelma: How can we know you didn’t get our co-ordinates from Bear with a chemical interrogation?
Maverick: Colonel Poelma, I’m talking to you when I could be firing torpedoes at your ship – don’t you think you can trust me enough to let me land?
Poelma: Colonel, we are activating the ACLS. Be prepared to surrender your side-arm upon landing.
Maverick: Affirmative, Poelma. Blair out.
Officer: Security is here to escort you to the brig, Colonel.
Sparks: Welcome back, sir!
The Bridge, TCS Concordia.
Maverick: I couldn’t get to the Gettysburg, sir.
Tolwyn: Blast. I know you did your best, Colonel… but we’re in a tough situation now. We’ll have to destroy the supply depot and the Gettysburg before they can organise an attack on the Concordia. What a terrible waste.
Maverick: We did everything we could for them, sir.
Tolwyn: I know, Colonel. Dismissed.
Rigel D
Maverick: Where is my gunnery officer? What have you done with Lieutenant Haley?
Poelma: The Lieutenant is in another cell, Colonel. What happens to him depends on you.
Maverick: Colonel Poelma, Admiral Tolwyn sent me here because all of you have been pardoned. You were issued an illegal order by your commander. You were right not to obey it. Confed High Command is already court-martialling your commander. My mission is to escort you back to the Concordia. But there isn’t much time. If you and the other mutineers don’t return with me now…
Poelma: There’s less time than that, Colonel. A Confed convoy is en route to the Depot.
Maverick: They don’t know that you’ve taken over the depot… they’ll be murdered, like the depot crew! There’s no more time. We’ll have to launch an attack against that depot. You have to decide now, Poelma. Are you with the Confederation or the pirates?
Poelma: Sir… we can’t attack the depot! All our senior officers and wingleaders left with the Commodore!
Maverick: I’ll lead you into battle, Poelma. Just resupply my ship and let my gunner out of his cell.
Poelma: We have a better ship for you, Colonel. A Crossbow YA-18A, Experimental Prototype.
Maverick: That’ll do. Let’s move, Poelma!
Gettysburg: All hands, battle stations! This is not a drill!
Maverick: Crossbow assault wing, this is Colonel Blair. Fall into attack V-formation… arm Ship-Killer torpedoes… and prepare to Autopilot on my mark!
Poelma: Affirmative. We’re with you, Colonel!
Maverick: Clydesdale pilot, do you read? This is Colonel Blair of the TCS Concordia.
Clydesdale: Affirmative, Colonel. What’s the Concordia doing out here in the Rigel system?
Maverick: No time for explanations, Clydesdale. You must divert course immediately. The Rigel Depot has been captured by enemy forces. We’ll escort you to the closest jump point. Blair out.
Sparks: The Admiral wants to see you on the Bridge, sir!
The Bridge, TCS Concordia.
Tolwyn: Welcome back, Colonel. Your report?
Maverick: I rendezvoused with the Gettysburg, sir. The Rigel Depot pirates were about to attack a Confed convoy, so I convinced the Gettysburg pilots to assist me in an attack against the base. We launched and headed towards the Rigel Depot. The renegade pilots were defending their base. I had to take them out to clear the way to the depot, sir. Then I destroyed the pirate base.
Tolwyn: Good work, Colonel! I knew you could do it.
Maverick: I wish there could’ve been another way to resolve this situation, sir.
Tolwyn: I know, Maverick. But we couldn’t risk the pirates remaining in control of that base. And you saved the lives of all the crew on the Gettysburg. That’s more than I ever hoped we could accomplish. You’re off-duty for the next twenty-four hours, Blair. You’ll leave with Paladin as soon as he arrives from Ghorah Khar. Dismissed.
Rigel (Losing Track)
Observation Deck, TCS Concordia.
Maverick: Angel, I can’t stop thinking about the situation on the Gettysburg… What would you do if you were issued an illegal order?
Angel: That, I do not know. It is a decision I hope I will never have to make. What would you do in that situation, Christopher?
Maverick: Probably the same thing I did whenever Tolwyn gave me an order I didn’t like – just ignore it.
Angel: I am certain you would, Christopher!
Maverick: But all those kids on the Gettysburg – this isn’t their fault. And they’re probably going to die for it.
Angel: There is nothing more we can do for them, Christopher. We tried, and failed.
Concordia: Colonel Blair, report to the Bridge immediately!
The Bridge, TCS Concordia.
Tolwyn: Maverick, I need you to escort two Clydesdale tankers to the jump point. Afterwards, you’ll continue to the Rigel Depot. Destroy it and return to the Concordia.
Maverick: What about the Gettysburg, sir?
Tolwyn: The Gettysburg… was destroyed three hours ago. A reactor accident. They didn’t have enough trained personnel to prevent a meltdown. A wing of Crossbow bombers arrived here with the survivors.
Maverick: How many survivors, sir?
Tolwyn: Fourteen, Colonel. Maverick, our main concern now is the Rigel Depot. We can’t allow it to remain under pirate control. You’ll fly a Broadsword bomber on this mission, with Ralgha on your wing. Good luck, Colonel. Dismissed.
Maverick: Clydesdale pilot, do you read? This is Colonel Blair of the TCS Concordia.
Clydesdale: Affirmative, Colonel. What’s the Concordia doing out here in the Rigel system?
Maverick: No time for explanations, Clydesdale. You must divert course immediately. The Rigel Depot has been captured by enemy forces. We’ll escort you to the closest jump point. Blair out.
Sparks: Colonel Devereaux wants to see you in her office, sir!
Colonel Devereaux’s Office, TCS Concordia.
Angel: Your report, Maverick?
Maverick: We launched and headed towards the Rigel Depot. The renegade pilots were defending their base. I had to take them out to clear the way to the depot. Then I destroyed the pirate base at the Rigel Depot.
Angel: Good work, Colonel! I knew you could do it.
Maverick: I wish there could’ve been another way to resolve this situation.
Angel: I know, Maverick. But what else could we do? We could not risk the pirates remaining in control of that depot. You will leave with Paladin as soon as he arrives from Ghorah Khar. You’re off-duty for the next twenty-four hours, Christopher. Dismissed.
