Daftpanzer
canonically ambiguous
This is still just building up to that battle...
Fateful Engage: Part #1
Roughly one Hmmaiaan-day after the go-ahead was given for the Sneed expedition, Harrumunn Rarr began accelerating to escape velocity, with a little help from a Shuttle Rocket and the mechanisms of one of the Undercity's main launch tube. To save on the amount of fuel needed onboard, stationary nozzles blasted hot expanding gas into the confined space beneath the Rocket, providing most of the initial lifting force. More and more explosions were initiated as the craft steadily moved upwards through the tube. At about fifteen seconds into the flight, a system of magnetic propulsion kicked in, accelerating the craft for the final kilometre. It was being pushed at about eight times normal Hmmaiaan gravity, rather more than was comfortable for any Satellian, as it cleared the protruding end of the launch tube and began tearing into open sky.
There was always an uncomfortable sensation as the accelerating force was reduced to the craft's own humble engines. Rarr was well braced for it, as he had done this many times before. He kept his eyes on the viewscreen in front/above him, as he was curious to see the state of the Jurnnu Fields Spaceport below. The storm-deposited mud had long since dried and cracked into a fractal pattern of fissures and chasms, already filled with sand; the landscape was still variations on the theme of brown, with just a few splodges of green and orange vegetation visible when he zoomed in. The few operational landing pads resembled those seen on cratered planetoids, sunken into deep craters. A trio of Engineer Walkers were busy excavating another of the buried pads. Miscellaneous pieces of industrial hardware glinted brightly against the dull surroundings. Rarr wondered what the scene would look like when he got back, if he got back... He felt the craft's ramjets dying off as they were starved of oxygen. He wanted to mark his moment of departure with some meaningful thoughts, but found himself reminiscing about his earlier days of archaeology and resource prospecting. He closed his eyes and surrendered to the juddering of the main rocket engine as the sky above began to darken.
A few minutes later, the rocket engine was abruptly cut, and Rarr was suddenly weightless, which again he was well braced for. However the view on the main viewscreen was a little disappointing; Ahrmm and the other moons were currently out of sight. Rarr could at least enjoy a much clearer view of the familiar night-time sky. The parent star of Sneed was probably within in his field of view, though hidden behind the dark shroud of the famous Claw Nebula, as it would be for the next thousand years or so. Rarr mused about the fact he would soon be hurtling through the shroud it at superluminal speed. If all went well...
Rarr turned to his fellow passengers, each strapped into their own 'nests'. Three were adjacent to him on this 'floor', with several more floors above and below, or in front and behind, as the case may be; the interior was warm, mood-lit, and rather cosy, all things considered. Cursory conversation revealed they had a wide mix of talents and interests, as Rarr had expected; all were volunteers of course, and experienced space travellers, otherwise the only thing they shared was a tendency for impulsiveness / recklessness. Conversation soon turned to the arrival of the strange new aliens at Ulann, which was causing great excitement - according to all accounts they were friendly and inquisitive, and not Lelinthian or Geskani. They also had small, fast bodies; a disagreeable trend was developing there, it was agreed. Rarr had been rather rude in leaving the Core Council in the middle of the meeting; no doubt they were still discussing these 'Aihannu', somewhere down there in the bowels of the Undercity. Maybe they had even decided on a new Core Director, though somehow he doubted it...
All talk abruptly stopped as someone turned the craft's cameras towards the Combined Fleet. Rarr and his fellows were instantly glued to their viewscreens. He hadn't realised what an impressive sight it would actually be. Satellian civilization was usually dispersed, buried, out of sight, and quite proud of being so. But here it was, all gathered in one place. The three main elements were already forming up; the Combat Fleet, fresh from shipyards around Ulumm-Bukk, their shadowy, angular, fattened spear-head hulls giving no hint of the rather conventional shipbuilding that lay beneath; then the Exploration Fleet, with its familiar Big Ships, red-and-white paint scheme as always, and a visible trail of Heavy Shuttles winding its way up towards the shining docking bays, bringing aboard the surface combatants; and then the Emergency Fleet, a bizarre collection of craft donated to The Agreement to counter the recent Lelinthian Emergency, now directed for another purpose - giant Cargo Rockets, some of which were still adorned with Snuddian corporate logos, along with dozens of old Space Ships, mobile asteroid bases, spherical sight-seeing craft, and a few privately-built craft that weren't easily classified. Hundreds of ships old and new, representing the best of a millennium of Satellian spacefaring and industrial efforts. The size and scale of it all was hard to grasp. And they were gathered with a purpose. Satellians had never mobilised on this scale for anything, ever. Not in the worst storms or the most daring explorations. It was something new, and Rarr was equally honoured and horrified to have played his role in brining it about.
So, here two paths diverged: in one reality, the Satellians went plodding along as always, gradually digging themselves in, while Sneed was condemned to become a province of the Geskani. And in another reality, the Satellians were stirred into action, pushing their potential, facing their troubles out in the open, for better or worse... And perhaps making themselves interesting enough that the universe would see fit to keep them in existence for a few million years longer. Maybe. But first of all there was, of course, the horrific prospect of a space battle to deal with.
Rarr was among the few occupants who noticed the acceleration-warning tone. The Shuttle Rocket began to accelerate again, surprisingly strongly; various bits and pieces were scattered throughout the interior. No doubt there had been a change of docking arrangements, maybe they were headed to a different craft now. Rarr turned back to his viewscreen, and saw something strange - it was a moment before his mind was able to understand he was looking at the pitch-black hull of a combat vessel passing 'beneath', with just the odd segment of the angular hull at the right angle to be visible. In comparison, the open docking bay of a Big Ship was blazing like sunlight up ahead.
Fateful Engage: Part #1
Roughly one Hmmaiaan-day after the go-ahead was given for the Sneed expedition, Harrumunn Rarr began accelerating to escape velocity, with a little help from a Shuttle Rocket and the mechanisms of one of the Undercity's main launch tube. To save on the amount of fuel needed onboard, stationary nozzles blasted hot expanding gas into the confined space beneath the Rocket, providing most of the initial lifting force. More and more explosions were initiated as the craft steadily moved upwards through the tube. At about fifteen seconds into the flight, a system of magnetic propulsion kicked in, accelerating the craft for the final kilometre. It was being pushed at about eight times normal Hmmaiaan gravity, rather more than was comfortable for any Satellian, as it cleared the protruding end of the launch tube and began tearing into open sky.
There was always an uncomfortable sensation as the accelerating force was reduced to the craft's own humble engines. Rarr was well braced for it, as he had done this many times before. He kept his eyes on the viewscreen in front/above him, as he was curious to see the state of the Jurnnu Fields Spaceport below. The storm-deposited mud had long since dried and cracked into a fractal pattern of fissures and chasms, already filled with sand; the landscape was still variations on the theme of brown, with just a few splodges of green and orange vegetation visible when he zoomed in. The few operational landing pads resembled those seen on cratered planetoids, sunken into deep craters. A trio of Engineer Walkers were busy excavating another of the buried pads. Miscellaneous pieces of industrial hardware glinted brightly against the dull surroundings. Rarr wondered what the scene would look like when he got back, if he got back... He felt the craft's ramjets dying off as they were starved of oxygen. He wanted to mark his moment of departure with some meaningful thoughts, but found himself reminiscing about his earlier days of archaeology and resource prospecting. He closed his eyes and surrendered to the juddering of the main rocket engine as the sky above began to darken.
A few minutes later, the rocket engine was abruptly cut, and Rarr was suddenly weightless, which again he was well braced for. However the view on the main viewscreen was a little disappointing; Ahrmm and the other moons were currently out of sight. Rarr could at least enjoy a much clearer view of the familiar night-time sky. The parent star of Sneed was probably within in his field of view, though hidden behind the dark shroud of the famous Claw Nebula, as it would be for the next thousand years or so. Rarr mused about the fact he would soon be hurtling through the shroud it at superluminal speed. If all went well...
Rarr turned to his fellow passengers, each strapped into their own 'nests'. Three were adjacent to him on this 'floor', with several more floors above and below, or in front and behind, as the case may be; the interior was warm, mood-lit, and rather cosy, all things considered. Cursory conversation revealed they had a wide mix of talents and interests, as Rarr had expected; all were volunteers of course, and experienced space travellers, otherwise the only thing they shared was a tendency for impulsiveness / recklessness. Conversation soon turned to the arrival of the strange new aliens at Ulann, which was causing great excitement - according to all accounts they were friendly and inquisitive, and not Lelinthian or Geskani. They also had small, fast bodies; a disagreeable trend was developing there, it was agreed. Rarr had been rather rude in leaving the Core Council in the middle of the meeting; no doubt they were still discussing these 'Aihannu', somewhere down there in the bowels of the Undercity. Maybe they had even decided on a new Core Director, though somehow he doubted it...
All talk abruptly stopped as someone turned the craft's cameras towards the Combined Fleet. Rarr and his fellows were instantly glued to their viewscreens. He hadn't realised what an impressive sight it would actually be. Satellian civilization was usually dispersed, buried, out of sight, and quite proud of being so. But here it was, all gathered in one place. The three main elements were already forming up; the Combat Fleet, fresh from shipyards around Ulumm-Bukk, their shadowy, angular, fattened spear-head hulls giving no hint of the rather conventional shipbuilding that lay beneath; then the Exploration Fleet, with its familiar Big Ships, red-and-white paint scheme as always, and a visible trail of Heavy Shuttles winding its way up towards the shining docking bays, bringing aboard the surface combatants; and then the Emergency Fleet, a bizarre collection of craft donated to The Agreement to counter the recent Lelinthian Emergency, now directed for another purpose - giant Cargo Rockets, some of which were still adorned with Snuddian corporate logos, along with dozens of old Space Ships, mobile asteroid bases, spherical sight-seeing craft, and a few privately-built craft that weren't easily classified. Hundreds of ships old and new, representing the best of a millennium of Satellian spacefaring and industrial efforts. The size and scale of it all was hard to grasp. And they were gathered with a purpose. Satellians had never mobilised on this scale for anything, ever. Not in the worst storms or the most daring explorations. It was something new, and Rarr was equally honoured and horrified to have played his role in brining it about.
So, here two paths diverged: in one reality, the Satellians went plodding along as always, gradually digging themselves in, while Sneed was condemned to become a province of the Geskani. And in another reality, the Satellians were stirred into action, pushing their potential, facing their troubles out in the open, for better or worse... And perhaps making themselves interesting enough that the universe would see fit to keep them in existence for a few million years longer. Maybe. But first of all there was, of course, the horrific prospect of a space battle to deal with.
Rarr was among the few occupants who noticed the acceleration-warning tone. The Shuttle Rocket began to accelerate again, surprisingly strongly; various bits and pieces were scattered throughout the interior. No doubt there had been a change of docking arrangements, maybe they were headed to a different craft now. Rarr turned back to his viewscreen, and saw something strange - it was a moment before his mind was able to understand he was looking at the pitch-black hull of a combat vessel passing 'beneath', with just the odd segment of the angular hull at the right angle to be visible. In comparison, the open docking bay of a Big Ship was blazing like sunlight up ahead.
