| Jovian APAworks | Volume 2, Number 3 | April, 2002 |
Hanna Barstow stooped over her sensor officer's shoulder and squinted at the other woman's screen. A handful of luminescent marks reported the positions of Barstow's group, the asteroid towards which they were flying, and the pirate vessels that had apparently decided to make its home there. "That's 927?" she asked rhetorically, largely talking out loud to let her crew know she was there in the darkness of the bridge.
"Aye," replied Morris Hardgrove, captain of the Real Folk Blues, the Clan Ruby transport that was hauling most of the group's exo-armors. "That's our Ratisbona." His voice was crystal clear over the bridge speakers; his ship was only a few kilometers away from the Last Dance.
"Captain," interrupted Barstow's communcations officer. "The Jovians are hailing us again."
Barstow cursed under her breath. She tapped her sensor officer's shoulder and asked her to increase the field of view on her monitor. The scene shrank down until another set of marks appeared on the edge of the scope, revealing the position of the Jovian interlopers, about ten minutes out from Barstow's position. "Okay, Teresa, put those jackasses on."
She heard the comm officer chuckle quietly and then the bridge speakers crackled as she switched channels. "--in Nomad, er, patrol. Repeat: this is the Jovian Armed Forces--"
Barstow snapped her fingers in irritation. "Yes, you said that already, JAF. And like I said the last fifty times, we're not interested. This is a Nomad affair and you can shove your offer where the sun don't shine, thanks all the same. Last Dance out." She ran her hand across her throat and the comm officer cut the transmission. The bridge crew laughed out loud. "Okay, okay," Barstow said, chuckling herself, "pipe down. This is still a serious matter. Teresa, get me our exos, please."
"Aye, Captain. Exo squad on-line."
"Okay, boys and girls, this is it. We've got a pirate vessel out there that's decided to hole up in Clan Ruby's claim. Let's wipe them out." A chorus of eager replies returned, and Barstow signaled for the Last Dance's internal channel. "Engine room, get ready to burn. Gun control, fire at will. Target that stupid ship's bridge if you want. On my mark, people." She waited to confirm her forces were ready.
"Captain!" cried the sensor officer. "I'm getting some weird readings off that ship. Hoo, these are really weird." She seemed genuinely perplexed.
"Weird how, Rei?"
"Ship's profile's changing -- and it's not a rotating habitat. It's--"
"Holy mother of god!" cried the pilot of one of the Apollo exo-armors over the emergency frequency. "That's not a rickety old liner, Last Dance! That's--"
On the sensor screen, one of the markers showing Barstow's exo-armor escorts winked out. Four new marks appeared near the pirate ship and the asteroid, rapidly vectoring towards Barstow's fleet on an intercept course.
"Talk to me, Rei, Teresa. What do we have here?" Barstow kicked away from the sensor station and drifted to her command console where she strapped herself in.
"I don't know, boss, but it's heavily armed," Rei replied.
"They're not trying to contact us, either," Teresa added.
"Barstow, this is Bolide," said the gruff voice of one of the Hoplite pilots over the speakers. "That's a Venusian patrol, not a bunch of pirates. We're in pretty deep here, missy."
"Damn," said Barstow. "We'd better get out of here, then."
"No go, Captain. They ain't gonna let us walk away peacefully. We're breaking off to intercept their exos." The two Clan Towers exos left formation and burned towards the oncoming Venusian exos. "It'd be nice if you sent your boys to help us," Bolide added.
"Yeah, okay. Lysenko exos, follow the Towers. Try to hold off those Venusians as best you can. Teresa?"
"Captain?" Teresa kept her calm despite the rapidly deteriorating situation."Get me those Jovians, would you?" Barstow gritted her teeth. "I hate to say this, but we're going to need their help after all."
927 Ratisbona is Main Belt asteroid with a semi-major axis of 3.23 AU. Discovered by M. Wolf in 1920, it was claimed by Clan Ruby in 2195 for mineral extraction and as the site of a possible future anchorage. Clan Ruby, being a relatively minor clan, lacked the resources to exploit Ratisbona when it claimed the rock, but was planning on returning at a later point in time to take full possession. In 2214, Ruby sent one of its prospector ships to the asteroid to check up on its property. The expedition was surprised to discover a small habitat on the asteroid's surface, and it was even more surprised to find the base guarded by several exo-armors. Before the prospector could flee, it was destroyed -- but not before it could send out a distress call.
Clan Ruby, a staunch supporter of Clan Lysenko's attempts to unify the Nomads, called on the latter clan to help defend its property from what it assumed were pirates. Lysenko dispatched one of its patrol cutters -- the Last Dance -- along with a handful of exo-armors to investigate and drive off the pirates; Clan Towers, mutual allies of Ruby and Lysenko, sent two of its own exo-armors along as well, hoping to win some mineral rights when the dust settles.
No one expected to find a Venusian research station on 927 Ratisbona, however...
Lysenko-Ruby-Towers Patrol Group SS Last Dance (Lysenko-owned Patrol Cutter) 20 TV SS Real Folk Blues (Ruby-owned Ebiiru Transport) 20 TV 3 x Apollo Exo-Armors (Clan Lysenko) 3 x 6 TV 2 x Hoplite Exo-Amors (Clan Towers, w/ Melee Weapons) 2 x 4 TV 1 x Hoplite Exo-Armor (Clan Ruby, w/ Light Missiles) 4 TV
The SS Last Dance and the SS Real Folk Blues are very old ships. The Last Dance was constructed in a Jovian shipyard in 2192. Her captain, Hanna Barstow, has a reputation for being especially tough on pirates, and she is widely admired by the men and women of Clan Lysenko. The ship and crew have seen numerous engagements, and they are ordinarily prepared for just about anything. The three Apollo exo-armors are under her direct command and will generally support her ship.
The Real Folk Blues was built in 2167 in an Orbital shipyard around Earth's Moon. Normally used to transport cargo and ore for Clan Ruby, it serves as an impromptu carrier in this battle. Her captain, Morris Hardgrove, isn't keen on taking his ship into battle, and he will keep it as far from enemy forces as he can. The Ruby Hoplite will concentrate on defending the Real Folk Blues if possible, using its add-on load of missiles at the best opportunity.
The two Towers Clan Hoplites have been outfitted with additional melee weapons and slightly tweaked combat computers. Both pilots are close combat specialists and prefer to engage an enemy face-to-face. Sorrento Bolide is particularly well known amongst the Nomads as an expert melee brawler.
| Skill/Bonus: 2/+1 | Perks: Melee Master | Cost: 11 |
Ratisbona Research Outpost Defense Group CVNA Suzuki Michiko (Imperator-class Patrol Cruiser) 45 TV 4 x Ryu Exo-Armors 4 x 13 TV
The Suzuki Michiko was constructed at Carthage in 2210. It was immediately transferred to 927 Ratisbona as the secret research station's primary defense unit, where it has remained ever since. The Suzuki's main responsibility it to defend the outpost, but if it appears that the operation will be overrun, the commander, Senchou Ishida Sueichi, has orders to destroy the base and retreat.
97th Belt Patrol "The Pitbulls" JSS Anne Bonny (Corsair-class Frigate) 25 TV JSS Mary Read (Corsair-class Frigate, w/ Spinal Laser) 30 TV Alpha Flight 1 x Retaliator Exo-Armor 10 TV 3 x Pathfinder Exo-Armor 3 x 8 TV
Part of the Jovian Armed Forces Gamma Division, the 97th Belt Patrol -- "The Pitbulls" -- patrols the asteroid belt, monitoring CEGA maneuvers within and tracking down pirates that raid Jovian holdings. It also attempts to study Venusian operations whenever it can, though doing so is quite difficult since the Venusians normally hide their operations so well. The JSS Anne Bonny and the JSS Mary Read are only part of the Pitbulls; several other ships make up the patrol, but only the Bonny and the Read were sent in on what was assumed to be a pirate raid. The Read is one of the first Corsairs to be outfitted with the spinal laser that is planned for the entire series by 2225.
The scenario begins with the Nomad group approaching from one edge of the table. Its vehicles may start anywhere within 10 cm of the edge and 20 cm of each other. The Venusian forces start at the center of the table, within 10 cm of an asteroid, Ratisbona.
The Venusians must destroy every Nomad ship and unit by the 15th turn, leaving no witnesses. The Nomads' initial goal is to wipe out what they believe to be pirates. When it becomes clear, however, that they are fighting high-tech Venusians instead of rag-tag pirates, their goal quickly changes to that of simple survival. (They will realize the enemy forces are Venusians the instant the Venusians fire their first shot.) They must hold out until the 15th turn; they will not be able to escape.
On the 16th turn, the Jovian forces arrive and will even up the odds quite a bit. If the Venusians are in danger of not surviving, the Suzuki will turn its weapons on the asteroid itself; one turn of bombardment will destroy the research base, and the Suzuki and its exo-armors can depart the battlefield.
| Jovian APAworks | Volume 2, Number 4 | April, 2002 |
Jovian Chronicles is © 2002, Dream Pod 9, Inc. All rights reserved. Jovian APAworks is not affiliated with Dream Pod 9 in any way. Submitted material remains the property of the creator.