For those interested I am working on beginning an RPG forum at my writer's forum:
http://www.wordcraftcafe.com/
based on the SomaIII and the Shaft as depicted on this blog.
want to play?
SIgn up at my forum and drop me a PM inquiring.
here is a link to a post with more info:
http://randomsabers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6155
hope to see you there.........
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Apologies !!!
Darth Real has thwarted my best efforts and intentions to add more to this blog.
The current story is still just under half complete and is a first person account of Tenric's involvement in another story called "A Shadow in the Force". That story is a multi-author fan-fic hosted over at the TJA (The Jedi Assembly) for any interested in a fun read just stop on by:
LINK: "A Shadow in the Force"
and enjoy the ride. The story was never finished but was left with the main issues resolved and only a wrap up chapter intended. Tenric's part WAS resolved and the story underway begins with his return to SomaIII and relating the events to Ragun.
All comments welcomed of course....
The current story is still just under half complete and is a first person account of Tenric's involvement in another story called "A Shadow in the Force". That story is a multi-author fan-fic hosted over at the TJA (The Jedi Assembly) for any interested in a fun read just stop on by:
LINK: "A Shadow in the Force"
and enjoy the ride. The story was never finished but was left with the main issues resolved and only a wrap up chapter intended. Tenric's part WAS resolved and the story underway begins with his return to SomaIII and relating the events to Ragun.
All comments welcomed of course....
Friday, February 20, 2009
ECLIPSE (part VII)
“So far it sounds good.” I prompted.
“I was hoping to enlist you as a test pilot for my new modifications. Dure-Lite has its own, of course, but I felt that a racer's experience and knowledge would be better suited to the task. The problem is that Dure-Lite frowns on outsiders being given access to its technology. Watching you race, though, I could tell you were both daring and more skilled than the pilots we had available so I decided to approach you, I just didn't expect you to find me first.” he finished a little breathlessly.
“Well, Orlan, it seems we are in the perfect position to help each other out.” I smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “The timing is perfect, too. I need to leave tonight to tend to my business and using one of your modded ships, I can give it a very thorough flight test in the process.”
Orlan then walked me through his modifcations and expectations of the ships new performance specs. I followed most of it until he tried to explain his calculations that linked shield harmonics to repulsor field phase inversions. The ship was impressive. Longer than a standard Headhunter by at least two meters it had a larger power core and a partially integrated hyperdrive. Two of the four wing tip cannon had been replaced with Orlan's new dual functioning repulsor-shield emitters. Apparently they functioned by pulsing both the shields and repulsors in tandem. This, theoretically, would allow the ship to survive not only energy blasts but all out blunt impacts as well. Orlan said the ship would likely just bounce off of anything it hit, to a point. The things were as big as the cannon they replaced but twice as thick. Orlan assured me the next generation would be smaller. There were added repulsor coils in the nose as well. Some of the standard sensor equipment had been removed, but a hardwired R4 had been installed to take up the slack.
Having finished my 'tour' I invited Orlan to accompany me to The Shaft for a Corellian Ale or two to celebrate our newfound partnership. I needed to pick up some things here anyway as you know. I also wanted him to meet you since he might need to contact me in the future by indirect means.
===============================================================
SO far this is it.....need time to continue but that is hard to come by lately. This story still has a good ways to go and should get quite interesting. This is being told from Tenric's point of view, but the story has already been written as a multi-author fan-fic call "A Shadow in the Force"......stay tuned.
“I was hoping to enlist you as a test pilot for my new modifications. Dure-Lite has its own, of course, but I felt that a racer's experience and knowledge would be better suited to the task. The problem is that Dure-Lite frowns on outsiders being given access to its technology. Watching you race, though, I could tell you were both daring and more skilled than the pilots we had available so I decided to approach you, I just didn't expect you to find me first.” he finished a little breathlessly.
“Well, Orlan, it seems we are in the perfect position to help each other out.” I smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “The timing is perfect, too. I need to leave tonight to tend to my business and using one of your modded ships, I can give it a very thorough flight test in the process.”
Orlan then walked me through his modifcations and expectations of the ships new performance specs. I followed most of it until he tried to explain his calculations that linked shield harmonics to repulsor field phase inversions. The ship was impressive. Longer than a standard Headhunter by at least two meters it had a larger power core and a partially integrated hyperdrive. Two of the four wing tip cannon had been replaced with Orlan's new dual functioning repulsor-shield emitters. Apparently they functioned by pulsing both the shields and repulsors in tandem. This, theoretically, would allow the ship to survive not only energy blasts but all out blunt impacts as well. Orlan said the ship would likely just bounce off of anything it hit, to a point. The things were as big as the cannon they replaced but twice as thick. Orlan assured me the next generation would be smaller. There were added repulsor coils in the nose as well. Some of the standard sensor equipment had been removed, but a hardwired R4 had been installed to take up the slack.
Having finished my 'tour' I invited Orlan to accompany me to The Shaft for a Corellian Ale or two to celebrate our newfound partnership. I needed to pick up some things here anyway as you know. I also wanted him to meet you since he might need to contact me in the future by indirect means.
===============================================================
SO far this is it.....need time to continue but that is hard to come by lately. This story still has a good ways to go and should get quite interesting. This is being told from Tenric's point of view, but the story has already been written as a multi-author fan-fic call "A Shadow in the Force"......stay tuned.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
ECLIPSE (part VI)
It took a few moments, but Orlan eventually relaxed and, pushing a button on his datapad, dismissed the security droids. I could see he was trying to make a decision and sensed it had to do with his work for Dure-Lite. I decided to nudge him a little, the regular way.
“I noticed the access panel here was in diagnostic mode just before you arrived. Any juicy details you can share?”
“Uh, well...” he was obviously trying to rationalize a decision he'd already made. “Actually it does rather concern why I wanted to meet you, so I guess showing you would be ok as well.”
I just raised my eyebrows and smiled in response. He took on a conspiratorial air and motioned me to follow him over toward where the Z-95s were berthed. Halfway there the droids approached on their rounds and Orlan motioned for me to stand next to him. When they were abreast of us he addressed them directly.
“Patrol DL703 access.” he spoke clearly. Both droids stopped and turned to face him. I noticed a series of lights blink on their torso panels. Then using his datapad he keyed in a command code and the lights began to blink in a slow progression. “Acknowledge.” he commanded.
“Patrol DL703 acknowledged.” they intoned in unison. “Recognize Chief Engineer.”
“Security access level Delta2, purpose update personnel.” Orlan told them while giving me a wink. “Scan subject and store as Test pilot 00394. Input, confirm, and catalogue.”
Both security droids turned to face me, their photoreceptors glowing reddish. Small holographic cameras extended from above their torso panels and they scanned me. Following standard procedure I turned slowly so they could generate a full 3D scan. Then they switched to infrared and recorded by heat signature. When this had been finished the lights blinked rapidly for a few moments and they faced Orlan once more.
“Confirming subject Test Pilot 00394 scanned, input and catalogued.”
“Secure from access and resume patrol.” Orlan concluded while once more keying a code into his datapad.
The lights went out on the droids torsos and they moved on. Orlan smiled at me and explained.
“The security droids will now recognize you as Test Pilot number 00394. You will have access to the shipyards, berths, and bays along with the pre and post flight rooms.” He stopped and faced me for a moment. “Just let me know when you need a ship and I'll clear it for you. there's no need to steal one.” I smiled and gave him the 'who me' look. He laughed.
“I really have been planning to contact you with an offer. The pilot number I assigned you has already been spliced into the main database.” he once more led on toward the Headhunters.
“Well whatever the offer is, you have definitely captured my interest.” I admitted, “Please fill me in.”
“I have been working on a set of modifications to the standard shield and repulsor lift specifications on the Z-95. I follow the racing circuit and wanted to find a way to raise the safety margin and possibly save a ship as well as the pilot. Two of the ships here already have the modifications, and one just happens to also have a class one hyperdrive as well.” He delivered the last with a smile.
“I noticed the access panel here was in diagnostic mode just before you arrived. Any juicy details you can share?”
“Uh, well...” he was obviously trying to rationalize a decision he'd already made. “Actually it does rather concern why I wanted to meet you, so I guess showing you would be ok as well.”
I just raised my eyebrows and smiled in response. He took on a conspiratorial air and motioned me to follow him over toward where the Z-95s were berthed. Halfway there the droids approached on their rounds and Orlan motioned for me to stand next to him. When they were abreast of us he addressed them directly.
“Patrol DL703 access.” he spoke clearly. Both droids stopped and turned to face him. I noticed a series of lights blink on their torso panels. Then using his datapad he keyed in a command code and the lights began to blink in a slow progression. “Acknowledge.” he commanded.
“Patrol DL703 acknowledged.” they intoned in unison. “Recognize Chief Engineer.”
“Security access level Delta2, purpose update personnel.” Orlan told them while giving me a wink. “Scan subject and store as Test pilot 00394. Input, confirm, and catalogue.”
Both security droids turned to face me, their photoreceptors glowing reddish. Small holographic cameras extended from above their torso panels and they scanned me. Following standard procedure I turned slowly so they could generate a full 3D scan. Then they switched to infrared and recorded by heat signature. When this had been finished the lights blinked rapidly for a few moments and they faced Orlan once more.
“Confirming subject Test Pilot 00394 scanned, input and catalogued.”
“Secure from access and resume patrol.” Orlan concluded while once more keying a code into his datapad.
The lights went out on the droids torsos and they moved on. Orlan smiled at me and explained.
“The security droids will now recognize you as Test Pilot number 00394. You will have access to the shipyards, berths, and bays along with the pre and post flight rooms.” He stopped and faced me for a moment. “Just let me know when you need a ship and I'll clear it for you. there's no need to steal one.” I smiled and gave him the 'who me' look. He laughed.
“I really have been planning to contact you with an offer. The pilot number I assigned you has already been spliced into the main database.” he once more led on toward the Headhunters.
“Well whatever the offer is, you have definitely captured my interest.” I admitted, “Please fill me in.”
“I have been working on a set of modifications to the standard shield and repulsor lift specifications on the Z-95. I follow the racing circuit and wanted to find a way to raise the safety margin and possibly save a ship as well as the pilot. Two of the ships here already have the modifications, and one just happens to also have a class one hyperdrive as well.” He delivered the last with a smile.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
ECLIPSE (part V)
I smiled and shook his hand warmly, but was a bit confused. You see Orlan actually had wanted to meet me, I could feel it in the Force, which meant my little “pushes” hadn't had much effect. I knew then that Orlan had a strong mind, purposeful and confident, and that meant our meeting was the will of the Force. My Master had taught me to seek out that will and follow it when possible. Since Orlan and I were meant to meet I determined to make the best of it.
“Well, then its a good thing we ran into each other tonight since I must leave Soma III on family business and do not know when I may return.” I said after we had shaken hands. My remark had more than the intended effect, however as Orlan's face fell visibly. I could see my leaving troubled Orlan for some reason of his own.
“Leave?” he almost stammered. “But why, I mean...” he looked flustered. “You said family business so it doesn't concern me.” he finished.
I could see now a way to obtain my objective of gaining a fast ship without resorting to either violence or stealing. Sure it meant playing on Orlan's hopes, but I needed a ship and he obviously needed something as well. I decided to play this hand out in a direct manner. Orlan seemed both sincere and honest.
“Orlan. I can see you had something specific in mind when you said you had wanted to meet me. The truth is I had something specific in mind in coming here tonight. Perhaps we can help each other out.” I made it a statement so he wouldn't try to deny it.
“What do you mean?” he asked. “What did you come here for?”
Even as he finished the question I could see his mind roll over the possibilities and hit upon the answer. His eyes widened and he looked toward the Z-95s. He was both strong minded and swift of thought. I felt we could be friends and hoped it could be so. However, first, I needed to finish my business.
“Orlan, please...” I held my hands up “...can you tell me why you wanted to meet me so badly?”
“Well, then its a good thing we ran into each other tonight since I must leave Soma III on family business and do not know when I may return.” I said after we had shaken hands. My remark had more than the intended effect, however as Orlan's face fell visibly. I could see my leaving troubled Orlan for some reason of his own.
“Leave?” he almost stammered. “But why, I mean...” he looked flustered. “You said family business so it doesn't concern me.” he finished.
I could see now a way to obtain my objective of gaining a fast ship without resorting to either violence or stealing. Sure it meant playing on Orlan's hopes, but I needed a ship and he obviously needed something as well. I decided to play this hand out in a direct manner. Orlan seemed both sincere and honest.
“Orlan. I can see you had something specific in mind when you said you had wanted to meet me. The truth is I had something specific in mind in coming here tonight. Perhaps we can help each other out.” I made it a statement so he wouldn't try to deny it.
“What do you mean?” he asked. “What did you come here for?”
Even as he finished the question I could see his mind roll over the possibilities and hit upon the answer. His eyes widened and he looked toward the Z-95s. He was both strong minded and swift of thought. I felt we could be friends and hoped it could be so. However, first, I needed to finish my business.
“Orlan, please...” I held my hands up “...can you tell me why you wanted to meet me so badly?”
Thursday, January 22, 2009
ECLIPSE (part IV)
A bit more from this story......seems to be growing larger than I thought....hope you enjoy reading it.
=================================================================
I successfully put Dale off the scent for a while, but I knew I had to act soon or he’d start following me around looking for a way to help. Sometimes friends can be inconvenient. Don’t get me wrong, Dale is like a brother to me and I am not belittling his concern. I just didn’t want him involved in what I needed to do.
Here Tenric pauses for a long pull on his Correllian Ale. Ragun signals the server droid for another round and settles in for the long haul. He knows Tenric's been needing to get it out and intends to make sure he does. Finishing his ale Tenric sets the empty flagon down.
So…I had the shipyards scoped out and had decided how I was going to go after a ship. The guard and security droids kept to a rigid schedule that allowed me time to get in unobserved. Once inside I just had to disable the droids by slicing the security terminal and pick a ship. The only real variable was the DL engineer. The guy seemed to sleep at the shipyards. I really didn’t want to hurt anyone, but then again I wasn’t going to let anyone stop me either. The following night I made my move on the Dure-Lite shipyards.
I waited until mid-shift since the guard’s attention would be at its lowest. I gently touched the sleepy guard’s mind and used a Force-illusion to cover me as I flipped over the gate. I could have just put him to sleep, but I don’t have much experience with that and didn’t want to over do it. He was supposed to check in hourly and I couldn’t afford to slip up. I was dressed all in black to make it easier for the guard to believe I wasn’t there. He didn’t even blink as he watched me go by.
Once inside I made for the nearest ship, an old Correlian cargo hauler, and used it for cover. Sliding under the ship I waited for the droids to make their rounds. When I saw the pair of them round the far ship and head my way, I quickly crawled up into one of the landing gear wells and shot a small amount of refrigerant back down the strut to erase my recent heat signature. It took ten agonizing minutes for the droids to finish their rounds and head for the far side of the yards to begin again.
As soon as it was clear I dropped down and sprinted for the security console just inside the mech-bays. I only had a few minutes until the droids got to that area so I had to work fast. I was immediately confronted with a serious problem though. The console was not in security mode as it should have been. That meant the droids were running on their internal programming and I would not be able to bypass them. I became acutely aware of the weight of my light saber hanging at my side, as well as the near certainty that I would need to use it.
I was so intent on my foiled plans that I did not sense the engineer’s approach until he spoke...
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Came a voice from behind me.
In a sudden rush of surprise and confusion I whirled around, grabbing and igniting my saber in a badly aimed slash at the sound. Good thing too since I nearly cut the poor guy in two. He jumped back and stared wild-eyed at me, shocked into silence. The thrumming of my blade cut through my paralysis and I shut down the saber with an apologetic shrug, putting it away and trying to look innocent.
“Man I’m sorry! You really scared me there! I mean no harm, really. I just wanted a close up look at some of the ships.” I lied.
Lowering the data pad he’d been holding up like a shield, the engineer looked at me closely for a moment. “Hey, I know you.” He said uncertainly. Then he seemed to gain confidence from my demeanor. “What are you trying to do with this console?”
“I wanted to add my name to the security droids personnel list so I could look around without raising the alarm.” I answered truthfully.
“Dure-Lite does give tours you know…in the daytime.” He responded punching a code into the datapad. Before I could ask him what he’d done the two security droids came full speed into the bay, weapons tracking me. I kept my hands perfectly still and locked eyes with him.
“I’m really no threat to you or the company.” I said, pushing the thought at him with the Force.
“I can’t be sure you’re not a threat.” He replied not quite convinced.
“You said you knew me.” I pushed again hoping to find a way out of this. I could likely take out both droids and the engineer without getting hurt, but I wouldn’t get a ship that way. His eyes went wide for a moment then he smiled.
“You’re right I do know who you are. You’re that crazy space-jockey Tenric…um…from Darkwood settlement aren’t you?” He said as though he’d passed a pop quiz.
“That’s me.” I admitted, smiling and relaxing a bit. Now that I had him talking. Things might still work out.
“Where, may I ask, did you come to possess a light saber?” He asked while the droids kept their weapons trained on me.
“It belonged to my uncle. He left a few years ago and asked me to keep it safe for him.” I offered another push.
“Hmm. I guess that makes sense. But why are you here?” he countered.
Reaching out I saw the currents swirling around us both. They seemed to go from him to me and back again, then outward to the ships. I realized he had formed his own opinion and decided to play along. “I’ve got a thing for Z-95s and I’d heard you had a couple of Mods here in the yards. I knew the tours wouldn’t let me get a really close up look so I decided to guide my own tour.” Just a small push this time since he was already on this train of thought.
He smiled at the audacity of my remark. I could see he wanted to believe me so I just waited, as my Master had done so many times with me, for him to make the decision I wanted him to make. It took a few more moments then he punched another sequence into the data pad and the droids stood down. They didn’t leave, but they weren’t about to blast me anymore either. Then he shifted the pad to his left hand and stuck out his right.
“My name’s Orlan. I’m the team lead for DL’s Research and Development wing here on Soma III and I’ve been wanting to meet you.” He shook my hand with a firm, confident grip.
================================================================
All comments welcomed........
=================================================================
I successfully put Dale off the scent for a while, but I knew I had to act soon or he’d start following me around looking for a way to help. Sometimes friends can be inconvenient. Don’t get me wrong, Dale is like a brother to me and I am not belittling his concern. I just didn’t want him involved in what I needed to do.
Here Tenric pauses for a long pull on his Correllian Ale. Ragun signals the server droid for another round and settles in for the long haul. He knows Tenric's been needing to get it out and intends to make sure he does. Finishing his ale Tenric sets the empty flagon down.
So…I had the shipyards scoped out and had decided how I was going to go after a ship. The guard and security droids kept to a rigid schedule that allowed me time to get in unobserved. Once inside I just had to disable the droids by slicing the security terminal and pick a ship. The only real variable was the DL engineer. The guy seemed to sleep at the shipyards. I really didn’t want to hurt anyone, but then again I wasn’t going to let anyone stop me either. The following night I made my move on the Dure-Lite shipyards.
I waited until mid-shift since the guard’s attention would be at its lowest. I gently touched the sleepy guard’s mind and used a Force-illusion to cover me as I flipped over the gate. I could have just put him to sleep, but I don’t have much experience with that and didn’t want to over do it. He was supposed to check in hourly and I couldn’t afford to slip up. I was dressed all in black to make it easier for the guard to believe I wasn’t there. He didn’t even blink as he watched me go by.
Once inside I made for the nearest ship, an old Correlian cargo hauler, and used it for cover. Sliding under the ship I waited for the droids to make their rounds. When I saw the pair of them round the far ship and head my way, I quickly crawled up into one of the landing gear wells and shot a small amount of refrigerant back down the strut to erase my recent heat signature. It took ten agonizing minutes for the droids to finish their rounds and head for the far side of the yards to begin again.
As soon as it was clear I dropped down and sprinted for the security console just inside the mech-bays. I only had a few minutes until the droids got to that area so I had to work fast. I was immediately confronted with a serious problem though. The console was not in security mode as it should have been. That meant the droids were running on their internal programming and I would not be able to bypass them. I became acutely aware of the weight of my light saber hanging at my side, as well as the near certainty that I would need to use it.
I was so intent on my foiled plans that I did not sense the engineer’s approach until he spoke...
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Came a voice from behind me.
In a sudden rush of surprise and confusion I whirled around, grabbing and igniting my saber in a badly aimed slash at the sound. Good thing too since I nearly cut the poor guy in two. He jumped back and stared wild-eyed at me, shocked into silence. The thrumming of my blade cut through my paralysis and I shut down the saber with an apologetic shrug, putting it away and trying to look innocent.
“Man I’m sorry! You really scared me there! I mean no harm, really. I just wanted a close up look at some of the ships.” I lied.
Lowering the data pad he’d been holding up like a shield, the engineer looked at me closely for a moment. “Hey, I know you.” He said uncertainly. Then he seemed to gain confidence from my demeanor. “What are you trying to do with this console?”
“I wanted to add my name to the security droids personnel list so I could look around without raising the alarm.” I answered truthfully.
“Dure-Lite does give tours you know…in the daytime.” He responded punching a code into the datapad. Before I could ask him what he’d done the two security droids came full speed into the bay, weapons tracking me. I kept my hands perfectly still and locked eyes with him.
“I’m really no threat to you or the company.” I said, pushing the thought at him with the Force.
“I can’t be sure you’re not a threat.” He replied not quite convinced.
“You said you knew me.” I pushed again hoping to find a way out of this. I could likely take out both droids and the engineer without getting hurt, but I wouldn’t get a ship that way. His eyes went wide for a moment then he smiled.
“You’re right I do know who you are. You’re that crazy space-jockey Tenric…um…from Darkwood settlement aren’t you?” He said as though he’d passed a pop quiz.
“That’s me.” I admitted, smiling and relaxing a bit. Now that I had him talking. Things might still work out.
“Where, may I ask, did you come to possess a light saber?” He asked while the droids kept their weapons trained on me.
“It belonged to my uncle. He left a few years ago and asked me to keep it safe for him.” I offered another push.
“Hmm. I guess that makes sense. But why are you here?” he countered.
Reaching out I saw the currents swirling around us both. They seemed to go from him to me and back again, then outward to the ships. I realized he had formed his own opinion and decided to play along. “I’ve got a thing for Z-95s and I’d heard you had a couple of Mods here in the yards. I knew the tours wouldn’t let me get a really close up look so I decided to guide my own tour.” Just a small push this time since he was already on this train of thought.
He smiled at the audacity of my remark. I could see he wanted to believe me so I just waited, as my Master had done so many times with me, for him to make the decision I wanted him to make. It took a few more moments then he punched another sequence into the data pad and the droids stood down. They didn’t leave, but they weren’t about to blast me anymore either. Then he shifted the pad to his left hand and stuck out his right.
“My name’s Orlan. I’m the team lead for DL’s Research and Development wing here on Soma III and I’ve been wanting to meet you.” He shook my hand with a firm, confident grip.
================================================================
All comments welcomed........
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