Altaria's Last Stand

Good start but be careful of continuity errors: The Admiral is addressed as 'Captain' and 'Admiral' by his subordinate in almost the same sentence  :SURPRISED: 

Read then re-read your posts before sending them

Good start so far though

Oops. :p 



Chapter 2

Jim’s hopes came true when four Valiant-class frigates jumped into the system. The lead ship hailed the Ardent. A young man Jim had seen at many Terran Command events appeared onscreen.
“Jim Ebyon, this is the Valiant Battle Group 2-1, consisting of the ships Shrike, Resolve, Ogre, and Wraith. Resolve speaking. You reported ten Retribution frigates?”
“Roger that, Resolve. Glad to see you made it. Maintain present course. Speed 250. Hey, I’ve seen you at a ton of events, and I don’t even know your name.”
“Jordan Locke, Admiral. I just entered the captain’s club, if you know what I mean. Looks like Terran Command finally appreciated my constant successful raids of Yor Collective motherships. I don’t think the Yor will show their faces for awhile after the last raid. Caught them completely off guard.” He laughed and paused for a second.
“Okay, that’s a neat story. Tell it to me later. Scanning has revealed that the Drengin frigates are going after another freighter. This one is armed, but it still won’t hold out very long. We’re going to attack from behind. We’ll surprise them.”
“Surprise them? I like it. Well, if that’s the way you fight, I sure hope you can sleep at night. The Drengin catch on pretty quick.” After that remark, both bridge crews started laughing. Jordan grinned, and Jim sent him a stern look.
“Enough chatter. We need to attack these ships before it’s too late.” With that, he closed the channel and ordered the ships into formation.
One hour later the Drengin frigates were in visual range. Jim’s heart went into his throat when he saw the red and grayish green ships. Though he had fought the Drengin navy, or Ka’ Arator, before, the Drengin still scared him. Anyone would be scared if they saw a race that peeled your skin off for torture.
“I wonder how Jordan is reacting,” he said aloud.
“He’s probably fine. Hey, he’s attacked things much bigger than these ships. In fighters and corvette-class ships. I think he’s doing okay,” Altos replied, smiling.
“Drengin Frigates in range of long- range torpedoes,” chimed the computer.
“Okay, Crusader, fire anti-matter torpedoes. Computer, follow that order as well,” barked Jim.
There was a whooshing sound as the torpedoes left their tubes. Jim watched them as they speed toward their target. A low rumbling was heard as the first volley hit their target. So much for soundless space battles, Jim thought. Scientists always thought there would be soundless space battles because there was no air to carry sound waves. They were wrong. Weapons fire and explosions created shockwaves that traveled through space at great speed, a little faster than sound itself. If the waves made contact with a ship before they disintegrated, the people inside would hear. The sounds from other ships weren’t as loud as, well, the movies, but you could hear them just the same.
The torpedoes had obviously hit a critical spot. One of the ships had exploded like a firecracker; two others had broken into flaming pieces. The fires weren’t like a fire at a camp, it was a low glow; there wasn’t any oxygen in space for a huge fire.
The Drengin were obviously panicking. Some ships were firing random laser blasts, others were firing volley after volley of torpedo intercept rockets in the opposite direction of where the torpedoes had come from. Two ships just ran into each other.
Okay, five frigates down. Jim thought. Three destroyed by torpedoes, two by idiotic captains.
“Admiral, one of the Drengin frigates has launched a sensor probe,” Altos said. “It’s headed for the Valiant Frigate Group. If it sees us, we’ll be in trouble.”
“Okay, now how will they evade the probe?” Jim thought aloud.
Just then, the Valiant group flew into a tight pocket of nebula gas. That shielded the group from the sensor scan. After the probe passed, Jim ordered the group to stay in the cloud. Instead, they flew out and began to fire on the remaining frigates with their phasor cannons.
“Boy, if Jordan and I were in the same room…,” Jim said angrily. The Valiant Frigates then sent them recordings of their cheering and hooting as they attacked the frigates.
Then the unexpected occurred. The three remaining Drengin frigates fired heavy missiles, badly damaging the Ogre. “Crusader, assault the frigates. Draw their fire off the Ogre. Computer, fire phasors!”
“Firing phasors,” the computer chimed. There was a loud hum as the phasors hit the critical areas of two of the frigates. Several engines blew off. The unlucky frigates began to spin out of control, until they hit an asteroid.
Just then, two Arcean ships jumped into the nebula. Jim hailed the lead ship. “Arcean ships, this is Jim Ebyon. Do not destroy that last Drengin Frigate. Board it. We are thinking about doing some interrogations.”
“Affirmative,” the Arcean captain replied. After knocking out the Drengin frigate’s defenses, boarding tubes extended, and soldiers’ shadows flickered with the lights. Seconds later the flashes of gunfire could be seen. After twenty minutes the Arceans hailed Jim again. “Admiral Ebyon, the ship is under control. You may board.” The communication link closed.

Continuity not as bad as you think, an Admiral (caps) is also the captain (maybe no caps?) of his ship. Even in the military, at least in older times, you could have officers addressed by their functional rank within the unit instead of their actual, perhaps higher, rank based on their higher-level functions.

Of course, if that is not what you meant...

In the British Navy, that would be incorrect. An Admiral is not a Captain.

But in some Navies this is true... So, why judge a futuristic navy of a not-yet invented vehicle of a not-yet established entity by one of our current navies?

Jeez guys, its just a story. Are you enjoying it or not?

Lol! That's exactly what I was trying to say! Who cares what he's called?

I love it!

Thanks.


Chapter 3

The interior of the Drengin frigate was cold and dim. The coolness seemed to come in waves. Every time one hit him, he shivered. How could anyone live like this? He noted many protruding wires, and rocks for stuffing in mattress pads. The Arceans were also showing revulsion at these conditions. Also, being ten feet tall, the ship was cramped for them.
After entering the bridge, Jordan showed up.
“Jordan Locke, you are something else! Deliberately disobeying my orders, and putting a crew and ship in unneeded danger! Have you no respect?!” Jim shouted.
“No offense Admiral, but you need to be less, well, ‘old school’. My attack distracted them enough so that you and the Arceans could cripple their defenses. You’ve got to understand that!” Jordan protested.
“Well…”
Altos broke into the conversation. “Admiral, I have to agree with Jordan. Though he did endanger his battle group, he made this battle easier.”
Jim grunted. “Well, if you say so. Jordan, consider this a warning. Do not, repeat, do not disobey me in the future. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good, now where is the Drengin I am going to question?”
“Hold on one second.” Jordan went down a corridor, and returned with a tied-up Drengin officer with some tape over his mouth. Jordan put the officer in a ramshackle chair, and tore the tape off the officer’s mouth. The Drengin roared with pain. Jordan hit the Drengin on the head with the butt of his rifle. “Oh, quit whining!”
It was the first time Jim had seen a Drengin in the flesh. The sickly green skin made him shiver, and red eyes with slits for pupils gazed out of deep sockets into him. On the Drengin’s thin cheeks tufts of red hair grew. Two lines of hair also grew on the Drengin’s head. The creature was about six feet tall, and wore dark and menacing clothes. Pulling out a handgun, Jim remembered Jordan’s comment about him being “old school”. Rather than his traditional threat, Jim chose a new one.
“If you don’t do what we ask, I will blow your brains all over this bridge!” he shouted.
“Not bad,” said Jordan.
The Drengin’s eyes bulged. Jim gave him a menacing look. At last the Drengin began to speak in a guttural voice. “All right, ape, you win. I don’t know any top Drengin Empire secrets, like your friend with the big gun asked, but –“
“You had better be telling the truth!” Jordan shouted.
“I am! I am! But anyway, there is a big battleship headed for Altaria. The plan is to strike at the heart of the Altarian Republic using brute force.”
Altos went pale.
The Drengin laughed at the horrified Altos. “Might lose your so-called precious way of life, eh? The Terrans and Arceans might be down one ally.”
Jordan set the power level of his rifle to low, and then shot the Drengin in the foot. A howl of pain followed. “Any more details?”
The Drengin got control of himself, ignored Jordan again and turned to Jim. “First of all, tell your friend to stop shooting my feet! Second, the lead ship of the assault force is a new battleship called Lord Kona’s Pride. It will smash anything in its path.”
Lord Kona was the leader of the Drengin Empire. He was extremely cruel and evil, even for a Drengin. Whenever the Terran Alliance tried to hail him to attempt to begin peace talks, he would give a gesture equivalent to flipping someone off.
“When will this attack occur?” asked Jim.
“On the seventeenth of the month you call June,” replied the Drengin, “My fleet was to help lead the assault, but my idiot commanding officer decided to prey on some shipping while we waited for the signal to join the main fleet. I knew it would draw you guys’ attention! I just knew it!” He roared and stamped his foot on the ground.
“What should we do with the prisoner?” asked one of the Arceans.
“Extract whatever details you can from him about the Drengin Empire and its plans,” Altos replied, “and then throw him out the airlock without a suit!”
Jim was surprised at Altos. This was not like the Altarians, who were usually very ethical. They almost always treated prisoners kindly, and greeted many aliens with kindness, even the Drath, their old enemies. Jim decided Altos had just gotten angry at the captured Drengin for laughing at him. Altos would probably rescind his order later.
Jordan looked around uncomfortably. “Uh, we’ve got to let Terran Command know about this. Obviously, we should let the Altarian Republic know about this, too.”
All of the Coalition should know about this, Jordan. Our work here is done. Let’s get back to base. He turned to the Arcean that was on the bridge. “Soldier?”
“Yes?”
“Please let your superiors know about this. If what the Drengin said was true, we’ll need all the help we can get.”
“Of course.” The Arcean soldier turned and left the bridge.
Now, Jim thought, the ultimate test of the Coalition has begun.
“Jordon?”
“Yes, Jim?”
“Get back to your fleet. Send the Ogre for repairs. Then meet me at Twilight Station.”
Yes, sir.”

       :LOL:  :p  ;p    (:(    :NOTSURE:  :SNIFF!:  :CONGRAT:  :HOT:  :SURPRISED: SICK MAN SWEET FUNNY i would have told the arcean to use the drengin as a toy WEEEE

Chapter 4

Earth. The planet where humanity had originated hung like a blue marble in space. Clouds streaked through the atmosphere, and city lights from the night side shone brightly. This planet had come a long way. It had recovered from its scarring during the infamous Oil Age, which took place between 1900 and 2050, in which the planet was devastated by global warming, development, and war. The worst part of the Age were the 2000’s, where an extremely incompetent leader caused major damage to various regions of the Earth, and set the republic known as the United States on the road to ruin. Nowadays, with the help of the Altarians and Torians, the planet was healed. The Sahara Desert was almost gone, the Brazilian Rain Forests once again covered South America, and greenhouse gases were at minimal levels.
The Ardent sped toward the planet. Soon a massive object appeared. This was Twilight Station. Originally a small trading dock, Twilight Station had expanded to become a ten mile long behemoth. Over a million people lived there. The station offered every kind of service and product you could imagine. It was also a Terran Alliance military base and diplomatic center. Jim hailed the Station.
“Twilight Station, this is the Ardent, and the Crusader. Requesting permission to dock.”
“Granted,” said a cool female voice, “Welcome to Twilight Station.”
The two ships moved toward the docking area reserved for Terran Senators and military ships.
“My God, this place is huge,” said Ralph Turner.
“You’ve never been here before?” asked Jim.
“No.”
As the ships moved closer, docking lights lit up, and a hanger door opened. As the ships moved into the massive station, Jim’s breath was taken away. The maw of Twilight Station seemed endless, he couldn’t see the bottom. Between the outer shell of the station and the walls where the hangers and docking platforms were, there was an empty space. As he looked down, hundreds of windows winked up at him. Distant ships moving to dock looked like ants. It seemed to have a beauty to him, a beauty that didn’t appear to others.
“Are you all right, Admiral?” asked Altos.
“Yes, I’m fine. It just amazes me how big Twilight Station is. Though compared to what your people can build, this is nothing.”
“Oh, please, Jim.”
“What?”
The ships continued further and further into the station. Where are they taking us? Jim thought, I’ve never been this far in.
Another door opened, and an awesome sight met Jim. They were in a hollow area surrounded by bay doors. A massive spire rose the top part of the hollow space, generating a blue energy beam that rose into a receiver dish. This was Twilight Station Core 01.
“What… How?” sputtered Jim. This area was restricted. Only the highest ranking military officials and diplomatic agents were allowed in, as well as VIPs.
Altos was also mystified. The blue tattoo on his forehead seemed to be glowing. Then he looked at the docking area of Core 01 and smiled. “I think we should thank Jordan for helped us get in here.”
Jim looked about and saw Jordan’s battle group. Shrike, Ogre, Resolve, and Wraith were all docked in a neat line. Ogre had received such a good repair job; it showed no trace of Jordan’s stupidity of attacking a point-blank range.
Docking clamps extended and grabbed the Ardent and Crusader. As the clamps moved the ships into docking cradles, Jim saw the excitement building up in the bridge crew. He smiled to himself.
After the procedure was complete, boarding and fuel tubes attached themselves to ports on the ships. Jim, Altos, and several other officers crossed the boarding tubes onto an open platform. The entire Core was pressurized. Jim sniffed the air, expecting to smell the ship’s exhaust. The other officers noticed it, too. He spoke to one of them. “I’m surprised not to smell that exhaust. Strange, isn’t it? I wonder what they do?”
“They put something in the air,” said of familiar voice. Jordan walked down the platform. He was wearing jeans, a stocking cap, sweatshirt, and a shirt that said F^CK CITY on it. Altos looked slightly disturbed when he read the shirt. “Hello, Jimmo,” said Jordan.
“All right, first of all, that is the most disrespect you have shown me yet, wearing those clothes!”
“What? I’m off duty now that we’ve docked. Besides, I conviced station command to let us in this far!”
“That’s what I thought!” said Altos.
“Anyway, enough chat. I’ve set up living quarters for us all; there were quite a few empty rooms, though a few losers will have to sleep on the ships.
“Jordan-,“ growled Jim.
Never mind. We need to get going. President Bradley is waiting for us.”
“I’d zip up your sweatshirt if I were you,” said Altos.

Hey, when will the next edition be? I really like this story. I used to be on some boards like this with star wars role playing and a very few fantasy ones. This is a cool story and you have some good character development going on.

Sorry that I haven't posted a chapter for so long. I'll put two chapter up for you guys!  

Chapter 5

The diplomatic conference room was small and well-lit. There were many plants at the center of the table and around the room as well. The Terran Alliance flag was at the back of the room. Jim, Altos, Jordan, and the other officers entered the room. Several other Admirals were there, to whom Jordan saluted. Why doesn’t he do that to me? Jim thought.
At the end of the table was a tall man in his early fifties. He wore a black and gray suit that had the Terran Alliance symbol on its collar. This was President Alan Bradley. He rose as Jim and the others entered.
“Greetings,” he said. “I hear you have some very important information for me. Your shaggy-haired friend told me that,” said the president, looking at Jordan. Like many Terran soldiers, Jordan wore his hair long, surfer style. Shaving soldiers’ heads was banned because it conflicted with constitutional amendments that guaranteed freedom of expression.
“Anyway,” the president continued, “What do you have to share?”
Jordan started. “The Drengin Empire is planning to assault Altaria on June 17th. The main ship is supposed to be a battleship called Lord Kona’s Pride.”
The Admirals started murmuring among themselves.
The President’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “How do you know that this is true?”
“Look at this,” said Jordan. He took a cube-shaped device out of his pocket. He turned it on, and a hologram appeared. Various diagrams of Drengin ships flashed, surrounded by words and sentences in the Drengin language. Jordan plugged a small programming stick into an adapted port on the cube. The language turned to English. The hologram then showed the plan for the attack on Altaria. Over 300 ships and fighters were to be in the fleet. President Bradley’s jaw dropped. “I’ll get Lord Vega and Chancellor Netro Mancer here,” he stammered. “In the meantime, make use of the station’s facilities, and enjoy yourselves. Things won’t be calm for long. I’ll call for you when you are needed at the conference. This meeting is over.”



Chapter 6

Jim walked briskly down the corridors of Twilight Station Core 01. He could always see the blue energy beam, as well as his ships, thanks to several transparent steel panels. As he came around a corner, he heard loud shouting and laughing from the bar. As he looked in, he could he Jordan getting a massage from two attractive women, and telling the story of the battle with the frigates to other bar patrons. As Jim moved closer, he could tell Jordan was stretching the truth. As Jordan continued, Jim eyes narrowed. Jordan was insulting his superiors, Jim being one of them. He entered the bar.
Jordan was still telling the story; he didn’t even notice Jim. “So, the frigates were popping some caps in our direction in all, and ol’ Jim Ebyon is like, ‘Stay here, fire torpedoes’, and I’m like, ‘Uh, no. I know how to fight Yor Collective motherships. I know what to do.’ As we zap the Drengin, they get lucky and frag the Ogre a bit. Ralph Turner tells us to pull back. We stay where we are and fight. Then those Arceans show up and finish the job. I mean, how stupid is Jim? Staying at long range, where they’re sitting ducks. What morons!” He and his friends turned and saw Jim, and their faces drained of all color. “Uh, hi Jim.”
Before Jim could catch him, Jordan bolted from the bar, turned the corner, and was gone. The bar patrons roared with laughter. Jim turned to several soldiers. “Return to your base, you three.”
One complained. “We’re off-duty!”
“As of now, you are on-duty. Return to your base.”
The soldier growled and walked away. He muttered something under his breath that Jim could hear. “Man, the rumors about stone-heart Ebyon are true.”
“WHAT DID YOU SAY??!!”
“Nothing, nothing.”

Jim continued to explore. He wandered about for an hour, and stumbled on a sign. As he read the inscription, he saw it was a rather well known poem.


Beyond this simple door,
Lies a hologram, though it means much more.

Within its shape, and helixes of two,
Contains the code that makes you, you.

Now enter, if you may,
And walk from this chamber changed, today.


It was the door to a monument that saluted Terran and Altarian scientific achievements. He entered. The chamber was narrow, yet deep. Two walkways went from wall to wall, and they crossed in the middle. Where the walkways met was a circular platform and projector. Jim saw the hologram. It showed Terran/Altarian DNA. The double-helixed shape spun slowly, its light reflected off numerous windows. DNA itself was a symbol of science and achievement, which was why it was chosen for the display. As Jim walked down the platform, he saw two figures watching the hologram. As he moved closer, he saw it was Jordan and Altos. They were talking. Altos was saying something now.
“I can’t believe Lord Kona is ambitious enough to assault Altaria. How could he have assembled a fleet that large without being spotted? It makes me wonder.”
Jordan was talking now. “Wonder what?”
“Wonder how the Coalition will muster a defense strong enough to save my people.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“You seemed really exhausted when you came in here, all huffing and puffing. What happened?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Please?”
“All I’ll say is that it had to do something with me and Jim. Why does that guy treat me with such disdain? Just because I joke around doesn’t make me a bad person.”
“Jim is not used to people like you. He’s been in the Terran Alliance navy for thirty years now. I’d say he's forgotten what some people are like.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Just then a hangar bay door opened. A massive vessel bearing the colors and insignia of the Altarian Republic moved in the station. More doors opened to allow it deeper into the structure, eventually to Twilight Station Core 01. Jim had seen that ship before. It was the diplomatic starship of the Altarians. Though the handcrafted ship’s main purpose was diplomacy, it had many weapons emplacements. Immediately after the Altarian ship went through, an even bigger yellow ship moved through, with the sign of the Arcean Empire.
“They sure got here fast,” said Jim, startling Jordan and Altos.
“I think I’ll get ready for the meeting,” said Jordan. He turned and walked away. It was obvious he was trying to get away from Jim.
Once Jordan was gone, Altos gave Jim an annoyed look.
“What’s wrong, Altos?”
“You and Jordan. Jordan just likes to mess around and be funny, something that you should understand. I know he could use more manners, but he’s just a kid. Only, recently did he stop leading guerilla strikes against Yor ships and settle down in the captain’s chair. Give him a chance. I know you’ve given him a ton of chances before, but be patient.”
Jim was quiet for a moment. “I’ll take your advice,” he replied.
“Good. Let’s go. President Bradley and the others are probably waiting.”
Jim and Altos left the monument. As they turned the corner, Jim’s eye caught the last line of the poem.

And walk from this chamber changed, today.

This reference gave me a good laugh.

Sentient species taste better...

Yeah, I know.

Chapter 7

Jim and Altos entered the conference room. Alan Bradley was sitting with several papers in front of him. The Arcean Lord Vega and his guards were sitting on the right side of the table, in chairs designed for their body shape. The Terran Admirals were sitting on the left side of the table, as well as President Bradley’s cabinet. Jordan was standing next between Lord Vega and Alan Bradley, with a bored look on his face. He had changed into a casual Terran uniform, though he still wore his stocking cap and sneakers. There was an awkward silence in the room. Chancellor Netro Mancer hadn’t shown up yet.
“Any idea where he could be?” asked Admiral Adam Evars. President Bradley shrugged.
Jordan spoke. “I’m betting one of Netro’s entourage was still asleep when they docked and got ready to come here. Probably had to wake him or her up, wait while he or she did what she needed to do, and then walk here. The girls can’t run, otherwise their fancy dresses could rip.” He then did a crude imitation of what many female Altarian aristocrats do if something happened bad to their clothes, which involved screaming and overreacting.
Everyone in the room burst out laughing, even Jim.
Lord Vega grinned. “So you are Jordan Locke. I’ve heard many stories about you and your skills. Looks like most of them are true.”
“Thank you, your majesty.”
“What I am curious about, is why you stopped being a pilot, and became a captain?”
“A lot of reasons. I couldn’t resist Admiral Evars’ request.”
“I see.”
Just then, the door opened, and a young Altarian with short, silver hair entered, followed by several others. He looked flustered. This was Altarian Chancellor Netro Mancer. “Sorry I’m late,” he said. “We had a few problems getting ready. The girls claim to need their beauty sleep, you know.” Jim looked at Jordan. He could tell Jordan was trying very hard not to crack up. Netro was accompanied by his advisor, Elys Mue, a group of officers, and several teenagers. It was Altarian custom for the Altarian leaders to attend meeting with their families. Their clothes were elegant, yet fairly simple. Blue tattoos were on all of their foreheads. Netro looked at Jordan. “What you have to show, one who needs a haircut?”
Jordan moved forward without his usual eye roll. He pulled out the cube and turned it on. The Drengin plan for the assault on Altaria appeared. Netro paled. “So it’s true.”
“Yep. And there’s no possibility that this is a hoax. These are top secret files.”
Lord Vega spoke up. “Obviously, we should analyze the plans and form a defense. I will send an entire battle fleet, and several legions of my best troops.”
“I will activate the entire Antares Battle Group, several Vortex-class dreadnoughts, and whatever ships I can spare,” said President Bradley.
“Good,” said Netro, “But will it be enough to stop them? We also have to count the Yor, who will undoubtedly assist the Drengin.”
“True,” said Admiral Evars. He turned to Jordan. “Jordan, you should get back to your original fighter wing, to help assault the Yor. You aren’t demoted, you are just reassigned. It seems it would better for you to be back with people you can relate to, being rowdy and all that. We will also be supplying several frigates for you to add to your squadron.”
“I understand, sir.”
“Good. Now get to it. Contact your former wingmates and assemble them at Altaria.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jordan turned and walked out the door. Netro turned toward his two daughters and son. “You three have been here for long enough. We will be discussing this a long time. Go out and explore the station. Wordlessly, Netro’s children got up and left. Through a one-way window, Jim could see Jordan flirting with one of the girls. He rolled his eyes, and hoped Netro wouldn’t notice. He shifted uncomfortably and said, “If we lose, we will pay a heavy price.”
“That we will,” said Lord Vega. “We will make sure it doesn’t happen.”

Biggest battle in the History of the Universe to come? Looking forward to it!!

Chapter 8

After the conference was done, Jim wandered around the station. He stopped at the bar where he had caught Jordan insulting him, and had a quick drink. He then continued to walk. After a while he found a soldier and asked if he knew where Jordan was, because he wanted to say goodbye. Jordan had already left. After learning that, Jim continued to wander, until he bumped into Netro Mancer again. The two had a long chat. Netro was calm and kind. His silver hair made him look older, though he was only in his thirties. He had taken office after his father, Andon Mancer, died. Though the Altarians were a republic, with a senate, a royal family, which was currently the Mancers, ruled while sharing power with the people. It was an interesting system. Ever since he had arrived on Twilight Station, Netro looked rushed and worried. Jim didn’t blame him. The civilization he ruled was on the line.

The days slowly went by. Then, the break was over. Jim was giving President Alan Bradley and Netro a tour of his ship, the Ardent, when Ralph turned contacted them. “What is it, Ralph?” asked Jim.
“Message from Jordan. I’ll switch you over.” Moment later, on Jim handheld communications device, a hologram of Jordan appeared. He was clearly at a bar, getting a massage from two attractive Altarian women. “Hello Jim, scouts reported the Drengin fleet is entering the Altarian Republic. Better get Bradley and Evars to mobilize the fleets.”
“I already did,” said the president.
“Good. Now I’ll get back to these lovely babes.” The link closed.
“Is he always like that with the ladies?” asked Alan.
Jim rolled his eyes. “That’s Jordan for you.”

The process of mobilizing the fleet was fairly quick. The heavy Vortex-class battleships were quickly released from the docks, as they were always prepared. The Antares group was spread out in orbit over Earth, and an orbital fleet manger system grouped it all together, then sent it to Twilight station. The ships were loaded with torpedoes, fitted with the right weapons, and then the crew boarded. Jim had seen the Antares fleet, and it impressed him. Three carriers, twenty battleships, and various destroyers and support ships. All with highly trained crewmen. But would it be enough?
Jim was ordered to command one of the Vortex ships. Though he was glad to be commanding something powerful, he slightly missed the Ardent. He was assured though, that Ralph would take command of the ship. He would also command his original ship, the Crusader, as well as Jordan’s Valiant frigate group. Jim knew he would miss flying with the quirky captain. But that was one price of being in the Terran navy. Also, Jim had requested that his bridge crew from the Ardent be transferred to his new ship. His request was granted. Jim began to explore his new ship. The name of the ship was the Independence. Good name, thought Jim. He sat in the commander’s chair, and a transmission from one of the ships came. He opened a channel, and found himself looking at a whole new face.
“I am Captain Jason Lyrae. Looks like we’re in the same group.”
“That is true. I am your commanding officer,” replied Jim
“I’ve heard stories about your tactics. Let’s hope they are true.”
“Yes.” The channel then closed.

Another message arrived. This one was from Admiral Evars. “The Antares group is ready. All units, move to Altaria!”

bumping...

more! more! Oh and just a question is this based on a game in paticular and if so is this DL?

This is just a story based on the events of DL.

By the way, who is your favorite character so far??

I haven't had much time to write, but I'll get another chapter out ASAP.

Chapter 9

Altaria hung like a light blue and brown pearl in space. The Independence moved toward the planet, followed by the rest of the Vortex ships. The space above this planet was about to become a battlefield.

Altaria had deployed their World Shields. These massive ships were mainly weapons platforms, designed to defend key planets in the Altarian Republic. Altaria currently had four in orbit. After Jim’s fleet arrived, they docked with one of the Shields.
After docking, Jim acquainted himself with his fellow captains. Then, he saw Altos walk toward them, along with several Altarian commanders. One of them was talking.
“-If this planet is taken, this war will turn into the meaning of a catastrophe! I cannot accept your battle plan, Altos. It puts too much at risk. I am also disappointed with you in the fact that you chose to include your friend Jordan Locke in this battle. He is inexperienced and rude. And so is the rest of that undisciplined gang he commands. Just look at what they’ve done to our crewmen. Turning them from respectful men to rowdy bums! It’s disgusting!”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Altos replied.
“Altos Carniss, you have been away too long from the Altarian Republic to think you can use that Terran saying so lightly.”
“It is completely fine to say it. And so is the battle plan. It wasn’t just me who made the plan; it was also Admiral Evars, Admiral Ebyon, and President Bradley.”
The Altarian grunted.
Jim walked up. “Is there a problem?”
“This damn war is the problem!” came the reply. “I’ve also heard that you are friends with Jordan Locke! How improper can you get?!”
A familiar voice spoke. “With me, you can never tell.” Jordan appeared on the scene. He turned to the Altarian. “We all know that you want me gone. But that is just too bad. You can go drink tea and have a formal dance with your ladies for all I care. Things will be better without you.”
The Altarian went scarlet in the face. “YOU ARE HORRIBLE! AS SOON AS THIS BATTLE IS OVER, I AM GOING TO HAVE YOU EXILED!!!” The Altarian continued to scream, spraying spit all over Jordan.
“Jeez, it was a joke! And I want the news, not the weather!”
Altos stepped in. “I think Jordan and I should plan for the battle more.” He and Jordan left. Jim followed them. When the Altarian officer was out of sight, and of earshot, Altos elbowed Jordan hard. “Idiot! You don’t talk to people like that.”
Jim spoke. “You don’t get annoyed when Jordan does it to me!”
“That’s because you are both Terrans, and in the Terran Alliance military. This is the Altarian Republic. Our culture is different here!”
“Altos, I was stationed in this system for two years. I learned a lot about the Altarian culture. My father also knew a lot. Remember that he was a veteran of the Altarian-Korx war.”
“Jim, the Republic bends many of its customs to allow foreign military units and tourists to live here without worrying about breaking rules unknowingly.” Altos sighed.
“You seem really tense, Altos,” said Jim.
“I’m worried that someone here is going to humiliate me in front of my fellow Altarians. Jordan almost did that a few minutes ago.” He looked through a window down at Altaria and sighed again.
“Maybe you’re just a little homesick,” said Jordan.
“Maybe. I’d do anything to go down and see my family”
“I’d like to meet your wife,” replied Jordan.
“I don’t even have a girlfriend, Jordan.”
“Well, after the battle, you can go to a bar, buy a hot chick a drink, and hook up. It’s easy. I’ve gotten myself five relationships using that method. Though, with the exception of my current girlfriend, Brianna, they didn’t last long, but what the hell?”
Altos sighed again. “I’m not real good with the ladies.”
Jordan laughed. “HA! You can say that again. I’m even betting you’re still a virgin!”
This time, Jordan had gone too far. Altos looked like he was about to explode. Altarians rarely lose their tempers, but when they do, it’s like a volcano, when it erupts, you had to get away fast. Thankfully, Altos held his temper in control. Jim didn’t. Before Jordan could open his mouth again, Jim knocked the wind out of him with a jab to the stomach. “You…will…regret that,” he spat between clenched teeth. No one insulted Altos on subjects like that. Altos was plenty friendly with women. He just wasn’t interested.
Altos raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think you’ll have a strong comedy career, Jordan Locke. Because that wasn’t funny.”
Jordan groaned. “Whatever, dude,” he said, clutching his gut.
“Your time at this station is done, Locke,” said Jim. He only called people by their last names when he was displeased with them. “Get out of my sight.”
Jordan laughed. “What are you gonna do, hit me again? You caught me off guard once, but you won’t do it again.”
“That was an order, Captain Locke. Or should I say Lieutenant now?”
“Jeez, Jim! What’s your problem?”
“YOU’RE MY PROBLEM! GET OUT, YOU SON OF A B^TCH!”
Jordon looked hurt. For a second, he looked like he was about to pull out his gun and shoot. Then he turned and walked away. As he left he said, “We don’t need Lord Kona to destroy us. We’re destroying ourselves.” Then he left.
Altos looked shocked. “Jim, what is your deal? He wasn’t trying to be that mean. You just threw away a good friendship!”
“Forget it!”
Then the alarm sounded. “ALL SHIPS DELPOY! THE DRENGIN ARE HERE!”

bumping...

MORE! MORE! MORE!

Sorry its taken awhile to write, I've been busy (again)

Chapter 10

“They’re here!” screamed an Altarian officer, “And there are a lot more than 300 ships! Try one thousand!”
Jim looked on in horror. Yes, there were a lot more than the 300 Drengin ships they planned to defeat. He also saw the purple behemoths of Yor Collective fleet.
“We’re screwed!” said a Terran.
“Nonsense!” barked Jim. “Keep your senses. Artillery fleets 1 and 2, prepare to fire quantum torpedoes on my mark.” At Jim’s signal, dozens of missile carrying ships would unleash their deadly payload on the Drengin and Yor. “Computer, give the distance between our fleet and the Drengin.”
“Eight kilometers and closing,” came the reply.
A bead of sweat rolled Jim’s head. The Drengin needed to be within two kilometers for the quantum torpedoes to maximize their destructive potential. The question was if the Drengin had ships that could fire at a longer range.
The Drengin fleet continued to move. Jim replayed the battle plan in his head. The battleships and destroyers of the Antares fleet were at the front lines, followed by the Vortex Dreadnoughts, and then the artillery. The World Shields provided support, while battalions of Terran and Arcean soldiers would help repel any ground assaults. Jim prayed the strategy would work
“Jim, we are getting a message from the Drengin!” said Altos.
“Open a channel. Onscreen.”
The channel opened, and Jim and Altos found themselves looking at a very smug looking Drengin commander. Jim realized that this was the Drengin he had interrogated before. He must have escaped the Arceans, Jim thought.
“Well, well, well, it’s the Terrans again. Always looking after your pathetic allies. Now look at what you have gotten yourself into! Your fleet is out numbered, three-to-one! Altaria will be ours! We are, however, giving you one chance to surrender. If you give up now, you can all go home, but most of your civilizations will be under the command of the all-knowing, all-powerful Lord Kona. What is your response?”
Jim smiled. The Drengin were in range of the artillery ships. Their ships had also lowered their shields in their overconfidence. “Never,” he said.
Altos pressed a button. This told the ships to fire. A wave of quantum torpedoes sailed toward the Drengin. Seconds later, explosions were heard. The Drengin commander roared and closed the channel.
“Deploy fighters,” said Jim, “All units, prepare for battle!”
Fighter upon fighter flew from the carriers, and toward the Drengin fleet. The Drengin and Yor deployed their own fighters, and within seconds the waves of ships crashed into each other. The big ships on both sides began moving toward each other. The artillery ships fired another volley of torpedoes, but this time the Drengin were prepared, utilizing point defense systems to shoot down torpedoes. Nevertheless, many of the missiles struck the Drengin and Yor ships. Cheers erupted throughout the bridge as the Drengin lines of ships broke. It was possible that the Drengin morale had plunged from the boldness of the Coalition attack. Some of the Drengin ships looked like they were about to retreat.
Jim’s hopes for a quick finish to the battle, however, were dashed when a massive ship jumped into battle. This was the Lord Kona’s Pride, the ship that the Drengin captive-now-commander had spoken of. It unleashed a hail of mass driver fire into several Arcean ships. They exploded within seconds.
“Hold your ground!” said Admiral Evars over the comm. “Don’t let that thing scare you!” Jim rolled his eyes. How could anyone not be scared by that thing? What’s more, several Yor Collective battleships were charging up their weapons. Before they could fire, a swarm of fighter and frigates destroyed one of the ship’s cannons.
“You ain’t winning today, you robotic freaks!” said Jordan over the radio. Ten seconds later, Jordan’s squad had disabled another Yor Collective ship. Jim grinned. The way Jordan and his friends were going, there wouldn’t be any Yor ships left. However, the Lord Kona’s Pride still was a huge threat. Fifteen ships were now destroyed because of it. Jim order the main guns of the Independence to fire. However, several missiles struck the ship. Jim and Altos were thrown to the ground.
“Damage report!” yelled Altos.
“Decks 5 and 6 are breached, but have been sealed. Shields holding.”
“Teach those brutes a lesson. Fire plasma batteries!” The cannons launched round after round of plasma bolts, damaging a section of the Lord Kona’s Pride. Maybe we can win, Jim thought.
Admiral Evars’ voice sounded over the radio. “Independence, pull back! We need you to support the other ships in your group. They are overwhelmed!”
“Evars, we can’t! What is going on is a critical event to this defense!” said Jim.
“Jim, they will be destroyed! I will send someone else to battle in your place. Move!”
“All right,” grumbled Jim, “Full speed to the Vortex group!”
The Independence sped toward the rest of the Vortex ships. It then unleashed a barrage against Drengin attackers. The enemy ships didn’t stand a chance.
Jason Lyrae contacted Jim. “Thanks,” he said, “I didn’t think we were going to make it.”
“We need to push back the Drengin. Now!”
“We can’t! There are just too many of them! I don’t know how long we can last!”
Just then, Jordan’s voice crackled over the radio. “The Torians are here!”
The Torians were a civilization once enslaved by the Drengin Empire, but had rebelled and chased the Drengin off their planet. It was said that they had always waited for an opportunity to attack the Drengin. It was clear that they had chosen this moment.
“Now the Drengin are gonna suffer!” cheered Jordan.
The Torian ships, looking like flying origami, flew into the battle and engaged the Drengin at point-blank range. The Drengin began to lose ships.
“Don’t just sit there,” said Jim to the defense fleet,”Help them out!”
Despite the help from the Torians, the Drengin were not pushed back very far. It seemed hopeless. A blast from Altaria’s surface defense guns ended his glum thoughts. The Lord Kona’s Pride had been damaged. Ships flew in to finish it off. Before they could fire, a white flash pierced the blackness of space. Even through protective window panels, Jim and Altos had to shield their eyes.
Horror blossomed in Jim chest. What had entered the system during the flash was something that was seen on many Precursor relics. They were ships, but looked like red squid. Very disturbed, mutated squid. Altos looked like he was about to faint. Jim sputtered. “It’s…It’s…”
“THE DREAD LORDS!!!” screamed Jordan.

that's not good...

What? The dread lords?

Chapter 11

What had happened after the Dread Lords entered the system was a blur to Jim. After the Dread Lords arrived, one of their ships fired on the Lord Kona’s Pride. The once-mighty battleship was destroyed instantly. Both sides scattered, and retreated. Dread Lord ships pursued and destroyed stragglers, and then left the system. The Independence orbited Altaria for a short time, along with the two remaining World Shields. It then left, and flew to Earth. There they learned that the Dread Lords were trying to retake the galaxy, attacking everything. The Drengin took advantage of this to destroy the Coalition. The Arceans were occupied. Parts of the Altarian Republic were defeated by the Drengin, though most remained hidden. The Torian were unharmed, but still at risk.

Jim woke up to the alert that someone was waiting to speak to him outside his room. He got out of bed and changed into casual clothes. “Come in,” he grumbled.
An officer walked in. “The Dread Lords have arrived in orbit. We have time to prepare, because they are currently fighting the Drengin. You won’t believe this, but as President Bradley was preparing to contact the Drengin to discuss the terms of a surrender, this person just appeared in his office. He called himself Draginol. He told us how to build this planetary shield projector. Nothing can enter or exit while it’s active.”
“I see.”
“The Torians have built these devices on their core planets, so they are safe. Right now, we only have one, which is on Earth, but our others worlds are building them, too. We need to hold off the Drengin until the shield is online. Then, the bulk of our spacefleet will be placed in a pocket universe to be kept safe, as well as expanded. One of these days, it will be time for revenge on the Drengin Empire.”
“Where is Altos?”
“He is at Alpha Centauri, helping to prepare another shield.”

An alert came in. Jim opened up his communication screen. Ralph appeared. Good, he survived the battle, thought Jim, relieved.
“The shield is online, Jim,” said Ralph, “And just in time, too. The Drengin had appeared in orbit. But, there is bad news.”
Jim sat up. “What is it?”
“Altos is still on Alpha Centauri. So is Netro Mancer. Jordan, well, he’s outside the shield with a pretty big fleet behind him. We saw him leave for parts unknown a few minutes ago. The fleet followed him. Looks like that kid is gonna have a real test of leadership skill soon, with all the angry crewmen on those ships.”
Jim groaned. Jordan and Altos, gone? Those two were important to him, and they may be as good as dead. He felt a pang of guilt for never being able to apologize to Jordan for yelling at him.
“Don’t worry, Jim,” continued Ralph, “That kid’s tough. He’ll get along fine. If he chooses to fight, the Drengin will get beaten up real good. If he chooses to hide, well, there are many places in this galaxy where the Drengin can’t find him. I believe he will choose to fight. He’s got a big fleet behind him.”
“Where’s the rest of the Terran Alliance Fleet?”
“We found the area where the Dread Lords came from. It’s actually a pocket universe. There were no enemies in it. Just a bunch of ore rich asteroids. The fleet will be safe there. And, if the Dread Lords do turn out to be there, we can be out in a flash. All we have to do is wait. Soon, an internal problem will occur in the Drengin Empire, and we can come out. Its always like that. One day, we will strike back.” The screen went black.
Jim looked at the night sky, now a very dark blue with shield. One day, he thought. One day…

THE END

Hope you all enjoyed this.

The Sequel is called "Jordan's Revenge" and will take place during Dark Avatar. I'm working on it as I type this.

yay! *aplaudes*