Mossfoot's Tales of Woe...

[Cmdr Wyvern]

A_C makes a good point.

However, too many minors cuss like sailors these days, a lot worse than Moss' narrative. I blame that auditory trash they mistakenly call music these days. A sign of the times...

[mossfoot]

I remember an old Earth saying about life on a submarine: 99% boredom and 1% pure terror. That's often the case in space as well, unless you're actively going out looking for trouble, in which case you'll be dead sooner or later and problem solved. There's only so many times even the best auto-eject system will work as advertised.

But even sticking to the safest worlds, sometime trouble comes working for you.

Sometimes it calls you by name.

"Well, if it isn't the famous Mossfoot. You look outnumbered in that little Hobby, boy. Get him!"

I was on approach to a Constore when this message crackled over my radio. My first reaction to this was... whaaaa? My second was noting no less than five hostiles incoming. My third was that they were between me and the Constore. And my fourth was to turn 180 degrees and kick in the fuel injectors. Right now I couldn't care less about that extra energy bank. It meant nothing in a furball with that many bogies.

With the ships in my rear view I started logging in targets. Asps, Mambas, and a Cobra... ah jeeze. All fast ships. All deadly ships. All with a hard on for me.

What had Redspear said to me about tempting karma?

"Come on, I thought you were supposed to be a Bad MF," one snickered.

The fuel injectors got me away from the main pack, but one of the the Asps also had injectors and wasn't giving up so easily. Ever time I turned and tried to discourage him, he chopped up my shields like a ginsu knife. His precision aim was better than mine. I had to keep running to let my shields recharge, and I was fast running out of witchfuel.

And now I realized what the advantage of that missing missile slot was. I could have escaped to Torus drive range if that Asp had to spend the next minute dodging a hardened missile.

I wasn't going to run from this one, was I?

I turned the Bad MF toward the Asp and kept the injectors on, avoiding incoming fire until I was right on top of him. It only had a forward gun like I did. Might as well use that to my advantage. Fortunately my ship had a tighter turn, and I was able to stay on him and finish him off.

But by that time the others had caught up. I took out before they could even start firing. From five to three. My Mil-spec laser had a far greater range than their standard beam weapons. Missiles were launched from the Cobra, but my ECM took care of them. I noted with some satisfaction how it didn't put my energy banks into the red like it usually does.

I had to run away to let my laser cool down, but did so on standard engine thrust only. They couldn't catch up too quickly, and I needed what little fuel I had for the injectors for maneuvers.

The third went down in much the same way as his buddy, in once concentrated burst, but the fourth was now on top of me, another Asp doing a number on my hull. We danced a while, I managed to get his shields down, but my weapon overheated, I was almost dry on fuel, and my energy banks were low.

Then he launched a missile. If I used my ECM now it would overload my system and, well, adios. But I had enough fuel for a few quick bursts. I could see the missile as it launched and positioned myself between it and the Asp.

The thing about homing missiles is, they tend to be very "as the crow flies if it had a spacesuit on" in terms of reaching their target. Which means it had to get through the Asp that launched it first.

When the debris cleared I noticed my radar didn't register any more hostiles. The fifth ship had fled. Well, let him. Maybe the next batch of pirates will think twice before messing with the Bad MF.

[Paradox]

Example noted. };]

[Diziet Sma]

However, too many minors cuss like sailors these days, a lot worse than Moss' narrative. I blame that auditory trash they mistakenly call music these days.

It began way before that "music" did.. you should blame the laughably named, thinly disguised prison complex called "education" and "schooling".. that's where most kids learn to swear like troopers.. usually their first 3-4 years of exposure to other kids, is all it takes.

[Diziet Sma]

I could see the missile as it launched and positioned myself between it and the Asp.

The thing about homing missiles is, they tend to be very "as the crow flies if it had a spacesuit on" in terms of reaching their target. Which means it had to get through the Asp that launched it first.

When the debris cleared I noticed my radar didn't register any more hostiles.

Woo! Was that simply embellishment, or based on a real incident? If so.. classy flying!

[mossfoot]

Based on actual event. I've had missiles hit their firing vessels before, in close dog fights it's no too hard to manage. It seems the current AI has vessels that only have one missile use it as a last line of defense, so it happens fairly often with ships like Asps.

I don't recall if the missile finished him off or not, since I was pulsing my overheated laser at him at the same time.

Edt: a similar ambush happened to me today at a Constore. I tried the same tactics (draw away and pick off one at a time) but I got so heavily damaged in the first volley my fuel injectors got damaged. That was bad, since several ships were coming in firing range. I had to quickly set a hyperspace route and spend the next quarter minute dodging fire like crazy. Barely got away in one piece. You REALLY end up relying on fuel injectors for combat.

[mossfoot]

Life on the spacelanes can get to you after a while. The don't call it the deep black for nothing. Those who can afford it get all manner of comforts just to keep themselves from staring into the abyss too long.

Don't get me wrong, space is beautiful. Every time I crest the horizon of a new world or see a new star I get all that Hallmark moment stuff they talk about. But it can also make you lose your sh[BLEEP]

The he[BLEEP]? The fu[BLEEP] just happened? Wait... This is bull[BLEEP]. How is this even happening?

Be right back...

[mossfoot]

Officer Davis. We meet again.

Okay so I'm in the Ceesxe system and that's the problem. Seems that Officer Davis of GalCop has gone a bit mental, instituting a profanity broadcast ban on the entire system.

God knows how this tech even works. Some sort of probability based algorithm, I bet... Let's see... Officer Davis is a god[BLEEP] mother[BLEEP].

Yep. I actually used the words "darn" and "farmer". Okay, so that question is answered. The question that isn't answered is exactly what kind of psychosis Officer Davis is suffering from.

He's not singling me out, by the way. Every pilot in Ceesxe is getting the same treatment. And given the fact that most of the traffic going into the Dodec station he works out of are grizzled cargo haulers who use profanity the way neat freaks use soap? Not going to make him many friends.

I mean, I had started this entry talking about the stress pilots can undergo, and how staring at the abyss isn't good for your long term health, and this guy goes and [BLEEP]es off every pilot in the system (okay, that bleep was legit).

I'm sure it won't be long before this stunt gets shut down, but I wouldn't put it past someone to take matters into their own hands.

[mossfoot]

Well. That didn't take long.

I was waiting to dock at the Dodec when I heard on the com chatter someone say "I found it. Back of the station!"

Seems that the transmitter Davis set up to censor everyone wasn't even part of the main stations com system. He actually set it up right on the station hull.

"Don't worry, I'll blast it off," someone in a Cobra said.

That's when Officer Davis made himself heard. "Any attack on GalCop property will result not only in offender or fugitive status, but immediate retaliation by station defenses. You spacer types with your loose morals and looser tongues, corrupting the youth of the planet below. I will not stand for it. And according to Regulation 22 Section D, I am within my rights to monitor and censor all transmissions made in Ceesxe space. Do I make myself clear?"

"Up yours!" said a pilot in a Boa... Who knows, maybe it was the guy who was denied the ship registration he wanted earlier. At least he could cuss him out without getting bleeped.

"I ain't risking it," said the Cobra pilot. "[BLEEP]."

"[BLEEP]."

"[BLEEP][BLEEP]?"

"[BLEEP]!"

The general chatter went like this for a while, until a Carrier carrying two Anacondas called out. "Mayday! Mayday! Total loss of control on all thrusters! Engines on full burn! Mayday! Abandoning ship! Brace for impact Ceesxe Station!"

I've never seen anything quite as terrifying and awe inspiring as a fully loaded carrier ship crash headlong into a Dodecahedron station. The fireball was as bright as the sun for a split second as the oxygen tanks and witch fuel mixed in its bizarre ways. And the fact that the station was virtually unphased by it was just as remarkable. I've seen tiny ships splash off stations before, even a Python once, but a Carrier?

I don't know for sure if this crash was intentional. I met the pilot later and he refused to say a word until the insurance situation was cleared up. All I know is the carrier just happened to hit the station shields in such a way that the shockwave destroyed the transmitter on the hull.

Officer Davis was recalled planetside and sent for mandatory psyche evaluation, I heard. Stuck on the station too long. There wasn't actually an apology for his actions, as that would open them up for litigation or something, but they did promise to change the regulations regarding ship registration and com chatter "to better reflect the reality we live in."

About bloody time.

[spud42]

Bleeping good stuff mossfoot

[Paradox]

[mossfoot]

As to how THAT story came about?

I was waiting for my turn to dock, lined up on the runway when out of nowhere an Anaconda Carrier crashed headlong into the station from behind and to the side. I wish I had caught that on camera, because it was a perfect angle, exactly how you'd want to shoot a suicide run on camera. I figured the guy completely lost it, went space crazy and drove into the station out of frustration (which was of course unphased by the crash). That's how I was gong to write it, and you see bits of it remain when talking about going space crazy and gazing into the abyss and stuff...

...but recent events naturally gave me a more amusing idea--the return of Officer Davis And so the idea of the Carrier pilot losing his [BLEEP] over censorship didn't seem to fly as well. But as an "accident"? Why not?

Actually is it even possible to destroy the Dodec type stations? How much punishment do they actually take?

[Diziet Sma]

Actually is it even possible to destroy the Dodec type stations? How much punishment do they actually take?

So far as I'm aware, all Main Stations are designed to be impervious to anything thrown at them.* The one in Asteroid Storm had to be specifically made vulnerable.

* Barring a Killit™ class weapon, that is..

[mossfoot]

Actually is it even possible to destroy the Dodec type stations? How much punishment do they actually take?

So far as I'm aware, all Main Stations are designed to be impervious to anything thrown at them.* The one in Asteroid Storm had to be specifically made vulnerable.

* Barring a Killit™ class weapon, that is..

It would be neat if the main station could be destroyed, requiring a replacement to be made at the nearest Tech 14 or so world and have to jump it from system to system to the required destination

[Cmdr Wyvern]

It can be destroyed, though it takes a force as mean as a whole sun blowing up to do it, aka the nova mission. Meaning no weapon available on the market (apart from the abovementioned killits) can demolish a main station.

Although there was a time way way back when stations could be destroyed with enough cascade explosions... Q-bomb terrorism is prob'ly why we have far stronger stations nowadays.