Post by jtwood on Dec 6, 2010 15:51:34 GMT -5
Capt. Woody didn't always have it easy working as an explorer in the Thulun region of space. He spent his early years traveling between Delta Hydri-3 and Outer Reach to harvest natural resources or search for lost alien relics. Occassionally, he would go so far as Rift-Leporis 4, but that trip wasn't always safe. His reputation with Thulun was solid, but the House frequently entered into disputes which often caused him to have to choose between profit and angering neighboring governments. This limited his operating range and forced him to frequently live on the brink of poverty while he acquiesced to the political conditions of the day.
But all that changed in 76.39AE. A pirate gunboat approached the Vae Victus out in space. Normally, Capt. Woody would simply retreat from pirates and live to fight another day. This day, though, would mark a change in philosophy. The crew was worn ragged from a recent exploration attempt gone bad. They'd lost 75% of their mates, and the dozen or so who remained had little in the way of bounty to show for their efforts. As Capt. Woody surveyed his crew, he assessed the situation.
The pirate ship was larger in every respect, but only barely. The only area where the pirates had a decisive advantage was in numbers - there were 4 of them for every 1 member of the Vae Victus.
Capt. Woody pulled his men together:
Gentlemen. Today, I offer you an opportunity. There, within range of our torpedoes, sets a ship that could turn our fortunes. They mean to take that which we bought at such a dear price, but they have a surprise waiting for them. We may be outnumbered, but I believe we hold an advantage which they have not counted on. Instead of running, let us close our distance, run them ragged with our guns, and then - when they least expect it - unleash the Leviathan and send them to their makers.
Join me. Today, our fortune changes forever!
Inspired by his mighty speech, the crew overcame a greater force and made the pirate gunboat theirs. And just as Capt. Woody predicted, their fortunes would indeed change. They expanded the breadth of their operations, landing on nearly every wilderness in the region (even once venturing into the outer ring to bring back a plentiful find). Their success put their services in high demand, and soon, they were trading with every house and syndicate known to exist.
When a rumor came through of a shortage of crystals at the Black Flag Outpost, the successful crew could not resist. They began a tour of neighboring planets in the Cedar region of space, sucking up every crystal in every trade exchange along the way. As they neared another Tucanae-Javat Mining, they opted to head directly through the dead planet, Zeta Tucane II.
Unknown to them, a dark ship lurked in the gas giant. With 4 times the armor and speed, and 7 times the crew, the alien vessel closed in on Capt. Woody's crew at a speed they could not imagine. He turned the ship to fight, but knew it would be useless. The ship carried only 3 torpedoes. Hoping to save anyone from his crew, the Captain opted to shut off his engines and open his shuttle bay in a sign of surrender.
The aliens, raised on a regimen of combat and a diet of bloodthirst, took this as a sign of weakness. While the sun set around Zeta Tucane II, Capt. Woody quickly realized that he had made the wrong decision. The ship was later found abandoned and ransacked, but there was nary a clue to the demise of the ship's crew.
The aliens had set on them so quickly that even the ship's log made no record of the event.
But all that changed in 76.39AE. A pirate gunboat approached the Vae Victus out in space. Normally, Capt. Woody would simply retreat from pirates and live to fight another day. This day, though, would mark a change in philosophy. The crew was worn ragged from a recent exploration attempt gone bad. They'd lost 75% of their mates, and the dozen or so who remained had little in the way of bounty to show for their efforts. As Capt. Woody surveyed his crew, he assessed the situation.
The pirate ship was larger in every respect, but only barely. The only area where the pirates had a decisive advantage was in numbers - there were 4 of them for every 1 member of the Vae Victus.
Capt. Woody pulled his men together:
Gentlemen. Today, I offer you an opportunity. There, within range of our torpedoes, sets a ship that could turn our fortunes. They mean to take that which we bought at such a dear price, but they have a surprise waiting for them. We may be outnumbered, but I believe we hold an advantage which they have not counted on. Instead of running, let us close our distance, run them ragged with our guns, and then - when they least expect it - unleash the Leviathan and send them to their makers.
Join me. Today, our fortune changes forever!
Inspired by his mighty speech, the crew overcame a greater force and made the pirate gunboat theirs. And just as Capt. Woody predicted, their fortunes would indeed change. They expanded the breadth of their operations, landing on nearly every wilderness in the region (even once venturing into the outer ring to bring back a plentiful find). Their success put their services in high demand, and soon, they were trading with every house and syndicate known to exist.
When a rumor came through of a shortage of crystals at the Black Flag Outpost, the successful crew could not resist. They began a tour of neighboring planets in the Cedar region of space, sucking up every crystal in every trade exchange along the way. As they neared another Tucanae-Javat Mining, they opted to head directly through the dead planet, Zeta Tucane II.
Unknown to them, a dark ship lurked in the gas giant. With 4 times the armor and speed, and 7 times the crew, the alien vessel closed in on Capt. Woody's crew at a speed they could not imagine. He turned the ship to fight, but knew it would be useless. The ship carried only 3 torpedoes. Hoping to save anyone from his crew, the Captain opted to shut off his engines and open his shuttle bay in a sign of surrender.
The aliens, raised on a regimen of combat and a diet of bloodthirst, took this as a sign of weakness. While the sun set around Zeta Tucane II, Capt. Woody quickly realized that he had made the wrong decision. The ship was later found abandoned and ransacked, but there was nary a clue to the demise of the ship's crew.
The aliens had set on them so quickly that even the ship's log made no record of the event.
