Adventures of the SPEW Gryphon

Awesome. Looking forward to your next posts.

Adam recived a message from Sabradan, it was encoded in the encrption program Adam had created those many moons ago. After a few quick commands the file opened at once.

Adam,

I've sent Ares and Dreamy on the CCF Gungnar, they have a unit of Assassins ready to strike. I want you to go with them.

The Boss

Adam sighed, the Gungnar would arrive shortly. He had to get the crew ready for his hopefully short absence. He grabbed the elevator to the third level and went to the weapon locker.

"What are you doing?" Alice asked, seeing Adam put a number of clips into an armoured jacket was little unerving.

"I have to go with the CCF to the TW ship. We shouldn't be long."

"You're leaving us here?"

"I have to, You'll be in charge while I'm gone." He slipped strapped a few knives in well hidden places along his person.

"Aren't you going to tell them bye?"

"I'll be back." He swung the P90 around his neck and shoulder.

"That's little archaic dont you think? I mean who uses Bullets?" She gave a weak smirk, trying to be strong and together.

"It's prepared, most people have personal energy shields. but bullets are physical, they pass through." He moved for the door, only to meet resistence.

"I want you to tell everyone good bye first, you cant just leave."

"I told you I'll be right back." With a reluctnat sigh Alice moved. Adam went to the hanger and revealed his fighter, the CCF Ragnarok. After a last minute Check of his equipment and ship Adam was ready to join the elite of the CCF.

The Pillar had just finished firing a volley when the Gryphon's volley arrived.

The Pillar had excellent shielding, being a cruiser. It had withstood the conventional attacks well. SPEW weaponry was far from conventional though. The lasers were able to deliver continuous beams of energy, instead of the short bursts of energy. It was also able deliver more power than normal lasers.

The result was nothing short of spectacular, the entire shields of the Pillar were drained as the beams splattered against the ship. Then, with a flicker, the shields died, leaving the Pillar vulnerable to the missiles the Gryphon had just launched. The lasers also did damage, now that the Pillar's shields were down. The Gryphon usually focused on the engines, but Adelaide had decided to go for the forward missile magazine.

The result was amazing. The entire forward section exploded open, sending the aft section spiraling away.

"Sit-rep," Grif said.

"Target destroyed, the second Pillar's weapons have been disabled. The Peregrine and the Highwind are still doing damage assessments. The Mighty Duck has been heavily damaged."

"Any word from Ducksworthy?"

"Nothing, his comm system is still out."

"What about the Pillars?"

"They have TW paintings, but the transponders are old. They may have been part of their fleet, but there captains went mercenary. No idea who they are. The Highwind just disabled the engines of the Pillar. Nate is sending some CCF Assassins to board the ship. We just got orders," Adelaide explained hastily.

The Highwind dropped out of Forum Jump between the Mighty Duck and the Pillar class vessels. The shields pulsed and flared as they defended the already damaged ship.

Adam held to his chair tightly, attempting to compensate for shield loss. “Fire a full volley, try and disable their weapons!”

“Right!” Alice was quick, her nimble fingers slicing the commands and giving the enemy ships something to think about. Another cruiser dropped out of Forum Jump, opening fire on the Mighty Duck.

“Bring us around, charge the beam cannons and aim for the second ship.”

Bella swirled her fingers on the panel, moving the Highwind into position.

“Oh my Goddess,” Alice muttered, the second Pillar ship had already charged its main weapon; the pulsing orb of light was about to b released.

“Divert all power to forward shields, brace for impact.” Adam diverted as much power to the shields as possible, praying it would be enough. The scans were flashing red, the Highwind would never survive this. “I just want you all to know…”

A flash of green pierced the empty space, scoring a direct hit on the TW, its aim was disrupted just as the main cannon was fired. The blazing red energy grazed the Highwind, barely reducing its protective shell.

“Thought you could use some help,” Jenna’s face beamed from the bridge of the Peregrine.

“Thanks,” Adam replied, “check on Ducksworthy, we’ll finish off the TW ship.” the screen cut out as the Peregrine zipped around the Highwind. “Fire the cannons!”

“Roger,” Alice pressed one button, bright blue power gushed from the main cannons. It traveled the straight path right to the ships hull, destroying their weapons array. The first ship was still after Ducksworthy, the Peregrine had used most of its energy on the blast to save the Highwind. Things were looking grim as Adam commanded his ship forward.

A sudden volley ripped through space, the Gryphon had arrived at last; unloading tons of power into the side of TW vessel.

This is getting really action packed and I love your styles of writing. Keep up the good work!

"We lost it," Adelaide said.

"Where was the last whisper?" Grif asked.

"Near the High Flyer" Adelaide said.

"Send Crysi the last known coordinates of the whisper."

"Done," Adelaide said. The room was silent. Adelaide disappeared and Grif looked over the navigational displays. The Highwind and the Peregrine were both to the left of the Gryphon; seperated by a complete jump.

Grif turned away from the displays and wondered what Adelaide found to do during the time where her massive coordinating abilities weren't needed. Suddenly, a quiet melody played over the speakers. It was clumsy and the speakers went quiet after a few moments.

"It needs more work," Adelaide said.

"I didn't know you did music," Grif said.

"It's really difficult, so creative and technical all at the same time. A real challenge," Adelaide said. "We got another whisper, this one is closer."

"Relay the data to the others," Grif said.

"It's firming up, it's confirmed, someone is slowing down."

"How big?"

"A light frigate or a corvette, here it comes... it's a frigate. It's identifying itself as the TW Mighty Duck."

"Ducksworthy? What's he doing in YWS Space?" Grif asked.

"I don't know, but he's got company, there are a lot more whispers, they're around the same coordinates. He's sending out an open hail."

"Go ahead," Grif said.

"Any YWS ships, this is Ducksworthy, I request immediate-" the message was cut off abruptly.

"He's lost a comm relay, a Pillar class cruiser just decelerated right on top of him. The Peregrine and the Highwind are moving to help him," Adelaide said.

"We're going too. Get us moving," Grif said.

The Gryphon jumped out towards Ducksworthy.

The Highwind fell into normal space, immediatly detecting the Peregrine and Gryphon. A small light flashed on Adam's control panel, Adelaide appeared on his screen.

"Well, long time no see," Adam mused.

"Indeed, I am connecting your sensors to the rest of the ships. That way we will all be able to see what is coming."

"Good thinking, Well run sensor sweeps on all spectrums for ya."

"Much appreciated." the screen went black, Adam clicked his panel a few times, displaying the combined senor readings.

"So," said Matt, "What's our plan of action?"

"Honestly, Matt," muttered Alice, "don't you pay attention at all? We're running sensor sweeps. The question is what are we looking for?"

"Pirates," Adam said, "The Void is riddled with unlawfulness. Nate wants to try and establish some order around here since it is the most direct route to certain places. Shouldn't be too hard, We;ve taken on pirates before."

"Yeah," Alice activated a few commands, first was the radiation scan, then the energy scan, thermal scans, and bio scans. "If it's out there, we'll detect it."

Adam sat in his chair, wondering what the Spammians were doing. Wondering if they were sitting just outside of sensor range. There are so many people in this galaxy, what could they possible want here?

The quiet humming of the engines had lulled Grif to sleep. He opened his eyes and glanced at the ship panels. Everything was green across the board.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Almost nine hours," Adelaide answered.

"Anything happen?"

"The SPEW Peregrine sent us a message telling us that she's on station. I acknowledged it. When we reached our station, I sent out a similar communication."

"That's it?"

"No, I also have fighters flying picket patrols to expand our detection radius and our reaction time."

"What else?"

"That's all." Adelaide said.

"You want to tell me what I'm walking into? Or do you want to wait until the last moment?" Grif asked.

"It would be more fun the other way," she said slyly.

"Show me," Grif said.

"Fine, we'll do it your way," she said. The display changed.

"When you first entered the area, the Spammians were talking to each other about searching for a ship.

At first I thought that they were talking about your ship, but I realized it couldn't be; if they knew your ship was coming in advance then they would have known about the others and they wouldn't have been so surprised by you."

"They seem organized enough."

"Yes, but only because they were in a search pattern. Trust me, they were looking for something."

"What?"

"Another ship. I've been looking for lost ships in the area, but there isn't that much to go off of in this sector."

"You think they'll enter this sector?"

"I think there is a good chance of it. No one really knows what's in the void, so why not search it?"

"So you're here in case we find a ship?"

"Pretty much." A beep sounded. "Looks like there is a ship on our long range sensors," Adelaide said.

Repairs seemd to take forever. The Omega containment field nearly collapsed a number of times, forcing the Station to evacuate while Adam restabilzed it.

"We're ready to head out!" Adam informed his Crew after a month of repairs, "The Highwind is fully functional and we've recieved a nice little refit."

"What's our new mission then, captain?" asked Nutty.

"Nothing to exciting, just patroling the Void with the Gryphon and Peregrine."

"How dull," remarked Alice.

"Orders are orders. Take your stations and let's sail into the sea of space!" There was a hustle from the conference room. Everyone took their stations, activating the systems one by one.

Light flashed, confirmation beeps and bells told Adam the ship was ready. Her glistening hull eased out of the docking bay, catching the rays from the far off sun.

Blue flames rippled from the rear of the ship, propeeling it forward. Further they went from the Station, leaving behind a long rest.

"We're clear for Forum Jump Speed," said Matt.

"Max speed to the coordinates set in Nate's PM," Adam informed his helmsman. With a few clicks the Highwind shot across space in a dazzle of blue streaks.

Grif read over the PM.

The battle with the Spam fleet had turned into an utter rout. They had withdrawn to their own sectors in disarray.

The ships that had fought them were in terrible shape though. The SPEW Peregrine and the SPEW Shiva were the only ones that escaped damage. The YWS Buchanan had been mauled. Even from the Gryphon Grif could see the tangled metal hull of the Buchanan. It was a miracle that Firestarter had managed to bring that thing all the way back to YWS.

For the most part the repairs were completed and Grif looked forward to his next patrol.

Grif-

1. Move ship to attached coordinates.

2. Patrol area for 30 days.

3. Be advised that YWS Highwind and SPEW Peregrine are in neighboring sectors and can be called upon. You may be called upon to assist either

-Nate

A new PM entered.

Grif-

I just read your PM. Interesting stuff. Mind if I come along?

-Adelaide

Grif was surprised. Adelaide was the AI that ran the SPEW Shipyards. He hadn't seen her for a long time, since the end of the SPEW-CCF war. Grif thought about typing a reply, then thought better of it.

"I take it you're all ready integrated with the ship?" Grif said quietly. An AI console flickered on.

"I didn't think you'd figure it out so quickly," Adelaide said with a smirk. Grif laughed.

"You don't send invitations. Why do you want to go on one of these patrols?"

"I've been going over some of your latest battle recordings and I found some interesting transmissions. Ugh..." she said, making a face.

"What?"

"Tact, Watcher? I thought you'd be more creative with the dumb AI names than that."

"Don't change the subject."

"Fine. What about the transmissions has brought you here?"

"The Spammians were searching for something. It could be that this something could be nearby and if it is, you'll need someone smart to analyze it, instead of these peabrains you carry around."

Grif shrugged. What could he do? Make her leave?

"Let's disembark," Grif said.

"I've all ready begun," she said smugly. In the distance, the humming of the engines intensified.

The answer to your question is in the resource section.

This storybook is cool. You know, I want to do the same kinda thing with my friend Achitaka with super heros where I'm a demi-god of thunder who talks like the Tick and he's a mysterious ninja. So far he still hasn't gotten back to me on it yet.

I've always wondered, what does SPEW mean? Does it have something to do with ads on the site or is it an abbreviation for when someone throws up?

(Please excuse the state of my post, I just got up this morning and the lights aren't all on yet. You know, in my head.)

Oh wow. You two, this is awesome! I love all the action and conflict that you have in your posts and they fit together so well. You both have brilliant styles of writing and the humour is great. Keep up the good work!

Adam paced around the YWS Beta Station. It was the closest place the Highwind could be repaired. Lucky for them the Spammians were beaten back, for now.

"I really wish the repairs would hurry up," Adam Muttered under his breath. The window showcased the repair bay, a battered and beaten Highwind sit inside. Sparks issuing every now and then from the repair droids.

"Take it easy, Adam," Alice said from her book. She, along with the rest of the crew, was enjoying the small break.

"I think I'm gonna go for a spin." Adam walked off to the station's hanger. He had his fighter moved before repairs started. The Ragnarok glistened in the artificial light.

"Clearance granted," chimed the computer before Adam took off from the hanger, avoiding the other docked ships as he went.

The space around the station was littered in remains of ships. The station was built in place of the last great Space battle between SPEW and the CCF. A sad day but one that led to a golden future.

Within minutes a red flashing light told Adam he had to return to the Station. A priority message was waiting for him.

The SPEW Gryphon docked in the SPEW shipyard. The ship was being serviced by high productivity droids, unlike the newbies that worked in the YWS yards. Grif wasn't happy that she had to be in the yards, but he was looking forward to the completion of the repairs.

They were taking the opportunity to replace some of the aging weaponry and shields. The blasts had destroyed the old Spelling Cow spell checkers. Now he would be getting Firefox spell checkers that would be more resilient. The old missile banks were being replaced with Hyper-kinetic red pen missile launchers. The lasers were being overhauled so that they would actually make noise in a vacuum. The best upgrade would be that the Gryphon would have a decent audio system that would play dramatic music throughout the battle. The list of changes went on and on and...

The buzzing noise on his side broke Grif's reflective monologue.

"Hello?"

"This is your refrigerator. Your milk is sour."

"Thanks," Grif said, ending the call. He left the shipyards to go to the nearest supermarket. There, he got some milk.

Two pods drifted off of the Highwind’s marred hull. Red flashes streaked through the nebula and struck them. A blinding flash followed as a powerful shockwave caused the Highwind and Gryphon to be pushed a few meters.

Adam checked the sensors. It was hard to see from the nebula’s distortion but it looked like two ships were coming in. Spammians no doubt, making sure they had been destroyed. The com flashed, Griff was sending a message:

You have to leave the Highwind. My repair drones wont be able to fix it fast enough. I still have sub-light engines. We can escape but you have to get you and your Crew over here fast.

It was hard to admit it. Griff was right. The Highwind was a sitting duck. He couldn’t ask his crew to die, he couldn’t let them stay and be blown away. With a heavy sigh, Adam activated the ship wide com system, “All hands, evacuate to the shuttle bay and…. prepare to abandon ship.”

Roya looked over from her station. As hard as it was to say it was even harder to hear. She nodded before getting up and getting on the elevator. Adam followed without a word. The urge to speak was strong but the silence was a much more comforting friend.

The crew was filing into the escape shuttle. Not a large crew, but the best there ever was, “Come one Adam,” Alice said. It hit him. He couldn’t leave. He couldn’t abandon his ship. A slight grin spread on Adam’s face.

“Good bye, my friends.” With a click the door shut. Thrusters blew flame and power sending the small capsule into space. The Gryphon’s hanger bays opened accepting the Highwind’s crew.

Adam dashed back to the bridge. The Spammians would be on him in a matter of moments. “Computer, activate program Delta 12 and Fore 82.”

“Programs are classified and cannot be accessed,” replied the computer. Adam did a few fancy keystrokes on his master console. “Activating bypass programs. Omega particle Safety systems offline. All weapons are online. Probability of power overload at 98.9 percent and rising.”

The Spammian vessels were approaching. Their silhouettes could be seen in the distance. Adam prepared a volley of torpedoes. It would most likely cause an overload but it would allow the Gryphon the time needed to escape.

“Warning Enemy vessels approaching.”

“Computer, fi….” A beam of bluish white shot through the nebula; the first Spammian destroyer was sliced in half. The explosion rocked the Highwind. “What the hell was that!”
The decloaking form of the SPEW Shiva rode across the Highwind’s view screen. Blue flashes shot through the nebula at the Spammians. Their ship fell quickly to the advanced weaponry of the Shiva.

Adam laughed as he jumped up and down. The com flashed red again as Snoink’s voice rang through it, “I strongly suggest putting your Power constraints back on. We don’t have much time. A tug is on its way to pull you out of here.”

love it, love it, love it.

"Gryphon out," Grif said. "Well, what do you think?" The console flashed as Tact became visible.

"I'm not sure the ruse will work. We've all ready outsmarted them, so they may decide not to take any chances."

"Would we be able to move to an area that has all ready been bombarded?"

"That's risky. The radiation from the blast would be very intense, the hull might not be able to protect us."

"Unfortunately so. In any event, the Highwind isn't moving anywhere at the moment." Omega said, flickering on another console.

"What's their status?"

"The drones are on site and working as fast as they can. It will be an hour before the Highwind will have it's engines online."

"What about their jump drives?"

"They took a direct hit. They'll need to be replaced."

Grif weighed the options. Without the jump drives, the Highwind wouldn't be able to escape the Spammians. They would need a replacement, but the only way to do that would be to have the parts delivered. There was no time to get it delivered, much less to send for the parts.

"The bombardment is beginning, we have about five minutes to react."

Grif frowned. The option wasn't good, but there wasn't any other way was there?

"Signal the Highwind. Tell them to prepare to abandon the Highwind. We're going to pick them up and make a run for YWS."

"They aren't going to like it."

"I don't like it either, but unless something happens to the Spammian Fleet, we won't be able to do anything to prevent the destruction of the Highwind."

Nutty waved her Spork over Adam. It glittered white sparkles of light as the wounds healed. “That should do it,” she said, moving on to the next crewmember. The Highwind shuddered again.

“Adam, you have to get to the bridge,” came Roya’s voice through the comm.

“Crap…what now.” Adam got to his feet and headed for the elevators. The ship shuddered again. The already dim lights flickered. The auxiliary power wouldn’t last much longer.

“Skell,” Adam said through the radio as he rode the Elevator, “What is the status on our repairs?”

“Well, We should have sub-light engines in a little under an hour with the Gryphon’s drones helping.”

“Alright, keep me posted.” The radio went silent. Adam walked onto the bridge. Only Matt and Roya were there. “It’s times like this I wish the ship could handle a bigger crew.” A red flash crossed the screen. “What’s happening?”

“The Spammians have all left the Nebula and have started firing blindly into it. They’re trying to destroy us.” Roya said, fear swelled in her eyes.

“Damn. Is there any system to it?”

“Yeah, they seem to have girded out the nebula and are firing into each one. We don’t have much time. At their current rate they’ll hit us in ten minutes. The Gryphon in seven.”

“Radio Bella and Rick. Tell them to get four class nine warheads and go to the hanger bay. There are two Spammian boarding vessels near the doors. Load two warheads on each and send them to the next firing point.”

“Right.” Roya opened a radio channel to the crew and relayed the message.

“Matt, Send a secure transmission to the Gryphon and tell Griff the plan. And tell him to think of another one. Ours is only gonna buy us time. The Spammians will investigate after the explosions.”

“Got it,” Matt opened the channel and spoke. Adam typed in a few commands on his console before going back to the elevator. He hit the button with a C on it. The Core.

Skell was hard at work inside one of the panels. The sound of wires fusing together was loud, but not loud enough to mask Adam’s entry. The Core pulsed. It was, by no means, out of power. The swirling white vortex of power was hypnotic.

Adam started to run diagnostics on the ships power systems. He had to get some sort of energy to the shields. Even a little would help. The main cords were severed when the engine went. Luckily there were several other coils that led to the shield generator.

“Warning. Energy requirements exceed safe amount that can be transmitted through specified coils.”

“Geez…” Adam hit a few more buttons and allowed the safest amount he could to pass through the coils. “Happy,” he said to the computer. We’ll be lucky to have ten percent of our shields up. I hope Griff thinks of something. We’re sitting ducks.

Brilliant - I love the spatulas.

Spatulas. Ah. ...Spatulas?

Amusing all the same. ^_^ More TW, more Fred, more CCF, si? (Dai, Adam, dov'e nostro don? E c'e la famiglia - tutti. ^_^)




IMP

"We're being hailed by the Highwind."

"Thanks Comm, put them on."

"SPEW Gryphon, this is the YWS Highwind." The person was unfamiliar.

"Report your status Highwind," Grif said.

"We've repelled the boarding parties and we've sustained heavy damage."

"Casualties?"

"We don't know, sir."

"I'll send over repair drones. Gryphon out."

An AI appeared that was unfamiliar.

"What was your name?"

"Omega."

"That's right, you're the last AI I want to see. What's the damage report?"

"We've lost one of our main thrusters and several auxillary thrusters. There are hull breaches on most of the levels. Our engines are still online and providing steady power. We lost three lasers in the fighting."

"Show me the damage." Omega disappeared and a video feed replaced her. It was from one of the repair drones. Large gashes covered the Gryphon where laser fire had crossed it. Large holes had been bored into the Gryphon.

"It is a large amount of damage, we'll need a shipyard to repair it all. I've instructed the drones to seal the leaks. The Highwind is another story altogether," Omega said, bringing up the ship on screen.

Grif grimaced. The Highwind had lost it's starboard engine, a massive hole had turned it into junk.

"Their jump drives are off-line and so is their engines. They are operating on back up power for now."

"Start repairing their damage, as fast as you can," Grif said.

“Intruder Alert. Intruder Alert.” Chimed the Computer, “Activating level 5 lockdown. Sealing bulkhead doors. Releasing all internal turret defense systems.”

“Damn,” said Adam, “Everyone, Get your weapons ready, we’ve got some work to do.” Nutty pulled a Spork from her belt, Matt pulled out two masterfully crafted spatulas, Bella pulled out her Diamond Sword, Alice gracefully readied her Claymore, Rick pulled out his one handed sword and Roya twirled her spiky bat. It looked like a bunch of misfits but Adam trusted each of them with his life.

The Elevators swished open and they filled them quickly. Down one level and into the crew quarters. The lights were out, replaced by dim flashing red ones. Huge metal doors sealed all the halls. Large numbers could be seen with each red glimmer that hit them.

“Target found, destroy the target.” A metallic voice grated the words out. It’s tall body was a mass of bio-metallic armour and wires. One green eye took them all in as it came forward.

“Alpha six, Execute,” said Adam. Nutty and Alice leapt into the air. A beam of light formed a saber from the end of Nutty’s spork. Her and Alice put all their might into the attack but the Spammian soldier blocked with his blade-arm.

“Four Spatula Technique!” cried Matt, four of his spatulas spun in a circle before him and launched a powerful beam of magical energies, the Soldier was sent flying into the bulkhead doors.

“Target…. target…” the green eye faded to black and the Spammian dematerialized.

“Computer, How many more intruders are onboard?” asked Adam.

“Current scans indicate 4 in the hanger bay and 2 in the science labs.”

“Alright, Matt and Bella with me to the hanger bay. Alice, Roya, Nutty and Rick go to the science labs and get rid of them.”

“Right,” they said in unison. Adam unlocked the Bulkhead doors and went to the emergency tube that went straight to the hanger. The pole squealed as three sets of hands slide down to the dark depths of the hanger.

The only light in the hanger came from the green nebula just beyond the force fields. Four large soldiers paced the rows of fighters, which were dwarfed compared to the soldiers.

“Matt, Use the Five Spatula Technique. I’ll distract them giving you a clean shot. Bella, use your magic to try and disorient them. I know they’re magic resistant, but If we keep them distracted Matt can get them.” Bella nodded. They crept along the fighters to the nearest Spammian, its green eye scanning for life.

“Ice!” cried Bella. The Chilly magic burst from her sword incasing the Spammian. Adam leapt into the air at the next Spammian. It had seen them and was coming to attack. It blocked the first Pole sweep with its own blade-arm attack. The massive blade swung again. It was all Adam could do to block the attack.

Like a bolt of lightning, Adam was hit. A third and fourth Spammian had joined the fray. A pulse cannon had struck him. It was powerful, but the collision with the fighter seemed to have caused more damage.

“Five Spatula Technique!” With a whir five spatulas shot through the hanger slicing two of the four soldiers. They dematerialized into dust. Adam looked up at the towering Spammian. Bella and Matt were busy with their own.

“Golden Shell!” A force field enshrouded Adam just in time. The blade-arm broke into 3 large pieces before vanishing. “Channel!” Light burst through the pole and into the Beast. The sound of metal scraping metal echoed across the darkness. Reflecting off the metal walls before the Spammian vanished.

Matt and Bella rushed to Adam and helped him up. The lights flickered back on. “Reserve power functioning” chimed the computer.

“Finally, Are all the intruders gone?”

“Affirmative.”

Adam clicked his radio, “Roya, open a channel to the Gryphon and tell him we’re alive. See if he can help us.” He could hear the heavy breathing coming from the other end.

“Huh…ok…right…got …it.”

Adam sighed. Hopefully the rest of the fleet was okay.

I agree, this is awsome! And about what you said about being careful what I wish for, I would definitely enjoy seeing myself as one of the main villains in this story. If not, maybe just a lackey.

Ah, I know i say it every time I post, but i love this!

Griffypoo, Adam, keep up the good work.

And yes, 'Rina was spot on, and Brad's comment was hilarious!

Grif looked at the screen in disbelief. They had jumped into an entire fleet. All the ships were showing damage. The Gryphon now claimed four kills.

"We're in the nebula. SPAM forces are pursuing. We got a good track on them."

"How good are their sensors?"

"Not that good, they mass produce their stuff and that causes quality problems."

"Let's use it to our advantage. Shelia, Tact, steer a course between our enemies, see if we can't get them to attack each other."

The Gryphon reversed course. As the SPAM ships passed, the Gryphon opened fire. The SPAM ships shot torpedoes in the same direction of the Gryphon but the torpedoes shot past, hitting the other ship. The destroyer exploded.

"SPAM forces just reported our destruction," Intel said smugly.

"Let's take advantage of it while we have it," Grif said.

"Grif, the Highwind is being attacked by two destroyers. Boarding ships are inbound."

"Let's rescue them. Get the Hornets on the boarding craft. Take out the destroyers."

The torpedoes shot out of the Gryphon, but the destroyers would never see them coming. Their sensors used radar and thermal vision, both of which were being affected by the nebula. The Gryphon's torpedoes on the other hand used gravitational sensors and were locked on the destroyers.

Even as the torpedoes raced towards the destroyers, the Hornets moved towards the Highwind. The battle was now a race against time to see who could reach the Highwind first.

"Hornets are engaging the boarding ships. Some of them have landed on the Highwind. The Hornets are moping them up now."

"Adam will have to fight them off," Grif said. There was nothing more he could do.

"Destroyers have been taken out," Intel said.

"Maybe Adam can take prisoners," Grif said.

"SPAM forces are regrouping. Scope is clear. The rest of our fleet jumped out."

"They'll be coming back. Launch repair drones, once we hear from Adam we'll send them to his ship, assuming the spammies don't take it out."

Grif could do nothing more but wait.

this is lovely!! me thinks.. that this story is highly addictive

This is great, you two!

I love Brad's comment that only one of Grif's poems was "adequate." How very Spock-like.

And... pirates? Ohh my, sounds like a perfect time for Dusky and Crysi to show up... They would make lovely pirates. hehe

Adam’s Messenger flashed red. He was meeting with the Boss and the other CCF members involved in the Fred incident. He glanced at it to see the words: Priority One Message from Nate. He looked up at the Boss, gave a slight wave an exited quietly.

Adam,

Meet the SPEW Gryphon, SPEW Shiva, SPEW Peregrine, YWS Buchanan and CCF Belias, at these coordinates. Our investigations have found the Pirate base where the attack on you and the convoy came from. Eliminate the base and try to take as many prisoners as possible. I don’t want a blood bath.

Nate

Adam read the message twice before signaling the Highwind to prepare for launch. The base was located between Barsila and Lackon, over 1000 light-years away. A day and a half trip at maximum speed, thought Adam, maybe more. Why’d they have to be so far out…And why would they set up a base in YWS jurisdiction?

It was troubling, something wasn’t adding up.

Two Days Later

“Roya, Open a channel to the Gryphon,” said Adam.

“Channel open,” said Roya with a quick flick of the buttons.

“Griff, Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” replied Griff, “The Shiva is right under them and waiting for us to close in. Firestarter should send the signal soon.”

“Right, See you in there. Highwind out.” Roya clicked off the communication. “I hope we can do this without any casualties…”

“Wishful thinking,” said Rick. The ship shook violently, sending Adam and several others flying from their chairs.

“Computer! What happened!?” yelled Adam, the Ship shook again/

“We are under attack from three Spammian Destroyers. The Pirate base and ships have all been destroyed. All YWS fleet vessels are under Spammian Attack.”

“Damn,” Adam said under his breath, “Rick target the nearest Spammian Vessel and open fire!”

The Highwind fired volleys of blue energy pulses at the Spammian Ship. Its shields absorbed every hit. A solid Beam fired from one of the main cannons slicing through the shields. It jumped away before Rick could finish it off.

“Try and get the other two! Computer, What is the status of the other YWS ships?” Adam was maneuvering the ship as random as possible, evading the powerful torpedoes.

“The Shiva and Peregrine have escaped the battle, sustaining heavy damage. The Gryphon is in battle with eight destroyers while the Buchanan is under fire from a Battleship.”

“This was a trap!” cried Alice. Adam had to think fast, things were headed down hill fast and the shields wouldn’t last forever.

“I’ve got it! Roya send a secure transmission to the YWS Beta Station. Tell them to position as many ships in the Talday Cloud Nebula as possible. Then send a message to Griff and Firestarter telling them to head for the Nebula as well.” Adam moved the ship around the Destroyers and forum jumped. Just as he thought the Spammians were following.

“Are you crazy!” said Nutty, “We’ll be blind in the nebula, and we wont see them coming!”

“Neither will they, I need you guys to man a few turrets. If we manually target we should be able to destroy them.”

Adam’s console flashed red, messages from Griff and Firestarter. The first was from Griff: I run on AIs, It should be no problem. Then Firestarter: My crew has manned every turret I have, I hope we have enough.

“We’re approaching the Nebula,” said Alice. They dropped from Forum Jump. The two Spammian ships were right behind them. They opened fire at once, colliding with the shields. The Gryphon appeared just outside the nebula followed bye eight destroyers. Then came the Buchanan. It was being hit hard by the Spammians.

“Everyone hang on!” yelled Adam. He headed full force into the nebula. The particles swirled around the shields as they went. The radios went dead along with the sensors. Adam was flying by sight now. Pulses zipped through the nebula. The Gryphon and Buchanan were in. the Spammians were not going to stop firing. They couldn’t detect them in the nebula. It was a perfect shield.

The Highwind stopped. The crew watched for any signs of movement from the great green gas cloud. It was still. The sensors could still pick up echoes but it was scrambled.

“Oh my god!” screamed Nutty. A red torpedo shot across the hull and collided with the starboard Jump Engine. The ship turned on its side as the explosion rippled through the cloud.

“Open fire!” cried Adam. The badly damaged Highwind unleashed everything it had into the green space sea. A shock wave pushed the Highwind a bit indicating they had hit their mark.

As the ship rolled two more destroyers became visible. They were preparing to dock!

Imp, I did ask Snoink about it, but I ended up writing it. I'm glad the Snoinkness of it al came out.

Dynamo, it isn't popularity that is putting people in the story. Most of the "characters" are from the main organizations involved (CCF, SPEW, Big Brother, etc.)

Be careful what you wish for! It might come true!

This has been my first review since... well... as long as I can remember. I've been pretty busy with Japan and everything and I've got to sign up for school, summer school, colleges, all that crap. On top of that I've been working on my own work so I barely even have time to post in the storybooks anymore.

Anyway, I thought it was about time to give back to the community. Grif, great job, love the story. Same with you, Adam, I love the cooperation put into this. I especially liked the Star Wars bit at the beginning. I noticed that all the characters are people from this site. I'm just wondering, how popular do you have to be to appear in this particular story? Do you have to be a mod to get recognition? It'd be cool if I was put into this story, maybe as a villain or something...

Anyway, I can't see anything wrong with the story except for one thing. Adam, in your first post of this story somewhere you spelled "from" as "fro". Just thought I should point that out.

OK, keep up the good work, and... I'll read it again when you post something new.

Both installments, Grif's and Adam's - are hilarious. ^_^ AS? Dai, amici, non faccio niente senza ...pensando, eh? I wonder who in the CCF was mad enough to start Fred up and stupidity? #_ # ^_~


Snoink's PM - wasn't written by her in person, was it? ^_^



IMP

Back Aboard the Gryphon, Grif watched as the fighters were loaded onto the Gryphon.

"Tact?" Grif asked.

"Yes Grif?" the AI said.

"Give me the relevant information on these fighters."

"Hornet heavy interceptors. They're a little slower and less maneuverable than some of the other fighters available, but they've got a lot of bite."

"Thanks Tact."

"Incoming PM," Comm said.

Hey everybody!

First off, the Annual SPEW fundraiser is on Thursday, so don't forget to bring your pigs.

Also, Intel told us that the CCF managed to get a hold of Fred, but they did nothing but create an AS. Isn't that great?

Finally, Nate said something to me about getting the SPEW fleet to attack something somewhere. I'll tell you more when I feel like it, or maybe Nate will take care of it.

Yeah, whatever.

-Admiral Snoink.

"Another PM!" Comm said.

-Grif

1. Rendezvous with SPEW Shiva, SPEW Peregrine, YWS Buchanan, CCF Belias, YWS Highwind.

2. Proceed to suspected Pirate Base at attached coordinates.

3. Destroy any pirates in contact.

4. Hold position while SPEW Commandos enter the base.

5. Cover the extraction of the SPEW Commandos.

6. Destroy the Pirate Base.

7. Report back to base for debriefing.

-Nate.

"All the fighters are aboard. We're ready to move out," Watcher said.

"Proceed," Grif said.

Adam Dashed for the transporter. He had to stop them from using....Fred. He placed his hand on the steel wall. An error message appeared: "Your comment is either to complex or too simple for me to process.

"Crap! He's infecting the entire CCF network." He punched in a code to the Highwind, "Emergancy Override Alpha theta six."

"Acknowledged," said a cold computer voice in response. The Highwind was only a few decks up. It wouldn't take to long. He had to get to the base. There was no telling what an AI like Fred would do to them.

One floor after another. Just a few more steps. There it was the open airlock to the Highwind. He raced in, passing his fellow Crew members as he cut a trail for the Hanger.

All eight fighters sat nicely in place. Each fresh from recently being serviced. Adam approached a wall and placed his hand on it.

"Identity verified. CCF Ragnarok, Prepared for departure." said the computer. The floor split and the shining red fighter rose up into the main bay. Its slender body made it faster than almost any other fighter. Only Bubbles had ever managed to best Adam.

He hoped in and turned everything on, The Fighter bolted straight up and out of the electromagnetic shielding. He shot around the YWS Station and straight for the CCF Asteroid. It seemed to be altering its orbit. red lights flashed all across the cockpit. The Ragnarok was being targeted by the Asteroid.

It weaved in and out of pulse laser fire, missiles, and all manner of beam cannon. It was very easy. as if who ever was targeting had no idea how to aim. The situation was far worse than Adam had first realized. He sliced through the camouflaged hanger to darkness. The lights were gone.

"DD," Adam tried on the radio, "Prosithion? Imp? Anyone!?"

"Adam," rang the Boss' voice through the cockpit, "I'm afraid we are all being kept in my office. Prosithion's experiment was a failure. He reverse engineered an AS."

"AS?" inquired Adam.

"Artificial Stupidity."

"Crap, Have you tried over riding it?"

"We just get the same response, 'your comment is either to complex or to simple for me to understand.' Any ideas?"

"Which Shuttle was he installed into?"

"Alpha12"

"Thanks, I'll radio back when I have any info." Adam patched into the Shuttle, "Fred?"

"Hi," said a pleasant male voice, "I've been waiting for you." The voice dropped to a deep rich tone and sounded a bit....uhh...Use your imaginations!

"Can you turn on the lights?"

"I am programmed with over 22,000 response but non match your original statement."

"Ug...this is like talking to a Windows Vista...." Hours passed as Adam did everything possible to shut Fred off. Finally after 24 hours, He managed to teach Fred on thing. "Good night Fred."

"Good bye." All the lights came back on. Atmosphere circulated into the base again.

"Thank God," Adam sighed. Now that he could see he set the Ragnarok down in an empty place. He marched for the Boss' Office. It was time they listened a little closer.

AI= Artificial Intelligences?

Very funny. . . .

The Captain's Club was an interesting place. Pictures of old ships and people which had gone "Missing In Action" made the Captain's Club a place for nostalgia.

Jennafina and Grif sat at a table waiting for Adam to arrive. They sipped on some soda as they talked.

"The advanced search option you included for the Peregrine? Well, it's giving back high efficiency ratios. Where we'd have a million wasted results, we now can narrow it down to ten."

"Not even Yahoo engines have a search ratio below 500. This exceeds all expectations."

"Doesn't it? This makes the Peregrine the fastest ship in the galaxy."

"It's not very well armed though," Grif pointed out.

"True, but it can run to get help," Jenna said.

"Sorry I'm late. There was a problem with the transporter," Adam said.

"Are you missing an eyebrow?" Jenna laughed.

"That's not funny!" Adam's face turned red.

"Have a seat Adam. You've met Jenna before?"

"Who hasn't? I didn't know she was a Captain though."

"Then let me introduce you two. Jenna, this is Adam, Captain of the YWS Highwind. Adam, this is Jenna, Captain of the SPEW Peregrine," Grif said.

"A pleasure to meet you," Jenna winked.

"Can I get you something?" A waitress asked.

"The usual," Adam told her.

"I never heard of the SPEW Peregrine. When did it come out?" Adam asked.

"It's been in and out of the SPEW Shipyards for several months now, but it only got commissioned a week ago."

"I didn't hear about it on the Squills issue though..."

"We don't make a big deal out of them. I think Nate is planning on throwing a huge celebration when the Caldwell leaves the YWS Shipyard." Grif said.

"What happened with Incan and TW?" Jenna asked.

"The short story is that the mods there didn't like his poetry reviews and decided he should suck vacuum. I rescued him and got him back here," Grif said.

"Very short," Jenna smiled.

"You wouldn't believe the longer version."

"I didn't think Nate was very happy with Incan. He seemed moody," Adam said.

"No, he gets that way every time he plays sudoku."

"Maybe he is agitated about the break in that happened," Jenna said, sipping some juice.

"What's that?" Grif and Adam said.

"One of the YWS technology departments was broken in two nights ago. Nate has been tense ever since."

"What did they steal?" Grif asked.

"They got away with one of the SPEW AI's we gave Nate."

"Which one?"

"They just got away with Fred," Jenna said.

"Isn't that the AI we developed for-"

"The very same," Jenna said.

"What-" Adam attempted to get a word in, but was cut off by Grif.

"Why would they take Fred though?"

"Maybe it was dark."

"Let me get this straight, you're saying that they have the technical strength to break into a secure area, but not the mental ability to bring a flashlight."

"They could have had night vision goggles for all I know. Point is that Fred is missing."

"Aren't AI's popular nowadays?" Adam asked.

"They are, but they are extremely expensive. SPEW is the only one that is able to make them at the quality and quantity needed though," Jenna said.

"Heck, the Gryphon is practically run on AI's," Grif admitted.

"No way."

"It's true. I'm the only human on the crew. Everything else is handled by AI's."

"That doesn't sound safe," Adam said.

"In many ways it is better than having a human crew. You don't have to pay for extra food and life support, you save a bundle because AI's don't need paychecks, and they are much more accurate and vigilant than human beings. Nothing ever goes wrong on the Gryphon since I got the AI's."

"Doesn't mean it won't though," Jenna said.

"Maybe, but it is very unlikely," Grif said. He looked down at his watch and frowned.

"I'll need to leave soon. The Gryphon will be getting a shipment of fighters and they won't let an AI sign for them. I'll talk with you guys later," Grif said.

Adam walked down the clean shining silver halls to the closed sector of the Station. The Highwind was safely docked and it was time for Adam to check in. He placed his hand on the seemingly ordinary wall panel. It scanned his hand with a beep and the floor light up. The transporter activated with a click and sent Adam to the CCF Asteroid Base.

“About time,” said DD, “The Boss is getting annoyed you better hurry up.”

“It’s not like I can just run over here all the time,” sighed Adam. DD gave him a sympathetic smile before he went into the main hall. From the inside it was impossible to tell you were inside an asteroid. The rooms even had view screens to act like windows.

Adam walked down the hall, saying hi to his family members as he passed. It was nice being in one big family. The Cabassi Family. The door at the end of the hall opened and the Boss came out. He breathed deeply as he saw Adam.

“Hurry up, we need to get this done,” he said as Adam passed him and entered the office. A few other members were there. The Boss sat down and looked at them. “So, we have a working prototype then?”

“Yeah,” said Prosithion, “I managed to reverse engineer a SPEW artificial intelligence computer we obtained after the last mission. It’s ready to be tested.”

“Good equip it to the Belias…”

“Absolutely not!” said Adam, “Boss, you cannot put that thing in the Belias. It might not even work.”

“What would you have us do then?!”

“Put it in a shuttle or something. Not in the Flagship.”

“Very well, the only reason I’m not having you flogged fro this, Adam, is you designed the Belias. Your opinion is highest in the matter.” The Boss looked at Prosithion, “Put that thing in one of the shuttles, contact me when you’ve finished.”

“Right, Boss,” said Prosithion.

“You can all leave.” Adam sighed and looked at his watch. It was 5 minutes to 19:00! He couldn’t be late to the Lounge. With a hurried bye Adam bolted for the transporter room.

Haha awesome. It wasn't quite as hilarious as some of your other works, but it is funny just the same!

Nice! very intersting. The Grif guy is very funny, I like him. Waiting the read more.

It was fun. I liked it. Keep up the good work. :D

-- M.B.Author

Always fun to read, Grif. The most amusing bits, doubtless, had to be "Grif's" reaction to Incan's 'adequate' response; and the SPEW and CCF orbiting objects. ^_^

Understated response there. It's hilarious.



IMP