Shadow of a Freelancer Ch 2.) Bending the Rules
#2 of Shadow of a Freelancer
Here is Ch.2 of Shadow of a Freelancer. I thought I should get it out to keep people interested. I'm going to finish up my other series now...only two chapters, while I write out the next chapter of this.
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The Ira just dropped out of hyperspace as Shadow entered the bridge. Shadows eye twitched as he observed what was taking place in front of him from the captain's chair. It had been a couple years since he last heard anything on the war between the A.T.W.F and the I.F.H.W. so he was a little surprised to see one of the I.F.H.W's fleets attacking moonbase. He let out a sigh as Nerah spoke up.
"Sir should we help?"
"No that's against the Freelancer code." Shadow said sadly.
Just then several units that appeared to be mech's flew by the Ira at an impressive speed; shaking the Ira a little, but didn't notice it. A few moments later Dead Eye came up to the bridge complaining about Shadows piloting when his eyes fell upon the battle just in front of them.
He blinked a couple times and said "Am I really seeing this?"
"Yes you are, I didn't know the Humanitists had gotten this ballsy?" Shadow said.
"I knew they were planning an attack but I didn't know they were attacking Earth and moonbase!" Dead Eye said as he scratched his head then added "Sometimes the Freelancer code sucks."
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The Freelancer's Code, is basically the rules that Freelancers play by. It allows Freelancers to do what they want...basically; but they can't do everything and get away scot free otherwise everyone would be a Freelancer and everyone would be a criminal. The Code also restricts Freelancers from helping any one faction in a battle; anywhere, including passing along information that might help one of the other unless they have been paid to do so.
This same Code is also what gives Freelancers control over anyone if it helps them in their current objective. This Code doesn't require for anyone to follow the orders of a Freelancer but on the other hand it doesn't stop a Freelancer from killing anyone who refuses to help them.
That is one loophole in the Code and there are many others.
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"So what're we gonna do Shadow? If someone finds out we're helping one faction over the other and we'll have bounties on our heads." Dead Eye said.
"We could just fly close to the I.F.H.W fleet and let them fire at us a few times. Then it would be self defense but...." Shadow said.
"Yeah BUT...one of there shots would have to hit us, and the Ira may be the most bad ass ship I've ever seen but...one hit from one of those ships and if that doesn't kill us it will cripple us for sure." Dead Eye said.
"Can you think of any other kinds of loopholes to go through?" Shadow asked as one of the federations ships exploded followed by a couple others shields going down.
"No...but we could try bending the rules." Dead Eye suggested.
That gave Shadow an idea. The code merely said they could not help one faction of another unless you're on the payroll, but what if helping one faction helps them complete a mission or the like?
"Bending the rules eh? That'll work." Shadow said as he stepped over to a console of sorts.
He started pushing the buttons on the keypad until the screen changed to a schematic view of a weapon. Dead Eye walked a little closer to see what was on the screen and read in capital letters T.E.M.R.G.S. Dead Eye's jaw dropped after reading that then looked at Shadow who was still typing on the keypad.
"You have a fucking...Tactical-Electro-Magnetic-Rail-Gun on this ship!" Dead Eye said as drool started to overflow his open mouth.
"Close your mouth so I don't have to clean up your drool and yes I do have a Tactical E.M.R.G system on the Ira." Shadow said as if having a rail gun on a non military ship was normal.
"How the hell did you get it?"
"Well just like how you and I got a hold of Nerah, Delta and I stole it from a testing facility."
"And you didn't get caught...but how?" Dead Eye asked as he looked at the screen again.
"By another one of the Ira's secrets." Nerah pitched in.
"How many does the Ira have Nerah?" Dead Eye asked.
"Sorry but you'll only find out about them when the need arises to use them." Shadow said as he finished typing "Ok Dead Eye, do you think you could perfectly aim this thing at the bridge of the Humanitist flagship?" Shadow added.
"What?! You're going to have me break the Freelancer's Code!" Dead Eye yelled.
"No...to further our goals on our mission we have to help the federation so we can get to Patrick Territh. My scans still show that the prison section of moonbase is perfectly intact. We're not breakin the rules...we're bending them, like you suggested." Shadow said; as if he even cared if he broke the rules or not.
"In that case, yeah I think I could do it...wait...you're going to let me fire it!" Dead Eye said with joy in his voice.
Firing a Rail Gun is one of Dead Eye's dreams, funny as that sounds. When do you ever get the chance to fire a Rail Gun that's twelve feet long that's capable of shooting through a starship?
"Do you honestly think I could hit the bridge of that ship...I didn't think so? Letting you fire it is the sure shot way of hitting that damn thing." Shadow said then added "Nerah take Dead Eye to Tactical E.M.R.G system's control room."
"Sure thing boss!" She said as lights on the floor and walls lit up.
"I'll hit the target, so don't you worry about that...but what are we gunna do when the Humanitist decide to take out the only ship in the area with a fucking Rail Gun on it?" Dead Eye said as he followed the lights.
"You can leave that to me, so don't you worry about it." Shadow replied as Dead Eye shook his head as he walked.
"Boss do you want to activate what you were working on the past few weeks?" Nerah asked.
"Not yet...raise shields and prepare to disappear." Shadow said.
"Cloak after he fires?" She asked.
"Of course, and mask everything so no one knows were we are...or who we are." Shadow said and sighed "I hopped that I wouldn't have to use this thing...especially in front of those we stole it from." He added.
"I know boss." She said to him.
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Once Dead Eye entered the Rail Gun's control room and activated it, long doors about four feet wide by twelve feet long, opened on the top of the ship. An object with three long rectangular pieces that were seven feet long was reviled as it rose from containment. The firing device was five feet long, four feet wide and tall and shaped like a cylinder.
It started to charge up as electrical bolts started to make contact between the three long rectangular devices. The weapon pivoted on a joint and aimed at the bridge of the I.F.H.W's fifth fleet flagship and suddenly the whole weapon was surrounded in electrical energy which dispersed the moment it fired a projectile at the flagship. The Ira cloaked as soon as it fired and went into silent mode.
As the projectile flew towards the enemy's bridge it was covered in plasma like energy and left a plasma trail as it headed towards its target. The enemy didn't see it coming until it was too late. The ship was actually facing the direction the shot was fired from so when the shot hit the bridge, it kept going.
The projectile kept passing through the decks of the flagship causing small explosions but stopped as soon as it hit the ships Energystone containment field; which was destroyed and the stone cracked from the explosions. The crack started releasing energy and a chain reaction soon started destroying the entire ship in a large explosion...then something happened that no one thought would.
The Energystone broke into two, when this happened it started to draw in everything around it causing an implosion. So the fireball that resulted from the explosion, three other ships and the chucks of the flagship all got sucked into the implosion completely destroying them all. There was nothing left of the flagship or the smaller ships that got swallowed up in the implosion.
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Back on the Ira, Shadow was monitoring the communications from the federation forces.
"What the hell just happened?"
"Did you see that blue light just before it hit that ship?!"
"You Idiot that ship was the enemy's flagship!"
"He's right push the attack!"
"Did anyone see who fired that?!" was what the fighter pilots and ship captains were saying from the federation side.
"The O'stra was just destroyed!"
"Did you see who destroyed it?!"
"It came from quadrant three!"
"My scans aren't showing anything over there, it's just empty space!" This was what most of the Humanitist forces were saying.
The last transmission from them was this "Shit the C.S.F Dawn just arrived retreat!"
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Dead Eye just got back on the bridge while Shadow monitored the communications and when he turned them down, Dead Eye said "Looks like the Federation will win this battle."
"Maybe...but I was just thinking, why now? The Humanitist fifth fleet was twice that size a few years ago, and there was so many chances for them to attack so why?" Shadow said.
Dead Eye took a moment to think about it but he couldn't come up with an answer, but just then another one of the Federations flagships; the C.S.F. Dawn, dropped out of hyperspace as the Humanitists started to retreat.
"Look at that, the flagship of the second fleet just arrived." Dead eye said.
"Well once everything calms down we can go and get Mr. Territh." Shadow said.
Just then a large explosion happened on moonbase. A small transport made its way out of moonbase through the opening made by the explosion and entered hyperspace once nothing was in its way.
"Did you see that Boss?" Nerah asked.
"Yeah we saw it...can you get a lock on it?" Shadow asked.
"Already done...the ship is heading towards I.F.H.W space, in the direction of... the Nal system, the planet Nal'thorian." Nerah said.
"Hey isn't that the planet that Energystone was found on?" Dead Eye asked.
"Yeah, why would they head there?" Shadow said.
"Who knows...I've got an idea. Let me follow them in the Invidia. You can tell Delta what I'm doing." Dead Eye said.
"Considering what just happened, get going and..." Shadow started.
"Boss, someone is hailing us!" Nerah interrupted in a worried voice.
"What! How, we're supposed to be cloaked?" Shadow said in an angry voice.
After a few seconds Nerah let out a sound that resembled a sigh and said "Boss, you're not gonna believe this."
"Who is it?" Dead Eye asked, curious as to who could locate the Ira.
"It's Freelancer Stone, on the Gula!"
"WHAT!" Both of them yelled in a surprised voice as Nerah patched them through.
The person on the screen was not one they expected. Instead of seeing Freelancer Stone; a brown bear who looked like he was on steroids, they saw a short; compared to Stone, human in a short sleeve shirt with small cuts that covered his arms, hazel eyes and short brown hair. It was the best Freelancer of them all, Freelancer Delta.
"Hello boys."