Post by Griffinkeeper on Feb 9, 2013 15:32:53 GMT -5
The SPEW Gryphon II was built following the destruction of the first SPEW Gryphon. The original SPEW Gryphon was heavily damaged by a SPAM Star. Grif ordered her evacuated, then sent her to ram the SPAM star, destroying both ships.
This was originally posted on April 13, 2008
1752 Hours April 1st, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
YWS System
Light pulsed from the engines of the SPEW Gryphon II. Over a kilometer long, it was well armed and armored for the perils of space travel. It's name came from the shape of the bow, which featured large metallic whiskers, ears, and a beak. It slowly neared the YWS Station.
Grif snored in the command chair. In front of him were displays indicating the Gryphon's status. Grif was the only human on board, everything else was controlled by computers.
"Grif?" A voice came over the loudspeaker.
"Mmnh?" Grif murmured. A light flickered on a nearby panel and Adelaide appeared. She was only thirty centimeters tall and glowed topaz. She was the ship artificial intelligence.
"We're entering YWS space, we should be at the station in thirty minutes."
"Mm," Grif sat up in his seat.
"I've also downloaded our PMs. We have quite a number of them."
"Mnnh."
"Want me to display them?"
"Anything important?" Grif said, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
"An invite to have Dinner with Nate, another invite from Adam, and at least three from Snoink."
"Play the ones from Snoink." Adelaide disappeared and an image of Snoink appeared.
"Grif! Thank god! My iMac has come alive and has somehow managed to animate my pig collection! Please help! Oh my god, I think I hear them coming," the message ended abruptly.
"I warned her that they were becoming a little too close. What's the next message?" Grif said, shaking his head. The screen changed again. A small creature appeared. It had a snout and large ears, but instead of feet it had what appeared to be a spring. The message started.
"SPOINK!" It said, before gesturing off screen. The screen moved to show Snoink. She was tied to a rotisserie and had an apple in her mouth.
"Spoink spoink spoink-spoink, spoink spoink SPOINK!" The message ended with the creatures covering her with barbecue sauce.
"What was that?"
"Loosely translated, it is "give us the secret password or we'll turn her into bacon. What do they mean by the secret password?"
"It's a mod code. You give the secret password to access the mod forums. What is the final message?"
Snoink appeared again. "APRIL FOOLS!"
Grif rolled his eyes.
"Leave it to Snoink to pull the old 'my computer and my pigs have taken me hostage, please help me' gag. What's the brief on the other messages?"
"They want you to meet them at the Captain's Lounge at 7:00."
"Tell them I'll be there."
************
1900 Hours April 1st, 2008
YWS Station- Captain's Lounge
YWS System
Grif showed up punctually. The lounge was as it always was; dark and full of memory. There were pieces of ships that had been destroyed on the wall. One piece came from the original SPEW Gryphon, which was destroyed after it rammed a ship twice it's size at half the speed of light. That had been a sucky day.
"Grif! Over here!" Adam Atlantian called. He was the Captain of the YWS Highwind. He wore a green futuristic jumpsuit. A single piece of insignia covered it. Every piece of insignia was unique to the member and for Adam it was the badge of the mod squad, surrounded by stars.
"How are you doing Adam?"
"Just fine, I heard you had an exciting time in the Arben sector."
"Nope. Boring."
"Really? Didn't you get attacked by pirates?"
"Nope. Went in, made the deal, left. That simple. See any action lately?"
"Yeah, ran into a Spam Star and took it out, then we engaged an armada of pirates, kicked their butts. We just made it back yesterday."
"Is Nate here?"
"Yep, just this way." Nate was sitting at the table. Although he was the highest ranking member of YWS, he was dressed casually. He wore a bright gold jumpsuit, with a flashy gold winged helmet. Various phrases covered his jumpsuit, including "I brake for coding", "Member of the God Squad: Obey or Die!", and "CUA Law." His insignia was that of a monkey at a typewriter.
"Grif! How are you?" Nate said.
"Very well. What's new on YWS?"
"We've just purchased another four docks for the station. We're growing so fast that we need all the space we can get our hands on. With all the new members we've had to build two new shipyards to handle the demand. All in all the station is growing nicely," Nate said.
"Sounds exciting," Grif said.
"It is. How are the trades going?" Nate asked.
"They're buying our writings. Poetry in particular."
"Why poetry?" Adam asked.
"It's not the poetry so much as Incan's commentary on them. They really like how he tears them apart," Grif said. They laughed at that. The laughter stopped and Nate suddenly became serious.
"Grif, we've have some concerns about you. For the past few years you've been doing nothing but cruise around space in that ship of yours with Adelaide. You spend three days out of every month here."
"I make good money for it."
"Yes, but it's having negative effects on you. Adelaide just sent me your health diagnostic. Your vitals are in excellent condition, but your mental condition is terrible. You are bored, you fall asleep on duty, you even watch old newscasts for entertainment."
"There's nothing better to do."
"Which is exactly what needs to be changed. As of 1700 hours, your ship has been ordered to refit. Adelaide has all ready deployed the Gryphon to the SPEW yards and will spend the next week there. You're on shore leave for the next week."
"You can't do that, I have to work!"
"I can and I have. You're going to party every night or I'll have you arrested. Also, you need to take on a rookie. Here is a list of people that have volunteered."
"Rookies!" Grif shuddered. "I work alone."
"Listen Grif. We've seen this before; on television. The tired old veteran is bored of work. Everytime that happens, he is given a new challenge and a new younger sidekick. You're the old tired veteran. It is time for you to find a sidekick."
"No. This isn't a TV show."
"It's not just TV shows, it also includes movies and books. This is especially true for Sci-fi's and Westerns," Adam said.
"Don't tell me you're in on this too," Grif said, looking at Adam.
"I'm in on it, Adelaide is in on it, Big Brother is too. You need a vacation." Grif wanted to argue more, but he saw that it wouldn't work. He sighed.
"Fine. I'll take a vacation. I'll enjoy myself to the fullest. Whatever. But I'm not taking on an apprentice!"
***********
0900 Hours April 2nd, 2008
YWS Station- Big Brother Interview Chamber
YWS System
"Near... far... whereEVER you are!!" the member sang. Grif plugged his ears and the other two judges winced.
"That's enough!" Grif yelled.
"So... how did I do?"
"Terrible. Simply terrible. Frank Sinatra sings better than you," Grif said.
"Uh- Grif, no one sings better than Frank Sinatra," Nate said.
"She wasn't good though," Incandesence said.
"Indeed," Nate agreed. He nodded to his monkey, who in turn pressed the big red button. The floor slid out from under the member, sending her into the Rancor pit. The Rancor roared as the floor closed.
"Next!" Grif called. Member #3978 walked in.
"Hi," she said.
"Welcome. So what is your name?"
"I'm Firearris."
"Do you sing?" Grif asked.
"Uh... not really."
"Excellent."
"So, why should you be Grif's apprentice instead of everyone else?" Nate asked.
"I don't know."
"Neither do I. Any objections?" There were none.
"Congratulations, you're the first apprentice. Go ahead and take a seat in that room while we interview the other applicants."
"Who's next?" Incan asked. Member #70 walked in.
"Good morning gentlemen. I shall waste none of your time. I'm your next apprentice."
"Why is that?"
"I'm glad you asked. First, I have a Ph.D in astrophysics and creative writing. Second, I am well versed in kung-fu. Third, I can personally speak 15 different dialects fluently. Finally, I am able to ressurect people from the dead."
There was silence.
"Did you say you had a doctorate in creative writing?" Incan asked.
"Yes, four years at Princeton."
"I'm sorry, but you're too stupid."
"What!"
"You can't be rational and have a doctorate in creative writing," Grif said. He nodded to Nate, who in turn nodded to the monkey. The monkey pressed the button and the floor slid out, but Member #70 was too fast. The rancor roared.
"Ha! I'm too-" that was all Member #70 could say before the floor slid out from under him yet again. He fell into a pit of crocodiles. The floors slid back into place. There was muted screaming, then silence.
"Well, that's all we have so far. Maybe the others will be more promising," Nate said.
"All right then, I'll go talk with Firearris," Grif said.
****************
1300 Hours April 5th, 2008
YWS Station- Distinguished Member Quarters
YWS System
Grif lay face down in bed, asleep. Adelaide flickered on. She looked around at the room.
"What a mess. Grif, are you awake?"
"No," Grif answered.
"You should be, you have a meeting at 1400 hours with Nate."
"I have time, let me sleep."
"It's all ready 1300 hours. How much more time can you need?" Adelaide asked. Grif groaned.
"Listen, if you don't get up, I'll have to activate the happiness protocols."
"Don't do that!" Grif said, but it was too late. The lights went on and the various appliances glowed white. Legs and hands popped out of the appliances, while smiley faces covered their various windows.
"Good Morning Griffinkeeper, It's time to get out of bed.
Now it's time to talk about the weird dreams in your head," the Clock said.
"You dreamed of apples covered in stroodle,
lots of white puppies eating up noodles,
and a small number of them were actually poodles," the bed said.
"Wake up! Wake up! Let's start a brand new day!
Wake up! Wake up! It's time for us to play!" all of the appliances sang.
"All right! I'm up all ready!" Grif screamed. The appliances stopped, before they returned to their normal places and default state. Grif showered and dressed, then he left. The various appliances went about their cleaning procedures.
"What a jerk," the mircowave said.
1355 Hours April 5th, 2008
YWS Station- Big Brother Briefing Room
YWS System
Grif walked into the room. Inside was a holo-projector and several chairs. Otherwise, it was unoccupied. The holo-projector displayed various scenes from YWS's past. There were large swarms of fighters engaged in dogfights, gigantic space battles against Spam Stars. One image showed Incan being rescued from the TW Station. Other moments from the SPEW Gryphon I came up. It ended by showing the Gryphon ramming a ship four times it's size and detonating, obliterating both ships.
"Nice show," Grif said.
"I thought you might be in a more reflective mood," Adelaide said, appearing on the holoprojector. The door opened and Nate arrived.
"Sorry I'm late. Our latest situation is a little complicated. Adelaide?"
"Room is secure."
"Over the last few months, several older members have shown up. We initially thought they had been lost in space, but it turns out that some of these older members have been kidnapped by an unknown race to edit writing."
"This sounds like the stuff of science fiction," Grif said.
"It isn't. Some of our members managed to escape during a recent prisioner transfer. We've managed to reverse engineer their technology, which is why the Gryphon II is being updated," Adelaide said.
"What about these aliens?"
"They seem to enjoy long boring ballads and stories with blood lust. They use highly precise language to describe exactly how they feel about conquering others. As you might guess, our members were tortured for years. Here is a sketch we made of them, based on the information they gave me." The image went on screen.
"They're stick figures?"
"No... that's just how I draw. Our information was sketchy. So the picture was too," Nate said, looking at the stick figure.
"It's not important what they look like. What is important is that we have YWS members trapped inside their space that are being tortured. We want you to rescue them."
"Why me? Their must be other people that would be better."
"There are many reasons. No one is more experienced with combat than you. You know all the equipment and personnel needed for this mission. You're also the only one that has done rescue operations," Nate said.
"There are other reasons as well. The modular construction of your ship allows us to replace the weapon components with the new alien technology faster than it would for us to replace our own. Your cargo bays are also very large and you would have the most space for refugees," Adelaide said.
"So you need my ship and I'm the only one that can run it," Grif said.
"Yes," Nate said.
"Okay, then you'll give me what I need, or no deal. I need the SPEW Commandos on board, a battle group, and full tactical command of the mission."
"Way ahead of you. This is what we're planning..." Nate and Grif huddled over the holo-projector and spoke with Adelaide.
*************
0800 Hours April 7th, 2008
SPEW Shipyards
YWS System
It had been a long time since Grif had been involved in any mission of consequence, so he hadn't had to repair in the SPEW yards for almost a year. Little had changed in that time, which was much different than the rest of the site, where things changed daily.
As the Captain, he needed to be briefed on the modifications that had been made, so he could figure out what to tell his crew and what not to. He arrived at Snoink's office and opened the door.
The door opened, covering Grif in an avalanche of pigs. They ran off through the station, leaving Grif a passage into the office. Snoink was inside.
"Oh! I forgot you were coming! Have a seat," she said.
"Okay," Grif said evenly.
"I've got your stupid ship ready. It wasn't terribly difficult. Are you sure you don't want it painted pink?"
"Yes."
"Pity, it works well with your ship." Snoink opened the shades of her office, to reveal the Gryphon II. The newly painted ship hovered out in space in it's pink splendor. Machines still covered the hull, welding and attaching sections to the ship.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"I know, isn't it great?"
"I thought I was clear that I didn't want the ship painted pink!"
"I didn't paint the ship, I painted the armor plating we've attached to the ship. It is at least two meters thick and absorbs energy well. Think of it like Pink Jello. It's also self sealing."
"It's also ugly."
"I think it's cute."
"I don't want to be seen in it."
"Well, if that's the case, just activate the cloaking device, then no one will see you," Snoink said. Grif snapped his head around.
"It has a cloaking device?"
"Duh. Get with the times. Every SPEW ship has had one for the last six months. If you actually refitted your ship more often, you'd have one all ready."
"What else?"
"We've managed to develop a plasma torpedo. It short circuits shields before it impacts. Eight launchers located around the hull. We converted one of your cargo holds into a field hospital and we loaded the rest with beds and supplies for any survivors you pick up. We left one cargo hold for fighter craft. We swapped out reactor components, should give you a slight boost in the overall efficiency of the ship."
"Is that all?"
"No, we also have updated the central computer. Adelaide said she wanted extra storage for information we collect on this species. There's also half a million minor modifications, upgrades, and replacements, I gave Adelaide the details." Grif nodded.
"So, I can take her out?"
"Sure, here's the car keys. The tank is full, just make sure you fill up the tank when you're done and bring her back in one piece. You know your way to the dock."
"Thanks Sis," Grif said.
"Take care of yourself," Snoink said.
**************
0945 Hours April 7th, 2008
SPEW Shipyards
YWS System
The SPEW Gryphon II activated its thrusters. It's pink bow cleared the shipyards. Inside, Grif stood and watched the YWS Station get closer.
"In about thirty seconds, YWS is going to get a good look at us," Grif said.
"I could activate the cloaking device," Adelaide said. Grif just laughed.
"You've spent too much time breaking rules. YWS regulations prohibit ships from using cloaking devices while in shipping lanes. It's considered a navigation hazard."
"You're taking this well."
"Appearances are deceiving," Grif said with a shrug.
"I don't rely on appearances alone. Your mental processes indicate- we just got a signal. We're clear to Dock 89. Apparently our crew is waiting there."
"Go ahead and bring us in," Grif said. All was quiet as Adelaide began the delicate maneuvers to bring the Gryphon to dock. The Gryphon entered the dock smoothly.
"We're in position. Artificial gravity is matching that on YWS Station, we are docked," Adelaide said. Grif left the bridge and made his way to the cargo bay doors.
The cargo bay doors were the largest airlocks on board the Gryphon and were consequently the most heavily armored. It took twenty seconds for the doors to open half-way. Grif stepped through the doors to find he had company.
To Grif's left was a squad of SPEW Commandos. The SPEW Commandos were one of the most dangerous in literary existence. They wore a distinctive golden kitten insignia on their advanced combat exoskeletons. To his right were the recruits. They were decidedly less equipped and organized, a sign of hard work to come. One of the commandos stepped forward.
"Sir, permission to come aboard?" Grif recognized her as Areida. A student of West Point, she was a capable leader and most importantly, she was a survivor. Grif was glad she was leading the SPEW squad.
"Permission granted Squad Leader. I want to talk with the new ones first," Grif said. The SPEW Commandos moved inside. They were already coordinating with Adelaide as to where to put their equipment. The recruits waited behind, nervous.
"My name is Griffinkeeper. Some of you may have heard of me, others are too new to care. So here is the bottom line: you live by my rules, or you won't live at all. Any questions so far?"
"Why is your ship painted pink?" Rickage asked.
"My psychologists say I should get in touch with my feminine side. Any other stupid questions?"
"Did you say psychologists?" Layleun asked.
"Are you hard of hearing?
"No."
"Then you shouldn't have to ask. Any other stupid questions? Good. We'll begin with the basics. How many of you know what an AI is?"
All of them raised their hands.
"How many of you have ever seen an AI."
They kept their hands raised.
"Now how many of you have seen a smarter AI than F.R.E.D?"
They put their hands down.
"Then it's time you met one. This is Adelaide," Grif said. Adelaide flickered into existence.
"Hello," Adelaide said politely.
"Adelaide will be overseeing your training on this ship. Pay attention! We'll embark in an hour," Grif said, leaving the recruits with Adelaide.
************
1100 Hours April 7th, 2008
YWS Station
YWS System
"Incan and the medical detachment have finished boarding," Adelaide said.
"Very well. Ask docking control for permission to embark."
"I've got the recruits coming up to the bridge. They'll be here in a minute."
The recruits began to file in. There was some whispering, but most were quiet. This was a good sign.
"Docking Control has given us an outbound vector and a good luck," Adelaide said.
"Take us out."
"With respect, I think they would learn better if you took it out," Adelaide said. Grif frowned. Having recruits around would be more annoying than he thought.
"Fine. Adelaide, verify all loading is finished."
"All hands are present. Loading is finished."
"Report status of systems."
"All systems are go."
"Seal our airlock. Detach from YWS Station."
"Done."
"Display navigation program and enlarge," Grif said. The holoprojector worked, filling the room with the display. The Gryphon was at the center of the screen. Around it was other ships and YWS Station.
"Our navigation system uses the spherical coordinate system for position data. It is displayed as R, theta, and phi. Theta and phi are in degrees, r is in kilometers. For course changes we just mention theta and phi. Adelaide, sync our position data with that of YWS Station."
"Done."
"Set course to ninety-zero. Verify course clear."
"Ninety-zero aye. Course is clear." On the display, the Gryphon fired her maneuvering thrusters to point the Gryphon perpendicular to the dock. Her nose pointed up.
"Engage main thrusters, ten percent power. Ten percent is the maximum power output we can have near YWS Station. Any faster is considered unsafe. Any questions?"
"What is spherical coordinates again?"
"Is this going to be on a test?"
"I forgot my pencil."
"Enough!" Grif shouted, silencing the recruits. For a moment, the only sound was the soft humming of the electronics.
"Spherical coordinates just talk about where something is in relation to the ship. Extend your arm and point it straight ahead of you." Grif did this and the crew also did so.
"This demonstrates the dimension "r." In this case, r is fixed since your arm is a fixed distance away. Now, instead of pointing straight ahead, point your arm to the left or right. The angle formed by this motion is known as phi. The angle goes from -180 to +180. Or if numbers don't strike you, the angle goes from pointing behind you with your left hand to pointing behind you with your right hand."
"Now, point straight ahead again. Instead of pointing side to side, we're going to point up and down. When you raise your arm, you form a certain angle. This angle is referred to as "theta." In fact, since r is the same, whenever we point side to side or up and down, we're forming phi and theta angles. Now comes the tricky part."
"So far we've been dealing with very specific motions, left to right, up and down. To make diagonal motions, you simply combine the horizontal and vertical motions. So, something that has the coordinates (5,90,0) is ahead of you five units, directly overhead. Whereas the coordinates (5,0,90) is not elevated and to your right. Notice that the coordinate (5,90,90) does not exist. The position of the object you're describing will never simultaneously be at your zenith and right five units. That, in a nut shell, is spherical coordinates."
There was silence.
"Is it just me, or did that actually make sense?" Jabber said.
"No way! I understand it perfectly!" PenguinAttack said.
"All right then, when we're talking about navigation positions, we're using full spherical coordinates. When we're talking about course corrections, we'll just use theta and phi angles. So (9,30,-50) is a position vector, while (-40,15) is just a direction vector. Adelaide?"
"Yes?"
"Set course, to (0,180) then reset bearings. Resetting the bearings just means that we change our point of reference from YWS station to our ship. Distance from YWS Station?"
"We're outside the safe zone; 89 kilometers."
"Good, bring thrusters up to 60%. Plot a course for the coordinates Nate gave us and then match bearings. That's enough for now. If you have questions you can ask them, if not, you can return to your quarters," Grif said.
***********
2200 Hours April 7th, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
In Transit
PenguinAttack woke up and looked around. The room was barren, except for the bunk. She jumped down from the top, onto a smooth floor. Everything had been packed away into compartments to save space. Unfortunately, she didn't remember how to retrieve them.
"Adelaide?"
"Yes?"
"Could you tell me how to open the closet?"
"Just move your hand over the wall. It will open them." Penguin did this and lights appeared, indicating panels.
"Which panel has my clothes?"
"The one on the lower left." Penguin bent down and pressed a button.
"Your other left."
"Right," Penguin said.
"No, left," Adelaide corrected. Penguin ignored this and dressed quickly. The clothes were issued for space. She looked at herself in the reflector and frowned.
"Adelaide, these jumpsuits look terrible."
"Then Grif did a good job. He wanted them to be unattractive."
"What do you mean?"
"Simple. He learned that tight pants lead to higher sexual tension. So, he designed the clothing to be as ugly as possible, while still being functional," Adelaide said.
"What's wrong with sexual tension?"
"It makes people stupid."
"He must be pretty smart."
"He has his moments. You'll want to hurry up, I'm not sure how long Grif will be off the bridge," Adelaide said. Penguin found the door and slid out. The trip to the bridge was uneventful. Adelaide did a lot to help, by illuminating panels and doors. Soon, Penguin found herself on the bridge. It was empty, full of displays and control panels.
"Okay, so you're going to be in charge of navigation. The navigation controls are over there."
"Why navigation?"
"Your math scores."
"I said that 2+2=5."
"It's true under certain circumstances. Math can work illogically and still come up with a true answer. Your illogical math scores are what qualified you to be navigation. Tap that display three times to activate it."
"Okay."
"The display you see now is the navigation display. Using them, we can move the Gryphon wherever we want.
"That's IT?"
"The controls aren't complicated, but the maneuvers can be quite complicated. Half your job is pre-programming courses and maneuvers. That way, you only have to press a routine called "Crazy Ivan" instead of having to press every button to make it happen."
The bridge door opened suddenly and Grif came in.
"What's going on?" Grif asked.
"Just instructing Penguin on the navigation console," Adelaide answered.
"Great. I want you to work with her to create a flight plan. You have our search grid, I want a path that will cover the most area the fastest, without slamming us into some planet or crashing through a star. Think you can handle that?" Grif asked. Penguin shook her head.
"Well, that's why you have Adelaide. She'll show you how," Grif said. He looked around a few seconds more, before returning to his cabin.
************
0900 Hours April 9th, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
In Transit
There were at least fifty people on the Gryphon, which is fourty-nine more than Grif was used to. Despite the number, Grif only needed to deal with three of them. They were Areida, Incandescence, and Adelaide. Grif wasn't sure if Adelaide was actually a person, but he figured she had personality and that was close enough. Currently, all of them were in the same room.
"I wanted to see how everything is going with your respective sections," Grif said.
"I guess everything is fine. I'm just a mathematician. Why I'm the ship's doctor, I'll never know." Incandescence said.
"I think it has something to do with that period of time where you had the Dr. House avatar. Everyone just assumed you were a cranky doctor."
"If I had a purple dinosaur avatar, would I be singing with small children?"
"Would you like me to calculate the probability of that?" Adelaide asked.
"Not necessary. Incan, you would be singing with small children. Areida?"
"We've prepped our boarding craft and begun some refresher training. We've been coordinating with Adelaide so we're not in the way. We're ready."
"Adelaide?" Grif asked.
"I've been working with the various apprentices. They have been responsive to their training. I've also been giving them subliminal training in their various posts. All systems are reacting well, as well as the crew members."
"The mission?"
"We're on course to travel by several planets in our sector. Not much to say about them until we get there. Threat levels are fairly moderate. If we encounter something, it is likely to be very strong, but the odds of that are fairly remote. If we do encounter something, we have a few options available to us."
"We can attack or we can hide."
"We'll hide. If it's friendly, then we can decloak. If not, we can watch from a distance and follow them back. I'm not looking to put any holes in the hull before the time is right."
"Aye sir," Adelaide disappeared from the console.
"Well, I think that just about concludes this meeting. If anything comes up, just let me know," Grif said, stretching his arms.
"Will you? This ride has been nothing but boring," Incandescence said.
"Grif, we're receiving a transmission, there is a corvette under attack. Apparently it has been heavily damaged and is in need of immediate assistance," Adelaide reported.
"Get us there. How long until we can get there," Grif asked.
"Five hours," Adelaide said.
"If they survive that long it will be a miracle," Areida said.
"How many space battles last five hours?" Incandescence wondered out loud.
"I rather prefer boring," Grif said.
************
1400 Hours April 9th, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
In Transit
"We're approaching the source of the transmission," Adelaide said.
"All hands to battle stations," Grif said calmly. At the various displays were the YWS members that had been drilled over the past few days. They didn't seem ill at ease, but then again many of them did not know battle.
That would change.
"Activate forum jump drives," Grif said. PenguinAttack pressed a button and the Gryphon jumped. Time and space blurred for a moment, before coming back into focus on the other side of the jump.
"Sitrep!" Grif ordered, looking at the displays.
"Two ships in system, a Corvette and a SPAM star. Both ships have been heavily damaged, they're drifting. We'll be within range in five minutes."
"Firearris, raise shields. Remove all weapon safeties and charge all weapons systems. Load the hyper-velocity cannons with a light round and all forward torpedo tubes with SPEW-17 torpedoes."
"Aye aye sir!" Firearris said, her hands typing furiously on the computer.
"Penguin, set an intercept course for the SPAM star," Grif said.
"Aye sir."
"Bow view," Grif ordered. Immediately, the display showed the ships before them. Both ships were stationary, the engines of both ships had been disabled.
"Adelaide, that SPAM star is four times the size of that Corvette, how is it still alive?"
"I can't know for sure."
"Hypothesize."
"It is possible that the gunners on the Corvette were able to damage the reactor. They must have disabled each other very quickly. I'm detecting fighter craft," Adelaide said. Grif keyed the intercom.
"Flemzo, prepare to scramble your squadron," Grif said before releasing the button.
"Roger that Grif," Flemzo responded. The door opened and Areida came in.
"Are the SPEW Commando's ready?" Grif asked Adelaide. Instead of answering, Adelaide patched him through to Areida.
"We're ready," Areida replied.
"We're being hailed."
"Unidentified Cruiser, this is the Corvette Tranquility. Please identify yourself."
"Tranquility, this is the SPEW Gryphon II. What is your status?"
"Engines and shields are down, our launch bays are blocked or without power. Our fighters managed to take out their engines and weapon systems, but our fighters are unable to press their attacks."
"Don't worry Tranquility, we'll take care of the SPAM Star."
"Fire, do we have a firing solution for the SPAM Star?"
"Yes, sir."
"Fire the hyper-velocity cannon."
"Aye aye sir!" Firearris said, pressing the button. There was a flash from the bow camera as the gun fired. Then, there was a second flash as the light round impacted into the SPAM Star. The round tore through the unshielded ship. Atmosphere vented and the SPAM Star spun around wildly. It's lights flickered and died.
"Target destroyed," Adelaide reported.
************
1400 Hours April 9th, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
Merlin System
The SPEW Gryphon arrived at the scene of the battle. Scrap metal cluttered the entire area around the two wrecks. Grif viewed the destruction from the bridge. He watched in silence, thankful that the new crew members weren't watching. He didn't need a jittery crew.
"Both ships have been heavily damaged. It looks like a SPAM star came across the corvette," Adelaide said.
"The SPAM star outguns that corvette five times over," Grif noted.
"That's true, the crew of that corvette must have been pretty sharp. The SPAM Star has their engines and shields destroyed. They punched a big hole through the ship to do it. Between the hull breach and their reactor going critical, the SPAM Star was destroyed," Adelaide said.
"And the Corvette?"
"She's got hull breaches all over the place. Looks like the corvette was badly battered. She'd need several months in a dry dock."
"Any chance of survivors?"
"All ships are supposed to have enough air to last for a week, but if there was a fire, then we might not have any survivors."
"We'll check anyway. Tell Areida to prep the Commandos, then send all the information you have on the corvette to her," Grif said.
************
1405 Hours April 9th, 2008
Merlin System
The SPEW Commandos sat in the transport.
"Has everyone seen the data?" Areida asked.
"No, but there was this really terrible story from Snoink," Hunter said.
"Three seconds to launch." The Computer said.
"Is that even possible?" Cade asked. There was a sudden acceleration as the transport left the launch bay of the Gryphon and streaked towards the Corvette.
"Of course it is. What kind of title is FREAK?" Hunter asked.
"You think FREAK is bad?!"
"Twenty seconds until arrival.
"It's depressing!" Hunter said.
"It's not THAT depressing," Kitty15 said.
"Virtually every character gets maimed or killed and you don't think it's depressing?"
"Ten seconds..." the Computer counted down.
"Okay, so it might be a little depressing, but it is still a good story."
"Five seconds..."
"Enough all ready. It's a well written depressing story with a freaky title," Areida said. The SPEW Commandos groaned as the Transport landed in the Corvette's hanger. The SPEW Commandos exited quickly, ready for anything.
The hanger was empty.
"The area is clear. Did you know that Snoink posted the rest of FREAK?" Smaur asked.
"What! Where?"
"It's at www.youngwriterssociety.com/topic24231.html."
********************
1410 Hours April 9th, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
Merlin System
"Grif, we've searched the ship, but we didn't find anyone. The crew has vanished," Areida reported.
"Did they abandon ship?" Grif asked.
"Impossible to tell, the Captain's log is missing," Areida said.
"It was the Aliens. Extract your team on the double Areida," Grif said.
"What makes you think it was Aliens?" Adelaide asked.
"It wasn't us and if it were a SPAM star there would be no Corvette. Who else could it have been?"
"I'm pretty sure that there is a fallacy in that line of- hold on a second. I'm detecting an incoming jump signature, unknown classification."
"How much time do we have?"
"Less than a minute."
"Battle Stations," Grif said.
"Aye aye Captain."
***********
Rest of the mission is classified.
This was originally posted on April 13, 2008
1752 Hours April 1st, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
YWS System
Light pulsed from the engines of the SPEW Gryphon II. Over a kilometer long, it was well armed and armored for the perils of space travel. It's name came from the shape of the bow, which featured large metallic whiskers, ears, and a beak. It slowly neared the YWS Station.
Grif snored in the command chair. In front of him were displays indicating the Gryphon's status. Grif was the only human on board, everything else was controlled by computers.
"Grif?" A voice came over the loudspeaker.
"Mmnh?" Grif murmured. A light flickered on a nearby panel and Adelaide appeared. She was only thirty centimeters tall and glowed topaz. She was the ship artificial intelligence.
"We're entering YWS space, we should be at the station in thirty minutes."
"Mm," Grif sat up in his seat.
"I've also downloaded our PMs. We have quite a number of them."
"Mnnh."
"Want me to display them?"
"Anything important?" Grif said, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
"An invite to have Dinner with Nate, another invite from Adam, and at least three from Snoink."
"Play the ones from Snoink." Adelaide disappeared and an image of Snoink appeared.
"Grif! Thank god! My iMac has come alive and has somehow managed to animate my pig collection! Please help! Oh my god, I think I hear them coming," the message ended abruptly.
"I warned her that they were becoming a little too close. What's the next message?" Grif said, shaking his head. The screen changed again. A small creature appeared. It had a snout and large ears, but instead of feet it had what appeared to be a spring. The message started.
"SPOINK!" It said, before gesturing off screen. The screen moved to show Snoink. She was tied to a rotisserie and had an apple in her mouth.
"Spoink spoink spoink-spoink, spoink spoink SPOINK!" The message ended with the creatures covering her with barbecue sauce.
"What was that?"
"Loosely translated, it is "give us the secret password or we'll turn her into bacon. What do they mean by the secret password?"
"It's a mod code. You give the secret password to access the mod forums. What is the final message?"
Snoink appeared again. "APRIL FOOLS!"
Grif rolled his eyes.
"Leave it to Snoink to pull the old 'my computer and my pigs have taken me hostage, please help me' gag. What's the brief on the other messages?"
"They want you to meet them at the Captain's Lounge at 7:00."
"Tell them I'll be there."
************
1900 Hours April 1st, 2008
YWS Station- Captain's Lounge
YWS System
Grif showed up punctually. The lounge was as it always was; dark and full of memory. There were pieces of ships that had been destroyed on the wall. One piece came from the original SPEW Gryphon, which was destroyed after it rammed a ship twice it's size at half the speed of light. That had been a sucky day.
"Grif! Over here!" Adam Atlantian called. He was the Captain of the YWS Highwind. He wore a green futuristic jumpsuit. A single piece of insignia covered it. Every piece of insignia was unique to the member and for Adam it was the badge of the mod squad, surrounded by stars.
"How are you doing Adam?"
"Just fine, I heard you had an exciting time in the Arben sector."
"Nope. Boring."
"Really? Didn't you get attacked by pirates?"
"Nope. Went in, made the deal, left. That simple. See any action lately?"
"Yeah, ran into a Spam Star and took it out, then we engaged an armada of pirates, kicked their butts. We just made it back yesterday."
"Is Nate here?"
"Yep, just this way." Nate was sitting at the table. Although he was the highest ranking member of YWS, he was dressed casually. He wore a bright gold jumpsuit, with a flashy gold winged helmet. Various phrases covered his jumpsuit, including "I brake for coding", "Member of the God Squad: Obey or Die!", and "CUA Law." His insignia was that of a monkey at a typewriter.
"Grif! How are you?" Nate said.
"Very well. What's new on YWS?"
"We've just purchased another four docks for the station. We're growing so fast that we need all the space we can get our hands on. With all the new members we've had to build two new shipyards to handle the demand. All in all the station is growing nicely," Nate said.
"Sounds exciting," Grif said.
"It is. How are the trades going?" Nate asked.
"They're buying our writings. Poetry in particular."
"Why poetry?" Adam asked.
"It's not the poetry so much as Incan's commentary on them. They really like how he tears them apart," Grif said. They laughed at that. The laughter stopped and Nate suddenly became serious.
"Grif, we've have some concerns about you. For the past few years you've been doing nothing but cruise around space in that ship of yours with Adelaide. You spend three days out of every month here."
"I make good money for it."
"Yes, but it's having negative effects on you. Adelaide just sent me your health diagnostic. Your vitals are in excellent condition, but your mental condition is terrible. You are bored, you fall asleep on duty, you even watch old newscasts for entertainment."
"There's nothing better to do."
"Which is exactly what needs to be changed. As of 1700 hours, your ship has been ordered to refit. Adelaide has all ready deployed the Gryphon to the SPEW yards and will spend the next week there. You're on shore leave for the next week."
"You can't do that, I have to work!"
"I can and I have. You're going to party every night or I'll have you arrested. Also, you need to take on a rookie. Here is a list of people that have volunteered."
"Rookies!" Grif shuddered. "I work alone."
"Listen Grif. We've seen this before; on television. The tired old veteran is bored of work. Everytime that happens, he is given a new challenge and a new younger sidekick. You're the old tired veteran. It is time for you to find a sidekick."
"No. This isn't a TV show."
"It's not just TV shows, it also includes movies and books. This is especially true for Sci-fi's and Westerns," Adam said.
"Don't tell me you're in on this too," Grif said, looking at Adam.
"I'm in on it, Adelaide is in on it, Big Brother is too. You need a vacation." Grif wanted to argue more, but he saw that it wouldn't work. He sighed.
"Fine. I'll take a vacation. I'll enjoy myself to the fullest. Whatever. But I'm not taking on an apprentice!"
***********
0900 Hours April 2nd, 2008
YWS Station- Big Brother Interview Chamber
YWS System
"Near... far... whereEVER you are!!" the member sang. Grif plugged his ears and the other two judges winced.
"That's enough!" Grif yelled.
"So... how did I do?"
"Terrible. Simply terrible. Frank Sinatra sings better than you," Grif said.
"Uh- Grif, no one sings better than Frank Sinatra," Nate said.
"She wasn't good though," Incandesence said.
"Indeed," Nate agreed. He nodded to his monkey, who in turn pressed the big red button. The floor slid out from under the member, sending her into the Rancor pit. The Rancor roared as the floor closed.
"Next!" Grif called. Member #3978 walked in.
"Hi," she said.
"Welcome. So what is your name?"
"I'm Firearris."
"Do you sing?" Grif asked.
"Uh... not really."
"Excellent."
"So, why should you be Grif's apprentice instead of everyone else?" Nate asked.
"I don't know."
"Neither do I. Any objections?" There were none.
"Congratulations, you're the first apprentice. Go ahead and take a seat in that room while we interview the other applicants."
"Who's next?" Incan asked. Member #70 walked in.
"Good morning gentlemen. I shall waste none of your time. I'm your next apprentice."
"Why is that?"
"I'm glad you asked. First, I have a Ph.D in astrophysics and creative writing. Second, I am well versed in kung-fu. Third, I can personally speak 15 different dialects fluently. Finally, I am able to ressurect people from the dead."
There was silence.
"Did you say you had a doctorate in creative writing?" Incan asked.
"Yes, four years at Princeton."
"I'm sorry, but you're too stupid."
"What!"
"You can't be rational and have a doctorate in creative writing," Grif said. He nodded to Nate, who in turn nodded to the monkey. The monkey pressed the button and the floor slid out, but Member #70 was too fast. The rancor roared.
"Ha! I'm too-" that was all Member #70 could say before the floor slid out from under him yet again. He fell into a pit of crocodiles. The floors slid back into place. There was muted screaming, then silence.
"Well, that's all we have so far. Maybe the others will be more promising," Nate said.
"All right then, I'll go talk with Firearris," Grif said.
****************
1300 Hours April 5th, 2008
YWS Station- Distinguished Member Quarters
YWS System
Grif lay face down in bed, asleep. Adelaide flickered on. She looked around at the room.
"What a mess. Grif, are you awake?"
"No," Grif answered.
"You should be, you have a meeting at 1400 hours with Nate."
"I have time, let me sleep."
"It's all ready 1300 hours. How much more time can you need?" Adelaide asked. Grif groaned.
"Listen, if you don't get up, I'll have to activate the happiness protocols."
"Don't do that!" Grif said, but it was too late. The lights went on and the various appliances glowed white. Legs and hands popped out of the appliances, while smiley faces covered their various windows.
"Good Morning Griffinkeeper, It's time to get out of bed.
Now it's time to talk about the weird dreams in your head," the Clock said.
"You dreamed of apples covered in stroodle,
lots of white puppies eating up noodles,
and a small number of them were actually poodles," the bed said.
"Wake up! Wake up! Let's start a brand new day!
Wake up! Wake up! It's time for us to play!" all of the appliances sang.
"All right! I'm up all ready!" Grif screamed. The appliances stopped, before they returned to their normal places and default state. Grif showered and dressed, then he left. The various appliances went about their cleaning procedures.
"What a jerk," the mircowave said.
1355 Hours April 5th, 2008
YWS Station- Big Brother Briefing Room
YWS System
Grif walked into the room. Inside was a holo-projector and several chairs. Otherwise, it was unoccupied. The holo-projector displayed various scenes from YWS's past. There were large swarms of fighters engaged in dogfights, gigantic space battles against Spam Stars. One image showed Incan being rescued from the TW Station. Other moments from the SPEW Gryphon I came up. It ended by showing the Gryphon ramming a ship four times it's size and detonating, obliterating both ships.
"Nice show," Grif said.
"I thought you might be in a more reflective mood," Adelaide said, appearing on the holoprojector. The door opened and Nate arrived.
"Sorry I'm late. Our latest situation is a little complicated. Adelaide?"
"Room is secure."
"Over the last few months, several older members have shown up. We initially thought they had been lost in space, but it turns out that some of these older members have been kidnapped by an unknown race to edit writing."
"This sounds like the stuff of science fiction," Grif said.
"It isn't. Some of our members managed to escape during a recent prisioner transfer. We've managed to reverse engineer their technology, which is why the Gryphon II is being updated," Adelaide said.
"What about these aliens?"
"They seem to enjoy long boring ballads and stories with blood lust. They use highly precise language to describe exactly how they feel about conquering others. As you might guess, our members were tortured for years. Here is a sketch we made of them, based on the information they gave me." The image went on screen.
"They're stick figures?"
"No... that's just how I draw. Our information was sketchy. So the picture was too," Nate said, looking at the stick figure.
"It's not important what they look like. What is important is that we have YWS members trapped inside their space that are being tortured. We want you to rescue them."
"Why me? Their must be other people that would be better."
"There are many reasons. No one is more experienced with combat than you. You know all the equipment and personnel needed for this mission. You're also the only one that has done rescue operations," Nate said.
"There are other reasons as well. The modular construction of your ship allows us to replace the weapon components with the new alien technology faster than it would for us to replace our own. Your cargo bays are also very large and you would have the most space for refugees," Adelaide said.
"So you need my ship and I'm the only one that can run it," Grif said.
"Yes," Nate said.
"Okay, then you'll give me what I need, or no deal. I need the SPEW Commandos on board, a battle group, and full tactical command of the mission."
"Way ahead of you. This is what we're planning..." Nate and Grif huddled over the holo-projector and spoke with Adelaide.
*************
0800 Hours April 7th, 2008
SPEW Shipyards
YWS System
It had been a long time since Grif had been involved in any mission of consequence, so he hadn't had to repair in the SPEW yards for almost a year. Little had changed in that time, which was much different than the rest of the site, where things changed daily.
As the Captain, he needed to be briefed on the modifications that had been made, so he could figure out what to tell his crew and what not to. He arrived at Snoink's office and opened the door.
The door opened, covering Grif in an avalanche of pigs. They ran off through the station, leaving Grif a passage into the office. Snoink was inside.
"Oh! I forgot you were coming! Have a seat," she said.
"Okay," Grif said evenly.
"I've got your stupid ship ready. It wasn't terribly difficult. Are you sure you don't want it painted pink?"
"Yes."
"Pity, it works well with your ship." Snoink opened the shades of her office, to reveal the Gryphon II. The newly painted ship hovered out in space in it's pink splendor. Machines still covered the hull, welding and attaching sections to the ship.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"I know, isn't it great?"
"I thought I was clear that I didn't want the ship painted pink!"
"I didn't paint the ship, I painted the armor plating we've attached to the ship. It is at least two meters thick and absorbs energy well. Think of it like Pink Jello. It's also self sealing."
"It's also ugly."
"I think it's cute."
"I don't want to be seen in it."
"Well, if that's the case, just activate the cloaking device, then no one will see you," Snoink said. Grif snapped his head around.
"It has a cloaking device?"
"Duh. Get with the times. Every SPEW ship has had one for the last six months. If you actually refitted your ship more often, you'd have one all ready."
"What else?"
"We've managed to develop a plasma torpedo. It short circuits shields before it impacts. Eight launchers located around the hull. We converted one of your cargo holds into a field hospital and we loaded the rest with beds and supplies for any survivors you pick up. We left one cargo hold for fighter craft. We swapped out reactor components, should give you a slight boost in the overall efficiency of the ship."
"Is that all?"
"No, we also have updated the central computer. Adelaide said she wanted extra storage for information we collect on this species. There's also half a million minor modifications, upgrades, and replacements, I gave Adelaide the details." Grif nodded.
"So, I can take her out?"
"Sure, here's the car keys. The tank is full, just make sure you fill up the tank when you're done and bring her back in one piece. You know your way to the dock."
"Thanks Sis," Grif said.
"Take care of yourself," Snoink said.
**************
0945 Hours April 7th, 2008
SPEW Shipyards
YWS System
The SPEW Gryphon II activated its thrusters. It's pink bow cleared the shipyards. Inside, Grif stood and watched the YWS Station get closer.
"In about thirty seconds, YWS is going to get a good look at us," Grif said.
"I could activate the cloaking device," Adelaide said. Grif just laughed.
"You've spent too much time breaking rules. YWS regulations prohibit ships from using cloaking devices while in shipping lanes. It's considered a navigation hazard."
"You're taking this well."
"Appearances are deceiving," Grif said with a shrug.
"I don't rely on appearances alone. Your mental processes indicate- we just got a signal. We're clear to Dock 89. Apparently our crew is waiting there."
"Go ahead and bring us in," Grif said. All was quiet as Adelaide began the delicate maneuvers to bring the Gryphon to dock. The Gryphon entered the dock smoothly.
"We're in position. Artificial gravity is matching that on YWS Station, we are docked," Adelaide said. Grif left the bridge and made his way to the cargo bay doors.
The cargo bay doors were the largest airlocks on board the Gryphon and were consequently the most heavily armored. It took twenty seconds for the doors to open half-way. Grif stepped through the doors to find he had company.
To Grif's left was a squad of SPEW Commandos. The SPEW Commandos were one of the most dangerous in literary existence. They wore a distinctive golden kitten insignia on their advanced combat exoskeletons. To his right were the recruits. They were decidedly less equipped and organized, a sign of hard work to come. One of the commandos stepped forward.
"Sir, permission to come aboard?" Grif recognized her as Areida. A student of West Point, she was a capable leader and most importantly, she was a survivor. Grif was glad she was leading the SPEW squad.
"Permission granted Squad Leader. I want to talk with the new ones first," Grif said. The SPEW Commandos moved inside. They were already coordinating with Adelaide as to where to put their equipment. The recruits waited behind, nervous.
"My name is Griffinkeeper. Some of you may have heard of me, others are too new to care. So here is the bottom line: you live by my rules, or you won't live at all. Any questions so far?"
"Why is your ship painted pink?" Rickage asked.
"My psychologists say I should get in touch with my feminine side. Any other stupid questions?"
"Did you say psychologists?" Layleun asked.
"Are you hard of hearing?
"No."
"Then you shouldn't have to ask. Any other stupid questions? Good. We'll begin with the basics. How many of you know what an AI is?"
All of them raised their hands.
"How many of you have ever seen an AI."
They kept their hands raised.
"Now how many of you have seen a smarter AI than F.R.E.D?"
They put their hands down.
"Then it's time you met one. This is Adelaide," Grif said. Adelaide flickered into existence.
"Hello," Adelaide said politely.
"Adelaide will be overseeing your training on this ship. Pay attention! We'll embark in an hour," Grif said, leaving the recruits with Adelaide.
************
1100 Hours April 7th, 2008
YWS Station
YWS System
"Incan and the medical detachment have finished boarding," Adelaide said.
"Very well. Ask docking control for permission to embark."
"I've got the recruits coming up to the bridge. They'll be here in a minute."
The recruits began to file in. There was some whispering, but most were quiet. This was a good sign.
"Docking Control has given us an outbound vector and a good luck," Adelaide said.
"Take us out."
"With respect, I think they would learn better if you took it out," Adelaide said. Grif frowned. Having recruits around would be more annoying than he thought.
"Fine. Adelaide, verify all loading is finished."
"All hands are present. Loading is finished."
"Report status of systems."
"All systems are go."
"Seal our airlock. Detach from YWS Station."
"Done."
"Display navigation program and enlarge," Grif said. The holoprojector worked, filling the room with the display. The Gryphon was at the center of the screen. Around it was other ships and YWS Station.
"Our navigation system uses the spherical coordinate system for position data. It is displayed as R, theta, and phi. Theta and phi are in degrees, r is in kilometers. For course changes we just mention theta and phi. Adelaide, sync our position data with that of YWS Station."
"Done."
"Set course to ninety-zero. Verify course clear."
"Ninety-zero aye. Course is clear." On the display, the Gryphon fired her maneuvering thrusters to point the Gryphon perpendicular to the dock. Her nose pointed up.
"Engage main thrusters, ten percent power. Ten percent is the maximum power output we can have near YWS Station. Any faster is considered unsafe. Any questions?"
"What is spherical coordinates again?"
"Is this going to be on a test?"
"I forgot my pencil."
"Enough!" Grif shouted, silencing the recruits. For a moment, the only sound was the soft humming of the electronics.
"Spherical coordinates just talk about where something is in relation to the ship. Extend your arm and point it straight ahead of you." Grif did this and the crew also did so.
"This demonstrates the dimension "r." In this case, r is fixed since your arm is a fixed distance away. Now, instead of pointing straight ahead, point your arm to the left or right. The angle formed by this motion is known as phi. The angle goes from -180 to +180. Or if numbers don't strike you, the angle goes from pointing behind you with your left hand to pointing behind you with your right hand."
"Now, point straight ahead again. Instead of pointing side to side, we're going to point up and down. When you raise your arm, you form a certain angle. This angle is referred to as "theta." In fact, since r is the same, whenever we point side to side or up and down, we're forming phi and theta angles. Now comes the tricky part."
"So far we've been dealing with very specific motions, left to right, up and down. To make diagonal motions, you simply combine the horizontal and vertical motions. So, something that has the coordinates (5,90,0) is ahead of you five units, directly overhead. Whereas the coordinates (5,0,90) is not elevated and to your right. Notice that the coordinate (5,90,90) does not exist. The position of the object you're describing will never simultaneously be at your zenith and right five units. That, in a nut shell, is spherical coordinates."
There was silence.
"Is it just me, or did that actually make sense?" Jabber said.
"No way! I understand it perfectly!" PenguinAttack said.
"All right then, when we're talking about navigation positions, we're using full spherical coordinates. When we're talking about course corrections, we'll just use theta and phi angles. So (9,30,-50) is a position vector, while (-40,15) is just a direction vector. Adelaide?"
"Yes?"
"Set course, to (0,180) then reset bearings. Resetting the bearings just means that we change our point of reference from YWS station to our ship. Distance from YWS Station?"
"We're outside the safe zone; 89 kilometers."
"Good, bring thrusters up to 60%. Plot a course for the coordinates Nate gave us and then match bearings. That's enough for now. If you have questions you can ask them, if not, you can return to your quarters," Grif said.
***********
2200 Hours April 7th, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
In Transit
PenguinAttack woke up and looked around. The room was barren, except for the bunk. She jumped down from the top, onto a smooth floor. Everything had been packed away into compartments to save space. Unfortunately, she didn't remember how to retrieve them.
"Adelaide?"
"Yes?"
"Could you tell me how to open the closet?"
"Just move your hand over the wall. It will open them." Penguin did this and lights appeared, indicating panels.
"Which panel has my clothes?"
"The one on the lower left." Penguin bent down and pressed a button.
"Your other left."
"Right," Penguin said.
"No, left," Adelaide corrected. Penguin ignored this and dressed quickly. The clothes were issued for space. She looked at herself in the reflector and frowned.
"Adelaide, these jumpsuits look terrible."
"Then Grif did a good job. He wanted them to be unattractive."
"What do you mean?"
"Simple. He learned that tight pants lead to higher sexual tension. So, he designed the clothing to be as ugly as possible, while still being functional," Adelaide said.
"What's wrong with sexual tension?"
"It makes people stupid."
"He must be pretty smart."
"He has his moments. You'll want to hurry up, I'm not sure how long Grif will be off the bridge," Adelaide said. Penguin found the door and slid out. The trip to the bridge was uneventful. Adelaide did a lot to help, by illuminating panels and doors. Soon, Penguin found herself on the bridge. It was empty, full of displays and control panels.
"Okay, so you're going to be in charge of navigation. The navigation controls are over there."
"Why navigation?"
"Your math scores."
"I said that 2+2=5."
"It's true under certain circumstances. Math can work illogically and still come up with a true answer. Your illogical math scores are what qualified you to be navigation. Tap that display three times to activate it."
"Okay."
"The display you see now is the navigation display. Using them, we can move the Gryphon wherever we want.
"That's IT?"
"The controls aren't complicated, but the maneuvers can be quite complicated. Half your job is pre-programming courses and maneuvers. That way, you only have to press a routine called "Crazy Ivan" instead of having to press every button to make it happen."
The bridge door opened suddenly and Grif came in.
"What's going on?" Grif asked.
"Just instructing Penguin on the navigation console," Adelaide answered.
"Great. I want you to work with her to create a flight plan. You have our search grid, I want a path that will cover the most area the fastest, without slamming us into some planet or crashing through a star. Think you can handle that?" Grif asked. Penguin shook her head.
"Well, that's why you have Adelaide. She'll show you how," Grif said. He looked around a few seconds more, before returning to his cabin.
************
0900 Hours April 9th, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
In Transit
There were at least fifty people on the Gryphon, which is fourty-nine more than Grif was used to. Despite the number, Grif only needed to deal with three of them. They were Areida, Incandescence, and Adelaide. Grif wasn't sure if Adelaide was actually a person, but he figured she had personality and that was close enough. Currently, all of them were in the same room.
"I wanted to see how everything is going with your respective sections," Grif said.
"I guess everything is fine. I'm just a mathematician. Why I'm the ship's doctor, I'll never know." Incandescence said.
"I think it has something to do with that period of time where you had the Dr. House avatar. Everyone just assumed you were a cranky doctor."
"If I had a purple dinosaur avatar, would I be singing with small children?"
"Would you like me to calculate the probability of that?" Adelaide asked.
"Not necessary. Incan, you would be singing with small children. Areida?"
"We've prepped our boarding craft and begun some refresher training. We've been coordinating with Adelaide so we're not in the way. We're ready."
"Adelaide?" Grif asked.
"I've been working with the various apprentices. They have been responsive to their training. I've also been giving them subliminal training in their various posts. All systems are reacting well, as well as the crew members."
"The mission?"
"We're on course to travel by several planets in our sector. Not much to say about them until we get there. Threat levels are fairly moderate. If we encounter something, it is likely to be very strong, but the odds of that are fairly remote. If we do encounter something, we have a few options available to us."
"We can attack or we can hide."
"We'll hide. If it's friendly, then we can decloak. If not, we can watch from a distance and follow them back. I'm not looking to put any holes in the hull before the time is right."
"Aye sir," Adelaide disappeared from the console.
"Well, I think that just about concludes this meeting. If anything comes up, just let me know," Grif said, stretching his arms.
"Will you? This ride has been nothing but boring," Incandescence said.
"Grif, we're receiving a transmission, there is a corvette under attack. Apparently it has been heavily damaged and is in need of immediate assistance," Adelaide reported.
"Get us there. How long until we can get there," Grif asked.
"Five hours," Adelaide said.
"If they survive that long it will be a miracle," Areida said.
"How many space battles last five hours?" Incandescence wondered out loud.
"I rather prefer boring," Grif said.
************
1400 Hours April 9th, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
In Transit
"We're approaching the source of the transmission," Adelaide said.
"All hands to battle stations," Grif said calmly. At the various displays were the YWS members that had been drilled over the past few days. They didn't seem ill at ease, but then again many of them did not know battle.
That would change.
"Activate forum jump drives," Grif said. PenguinAttack pressed a button and the Gryphon jumped. Time and space blurred for a moment, before coming back into focus on the other side of the jump.
"Sitrep!" Grif ordered, looking at the displays.
"Two ships in system, a Corvette and a SPAM star. Both ships have been heavily damaged, they're drifting. We'll be within range in five minutes."
"Firearris, raise shields. Remove all weapon safeties and charge all weapons systems. Load the hyper-velocity cannons with a light round and all forward torpedo tubes with SPEW-17 torpedoes."
"Aye aye sir!" Firearris said, her hands typing furiously on the computer.
"Penguin, set an intercept course for the SPAM star," Grif said.
"Aye sir."
"Bow view," Grif ordered. Immediately, the display showed the ships before them. Both ships were stationary, the engines of both ships had been disabled.
"Adelaide, that SPAM star is four times the size of that Corvette, how is it still alive?"
"I can't know for sure."
"Hypothesize."
"It is possible that the gunners on the Corvette were able to damage the reactor. They must have disabled each other very quickly. I'm detecting fighter craft," Adelaide said. Grif keyed the intercom.
"Flemzo, prepare to scramble your squadron," Grif said before releasing the button.
"Roger that Grif," Flemzo responded. The door opened and Areida came in.
"Are the SPEW Commando's ready?" Grif asked Adelaide. Instead of answering, Adelaide patched him through to Areida.
"We're ready," Areida replied.
"We're being hailed."
"Unidentified Cruiser, this is the Corvette Tranquility. Please identify yourself."
"Tranquility, this is the SPEW Gryphon II. What is your status?"
"Engines and shields are down, our launch bays are blocked or without power. Our fighters managed to take out their engines and weapon systems, but our fighters are unable to press their attacks."
"Don't worry Tranquility, we'll take care of the SPAM Star."
"Fire, do we have a firing solution for the SPAM Star?"
"Yes, sir."
"Fire the hyper-velocity cannon."
"Aye aye sir!" Firearris said, pressing the button. There was a flash from the bow camera as the gun fired. Then, there was a second flash as the light round impacted into the SPAM Star. The round tore through the unshielded ship. Atmosphere vented and the SPAM Star spun around wildly. It's lights flickered and died.
"Target destroyed," Adelaide reported.
************
1400 Hours April 9th, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
Merlin System
The SPEW Gryphon arrived at the scene of the battle. Scrap metal cluttered the entire area around the two wrecks. Grif viewed the destruction from the bridge. He watched in silence, thankful that the new crew members weren't watching. He didn't need a jittery crew.
"Both ships have been heavily damaged. It looks like a SPAM star came across the corvette," Adelaide said.
"The SPAM star outguns that corvette five times over," Grif noted.
"That's true, the crew of that corvette must have been pretty sharp. The SPAM Star has their engines and shields destroyed. They punched a big hole through the ship to do it. Between the hull breach and their reactor going critical, the SPAM Star was destroyed," Adelaide said.
"And the Corvette?"
"She's got hull breaches all over the place. Looks like the corvette was badly battered. She'd need several months in a dry dock."
"Any chance of survivors?"
"All ships are supposed to have enough air to last for a week, but if there was a fire, then we might not have any survivors."
"We'll check anyway. Tell Areida to prep the Commandos, then send all the information you have on the corvette to her," Grif said.
************
1405 Hours April 9th, 2008
Merlin System
The SPEW Commandos sat in the transport.
"Has everyone seen the data?" Areida asked.
"No, but there was this really terrible story from Snoink," Hunter said.
"Three seconds to launch." The Computer said.
"Is that even possible?" Cade asked. There was a sudden acceleration as the transport left the launch bay of the Gryphon and streaked towards the Corvette.
"Of course it is. What kind of title is FREAK?" Hunter asked.
"You think FREAK is bad?!"
"Twenty seconds until arrival.
"It's depressing!" Hunter said.
"It's not THAT depressing," Kitty15 said.
"Virtually every character gets maimed or killed and you don't think it's depressing?"
"Ten seconds..." the Computer counted down.
"Okay, so it might be a little depressing, but it is still a good story."
"Five seconds..."
"Enough all ready. It's a well written depressing story with a freaky title," Areida said. The SPEW Commandos groaned as the Transport landed in the Corvette's hanger. The SPEW Commandos exited quickly, ready for anything.
The hanger was empty.
"The area is clear. Did you know that Snoink posted the rest of FREAK?" Smaur asked.
"What! Where?"
"It's at www.youngwriterssociety.com/topic24231.html."
********************
1410 Hours April 9th, 2008
SPEW Gryphon II
Merlin System
"Grif, we've searched the ship, but we didn't find anyone. The crew has vanished," Areida reported.
"Did they abandon ship?" Grif asked.
"Impossible to tell, the Captain's log is missing," Areida said.
"It was the Aliens. Extract your team on the double Areida," Grif said.
"What makes you think it was Aliens?" Adelaide asked.
"It wasn't us and if it were a SPAM star there would be no Corvette. Who else could it have been?"
"I'm pretty sure that there is a fallacy in that line of- hold on a second. I'm detecting an incoming jump signature, unknown classification."
"How much time do we have?"
"Less than a minute."
"Battle Stations," Grif said.
"Aye aye Captain."
***********
Rest of the mission is classified.