Operation Pacifica: All Alone In The Night by Admiral J-Rock, TRES Corps "May you live in interesting times." -- Chinese curse/proverb "But what'cha gonna do when everybody goes on without you?" -- Rancid, "Journey To The End (Of The East Bay)" TAMUBGD SUPER DIMENSIONAL FORTRESS _AMS SPIRIT OF AGGIELAND_ (SDF-21) IN ORBIT AROUND EARTH DAY SIX OF OPERATION PACIFICA # Blur "For Tommorrow" _Modern Life is Rubbish_ Don Searing, SDF-21's Executive Officer pro tempore, sat listlessly in the conn and rubbed his eyes. It had been one of _those_ years, he thought. First, he had been dragged all the way to Atlanta to pit the Pumpkin King and several other Mechs against a horde of shambling B'Harne Idols. Then came the defense of the TRES HQ. The Lizards just kept coming, fighting with a terrible fury the likes of which no human army in history had ever seen. Even now, he occasionally had nightmares about the final stages of the battle, fought in the bowels of TRES HQ with the lights out. The fact that the Lizards were doing all this as a religious observance was one thing that not even he could see coming before J-Rock told him so. And just where the Hell was the Director / Chief Sponge-Minion Deprogrammer of the TAMUBGD, anyway? After all, he had suggested this little excursion into Earth orbit as a way of "showing the flag." On the day he was supposed to come up to the SDF, J-Rock had sent a terse J-Link message, saying that something had come up. Since J-R's rank gave him command of the _Spirit,_ the center seat fell to Deputy Director (and now Captain pro tem) Bob Carr. And he was out gallivanting in his pride and joy, the only VT Known To Cause Hearing Loss Just From Looking At It. Meanwhile, Security Chief Akane Takeda was standing at her station above the center seat, looking just as bored as Don was. The difference was that Akane treasured these moments of on-the-job boredom. After all, there was almost always something nasty going on for Security to break up. She didn't even want to think about how many times she had to raise her voice when the time came to choose the XO pro tem. Most of the others on the bridge were using the time to do other things. Tim was at the Sensors console MUDding, while P-Chan and Acting Ensign Amanda Garrard were playing Night Warriors at the former's Weapons console. Despite P-Chan's avowed lack of skill at fighting games, it was turning out to be a fairly even match. Despite the fact that its bridge crew were involved in doing anything but driving the ship, the _Spirit_ was in pretty good hands. If something came up, Holly (the SDF's dedicated ACI) would tell them so they could do something about it. Don sighed. Bob should've come back by now.. ... ORBITAL SPACE, 2500 KM FROM SDF-21 # MC 900 Ft. Jesus "If I Only Had A Brain" _One Step Ahead Of The Spider_ Bob was moving along at a leisurely clip in the _Easy Money_, putting the subwoofers through their paces as usual. 'It's getting harder and harder to just sit back and enjoy these little trips,' he thought. Even after his minor part on the front lines of Operation Phoenix and that last glorious campaign against the B*rn*y Liberation Front, he still felt as though he was a glorified chauffeur than an actual command staffer of the Jihad. He even joked about having to trade in his "Pimpin' VT" for a Checker cab on occasion. And he didn't even wanna think about the difficulties of skippering the _Spirit_. Until he took this trip, he couldn't imagine there being that many boneheads in the TAMUBGD. Everybody and his sister was coming to him with all sorts of piddly little problems. And he hadn't slept for 36 hours after launching from Venus Base. Having Amanda along helped some, but she began to feel like a fifth wheel after a day in space. This was made even more difficult by the fact that she wanted next to nothing to do with the Jihad itself. Finally, Don came up with a novel solution: make her an Acting Ensign in the Aggie Fleet and assign her to the bridge crew for the duration of the patrol. Noriko and Kazumi were starting to feel like sixth and seventh wheels as well. "Well," Bob had noted, "I'm not sure if there's anything you ladies can do." "We can fly fighters," Kazumi immediately replied. And there they were now, flanking the _Easy Money_ in Sullas. "You don't know how much I missed this, Bob," Noriko noted over the radio. "Then again, I kinda figured you weren't that smart," Bob replied. "No, silly, flying out in space without having to blow anything up. Just sitting back and enjoying the tranquility of the void, which -- correct me if I'm wrong -- this patrol set out to do." "Besides," Kazumi noted, "watching most of Noriko's anime collection does get old after awhile." "I'm picking up some large debris ahead," Bob said. "Riko, I know you wanna just cruise through space and all that (and you're welcome to do so), but I feel like blowing things up today." And with that, he lit his burners and took off towards the debris. "Oneesama," Noriko said, "do you think that was a challenge?" "That depends," Kazumi replied. "Do we want Bob to have all the fun?" A pause. "Naah," they said in unison, boosting after the _Easy Money_. ... INTERCESSION [video clip for this one: Bob and company descend on a wrecked Lyran warship floating adrift and blow the crap outta it some more. -- J-R] Don't mind when it happens No problem when I am sayin' it But when I lose my mind, kick my behind 'Cause I hate when my mind keeps replayin' it I'm not braggin', and I'm not proud I hang around a drunken crowd We are happy, that I can say And until we're not, I kid you not We're gonna stay that way [insert random shouted unintelligble lyrics here] Drinkin' the other day I said "I love you", you turned away Maybe the drinkin'... made me cry But I'm a happy, very happy, very happy guy Drunks and children, they tell the truth That's just what I am, I'm drunken youth And when I'm drinkin', I don't know why But I'm a happy, very happy, very happy guy Sometimes, when I'm playin', I never watch what I'm sayin' Sometimes, I lose my head I lose my head and things get said I never should have said Sometimes, I get housed I get housed I get soused, and shoot off my mouth And sometimes, I can't get out And I don't know what I'm talking about You know... I've made mistakes I've had my ups and downs, my ins and outs My share of bad breaks But when it's all been said and done I raise my beer and I swear "God it's been fun" -- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones "Drunks and Children" _Devil's Night Out_ ... FIVE MINUTES LATER... "Whoo.. that was exciting," Bob said as the patrol formed up once again and headed back for the _Spirit_. "Hang on, guys," Noriko said, "I'm picking up some large contacts. Two, maybe three capital ships." "If they're B'Harnate, they're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid," Bob declared. "Then again," Kazumi added, "nobody's accusing Sponge-Minions of being smart." Any further conjecture was cut off by an incoming message. "Unknown craft, this is the TRES Corps battleship _Lachesis_. Identify yourselves, over." "_Lachesis_, this is TAMUBGD Deputy Director Bob Carr, flying off the _AMS Spirit of Aggieland_. What brings you here?" "We've been sent to scan a section of the Pacific. There's been reports of unknown surface contacts heading for the Dobermensch Fleet." "J-Rock's with that fleet," Noriko said. "Lest I forget, Sandy 305," the comm officer said as he called out Noriko's Sulla, "the term's 'battleships', not 'capital ships'. 'Capital ships' is an annoying term." "What difference is that supposed to make?" Noriko murmured, clearly annoyed by the comm officer's audacity. "I don't make the rules, Sandy 305, I just enforce them." Noriko hit the "SUSPEND COMM" button on the panel long enough to take her hand off the throttle and make a decidedly unladylike gesture in the general direction of the _Lachesis_. She was prudent enough to keep it out of plain view, however. "Mister, unless you wanna find yourself on report, I suggest you stop badgering my officer," Bob said, all trace of humor gone from his voice. "I may not be able to do it directly, but let's just say I'm well- connected with the Corps Admiralty. One word from them, and you'll spend the rest of your career mopping slop in some Martian ball-bearing factory. Am I making myself clear?" "Y-yes, sir," the comm officer stammered. "Now, as I was about to ask, the _Spirit's_ not far from here," Bob noted. "Mind if we pitch in?" "Sure, we'd love to have you with us. _Lachesis_ out." A list of coordinates for scanning popped up on one of the _Easy Money's_ screens. Surprisingly enough, the _Spirit of Aggieland_ was already within scanning distance of the coordinates displayed. "Bonus!" Bob said as he turned for the SDF. "See you back on the _Enterprise_." "We launched from the _Arcadia_, Bob," Noriko chided as the Sullas followed suit. ... TEN MINUTES AFTER THAT After landing on the Victory-class carriers (_AMS Arcadia_ and _AMS Enterprise_) that took the place of the familiar Prometheus and Daedalus on a "typical" SDF, Bob and company headed toward the bridge. As they rode the express elevator up, a man's face appeared on the screen. "What's happening, dudes?" it asked in an East London accent. "Not a whole lot, Hol," Bob replied to the homely, balding visage of the ACI. "Just heading up to the bridge to make a course change." "I don't suppose it has anything to do with the TRES Corps ships I'm picking up?" "Actually, it does. I'll tell you about it when I tell the bridge crew." At that point, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. "Captain on the bridge!" Akane shouted as Bob stepped out and stopped the others from getting up out of their seats. Don got up out from the conn, whispering "Good to see you finally made it back." Bob contemplated responding with "Don, die a most horrible death," but ultimately swallowed his pride as he took the conn. As for the rest of the bridge crew, they had stopped with their games and were hurriedly trying to act like textbook bridge crew. "I'm picking up three warships," Tim said. "IFF shows them to be TRES Corps: the _Lachesis_, the _Clio_, and the _Polymnia_," P-Chan added. "Shall I open hailing frequencies?" Amanda asked from the Communications console. "Negative," Bob said. He took a deep breath. "Yes, I know about them already. They're here to scan the planet surface, and we might as well lend a hand. Tim, can you scan these coordinates?" Bob read off the coordinates as Tim entered them into the Sensors console. Tim's eyes narrowed. "Something's wrong," he said. "I'm getting a lot of atmospheric interference." "There's clear sky over that area," P-Chan said. "There shouldn't be anything wrong." Tim turned on a whole bunch of filters and other assorted long- range sensors. "I'm not getting anything." "We're being jammed," Don declared. "No way," P-Chan countered. "No jamming's that good." "Divert all power from the main gun to the sensors," Bob ordered. Several tense minutes elapsed as Tim redid the scans and P-Chan activated every ECCM system on the _Spirit_. Finally, Tim said, "I think I've got it. It's a little grainy, though." "Hol," Bob said, "put it on screen." What came up on the screen was a grainy picture of ten ships heading towards the Dobe Fleet. The picture kept breaking up in a manner somehow resembling the feed from the Colonial Marines in the reactor room in "Aliens". "Tim," Bob said, "send this to the _Lachesis_, and see what they can make of it." Holly's face appeared on the second main screen. "What? The ten B'Harnate warships?" "How did you figure that out?" Bob asked, taken a bit by surprise. "I did my own scans ten minutes ago," the ACI replied. "There's three to four battleships and a carrier. The rest are all escort-type vessels." "Why didn't you tell us this before?" Don queried. "You didn't ask." Tim muttered, "Damn eccentric ACIs..." Holly replied, "Don't knock it. J-Rock told the programmers to write me just like my counterpart on the TV show. With a few improvements, of course. I may be a bit barmy, but I'm not stupid." "Should I begin charging the main gun?" P-Chan asked. "No," Don said. "The interference would keep you from getting a clean lock. Besides, if they're sailing in a dispersed formation, the charging cycle would limit you to hitting just two or three before they come within striking distance of the Dobe Fleet." "Well, this is for sucks," Bob noted dryly. He let out a long sigh. "All right, here's what we're gonna do. Amanda, open a JihadLink channel to J-Rock." "Working." J-Rock's face appeared on the main screen, replacing the sensor feed. "Bob," he said, "this had better be good. I'm fixing to put the smack down on somebody in MechWarrior II." "There's something you need to see. Tim?" Tim touched a few buttons, routing the sensor feed to the 'Link. "Is this what I think it is?" J-Rock asked. "What you're seeing is at least ten B'Harnate warships coming your way," Bob replied. "And no, I don't think they'd be happy to see you." "I knew that," J-Rock retorted. "Any carriers?" Amanda answered this question. "As far as we can tell, there's only one." "Thank heaven for small favors," J-Rock said with dripping sarcasm. "Submarines?" "We couldn't find any," Tim said. "Actually, there were some," J-Rock noted. "We got all of the subs, but they put a good-sized hole in the _Augustus Caesar_," he continued, all traces of humor cast aside. "Look, I gotta get this to the rest of the fleet. With any luck (though I can't imagine where to find any), I'll try to contact you as soon as this blows over." "Watch your ass," Bob replied. "I always do," J-Rock said, terminating the connection. "What do we do now?" Amanda asked, gazing out into the inky blackness of space. Bob got up and crossed over to Amanda's station, putting his right hand on top of hers. "We watch, and wait." And hope, he didn't add. To be continued in "The Long Twilight Struggle"...