The Sereni-Tree and the Raid on Reaverworld
POSTED BY: TheRealMe
UPDATED: Saturday, May 19, 2007 06:47
VIEWED: 41015
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This is Thread 57 of the adventures of the Sereni-Tree!
For “The Guide to the Clubhouse / Treehouse / Sereni-Tree Threads”, telling our story and providing links to all such threads:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=11&t=11877
Early in this link is the very long post containing “TheRealMe’s Guide to the Sereni-Tree, V7”. This post is a description of the ship. There follows in the same thread another post describing the crew and passengers.
http://fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=11&t=27832
Here is a summary of our previous thread, located at:
http://fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=11&t=27832
Mai-Quest 3 was completed, and we left the dangerous Westworld using TheRealMe’s dimensional portals.
Soul accidentally released the dangerous and brilliant FemaleReaver from cryo-sleep.
FemaleReaver began terrorizing the crew, sabotaging items on the ship, and attacking some people. Normally, she plays mind-games with the crew, and strikes lone people from the shadows. She spreads terror.
Sir Kei of the Octagonal Order arrived on the ship. He is marveling at its wonders.
FemaleReaver sent the ship into hyperspace to an unknown (at the time) destination.
While in hyperspace, there were a number of encounters with FemaleReaver, who had acquired Soul’s bows and arrows and his power of desolidification. She terrorized the Yeti, using Soul’s trick arrows to freeze all of them but Hewitt and the baby SimonYeti. She succeeded in getting her hands on the parts of the Baby3000, once in the possession of Hewitt the Yeti. Also, FemaleReaver acquired BrownCoat2007’s healing power. Some of her other victims seem to include Ace / Bride1, Quincey / Bride5, and River-clone. While BC07 was gravely injured, he is healing nicely, now. SimonWho has been busy tending these people.
Bluefishie wandered around the ship, meeting a Diagnostic Repair Drone, BrownCoat2007, and Bobbie Sue / Bride6.
Mai and Citizen just removed her locator helmet, which had gotten stuck. Hewitt the Yeti had slammed into them while running from FemaleReaver and is unconscious. SimonYeti is there, too.
The last anyone saw of FemaleReaver is when she was tricked into phasing through the hull of the ship and out into hyperspace. This ruse involved TheRealMe, SoulofSerenity, Jake7, and McQ, at least. I don’t expect her to be able to return until we drop back into normal space, if even then.
BrownCoat2007 discovered that the destination that FemaleReaver set us on is to some Reaver-inhabited planetoid. She has fixed things so that Sereni-Tree will be largely disabled once we fall out of hyperspace into that system. A number of us are trying to undo or get around that sabotage.
TheRealMe has arranged that as soon as the ship falls back into normal space, it will shoot off at high velocity in a direction away from the Reaver planetoid, even if its engines are disabled. Also, the ship will be cloaked and very hard to spot.
In his Ocean Cloud ship, Jadehand has arrived in the Reaver system ahead of Sereni-Tree. He is clearing a space for us through an asteroid belt.
To get spare parts and/or supplies needed for repairs from FemaleReaver’s sabotage, BrownCoat2007 will lead a raiding party over to the Reavers, using one of our shuttles.
There! Did I forget anything?
Oh, right. While looking for peanutbutter, Fishie found a shiny orb! Shiny!
So, who among the Sereni-Tree crew is planning to accompany BrownCoat2007 on his Raid on Reaverworld to get our spare parts? Plenty of peril there to go around! However, I declare that for the duration of this thread, the Sereni-Tree itself, that is, our ship, will be a peril-free zone. Oh, you can do foreshadowing and some ominous stuff, but no direct peril. In this thread, all the actual peril will be with the strike team.
TheRealMe, Captain of the Sereni-Tree
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Quote:
ScorpionRegent wrote:
SR listens intently to Me's proposal. It makes enough sense that he is willing to give it a shot. He looks over most of Femalereaver's time triggered sabotage and figures that there is one factor in that can be if not overidden at least delayed, time. He suggests that they glitch the nav computer to slow down its internal clock so that they remain in hyperspace approximately 15 more minutes longer than originally need to complete the trip. This will cause them to arrive in the same planetary system yet not neccessarily at peril's front door, this may also give them enough time to allow the jump engines to recharge without the need of out in out combat. SR does admit that this also could place the Tree smack dab in the center of a asteriod field or the crushing depths of a gas giant, but what is life without adventure?
OOC: SR, the computer is not timing the Jump through hyperspace. Think of a hyperspace Jump as sending the ship on a ballistic trajectory. You send the ship from your current location to its destination, but after you “launch” it, you don’t really have control during its time arcing through the air. The ship comes out of hyperspace not when a clock ticks off the last second, but rather when the trip is over, which takes approximately a week. However, we do not know the exact instant of dropout. This Jump Drive is based on that of the Traveller roleplaying game of Marc Miller from days of yore, mostly because I have a dislike of Star Trek style Warp Drive, where you go faster than light by simply going faster than light!
On the other hand, the FemaleReaver’s sabotage probably is timed for so many minutes after exiting hyperspace. If we adjust the computer’s clock that might delay the damage to the engines, weapons, and shields until we’ve been in this star system a bit longer. NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
TheRealMe is standing ready in a vac suit on the Sereni-Tree’s hanger deck. The hanger is being kept in a vacuum for the time being. In front of him is the shuttle Admiral Nelson, fully fueled and with weapons ready, prepared to depart on the raid against the Reavers for the supplies and spare parts that Sereni-Tree will need. Waiting inside the shuttle is the strike team assembled by BrownCoat2007.
TheRealMe touches a control. “Bride5?”
”Quincey here on the bridge.” She sighs. ”Still ready to dodge whatever. Still waiting.”
“Bride4?”
“Jet here in Main Engineering. Main maneuver drive is just idling, but we retain a tremendous velocity with respect to normal space. Ready to bring up the drive for dodging maneuvers. Power to S.E.P. field generator holding steady.”
“Jake7?”
”Jake7 here at the main gunnery station. Ready to shoot anything in our way.”
“BrownCoat2007?”
“Yeah, here in the shuttle, waving at you through the window. When does this thing happen?”
TheRealMe waves back, smiling weakly. “Not sure.” He checks his chronometer, which is set to standard time, not slowed like the bridge nav computer was, based on ScorpionRegent’s recommendation. “There is something like an 80% chance that we will translate to normal space within the next five hours.”
”Five hours?!” BC07 was getting impatient.
They had been waiting like this for a few hours now. Too bad that the exact time of hyperspace dropout was so uncertain.
Suddenly, a shudder goes through Sereni-Tree.
“Five hours… or five seconds!” TheRealMe says. “Quincey, dodge whatever we’re about to hit! Jet, supply her with power. Jake7…”
A chorus of echoes answers him. ”I KNOW!”
TheRealMe reaches out, and a spot of light appears before him. It grows larger, to become a ring of fire surrounding a dark void, about the diameter of a tall person. “Browncoat2007, my dimensional portal will be able to compensate for the difference in velocity. You should arrive more or less at rest with respect to your destination.”
The Nelson's pilot pulls a lever, activating the shrinking technology that Rat once created. The large shuttle shrinks down to about a foot in length. The pilot launches the shuttle through the dimensional portal, which TheRealMe closes after they are gone.
TheRealMe sways back and forth, almost thrown off his feet. Quincey must be taking the ship through its paces if he can feel that much acceleration through the inertial dampeners! The curses coming from the bridge channel, combined with the loud clangs against the hull, tells TheRealMe that Quincey’s dodging ability is not perfect. The ship’s main batteries fire multiple times, no doubt clearing rubble from its path. He winces as something else slams against the ship. Then there is a steady tapping on the hull, as if from hail. He sighs. “Hold together, baby!”
With only a few mishaps, Quincey, Bride5, manages to thread Sereni-Tree through the hole in the asteroid belt cleared by Jadehand. The ship speeds its way to the outer system, coasting on the great velocity built up while in hyperspace.
Minutes later, after Sereni-Tree is out of immediate danger, things start to explode or short out all over the ship.
“Bride4, we need an inventory of everything that just got damaged, so we can give it to our raiding party!”
There is no response from Jet.
“Bride4?”
NOTE: Jake7, if you would like to go on the raiding mission, I can put someone else in the gun turrets.
TheRealMe, Captain of the Sereni-Tree
EDIT: Changed Napoleon to the Nelson, as SR had the Napoleon loaded with trade goods.
THE NEXT POST PICKS UP A FEW HOURS BEFORE THIS POST>
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Quote:
Originally posted by TheRealMe:
TheRealMe is standing ready in a vac suit on the Sereni-Tree’s hanger deck. The hanger is being kept in a vacuum for the time being. In front of him is the shuttle Napoleon Bonaparte, fully fueled and with weapons ready, prepared to depart on the raid against the Reavers for the supplies and spare parts that Sereni-Tree will need. Waiting inside the shuttle is the strike team assembled by BrownCoat2007.
TheRealMe touches a control. “Bride5?”
”Quincey here on the bridge.” She sighs. ”Still ready to dodge whatever. Still waiting.”
“Bride4?”
“Jet here in Main Engineering. Main maneuver drive is just idling, but we retain a tremendous velocity with respect to normal space. Ready to bring up the drive for dodging maneuvers. Power to S.E.P. field generator holding steady.”
“Jake7?”
”Jake7 here at the main gunnery station. Ready to shoot anything in our way.”
“BrownCoat2007?”
“Yeah, here in the shuttle, waving at you through the window. When does this thing happen?”
TheRealMe waves back, smiling weakly. “Not sure.” He checks his chronometer, which is set to standard time, not slowed like the bridge nav computer was, based on ScorpionRegent’s recommendation. “There is something like an 80% chance that we will translate to normal space within the next five hours.”
”Five hours?!” BC07 was getting impatient.
They had been waiting like this for a few hours now. Too bad that the exact time of hyperspace dropout was so uncertain.
Suddenly, a shudder goes through Sereni-Tree.
“Five hours… or five seconds!” TheRealMe says. “Quincey, dodge whatever we’re about to hit! Jet, supply her with power. Jake7…”
A chorus of echoes answers him. ”I KNOW!”
TheRealMe reaches out, and a spot of light appears before him. It grows larger, to become a ring of fire surrounding a dark void, about the diameter of a tall person. “Browncoat2007, my dimensional portal will be able to compensate for the difference in velocity. You should arrive more or less at rest with respect to your destination.”
The Napoleon’s pilot pulls a lever, activating the shrinking technology that Rat once created. The large shuttle shrinks down to about a foot in length. The pilot launches the shuttle through the dimensional portal, which TheRealMe closes after they are gone.
TheRealMe sways back and forth, almost thrown off his feet. Quincey must be taking the ship through its paces if he can feel that much acceleration through the inertial dampeners! The curses coming from the bridge channel, combined with the loud clangs against the hull, tells TheRealMe that Quincey’s dodging ability is not perfect. The ship’s main batteries fire multiple times, no doubt clearing rubble from its path. He winces as something else slams against the ship. Then there is a steady tapping on the hull, as if from hail. He sighs. “Hold together, baby!”
With only a few mishaps, Quincey, Bride5, manages to thread Sereni-Tree through the hole in the asteroid belt cleared by Jadehand. The ship speeds its way to the outer system, coasting on the great velocity built up while in hyperspace.
Minutes later, after Sereni-Tree is out of immediate danger, things start to explode or short out all over the ship.
“Bride4, we need an inventory of everything that just got damaged, so we can give it to our raiding party!”
There is no response from Jet.
“Bride4?”
NOTE: Jake7, if you would like to go on the raiding mission, I can put someone else in the gun turrets.
TheRealMe, Captain of the Sereni-Tree
Flashback
*steps into the briefing room behind TRM, fully geared up*
"Ok, heres how it goes, I belive TRM has briefed you all here on where our destination is, and just how badly FemaleReaver screwed us, that is, before we screwed her right back *give
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*lays on the kitchen table, which she found alone for once, absentmindedly flicking large globs of peanut butter off a spoon onto the ceiling*
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*paces the halls restlessly, trying to find something to do to keep his mind occupied while waiting to get the call about his mission*
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At the pre mission briefing SR kicks in his two cents worth when TRM comes to the point where questions are addressed.
" Do you have to take the Napoleon? As you recall it's still heavily laden with my trade goods bound for Zanzibar. Then again lots of highly concentrated alcohol might make good Molitov cocktails and all that scrap metal could make good improvised weapons. What am I saying, we'll be surrounded by Reavers, if we need a improvised weapon made from scrap metal all we need to do is kill one of them and take it. I suppose we could ask politely and they would be happy to give it to us, business end first."
Scorpion Regent
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*overhearing SR's comment before he leaves, BC turns back around and re-joins the briefing*
"Bet they would, too... don't even think you'd have to ask nice oh, yeah, here *grabs his bag and summons all mannor of things what go boom, bang, or cut things* thought we may need to get re-armed *tosses a bow and arrows to soul* not exactly as nice as your old set... but I think they may get the... point across *holds up an arrow with an shaped impact charged explosive tip* the quiver is kinda like my bag, only it will summon different types of tech arrows, so you'll never run out of ammo for it, now, what can I get for you SR?"
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*gets bored of the kitchen, and walks out, leaving the mess of a jar of peanut butter on the ceiling, not having actually eaten anything*
"Gah. This is boring. There has to be something exciting going on."
*pulls the something shiny out of her pocket*
"Maybe this will end up being something exciting. I'm done with crazy reaver women, let all the crazies with weapons take care of that."
*decides to go inspect the area where she found the something shiny*
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Quote:
Originally posted by BrownCoat2007:
... now, what can I get for you SR?"
"I'm just fine, thank you very much." He returns the previously loaned belt to 7. "My weapons are still safe where I left them and I'll be arming myself appropriately very soon. I'm loathe over burden myself with a entire arsenal it tends to slow me down, make noise, get in the way, and cramp my style. Besides I've seen too many greenhorns armed to the teeth try to swarm across the rail to board a ship at sea, lose their footing and go straight to the bottom because they couldn't have enough weapons. Talk about taking it with you...," SR closes his eyes and shakes his head at the memory.
Scorpion Regent
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