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The following missions described in this narrative did occur as noted, generated by the SFC2 campaign engine. I've just added a wee bit of embelishment...
For those who were not following my adventures in the My thoughts were focusing on the weaknesses of my opponent. What are his weaknesses? Hmm. Overconfidence? Too many boarding parties to have dinner all in one sitting? Potencial radiation illnesses from all those plasma torpedoes simmering in the tubes? Wisely I conclude that to defeat my opponent I must use the mystic wisdom of the East...
East Jersey, that is. I gotta waste this guy.
So fitted out with as many shuttles, mines, boarding parties and spare parts as the ship could hold, as well as more Andromedan liquor than my crew could hold, we sallied forth to find the Hawk.
We moved into the hex with the little green "CA". No missions! We moved back to the starbase, then back into the Hawk's hex. Still no missions! I knew it, he was ducking us. The toga-wearing bastards! They hadn't the guts to fight. Or maybe they has seen the floor of the crew's lounge and got queasy. To appease my disappointment I tossed a couple of stowaways into an airlock and threatened to kill them unless they listened to my poetry. But that's another story.
So I moved off into another hex and this time got a "Scan" mission. What? One of the most horribly be-weaponed ships in the fleet and they want me TO WASTE MY TIME SCANNING A PLANET!!! Sounded like some wimpy Federation kind of mission to me! All right, orders are orders...
OK, so we enter the system and head towards this planet. Looks harmless enough, but they would NEVER send a warship unless there was some danger... I approached closer and closer, waiting for the inevitable trap to spring. Closer... closer... "We are done scanning, Captain". What? That's it? No ambush, no trap, no Magrathean guided missiles locked onto us? ARRRRGH!!! I'VE BEEN REDUCED TO SURVEYING PLANETS!!! My crew quickly discovers many things to do on the far end of the ship, except for one slow midshipman who now is a permanent new satellite of the planet. Our sensors do spot Anne Francis and Walter Pigeon down on the surface, so I beam down one of my drunken sailors and tell him to "make like a bogeyman". Great fun.
I now moved back into the hex with the little green "CA". My only mission option, a Monster Encounter. Great, first a planet survey and now a monster hunt. All I need now is William Windom bitching about how he beamed all his damn crew down to a now non-existant planet and I will take a long walk through a short airlock. So we take on the monster who is duller than a Mirak college professor and wipe up the sub-ether with him. My crew is celebrating like a bunch of demented munchkins on crack, but I let them have their fun...
So we went back to the starbase to reload supplies and the latest copy of "Playbeing" and then... wait for it... went back to the hex with the little green "CA". And once again, NO MISSIONS. Ok, so I can wait... I move into a neutral hex.
The only mission choice is "Deep Space Encounter". Hmmm, that's new, at least to me. Alright, let's proceed... we arrive on an asteroid map, and I spot a ship. SOMEONE TO FIGHT!!! We happily ring red alert and have Raquel whip up the girls for full speed ahead. Only, it's an ally, or at least as much of an ally one can call a Federation GCS+. I know they are here surveying for more recreational planets, but before I can think up a clever greeting, the Feddy whips it up to high speed and takes off behind an asteroid. I following in hot pursuit. As we come around the bend I spot a Romulan. Could it be the Hawk? No, it's... a King Eagle. Didn't they retire those rust buckets years ago? It's such a disappointment I wait while the Fed and the Eagle duke it out, while my crew bets on which one will run into an asteroid first. Finally I can't stand the wait and I overrun the Eagle and smoke him with four plasma balls. What a loser.
So now we head back to the starbase yet again. The crew was putting on a performance of "Pirates of Penzance" and I must say Leiutenant Gzznttn made a smashing Mabel, although during a touching performance of "Poor Wandering One" he managed to topple most of the scenery with his tail.
We refited again and emptied the ashtrays of illicit Lyran catweed and crumpled Gorn credit union promissory notes. Now we were ready for a real fight. Moving into the green "CA" hex... no missions (GGRRRGGG!)... moved to the next hex... a mandatory patrol. Well, at least somebody wants to fight!!
We enter the battle arena charging up tubes, readying weasels and reciting tongue-twisters while trying not to lisp. A big ship up ahead... it shows as a DNF. DNF? A quick scan through Janes All The Galaxys Warships, Transports, and Federation Garbage Scows revealed no Romulan ship with that designation. Unless... Holy Zarquon singing fish!! IT'S A GORN DREADNOUGHT!! And it's looking a bit squalid. As we approach scanners indicate that all weapons are destroyed, all shields are down... and there are 6543 boarding parties on board. That must of been some party! As we sit there examining the derelict, suddenly we are hit with a bolt out of the blue, err, black! It's a Romulan ship, an RHK, RoyalHawk-K. Alright, it's not the KHK, but Gornian honor can be satified with a near-substitute (or a couple of stiff drinks). We square off with the RHK, who with dastardly forethought destroys the DNF, sad for many but no doubt a relief for some serious Gorn hangovers. The RoyalHawk feints and lunges, we parry and thrust, we both spin and twirl. Add some music and white tights and we'd have put Barishnikov to shame. But after a bitter fight and a serious pas de deux we gain the upper hand and pli� his ass.
So we once again sail homeward, the captain somber over another missed opportunity to take vengence on the KillerHawk, while the crew plays shuffleboard with the prisoners'... well, you don't want to know.
Till we meet again.
End of Part 2