Subject: [FANFIC] Fights of Fancy Date: 22 Jun 2002 01:35:06 -0700 From: mikewongisgod@hotmail.com (RayCav) Newsgroups: alt.startrek.vs.starwars Everyone knew that the Rebellion would not be an overnight success. Still, even the most hardened and adamant veterans have had doubts about their efforts. It all started with those damned mirror universe people. Even before Kira, or as the Intendant as she is more commonly known. It all started with Kirk. Of course, that's all history now. At first it seemed as if the Terran Rebellion might succeed, and certainly that was the case when the Defiant was built. But even with the capture of the Regient, the Rebellion didn't end there. If anything, things merely got worse. A massive Alliance fleet arrived and retook Terak Nor and the Regient. The Defiant and a mere handful of survivors barely escaped back to the Badlands. That is where the Rebellion is now concentrated. Even at the present moment, a few meager production facilities are being established, but they won't be able to produce anything of value. It is indeed a dark time for the Rebellion. "Smiley" O'Brein and Julian Bashir may have been friends in a parallel universe, but their relationship wasn't exactly cozy in this one. This was further compounded by the extremely cramped quarters within the Peregrine fighter, which barely had room for the both of them. "I've said it once, and I'll say it again, I hate these damned touchpads!" "Smiley, you've been complaining about those every time we do this." "Well maybe if it wasn't so damned cramp. At least on the Defiant I had room to work with them." "Defiant this, Defiant that, you speak of it as if it were your ship somehow." "Well it is, isn't it?" "I guess, but she isn't gonna fight for a long while." "I know. I just wish these stupid things had control sticks of some sort. It'd be a lot quicker than just punching keys all day." "Just shut the hell up and concentrate on the mission." "Concentrate on what? I keep telling you, those damn Alliance fools aren't gonna find us in here, with all these damn plasma storms. And whose idea was it to put a production facility inside the Badlands anyhow?" "Hey, at least they can't find it." "Which brings up another point, why the hell are we doing these stupid patrols in the first place if they can't find it?" "Looks like they just did. I'm reading Hideki's at six o'clock!" "What the hell?" Smiley exclaimed. "How the hell they find us?" "Speculate later. Fight now!" Bashir, punching away at the controls, ordered the nimble Peregrine to do a quick 160 degree turn and head straight for the formation of Cardassian Hideki fighters. Smiley took quick aim at the lead fighter and prepared to commence engagement. "Enemy fighter mark, firing forward pha…" "Enough damn dialogue, just shut the hell up and fire already!" A phaser blast from the Peregrine shot forward across the bow of the lead Hideki. "Nice job aiming, Smiley! Maybe next time you'll let them fire the warning shot!" "Hey, I can't be blamed for these damn targeting sensors." Another shot from the Peregrine, this time hitting the starboard wing of the lead Hideki, knocking it around slightly. "Enemy shields down to 65 per…." "What did I say? Just fire on them!" The Peregrine was now behind the Hidekis as they shot of their rear spiral wave disruptors, which Bashir was able to easily evade. The Rebel fighter then turned around and gave a few more phaser bursts, a few hitting critical areas of the lead Hideki and blowing the starboard wing off. A few moments later it exploded in a massive fireball. Another quick shot hit near the cockpit of a second Hideki, which was close enough to cause significant damage and knock it off course, straight into a plasma charge. The results of this chance encounter were explosive. The third Hideki continued on its course, maneuvering only to jink the Peregine's shots. It was soon headed for the nearest borders of the Badlands. "We can't let that thing escape!" Bashir exclaimed as he put the fighter in full charge. "Way ahead of you." Replied Smiley. The Peregrine, even at full speed, just about paced the Hideki, and it took a number of minutes to finally reach open space. "Finally! I can get a few clear readings now…." "Smiley, how many times do I have to tell you, I don't care! Just do your job, damnit!" The Peregrine fired about half a dozen shots, only a few of them actually hitting the mark. However, they were sufficient enough to penetrate the Hideki's thin shielding. A final shot sent the small craft into a firey explosion. "That was too damn close." Bashir gave a sigh of relief. "Tell me about it. If we only had something better than this lousy Mirror Universe design...something like a miniature Defiant. Or maybe…do you remember anything about Terran history?" "Not much, why?" "Remember back in the Twentieth Century, before the Earth was unified under the Terran Empire? The wars between the Empire and those other nations, I forgot what they were called? About the famous aerial battles that took place?" Chapter 2 "Another easy target." Repler replied as he spoke into the comm. "They always are so easy" replied his wingman. The three X-TIEs lined up their proton launchers right onto the civilian vessel. Their flight was covered by additional flights of X-TIEs armed with concussion missiles. A flight of ancient T-Wings stood far behind. Repler yelled into the comm., "remember, make every shot count!" The X-TIEs, utilizing the TIE/ln solar panels on an X-Wing hull, lacked any laser armament – their warheads were their only weapons. Repler thought for a moment and later yelled again, "Aim for the engines. Remember, we want that thing captured!" Suddenly, the sensor scope on Repler's X-TIE lit up. The large silhouette of the bulk freighter became masked by multiple new contacts. "Damn, it's a wave of fighters! It's an ambush, repeat, it's an ambush! Turn back now!" Repler raced back to the safety of the Neutron Star bulk cruiser. He radioed for the T-Wings to help cover the escape. Too little, too late. Repler looked behind him to see a TIE Avenger rip one of the X-TIEs to shreds. Waves of concussion missiles shot from the escorting X-TIEs, lighting up the sky in a fierily glow. A few found their mark but their impact was minimal due to flares. The TIE Avengers dumped them like mad, filling the space behind them with a trail of purple light. They slammed into the missiles, negating their effect. By the time the T-Wings finally made it to the battle, the X-TIEs were well in retreat. "Anyone, is anyone still left out there?" Repler replied with an unusually calm "yes." "Try and make it back, we'll keep them off your back." At that moment a mammoth Star Defender appeared behind the Neutron Star. "This is the New Republic vessel Mon Mothma. Stand down and prepare to be boarded." "Damn, the Imperials and the NR are double-teaming against us!" Repler said these words as the Star Defender pounded the hapless Neutron Star. Two Imperator and one Republic class Star Destroyers also entered the area, though their assistance seemed a moot point. The area was now flooded by laser fire and by a near equal amount of TIE Avengers and E-Wings. It would seem that the Empire and New Republic were really gunning for pirates today. Repler saw what might be his only hope. If he could get the edge of that nearby black hole, maybe he could shake off his pursuers and hyper back to base on his own. The TIE solar panels on his craft allowed for the cranking up of his engines to beyond sane power, and with some luck he might be able to outrun the more advanced fighters. Repler was nearing the edge of black hole, when behind him a sheer technological terror among starfighters appeared. It was an Incom T-65XJ. "Oh, damn" thought Repler. The X-Wing fired a number of bolts from its four cannon, hitting one of Repler's solar panels. His craft went careening out of control, straight into the black hole itself. When Repler woke up, he had no idea where he was. He opened his eyes wider to find himself in what appeared to be a cave. Amazingly, what had appeared to be what's left of his X-TIE appeared in a far corner. Both solar panels were highly cracked, the panel struts were broken, and the whole thing was a mess. A man came up to him. "Well, now, nice of you to wake up." "Huh? Where the hell am I?" "You're in the Badlands. On some planet I could give less of a damn about. Welcome to the Rebellion." "Rebellion? You mean the New Republic, right?" "New Republic? Heh, I wish! Call it whatever you want to, if that's your fancy." Repler suddenly remembered. "The black hole. Maybe...I went back in time?" "Black hole? Is that where you come from?" "Well, shouldn't it be obvious where I come from? I mean, we pirates and you Rebels aren't really that different." "Heh, by the looks of your technology I'd say that's not entirely true. You have absolutely no idea where you are, do you?" "I guess not. Ever heard of the New Republic or Galactic Empire?" "Who? Well, guess not. Ever heard of the Alliance?" "Yeah. Isn't that who you guys are?" "Hell no! And don't you ever say that again!" The man standing in front of Repler thought for a moment. "Well, I guess there's more time to argue who's who later. Right now, I want you to help me figure out this technology of yours." Repler walked over to the remains of his X-TIE. "Hmmm, doesn't look like a thing's salvageable. Not surprising, the thing started out as slapped-together junk anyhow. I was constantly amazed it ran in the first place." "Do you think you can reproduce some of the technology?" "Sorry, no. I know how to clobber stuff together, maybe even get something from standard tech, but don't bother asking me how to piece together a hyperdrive motivator or a blaster cannon from scratch. So, in other words, you're out of luck." "Oh well. I must admit, though, it looked like it could really fight." "Maybe they could when they were new. It's actually two separate craft kitbashed together." "Well, if you could do that, you must have some engineering talent. Maybe you can help me with something..." Chapter 3 "Hey, Repler, you've been tinkering with that damn thing all morning! Don't you think it's time to grab a bit to eat?" "You mean that replicated slop? No thanks! How the hell do you guys tolerate that crap anyhow?" "I guess it's a thing that grows on you." Smiley said in reply. "Tell you what. Toss me some of that Bajoran spicy stuff. At least that has a bit of taste to it." Smiley stood back and tossed the sandwich-like dish to Repler. Without even flinching, he extended his right arm and caught it in midair. He then took a massive bite out of it, and clinched it in his teeth, placing a tool in his hand all the while. The steady whir of a laser beam could be heard at a barely audible level from where Smiley stood. A few wires and displays danced about with hypnotic light patterns. The steady whir then changed to a few short bursts, and Repler walked backwards from the ladder. "Done. All the modifications we worked on are finished. She's still as ugly as a brick, but at least she'll fly better." "It, Repler, call it an it." "Don't like to personify things?" "Naw. Just that nothing that ugly deserves to be called a she." Bashir ducked under the nose of the Peregrine, his face and clothes covered in grime. "I've finished my work too. So, how is this damn thing improved, really?" "Well, basically, I've tried to incorporate as many features from my X-TIE as possible into this bucket, given the limited technology I have to work with. It's mostly limited to some ergonomic concepts. Smiley here's the real force behind the enhanced weaponry. Now, if you would follow me, we will come to the cockpit, our next stop on the tour." Repler climbed in the cockpit, now far too small to accommodate two men but much more comfortably seating one. The chair was in a reclined position, a control stick on one side and a throttle on the other. Various touchkeys, knobs, and other trinkets were scattered throughout the cockpit within easy reach of the pilot. "Nice." Was Smiley's only comment. "Of course, all critical information is displayed in the HUD, so don't feel too intimidated by the controls. Other than that, it should be much like flying it before. Except now, you'll really be flying it!" Repler hoped the extra emphasis would be enough to convey the extra tactile input and control that would be derived from the new setup. "All I'm interested in is the things that will make Alliance ships go pop" stated Bashir in a calm manner. "Not to worry. These new phasers have boosted power, they'll be able to cut through Alliance ships like balsa wood!" "We'll see about that!" said a cynical Bashir, who just happened to have a piece of balsa wood. Repler replied, "Is that damn thing really necessary?" Just then Gedsia Dax walked into the room. "Boys, we have another strike planned." "This is Smiley, all systems check. So far, so good." "Same here, Smiley. Just remember to shut the hell up when the action starts." Bashir turned to Repler. "Do you really think those modifications will work?" Repler looked at the controls in front of him. Then he slowly looked around at his surroundings. "If this is what you had to work with before, it will be one hell of an improvement." "Ok, I'm reading one Cardie freighter with standard three Hideki escort. Going in to engage."