Well, Trick's been out of the cockpit for awhile, so maybe it won't be so bad for you guys.

On the other hand, he'll be in a Defender, with a half-squadron of Avengers and many regular TIEs backing him up.  So, maybe it will. 

Gotta make sure you're ready for combat, don't I? 

Well, looks like Strill are going to have go and save the day again

/me gossips about Serpent

"Did ya know? The fellow lost an Admiral once..."

"Allowed a handful of pilots to get away with the single most important being in the whole entire Navy..."

"You wanna visit his ship? He couldn't keep safe a huge Wookiee so you... you'll likely not even make it past the hangar bay."

It has often been said that booze can act in miraculous ways... both loosening tongues but also sealing lips - depending of course on the quantity and quality involved...

Serpent beat me to it, but I was just about to announce the same thing: we're one away from fifty, and the stats are already staggering.

The only thing I'll add to his observations is this tidbit: 50 story posts is huge in and of itself, but it's also about one third of the way to the record for most-posted-to-story in Division history. 

We're nearing the end of the beginning, everyone.  Let's get ready to start the middle, and make sure we keep it up all the way through to the bitter end of Counterpunch: Death.

So it would seem.

Though do I see Old Republic Sith Fighters? O.o

Great pic Hades!  And also, good eye Gurlanin!

Very, very impressive everyone.

Another tidbit: the word count for the story is already 64,700+.  That's brilliant.

But, we seem to have hit a bit of a lull.  It's Tuesday, and I'm eager to move us to the Battle at the Sollamens, which will stretch out over weeks or even months of IC time.  So, let's all check in and make some plans.

Strill: what are the plans for this sim run?  My instinct is that we've missed the few-days-long window to actually write POV posts taking us through a major simulation, step by step.  Instead, I propose we do one of two things.  1.) Summarize the exercise in one or two posts, retaining the story point that you guys get humbled a bit by a Kobayashi Maru-style challenge (but that you acquit yourselves well, despite ultimately losing), but not fleshing out the whole thing blow by blow.  2.) Start the exercise, and almost immediately have to interrupt it, when the news that StOrMz has been kidnapped reaches the main body of Second Fleet.

Chlovi: are you guys ready for the battle to begin?

VENI and the StOrMz subplot seem to be in pretty good shape, but obviously let me know if you have any concerns.

Let's get a move on, folks.  IRL, we have to wrap up Counterpunch relatively soon! 

2-3 more posts should see us ready for the battle. If all else fails i can speed things along in one post.

It's ok with me, Gurlanin (and I appreciate your enthusiasm), but ultimately Joamer, as SCO, has responsibility for Strill's subplot.  Let him weigh in before proceeding, okay?

And Hades, understood.

I'll hold off as long as possible before moving to the invasion, but let's make this quick, folks.  Lot of stuff to cover, before this story ends. 

I hate getting ahead of myself.

I wrote it anyway, and sent it to Avalar for her approval.

EDIT: If she wants to read it, and doesn't want to kill me at this point for jumping the gun ...

My 12th post is up!  (In case any are wondering, yes, I am trying to break my current record of 18 posts to one story!).

I have pretty much concluded the set-up for the Vice-Admiral Stormz kidnapping and rescue plot.  He is being held aboard the asteroid base known as Gwodd LK Nale, in the centre of the Sollamens asteroid field.

Relevant facts:

1) The Sollamens Pulsar goes through phases of high and low energy output.  High phases cause havoc with sensors (maybe even communications).  The Imperial Dominion have created work-arounds for this, the Vast Empire has not!

2) Gwodd LK Nale is built inside an asteroid roughly the size of a Torpedo Sphere.  In keeping with the World War 2 airfield inspiration of the location, I have made its 'hangar' a long tunnel from one side of the asteroid to the other.  You can enter or leave through either end.

3) The Vice-Admiral is the captive of Imperial Dominion Intelligence and its leader, Colonel Mern.  Other IDI forces on the base are left unspecified for others to use.

4) I have re-used Hades' NPC from Counterpunch: War, a VENI agent on the ISD Reactionary.  His name is Nighthunter.  He shall be used more in the coming story.

And I've posted again! This being my 13th post, I've now officially beaten my record for posts on a story (the previous highest being 12 on Surprise: The Vast Empire Strikes Back) - and we're not even halfway through!

Anyway, it's mainly Gundark character development, letting you get to know the characters a bit more intimately

Why thank you, Gurlanin

Also:


The ISD-II Adjudicator, a symbol of the Vast Empire's power and discipline - a ship commanded by one of the only men worthy of such an esteemed warship, Kuati Chief of Naval Warfare Wyl 'Trick' Trykon.

Your daily dose of awesomeness has arrived.

Nice pic, Hades, and I appreciate you keepin' it ComNet-sized.

I'm really proud, guys: we're already over 73,000 words!

I'm going to write up a quick post of Trick starting the sim, and then I'll give a couple days for Strill to post bits of sim exercise, and for Chlovi to finish fleshing out their new NPC SCO.  Then (Saturday at the absolute latest) I'll post again, and move us to the Sollamens!  We have a wookiee to save!