Snippet #1348335

((Well, its good to get started with this. I recommend we all start by detailing what's going on in our civilizations, and we'll get going from there with the interactions between our civs.)

8:47 am Terrestrial Standard Time, January 14th, 2287 C.E...

A man stood atop a metal platform, starting intently through a window at a glimmering point of light in the night sky. He was a tall, middle aged man, with pale skin, short auburn hair, and a gaunt face. As the point of light moved across the sky, the man let out a deep sigh, and his breath fogged the air.

"Hey Flynn, You think they've seen us yet?" asked a voice behind him. The man called Flynn turned to see Patton, a colleague and good friend of his.

"Doubt it. If they did, we'd be swimming in radiation right about now." said Flynn.

Patton considered the point of light. "What? You don't think they'll ask for a surrender first?"

Flynn laughed dryly, shaking his head. "Patton, you and I two of the most notorious rebels in the galaxy. From what I hear, the closest thing we've got to sympathizers back on Earth is the people hoping we get brought in alive. Mainstream opinion is that the fleet 'ought to just nuke whatever planet we happen to be hiding on."

As Patton started to respond, Flynn's communicator, a small black transmitter on his wrist linked to a headset, beeped twice.

Flynn pressed his hand to his ear, activating the headset's microphone, and said "What have you got for me Lieutenant?"

The lieutenant on the other end of the line hesitated for a moment. "Sir, I think you're going to want to come down here. The ship's hailing us."

"Damnit. Looks like you were right Patton, they do think they can bring us in alive."

Several minutes later, Flynn and Patton were in at the door of the command center of Liberty's Song, a fortified concrete bunker buried deep beneath the ground on an asteroid in an uncharted system past the G003b jump gate which had served as the base of operations for the anti-government organization known as Filios Terrae, Latin for "Chidren of the Earth", for more than a year before that day. Flynn took a deep breath, and keyed open the electronic lock on the door.

Liberty's Song's command center was a long, bare-walled room lined with computer terminals, most of which were in use by various officers and mission coordinators in the Fillios Terrae. In the far end of the room, a large holographic display showed the asteroid, which the Children had chosen to name Hope, along with a blinking light representing the STR ship orbiting it. Flynn walked over to the projector, and turned to face his subordinates.

"Anything new to report Lieutenant Bonnet?" said Flynn, addressing a young, brown haired woman sitting at one of the terminals nearest to the projector.

"No sir, but we are ready to fire the orbital defense missiles on your command." said the lieutenant in a light French accent.

"Not yet Michèle. We have to time this just right, or we won't even scratch them. On my mark, open the comm channel. Keep the ship's position up on the projector." said Flynn.

"Yes Sir, opening the channel now." said Bonnet.

Flynn reached into his pocket and brought out the antique pocket watch his father had given him on his nineteenth birthday, staring at his reflection in the watch's glass face. If the captain of the enemy ship had explicit orders to capture him alive, and the Children did not reveal that their surface to orbit missile silo, the Captain would never risk his quarry's death by ordering an orbital strike, and would be forced to deploy ground forces if he refused to surrender...In theory at least.

((To be continued...))