00 - Gateway to the Universe

Ages - Age of Expansion - In Bad Company

Gateway fills in the time on Earth after Bethany Anne retrieves Michael through the time the various groups arrive at their destinations in the other galaxies. It fills in the catch-up tasks they have to take care of on Earth - rescuing the Elites, picking up Terry Henry Walton's group in San Francisco, picking up Valerie and Robin in New York, as well as the journey from Earth to the destinations chosen for the TH Group, Onyx Station and Dren Station. It includes an attempt by raiders to capture the War Axe as it exited from the Gate into Yollin Space, as well as quite varied details of the adjustment and training involved in acclimating TH's group to space. It provides continuity between TKG and the series mentioned below, so that one doesn't approach therm "cold".

GATEWAY TO THE UNIVERSE - IN BAD COMPANY - picks up many threads (characters, plots) from TSDA Dawn Arrives (#4), as well as TKG Life Goes On (#21), and melds them into this pre-quell to four subsequent series :

TERRY HENRY WALTON CHRONICLES ( A retrospective series, from WWDE until he and his group are retrieved in Dawn Arrivesand join the Federation (Gateway)

VALERIE'S ELITES (Valerie and Robin in The Age of Expansion,. Valerie's Elite's is a continuation of the retrospective Valerie series, RECLAIMING HONOR)

UPRISE SAGA (Kurtz, Edwin, Samantha and Nick - humans from the FDG - continue their adventures in the Age of Expansion)

GHOST SQAUDRON (Terry Henry's FDG continues its adventures in the Age of Expansion, starting twenty years after leaving Earth with Bethany Anne and Michael, and joining the Federation)

Rescuing Queen's Elite in Japan

IBC 00/1

Will need battleship War Axe, (heavy lifting capabilities) to rescue Elite, complete project. Was upset with Earth’s attitudes to date, so raced through atmosphere at 30+ Machs. The War Axe approached the Pod hovering a half-mile above the collapsed building Akio had protected for the past hundred and fifty years. Eight stories under some hundred-thousand tons of rubble, six Elite warriors awakened from the deep sleep which had helped slow their aging. They had been buried inadvertently back when chaos ruled the world (An earthquake had dropped a building on them right after WWDE). They had almost failed in their rescue. But Akio had found help. Former Marine Terry Henry Walton and his werewolf partner-wife Charumati had joined forces with the Queen’s Bitch to drag humanity back to civilization, a hundred and fifty-plus-year effort. The Defender-series destroyer had the Etheric Empire’s latest traction to tractor-beam technology. Using all the power available to it, the ship latched onto the building and picked it up en masse. Akio’s Pod, swooped above the hole and stopped in mid-air, then dropped. A hundred feet down the Pod settled, and the rear ramp dropped. Six vampires were waiting. Their clothes were old, largely just rags after more than a hundred and fifty years. Akio stepped out and bowed deeply to his fellows

Picking up Terry Henry Walton's Group

IBC 00/1

Terry Henry Walton TH to his friends, stood tall and proud, his black Force de Guerre uniform crisp. waiting with his “pack”, all of the people who had helped maintain civilization during the 150 years - His werewolf wife Charumati (who was worried that so much energy was being drawn from the Etheric), Joseph and his wife Petricia (two Forsaken, who refused to drink human blood), were tigers (Aaron and Yanmei), Felicity ,enhanced, holding the hand of her werewolf husband Ted, and their daughter Marcie (nanocytes from Felicity), Kimber and her brother Kae (TH and Char’s adopted children), Charumati’s pack (Sue, Timmons, Shonna, and Merrit and their mates). All waited as a ship landed, and Akio walked out, joined by six other vampires, the Queen’s Elite, who had just been recently released from their entombment.

The Elite create a corridor through which Bethany Anne and Michael pass. TH stepped towards them “Empress? “Cut the ‘Empress’ bullshit, Terry. I remember you from the Antarctica operation.” “Would you stop imitating a police academy cadet review?” She gestured them forward. “Come up here, and let’s talk like folks who have kicked some ass and now are going to get a little well-deserved R and R.” “I wanted to meet you personally and thank you for everything you’ve done, both in my name and on your own to help make the world a better place. Akio said he could not have chosen better—even if he’d had a choice.” “And now you have some choices, one of which is to take the rest you deserve. God knows you deserve it, and it’s yours if that is what you want.” “I want to invite you to take the War Axe through the Annex Gate and join my father, Lance Reynolds, in securing and expanding the brand new Etheric Federation, to work with Bad Company and export your brand of justice to the whole fucking universe?” “Come home to the stars. Come home to the Etheric Federation.” She looked at the group. “All of you.”

Dokken bounces out of the ship, runs toward the group, goes to Terry. An immediate match.

Valerie's Elites

IBC 00/2; IBC 00/5

Michael escorts Valerie and Robin onto ArchAngel, having picked them up earlier. Meet with Bethany Anne, review past history (Vampire tales, fight with brother Donovan, becoming Michael’s Enforcer). Will miss old friends, meet many new ones, in Dark Company. Michael introduces idea that Valerie and Robin, loners at heart, want to form their own team, Valerie’s Elites, to work under Dark company. Bethany Anne approves.

Talks with Garcia in the Work-out room. Unhappy over delay, scheduling, doesn't want communicator. Valerie definitely a loner.

Terry Henry's Group; The Cat Beef

IBC 003, 4; IBC 00/5; IBC 00/9, 10; IBC 00/14

Two platoons of FDG warriors were waiting in the Rec room of the War Axe.Thousands had served in the Force de Guerre over the years, but they’d reduced the numbers of those in active service to what Terry looked at.One hundred percent of those had volunteered to follow Colonel Walton to space. It was a mad scramble to bring everyone aboard the War Axe, which wasn’t family friendly, but the warriors with families came regardless. They had so much to learn. None of them had operated in space before. None of them had met an alien before, and without the translator chips they could not communicate with other alien groups, with Dokken, or with the ship. No one carried the power of the word, so Terry's first task was to get them the upgrades (See Pod-Doc, Technology), along with a schedule of what they had to learn when. Met with John Grimes, reminisced about Grimes' cousin and Terry, who had worked together. John told him to talk with Smedley, the ship's EI, to determine schedules. Terry and Char updated. Communication required if they wanted to stay with ship (nano data also taken at same time, ArchAngel to handle). No one had chance to refuse. Ship had already launched into space. Weres and Forsaken go next. Ted, Feklicity's husband 1000% into tech, so was lost to everyone else, literally. Meet with Dokken's nemesis, the cat Wenceslaus. Dokken eats beef for the first time. Can't get enough of it! Better than bistok!

While undergoing enhancement, Tyson Kurtz turns into Pricolici, an unexpected change. He had been and unenhanced human, who was changed by the new blood. (See Creatures, Pricolici for why). Might be other in group who have same capability. Will keep track with blood work, ask if they want to be changed or not.

Edwin, Samantha and Nick also have capabilities to be changed, if they might want that ability. They all agreed, so will be four Pricolici with the FDG.

FDG and Bad Company

IBC 00/6, 8

TH and Char meet with Captain Micky San Marino (who had adopted Wenceslaus), Bethany Anne, Michael, Akio, Dokken and Nathan to discuss FDG’s role in Bad Company. TH and Char would be in charge of the military branch (the Direct Action Branch).” Nathan will send him some prospective activities to review for action when they arrive. (See Organizations. Force de Guerre).

FDG and Training; Valerie and Robin

IBC 00/10, 11; IBC 00/15, 16, 17

Sparring matches are in order, and Edwin takes his first opponent. Valerie and Robin square off, Valerie taking Robin, but both seriously challenging the other. Marcie talks to Valerie and Robin about their lone wolf tendencies, and asks how they can meld into the team No one knows. Robin feels totally different after the upgrade, like she could conquer the world. That’s now her normal. “Except that we don’t need them. We— “No, Robin.” Valerie stopped, then glanced around to be sure nobody was nearby. “That’s the way I’ve been thinking too, I’m realizing. But it’s wrong. We’re part of a larger body now. We might be sharp fingernails or solid fists, but we need the arms and brain and all that to help us strike where it does the most damage. Join me in trying not to question it all, please, because if you keep asking questions, so will I. They don’t need doubters, they need warriors.” Their old lives really were behind them. A new beginning with the FDG and the Bad Company lay ahead.

Terry and Char go to Bridge, ask Captain to give them an overview of how ship is run. They get one, begin to see everything they don’t know.

Marcie has lost touch with the Etheric, is upset. Goes to Ted (now handling the enhancements), goes back into Pod. Ted will bring it back to her.

Petricia and Joseph are looking forward to operating in space. They know they will enjoy it.

After seven days of classes, Terry had enough info to begin to plan how he needed to train the FDG, in space fighting. Was planning using transport pods, “drop ships” as he called them, as major entitiy. Bloodsport classes confirmed – hand to hand, without death. Garcia won, Joseph took Timmons, Yanmei took Petricia, Garcia took his opponent, Robin took the were tiger, Yanmei, Valerie took Joseph. Last two matches, Garcia took Flynn, Terry took Valerie.

Gate in two days.

The War Axe

IBC 00/12, 13; IBC 00/14, 16

Captain San Marino has never taken the War Axe into battle, and feels the need to do so. With the FDG on board, he needed to keep training his people to fight the ship. He needed Terry Henry Walton’s people to perform damage control. They needed to be part of the solution, not the problem. “Take the gate engines offline. We’ll form a gate and transit as soon as we’ve conducted three successful damage control drills in a row. It won’t be perfect, but it has to be good enough. How many times has one of ours been jumped as soon as they exited a gate? The answer is too many times.” Calls for space suit drills, damaged hull drills, attack drills. Won’t “Gate” until ready, just in case. Will practice space walking. FDG group in hanger bay, doors open, gravity turned off. Float, practice moving, getting used to space. Two of FDG didn’t have their helmets on in time, were saved by crew. Crew and FDG intermingle, so can work as more of a single unit in the future. Terry feels that in one more week of drills, training with crew, they will be able to handle ship’s defense adequately, so will wait to Gate until then. Learn about mechs, automated armored figures, operator inside, a multiplier of force. Kae will lead that group.

Yoll Pirate Attack planned

IBC 00/14, 15

P’tok, Captain (two-legged) of a renegade Yoll pirate ship (Singlaxian Grandeur), plans attack on next ship coming through Gate. It happens to be the War Axe.

Gating, meeting Yollin Raider

IBC 00/18, 19; IBC 00/20

“All hands, helmets on. We will activate the gate in ten seconds. Ten seconds, people. Count us down, Smedley.” It was the standard operating procedure, the SOP, for all gate travel. If the ship jumped into the middle of a meteor swarm, the ship could lose atmospheric containment instantly. Micro-meteors could be catastrophic for ships. The War Axe was better armored than most vessels, but they complied because it made sense to have the damage control teams standing by. Everything non-essential was powered down during the establishment of a gate and the transit. All systems were immediately energized upon arrival. But there was always a lag on power-up status.

“A Yollin raider, I suspect,” Micky said more calmly than he felt. He tapped his controls. “Colonel Walton. We are under attack. A Yollin raider will be landing on the hangar bay momentarily. If you would be so kind as to repel the boarders, I would be eternally grateful.” Yollin raider had program to over-ride War Axe hanger door controls, did so. Yollin ship landed in hanger. Terry ready, FDG exited pods, fought hand-to-hand with swords, guns. Kae fought with mech, rounded up 22 prisoners at end.Terry saw chance to board Yollin ship, attack, take Bridge. Caotain surrenders. Terry takes control of his new ship, the Grandeur.

Dead of both parties to be launched through Gate, atoms dispersed in Universe. Jump to Onyx station.

Onyx Station

IBC 00/20; IBC 00/21, 22

Six pods land in hanger, met by Nathan, Ecaterina, Christina.. Nathan wants to meet with six or seven of them, review, discuss future. (Terry, Char, Marcie, Kae, Kim, Cory, Timmons, Petricia and Joseph, with us.”) Christina gets in fight with Char, Nathan orders her to take Valerie and Robin shopping. Christina take them to a seedy bar, Wash It Down.

“The War Axe is yours. Load it up with what you need before you leave Onyx Station. That’s it for this time, but I’m going to move you closer to the frontier. Your permanent base for operations will be in the Dren Cluster, but you’ll always have a link to my office, wherever I am hanging my hat.” I need a Direct Action Branch, which you’ve already been briefed on. There are an infinite number of jobs out there where one belligerent faces off against another. It upsets the balance in entire regions. They have money and we’re willing to take it to help them settle their lovers’ spats. There are far more conflicts than we can address, so we can pick and choose. I need you to help me evaluate the potential missions and then when we pick one, execute with the most and least amount of violence necessary to accomplish the objective.” Mercenaries? Absolutely! We will choose only missions that we can live with. Terry wants a Jean Dukes Special set for each of his people. No problem, only time. Terry will answer only to Nathan. Lance doesn’t want to know too much.

Nathan wants to keep Ted, maybe to go to R2D2. Felicity will be a problem. Maybe liaison on Onyx? Nathan also want to keep the four Pricolici, and a platoon of the FDG with him. Nathan Has a new recruit for him. Christina wants to join the Direct Action Branch, under TH. TH will have only one platoon, fifty people, plus people on Dren, to fight the whole Galaxy.

Some of TH’s people shopping, talking, will be leaving soon. They know that Ted will not be with them, as he will be deep into all of the new science available, maybe even joining Team BMW on R2D2. Felicity to help Ecaterina.

The Wash It Down

IBC 00/21

Christina, Valerie, Robin accosted by group of six young men, trying to get to know them. Nathan’s AI has told him of their whereabouts, so Nathan, Ecaterina, Terry o there, to help get them away. They escort the girls back to the station.

On Dren station

IBC 00/22

TH, Char et al land, TH & Char called to captain’s conference room by Smedley. Your eyes only data. Their first mission, to Singlaxia. A favor to Bethany Anne. Need to win a contest (to the death?), entrench themselves as good promoters, collect data, etc., TH calls Valerie and Robin to the meeting, Christina follows. TH asks Valerie to go, along with three warriors as support staff. Christina want to be one of staff, TH says no. Valerie picks Garcia, Flynn, Char. Will take Grandeur for transport.