From wpettey@zianet.com Fri Jun 19 12:25:25 1998 Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 15:43:39 -0600 From: wpettey To: Dante Expeditionary Force List Serve Subject: [INDIGO]SB ALIGIHERI(NAsW716): "Angel's on the wing" [The following text is in the "ISO-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] DANTE Expeditionary Force Official E-mail BEGIN TRANSMISSION SD: 100511.1517 MDT FMD: 03.1200 The minefield had failed. Missles were coming through and NAsW716 was scrambling to take out the warheads before they slammed into the sides of the star base. Quietly, Cort wondered if those on board the base were even aware that he and his men were risking their lives to save them. A missle made it past the last phalanx mine and was headed right for Cort as he fired phsers into it's path. The missle finally exploded a mere few dozen meters from Cort. His onboard systems sizzled and popped, but he retained control of the shuttle fighter. "Gold Team, regroup and guard th' front doir. Red Team, get in there an' close th' back doir!" His commsystems crackled, but he heard the affirmatrion of his order. Soon NC-17 and half of NF-34 were swooping in to the mine field, targeting the missles before they could break through the remaining mines. SCENE: NASW716 Chapel Fr. McDougal knelt at the altar and fingered his rosary. After he had finished, he looked longingly up at the crucifix and whispered, "Bless 'em, Lord, fer ye know what they're doin' out there, fightin' fer our lives. Give 'em angels ta sit on their wings and keep 'em safe. Bring 'em home ta me, Lord Almighty, I beseech ye, bring 'em home." Unbeknownst to the chaplain, a lone figure had slipped into the chapel and sat on the last pew, as Fr. Donal McDougal finished his prayers, he heard a low voice respond, "Amen." Turning, he saw the outline of the great Caitain CO among the shadows and low candlelight. Yssar stood as the elderly priest made his way back to the back of hte small church. "Forgive me, father, I did not mean to distract you from your prayers." Yssar's voice rumbled in the accustically perfect room. "Nay, lad...I was nae aware ye knew o' Catholisism?" The priest patted the back of the pew as invitation for the CO to sit. Yssar clasped his hands behind his back and twitched his whiskers, "I am familiar with all Terran religions. I grew up on earth...Chicago." "Ah!" Fr. McDougal nodded. He had never been to the American continent, but had heard a lot about the more famous cities. He changed the subject, "What brings ye down here t' me humble abode, CDR?" Yssar finally sat down, "I wanted to talk to you...our pilots are in grave danger. We have already lost most of NF-38 and some of NF-34. I fear that they will not survive this attack." The father nodded, "I fear the same, ser. that's why I've been prayin' fer their eternal souls, asking God above t' save 'em...somehow." "Then continue your prayers, Father...and I hope your god answers." Yssar stood and headed toward the doors. Donal called after him, "An' what will ye do, son? Will ye pray also, or will ye let them die a meaningless death?" Yssar turned, his voice more of a growl than he intended, "I am doing all I can, Father, I can do no more!" The older human's eyes dimmed, "Can ye do nae more? Are ye sure? Try, son, try...try an' save those men an' women out there. Try." The Caitain CO turned and left the chapel without response, weighed down by the guilt and fears of his own heart. As the chapel doors hissed shut, he answered, "I will try. I swear it." **************************************************************************** *************** NRPG: Action is afoot! Come on pilots! Let's post! Josh is back and we want to show him how well we've done. Josh, Welcome back! David, thought you might enjoy this little conversation with the priest. Feel free to add to it if you like. This message sent by an official member of the Dante Expeditionary Force Are you also posting your messages to the newsgroup?!!! END TRANSMISSION