Holding the Line: Chapter 122

And then here's Raptor to introduce our weekly chapter of Holding the Line. You can find Chapter 122 here.

Hey all, Raptor here

HTL continues with part seven of the Tiger Hunt series, called "Throwing The Dice", which follows the Border Worlds carriers as they continue drawing the attention of the Nephilim fleet. This chapter is set shortly after a "A Den of Death", but focuses on the Battlegroup Valkyrie's other carrier, the BWS Valeria. This story is written by yours truly, so please send any and all comments to me.

As I've said before with regards to Border Worlds technology, seeing as we didn't get to see anything of the Border Worlds military in WC:P or SO, we have no way of knowing for sure how good their tech is. The working theory I'm using is that they're at the same place relative to Confed that they were in WC4. Back then, they were mostly using WC2 tech like Rapiers and Sabres spearheaded by small number of craft that were equivalent to Confed's WC4 craft, like Banshees and Avengers. Now, they're using mainly WC3/WC4 grade craft, spearheaded by a small number of craft that are similar to Confed's WC:P craft, such as Retaliators and Stalkers.

Best, Raptor

Holding the Line: Chapter 121

Read it here. Find the official site here. Raptor's introduction here:

Hey all, Raptor here.

After that look at the reserves who are preparing for the final battle, we're now going to switch back to the front line, the delaying action being fought in the Loki system. As you might recall, the Border Worlds carriers were acting as the bait in an elaborate trap for the Nephilim, while the rest of the fleet closed in for the kill. While there have been several preliminary skirmishes, the battles to come are going to be bloodier by far.

We kick off with part six of the Tiger Hunt series, "A Den of Death." This chapter focuses on the Harbingers, a Bearcat unit serving with Union's Battlegroup Valkyrie. The Harbingers had previously carried out a lethal ambush on Nephilim scouts hunting the Border Worlders, but the squadron's own losses had instigated a revolt within its ranks. This chapter picks up from there. This story is written by Yu Fei "Phalanx" Leung, so please send any and all comments to him at ph4l4nx@hotmail.com.

Best, Raptor

Holding the Line: Chapter 120

Next up is Raptor's introduction for the latest chapter of Holding the Line. You can find the chapter here.

Hey all, Raptor here.

HTL continues with part four of the "Toeing The Line" series, this one being called "Scrap Mettle". As you saw in the last couple of chapters, the Border Worlds reserves in the Nifelheim system had launched a mock attack on the Confed carriers, giving both forces a chance to practise dogfighting and mass engagement tactics. This chapter focuses on their Confed counterparts, both those who are defending the carriers, and those who are taking part in the attack with the squadrons of volunteer pilots they're training. This chapter is written by James Andrew "JAG" Greenhow, so please send any and all comments to him at

Best, Raptor

Holding the Line: Chapter 119

Chapter 119 of Holding the Line is here! The exciting Aces Club PBM continues!. Here's Raptor with the intro...

Hey all, Raptor here.

HTL continues with second half of Scraps of Honour 10, which follows the reserve pilots who will be backing up the main fleet in HTL's finale. As you saw in the last chapter, the Border Worlds reserves had launched a mock attack on their Confed counterparts, and the battle was in full swing. This story picks up from there. Please send any and all comments to the author, Nick "Chaeronea" Deane at chaeronea@bigpond.com.

Best, Raptor

Holding the Line: Chapter 118

Got a few minutes on your hands? Check out Chapter 118 of the Holding the Line PBM. Here's Raptor's introduction:

Hey all, Raptor here

HTL continues with the first part of Scraps of Honour 10. While the Border Worlds carriers continue setting the trap for the enemy fleet in Loki, and the rest of the Combined Fleet closes in for the kill, we're going to take a break from the fighting for a while. Instead, we'll be looking at the reserve groups that are gathering to help the Combined Fleet finish off the enemy once and for all.

This chapter is called "Tempering The Mettle" and focuses on the Scrappers, a Border Worlds Militia unit that is with the reserve force. It also features the first ever appearance of Pokemon in a Wing Commander story. Be afraid. Be very afraid. *G* This story is written by Nick "Chaeronea" Deane, so please send any all comments to him at chaeronea@bigpond.com

Best, Raptor

Holding the Line: Chapter 117

Hey all, Raptor here.

HTL continues with the third and final part of FDTS 1. As you saw in the last chapter, there was trouble aplenty aboard the TCS Valley Forge as she hunts down a Nephilim dreadnaught. There is a conspiracy afoot, the crew are at each other's throats, and the WC had serious doubts about how her emotionally exhausted pilots would mesh with the Confed and Kilrathi 'reinforcements' who have just arrived. This chapter picks up from there. The story is jointly written by all the Valley Forge team, so please send any and all comments to them.

Best, Raptor

Holding the Line: Chapter 116

You can now access Chapter 116 of the Holding the Line PBM. And here's Raptor to introduce it...

Hey all, Raptor here

HTL continues with the second part of FDTS 1. As you saw in the first part of the story, the crew of the TCS Valley Forge were hunting for a Nephilim Tiamat class dreadnaught, one of the targets in the tiger hunt planned by Admiral Hanton. However, as the last chapter showed, the Valley Forge was far from a happy ship. Doubts are rife about the captain, and some of the crew are on the verge of mutiny. This chapter picks up from there, and focuses on the many different factions among the Forge crew. This chapter is jointly written by all the Forge writers, so please send any and all comments to them.

Best, Raptor

Holding The Line Chapter 115

Here's Raptor to introduce the next chapter in the Holding The Line fanfic.

Hey all, Raptor here.

HTL continues with the "Further Down The Spiral" series, which is jointly written by all the writers assigned to the Valley Forge. The Valley Forge is a Confed Concordia class fleet carrier assigned to the Combined Fleet that is fighting the Nephilim. She is one of the hunters in the elaborate trap that Admiral Hantion has laid out the Nephilim, and is tasked with hunting down and destroying a Tiamat class dreadnaught and its escorts. Please send any and all comments to the Forge group's co-ordinator, James Andrew "JAG" Greenhow, at Rambo.123uk@btinternet.com.

The designations we use for the "Further Down The Spiral" series might be a little confusing to some, so I'll explain them here. Like the "Tiger Hunt" series, the FDTS series consists of multiple chapters that run through the Loki battle. The story itself is divided into three parts, designated FDTS1, FDTS 2 and FDTS 3 respectively. However, each part is the size of several standard stories, and is broken down further into chapters. FDTS 1, for example, consists of three chapters. You're reading the first, which is designated FTDS 1 (1/3). The next chapter will be FDTS 1 (2/3), and so on.

Best, Raptor

Holding The Line Chapter 114

It's the weekend. Time for another Holding The Line chapter! So here's Raptor.

HTL continues with Part Five of the Tiger Hunt series, "Hammer and Anvil". This chapter follows on directly from "Eyes of The Fleet". Lieutenant Colonel Lofton's sacrifice has allowed the Valkyries to remain undetected, while the information gained by the Ghost Warriors has given them a clear picture of the enemy force that is hunting them. Now, the Border Worlders have the chance to bloody the enemy's nose a little, and they're going to make the most of it. This chapter is written by yours truly, so please send any and all comments to me at theraj@es.co.nz

In other news, the HTL archives have had a major update, with two dozen of our backlogged chapters archived, including some chapters that have yet to be posted on the CIC. Seeing as the original plan was to gradually merge the stories posted weekly on the CIC with the fortnightly Aces list chapters until the two ran in parallel, I'm going to continue posting the chapters in sequence here. The way I see it, there's no sense in messing with something that's working well by leapfrogging ahead by a dozen chapters. Those who simply can't wait to read more HTL though, can find it at:

http://blance.com/wcl/wclegacy/HTL/htl-main.html

While the award HTL received in the CIC fan project contest wasn't *quite* the one we were aiming for, it was a very nice one to win nonetheless. Many thanks to all those who voted for us. The HTL writers put in a heck of a lot of time and effort into the storyline, and it's nice to know that our efforts are appreciated by our fellow WC fans.

Last but not least, seeing as this will be the last chapter posted before the holidays, I want to wish all Wingnuts a very merry Christmas. Have fun,and don't get so drunk you're too hung over to read the next HTL chapter. ;-)

Holding The Line Chapter 113

Once more, here's Raptor :

Hey all, Raptor here.

HTL continues with Part Four of the Tiger Hunt series, as the Border Worlds carriers play a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the Nephilim in the ruins of Loki VI. This chapter overlaps slightly with "The Death of Hope" time wise, but is a seperate story, set on board the BWS Valeria rather than the Freedom. This chapter is written by yours truly, so send any questions and comments to me at theraj@es.co.nz.

This chapter introduces a new unit to the story, the Ghost Warrior recon pilots based aboard the Valeria. The Ghost Warriors fly the Arrow, which by the time of WC:P is obsolescent as a dogfighter, but whose speed, agility and small size make ideal for the armed recon role. The job of the Ghost Warriors is to find the enemy as quickly and efficiently as possible, and then call in the big guns to deal with the problem.

Best, Raptor

Holding The Line Chapter 112

Would it surprise you if I told you here's Raptor?

Hey all, Raptor here.

HTL continues with Part 3 of the Tiger Hunt series. After the look at the Confederation and Border Worlds reserves who will be backing us up in the finale, and the Tanfen forces who have reluctantly been drawn into the conflict, we're now shifting back to the main battle in the Loki System. As you saw in past chapters, the Border Worlds carriers were acting as the bait in an elaborate "tiger hunt", drawing the Nephilim in so that they could be destroyed by the rest of the Combined Fleet.

This chapter, which is rather ominously titled "The Death of Hope", is written by Yu Fei "Phalanx" Leung. It follows the Harbingers, a Bearcat squadron based on the BWS Freedom. In the last chapter, the Harbingers had helped ambush and wipe out a Nephilim scouting group sent to find the Border Worlds carriers. However, the victory came at a terrible cost, theloss of four of their own. This chapter picks up from there. Please send any and all comments to Phalanx at ph4l4nx@hotmail.com

PS: Just in case my absent mindedness has everyone thinking HTL doesn't have a website, well, we do. *G* You can find the HTL archives at this address, and it has links to other HTL sites.

http://blance.com/wcl/wclegacy/HTL/htl-main.html

Holding The Line Chapter 111

What would a weekend be without a new Holding The Line chapter? I don't know, but here's Raptor to tell you about this latest one.

Hey all, Raptor here.

HTL continues with Part Three of the "Fate's Edge" Series, written by Kevin "Leeloo" Tan. As you saw in the last chapter, the Tanfen Corp's pilots and soldiers were trying to defend Border Worlds civilians against a large enemy raiding group. By rigging one of their transports as a pilotless bomb, they were able to seriously maul the incoming enemy force, but were then left facing a battle against overwhelming odds. This chapter picks up from there.Please send any and all comments to Kevin at leeloo8@hotmail.com, not to me.

Just an explanatory note on the Tanfen Homeguards. The HG, also referred to as the Tanfen Aero-Space Corps or TASC, are militia units raised and financed by the Tanfen Corp. As the worlds colonised by the Familes are part of the Union, the Corp enjoys the right to have forces equivalent to a system militia, including fighters such as Hellcats and Thunderbolts and light capital ships. This benefits the Corporation by allowing it to provide effective protection for its personnel and its business operations, and benefits the Union by providing extra reserves that can be called on in times of trouble. Despite their outdated equipment when compared with frontline Union units, TASC pilots have a reputation as tenacious and implacable opponents.

Best, Raptor

Holding The Line Chapter 110

The weekly Holding The Line chapter has arrived, and here's Raptor to tell you all about it.

Hey all, Raptor here. HTL continues with Part Two of the "Fate's Edge"series, which focuses on the Tanfen Corporation Merchant fleet that was caught up in the war against the Nephilim. After being strong armed into helping evacuate the civilian population of Tyr by the Border Worlds government, the Tanfenners kept their part of the bargain and took the civilians to relative safety in Masa, while the military drew the Nephilim fleet into first Nephele and then Loki. However, when a Nephilim raiding group threatened the refugees in Masa in Part One of "Fate's Edge", the Tanfenner's young Lord Commander made the fateful decision to stay and help defend the civilians. This put him at odds with the Corp's credo of looking after their own first, and left him in a near impossible military situation. This chapter picks up from there. Please send any and all comments to the writer, Kevin "Leeloo" Tan, at leeloo8@hotmail.com, not to me.

Best. Raptor

Holding The Line Chapter 109

You know the drill. Here's Raptor:

Hey all, Raptor here. HTL continues with Part Three of the "Toeing The Line" series, which follows on from "The Road to Hell", and runs parallel to "Scraps of Honour". This chapter looks at the Confed reserve pilots who will be fighting alongside the Scrappers, both on duty as they prepare for the coming battles, and off duty as they try to unwind and forget about what's headed towards them. Please send any all comments to the writer, James Andrew "JAG" Greenhow, at Rambo.123uk@btinternet.com , not to me. Just a word of warning, the title of this story "Strange Bedfellows" gives a pretty good idea of what the characters get up to in their spare time, so the language and some of the scenes in this story might not be to everyone's taste. There's nothing X rated (or even M rated) there, but anyone who was upset by the Rosie/Maniac scenes in the movie might want to take a pass. Best, Raptor

Holding The Line Chapter 108

It's time for the almost regularly scheduled Holding The Line chapter, and as usual Raptor is here to tell us all about it:

Hey all, Raptor here.

HTL continues with the second part of Scraps of Honour 9. You'll recall that in the last chapter, the Scrappers were refining their dogfighting skills in the simulators, and finding out the hard way that tactics used against humans wouldn't work against the Nephilim. Meanwhile, a flight of Intruders from the Necromancer Squadron had stumbled on a black ops fighter testing base that no-one in the taskforce had known about. This chapter picks up from there. Please send any and comments to the writer, Nick "Chaeronea" Deane, at chaeronea@bigpond.com, not me.

Best, Raptor

Holding The Line Chapter 7

Here's the latest from Raptor:

Hey all, Raptor here.

After that look at the set-up to the massive fleet battle in Loki, we're now going to change pace, and focus once again on the reserves and Tanfeners as they prepare to play their own part in the campaign. We start with the next installment of the Scraps of Honour series, which focuses on the Border Worlds reserves, and especially on a militia unit called the Scrappers. This chapter is written by Nick "Chaeronea" Deane. Please send any and comments to Nick at chaeronea@bigpond.com, not to me.

This chapter features two fighters flown by the Border Worlders in 2681, the Intruder and the Marauder. For those who are not familiar with them, a quick synopsis. The Intruder is very similar to the Tigershark in speed, agility, shielding and firepower. Like the Tigershark, it's a jack-of-all trades medium fighter. It's only major weakness is its armour, which is the same grade as that on WC3/WC4 fighters. The Marauder is a cross between a Thunderbolt and an Excalibur, with most of the strengths of both, and only a few of the weakness. Like the T-Bolt, it's got great guns and a powerful anti-capship loadout of torpedoes. Like the Excal, it's fast, reasonable agile, and cloak capable. Again, though, its armour is only Kilrathi War grade.

Best, Raptor

Holding The Line, Chapter 106

Here's the latest from Raptor:

Hey all, Raptor here.

HTL continues with the second part of the Tiger Hunt series, which follows battles fought by the Border Worlders in the Loki system. As you'll recall from the first chapter, the Border Worlds carriers had headed into the ruins of Loki VI to act as bait, drawing the Nephilim after them while the rest of the Combined Fleet closes in for the kill.

This chapter picks up from there, and focuses on the Harbinger and Reaper Squadrons. The Harbingers are a veteran interceptor unit attached to Battlegroup Valkyrie. They fly Bearcats off the light carrier BWS Freedom.The Reapers are the battlegroup's top fighter killers, and fly the powerful Retaliator space superiority fighters off the BWS Arcadia.This chapter is written by Yu Fei "Phalanx" Leung, so please send any and all comments to him at ph4l4nx@hotmail.com

Best, Raptor

Holding The Line, Chapter 105

Here's Raptor with the introduction to the next instalment in this Aces FanFic series.

Hey all, Raptor here.

HTL continues with part one of the Tiger Hunt series, which looks at the start of the fighting in the Loki system, as the heavily outnumbered Confed and Border Worlds Combined Fleet tries to hold back the invaders. The Tiger Hunt is a 15 part story arc written by myself and another writer which follows the efforts of the Border Worlders. This chapter is written by yours truly,so please send any and all comments to me at theraj@es.co.nz

As you know, the Border Worlds military haven't been seen in an official Wing Commader product since WC4:TPOF, which is set in the early 2670's. Because of that, the state of the Border Worlds military in the 2680s isn't known. The assumption that we've used in HTL is that the Border Worlders at the time of WC:P are at roughly the same level *relative* to the Confederation that they were in WC:4.

That's to say, most of their craft are roughly a generation (or a game, to put it another way) behind Confed's best. In WC4, they were mainly using WC2craft like Sabres and Rapiers, while Confed was using Hellcats and Excals and the like. Now, while Confed has moved on to Vampires and Panthers, the Border Worlders are still using Kilrathi War type craft, both those bought from Confed and native built craft that have similar abilities. The only exception is a handfull of advanced craft such as Retaliators and Stalkers, which like the WC4 Banshees and Vindicators, can foot it with frontline Confed craft on an equal basis.

For those interested in Border Worlds technology in 2681, please check out this web site:

http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~theraj/battlegroupval/

Best, Raptor

Holding The Line, Chapter 104

I'll let Raptor introduce the next chapter in this Wing Commander Aces Fanfic.

Hey all, Raptor here.

HTL continues with the Part One of "Fate's Edge", which is written by Kevin "Leeloo" Tan. This chapter follows the Tanfen merchant fleet which was strong armed by the Border Worlds government into helping evacuate the civilian population of Tyr, and taking them to safety in the Masa system. In the process though, the Tanfenners lost many of their own. Please send any and all comments to Kevin at leeloo8@hotmail.com

For those unfamiliar with the Tanfen Corp, it's a large and powerful mega-corporation that deals in everything from fighter and warship construction to raw minerals to consumer goods and foodstuffs. While it draws people from every part of human society, the predominant culture both socially and in the business arena is that of the Orient, especially Chinese. It has chosen to base itself in the Border Worlds Union because Union rules and regulations tend to be more flexible than those in Confed, and is the single biggest contributor to the Union's economy. In fact, Tanfen is probably one of the top three reasons for the rapid progress the Union has undergone in the years since its independence.

Tanfen's founding families, their employees and dependants, several thousand people in all, have colonised two worlds that are part of the Union. Because of this, Tanfen enjoys a large degree of autonomy in how it operates. The colonies can set their own local laws just like other Union worlds can, subject only to the central Border Worlds government and the common law of the Union. They can also raise and maintain their own militia forces to defend themselves and their interests, subject to the jurisdiction of the Border Worlds military.

Overall, the relationship between Tanfen and the Union Government is a symbiotic one. Tanfen has more freedom than it would enjoy anywhere else, and the Union benefits immensely from the billions of Credits that Tanfen pumps into the economy in the form of taxes and wages. However, in times of trouble, Tanfen's focus on profit and looking after its own people first and foremost can put it into conflict with the Government. It remains to be seen whether the two can co-operate to their mutual advantage during the Nephilim invasion, or if the differences will prove disastrous for both.

Anyone who is interested in finding out more about Tanfen can do so via Kevin's website, which is at:

http://.../3286/index.htm

Best, Raptor

Holding The Line, Chapter 103

Since I was 'missing in action', you didn't get to read the next chapter of Holding the Line. But now you can, thanks to Raptor. Check out the story here. Here's the intro...

Hey all, Raptor here.

You've already seen how the Border Worlds reserves were preparing for the upcoming fleet battle. HTL now continues with the second chapter of the "Toeing The Line" mini-series, which follows the Confed reserves. You'll recall that in the last TTL chapter, the Confeds had to suffer the indignity of having their ships "torpedoed" by the Border Worlders. Now they'll have to find a way of restoring their pride while learning to work with their new allies. Let's just hope the fighting doesn't start before the Nephilim get there....