"I imagine that leap, won't be so great for Mr Endeel once he has visited some non-human worlds.  As you mentioned, humans may be happy with Imperial 'stability' but those of us not in the privileged 'human club' tend to view Imperial stability more as slavery.  I'm sure Heigren could tell you a few interesting stories about that."

She looked to her chrono. "We'd better get some food while we still can."  She stood and headed for the galley to see what was left to eat.

Almost an hour after he'd left, Devon ambled into the small galley that Heigren had reactivated.  Several of the Talons had indeed gravitated there, and he nodded amiably to them whilst a serving droid made him a mug of caf.

"Time to get this show back on track." he told them, "grab yourselves some munchies an' head back to the rec-room."
Devon tasted his caf, then gave the serving droid a disgusted look.
" _{- the frak is this?  assholes are waterin' their caf.} he muttered.  Anyone who'd been around Devon a while knew the shipjacker liked his caf strong enough dissolve hullmetal and so thick that if you turned the mug upside down, it was a while before anything came out.
Privately he swore dire vengeance on stingy, ration-limit obeying serving droids, and made plans to jail-break its OS and teach it to make proper caf at the first opportunity.  The talent available in the his team would make make short work of one stubborn serving droid.
The droid returned Devons baleful glare with an imperturbable look - clearly oblivious to the fate he was planning for it...


Leading the others back to the rec-room that the Talons had taken over as their briefing room, Devon gave his caf a resigned glance, then swallowed a mouthful with a suppressed  shudder.  Once everyone had settled he set the mug aside.
"OK, guys - time to get back into it.  But before we do, I noticed that CC9 sent every a copy of the Declaration.  Clearly you guys have been talkin' about it.  Anyone need to ask anythin' about that, or can we get straight back into plannin' the mission?"

Arcas suppressed a chuckle. He had never seen himself as some hero, brandishing a sword and smiting injustice; His family were all about level-headed, philosophical approach to life and people.

Then again, Arcas really has never really thought what he sees himself as. Perhaps this was a chance to discover that.

Arcas said nothing to Kyvarr's comment about human privilege. She was right, of course. But the practical realities of Imperial speciesm were very distant to Arcas' own experience in a wealthy, coreworld upbringing.

"I'm afraid that my worldview might anchor any hope to realities", he said to the droid after watching the felinoid leave, "But I will give you a challenge. Present to me one community of civilians that the Rebel Alliance helped not because of some strategic or material benefit but because of moral obligations..." Arcas thought for a moment "...and I will weigh that anchor for you."

Later on in the briefing, Arcas didn't feel the need to elaborate on the Declaration. The words themselves were largely just decorum; The real deal were the writers themselves and who they represented. But he did glance around, curious to see if anyone else had anything to say about them.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:43, Wed 17 Jan 2018.

If the M4 droid was to deliver a response, Devon's return interrupts it.  The small droid hovered over to rest in mid-air slightly behind their acting leader and to his left, with a comfortable view of the surroundings.  Its owner says nothing aloud, simply watching the proceedings for the moment.  Whether Arcas takes Cor's silence as defeat is his business, of course, but her sense of decorum will not allow her to unduly ignore the return of the Talon's command.

And so she watches, and she waits.

"All I can say from the declaration is that we better keep the Ghtroc prepped.  This Rebellion just published the galaxy's biggest 'screw you' to the Empire and let the whole universe know about it.  The Empire is going to have to squash the Rebellion into the ground, fast and hard.  They have the tools to do it too.  Even an old Victory I class could pound this taskforce to scrap without breaking a sweat."

"Still, the brighter the light the Imperials shine, the more shadows there will be to slide into.  We'll just have to avoid getting seen!"

"Exactly." said Devon quietly. "Believe me, its somethin' I've been thinkin' about.  The Rebellion ain't gonna beat the Empire in a straight up fight.  No way, no how."
He let that sink for a moment.
"Like Fiarr said, even a Vic 1 could scrap this little fleet without effort.  An' they got... I dunno... thousands of ships bigger than that.  The Imperial class can glass a planet.    Think about that.  An' all the intel we've heard hints they're buildin' somethin' even bigger, even nastier.  The Empire can already destroy all life on a planet, an' they're buildin' somethin' worse.  Somethin' that even they call a super-weapon."

Devon looked down at his datapad for a moment, which was still displaying the Declaration.
"Fiarr's right - the Rebellion did just paint a massive bulls-eye on itself, an' if the Empire can ever corner us... we're all dead.  But they painted that bulls-eye because they believe that restorin' the Republic is worth that price.  Worth the lives of everyone in the Alliance."

"There's gonna be blood on the floor before we're done; they ain't gonna listen to diplomacy - thats what the Declaration is all about:  it say 'you forced this on us.  You left us no choice.'.

But we cant beat them in a straight fight.  So we're gonna hide in the shadows.  We're gonna -"
Devon glanced at Fiarr.
"- avoid gettin' seen.  An' everytime the Empire turn their back, we'll stick another knife in it.  Because sure as hell the one thing this galaxy don't need is another superweapon."

This message was last edited by the player at 22:33, Thu 18 Jan 2018.

”That is probably exactly the plan...”, Dohr said quietly.

”The Alliance embraces guerrilla tactics to make precision strikes against the Empire where it hurts the most. We all agree that there is no way to beat the Imps in an open war, not now and perhaps not ever. But while the Empire might seem like an enormous, coherent power that is impossible to destroy, I believe it is all but. The Emperor rules with an iron fist and his armies are unbeatable, but even he needs the support of the innumerable Worlds that are now part of the Empire.”

“Those Worlds can be controlled by fear for some time, but eventually the resistance boiling under the seemingly calm surface will find the weak link in the chain that binds them and will break through. And the Alliance can help them do exactly that, find the weakest parts in Empire’s hold and weaken them further.”

The Doc took a sip at the caf and shrugged. It tasted ok to him.

“While we cannot win the imperials on a large scale, we can show the terrorised Worlds that there is hope… Hope will ignite the fuel inside their hearts, their yearn of freedom and hope will give them strength to start finding more weak links to break. And that flame cannot be ignited from behind a curtain. That is why the Alliance needs a face and the bigger the face, the better. So a ballsy move yes, but one I see as necessary.”

“It will doubtlessly take some time, but once one World breaks free, others will follow and even if they can not get rid of the imperial presence immediately, they may be able to provide the Alliance with more resources to execute more surgical strikes against the Empire’s maintenance chain or production.”

The Kel Dor lays the mug on the table and looks around at everyone in the room. ”I do sound very optimistic and even hopeful, I know. But what else do we really have, but hope? I know going back to the old way would mean more freedom for us, but it could also mean we have less opportunities to help the Alliance break the imperial oppression little by little from inside. I feel that personally I must put my personal goals and gains aside and... take any chance I can to stick another knife into the Empire's back.”
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 10:16, Fri 19 Jan 2018.

"Live or die doesn't matter.  I will fight to defeat the Imperial war machine.  The atrocities the Empire commits in the name of order and stability must end."

Heigren chuckles.  "I can relate to Kyvarr's goals.  Their outright slavery of those they consider to be 'lesser beings' must end.  Unlike our fiery sergeant, I'm hoping to survive this war!"

"The Alliance does not care if the Empire knows its overall purpose.  Realistically, the Empire would treat any resistance effort in the same manner."  Cor's voice, even relayed via her droid, is low and measured.  "This Declaration is not intended for the Empire.  Directing it at the Empire is only a courtesy, a gesture of their resolve.  The message is intended for everyone else - for the citizenry, for the dissenters, for the smaller groups already in conflict with the Empire, for the downtrodden and weak and desparate.

"This Declaration was a masterstroke of tactical and political thought.  It puts out exactly what the Galaxy lacks and sorely needs: hope.  Hope does not win conflicts but it most certainly sustains the people throughout.  Our military-trained members will know: the surest way to destroy an enemy is to break their spirit.  A force with no morale cannot win, and most of the time will not bother to try fighting.

"Now everyone has something to fight for, and I have no doubt the Alliance's ranks will swell as a result.  This is less of a target, as Imperial Intelligence was certainly aware of the group and had at least assumed its intentions.  It is a rallying-cry, a clarion call to those who would live and fight and die to see the Galaxy free of Emperor Palpatine and his armies."

Mika looks around the room as a few of. The others speak up.  "Sounds like most of us either agree with the dclarationm or at least are accepting it.  Seems we could save a bit of time and look at it the other way.  Anyone on the roster to get off the bulls eye express now that the declaration has been sent?". She looks around to see if anyone was gonna bite.  For herself, it wasn't like she had anywhere else to be or anyone to be elsewhere with.

Arcas leaned back and crossed his arms. A superweapon? Why does the Empire need a superweapon? They already hold the galaxy by the throat. Devon's rather dramatic explanation intrigued Arcas.

"Only time will reveal the ability of the Alliance. I'm willing to give them the benefit of doubt for now." Arcas answered Mika's inquiry.

"Even if people did want out Mika I'd say the damage has been done.  Given the very public nature of this declaration, anyone caught involved in any activity considered Anti-Empire will likely be branded as a rebel.  I'd say discussing whether the declaration has changed our attitude towards the Alliance is moot as it most definitely will have changed the Empire's attitude.  If we resist the Empire, we're Rebels whether we serve the Alliance or not."

"Now I'm not saying we should join the Rebellion or stay independent, I believe we were going to discuss that after this mission.  I'm just saying whether we support the Declaration or not, the. . ." he pauses to remember Mika's term.  ". . .'bulls eye' is on us.

Fiarr snorted.  "Some morale officer, he's got me all depressed!"

"Well on that cheery note, what say we make plan to steal a whole heap of Imperial gear and then blow up a station!  Or watch it get blown up while we play with the fancy new toys we acquire!"

Devon chuckled.
"Sounds good.  Way me an' Cor figure it, when it comes to gettin' on to the station we don't want a plan thats too complex.  We need somethin' nice an' simple that we can adapt on the fly to whatever situation we find.  Anythin' too complex, anythin' with too many movin' parts... well, theres too much can go wrong, an' not enough flexibility.

We dont know what we're gonna find on that station, so plannin' much beyond our actual entry is tricky.  Once we're aboard the first thing we do is secure our exit, then take stock an' plan our next moves."

Devon nodded to the hovering droid.
"Cor, why don't you lay out the options for entry?"

"By your command," the droid owner's voice comes through, gentle and unconcerned.

"Having discussed options laid out, it is clear that we have two main options for entry: take the Gamma-class shuttle and pose as Imperials; or take command of an inbound freighter and pose as freight haulers.  Either will require a little in the way of deception, of course.  Assuming the guise of a freighter crew will place the team close to the stores, while masquerading as Imperials will potentially situate the team closer to military vessels and may grant better access to the station proper."

There is a pause for several seconds.

"Further considerations are worthwhile: if we commandeer an inbound freight vehicle, for example, we already have access to supplies intended for the station and can unload those before taking the freighter to the station.  A freighter is also likely to be better equipped - one would hope - for hauling anything we manage to procure.  However, the assault shuttle will have better armour and weaponry which, as we are all no doubt aware, may become an important factor.

"Even if we take a freighter, therefore, we may wish to also bring the assault shuttle and have it waiting in case it needs to come in as fire support.  Though ideally," Cor adds with the faintest stress on that word, "we can exit without permitting undue pursuit."

"The gamma shuttle makes the most sense to me."  Kyvarr offers.  "We can pass off non-humans as prisoners, we can carry weapons, we know there's a prison camp at Despayre and we have a former Imperial officer who has made these flights before and knows what's involved.  We also have a better chance of survival if we have to flee in a military transport than a freighter."

Kira listens to the conversations, taking all the details. "The gamma shuttle could provide us with an excuse to be armed, though most freighters these days have at least some pistol as personal protection. Acquiring freight at the last minute could cause some difficulties....if we are late could raise some questions. If someone escapes or sends a comm, that cargo would be tainted. And, like Kyvarr said, if we have need to leave in a hurry, i'd rather a transport than a cargo freighter.

She sighs, but looks around. "...but there are freighters that are equally manoeuvrable, armoured and even armed as military transports, though rare they tend to do long trips through the outer rim's"

She sits back. "But the transport means some of us can appear more heavily armed even though some will be unarmed. I'm all for some firepower if needed."

Fiarr chuckles.  "I've noticed Kira that you've got a knack for laying out the pertinent points in all sides of the argument but seem to lack the willingness to take a side.  It's good to hear all sides, but the team needs your opinion as much as your analysis.  Kyvarr has made her point clear.  She prefers the more straight forward option."

"Me personally I'm more inclined towards finding an inbound freighter.  While I can't be certain until we know what ships are heading in, a cargo freighter has a legitimate reason to be at the station.  Sure we have the difficulties of capturing the ship intact without them tipping off the Imperials, but if we manage that we can fly right up, land and have an excuse to hang around while cargo is loaded or unloaded.

"The shuttle is a good backup option.  If we have some falsified datawork ready to go then all we'd have to do is slap on some uniforms, throw us undesirables in the hold and turn up.  I'm sure we can have that on standby.  Still, a little too overt for my tastes."

Kira couldn't help but smile at Fiarr's comments, and looking at her chuckled. "I guess i do do that...i never realised it until now.  Up until this group i worked solo or just followed my mentors lead. Working in a team like this is new to me." She took a deep breath, then looked at the group.

"As for my preference, I'm not a fan of straight forward, My attitude and frame of mind is more suited to a cargo hauler than a soldier, though if needed I could be the brooding silent type." She looked at Kyvarr and though that her demeanour was well suited to a soldier.

"Like you said Fiarr....we'd have a reason to be there, we can be more ourselves as merchants and cargo haulers, and instead of locking up some of us, we can have non-human crew, even though the imperial  may not like it they will respect it."

"If we decide to go for a freighter, we'd need to disable her quickly while we jam her comms, so the ship can not send out a distress call before we board her. Now, that would indeed give us a legitimate reason to be on the station but there is a risk, the Imperials know the said ship's crew already and that can give us more grief than not. And when aboard the station, we would have less freedom to maneuver due to being a freighter crew rather than Imperials.

However, if posing as Imperials we would probably need the proper identification codes that change ever so often - without them, we'd risk being shot down before we even land or, should we manage to land, face a rather in-depth interrogation about the reason of our being there.

Now, I find both plans manageable, and as long as I can get to a data junction aboard the station, I can most likely give us a slight edge compared to the Imperials. Even better would be if I can slip to a security terminal - that way I could work us in even far easier, but it is always a bigger risk as those terminals are most certainly being held under guard."

CC9 speaks up at that point in its usual grating monotone.  "Assumption based on insufficient evidence: the Imperials force may or may not know the identities of freighter crews.  We do not currently have that information.  In the scenario that the station is - unwisely - utilising civilian freighter companies to remain supplied, it is more probable that the officials have no details on the exact crew complement beyond numbers, but it is also possible that such a freighter would be moving in a convoy, be more heavily armed than normal, or both.  It would be tactically unwise for the Empire or any civilian company working for them to allow a freighter to travel alone and without sufficient defences.  Capturing such a vessel, or group thereof, may require specialist support."

It then addresses the M4 droid and Devon.

"Request for clarification: do we possess intel regarding whether the station is resupplied by civilian freighters, Imperial military transports or both?  Said information may have a significant impact upon planning."

"I don't suppose we have any information on the Imperial running the place do we?"  Heigren queried.  "Everyone has their vice and if we knew the commander's that could be our 'in'.  Cor, you remember how the Colonel arranged a 'special pass' for you and her back in the Phindar system?  Bypassed all security there I heard and got a private limo ride to the target."

"Probably no time for that though." he sighs.

Aderek listens, he can't help but think one of the biggest factors would be the type and paterns of ships that frequently carry stuff to the station.  If mostly military, it could make the Transport the most likely candidate.  However, if mostly civilian, capturing a civilian cargo ship would be easier that taking over an armed station, the possibility of them getting a warning off, or having friends come to their aid would have to be weighed against the risks of forged security clearances for an unscheduled military transport.

"Another factor, I believe it was mentioned that a freighter would hold more.  If there are other ships at the station, and we have enough pilots and navigators, we could load and take additional ships.  Or even if pilots were limited, we could leave the transport and take a ship with more cargo space.  Honestly, I have to admit, if we can successfully forge the military ID for the transport, I find that deception more appealing than resorting to piracy to take a civilian ship to approach the station.  But we'll have to be prepared to do what is required."

"Yes, I recall, Heigren; I posed as a sex worker.  I believe I still have the outfit."  Cor sounds thoughtful as she recalls the time.  "It was a surprisingly effective cover, though it caused me some discomfort for various reasons at the time.  I doubt that ruse would work in this instance but, as you say, that may depend upon the commanding Imperial.  Unless we can tap some very relevant contacts extremely quickly I doubt we will have time to uncover any manipulable vices.

"CC9," she adds, "we have no hard data but standard Imperial procedures dictate that the majority of supply would be moved via the Imperial Supply Fleet, comprised of a combination of Imperial and civilian staff, guarded and inclined to remain along well-patrolled routes.  However it is also not uncommon for logistic officers to source hard-to-find or illicit cargo such as fresh regional food or contraband of various sorts, via purely civilian fleets.

"Mr Blaque, your advice on flexibility is wise.  One very possible consideration would be to approach the target prepared to enact either entry plan and to use whichever seems most prudent at the time.  How many Talons do we have capable of flying Y-wings or similar attack craft?"