The Commander stared openly at Arcas for a few moments then shrugged.

"Now there's no need to be quite so. . .Imperial.  From anyone else I might think you were being impertinant.  In your case I'm assuming you're merely following the Imperial doctrine to the letter.  To ease your mind Trooper, simply coming to attention and waiting to be acknowledged by a superior officer is sufficient.  We're not the Empire, but you of all people would understand the importance of chain of command.  Now be at ease and take a seat.  I want to hear your plans in detail."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:31, Mon 19 Mar 2018.

Zyra smiled.  "This expert on military ettiquette is Commander Nuth Nootka, chief tactical officer for the Task Force.  Unfortunately due to our size and lack of senior officers she holds double duty as Indefatigable's chief tactical officer.  I've briefed her on the mission Mark has assigned you and briefed her on our 'interesting' background."

"With our increasing responsibilities, Nuth will be responsible for providing strategic insight into your plans.  For now I'll still handle logistics but that may change as this Task Force increases."

"So please sit, and give us the long version of your plans.  You said something about raiding a transport?  I hope the plan is more detailed that that.  You do know civilian traffic would be heavily scrutinised after all?"

Mika was glad to have space under her, and the fleet behind her.  Hard to believe they ever got anything done, too many people telling them what was what.  The ship was flying well, maybe it was as anxious as she was to get clear of the fleet.

Lounging a bit at the pilots station, Mika thumbs the comms.  "We're well on or way.  No need to salute anyone for a bit."

Kira sits next to Mika in the cockpit, more relaxed than she has been for a while. She looks at Mika with a smile. "...and here i was hoping to throw a few salutes your way too 'commander Mika'" Kira has a huge smile on her face as she stretches in the seat.

"But you've got it right there....it's good to be out and doing stuff. Decisions as a group is something I'm not too used too." She looks at Mika with a serious face and a shrug. "Since's I've been on my own, it's been myself responsible for me. Before that i followed the lad of Tarrion, my mentor.  Good man....total scoundrel, but a good man." She smiled at the thought of her mentor.

Kira straightened in her seat. "I just hope we have enough caf to keep you happy until we return....Wouldn't want you getting hungry and blowing us out into space."

Kira was smiling again.

Att: Mika, Kira, B2-CC9

Despite Kira's predictions, the trip to drop off Heigren and Lin was quite uneventful.  Heigren kept mostly to his cabin and while in no way rude or unfriendly, he mostly kept to himself.  Lin occasionally visited him in his cabin, but otherwise the Zeltron was mostly unseen.

Once the pair was dropped off, the Ghtroc quickly received clearance and headed back into space.  It wasn't long before they were in hyperspace, heading towards their designated hyper point.  The navicomputer stated the journey would take less than an hour.

”Go have fun, girls”, were the Pantoran agent’s farewell to Mika and Kira before she departed the ship for her first objective - somewhere she could gain access to her assets she had not been able to reach from the prison planet or the fleet. For what she had in mind, she needed credits and some clothing, not to mention enough gear to disguise herself properly.

During the trip, the slicing simulation set up by Cor - originally on the Ghtroc - was populated across to multiple terminals for the assessment of the Talons' skills in this area.  The test is marked as compulsory for several members - most notably Lin, Fiarr, Mika and Cor herself - but the entire team is given access to the testing system.

As Heigren and Lin are disembarking, several Talons get pings notifying them of their test results.

:: Talon,

Here are your results for the Slicing Test.  Please note that these results are indicative of your performance in the test and are factored into planning sessions, along with actual relative success on field missions, in determining your suitability for specific roles within the Talons.  The higher your Level score, the better.  If you believe these results are not indicative of your actual skills, my advice is this: keep practising.



-- Talon Eleven, Cor Lambar ::

---

OOC note: Master Servious and I have hashed out a system of slicing tests, starting with a low DC and raising in difficulty with each level.  He has advised me of the results for a range of Talons.  He's made your rolls for you.  If you don't see your results above and want to take the test, or if you have any other queries, talk to him.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:39, Thu 22 Mar 2018.

Devon gave Arcas a brief nod - glad he had made the decision to bring the man along - Arcas' experience of how one was expected to behave in situations like this was a knowledge that Devon sorely lacked.

As for the Duros?  Devon took a deep breath and squashed the irritation he felt.  Devon knew he frequently behaved without the formality that was expected by military types, but it was hard to see beyond another example of the discrimination the Talons had faced from day one - back in the PHA - dealing with officers who were less interested in results and more in whether or not the unit passed inspection.  He hoped this Commander Nootka wasn't going to be like that.  Maybe he should talk to Kyvarr - get some coaching on how to act around the brass.

"Yeah - we have two ideas in the works at the moment, each with their own risks.  Our back-up plan - if we come across somethin' that makes us not like the main plan - is to use that stolen Gamma shuttle and pose as an Imperial prisoner transfer.  The non-human Talons will be the 'prisoners'.  We'll fake up a system fault with the shuttle that forces us to land at the station for emergency maintenance - that will give the shuttle a reason to stay docked long enough for us to do our work.
The main drawbacks with that idea are going to be faking a convincing paper trail for those who have to be Imperial crew and the shuttle itself, and as a prisoner transport we assume guards from the station would be assigned to help keep our passengers secure, which would limit our ability to move around the station."


Devon hesitated a moment, wondering what the first criticism would be, then decided keeping the momentum was the better option.  He turned to Arcas - figuring the ex-Imperial would be better able to dress up the plan in suitable 'officer speak', and therefore make it easier for them to get what they required.
"That was our back-up option for infiltration - Arcas will tell you our preferred option."

Nuth considered.  "Interesting idea.  I can see how it certainly plays to the strengths of Trooper Endeel."  She looks at Arcas.  "I'm sure you'd have no issue working out typical troop complements, supporting datawork and the like.  I'm sure we could also rustle up some realistic orders for you if needed."

"From reading the dossiers I'm not sure I'd simply seperate your prisoners by human and non-human.  Some of your non-human personnel could easily pass as Stormtroopers, while others most certainly would not make passable Imperials at all."

"I'm also not sure I agree with your supposition that the station would take responsibility for your prisoners.  I'd imagine they'd either leave them in your care or possibly offer to house them in their brig while you make repairs. The latter offers numerous possibilities and risks."

She waves her hands in a 'throwing away' gesture.  "But you said this is the backup plan.  Tell me your main plan then.  Trooper Endeel?"

Mika makes a face, "I never could stand the stuff.  Just the smell of it puts me off.  If I'm the one picking the drinks, it's fizz pops, at least for me."

When it came time to see Heigren and Lin off, Mika surprised Heigren with a quick hug.  "Don't get into more trouble than you can manage, the way we're all split up, there's not much hope of backup."

Heighten smiled and gave Mika a brotherly pat on the head.

"That's sweet. We'll be fine. You girls should focus on how you'll handle your part of the operation. Lin and I are on a blue milk run comparatively. The mission succeeds or fails based on your actions."

Heigren took one last look around then quickly left.
He turned to CC9. "I'm glad you're here to take charge of things.  Keep everyone safe.  Farewell."

Arcas came to attention. "Sir. As stated, the preferred method of infiltration is to masquerade as a standard, authorised transport that has come under attack and needs to attend repairs. The bulk of our current efforts are going towards finding such a transport in different methods: Discreet inquries at civilian spaceports, slicing local networks and monitoring spacelanes."

"Once a suitable vehicle is located, we shall capture it. For authenticity, we would require suitable strike force: Preferably a Y-Wing flight and a boarding transport. Once captured, we shall masquerade as its crew and land on the station, requesting additional time to effect repairs."

"The repairs will provide cover and obfuscation for the sabotage team, who will cause a maintenance alarm serious enough to provoke an evacuation order. The details for this sabotage are still undetermined, so any additional intel on the station itself will be helpful. But regardless, the Talons are confident that they can pull it off. Meanwhile, another team will locate any important supplies and mark them."

"With an evacuation order, security around any non-secured cargo will be minimal, allowing a secondary team to get in, load the marked cargo and get out. The repairs will offer a good explanation for delaying the evacuation. There is a good probability that any spacecraft defenses will be busy with the evacuation traffic, so exfiltration will also be a simple affair. For extra security, we can have an escort force to engage any pursuing craft."

"I'll be happy to answer any inquiries in detail. Sir."

The Commander considered.

"An interesting synopsis, though lacking in any detail Trooper.  You're suggesting a quite intricate, multi-level plan with no real clarity."

"For example, you haven't clarified how exactly you plan to find an 'authorsied transport' in less than the five day window you have.  How many transports traverse to the station in that time?  Do they have escorts?  Do you plan to take a ship mid-flight or hope it makes a second trip?  How do you plan to explain away the absence of crew, or more importantly your non-human crew?"

"As for your boarding crew, why does your strike package require 'authenticity'?  Are you planning to make the strike in range of other vessels?  What is your plan for the captured crew?  How will you ensure credentials that will pass Imperial scrutiny?"

"Then we get to your strategy on board.  How do you plan to create this 'catastrophic maintenance failure?'  Who on your team is going to pull that off and how?"

"So far you sound like you have a wish list.  I'm not seeing any statistical probability of success at this rate.  If you're holding back details I suggest you provide more information as I can't authorise support for a mission with such. . .ambiguity."

She held up a hand to forestall any response.  "That's not a no.  That's a 'not until you provide more detail'."

As it seemed Devon's meeting with the Colonel was taking its time and it was quite boring to just sit in the canteen sipping caf, Dohr put down his mug and turned to Aderek.

"So, how does the new arm feel? I assume you were given a basic stock model instead of something fancy? Although I have full confidence in the skills of the prosthetic experts they have here, I got the impression that you would prefer to build your own limb instead?

Of course we would require the facilities and materials as well as the time to do it, but I would be most interested in helping you out, when ever the opportunity arises. Although my specialities lie in general and combat medicine as well as surgery, I am very intrigued by prosthetics and cybernetics."

Zyra had been typing away on her computer  while Arcas spoke.  To the uninitiated it may appear she was not paying attention but Devon knew the Zabrak was a skilled multi-tasker and missed little.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:21, Fri 30 Mar 2018.

Nuth sits forward.  "Your ongoing silence is not filling me with confidence Troopers.  Do you have more information to share or should I consider this meeting concluded?"

Cor's personal M4 droid buzzes into the room, escorted by another droid, an admin model of some kind, by the looks of it.

"My apologies for my lateness," comes Cor's voice, offering no excuse for said tardiness unless asked to do so.  "Talon operative Eleven, Cor Lambar, attending via proxy."  Her M4 takes up position next to and slightly behind Devon; with a ping, its holoprojector activates and a full-size hologram of Cor herself appears next to the Talon leader.

Cor looks only a little different than when Zyra saw her last - a small, slender Umbaran woman, barely 1.6 metres in height, dressed in a simple but elegant business-casual outfit.  She bears several piercings, the surface stud in the centre of her forehead as prominent as it always was, but her septum, eyebrow and labret piercings are new.

More notably, however, are her eyes - clearly cybernetic replacements, obvious as such even in her hologram.

She stands with her feet shoulder-width apart, hands clasped lightly behind her back, watching the Commander with an even gaze.

Zyra smiled.  "Cor, how wonderful to see you.  I'm glad to see your injuries have healed.  I was go glad when I saw you and CC9 had survived the destruction of the Nightshrike."

Seeing her admin droid preparing to leave she waved him over.  "No Bobi, please stay.  In fact, you're the reason why I invited you here.  Plus, I think your colleagues need a moment or two to collect their thoughts."

"This is B0-B1, an independant droid who has volunteered to join the Alliance.  Given it's skillset, I thought it would make a wonderful addition to the Talons.  I was hoping if I made the introduction you would consider giving it a chance."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:12, Sun 01 Apr 2018.

Arcas drew a silent breath. The commander was, of course, being reasonable and conservative in the face of this a bit... unorthodox plan. But the objective itself was very demanding. And with these resources, this intel, any real planning wasn't going to happen.

He was just about to start explaining when the droids came into the room. Arcas listened to the introductions and nodded along. When an appropriate pause came, he gave a polite cough.

"More personnel is always appreciated." he said before turning towards the Commander.

"Sir. The fact is, right now we do not have any more detail. With a timeframe as constrained as five days, any plan is bound to have gaps in it that will have to be filled on the way.

The reasons we would rather acquire another transport than the prisoner delivery is that a more spacious vehicle could retrieve more supplies, and that implicating an external threat, the 'pirate attack', will focus the Imperials' attention off the station. If we locate an ideal ship, then the potential benefits outweigh the risks, at least in our opinion.

But we recognize that the issue, at the moment, is lack of intelligence and the details that you mentioned. So allow me to make a suggestion: We shall allow the recon teams to gather information for three days. If they find a suitable transport and preferably more information on the station itself, we will clarify the details and present the refined plan for approval. If they do not find any, or if you do not authorize the new plan, we shall use what we have learned and revert to the prisoner transport idea. With luck, the information we have gathered will help in determining how the... theft will be executed on the station.

For now, we would only need a couple of spacecraft for Trooper Kismet and myself to aid in the recon efforts and any personal gear the recon teams might require."

Arcas hoped that the commander would see the rationale on finding out more about the station itself.

Nuth shakes her head.  "Again Trooper Endeel, you need to clarify.  By a 'couple' of ships I assume you mean two.  But what type of ships are your requesting?  Do you have a flight plan for me to review?"

"You must also admit that 'any personal gear the recon teams might require' is so vague you never would have authorised it to troops you commanded as an Imperial.  I need a requisition list."

Alert: Mika, Kira, B2-CC9

The Ghtroc flew through hyperspace towards it's assigned hyperspace lane.  The navcomputer estimated less than an hour before reversion to realspace.  The ship had been quiet since Lin and Heigren had disembarked.  Despite the fact Heigren had been far from his usual self, his mere presence always seemed to make a journey more pleasant.  His absence was felt.  Even Lin, with her very outgoing personality had made an impact.


Alert: Fiarr, Kyvarr

The pair sat in the recreation room of Indefatigable and continued to discuss various land and space based strategies.  It was difficult due to the lack of intel but a number of possibilities were coming together.


Alert: Dohr, Aderek

The two medics walked towards the docking tube where Voidsong was currently connected to the corvette.  The pair had been chatting about cybernetics as they went.


Alert:  Heigren, Kira

Having landed on the transit station.  Heigren and Lin had quickly parted ways. It was agreed that they would split the station in half and work the various areas as they best saw fit.




OOC:  Seems to be quite a few people not posting so I have updated the situation for everyone not in the briefing with Zyra/Nuth.  You all have your missions.  You can post here or in PM (be sure to include all relevant people plus me in any PM's though).

A reminder that posting is meant to be a minimum of twice a week.  Please keep up else the game tends to falter.

Kira sat quietly in the co pilot's seat, cleaning one of her pistols as they drifted in the back void of space.  Since heigren left, trhe ship had seemed more empty, even though he kept to himself. Even Mika's comments when they left brought a smile to Kira's face...though the usual charismatic Heigren had little answer (Which secretly disappointed Kira a little)

Now it was just Mika and Kira, things were even quieter. She looked at the woman with a sigh. "Well, here we are, floating in the dead of space watching for ships to pass by....gotta love our job!"

"I am not aware of your full starfighter suite, so I did not want to presume. But for the recon ships two BLT-A4 Y-Wings with long-range sensor equipment. No ordnance is required. Failing that, two Z-95 Headhunters."

"For the rest of the equipment and the flight plan, I believe Trooper Kismet has a more comprehensive list and information," I hope, Arcas added in his mind.

Nuth looked to Zyra.  "Colonel, I was led to believe this team was given details of our full complement and available ordanance, was I in error?"

She turned back to Arcas.  "To clarify Trooper Endeel if you are referring to starfighters we have two incomplete squadrons consisting of seven Z-95 Headhunters and six Y-Wings, four of which are the A4 single-seater A4 variant the other two are the S3 two-seater model.  We have no Longprobe models available."

"As for equipment as you can imagine I can't list it all off the top of my head.  You should have received an equipment list, if not I will ensure your quartermaster receives it."

"Now, about this flight plan?  She turns her gaze to Devon.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:57, Mon 02 Apr 2018.

B0-B1 nods somewhat at the colonel. As you see fit, colonel.

He turns his attention to Devon, Arcas and the projected image of Cor.
Greetings. I am B0-B1, programmed for protocol and sensitive information delivery. Colonel Jax believes that my particular skills might aid you in your endeavours. Time will show whether that is correct, I shall do my best to fulfill her expectations. To whom shall I defer as squadron leader?


OOC; apologies, spelling stopped my post doing what I wanted it to so it’s a couple of posts later than intended
This message was last edited by the player at 08:45, Mon 02 Apr 2018.