He  holds up his   cup of coffee,..no thank you, We had that sent up, as we heard  certain officers, preferred that...  he smile a bit  as he  took a  some cut of steak.

  Playing around with a tiny potato, he asked, ..you were on the special teams.... soemtimes..special teams get roughed up... sometimes they score big....The Hyrians  are Hurting now, the Loss of life, just from the explosions  will be shocking..... The deaths from Dr Largerson's   juice..will be worse.....the effect of the fallout..well....They will be figuring that out shortly, unless they had all thier eggs in one basket..if they did?.. they won't have anyone to tell them why thier  people are dying, being mutated  and gettign sick....

 Taking the potato and eating it, he swigs  a sip of coffee and says,We will be turnign to Nivar, next..they had a ringside  seat of what happened to the Hillites  and the Hyrians.....now?.. they are stucking...just a bit  west of middle, in the beta  triangle ... fleets from 3  carrier/stations  can converge on thier   system.... I am hoping  for a quick battle there...

 Hack sits back a moment, sipping his coffee....what is your feelings on the   attack  on Hyria?

Karl arrived, a little short of breath...he hadn't run from the hangar, but he'd definitely been moving at a brisk walk.  He stepped into the room, still clad in his base flight suit, and snapped a salute.  "Sorry I'm late, Admiral, I came as soon as I got word."

He grinned slightly, and added, "I had to wait for my plane's berth to be cleared so I could land.  Looks like you all had plenty of excitement, this go-around."

  The Admiral  returned an easy salute, and Motioned to the food and drink. The smiled  just slightly as he said,Didn't think we'd get that close to the Flagship...The dogs are so used to fighting   in a line, or going against  one ship, they  didn't  make them to be attacked   from above and  below..Still..it helped  cause a greater  diversion , to keep Hyrian eyes  on the Fleet, and not their homeworld...

  Shrugging as he took another bite of  steak,..his  troops went off the rails though... they must be used to boarding and looting?, they caused some problems , to be sure. But had they had an organized attack.. we  might have had to seal off the whole hanger  dec, and retake it  with  Crew and SEC using elevators and the Engine room as sally ports....in the end? They paid a steep price for coming here, and for once..things worked out better then I had thought....

"Looking back at the history of the Fleet, Admiral, it's really saying something that this was a rare, 'better than expected' result.  You've seen success in situations where all rational analysis predicted failure."  Karl grinned easily.  His demeanor was that of a man accustomed to being around top brass...whether that was the case, or it was just the brash self-assuredness of atest pilot was anyone's guess.

  There was a  laugh as  The Admiral tried  not to be rude with his food. When he swallowed  he grabbed his  drink and said,....The thing out here?... There is no rational measurement?  On one hand we see thousands of years of  failure..but if you look close, its  thousands of years of...not trying....

 He sips his Coffee, and orderly appears with a fresh cup, Looking at  Sarah and  Karl top see if they want something.

 ..From my point of view... we are merely successful, because we are trying...what does not make sense... is the empire  ignoring our success? Counting on the likes of the EDT and EVOLs to undermine us? Out here? we can take care of  them, as brutally as we do the Empire.... there is a shrugs.

 Dr  Vix  arrives,..Captain  Nilsson? I do thank you for your aid..and once more..Thank Commander McKeon... There is a damn good bet we could have  launched...but getting back?.. not so much...

Karl grinned in response.  "Close air support is largely about helping troops get back home.  Granted, this wasn't exactly a CAS mission profile, but the principle was largely the same."  His face grew more somber.

"My condolences on those you lost down there..."  He wasn't sure what more to say...that they'd died a heroes' death?  History would judge that...and depending on who wrote it, they'd either be heroes who made a desperate sacrifice, or they'd be craven cowards who decimated a civilian target outside the combat zone.

"I'm not certain I'd have the courage to make the sacrifice they did," he added, thoughtfully.

  Dr  Vix stared at his drink for a moment....we had  ...quite the discussion. In the end, I  believe  we would have  hit close enough to do what the main purpose of the attack was.... My compatriots thought   it better to hit it ..as close to the target point as possible....Dr LArgerson's  data said there would be a 1% loss of  rads spread per each mile we missed by...ground  zero...would  ..in fact..increase the rad flow Because of the Water systems and  air currents... I would not wish to live on Hyria right now....


 Captain Trez spoke up,They kept their  ship's CAMs on the  whole way down..as near as we can tell... the  flew  right into the target..if they missed?  it was By Inches...

 He Looks around  at the  others,..I must point out. With out Dr Largerson, none of this would have been possible..it was good you saved him...

Karl gave a fleeting smile.  "I don't deserve any credit for that.  It was already done and in the history books by the time I joined up with the Delta Fleet."  He glanced down, then added, "I've been part of delivering his compounds to the enemy on multiple occasions, though...and he has definitely saved countless ESN and APF lives."

  Hack seemed pretty relaxed as he   drank his  coffee,..Largerson's daughter , had a hand in that... we  still may have got him out of there?..but  the cost would have been alot higher.

 Si came over  and  smiled at Sarah,so?... Commander... as commnader, to Commander..how  do you like  your stint in the Delta Fleet, thus  far?

In reply to Sarah McKeon (msg # 70):

Sarah nods, "So you know sir, certain officers appreciate the gesture." She says using a similarly cryptic tone as the Admiral. "As to the attack, sir. Well I think it definitely achieved it's ends, the tactic is not something I'd have recommended myself. Personally I favored an engagement of using corvette, fast attack ships and the ships they knew were here to draw them into an encircling kill zone that precluded any escape. However, as to it's effectiveness it was swift and effective in saving ESN and APF lives and sending a message that any smart enemy commanders would be fools not to listen to." She raises her mug, "here's to them heeding the warning and surrendering, or here's to them not and continuing to underestimate us." Sarah nods in greeting to Karl, "Captain Nilsson," She says as he joins them.

She smiles at Dr. Vix, "The pleasure was ours Doctor. The way the Ironwood was built makes her an excellent extraction vessel. For us it was more of a snatch and grab than an actual combat mission. My condolences on the loss of your colleagues. Their actions have saved countless lives to be sure." She says.

Commander Si chimes in and Sarah turns her conversation to her, "Well Commander, it is definitely different. In Alpha Fleet Admiral Sientes takes care of his people but tends to focus more on his Officers, whereas Admiral Hack is well a soldiers soldier, if that makes sense. He leads from the front, whereas in Admiral Sientes is kind of a mix of the worthwhile parts of St. Gaul and Admiral Hack, a good mix I think. There seems to be a lot less favoritism here, where as in Alpha you have to be noticed and scouted to get good assignments. I was lucky and got scouted, wound up as Captain of the experimental Ironwood and then as special envoy. Especially since well I definitely try and lead by example with my people. Overall I'd definitely say I've enjoyed my time with the fleet, and I'm sure my people have enjoyed being at the tip of the spear as well. Honestly I think we are hoping for an opportunity to stay out here with the delta fleet and keep contributing." She says giving a longer explanation than she was accustomed to. Being the Commanding Offier on a ship had it's disadvantage, the first of which being a lack of peers.

   Dr Vix  and His  Captain  give  Sarah  a  smile and  move   off to talk with the Sanri.

   Commander Si nods , she seems a bit more relaxed, then most times...you will be  here,  for some  Time , Commander. We  will be visting Nivar  Next. They saw what happened to the  two...more...violent members, of the Triad... They  will not get a warning. Thier  warnign was the Niavrian ships  we have destroyed, and the  few  frieghters , the  ESN/APF ships  have  captured....

 Her eyes  strayed to  Evert, then to Hack, and Back to Sarah,...The Hillites ...seemed to be  , more noise, then threat... The Hyrians... did not seem as mighty .. i mean to say, we cannot   go Broadside to Broadside with them, but we can  take them on, as we see fit..... The Nivarian ships  seemed to be  heavier  gunned, then we were elad to believe.... and they have two moons  that hold Much inetrest to us, One has   some colonies  and   bases......the other..is not   populated, yet is a very livable place?...we think there are bases  there as well..but the  information we have .....recieved..seems  a bit  tainted.

Karl nodded, acknowledging Sarah's greeting.  "Commander," he said, with a smile.  He sat back and listened to McKeown's answer to Commander Si's question, fleeting grins sneaking into his expression at various points.

When Si presented the information about the Nivarians, Karl cleared his throat quietly.  "We shouldn't forget that black cloud that hit us in the asteroid field..." he said grimly.  "Don't know that we can count on the Harvestor being able to hand-crank her ion cannon into firing position again."  They'd been tangling with Nivarians when that...thing...had turned up.

  Si  gave Karl a  smile and slight bow of her head,..That cloud, is  in the Asteriod Field..Thus far, it   has not interfered  with us, save  for when we transgressed into the field... we will face it again, to be sure...but  The Nivar system, is well away from the field.

   Hack  finished his   food and handed  his  items to the orderly , then  refilled his  coffee cup and fixed it with milk and sugar. Once done, he stood up and   spoke over the conversations...

  Please... I need your attention, though you may continue   with  eating and  drinking.... To the Captains  on thier ships, I apologize  for the COM only conferance, but  i have Given   Beth the rest of the Night off to recover from her wounds, and Lily is covering  regular COM traffic....so..Bear with me... Please... Captains   hit your  Buttons  so i know you are on.....

 He   watched  and waited. Nemesis was the first light on..Hera.and Ajax  did not light up....I Understand  Ajax and the  captured Flag ship is  heading to Fuji  as we speak... Hera?

 There was a bit of  static  as  Hera's Captain came on,..Soory Admiral...our COM tower was destroyed by a suicide  fighter.. we are working on it now....I have a Jury Rigged  COM system , that should get us through the briefing...

  Thank you , Hera.... then I will begin.....

  ...Before I go over the Next step in our campaign , I will have Dr Vix  debrief you all....

 Dr Vix   refilled his  Drink and, for the sake of those in the Offcie , Punched up a View of the Hyrian Home world.

 ..Thank You , Admiral Hack. Now? I would  want all Ship's CAptains  to pull up View #6 from your Discs , that you recived  before  Jump Off...

  He looks at the  holomap on the desk in the Admiral's  office....what you are seeing, is the Model  Dr LArgerson made of the  effect and spread of the attack on the Hyrian Home world. I can say... the  model is not  quite  right. The spread, will be  wider, with more concentration, then the Model allowed for. The Hyrians  are about to suffer, the worst possible scenario , of  Plague and Radiation.. as well as the   huge  fires  that are   burning ..well...out of  control.  The smoke  from the fires are adding  to material in the air, that the contagion can bond to, thus, spreading it  farther...better..then we could have hoped...

 ..if will take them weeks..if not months   to get the fires  controlled..By then, the sickness  wil  have started to claim lives...and..of course..  those effected  by the bombs effects will  have  been dead for some time...when the Hyrians  contact us...we will have to enforce the fact... that we can do this again..and more importantly..we must be willing , to do this again... The  northwest Hemisphere of Hyrian, will be  a very hard place to live in..if living there is possible at all.... the  North East Hemisphere will  begin to  feel effects  from both the Bombs  and the  plague..it should take  two weeks, before  the first of the sickness hits them.... There Southern  Hemisphere will only suffer  lightly, but anyone  who carries the sickness with them, could spread it there...The Hyrians  have a lot of choices to make....   

In reply to board (msg # 81):

Sarah nods at Commander Si's assessment,  "I wonder what they sacrificed for the extra firepower.  Perhaps armor or speed. As to the moons we'd not be opposed to going in dark and passively scanning them, or having a little fun and punching their flagship right in the bridge and then bounce out taking the long way back. I doubt they'd be able to catch us as long as we zip down their middle. It'd definitely Let them know we can hit them any time any where we feel like. Perhaps even convince them they can't stop us if they tried. Or to pull a play from the Hyrian homeworld attack, fill a shuttle with a nuke or two and rig it for remote operations though again go for their flag ship, and hit them in the pride of their fleet."

When Hack stood she stopped speaking to let the meeting begin.

  Evert stood  near the Sanri as she listened  and looks at the map. Her face   hard..cold  mask of disapproval .

  Hand Nodded to Dr Vix  as he finished...Now..what is the Next Step?  We  will be going   to Nivar...depending on the reaction we get from them.. we will bombard.... invade..or..simply , Blockade them.. they have been getting desparte since we have blockaded   the Hittlites, and Hyria  is not known for Merchant traffic, as  far as sending things out...they gladly...take things in.

 ..Captains..pelase view #8.... You will see the Golden planet of Nivar... deep blue and green oceans... lots of  sand... and  large tracts of   thick Jungle....The  export the   animals they have   for food  or pets..some..as guard  animals... their Seafood is  supposed to be the Best in The Black.. we will soon find out...

 ..Hidden in thier merchant   fleets are  Raiders.. Cap ships disguised ,,and they will pounce on any Vessel they think they can handle... Hillites  bring the  slaves.or? they take them, themselves for uses  as fisher men, farmers  and ..pleasure... They are  taller the  humans by a foot or so..but they are thin, and gangly... they aren't known as warriors , but they have been know to  fight hard..boarding parties are thier   bread and butter.....

 Thier Cap Ships  are on par with ours...Just as fast... doesn't seem like they are as well armored... their weapons  are  about the same level. No Hard Ammo, and from what we saw... their   ships  don't react well to be pounded by hard ammo... we need to  watch out for the   Nivarian Rays...fast. sloops  sized  vessels.. can hit  and run they carry  some fighters.. but their main thing  is, zipping in..firing, zipping out..out  fighters  may be able to take them out, on their own...but they will do their share of damage...

 .... from out last encounter  with the Nivarians...we  are  going to come in hot..  They won't be able to see us..i will send one message..if they do not give the answer we wish to hear..then  they will get bombarded....



..two moons.... One ..we  call the Black Moon,..has  two bases on, that serves  as thier  main Fighter  launch points.. one on each pole.. it  isn;t very  nice place to live, but..we have seen worse.... The  Green Mon, is  lush..supposedly , there are no bases allowed there.. but  agents have caught flights of   fighters  darting in and out, from time to time....so..we might have to neutralize the moons first...

 The Sanri spoke up,..and thier   Dogs...Admiral Hack...

 yes..thank you..thier  dogs.. 6 legged and fast..loyal tp theior masters  and love the taste of flesh.... Nivrians  don't  eat other  races...but they don't mind  rewarding  thier pest with some...

Sarah nodded in understanding to the explanation, though stays quiet as Admiral Hack lays out information that is common knowledge or should be at this point. She's not sure if he intends to lay out a plan or has brought his Commanding Officers together to formulate one.

Karl listened carefully, a calculating expression on his face.  He could warrant a guess or two at where his plane would be deployed, but he was curious to hear whether his assessment matched Hack's plans.

  As he looked  around, and answered a few  questions from the COMs, he  viewed the  moons. When the questions were done, he began.

  besides makign sure Nivar toes the line...we also need to be able to keep watch on them.... so?  As the Fleet Hails  them, and Moves inwards, to the Homeworld, we will be invading the   Black Moon.... the  objective is.... to overwhelm the forces there, and take over the Black Moon...That will become an outpost for us...and the APF will provide   Cap ships  to help  keep it that way.

 Capt Roles  and his EMS ships  will try to hit any Cap ships with their Ion Cannons, hopefully it will screw up any targeting they can manage... When we control that moon we will be adding buoys in areas on that moon, to  help spread our  Scanner cloaking....be advised? we are at the edge of the  reach, of the scanners  a The Line...so, we will be popping into view, as we move in and out of the fringe.

 ..if things work out the way we wish.... we will also send   teams down to the green moon to establish more buoys  and further  cement the scanner  cloak area...The  Green moon is dangerous, because we do not know what's  there..outside of  some  nasty flora and fauna...again..agents  have reported fighters  flying in and out...there is a good  bet, they had to build thier bases under ground, so they would not effect the  surface, like the  Black Moon.

 Commander  McKeon and Capt  Nilsson will ride shotgun with  two of our duces... The Achilles  and  Nemesis will be  sending  down shuttles as well...Hector.. lost a lot of its boarding crews  on the Kennel, so they will be held out, until they can get their teams  filled out again.... Transport Shuttles  will be dropped 1 hour  after the   assault shuttles have landed...Further  instrutions  for the   assault teams will be given, closer to drop time.

 Our Cap ships will form thier  Line, but we  will travel from pole to pole. around the planet... the first order of business.. will be  to  seek and destroy any Cap ships that  don't stand down... the second , is to shell the planet, as we did the Hillites....knowing the   Nivarian  interests in trade, both legal and illegal .. damage that a fleet of Cap ships can do, should make them knuckle under, quickly.

 Evert spoke up,..Admiral Hack..... The delta Fleet has  come here..they have  savaged the Hilltite system... you have  crippled the hyrian home world..now?.. you are going to attack a system that is..at worse..pirates...at best...illegal traders?

 Hack did not even try to hide  the distaste he felt for the question.....These peoples have ravaged the    beta Triangle for years... safe inside thier own triangle...rarely did   the Beta fleet catch or destroy a pirate ship..much less   the Hyrians... and Nivar  gets a free pass, because they are..'as bad'....The Triad must be broken, to ensure  we have as firm a grip on this quad, as the Delta Quad..perhaps.... If the Verians would have been more active... and the Beta Fleet more...'ESN'.. then we would not have to do this.

 ....why are not the Beta Fleet  represented  at this meeting?

 ..i will tell you this.....The Beta Fleet  has to repair two Hyrian Vessels and have them ready for the Beta Fleet... they will have to  watch over thier own house...The reason You are here, is to see who is transferring to the Delta Fleet from  Veria....the second reason The beta Fleet is not represetned, is  Admiral St Gaul is  in bad shape.. Thier senior Captain Tunsol, is in command, and he is wounded as well... Von Bern managed to get through the  fight with one  kill, and no damage to his fighter....i'll let that sink in...

Karl gave a nod...he didn't know where he was going, exactly, but he knew what he was doing.  Flying overwatch was what his plane was made for, and he found himself looking forward to flying an engagement under circumstances that were optimal for the Morningstar.  The thing had never been expected to fly exo-atmospheric combat missions, and certainly not to tackle the larger space vessels that he'd been shooting at for the majority of the past several missions he'd flown.  While he regarded his continued existence as proof that the design was more versatile than the designers had ever envisioned, he knew he'd feel better flying it against the kinds of ground targets it had been built to attack.

Sarah nodded, the Ironwood excelled at rapid insertions. A side effect of the quick legs that her designers had given her. Perhaps the designers had been too forward thinking anticipating their design being used to stop smugglers and interdict freighters, but the  result was the same. Raising her hand Sarah asks, "will we be carrying the shuttles our will they be going under their own power?" She had her fighter flight to consider which while only two fighters could provide additional eyes and cover for the Ironwood and the shuttles during the mission unless the Admiral had other plans for them. She also internally eagerly waited to see which if any of the Verian commanders would abandon their worlds policy of isolation and appeasement to join the APF effort.

   He Pointed to Sarah and nodded at the question,..The  Shuttle s will be going in on thier own.. you and  Capt Nilsson  will be their escorts , of course, as well as a  flight or two of fighters...Each Cap ship will send a Flight  with the shuttles, , and their remain  fighters will fly cover  for  the Fleet and  try to keep away  the Nivarian Fighters  as these pesky  sloops

 ..our own sloops  will be harassing    the Destroyers  , and even Cap ships,,, Nivar was to be home of cowardly Slavers  and  thieves ,  It did not look quite so much like that, when we had  an encounter a few  weeks ago...but then again, we did not have our own intel to go on.

   He Turns to Evert and says..we cannot spare you any ships while you try to recover from the last attack. I did  send the  Transfer requests.... Will your people  be  permitted to  bring their ships?

 ... I am afraid not , Admiral HAck. The loss of  2 of our CAps ships, and the damage done to the other  two, will not allow for this, we will need all the ships we  have..down to the  last Sloop.. And.. I do not think there were be that many..

 ...700....

 ..What?.....

 ...700   Verians, in the first hour...but?..we need a place to Put them

 Evert Bowed slightly,..That sounds as if it is more  your Concern, then mine...700 verians..is..unheard of.

  Hennings cleared his throat and  said,.... The Saladin  is ready.. we will chagne the name , of course... And the Hyrian Destroyer..needs....16 more hours  before she can sail..

 ..16 hours?

 ..they took alot  of damage , Oliver?  best that they could  do.

 Right then.... Tell the ranking transfer Officer  to divvy up MArines  and Crew, and those  two ships will be theirs... as long as they wish to sail with the delta Fleet.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:19, Thu 17 Nov 2016.

Karl listened quietly, no expression on his face...until he heard about the Verian volunteers.  An eyebrow shot up in surprise, and a hint of a smile appeared.  He made himself a mental note about judging an entire populace by the actions of its leaders, with a quick nod of satisfaction.

"Admiral?  Is our role in this primarily to defend the shuttles?  Or are you expecting us to undertake our own offensive actions while in atmo?"  He glanced over at Sarah and shrugged, with a sheepish grin.

"Just want to know what kind of load-out I need, munitions-wise..."

  Hack  Nodded to karl at his  question,... your  first order of Business is to get the shuttles to the Moon..after that, Targets of  opportunity are up to you... since the  end goal is us taking over the moon, anything Nivarian, is a target.

 Once its  Time for the shuttles to go home... your escort jobs  will be back in force..... The Ironwood may also be called  upon to  pick up  scatter units, but?  i am hoping   we don't have scattered units.

 Some of the Captains asked   their ship's roles and Hack would explain to them their part, which isn't  any different from the Hermes herself,

 Evert asked the last question,... When will i know how many of the transfers you accepted, will be granted?

  Hack allowed himself a good  chuckle,..My dear Admiral..all of them  will be accepted... they  will be  going on thier own ships, so we do not have any problems  with intergrating them into the Crew....if....they perform well... We may be open to allowing them on other ESN Vessels..until then They will have  the  two captured ships , as thiers... and we  will be renaming them, so they  have  a proper feel for thier    new crews...

...and? I have no say?

 ..none..what  so ever. These people want to fight... i am giving them a chance...

  ..and you have  no worries, that they may be captured...and what the Empire  will do to them?

 ..I always worry  about  my people, Admiral....but every one in the fleet faces the danger of 'what they will do to them'..That is  why, the Hermes is in the front, rather then Hiding in the back... If  i will not risk My self...My own ship? How could  I ask  others  to ?

Sarah nodded in understanding, time to start running SIM for a seek and destroy. The type of missions that Corvette's and their Captains lived for. It was too bad they didn't have one or two other corvette style ships they could run together and swarm any opposition destroying it quickly and then scattering so as not to become a target themselves. Captain Nilsson's craft was as far as she could tell a large fighter likely designed for Air Support. Less for the engagements a Capital Ship would be able to engage and support which the Ironwood found itself. That being said beggers couldn't be choosers and insertion of the teams had the opportunity to end either like the last mission or very poorly. She started planning in her head as the 'esteemed' Admiral Evert attempted to squabble over the lot she'd ended up with after her selfish decisions.

As the meeting broke up Sarah and her team made the rounds one more time with those that were there. She thanked Admiral Hack for his hospitality, and then gathered her people to return to the Ironwood, the'd honor the dead as a crew and be grateful they'd lost no one this time around. Fate wasn't always so kind.

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