The Command Quarter's Ready Room is sparse, but open enough to accommodate several dozen people comfortably in seating. The center is dominated by a holographic display used for tactical and strategic analysis and planning of Astral operations. Currently it shows the strange hemispherical shape of Hallus station in orbit around rebuilt Anatoli. Liandri Corporate holdings operated the other quarters of the massive station hub and had rebuilt most of the damage on the jungle covered world once know as Nergal, before the Marduks were slain by the Brotherhood and the planet ravaged by war and zealots. External monitors arranged around the room display digital images of the outside of the station, with attention drawn to the docking bays and the comparatively small ships moored to the enormous hull.

The central display is teeming with commercial, civilian and military flights. The twin fractured moons of Erra and Irra gracefully following each other with their debris fields near the edge of what was considered to be Antolian Space.

Docked outside on the massive mooring spars are your ships, undergoing final checks as the new crew members are moved onboard and the older more experienced crew inducts them and makes sure the ships are ready for their new skippers. You have not had a chance to meet your men yet, but that can come soon enough. For now, you arrive one by one to the ready room which is otherwise empty at the moment.

For the first time in your careers, you are command officers and you will now be able to meet your peers. You have some time before the Master Star Commander arrives to greet you and give you your orders. There is a small table with water, caffe and some sort of local fruit as refreshments...

Oscar entered the ready room and was pleased to see he was the first in. That meant he could pick the best seat. Oscar made a beeline for the caffe and poured a generous helping in his cup, ensuring there was just enough creamer to neutralize the acidity that was the standard for Astral Service caffe. Refreshment in hand, Oscar brushed off some stray powdered creamer on his uniform and looked over the monitors. The small collection of ships was like a warm cup of caffe to him, his refuge in the chaos of the universe. He knew ships and he couldn't wait to command his own warship instead of some salavge ship in the backwaters of the Hegemony.

He continued to stare at the comings and goings as he waited for the others.

Arne strides in wearing service dress & combination cap; his smile is easy, and frame lanky, with broad shoulders, fair hair, and light eyes.  He gives a friendly nod to the other man sitting; he followed that lead and got some caffe; black, and tried the local fruit.  He walked over, eyes scanning the monitors, and then turned.  "Master Arne Karsen." he said by way of introduction, extending a hand.

Diana was the third to enter. Short, with a lithe build and a youthful face, she looked more like the daughter of one of the officers rather than one herself, and yet the markings on her uniform were unmistakably similar to those of the other two officers present in the room. Hair that was pale enough to be considered a grayish white was tied up in a bun behind her head.

She looked at Oscar and Arne, and gave them a quick nod in acknowledgement of their presence. Going by Arne's outstretched hands she assumed the two of them to be in conversation and, with her not knowing how long the two of them had been talking, it seemed her best not to stick her nose in. She went over to the small table, taking a plate and helping herself to some of the fruit before leaning back in her seat. Briefly, she placed the plate on her legs, freeing up her hands to pull at her cuffs, before taking a bite, plate close to ensure her uniform remained immaculate.

Oscar took the proffered hand and noted the other man was a Master as well. "Master Oscar Hargrave. Please to meet you. What ship is yours?", he asked and gestured back to the displays. He then looked at the woman that had come in, also a Mistress by the uniform. He gestured to her as well. "Join us! I promise I won't bite, but I can't speak for Master Karsen," he finished with a smile.

A scarred, older gentleman in uniform opens the door. Short but stocky, head of brown hair with streaks of white.

He does a quick scan of the room and it's occupants. His hands, neck and half of his face appear to have chemical burns and small shrapnel scars and cuts can be seen along his brow.

Satisfied he appears to be in the right place, he walks in and walks over to the caffe. He busies himself with preparing a cup but it is clear he is listening into the conversation.

In reply to Oscar Hargrave (msg # 5):

“The Sigfred.  I feel honored.   Tip of the Spear.  You?”

Arne smile wryly at Hargrave’s comment.  He raised a hand in a small gesture.  “I’ve heard there’s a few promotions.  New ships all the time.”

“The Harald Wartooth. Glad to be in a true warship! At least one that I wasn’t leveraging out of an asteroid,” he said and looked at the folks that had started to pile in. “Seems like we are in good company.”

A wry smile comes across the older man's face. In an accent immediately recognizable as fairly Bothislian he jokes

"Ah...iz that where these metal beasts come from? Asteroids? Back on Both I waz told that when a mother and father cruizer loved each other very very much. . ." He says, pouring something out of a flask into his caffe. The smell of cardamom fills the air. "Though, I wonder which way involves less clean-up?"

An arched eyebrow in silent mirth

Oscar laughed. "Not sure, but I know one is probably a lot quicker than the other." Upon hearing the accent, Oscar smiled and extended a hand. "Oscar Hargrave, of Cova Sparka. Please to see another Bothislian around." Oscar's own accent was slight but there is you listened.

"Zazan mysh, Cova Veno." He says taking Oscar's hand in a very firm handshake, polite by Bothislian standards. "Cova Sparka eh? Ever meet a Pilot by name of Gigan? That zerrok still owes me an ejector seat."

- "Seems there's more than a few Bothislians climbing the ranks today."

Diana looked up, placing the empty plate back on the table before getting up and straightening her clothes. Her own accent was there, but faded, the way it did when it had been away from their homeworld for a long time.

- "You'd think the cities were overpopulated."

She began walking in the direction of the small gathering around the caffe machine, offering a handshake of her own when she was close enough to.

- "Diana Hersson, Cova Thakun."

Oscar cocked an eyebrow but shook his head. "Not sure if I remember, but the name sounds familiar. Who knows if it was just one I heard in passing. You know how the Cova life can be," he commented and smiled while he shook Diana's hand. He turned and presented Arne. "This is Master Karsen, unfortunately I'm not sure if he has a Cova," Oscar said as he chuckled at his own joke.

Diana chuckled in response.

- "Oh, i know. I don't have a lot of memories from there though. I'd tell you where it is, but i'm none too sure myself anymore, and with our people's tendency towards secrecy, i doubt they'd share that information willingly."

She gave an apologetic shrug, continuing shaking hands with the others as they were being introduced.

Pausing at the ready room entrance, Volsung used the moment it took to iris open to tug his uniform straight and brush a half-imagined piece of lint from it. He heard the muted conversation within, let out a breath as he realised he was the least early of the new captains. No matter, he hoped, painting on a smile as those there were revealed, and him with it.

Lean and tall, like most Volarans, his temples and neck were marked with the tattoos and sub-dermal circuitry that was common there - the latter faintly bluish in the light they emitted. Subtle cyberware, top of the range, like the jack at the base of his neck. Otherwise, he was unremarkable in the same Ship Master's uniform as the rest gathered, his hair and beard dark and close-cropped; his eyes brown and friendly; his skin burnished, folk joked, by the forges and shipyards that his homeworld of Volaris was known for.

He smiled easily, and stepped into the room, moving to where the others chatted, waiting for a pause into which he introduced himself, "Volsung, commanding the Angantyr and before that XO on the Franklin". His eyes flicked to where their vessels were docked on the screen, his smile twitching further in anticipation as he did

He omitted his surname, knowing the others would read it from his uniform and hoping that omission distancing him from House Takagara, at least enough to establish himself first
This message was last edited by the player at 06:20, Sun 19 Jan 2020.

In reply to Oscar Hargrave (msg # 13):

Arne smiled thinly “No ‘Cova’ for me; I am of House Lofót, sworn to House Æsgar, and am from Skyward.” He gave a small bow, and click his heels together.  “At your service.”

“Being the last son of a cadet house, though...well, it’s a good thing Im an Astral Force man.” He smiles again, more naturally, genuinely.

Diana tried to place Arne's accent and failing, though the answer as to why came shortly afterward in his introduction to them. She knew the Houses, it was common knowledge, especially for those that meant to make more than a local career, but that was not quite the same as being familiar with every detail of them.

- "Skyward, that's House Æsigr's Throneworld, right? Never been to the Core Worlds before, but they own Garesh, if i recall?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:47, Sat 18 Jan 2020.

The five of you talked in the quietness of the Ready Room, lit mainly by monitors and holographic backscatter and only the sounds of your voices and the soft tones from the main tactical display filled the room. The local fruit, a pear analog was syrupy sweet with a faint aftertaste of chilis that strangely blended well with the bitterness of the caffe.

Between words, the door tone sounded and the hatch slid open revealing two figures. The first, a tall and slender woman, looking more at home at a haut coutre runway than in a starship. She wears the same black-and-red uniform of the Indari Astral Forces that you do, but her cap is nowhere to be seen and her dress coat is opened unconventionally and hanging over her shoulders, long arms hanging beneath the mantle. Her collar is pointedly turned down and you can all see the white puckered skin of the vicious scar over her jugular. She bears it proudly like a badge of honor, marring her otherwise flawless complexion.

You're looking at a legend. Years ago she commanded the INS-Shackleton and encountered the Brotherhood in the Moril system where they started the war, attacking an Ranger Corps ship unprovoked. Despite a mutiny by UB infiltrators, she survived and they were able to drill back to friendly space and their efforts opened up the first front of the war. She looks older than the holopics you've seen, there's a tiredness fighting with her pride in her posture but as your eyes fall on her she subtly straightens, proudly bearing her shining Master Star Commander Insignia on her coat.

A woman behind her calls "Officer on Deck!" Your cue to stand to attention and salute your CO.

Zazan fluidly sets the caffe down and pops a clean salute. He does not immediately recognize her at first glance but soon realizes he remembers those scars.

He was still in service to house Solune at the time and those scars were still raw in the screens of the Eastern Command situation room.

If only he knew then how much that exact moment would change his life.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:54, Sat 18 Jan 2020.

Straightening, Volsung turns to face the Master Star Commander and snaps a crisp salute - which he holds, pleased not to be juggling caffe and snacks

At the sliding open of the hatch, Diana had glanced in the direction of the door, and as such when the officer walked in her body was already moving into attention even while her entrance was being announced. Spotting something next to her, she leaned over slightly in the direction of the group, whispering something below her breath for them to hear.

- "Not indoors."

She didn't think anything of it, given the Master Star Commander's fame it was normal to be a little nervous, and she felt that had she not checked the regs the day before she'd likely have joined them in saluting, but there was little to be done about that now. She straightened her back again, standing at an impressive 5 ft 4, waiting to be given the 'at ease' by the officer that had just stepped into the room.

Oscar bolted upright with the others, though not as crisply or fluidly as some of the others. His hand was already headed up before he heard Diana but her words killed the gesture before he completed it. Instead, he curtly returned his hand by his side and gave a slight nod to Diana. One way or the other, no one would be singled out.

Essena Valna, recipient of the Prince's Cross in Gold with Galaxies, one of the highest military honors bestowed upon a member of the Astral Forces, enters the Ready Room and returns your salute with a sharpness that surprises some of you, given her somewhat disheveled appearance. "At ease, captains." Both captain and skipper are informal terms often used to describe anyone who commands a vessel, regardless of their actual rank. Only once you reach the rank of Novarch would anyone refer to you as admiral rather than captain in an informal manner. The officer that follows her in attendance bears the insignia of a Star Commander, and seems to be MSC Valna's second-in-command.

The decorated war hero strides to the podium and turns to face all of you while the junior officer flanks her standing at parade rest.

"Ladies and Gentleman. It is an honor to have you with us today. You do not know me yet, but those who do know that I am not one to stand on ceremony and I have little patience for formality." Her face is somber and mask like through this speech. "However, the promotion to a command rank and the assignment to your first ship is a sacred rite of passage for all officers of the Astral Force and you are no exception. The Gods of War and Black Sky look down upon us each and every time we make these sacred appointments, so offer a silent prayer to them for your success and the success of Prince's Astral Forces."

She closed her eyes for a moment as if in silent contemplation.

"Now, each of you come forth and receive your insignia and assignment. Master Hargrave..."

She lists you off alphabetically, as you approach the podium, she affixes the crossed blades and rocket torch of the Ship Master to your uniform, removing the old torch-and-star of Ensign and placing it in your left hand. She states the name of your new ship's name, registration number and its class as well as the year it was commissioned to the fleet. She offers each of you an opportunity to say something to the group before moving on to the next promotion...
This message was last edited by the player at 22:09, Sat 18 Jan 2020.

Oscar approached the living legend, issuing a crisp salute to receive his orders and new rank. “This is an honor, ma’am,” he said before turning to the others. ”I promise to keep our ships clean and tight and in the fight. I already pray to The Leader, so here’s to hoping St. Jim doesn’t get tired of me!”, Oscar concluded and stood to the side to let the other captains have there honor.

When Zazan is given the opportunity to speak he gazes at the docked ships on the screen and says It never cross my mind that I would see such a day, when I would be favored with such a grand vessel. Not when I was a young duct rat, hiding from de bigger boys. Nor when  I was older and studying de schematics in school. Nor when I had grown and donned enviro-suits to keep Both safe. No not even four years ago when I joined Astral, and got in da float for de first time.

Turning to Essena, he concludes.
I can only look forward to what future lies beyond here."

Diana stepped forward when it was her turn, pausing briefly when she stood before Master Star Commander Valna, her voice trying to be clear, but nevertheless sounding a little too reverently than she would have liked.

- "Ensign Diana Hersson reporting, ma'm."

It was, in a way, barely above a mumble in volume, and she listened to the details of the ship she was to be appointed to. It was a corvette, much as she expected -- they didn't hand out carriers to unproven captains, after all! -- and listening to the others had her note she had the only Interceptor model. Two Karvis however, from the sound of it Command was anticipating ship to ship combat then? Still, that was of later concern, and when given the opportunity, spoke first to Varna, before following up with something addressing the group as a whole.

- "I will live up to the Hegemony's expectations... I shall be looking forward to working with you."

Last of the captains called forward, Volsung received his pips from the Master Star Commander quietly and with reverence. He knew her story, her sacrifice, and her presence here spoke to the sacred moment she had spoken of. When she spoke of their commands - name, registration and class - he felt the weight of it settle upon his shoulders. He had served, commanded but for the briefest moment but fuelled on adrenalin and desperation. Now, the fate of ship and crew sat with him, and he itched to know how they would first serve so he might rush and meet all three, ship, crew and fate.

He received his pips, met MSC Valna's measuring gaze and took a breath before speaking, "Shortly we will be a squadron, a wolf pack on the frontier from our vessels if I am not mistaken. We will rely upon one another, as we have whilst we have served the Astral before, and the Hegemony will rely on us as captains. I have offered my silent prayer for my own success, but I petition loudly for ours as comrades and worthy of our ships and crews"

Realise that Arne is still to post, but I'm sure when I will have a chance later today

Arne turned and saluted, but his eyes nearly popped when he saw MSC Valna.

He moved to a parade rest as well, and when his name was called he moved to receive his pips with a formal salute, and nothing more than a “Thank you, Ma’am.  On my honor and for the Hegemony.”

OCC: sry! big day yesterday!

You returned to your places and your commander returned addressed all of you once again. "On behalf of the Astral Forces and High Command, welcome to the 9th Fleet. You will be forming King Squadron and joining the rest of the fleet in the Fringe as part of Operation Hopscotch. The details are in your commpads, but the gist of it is this. Signal Intelligence has reported several listening posts have gone silent in the Dead Zone. High Command has dispatched Rangers to investigate, but the fleet is on high alert and staging in the area in case of an attack from Brotherhood remnants or... and I stress the unconfirmed nature of this carefully, possibly unknown forces."

"King Squadron is tasked to patrol Ultima Black, the farthest system in the Hegemony before the Dead Zone."

The holographic display switches to show the Ultima Black system, a nine planet system. The tactical display indicates that all but one of the planets are balls of ice with a single neptunian planet (Ultima Black VI) from the star boasting a ten moon system around it. Each of the ice worlds is massive, much larger than Haven, two to four times larger in some cases.

On the largest of the Neptunian moons hosts an outpost and refueling station and is otherwise the only known civilization in the system.

"This Ultima Black system is vast and empty of life as far as we know, however, the size and number of terrestrial bodies makes it an ideal location to hide ships in preparation for an attack on the surrounding system. Your first orders are to patrol Ultima Black and determine if there are unknown forces in the system. Nothing should be there, but if you encounter trespassers, you are authorized to engage if possible."

"After this briefing, you are invited to an informal gathering at the officer's lounge where you will meet some of the other officers stationed in this system and on similar assignments. After that, take the rest of the evening and report to the main hanger at 0600 to meet your crew and prepare to cast off."

"If you have any questions, now is the time."

Diana listened, and rubbed her chin in thought, a habit she'd picked up somewhere during the early years of her life.

- "So... hypothetically, if we were to run into unknown forces, what is the Hegemony's official policy on first contact?"

The Brotherhood, she could guess what the official stance would be, either an exchange of hostilities or, if the remnant force was too much of a threat, to fall back and await reinforcements. Unknown ships however, and very specifically unknowns rather than suspected known factions as well, that hinted at something hiding out in the Dead Zone. The Indari had just come out of a war not too long ago, she'd rather not trigger another one on her first assignment.

"The Hegemony considers Ultima Black sovereign territory of the crown. Unauthorized or unidentified vessels are trespassing and will be considered hostile. You are authorized to open fire immediately if they refuse to surrender."

"Ideally, you would want to ascertain the origins of this hypothetical mysterious vessel, but your squadron is there to protect the system and confirm the presence of hostiles in system and engage them if possible. Your priority as captains as always is to the mission and the safety of your ship and crew. Do not put either at risk simply for glory. There will be time enough for that in your careers."

Commander Mysh considers the information carefully. The squad's designation as "King" seems curious and he casts a glance at the nobility of the group.

Arne by his own disclosure is the last son of a cadet house, but that could be a dispersion. Volsung on the other hand seems more reserved and formal of the two, but he has not drawn attention to his lineage.

Perhaps there does exist a secret or two in this. But there'll be time for that later.

"Station Ultima Black VI iz prepared for evacuation should King encounter anything we can't handle?"

Whilst their commander laid out the briefing, Volsung pulled up the material on his compad: the stellar and system maps to understand the terrain and drill routes; their deployment orders to see which other elements of the 9th Fleet were in Ultima Black; their squadron's chain of command; and, finally, the supporting elements insystem. He was comfortable he understood how command envisioned the operation unfolding, but he was interested in how it might move sideways, and where the opportunities for confusion and isolation were.

Half an ear was kept open to the questions of his fellow captains, though. Such things told him where their experiences and concerns lay, and he had barely had a chance to introduce himself before the commander arrived

Diana nodded in response to the information, giving no apparent reaction to what she was thinking, other than the fact that she was thinking. When Zazan spoke up, she listened to what he said. It seemed he had a good grasp of the greater picture as well, which was good, though she disagreed with the specific wording of it. She spoke up again as well.

- "To be more specific, what is the strength and response time of the reinforcements we have available for this mission?"

An understandable question, necessary for them to make the kind of tactical calls in the field that they would be expected to. She very much doubted Ultima Black had been evacuated, such actions would practically be announcing the Hegemony was unable to hold that system, and an open invitation to the Brotherhood to make a foothold there. The Indari Houses were nothing if not proud, any units on Ultima Black's surface would likely be fighting to the death for the sheer symbolism of it alone, and as an ideal location for a listening post into Dead Zone itself the strategic value was at least as high.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:00, Mon 20 Jan 2020.

Arne took a half step forward and posed his question “Ma’am, while Im sure it’s on the commpad, would you speak to King’s OoB (Order if Battle) and command structure? Are we a task force of the 9th or one of several patrol elements? Thank you, Ma’am.”

Zazan gives a sharp little shake of the head to Diana's clarification "Nie-Nie, two different questions.

Station looks operational. I uh... Prefer not to worry about protecting station should trouble come.

Response times important too" he adds, nodding to Diana.

Oscar watched the others as they asked questions pertaining to the mission the squadron was about to undertake. They all made sense and he wouldn't have been able to ask any better ones. The idea of potentially hostile contacts that were not of the Brotherhood made him nervous, but the Indari Astral Forces were pretty strong, right? He hoped. In any case, that brought up a question that had not been asked yet. "Should we encounter unknown hostiles, what is the priority for intelligence salvage?"

"The station at Ultima Black VI is prepared for possible combat and evacuation if necessary. There is only a small crew, but their priority will be holding their ground and destroying sensitive data and equipment in the event of a forceful incursion. If possible, assist them in the defense of the installation." You know that your corvettes are one of the faster warships out there, capable of outrunning anything big enough to pose a real threat and out-shooting anything small enough to catch them. Against a comparable naval force, you should be able to stay one step ahead of anyone who might in system and pick your battles. One of the benefits of being a corvette skipper.

The commander turned back to Diana to address her question. "Limited. King Squadron and Ultima Black VI station are the only known presence in the system. The refueling station is lightly armed and is buried beneath several hundred meters of rock and ice, providing a possible secure location in the event of a battle as well as a strong point in the event your squadron needs to fall back in the face of enemy action, however it is not prepared for a siege or prolonged bombardment." You knew that to get a ship into the system would take roughly 84 hours just for the drill in, not counting the time required to send a message drone back to relay the request. Reinforcements were always in short supply in modern interstellar combat. You had to rely on tight planning and whatever in-system assets you had. "Four corvettes is a sizable patrol force and we anticipate that it will more than enough to secure the system." It makes sense. The system is important, but not so important that they would send larger warships and seasoned captains to protect it. Your mission data indicates that Ultima Black station has a pair of system ships, not capable of FTL but used for cargo hauling and research. They're not armed and won't be any use in a fight.

"Captain Karsen. At the moment you are a detached element from 9th Fleet operating independently. As the senior officer, I am appointing Captain Takagara as your squadron leader. I expect him to follow the orders given to you and make command decisions as befits a member of House Takagara and an Hegemony Astral Officer." She pauses for a moment, letting you consider this new turn of events. "You will find as command officers on assignment in distant systems that you will not have the opportunity to ask for new orders. Without the ability to communicate wireless across the vast gulfs of space between systems, you are expected to act on your own initiative and react to events as best you can with the information that you have."

"Captain Hargrave, don't concern yourself with that. If in the unlikely event you encounter unknown vessels, engage them to the best of your ability and come out victorious. We'll send in teams to salvage and analyze the debris if necessary. You may also have your datacores taken from your ships for analysis by Intelligence if they decide to do so in their wisdom. We're veering into speculation now, however. I trust that will satisfy you for the moment. If you have further questions, please refer to the mission briefing and orders on your dataslabs."

She looks at each of you as her gaze crosses the room.

"That will be all. Dismissed."



OOC: If you haven't already, now is a good time to read up on starship travel times in SWN. It's slow and tedious, getting places takes a while so read up on that before you plan what you're going to do or you might find yourself flapping in the solar wind. Also, if I haven't made it clear yet, there are no ansibles in this universe. You can communicate only at the speed of light so you have to send messages via courier ship or drone between systems. In the more civilized systems, there is constant courier/drone FTL traffic updating the communications relays. Don't worry about the details too much, just know that close range messages are instant, long range messages take hours and inter-system messages take days.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:58, Thu 06 May 2021.

Listening carefully to the final clarifications that the Master Star Commander offered, Volsung straightened when his command of the squadron was announced: it was not something he sought, not this early, but he recognised the need to name someone and his familial honour was enough of a sword to hang over him. He nodded once, acknowledging the responsibility, even as he noted her other steer on his compad - keeping him in the room for a few moments after everyone had been dismissed

Zazan arrives early to the ready room. Transmitting chess moves via ghost talk transceiver and catching up on correspondence.

Oscar followed shortly behind Zazan, greeting his fellow Bothisilian as he entered.

Diana was the third to arrive, having taken some time to talk with the various new members of the crew that had come up to her after her speech, and probing Valna about getting a Telepath as a Psych officer for the surviving Sigfred crew that would be folded into the other ships of King Squadron.

Zazan returns the greeting and shares his growing anxiety to learn what will come next as this new potential conflict is in its infancy and the possibilities are endless. Theory crafting can only go so far after all.

Chander had used some time to put in the additional request for psi gear to work with his captain. His typical request for gear had never been refused in the past and as they were unlikely to get much support the more unique gear he wanted for himself or others needed to be submitted before they left.

Ideally before more meetings. He would be there for more meetings though. His new appointment demanded it.

No more a part of the briefing than she was a part of the ceremony Sara sits with her captain and any of the other officer's from the Talos in attendance as she absorbs the information being provided, watching mostly the other people in attendance although it is clear she is still listening to the briefing itself.

As the other captains and XOs enter the ready room and they await the briefing to begin, Zazan asks, "Are any additional equipment requisitions required?  And ze Randver has additional funds from ze last tour available, I am thinking of keeping ze portion in ze coffers for future squadron needs.

What are your thoughts?"

Chander wasn't sure if the Navy way of submitting requisition forms would be quite the way that he was used to. Though he was pleased to find out the forms were similar and requisition numbers the same.

Since it was unit level gear it seemed wrong for a ship XO to request through fleet. He would have already double checked his dataslab to ensure proper protocols were followed for requesting Psitech. The TK sling and the psiblade would be filled out as well as a small pharmacy. He was used to different channels and it might still be right for him to use them here. If so, the packages may already be in his compartment. Either way it would not be an order placed this last minute. Though he looked to his Captain to see if she wanted to order any TK generators after learning he could power several for a time. He didn't say any of that however, waiting for cues or questions.

Diana looked at the others.

- "Well, the reward money is personal funds, i do not consider them part of King Squadron's budget in any way. We had a budget of eight and a half million to spend on ships so that part of the reward remains yours to do with as you please -- we spent a good portion of it to pad out the ship budget and upgrade the respective Armories already, including gear and Exosuit training if i recall."

Oscar watched and listened for the most part but when Diana made her last comment he spoke up. "On that subject, I have a surprise for the squadron. As you well know, we were vastly out-manned, if not outgunned, during our last mission. Using the generous prize money, I have secured a number of Nemesis-class walker combat drones and enough Centaur fire support drones to support them. These should provide a welcome boarding and ground operations force multiplier if needed. As you can see, I have undergone installation of the neural harness required to properly control them," he said as he turned his head to show the shore patch of hair with a freshly installed cybernetic component.

Oscar continued. "Due to the nature of control, I was required to do some research in acquiring wranglers and funding their own neural harnesses. These individuals will augment the Marine contingent by running the drones in combat. Barring any problems in the final stages of the vetting process, we should have a total of fifteen Marines, a platoon of drones plus their wranglers, and the entire squadron has been trained for combat duties if required. We may have gone overkill, but we will not find ourselves stretched so thin again."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:28, Wed 06 Oct 2021.

- "I don't much see it as overkill, more like making sure that once King Squadron starts getting its first Cruiser, our Marines will already be acclimatized to the new working environment."

Diana nodded, before turning to the Captains.

- "The Angantyr has the life support upgrades for housing the Marines, but no cargo space. Should we store the warbots on the Wartooth then, and transfer them over when needed? It would be a safe space to store them while not in use given the Merchants' new camo fields."

"I think that is a good choice until we can secure a proper transport for them in the future. You are right that by the time we need them, all of the ship-to-ship combat should be complete."

If I may suggest something, it may be wise to have supplemental handlers on board ze Randver and Valdar. Should any ship in ze squadron be boarded, or if ze Angantyr be disabled, ze Valdar, Ranvder and Wartooth could use boarding tubes and ze shuttle to engage in boarding/ repulsing actions.

Oscar nodded his head in agreement. "I will ensure a set of the secondary haptic controllers make their way onto each ship. I would suggest in the armory and maybe having a single bot on each ship to provide training during down times. While not as effective as the neural harnesses, the haptic rigs can allow for non-cybernetic individuals to wrangle the drones if required."

- "If i may interject, the Valdar and Wartooth do not have Boarding Tubes. The Randver does, so i suggest the secondary controller in case the Angantyr is unavailable be placed under Zazan's command on the Randver, which does have said upgrade."

Zazan gets a distant look in his eye. Zis iz true.....I apologize, I was thinking of the Sigfred...

Despite having not been involved in the conversation as yet Sara had accompanied the other senior officers to the ready room after the ceremony, she simply waited for the right moment to address them, or needed the time to work up the courage to engage with a whole new set of individuals.  Regardless of why once she decided to speak she does so in her usual clear and polite tones, interjecting directly into the flow of the conversation as if she had been part of it all along.

”While not equipped with a boarding tube the Talos does maintain a small number of similarly space capable units that can if required cross the gap between airlocks and make forced entry.  In either case sending reinforcements to an allied ship, who's airlock will respond to access requests normally, is quite a lot simpler than cutting a new hole in the hull with a boarding tube's laser cutter.”

Chander was new to ship responsibilities and was unashamed to ask, "Wouldn't these modifications take a bit of time or is none of this gear integrated into the ships deeply?"

He knew he could get airlocks open for a team. He had never considered a team that was all constructed. He could just move them as he pleased if he had a camera with a wide angle on them... This would be very different and while he was usually left to make his own schedules for operations in Vul, he knew sometimes larger organizations put their schedules on people.

Modifications to ze existing squadron are well underway, though ze bots and drones are no more intricate than loading cargo into a hold.

Master Gryphon iz correct, Airlocks can be.....tricky if unfriendly but quite accommodating otherwise.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:47, Thu 07 Oct 2021.

- "While i do not dispute the possibility of such boarding actions, to my knowledge hand cutters are incapable of breaching armor beyond a certain thickness, and time is also an important factor. A tube's laser cutter does not have this limitation and can greatly speed up the process, thus reducing the time the opponent has of setting up traps and defensive positions at the breaching points."

Diana spoke up, turning in Sara's direction.

- "In the event of an allied ship transfer, the idea is to clamp a tube over an existing airlock, and then simply not engage the cutter, instead opening the airlock by regular means. It would be faster, while also providing the crew with a measure of protection against micrometeorites and suit lacerations from space combat debris. Of course, regular ship-to-ship docking is a possibility as well, though i am strictly referring to situations where we cannot afford to spend an hour or two lining up and docking ships to prepare for the transfer."

I believe Master Gryphon was informing us of ze capabilities of ze talon, not arguing against ze use of boarding tubes Commander.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:47, Thu 07 Oct 2021.

“In any case, all ships should have at least one haptic rig for a secondary controller. They are small enough to fit in a standard sized duffel. It would be easy enough to find a spot for them. Like I said before too, by the time boarding actions are ready, since we do not have assault shuttles, most of not all of the void combat should be resolved.”

- "I had interpreted it at using the Talon as a means to assist an allied ship in anti-boarding actions, citing spacewalks to be too uncoordinated and time inefficient to be used in such an emergency situation. It is a last resort and i would see it as such."

Diana then turned to Oscar.

- "That i believe would have us risk falling into the trap of having too many cooks in the kitchen. The Angantyr will house the main controller and the Randver the secondary one, and should that not be enough then it is safe to assume boarding is off the table. Remember, we already have Comm server units on every ship, encrypted suit to suit communication is not a problem."

"I believe Master Gryphon implied ze talon has robotic forces at its disposal, no awkward space walks required, Commander. At worst a controller could hitch a ride on a drone. a clenched jaw as the veteran soldier maintained his patience with the young commanding officer of the squadron.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:47, Thu 07 Oct 2021.

It seems to take an unusually long period of time, and several people looking at her before Sara even realizes they are talking about her, once she does she makes an attempt at clarification.

”I am not aware of any ship named the Talon, nor of its capabilities, if you are considering the capabilities of the Talos you will find that while not intended for anything so complex as a hostile boarding action there are a significant number of space capable units aboard that should be able to manage low risk EVA and investigation of otherwise neutralized ships easily enough.”

- "Nor are we aware of the exact capabilities of the Talos. We cannot properly take its abilities into consideration as long as we lack a list of its components. If you'll pardon my Hegemonic, saying it is capable of something but not specifying how is about as useful as tits on a drumkit."

Oscar gave a snort of laughter and quickly tried to recover by drinking some of his coffee. He gave a quick look around the room before deciding that he didn't trust himself not to giggle and continued to be fascinated with the drink in from of him.

Sara doesn't seem bothered by the humor, or perhaps even to notice it as she replies only to the underlying question.

”The capabilities of the Talos have been explained, if there are any specific features your briefing data did not provide you may request authorization for them from the Captain at your leisure but that information is unlikely to impact the overall effectiveness of the ship.”

Oscar's laughter breaks Zazan's facade and he lets slip a small smirk and a sigh. He gets up to go get a cup of the recaffinated grounds that passes as coffee on this station.

Maybe when he retires he'll start a coffee grow lab of his own.

Diana replied, managing to not sound annoyed out of professionalism.

- "The 'briefing data' introduced it as an experimental prototype Patrol Boat, built for speed, with fuel scoops, a navigational package and a Plasma Beam. What you explained is that the Talos had 'space capable units' aboard that 'should be able to manage low-risk EVA'. You know who else would, by that definition? Every single Void-capable ship in the Hegemony, both military and civilian."

She took a deep breath and folded her hands together, interlocking her fingers, as she leaned forward with her elbows on the desk before her.

- "I am in command of King Squadron. I do not request authorization to hear information i should already have access to in order to improve the overall effectiveness of the Squadron. As said effectiveness is my duty, i will expect this information on my desk within twenty-four hours, or i will be forced to treat the Talos as an unknown when developing strategy. That includes its armor, its speed, hull durability, crew count, a list of fittings and what Phase it is capable of sustaining."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:10, Fri 08 Oct 2021.

Zazan nods and adds "To provide context, have not received a full spec sheet on ze Talos which we were not anticipating.

OOC: A breakdown like what is shown in the ships of the hegemony thread would be helpful for me at least.

Sara continues to provide the same answer, although she goes to some effort to reword it.

”I have made sure the Captain is aware of your request, I have no doubt that the appropriate information will be available to you within your preferred timeline, if you require more clarification on any particular topic be sure to submit those details in the proper forms.”

Chander was used to people being somewhat uncomfortable in his presence. He never felt great about connecting to people with authority... Being heavily indoctrinated to nobility probably didn't help. Listening to or watching Sarah made him keenly aware of how normal he was. He considered her something... painfully unique.

For a few moments you wished that he was the fleet XO so that he would be able to work with just a small team of people keep everything coordinated neatly and save them from what he imagines will be progressing history of inadvertent and sometimes even not understood headbutting as a great many people here seems to have their own thoughts and feelings about how stuff should be done but he having no clue was going to be heavily reliant on the people around him for cues and clues as to how the ship that he was overseeing would need to function.

This was going to be an interesting campaign under the fourth definition of interesting.

In the lull in the conversation Zazan is struck with a realization."Oscar! How did you let us neglect to put you in for a commendation?!

Turning to the new captains of the squadron, Zazan elaborates, "Ze man you see before you, Captain Hargrave, engaged one-on-one with an unknown, powerful, hostile enemy robot, was wounded heavily for his efforts and nigh hours later disarmed an active timed nuclear bomb saving ze lives of many in ze squadron, myself included, and was so humble, we neglected to recognize his efforts! We gave ze Valdar ze meritorious unit award for staging a rescue operation but for ze man who chose to lay his life on ze line for just as many sailors there was nary a pip.

We have failed you Oscar, and that cannot stand."

Zazan begins taping away on his tablet and immediately transfers 25k to Hargrave's account while writing a communique to Hegemony command.

Oscar put his hand up but was too late to stall Zazan. He grimaced as the tale of his part in the mission was recounted and he looked at the new faces that had not been a part of the action. "Thank you, but it is not needed, Captain Mysh. I have received recognition enough. There was a private award ceremony..." he said, trailing off and looking into his cup, the mirth from before gone. "Volsung quietly put my name in for the Medal of Courage before he relinquished command."

Zazan had stopped typing when Hargrave began to speak and at the mention of the former commanding officer of King Squadron, he deflated a bit visibly, but he was still very happy to hear that his comrade's efforts were well rewarded.

"We won't lose you to ze dreaded PR circuit will we? Your talents would be lost on Indari soccialites and nobles, not to mention how taxing all ze lavish parties, fine dining and comfortable accommodations could be. No best you stay here with us with cozy accommodations and the cheapest triple-recaffed coffee money can buy! Zazan says sarcastically.

Knowing Chander's connections, exaggerates his sarcasm to clearly indicate his comments on the nobles are simpy harmless jests. But he does regard the enigmatic man to see what his reaction is.

Chander smiled, "If you weren't awarded something for all that it would be wrong.   I'm glad to hear you were recognized. On a proper circuit I'm sure you'd get some real coffee. I loved the aroma but couldn't stand the flavor myself. Only at graduation did I have a chance myself.

Is there a hard plan to how we proceed from Ultima or are we just going to explore outward and hope we don't encounter more than we can handle?" the most enigmatic thing about Chander was how... Normal he was. He had bled and held people broken and dead in mineshafts and ball rooms. It left him a little more connected to the "working man" that was well represented here.

Diana gave Sara a simple nod in reply, before turning to the others again, catching the outburst by Zazan.

- "Yes, i read about it when i was going through the command logs while trying to get better acquainted with the tasks i would need to handle as Squadron Commander. Talked with Oscar about it in the Officer's Lounge before you arrived actually. I figured Volsung wanted to lead it, so i kept quiet about it, and it did in fact slip my mind to actually let you know about it as well: I thought you knew already?"

She then turned to Chander.

- "Personally? I wouldn't know. I told the other Captains earlier that i considered it even odds for us to return to Ultima Black. Our opponents are likely to send a bigger fleet presence next time since the Cruiser and escorts were taken out, and the Hegemony will want to establish a bigger fleet presence capable of countering that to hold the system. We may just as well be sent out on another border patrol mission to a different system, orders haven't come in yet."

Chander nodded sagely. It was a good skill to have, if you were saying something you wanted respected- across the gamut of human experience to- not wanting to look a fool in face of things one didn't know about. "Being the case ma'am, all else being in order... I'll follow up on my request for training tools and technical equipment, though I must admit I'd rather learn about technologies from some of this room's assemblage than the manuals for maintenance and hard trial and error."

Zazan sees a small ping on the HUD in his eye and opens the message including the information on the Talos.

He says under his breath, "Classified, classified, classified, sure sure. Oh, but ze speed iz peculiar.

Turning to the assembled crew of officers, "It iz quite curious, ze Talos, for being a reconnaissance frigate does not travel with speed. It raises many questions.

Despite having gone silent while the conversation turned to other topics not specific to her Sara clearly kept her attention at least partially on the exchanges, as she is easily able to step back in when it becomes relevant to do so.

”I believe you are misreading the combat maneuvering speed as the travel speed, I can assure you that the Talos is capable of the travel speed required for the reconnaissance role in advance of the arrival of the main force.  During that time gap that travel speed can also be used in system to avoid any close contact”

Diana heard her own device, though in her case she had set the sound to a bird chirping. They were rare enough that it wouldn't escape her notice, more so she felt than an electronic beep or ping would have given she was essentially void-raised. She looked over the info.

- "It is a tactical consideration. Myself, i would rather we arrive as one to give potential hostile forces as little time as possible to react to our presence -- impending or otherwise -- as well as provide cover and support in situations where the Talos cannot use its Spike drive to its advantage. I feel sending it ahead for jump recon would rely too much on assumptions, especially since its speed makes it wholly unsuited for putting distance between it and that which it cannot outfight. And with no means to send a message to the rest of the Squadron that would still be in transit for half a day, we might well see the Talos disabled and boarded by the time the other ships arrive, and all that classified tech in enemy hands."

She looked up from her PDA.

- "I must echo my Squadron XO's sentiments, for a reconnaissance vessel it is slower even than the new Rospolis, and that was set up as a slugger."

Zazan pauses for a moment, "Perhaps King Squadron has been assigned to ze Talos, and not ze other way round.

A reconnoiter of Rudragni would be a logical next step for high command and King Squadron does have first hand experience."

Diana nodded in turn.

- "Regardless, if it is our task to review the Talos' performance, it would be all the more reason to have her travel with the Squadron as a whole. We cannot review what we do not have eyes on."

Visarch Essna Valna steps through the hatchway onto the deck of the ready room, flanked by Captain Quarnstrom and a man you have only seen referred to in fleet paperwork, Captain An'bhaird. A short man, with green eyes and thinning hair, he favors his left side as he walks with a limp. Despite how he is overshadowed by the two women, there is a quiet composure and surety to him that speaks to his experience. He has campaign medals going back almost a decade and his tattoos on his neck and wrists mark him as a Toasaan.

"Your task will be to form a reinforced element of Ninth Fleet and travel to the Sternguard Sector of the Trailing Frontier where we are expanding our operations against the Rudgrani forces as part of Operation Snowstorm." She takes the lector and with a few gestures a star system appears on the holodisplay as the two captains sit down to begin this briefing. "King Squadron will meet up with Jade Squadron in the Estrella Segura system near Toassa. Along with the Talos, Commander Hersson will take command of newly formed Task Force 27 and patrol and defend the four systems in the Sternguard sector." The display shows four systems:

-Estrella Segura, home to the Agriworld of Toassa which was only now recovering from the bombing by the Brotherhood. Much of the old stellar infrastructure was destroyed in the war.
-Extranus, a mostly unihabited system that has only just been surveyed for mining operations and potential colonization.
-Lokichord, a binary star system with unusual gas-belts and a listening post and refueling station.
-Nu Epilison, a recent colony expansion from Toassa to help the recovery efforts. The beginnings of a new naval port are under construction in this system.

"We have intelligence reports that lead us to believe that at least one enemy battlegroup is recently in operation in that sector or are en route. The primary objective of Task Force 27 is to protect our colonies, our shipping and our stellar infrastructure from attack and in the worst case, deny them to the enemy and prevent the Sternguard Sector from being used as a staging ground against the Hegemony. Your secondary objective is to seek out the enemy battlegroup and destroy them or failing that, drive them out of the sector and secure it."

Her eyes flash towards Hersson and then Gryphon.

"While we will be awaiting your report on the Talos, that is not your primary concern and evaluations of her performance will be carried out by the team of engineers and analysts assigned to her crew. The Talos will assist you under your command of Task Force 27, but she remains a member of the Ninth Fleet and has not officially been inducted to King Squadron."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:10, Thu 28 Oct 2021.

"Hmmm....a task force spread between four systems? What are ze travel distances between ze systems and what is ze approximate ship count of the task Force?

I am thinking ze low profile fueling station at Lokichord would be a logical staging point.

- "I would prefer setting up at Nu Epsilon, actually. It is important to the recovery efforts at Toassa, and once the naval base is complete it will have a defense fleet of its own. In addition, the state of Toassa's infrastructure makes it a poor choice for staging attacks from, though it will receive our full efforts either way. How long is the naval base from full operational status, and what is the composition of Jade Squadron?"

Diana looked from Captain An'bhaird to the Visarch.

- "On the subject of performance evaluations, may i request an evaluation team be posted on the Rospolis to review the heavy modification thereof as a potential new line of Frigate for the Hegemony? In addition, given that our orders imply we are to assume a state of war with the Rudgrani, i would like to request a Telepath to serve as the ship's Psych Officer in case there is a repeat of the Sigfred, and to communicate with any potential POWs we might encounter along the course of our mission."

“I would also request the current status of any ground forces in the sector. Have there been any major shifts to or from the garrison forces on the established infrastructure we will be guarding? It would be good to know assuming that this enemy battlegroup will have boarding elements.”

Oscar turned to Diana, “Commander, static defenses should be a priority in the event we must split the Task Force. A force multiplier like mines or heavy weapon emplacements can help supplement any garrison fleet or ground forces defending while we are hunting down the enemy.”

Diana nodded at Oscar.

- "Indeed. As our latest refits gave King Squadron two ships equipped with camo fields, if we could outfit them with messenger drones they could act as spy satellites of sorts notifying us of enemy presences, and could evade detection while also being at the edge of the system ready to spike out in the event of danger. It would deny our opponent the opportunity of defeat in detail as well as grant us a far swifter response time as long as we remain prepped for spike, so we may arrive long before the enemy can secure their objectives."

She then turned to the Visarch again.

- "Which systems in the sector have the ability to send out messenger drones already?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:07, Thu 28 Oct 2021.

"Other elements of the Ninth Fleet will be available for reinforcement in the coming weeks and months and there are local forces which will be able to assist you under the authority of the local lords and governors." She glances to Zazan.

"Estrella Segura is centrally located among the other three systems and is a strategic location to secure travel back from the frontier towards the interior of Hegemony space. House Vakagn in a joint effort with the Hajime Transtellar Corporation have been moving assets into the system since the end of the UB War and from there they branch out to the other systems. Lokichord and Nu Epsilon are a single standard 'Hex' away from Estrella Seguara on the charts, although Extranus is Two 'Hexes' away from all three systems. Lokichord and Nu Epsilon do not have any recently charted jump lanes, but it's possible to make the two Hex jump from one to the other and bypass Estralla Segura with a good navigator and some luck."

She turns her head to Commander Hersson,

"The base in Nu Epsilon, Port Lacheur... a historic, if ill-named moniker... should be ready within a standard month, according to the Hajime Transtellar engineers. At that time, you can expect emergency repair, rearmament and refueling to be available along with some maintenance. Within three standard months, Port Lacheur should be fully operational."

"As far as Jade Squadron, the latest reports put her at 4 light warships, corvette-class. Jade Squadron is House Vakagn's contribution to their interests in the Sternguard sector and have been placed under the commander of the Ninth Fleet, and subsequently, you. Their squadron commander, one Albert Lacheur, will have more information for you when you rendezvous in system."

"Unfortunately, Special Intelligence Agents at this time are at a premium. There are too few of them coming out of Prometheus II and too many places we need them. You will have your ships computers and translation torcs updated with all the linguistics data we have gathered on the dialects of Hindi and Urdu that they speak so you will be able to communicate with them."

She then addresses Oscar's questions.

"Information is spotty due to the general strain on our communications network due to increased activity in all sectors gearing up for war with the Rudragni Star Kingdom, however, our latest reports are that the marine compliment aboard Listening Post 75 in Lokichord has been reinforced. Conscription is underway in Toassa and planetary defense forces have been supplemented with two Regiments, the 554th Astral Orbital Assault and the 981st Interplanetary Rangers under the banner of 11th Division are digging in to the system. The 1st Toassa Defense Squadron is also standing by to provide orbital fire support and defense. The remnants of the space station are essentially salvage at this point, but there is one functional mooring and pressurized compartments in the case of emergency. If possible, this station must be protected to allow for a new orbital elevator to be installed and restore the agricultural exports vital to the core worlds."

Hersson adds more and Valna responds.

"Commander, I would not recommend fitting your ships with ship hangers simply to mount courier drones. If you need to get a message back to the Hegemony, either use the courier systems in place or send one of your ships in person. Listening Post 75 has a short range emergency drone that can relay to the Gateway courier station in Estrella Segura that keeps Toassa on the galactic net."

"There are number of Hajime Transtellar ships operating in the sector, involved in construction, surveying, mining and other industrial operations. They will heed your commands in regards to imminent danger, but you are to stay out of their way as much as possible and if it comes to it, protect them from attack as they are the lifeblood of that sector, if we ever want to get the infrastructure back online."


OOC: Apologies if I haven't made this clear: Messenger/Courier Drones are full-scale Fighter-class starships with Spike-Drives and a complicated dedicated navigation VI. They're quite pricy and very inflexible (basically they have a pre-plotted course they're optimized for) used almost exclusively for regular system to system communication and in emergencies from listening posts or starbases. You could put one on your ship, but you'd need the the Ship Bay/Fighting fitting for one of them and then the cost of the drone itself.
This message was last updated by the player at 06:57, Fri 29 Oct 2021.

Oscar fidgeted with his mustache for a moment in thought before looking at his dataslate. ”It sounds like a decent defense force but we will likely have to provide dedicated warriors in the case of an actual invasion force. Ideally the Task Force will be able to cripple any invasion before it can get into a position to land. We can deploy some of the warbots to the station as guardians. They are able to enter an autonomous patrol to repel or deny assets. We have enough for a 4 unit fire team backed up by a fire support centaur. That would allow the marine detachment a force multiplier in the even of a boarding.”

Chander smiled when luck was mentioned. Fortune will often save a man if courage and skill will keep him holding on long enough. Usually 30 minutes was his time frame. That was the closest his flashes could come. Moving slowly in hostile territory, under stealth, was what saved more of his troops than most. Practice, discipline, and a lot of patched up flesh wounds. Too frequently on people held together by his force of will while the medic packed them with chemicals and plastics to get them functional again.

He snapped back to the present meeting though, and delivered another sagely nod to cover the fact that he was certain he had missed a little bit. He would catch up later.

Diana mulled over the information for a moment.

- "Hmm... Yes, Port Lacheur would be a priority, at least until the end of the month. Also, if Jade just has Patrol Boats and we are not expected to review the Talos' performance, i've half a mind to assign her to Jade Squadron to even out the strike power a bit. It seems our biggest concern here is response time after detection of the enemy Battlegroup."

She looked up again.

- "Do we have an indication of its composition? In our previous encounter the Rudragni fielded no Spike capable ships, though i do not know the extent of these intelligence reports. The shortage of Special Intelligence Agents is regrettable, though understandable -- what of the request for an evaluation team for the Rospolis' mnodifications?"

"In ze interest of information gathering, I would propose having a stealth ship check-into ze listening outpost at Lokichord and employing picket ships around Port Lacheur and Toassa.

With the stellar layout of ze systems, a few pickets at Estrella Segura should be maintained as well.

"As I mentioned earlier, the 554th Astral Orbital Assault and the 981st Interplanetary Rangers Regiments are already deployed to the Estrella Segura system to defend the Planet Toassa along with other strategic assets in system. It is the position of High Command that these elements of 11th Division will be adequate to hold Sternguard Sector with support from the Ninth Fleet and in particular Task Force 27."

The Visarch turns to Diana,

"I will remind you that Talos is under your command, nominally. Her evaluation is not your concern, but but her survival and safety is."

She continues.

"As far as your request goes, please submit your combat data or at least three months of operation data to the admiralty review board and we will make a determination. If you do still want a dedicated review staff for your ship, we can provide this for you."

- "As is all of Task Force 27. Orders will of course be given that the Talos' survival is paramount, but part of her evaluation as a military vessel must include her ability to hold her own in combat situations. I feel that having Jade Squadron act as her escorts would allow us to satisfy both this goal, as well as add some staying power to Jade Squadron overall."

Diana nodded.

- "In that case, as the new design incorporates no prototype technology, a dedicated team will not be necessary. I will submit all operational data to the admiralty board at the end of this mission and have it go through the proper channels then."

Oscar set his data slate down and nodded at Diana. “I think I have what I need to prep any boarding operations and Alamo contingencies we may need, Commander. I’ll have them to you before the squadron shoves off. I don’t have any other questions at this time.”

Zazan nods, "I believe ze final deployment strategy will require input from local forces and in-situ assessment. I request Astronomic information of ze systems but have no other questions.

- "There is actually one more thing i wished to double check."

Diana tapped on her datapad to bring up the relevant information.

- "In the overview of the abilities of individual ships within King Squadron, i couldn't help noticing the Talos... lacking mention of Lifeboats being installed. Was this accidentally redacted?"

Not being part of the squadron command structure, nor indeed even a captain of her own ship Sara mostly observes the decision making process unless directly queried about something within her area of responsibility.

”As the Talos is not intended to engage in conflict when operating alone it was determined that the likelihood of any crew requiring the use of lifeboats in a situation where other rescue operations were not available was low enough to allow for a higher focus on equipment more essential to the ship's successful function over planning for its failure.”

"Ms. Gryphon is correct. The Talos does not maintain lifeboats. Due to the experimental nature of the vessel and critical value of this ship, she is under standing orders to avoid capture or recovery."

She has a stern expression on her face.

"In the even that rescue is unlikely or impossible, she will be scuttled by the crew before capture."

- "...W H A T ?"

Diana took a careful deep breath, bringing a hand to her forehead to mitigate an oncoming migraine. Taking a couple more deep breaths, she managed to school her features, and slowly and deliberately placed the datapad down before folding her hands on the desk in front of her.

- "Then i am left with no other choice than to ground the Talos until such a fitting can be installed. A warship intended to participate in potential combat situations with no basic safeguards for its crew is a liability to the commanding officer responsible for the survival and safety of said crew, regardless of whether said ship is a corvette or the biggest baddest battleship in the Hegemony. It has cargo space, it has fuel bunkers, therefore it has plenty of room for such a system to be installed without impacting its overall effectiveness."

She looked at the Visarch.

- "Permission to speak freely, ma'm?"

Zazan catches on and nods. "While I share the Commander's concern regarding deploying the Talos effectively and securely, I do understand Intelligence iz valuable.

At times more than lives.

"Permission Granted, Commander."

The look on her scarred face narrowed as she focuses her entire attention on Diana Herrson and her posture of that tense jungle cat.

- "This, the Talos design i mean, it reads as if... Hegemony engineers figured out a Spike-3 Drive. A couple of VIPs then got wind of it, and began arguing about what components should be added to it just to have their names associated with the project. Next, an independent committee of bureaucrats was formed to try and reach a decision of which components would ultimately be included, but the selection process was mostly based on prestige and political power of the ones suggesting it. And thus, we ended up with this abomination of an upscaled corvette, whose main defining trait is that it's able to run away faster than any other ship in the fleet."

Diana motioned at her datapad, showing to her the design specifications that she had been made privy to.

- "It is a recon vessel with fuel scoops and fuel bunkers, but its lack of extended stores does not give it the staying power to actually make full use of it. It has good combat evasion, but those same defenses -- Augmented Plating, unless i miss my guess -- also renders it incapable of outrunning anything faster than a bulk freighter, meaning it has no ability to escape what it cannot outfight. It is a design that speaks to me a tale of someone wanting their ship design to be able to do everything at once, and predictably ended up sub average on all counts. There is nothing it does that couldn't have been done better by a corvette design, and for a fraction of the cost besides. But that's not all. By some Herculean mental effort which us mere mortals cannot hope to comprehend, it was then decided that a component vital to retaining as much of the crew's valuable expertise as possible for the Hegemony in case of a disaster was deemed merely optional..."

She motioned at Sara and Anika in the room. Her temples had reddened a bit in anger, though she was careful not to aim it at anyone. The gesture still did little to hide her agitation however, her movements just a little too brisk to appear calm.

- "...Valued expertise which includes present company, of course. And since the Talos includes a number of prototype technologies that will no doubt interact with one another in exciting and unexpected ways, the odds of a technical cascading failure taking place cannot be dismissed out of hand. And the only option available to me to try and save its crew in such a situation, is to risk sending another corvette next to it and aggressively engaging it with gorram Boarding Tubes, since that is the only way to get the crew evacuated anywhere near fast enough and still clear its potential blast radius. Something that could easily be done by Lifeboats. But nooo, giving a warship the option of playing Space Truckers dragging twenty tons of someone's personal dildo collection through the Void was deemed much more important, because anyone on board that ship is right fucked in case of trouble."

She turned to Valna again, taking a few seconds of deep breaths to help collect herself again when she noticed her language had started getting coarser again, the way it did when her level of annoyance was threatening the limits of her ability to care to suppress it.

- "I would be remiss as an officer and a member of the Hegemony Navy if i would remain silent as a ship design lacking such a basic safety precaution would enter mass production. The resulting brain drain from vessels sunk with all hands would cause untold damage to the Hegemony. Less than half an hour ago we held a memorial for the fallen of the Sigfred, and sixty percent of its former crew was alive to witness it. If the Sigfred had lacked Lifeboats that would have been less than a handful, so i cannot in good faith remain silent in the face of such an atrocious design choice."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:50, Wed 03 Nov 2021.

Visarch Valna never once takes her eyes off Diana as she launches into a lengthy objection in front of the senior officers of the Talos and King Squadron. "Your objection is noted, on the record, Commander. Will that be all?" The rest of her reply is unspoken, but clear: a chance to save face and back down from direct conflict with your commanding officer. She is almost stone faced, but there is a tension around her mouth and eyes that shows her displeasure at being addressed in such a way in front of her subordinates that even she cannot fully disguise.

Anika glances to Sara and then back at the Visarch, her own face an unreadable mask.

Unreadable or not Sara seems to interpret the glass as permission to speak, although she does so considerably less freely.

”Perhaps it would be appropriate to reiterate the purpose of including Talos in this mission, as a deliberate choice instead of an older more conventional Corvette that might be able to perform the same role with similar success.

This deployment is as much a field test of the Talos to determine if it is a viable ship in a conflict zone, it is not intended to be a trial by combat and indeed would likely be considered at least a partial failure if any enemy craft is ever close enough to force any kind of evasion at maneuvering speeds.

In the unlikely event that failure occurs it will be the responsibility of the combat proven craft to avoid a catastrophic loss of all mission objectives.”

Sensing the mood, Diana nodded in response.

- "Yes, Visarch. I have no further comments regarding the Talos."

There would be no point in arguing the case anyway. Her objections had been noted and put on the record, so as far as she was concerned the matter had been addressed, even if it hadn't been dealt with. For much the same reason, she decided against commenting on how the Talos' mission itself made it a poor choice to be matched with a Task Force intended to hunt down an enemy battlegroup. Best to move on while she was still ahead by a nominal margin.

Oscar waited a breath before asking the explicit question. “Visarch, is the Task Force under orders to destroy the Talos in the event of a situation where we cannot extract her in combat or are in the situation of a hostile boarding action? I want to be crystal clear on that point if the situation comes up because I will be the one leading a counter boarding party and don’t want to risk lives if the ship will be scuttled anyways,” he said and gave a nod of support to Diana.

Chander had closed his eyes for a moment and in that moment much of the air in the room stirred his direction. "If I am familiarized enough with the scuttle system I can trigger it or hold it off with something as simple as a shielded private viewstream. Master Hargrave, I would rely on you and your team's expert opinion to determine if the clause of 'insufficient opportunity for recovery' is breached. Or orders from the Squadron Leader who should have sufficient access to me given my position as her ship's XO. Would that be enough to allow the leadership here to rest easier about counter boarding and lack of premature release of said scuttle option?"

"In the event that the Talos cannot be rescued and they are unable to trigger their own self-destruct mechanism, the ship must be prevented from falling into enemy hands at all costs." She glances to Anika and Sara. "If there is no other option, you are authorized to scuttle the Talos by any available means to prevent her capture."

- "Understood. I have a suitable role in mind for the Talos that should be suited to her configuration as as well as satisfy the requirement to keep her clear of combat."

She then turned to Oscar and Chander.

- "As for the scuttle system, since it is directly related to counterboarding actions, i agree with Master Hargrave's assessment that he is the better choice for making a judgment of that particular nature. Should Masters Quarnstrom and Gryphon be unreachable in whatever event threatens the Talos, the decision whether or not to scuttle will fall under his jurisdiction. XO Havail, you are to assist him in this scenario as his second, as per regulations requiring another officer to confirm the command to scuttle."

“Understood, Commander. I hope I don’t have to ever make such a call.”

Zazan raises an eyebrow, "Not to put too fine a point on it but....we do not yet know if capture by the Rudrangi iz preferred to a swift death.

Unless we have determined ze fates of ze personnel manning ze listening post on Ultima black. If I recall, we did not find any bodies..."

Diana turned to Zazan.

- "If you'd recall, the Rudragni rely heavily on cloning technology. It would not be unthinkable for prisoners and captives to be converted to biomass used in the creation of more loyal crew members. Morbid for Hegemony standards, certainly, but in a society that does not place any value on the individual, where every person may have hundreds of copies running around, such a process would be deemed far more efficient than the sequestration and slow indoctrination of enemy captives and with negligible risk of treason besides."

She turned to Valna.

- "I suppose further study of the ships taken during that mission might still tell us more in due time, but for now i would like to treat it as a cautious assumption to make."

Oscar looked at Chander, “We will have to strategize on how to take any POWs if we can. The more we understand about their caste system, the better the Hegemony will be. The initial reports that I have seen make me believe that officers and higher functionaries will be priority targets for capture due to the nature of the cloning and neural structures.”

In reply to Diana Hersson (msg # 114):

"Indoctrination? Torture iz what I had in mind Commander."

Diana shook her head.

- "Torture is notoriously ineffective for information gathering purposes. Aside from moral and legal implications, it is well documented fact that the tortured will be far more likely to tell the interrogator what they think they want to hear rather than the actual truth."

Although it seems like she is not bothered by the discussion of scuttling her ship at all Sara doesn't reply again until the topic shifts to a new subject less well covered.

”Depending on the exact nature of their cloning technology it is entirely possible that they can make full copies of prisoners as well as their own kind, or even partial copies with their memories intact.  In either case they could engage in far more creative and effective versions of interrogation where the target of the questioning does not have the ability to know what previous questions or answers were such that being misleading even unintentionally becomes much more difficult.”

Zazan digests the idea of being tortured across multiple clones of himself, shifts uncomfortably and pushes that idea away, to be more fully digested later. "Quite ze thought...

Speaking of capture and interrogation, are any of our....more gifted crew able to psychically interrogate any captives? Or are we in need of a snitch? Zazan asks, using slang common amongst soldiers for one with telepathic powers.

While he imagined that the enemy in question would more likely grow someone with the same face to be a spy rather than try to make a double agent, it would be rude to ignore one who addressed him directly, "Master Hargrave, are you warning me that I might be a priority for capture or informing me that their leadership is a priority for us to capture? If the former, I assure you I have fail-safes in place both from Prometheus II and my Shivari training there will be little to no DNA left of me should I be captured without instructions to let it happen for mission purposes." The finality of it ALMOST overrides the casualness with which he said it. A friend sharing a drink and talking about academy grades.

"In case of the latter, while I do know some Shivari that delight in death and bloodshed. They are not good choices for such a support mission as my current role. I'm a master of moderate level Telekinesis. I can hold more with my brain than my arms. If you can instruct me to identify them and get me within sight... Unless they are welded down I'll get them for you. If they are welded down... I'm sure I can still get most of them but it might take a minute," did his warmth just make him creepier?

Zazan gives an involuntary shiver hearing the young man speak.

Captain Mysh has seen things in his service and while his psyche has been hardened and tempered over the decades, he treated the more vicious behaviors he was capable as a separate beast sharing his mind. Something to keep an eye on and release with control.

The way Chander spoke echoed the words spoken by those who had given in to the beast within.

Oscar’s eyebrow cocked up as he heard the response from Chander. He made a face that was both disturbed and confused. “I was referring to the Rudragni’s hierarchy, not our own.”
This message was last edited by the player at 17:48, Thu 04 Nov 2021.

- "The psionics whose abilities you are referring to are Telepaths, Master Mysh. They are the only Discipline to my knowledge that can lift information out of the mind of even the unwilling, given time. It is part of the reason i had requested one earlier, though none are free to join us at this time."

"Perhaps it iz for ze best considering ze impact on crew morale if one was present. Knowing thoughts could be read, secrets uncovered, iz unnerving when encased by steel, glass and void.

Your abilities engender as much fear as respect amongst people who are typically....insulated from your kind." Zazan elaborates, glancing at Commander Hersson and Her XO.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:41, Thu 04 Nov 2021.

Chander knows confused and disturbed when he encountered them in others, though his indoctrination -or education whichever you prefer to call it- had brought him to think very little of his own well-being when it would impede the mission. He was forced to raise a hand as if to ward off their taking him the wrong way, "I know that it may seem callous to some to be willing to suffer greatly or even die without hesitation should the mission require it. Know that I do not take it lightly, but instead place more importance on what must be done for the greater good. I have low level mastery of Biopsionics and Precognition which might be able to help given the less than frequent predictably of forward actions like ours. I am a diligent agent. The things I can do, I can do faithfully so you don't need to worry about my suffering any burnout.

Do we have a reliable means to extrapolate who their leaders are? It seems like facial recognition would be a bad way to do it. Though... maybe all their captains wear the same face..."

“A good question. I suspect that we won’t find out for sure until we have more engagements with their ship crews. In fact, we could holotable this for months and speculate on what would be most effective, but if I’ve learned anything from the salvage game; you never can fix the problem till you actually see it. I suggest we conference and wargame as we travel. I would like to run some drills with the marines and com-bots when we have a chance in real space under the supervision of Master Havail. His expertise in  asymmetric fighting will be valuable in developing tactics versus an relatively unknown foe,” Oscar said. His tone and body language had shifted to being uncomfortable to the point of wanting to leave the ready room.

Zazan agrees, "Concurred, plenty of preparations need to be made before we shove off"

- "Actually, i would prefer it if we were to hold those tests on-site at Port Lacheur. I will need to test the war readiness of Jade Squadron upon my arrival anyway, so we may as well hold some war games and get both squadrons familiarized with one another in the process."

Diana turned to Chander.

- "Speaking of supervision, every ship in King Squadron is outfitted with a comm server to provide a heavily encrypted internal backup comms system in the event of counterboarding actions or technical difficulties to the existing comms system. Adding those to the monitoring network would allow for a far more detailed overview of ongoing wargames."

Chander smiled a friendly, honest kind of smile, "I think I can use that to provide some amount of force multiple anywhere I can have cameras pointed. I would have to recommend having me at a security monitoring position for such events. I should be able to provide some multiple to damage control efforts as well. After getting some training in such I might be the ideal assistant in many cases.

While I typically don't advertise the fact that I'm a psychic because I don't I want people to be too ill at ease," he said with a chuckle as though being Shivari didn't set people ill at ease enough on its own... But most people thought Shivari and Psychics were nearly the same bogeyman, "I have regrettably lost personnel because I was unwilling to use my abilities for fear that people would not be able to perform their jobs as well around me if they knew. During my time in the Vul Belt I cast aside that prideful aspersion after losing a third of my team and now make a point of notifying at least the relevant leadership of my general capabilities and do not hesitate to use them where they might help. I recommend letting people know this is a wonderfully auspicious campaign ahead of us."

"The relevant information for the sector, expected shipping routes and security codes will be uploaded to your ship computer cores, along with our estimation of enemy forces in the area."

"Are there any questions before you are dismissed?"

Zazan shakes his head, "No Ma'am"

Diana shook her head briefly as well.

- "None here either, ma'm."

There were still a few things she wanted to discuss, but those were on the Squadron and ship levels. At best it would be something concerning the information that the Visarch had already said would be uploaded to their ships, but without access to said information where they were now there was no purpose in stalling the end of the briefing unnecessarily.