Zazan shakes his head and lets out a brief sigh. "Nie Nie Commander, Ze fact of ze matter is I have allowed myself to get into ze weeds on the repairs to the Randver.

The fighting left it with significant fracturing in ze starboard plating which was causing hundreds of micro-leaks. The crew made a valiant effort but after 2 weeks we were still losing air. After ze shipyard got done with our brave ship, ze secondary drive coolant pump regulator was indicating open when manually overridden. While looking zat particular problem, I discovered that the B-train communications wiring harness was somehow generating a Corona discharge due to a localized short to the dorsal plasma transformer which caused a full shipwide evacuation.

So no, I have not have shifted to focus on ze future."

Zazan takes his seat and glances at the data slates in front of the other captains.

"Ah, a cruiser, that is an interesting idea. You could have yourself a nice lead ship Commander Hersson. "
This message was last edited by the player at 15:19, Mon 23 Aug 2021.

Oscar smiled at the fellow Bothislian and waited for Zazan to sit and finish before speaking again.

"Did the system vent the transformer like it should? If not, that seems to be a damage control fault somewhere in the local network for the transformer. Considering the DC circuits are redundant and if your comms system had a short, that over a hundred locations to manually check for a tripped sensor. That is a secret that would likely take weeks to ferret out," he replied and let his mind work over the hypothetical problem. Oscar seemed lost in thought, idly rubbing the edge of his mustache as he did.

OOC:I'll let Zazan get caught up and I will need to get home from work to make another ship post.

Diana shook her head in response.

- "Well, the offer to get her into dock is open. I had considered a cruiser, but i myself feel it is too early for one, and would like to get everyone into bigger, more durable ships first before stepping up to the next classification."

She pointed out her designs and her reasoning behind them. She had reworked it a little, adding additional Fuel Bunkers to allow a second jump, Fire Control systems for all three weapon systems and stronger armor replacing the Atmo Config.

- "There are some alternatives, for example i could drop the fuel bunkers in favor of replacing one of the Plasma Beams with a Flak Emitter Battery for a more general design, which should also drop the overall price down by 225k to only have us be 30k over budget. I'm not the greatest fan of munitions based weapons, as they can run out."

Diana's Datapad entry:

Budget 8.5m official + PC contribution

Frigate Hull 4m

Power=15 Max
Mass= 15 max

Spike Drive-2:   2/2 100k
Hardened Polyceramic Overlay: -/2 250k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Fuel Bunkers: -/1 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Wraith Shuttle: -/2 300k
Auxiliary Power Unit: +5/1 100k

Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k (2 hardpoints)
Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k (2 hardpoints)
Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k (2 hardpoints)

Total Power = 20
Total Mass = 15

Total Cost: 7.240m credits

-----

Free Merchant 500k

Power=10 Max
Mass= 15 max

Spike Drive-2:   2/2 100k
Atmo Config: -/2 50k
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Fuel Scoops: 2/2 50k
Contextual Camo Field: 4/2 500k
Auxiliary Power Unit: +5/1 100k
Mining Equipment: 1/1 25k

Sandthrower: 3/1 50k
Sandthrower: 3/1 50k

Total Power = 15
Total Mass = 15

Total Cost: 1.515m credits

Total Cost: 8.755m credits -- 255k over budget.

Zazan replies to Oscar as he glances at the proposed changes. "One would think, but apparetnly ze whole comms system is galvanically isolated from the main boards in ze CIC to reduce ze impact of radiation on ze network so ze harness was happy to sit at 4.16 kilovolts without impacting ze effectiveness of ze system.

So we are leaving the existing 3 frigates as is, modifying ze Wartooth and adding a additional frigate?

Also it appears we are adding ze cost of a free merchant hull? Aren't we reusing ze wartooths hull? Would that free up 500k?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:23, Mon 23 Aug 2021.

Oscar made a friendly pointing gesture at Zazan before tapping his nose. "Good work on fixing it until the shipyards can bring in the specialists. Spacers are great and getting a ship back to dock, but nothing beats a true repair job."

He looked over Diana's figures and made a few modifications before showing the other two the data. "Here would be my changes to your plan. We are still a frigate squadron, so I agree with Diana getting a proper warship to anchor our formation. The idea of a support vessel for extended operations is good too, but I think we would find more use from getting another tender, one that is space bound, and making some slight modifications. Mining equipment is not fast enough to fill a hold unless you do it en mass. I'd rather have that 20 tons of space. We ensure she has a sensor array similar to the Wartooth's and use the extra power for an auto targeting system to help the crew with the sandthrowers,"

"As for the Wartooth, here is what I would like for a wishlist but if Zazan has upgrades, we can change it up. The sensor array is scrap, but the fittings would allow for us to put in one of those nice new ECM warfare suites. Convert the workshop spaces to house an auxiliary generator and we can then upgrade the reaper battery to a CPC with advanced Fire Control. It would turn the Wartooth into a effective fleet support vessel with some firepower and a bit of cargo space leftover."

Oscars' Datapad entry:

Budget 8.5m official + PC contribution

Frigate Hull 4m

Power=15 Max
Mass= 15 max

Spike Drive-2:   2/2 100k
Hardened Polyceramic Overlay: -/2 250k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Fuel Bunkers: -/1 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Wraith Shuttle: -/2 300k
Auxiliary Power Unit: +5/1 100k

Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k (2 hardpoints)
Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k (2 hardpoints)
Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k (2 hardpoints)

Total Power = 20
Total Mass = 13

Total Cost: 7.240m credits

-----

Free Merchant 500k

Power=10 Max
Mass= 15 max

Spike Drive-2:   2/2 100k
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Fuel Scoops: 2/2 50k
Auxiliary Power Unit: +5/1 100k
Cargo Space: -/3 (Holds 60 tons raw materials)
Workshop: 2/1 5k
Survey Sensor Array: 2/1 50k
Auto-Targeting System: 1/- 50k

Sandthrower: 3/1 50k
Sandthrower: 3/1 50k

Total Power = 15
Total Mass = 15

Total Cost: 945k credits


---


INS-Harald Wartooth Refit

Knarr-class Corvette Tender
Type: Free Merchant
Cost: 1.420m
Speed: 2
Armor: 2
HP: 20 (13 Damage)
Crew: 6/6
AC: 4
Power: 10/10
Mass: 15/15
Hardpoints: 1/2
Class: Frigate


Fittings:
Spike Drive-2: 2/2 100k
Fuel Bunkers -/1 25k
Atmo Config: -/2 50k
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Survey Sensor Array 2/1 50k (Destroyed)
Cargo Space -/2 (40 tons)
Aux Generator: +5/1 100k
ECM Suite: 2/1 100k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k

Weapons
Reaper Battery: 4/1 100k
Charged Particle Caster: 10/1 200k (600k supplement from Oscar)

Defenses
Augmented Plating -/2 500k

Total Power = 14
Total Mass = 15

Total Refit Cost: 500k credits

Total Squadron Cost:  8.685m credits -- 185k over budget.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:00, Mon 23 Aug 2021.

Diana looked over the proposed changes, taking a deep breath.

- "Yes, the three patrol boats we have we will keep, the new Masters coming in will likely command them. I'm captaining the new Frigate and taking my own crew with me, as well as those rescued from the Sigfred as they've bunked together for several weeks on Ultima Black, which gives me a full crew complement. In this scenario, we would only need to bring in less than ten new crew members."

Having read the data in the meantime, she pointed out some things.

- "I'd disagree with the removal of the Camo Field from the merchant. The whole idea for it is to not be perceived as a threat, and the sandthrowers' ammo is otherwise indistinguishable from common micrometeorites. You are correct about cargo space, so let me just..."

She made some alterations to the data, and looked the Wartooth data over again.

- "I don't really understand the choice for the particle caster. Even with the APU that's two-thirds of the entire ship's power drain into one thing. Since it's a tender, may i suggest the following?"

More alterations followed, and she showed the data to the other Captains.

Modified Data:

Budget 8.5m official + PC contribution

Frigate Hull 4m

Power=15 Max
Mass= 15 max

Spike Drive-2:   2/2 100k
Hardened Polyceramic Overlay: -/2 250k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Wraith Shuttle: -/2 300k
Auxiliary Power Unit: +5/1 100k

Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k (2 hardpoints)
Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k (2 hardpoints)
Flak Emitter Battery: 5/3 500k (1 hardpoint)

Total Power = 20
Total Mass = 15

Total Cost: 7.015m credits

-----

Free Merchant 500k

Power=10 Max
Mass= 15 max

Spike Drive-2:   2/2 100k
Cargo Space: -/2 (Holds 40 tons raw materials)
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Fuel Scoops: 2/2 50k
Contextual Camo Field: 4/2 500k
Auxiliary Power Unit: +5/1 100k
Mining Equipment: 1/1 25k

Sandthrower: 3/1 50k
Sandthrower: 3/1 50k

Total Power = 15
Total Mass = 15

Total Cost: 1.465m credits

-----

INS-Harald Wartooth Refit

Spike Drive-2: 2/2 100k
Fuel Bunkers -/1 25k
Atmo Config: -/2 50k
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Survey Sensor Array 2/1 50k *Repaired*
Cargo Space -/1 (20 tons)
Aux Generator: +5/1 100k
Workshop: 2/1 5k
ECM Suite: 2/1 100k
Cargo lighter: -/2 25k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k

Weapons
Reaper Battery: 4/1 100k
Sandthrower: 3/1 50k
Sandthrower: 3/1 50k

Defenses
Augmented Plating -/2 500k

Total Power = 15
Total Mass = 15

Total Refit Cost: 480k credits

Total Cost: 8.960m credits -- 460k over budget.

- "That would actually make the refit cheaper since you wanted to bankroll it, King Squadron remains 20k within its allotted budget in new ships and you'd actually have a fair bit of money left over. Workshop, ECM Suite, Cargo lighter to help transfer materials from the merchant, the works. Weapons wise, you could replace the two Sandthrowers with a Plasma Beam, and removing the Fuel Bunkers would then allow the Wartooth enough space for an Extended Medbay, though the cost of the refit would jump to 1.130 million, which would have all of us chip in."

INS-Harald Wartooth Alternative Refit

Spike Drive-2: 2/2 100k
Fuel Bunkers -/1 25k
Atmo Config: -/2 50k
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Survey Sensor Array 2/1 50k *Repaired*
Cargo Space -/1 (20 tons)
Aux Generator: +5/1 100k
Workshop: 2/1 5k
ECM Suite: 2/1 100k
Cargo lighter: -/2 25k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Expanded Medbay: 1/1 50k

Weapons
Reaper Battery: 4/1 100k
Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k (2 hardpoints)

Defenses
Augmented Plating -/2 500k

Total Power = 15
Total Mass = 15

Total Refit Cost: 1.130m credits
This message was last edited by the player at 20:31, Mon 23 Aug 2021.

Oscar looked over the numbers for a while before making a few adjustments.

"I think you're right, Diana. The CPC doesn't fit well with the purpose of the tender. I have been mulling it over and realized that for all the guns that we can bring to bear in a fight, two critical portions of our mission were handled by boarding forces. I think that we can use the Wartooth as a trojan horse. The thing is that she is still going to look like a tender, but we can utilize that cargo space more effectively. I propose converting it to a barracks and having a Special Forces team attached to us. In fact, I think we might be able to secure a Wraith shuttle that can provide stealth insertions and possibly boarding actions. I would use my portion of the prize to supplement but it shouldn't be too costly. The new tender could take over maintenance duties while the Wartooth serves a covert operations vessel for the squadron. Thoughts?"

INS-Harald Wartooth Refit

Knarr-class Corvette Tender
Type: Free Merchant
Speed: 2
Armor: 2
HP: 20
Crew: 6/6
AC: 4
Power: 10/10
Mass: 15/15
Hardpoints: 1/2
Class: Frigate


Fittings:
Spike Drive-2: 2/2 100k
Atmo Config: -/2 50k
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Survey Sensor Array 2/1 50k (Repaired)
Extended Life Support: 2/2 250k
Wraith Shuttle: -/2 300k
Advanced Fire Control: 1/- 100k

Weapons
Pulse Laser: 3/1 100k

Defenses
Augmented Plating -/2 500k

Total Power = 10
Total Mass = 15

Total Refit Cost: 750k credits

Power Armor for Spec Ops team (Assume 6 operators)

I am hesitant to suggest fielding a frigate without extended stores. Swapping ze wraith shuttle to ze wartooth would free up the mass to accommodate ze extra provisions.

I will say the Hegemony is quite adept at optimizing g their patrol boat hull configurations. There is little to be improved upon the ships currently in ze squadron. Quite efficient in both power utilization and tonnage.

Diana grunted as she ran the numbers in her head again. The APUs, she realized, weren't compatible with the power generators in the ships themselves and would threaten to overload the internal couplings in the case of battle damage, not to mention the failsafes that assumed power was only supposed to be coming from the ship's own generators. More reworking was required, it seemed... And truth be told, Zazan's words sounded like a challenge.

- "Okay, i reworked the numbers again. I had to drop the Flak Emitter from the frigate since the APU is a no-go, but i tinkered a little bit and enhanced its armor to be effectively comparable to a Battleship. And between that and its dual Plasma Beams, it should be able to beat most things that are supposed to be giving Frigates trouble."

Corrected Data:

Budget 8.5m official + PC contribution

Frigate Hull 4m

Power=15 Max
Mass= 15 max

Spike Drive-2:   2/2 100k
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Hardened Polyceramic Overlay: -/2 250k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Advanced Fire Control System 1/- 100k
Auto-Targeting System 1/- 100k
Thermablative Layering -/2 500k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Wraith Shuttle: -/2 300k

Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k (2 hardpoints)
Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k (2 hardpoints)

Total Power = 15
Total Mass = 15

Armor 15, effectively 20 due to Polyceramic Overlay.

Total Cost: 6.94m credits

- "Next up is the Free Merchant. Again, removal of the APU forced me to drop its Sandthrowers, but i managed to fit Atmo Config and a Cargo lighter in. I have considered removing its Spike-2 for a basic Spike Drive to possibly fit some more fittings in, since that would give us the time to clear an area prior to its arrival if necessary, but that is something i'd very much prefer to discuss with you first."

Free Merchant 500k

Power=10 Max
Mass= 15 max

Spike Drive-2:   2/2 100k
Atmo Config: -/2 50k
Cargo Space: -/1 (Holds 20 tons raw materials)
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Fuel Scoops: 2/2 50k
Contextual Camo Field: 4/2 500k
Mining Equipment: 1/1 25k
Cargo lighter: -/2 25k

Total Power = 9
Total Mass = 15

Total Cost: 1.34m credits

- "And lastly, Oscar's refit is fine as-is as far as i'm concerned, though personally, given the new role in boarding targets i'd try to get an Extended Medbay in there. If the Merchant is downgraded to Spike-1 we could switch the Survey Sensor Array over to it and that would free up the space for it on the Wartooth at comparable overall cost. As for the Wraiths, i'd like Wraith Shuttles on all combat vessels eventually to allow easy in-Squadron transportation without docking Frigates, so having it on both is fine -- I already slipped in Extended Stores on the Frigate through other means."

INS-Harald Wartooth Refit

Spike Drive-2: 2/2 100k
Atmo Config: -/2 50k
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Survey Sensor Array 2/1 50k (Repaired)
Extended Life Support: 2/2 50k
Wraith Shuttle: -/2 300k
Advanced Fire Control: 1/- 100k

Weapons
Pulse Laser: 3/1 100k

Defenses
Augmented Plating -/2 500k

Total Power = 10
Total Mass = 15

Total Refit Cost: 600k credits

Total Cost: 8.88m credits -- 380k over budget.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:44, Tue 24 Aug 2021.

"I think that we should focus on making sure that the tender can come to the rescue after a fight. The camo cloaking is a nice touch for it, which should let her linger without too much problem. I would suggest that we remove the mining equipment as that space could be used to add more fuel bunkers. Same with the cargo lighter, more room for cargo and fuel. We will have two wraith shuttles in the squadron if we need to move cargo or personnel around. The tender will already have the equipment to field repair ships, so the truly bulky stuff shouldn't have to be moved. With these changes, we have a tender that can repair the squadron enough to get back into Hegemony space and survive another day. Plus, with the added fuel bunker space, she can immediately refuel the squadron for a spike and go stealth to refill the bunkers for later."

Proposed Changes

Free Merchant 500k

Power=10 Max
Mass= 15 max

Spike Drive-2:   2/2 100k
Cargo Space: -/3 (Holds 60 tons raw materials or 30HP repairs)
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Fuel Scoops: 2/2 50k
Contextual Camo Field: 4/2 500k
Fuel Bunkers: -/3 75k


Total Power = 8
Total Mass = 15

Total Cost: 1.315m credits
This message was last edited by the player at 17:45, Tue 24 Aug 2021.

- "Well, Wraith shuttles can't actually carry cargo in any meaningful amounts, but ship-to-ship docking could still be used in those cases i suppose. Also, lowering the cargo space by one mass unit would open up the possibility for a Workshop, since the Wartooth is removing theirs. That should allow it to construct the more intricate spare parts from the materials in its own cargo hold, right? We could even send a message for it to be constructed ahead of time so it'll be ready when we drop by."

Diana rubbed her chin as she looked at Oscar's counterproposal.

- "Personally, i'd love to see how well this would hold up during an actual mission. Adding a second merchant would give us the equivalent of a poor man's Fleet Fuel Tanks without actually needing a Carrier-class, and of course we would scoop fuel twice as fast. Additionally, if one were optimized for holding fuel and the other for refilling raw materials, we'd have essentially set up a Spike-capable mobile outpost at roughly the cost of a basic Patrol Boat hull. What do you both think?"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:26, Tue 24 Aug 2021.

"I would support the acquisition of a pair of free merchants that are focused on squadron maintenance. We could acquire another pair of Knarr-class tenders; one without the sensor array and fuel bunkers to make room for the cargo lighter. The other would be able to convert cargo space to fuel bunkers and the array, plus workshop, into fuel scoops. Then the entire squadron can be spike ready shortly after we drill into a system."

"In addition, having three of the same class of ship in the squadron would likely confuse the enemy into thinking we might be a convey or merchant fleet since the Knarr's started life as cargo freighters. It will be a nasty surprise when the three of us can unleash firepower to protect ourselves and maybe deliver an nasty surprise via boarding action."

- "True, in case we'd spike into an unexpectedly hostile system we could be out again before the enemy could react on us. The reason i had initially designed the merchant was to have a place to repair and refuel so that we would not get taken out by attrition."

Free Merchant 500k

Power=10 Max
Mass= 15 max

Spike Drive-2:   2/2 100k
Cargo Space: -/2 (Holds 40 tons raw materials or 20HP repairs)
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Fuel Scoops: 2/2 50k
Contextual Camo Field: 4/2 500k
Fuel Bunkers: -/3 75k
Workshop: 2/1 5k

Total Power = 10
Total Mass = 15

Total Cost: 1.32m credits

- "So with my own proposed alteration included, this would be the current setup of the merchant? The second would not need the Workshop since it is already present on the first, so it could have Mining equipment instead and refill the stock of raw materials for repairs instead. Since the Wartooth would have a functional Survey Sensor Array already, there would be no problem in having the Wartooth tell the merchants where to set up so they would not need an Array of their own."

- "As for new ships, i think the way forward as a fighting force would be the Frigates. A Wraith shuttle and a Cargo lighter take up the same amount of space, so there would be no problem with swapping one for the other in a future addition, and we retain our strike power. Or, leave it out altogether if the two current shuttles are capable of fulfilling transportation duties, and swap out the Plasma Beams for Flak Emitter Batteries, in order to create a dedicated anti-projectile vessel. But that is talk for the future, and there would be little to gain from spending budget we do not yet have."

She tapped on her datapad again, calculating something.

- "So that would leave us... 360k over. We'd have enough of the original budget left over to pay for nearly half the Wartooth's refit. I wouldn't mind sharing the remainder. Zazan, are you chipping in as well? Ehm... Also, does this complete the budget allocations? There are some other topics i'd like to discuss as well."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:35, Tue 24 Aug 2021.

"I have no further shipyard concerns. I would like to here if my fellow Bothlisian has any ship refitting he would like to get done."

"Well, we are 360k over without ze second Free merchant so I am assuming its acquisition will wait for another successful cruise.

As I mentioned, I cannot find a single improvement I would do on ze ships provided by the Hegemony. Ze crew on the other hand, I have...opinions."

Diana gave a brief nod, happy to have finalized the budgeting talks. Though she wanted to discuss some other points related to expenditures as well, by far the largest part of it was now done. She listened with interest when Zazan wanted to bring up the crew.

- "Oh? Have you been having trouble? Admittedly i seem to have lucked out with the Valdar, but by all means, share your opinions. We might even find something to improve and come out better because of it -- i know the same holds true for the designs we agreed upon a moment ago."

"A penal crew from Athlas III and a...imperfect XO from Lynn's world made ze last cruise quite interesting. I am scheduled for several cyberware surgeries to keep up with all of the...excitement.

But that is of little concern to you my dear captains. Regarding how my crew works with ze squadron, I am considering purchasing power armor for the Randver's Astral Troopers. Is there any other gear that should be procured?"

"Also we should bring on several translators or linguists to assist in deciphering ze ancient language...Hindi.

"Agreed. If we can secure powered armor for troopers, that would be a big boon. The problem would be ensuring that all of the personnel we are equipping have the required training to effectively use them. Do we know who the replacement crews will be yet?"

Diana perked up when she heard Zazan bring up gear.

- "It's good that you bring it up. I wanted to suggest outfitting the entire crew of King Squadron in Combat Field Uniforms with accompanying shields. It's the heaviest armor available that does not impact work efficiency, and the shields can be placed within easy access. The cost would be about ₡ 1100 per crew member, and the added armor would give them some degree of protection from internal shrapnel as ships take combat damage. Back on Sable One, i can say with certainty that only due to immediate medical aid i had two wounded to report, rather than two fatalities. Not to mention, if we run into our Atomic Era friends again, the shields should be able to withstand most of their small arms fire, which should even out their numerical advantage somewhat, and i doubt they'd take heavy weaponry along into boarding actions."

She picked up her glass and motioned at Zazan with it, before taking a swig.

- "Powered armor... If your troopers have training in it, go right ahead. We're delving into personal funds now, so while i wouldn't stoop to telling you how to spend it, consider the Squadron-wide Combat Field Uniforms and shields as my recommendation for a standard gear upgrade. Are there any suggestions on weaponry?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:00, Tue 24 Aug 2021.

"I can agree to the squadron-wide uniform upgrades. I think it is a solid idea. As for weaponry, I think that our standard armory components should work, but I would like to find out if we can get that SpecOps detachment to nail down anything more specific. Some of the heavier weapons like cutters or LMGs would likely do as much damage aboard a ship as the boarding party in the wrong hands."

"Considering ze boarding actions of the last cruise and fittings of our new ships, we should....invest in ze training of our Troopers to use power armor.

Powered armor is invaluable against more primitive societies who cannot punch through its defenses.

I believe we should allocate funds for each ship to be so equipped. At minimum I will be ensuring ze Randver is trained and outfitted.

As for weaponry Captain Hargrave, armories aboard ze corvettes are well stocked with whatever we will need.

Shields on ze other hand will do nothing to negate the power of ship-borne weapons so only boarding parties without power armor would make use of them."

OOC: Powered Armor negates damage from TL3 and below and the Armories provide any TL4 weapons and armor needed, I am assuming 10k powered armor is not stocked in the the typical armory. Shields on ship crew that never see small arms fire can be omitted. Power armor and shields do not stack
This message was last edited by the player at 17:45, Wed 25 Aug 2021.

"Powered armor will be a force multiplier for us. Something that we will definitely need considering our current limited capacity. That said, we will save some funding by switching my Wraith shuttle to boarding shuttles. With the extra 250 thousand, we can dig into training and outfitting the squadron personnel. As for the extra bunks, what would your opinions be on hiring PMCs to fill in the gap if regular forces are not available to us."

OOC: Remember that Exosuit 1 is required for powered armor. Assault suits are only 1 AC more and only require Exosuit 0.

Zazan checks his notes "er....my apologies dear captains, I meant to say assault suits.

OOC: whoops! assault suits still have the tl3 and below invulnerability so lets go with those.

- "I second Assault suits and training for all crewmembers, ourselves included. The advantage is too great to pass up on. Full Power Armor may provide problems with movement within the ship corridors, Assault suits tend to be less bulky while offering approximately the same level of protection from both weaponry and hard vacuum. Should this happen, we would have up to six hours to send out the Wraith and boarding shuttles to recover spaced crew. We would issue a set of Glowbugs to all of them to make them easier to spot. On the topic of boarding shuttles, keep in mind they would only be able to cut through thin armor (5 or less) or make use of existing hull breaches in order to be effective."

Diana though on Oscar's suggestion for a while.

- "PMCs... Probably not. They're well trained and experienced, true, but i'm guessing Command wants to keep the events from our previous mission silent until they know what to make of it. Getting exterior forces involved might prove counterproductive to that goal. I'd also stock the armory with Combat Field Uniforms and shields for all crew regardless, keeping the Assault suits for when we are about to enter ship combat. It would save on power cells, and we do not yet know how many of the crew would pass their Exosuit classes."

- "I had also been looking at purchasing a vehicle, but we would not have the room to stow it so we would have to make due with the Wraith for ground missions until we can get our hands on a cruiser, which would also have Hydroponics. I could reach out to my friend again, see if i can write something up? Expect a cost of twelve to fifteen million though, i agree with Oscar's initial assessment that a Logistics Ship would fit our initial needs much better than an actual Battlecruiser would, so we'd be needing at least a couple more Frigates to properly back it up."

OOC: S takes up 1 ton, M 10 and L 50 tons of cargo space, we don't have that unless we'd be cutting into the merchants. Cruisers have 200 tons per mass unit though, as opposed to 20 per for Frigates.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:56, Wed 25 Aug 2021.