"Fair point. PMCs may not be the answer for quality boarding operatives. I would like to point out that while we might have the finances to train and equip everyone in the squadron for Assault Suits, I do not think that expecting them to execute normal duties during combat in such bulky armor is feasible. Certainly if a ship is repelling boarders, but not during ship to ship combat. I would suggest sticking with the Combat Field Uniforms for standard combat operations."

Oscar looked at his datapad again and had a stray thought about his upcoming surgery before it vanished and he continued.

"That would leave a handful of assault suits per ship. Everyone can still get qualified on them, which we help limit gaps in the case of casualties. As Zazan pointed out, everyone should be ably equipped from the armory. Granted, I will still work to ensure that our raiding force is as well equipped and trained as possible. I would also like to note that my recent foray into Sable-One has led me to filling in some gaps in my own knowledge. When the raiding force is deployed, I will be joining them as a technical expert and combat engineer. Again, for now, we will be woefully short-handed during boarding operations unless we can disable the enemy first. If that happens, my raiders can be supplemented from the troopers in the other crews."

He stopped and looked at the other captains. "I just want to make sure we are good with the idea of having a dedicated boarding vessel. Now would be the time to discuss the overall plan of attack for future missions and ensure that we have several different plans. We are still in the planning phase for refits, so changes can certainly be made if we don't think that this is a realistic goal."

- "Well.. Personally, i think you'd be better off with Boarding Tubes rather than Boarding Shuttles. In my experience, the main focal point of a boarding action is not only the quality of the troopers, but how many you can deliver in the shortest span of time to overwhelm an enemy crew. It would also enable it to be useful against ships with thicker armor. The remaining Mass-Unit could be assigned to cargo space to allow us to bring more raw materials for repairs."

Diana frowned for a moment, remembering something.

- "Which reminds me: Now that we're discussing gear, may i suggest having a Comm server on every ship, in case of Comms failure? I know mine has seen a lot of use in the previous mission, so having it available in every ship's locker would be a sound precaution to make. Similarly, a Personal Drone would allow for damage assessments without risking the crew in an EVA walk, or in potentially hazardous areas."

"A good suggestion," Oscar said when Diana mentioned the boarding tubes.

"I think Comm Servers are going to be a required item, if only because I might be biased about losing comms during battle," Oscar replied with a chuckle.

Zazan nods generally to the proposals.

"Have we has any word on whether OMNI or OSI will be providing an intelligence liason?

Following ze debriefing from ze last cruise, I am expecting ze spooks will take quite active...interest in any future patrols in ze area.

Diana gave a firm nod in response, already taking out her datapad again.

- "Okay, so our total crew count would num-- Ahh crud."

She let out an audible sigh as she leaned back, hitting her back against the back of her chair.

- "You know what we forgot? You're converting the Wartooth to a boarding ship, which is fine mind you, but for a Knarr-class, 'Extended Life Support' would still mean you'd have about half the total crew of a regular Patrol Boat... Marines included. You're not going to be boarding anything with those numbers."

With a soft murmur of 'Back to the drawing board', she picked up her datapad again.

- "Okay, so since we're planning to have a merchant anyway, i could convert the Wartooth to become that merchant, and you could transfer to the Angantyr. That means we'd have a Frigate and a double refit, for the following totals:"

Budget 8.5m official + PC contribution

Frigate Hull 4m

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

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

Defenses
Hardened Polyceramic Overlay: -/2 250k
Thermablative Layering -/2 500k

Total Power = 15
Total Mass = 15

Armor 15, effectively 20 due to Polyceramic Overlay.

Total Cost: 6.94m credits

-----

Wartooth Refit:

Spike Drive-2: 2/2 100k
Fuel Bunkers -/3 75k (+50k)
Atmo Config: -/2 50k
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Survey Sensor Array 2/1 50k
Workshops 2/1 5k
Cargo Space -/2 (40 tons)
Contextual Camo Field: 4/2 500k
Fuel Scoops: 2/2 50k

Weapons
Reaper Battery: 4/1 100k

Defenses
Augmented Plating -/2 500k

Total Power = 10
Total Mass = 15

Total Refit Cost: 600k

-----

Angantyr Refit:

Spike Drive-2:   2/2 100k
Atmo Config: -/2 50k
Extended Stores: -/2 25k
Boarding Tubes: -/1 50k
Armory: -/- 20k
Ship's Locker: -/- 20k
Lifeboats: -/1 25k
Extended Life Support: 2/2 50k
Advanced Fire Control: 1/- 100k

Weapons
Plasma Beam: 5/2 700k

Defenses
None

Total Power = 10
Total Mass = 10

Total Refit Cost: 150k

Total Cost: 7.69m -- 810k below budget

- "Which grants us plenty of budget left over, and arguably enough to get that second Knarr-class as a new ship. I had to leave the Survey Sensor Array out of the Angantyr refit in order to retain its Plasma Beams, but regular scanners should suffice for asteroids anyway and we'd have plenty of stored material to begin with. Not to mention, we'd be entering a system with six units of fuel in storage, for six ships: Exactly the amount we'd need. We'd refuel and the merchants would set the scoops to work."

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
Mining Equipment: 1/1 25k

Total Power = 9
Total Mass = 15

Total Cost: 1.34m credits

Total Cost with second Merchant: 9.03m -- 530k over budget
This message was last edited by the player at 22:35, Wed 25 Aug 2021.

"When I had originally asked to transfer, I had not taken the crew size into account. Granted, I also was so focused on remaining with the Wartooth that I tried to stay within a boundary that was of my own doing. Refitting the Angantyr makes much more sense for the purpose we I envisioned. Having a dedicated platoon for raiding and boarding forces would be much more adventurous that a small squad."

"That pointed out, I have no changes to your proposal here. I would like to volunteer 405 thousand credits to the new total. This will cover 200 thousand for the ships and I would like to ensure that the Marine platoon is trained for and provided powered armor. That would be an estimated total of 205 thousand, but I have more to give if required."

"I can split ze remaining 330k with Commander Hersson at 165 each for ship acquisition and refit."

- "Yes, for boarding actions you and Zazan could coordinate your efforts since both the Randver and the Angantyr are equipped with Boarding Tubes. Those are more combined Marines than a standard Patrol Boat has crew, plus they'd all be in assault armor, AND attacking from multiple directions -- there would be very little capable of making a stand against that."

She picked up her Datapad again.

- "Okay, so: The new Frigate has a crew of 40, another 40 for the Angantyr refit, the Valdar and Randver both have 20 and another 12 for the two Merchants, makes 132 crew members in total. That's ₡ 145,200 in Combat Field Uniforms and modern shields, and an additional ₡ 33,000 for Exosuit Training for everyone makes ₡ 178,200 in all. Add ₡ 5,000 for five Comm Servers, ₡ 792 for a set of six glowbugs as standard issue to use for emergencies such as power failure makes... a little under  ₡ 184,000 total. Add to that the ₡ 530,000 we're over budget and that makes ₡ 714,000. Assault armor for everyone would put the total on roughly ₡ 1.5 million. Technically doable, but assuming Marines would roughly number a quarter of the total crew that would put the price tag on ₡ 912,000. With Oscar's ₡ 405,000 that leaves ₡ 253,500 each for Zazan and i to chip in, or ₡ 502,000 from all three of us if we want to get the assault armors for everyone."

She then looked at Zazan and Oscar.

- "The assault armor numbers are estimates, but anything below 36% of the crew should keep the total personal contribution below a million, ship costs included."

"Oscar nodded and leaned back in his chair, finishing the now cold beverage he had been working on. "I guess the only thing to do now is to finalize the paperwork and put the orders in for processing. Unless I am missing something?"

- "Actually, i'd like to implement a Squadron XO. I suggested doing as much on Black, and the logical choice is one of you. There are times when i need to sleep or be otherwise unavailable, and appointing a Squadron XO to take command during my absence would streamline the chain of command immensely."

Diana folded her hands, and leaned forward on the table.

- "There are benefits to both of you: Zazan has years of experience that i still lack, and Oscar can provide a counter to my tendency to be overly cautious. I would like for you to decide among yourselves who gets to be Second and Third in Command. I have no preference myself, and the position would rely on how well you could reach a consensus without me being able to break a deadlock anyway."

Zazan raises his remaining eyebrow at Hersson then turns to Hargrave "Eh.....what would you prefer Captain?

Oscar put up his hands jokingly like he was backing away from something. "It's all yours. I am having enough trouble transitioning to the role of an active duty Ship Master as it is. In any case, you are the more senior officer and certainly more capable in the field. I put myself in two dangerous situations that should have killed me. I'm not about to let myself be rewarded for that."

Diana nodded in response.

- "Very well then. Zazan, you are now my Squadron XO and second in command of King Squadron. Oscar, you will be King Squadron's Marine Tactical Officer, and have operational command of all Marines in King Squadron. If you're going to be in the thick of it alongside them, then at the very least you could help me streamline the process by placing them all under your command to reduce response time. As for the assault suits, i'm going to err on the side of caution and have suits ready for half of them: Twenty on the Frigate and the refitted Angantyr, ten on the Valdar and Randver each, and another two each on the new Merchant and refitted Wartooth given their likelihood of EVA maneuvers. That would total 64 suits, bringing the total amount to ₡ 1,098,000. Taking off Oscar's ₡ 405,000 and the ₡ 2,000 i already spent on shields for the Valdar crew prior to heading out, that leaves Zazan and my share on ₡ 345,500 each."

She clasped her hands together, taking a deep breath.

- "And... i think that's everything. I'll try to get a telepath or two assigned to King Squadron as Psych Officers, there's a good chance for success given that we've got a fair amount of crew rescued from the Sigfred, and their abilities could come in useful talking to POWs even without Hindi loaded up in the torcs as they are masters in interpreting body language."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:17, Thu 26 Aug 2021.

Oscar nodded. "That seems appropriate, given the circumstances. However, as our new Commander, I would like to get your input on a topic."

Oscar inhaled and calmed himself before continuing. "Considering the...things that we encountered out there, I would like your permission to look into filling our assault force with warbots. I know a few people in the industry and would foot the bill for them. The expanded life support can be used for the maintenance cradles. Plus, it would limit the exposure of good spacers to unknown and alien threats. We can also keep a few in storage for repairs or replacements. I would be able to exert tactical control in the field."

Diana thought on it for a moment.

- "No objections per se, and they would be categorized as Marine gear so they would fall under your new command, but i would like to see the specs before signing off on them. I'd need to know what they're capable of first."

Oscar smiled. "Of course. I'll make a few calls and see what models I can find in the right numbers. I'll forward a proposal for your approval before refits are complete."

- "Good. We may even end up discussing modifications like we've done for the ships, two sets of eyes see more than one."

Diana reached for her mug, found it empty and went over to the bar for a refill, asking Oscar and Zazan if they wanted anything and bringing it back for them if they did. Once she had sat back down, she lifted her now full mug again.

- "Then, with all the bookkeeping out of the way, let us finally start celebrating our successful foray into the unknown, and our triumphant return. Cheers."

Oscar raised his own mug, having taken Diana up on the refill. "Cheers!"

"Clear Water, Clean Air!" Zazan lifts his drink in the Bothislian tradition.

"Looks like you both will make a true spacer out of me yet."

"So ze Angantyr will be helped by Hargrave, and I assume you will transfer to ze Frigate with your crew? If so we'll need captains for ze Valdar and the Wartooth.

Would the XOs of ze Valdar and ze Angantyr qualify?"

- "The XO of the Valdar would, her previous Captain was an incompetent so she is capable of running a ship, though i will ask her opinion rather than assume her repsonse. The Angantyr's XO i know too little about, though Oscar's previous XO was a casualty so he may just want to transfer over and retain its current XO. The Wartooth's existing crew of five should more or less fill the gaps in the Angantyr's roster, and given the performance reports, the Angantyr crew would benefit from the incoming Wartooth crew's experience. The refitted Wartooth and other merchant shouldn't require an experienced crew given their non-combat function anyway, so i see no issue with staffing them with incoming crew."

She ran some of the numbers in her mind.

- "The Sigfred had twelve survivors, though Karsen was one of them. Since the Wartooth and new merchant would only require a crew of six, should we assign the Sigfred crew to them? Admittedly the situation was a little hectic at the time so i am unclear whether the Sigfred's XO was among those rescued, but they could use the quiet and the confidence boost routine would bring. Or i could fold them into the crew of the new Frigate and have them all in one place for easier Psych Eval."

"If I may, I am looking at promoting within the Wartooth's crew to XO. That said, my Helms officer has proved a very capable individual and I will recommend she screen for command as soon as possible. My tactical officer is someone that I want to groom for command as well. Might I recommend slotting the Angantyr's XO to command the Wartooth, allow my Helm officer to become XO for the Valdar and get some training in the role? I will be taking my tactical officer to my new command as XO, unless his interview for the position is woefully dismal."

Diana hmm'ed for a moment.

- "That IS a possibility, and i will let you decide for the Angantyr and the Wartooth, though admittedly if my XO chooses to captain the Valdar she will most likely promote a member of the crew she knows to her XO as the position would be new to her as well."

She tilted her head, contemplating something.

- "Why not do the same thing i just did for King Squadron? You'd captain the Angantyr with your tactical officer as XO, and your Helm officer as assistant XO -- essentially Third in Command -- since both of them have no prior experience at being an XO? That way, when you're on a boarding mission your tactical officer becomes acting Captain, and your Helm officer acting XO, allowing you to fully focus on your Marines. And the Angantyr's XO could captain the Wartooth with an XO of their choosing. If the Sigfred's XO survived i'd have them captain the other merchant with an XO of their choice from the Sigfred crew. Then, once we get a second Frigate, we'll see how the new Captains and XOs have performed and reshuffle accordingly."

She made some notes, drawing arrows between them.

- "Should the Valdar's crew and XO choose to follow me to the new Frigate, i think... it would be better to have someone from the Randver promoted to captaincy. That way, field promotions would be distributed evenly. Zazan, in the event that the Valdar is available, would you have a suitable candidate in mind?"

"While the XO of ze Randver is capable, I would like to....keep an eye on her if possible. My crew is lacking in discipline, they wouldn't survive back on Both.

And from experience, it is better for an Ensign to be a new face for a crew, lest past...relationships meddle with ze officer's training."

"You cannot blame me for looking out for my crew. I will conduct interviews and have my final decision regarding my choices within the week."