The message comes in over the wireless...

++King Squadron, this is Wartooth Actual. Device has been disabled. I say again; device is disabled. Requesting extraction.++

Cheers sound out throughout the bridge and across the commnet.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:48, Wed 23 June 2021.

++ Great job Wartooth, i'd buy you a beer if the local bars were open. ++

Diana waited for the cheering to die down, before opening the comms again.

++ So that leaves Grendel. Angantyr Actual... What do you plan to do? ++

++ For now, we sit tight and get a message back to command. We can't do anything about Grendel except watch her. We don't have the manpower to board her even if she surrenders, sooner or later they'd be able to overpower our scant guards and then we'd be in even more trouble. ++ He breathed deeply and you could practice see him pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes as he weighed the decisions. ++ We need to transition back to standard shift rotations, give our crews a chance to eat, sleep, recover. At the same time, we're going to have repairs all over the squadron, the survivors from the Sigfred can help with that once they're back in shape. We'll keep the Wartooth docked on the station, we're going to need her workshops and whatever we can get working on Listening Post 81 to provide us with replacement parts and materials to patch things up. Once we've got that going, we'll need to start repairs on one of our ships, whoever needs it the most. Diana, I'll leave that up to you.++

++ There's also the matter of supplies, we now have aboard our ships, a limited amount of food for the total population of crew and prisoners. There are some options here, the most obvious one is we need to implement rationing. This will be unpopular to everyone, but we currently have three weeks of supplies for just the standard crew compliment, with prisoners and rescued crew putting a strain on that. There should be supplies aboard both the station and the transport and of course, there would also be supplies aboard the surrendered enemies vessels. Considerably more in fact, considering their slower drives.  Diana, I'm going to delegate this dilemma to you. I'll back whatever decision you come to, but make it soon, we've got at least a week or so before we can expect a response even if we launch a messenger probe today. ++

Diana took a deep breath. Repairs weren't her specialty, but she supposed Volsung was just going to get some rest and he was giving her a chance to see how she'd perform as Squadron SiC as she'd previously suggested. That said, there was work to be done. She turned to her XO.

- "XO, be sure to sign this over to the Wartooth as well."

She then addressed the Captains on the other ships.

++ Understood. For now, overall focus will be on the Wartooth getting its communication equipment fixed, that's hurting the squadron more than damaged ships. Cannibalize it off the Sigfred if need be. Once it's done the Angantyr will be next, being our Squadron's command ship, followed by either the Randver or, depending on circumstances, Grendel. If anyone needs replacement crew to bring the numbers back to full, we have crew from the Sigfred cleared for operations ready for pickup. ++

She then turned back to her XO.

- "Seeing as Grendel is awaiting assistance, signal to them that we are currently attempting to secure a vessel capable of holding all their crew for rescue operations. I am aware our knowledge of their vocabulary is still limited, but it seems we must make due with what we know."

After pausing for a moment, she made an addition on the comms network.

++ As for rationing... i'd suggest that be implemented after the next rotation. The crew's more than earned a full meal after the recent chain of events, and by then we'll know the state and number of supplies present at the Listening Post. We're short a transport and i did not hear of any survivors, it may very well be that the crew made off in one of the transports with a number of supplies and escaped. We were still picking up comms traffic between the station and its transports during our system scans after our arrival, suggest we scan the area for IFFs. ++

She gave her own Sensors officer a nod to indicate they should get started on that right away.

The various elements of the squadron responds, captains or XOs acknowledging the orders from Volsung and Diana's additions. The repair party, along with what supplies could be ferried over to the docked Wartooth were underway. Some initial plans were put into organizing a salvage mission to the wreck of the Sigfred, but with work on the station and work on the damaged ships, there was little time or resources available to pursue this task.

Additionally, this close to the station and without it's sensors in operation, the bulk of the moon blocked sight to the rest of the system. Useful for hiding, but terrible if you wanted to see someone coming. This meant at least one ship would have to maintain orbit around the rock to keep touch with not only the rest of the system but return to reconnect with the squadron or have a third ship on station to act as a relay. With Wartooth out of commission, and the other three corvettes damaged, available ships were stretched thin.

Some attempts were made to signal Grendel, with what the signal department believed was an improved understanding, but the big wreck kept broadcasting the ancient SOS over and over. Probably simply an automated circuit. At least they were quiet, at this point no further sign of the enemy crew showed themselves and the various readings on the ship stayed steady and dormant. Assuming their emergency systems were still active, which there was no indication beyond a slight thermal reading near the crew compartments, they would probably be fine for some time. Ships of that technological capacity had lengthy operational terms and required supplies for months and months at a time.

Sensor officer brings you back a report regarding local system comms traffic. Several hours after you arrived, there was a burst of jamming from the vicinity of Ultima Black VI. You were unable to pick it up at the time during the battle with Sable-One, attempting to jam her transmissions as well. By the time the battle was over, the signals from the other ships were silent and the station went silent as well. Of course, there was a light delay of several hours, so its unlikely your arrival corresponded with that occurrence.

System tracking shows the second Elephant transport disappeared behind the Neptunean horizon of Ultima Black VI sometime during your battle with Sable-One, possibly heading to another local moon. Scans up to now have revealed no trace of that ship. Current scans reveal no other vessels in system, however, you are currently occluded by the planet Ultima Black VI and the orbiting moon you are stationed near. A ship will need to be sent clear of the obstructions to get a clear view of the system, or you can choose to stay hidden behind the mass of the moon and away from any prying telescopes.

At discovering the transmission was automated, Diana sighed, giving similar orders to repeat the signal to stand by and await the assist.

++ For now, it seems the old adage of 'If we can't see them, they can't see us' remains true. If there's an Elephant-class hiding behind a moon they're not spiking out of the system, so we'll prioritize repairs before going out to look for them. Wartooth, do we have an ETA on getting the second transport operational? And do we have an estimate of the supplies that are available on the station? ++

Oscar returned to the bridge of the Wartooth after grabbing himself a cup of something hot and taking a few deep breaths. He relieved the duty officer, restoring his command of the Wartooth in full. Hearing the comms were still spotty, he decided to look at the data himself, working on prioritizing combat capability over non-critical tasks. First on his list would be repairing his communications array. He keyed the comm net once he was ready.

++This is Wartooth. We are looking for priority repairs at this time. The Marines are clearing the station now and will clear the second transport when they exfil. Supplies are minimal at the moment. Our bunkers are going to need to restock with raw materials before we can do any long-term repairs. Wartooth will do a sweep of the video recordings and take a rough inventory from the station.++

OOC: Using Astronautic skill for the best estimate of repairs and supplies available vs needed.
18:49, Today: Oscar Hargrave rolled 7 using 2d6+2.  Astronautic Roll (Repair Estimates). – 7

++ Copy that, Wartooth. Safety first as always. ++

The bulk of the repair work in the first few hours was bringing the comms back online on the Wartooth. She'd lost her primary antenna array and the actual comm room processors had been destroyed along with the ships XO in a nearly fatal strike to the ship's internal systems. Squadron resources were stretched thin, pulling in everything they could get. A short scan of what was left of the Sigfred indicated shipbreakers and dedicated salvage teams would be required to get anything of use out of her, she was scrapmetal at this point.

For the sake of expediency, Wartooth ended up requesting Diana's person commnet server to be used as the replacement processing center for the ship.

++Captain Hersson, we know you offered use of a commserver earlier. We'd like to borrow it and see if we can jury rig Wartooths communications back online.++


Several hours into retaking the listening post and all was silent now, no sign of any unknown ships or hostile action, your sensors officers report in at regular intervals along with tense reports from troopers onboard the listening post, the transport and in the impromptu prison hold.

++ Understood Wartooth, consider it made available to you. ++

Diana then turned to her XO.

- "Right, it's been quiet for a couple of hours. Begin rotating crew back into their sleep cycles, and start rationing in 12 hours unless we hear of any supplies found in the Listening Post."

OOC: By the way, how would transporting gear (and people) from one ship to the other go? Would i need to dock with the listening post, or is there some kind of shuttle system we could make use of without actual boarding tubes?

Moonside, Zazan reports in, his tone curt from the repair work.

++King, Zis iz Mysh. We can uplink to ze station's drones or repair it's database. We cannot do both without cannibalizing a ship.

Unless there iz a...compelling argument, I will begin work on getting ze drones online. Our encounter with Sable-one alone must be communicated to ze Hegemony, let alone our excitement near the station.

We should prepare all combat, comms, and sensor data for unlink to the drone++

++ Very well, we shall begin sending data packets when you signal the drones are ready to receive them. Be sure to include a request for immediate tender services for Grendel, Sable-One and the incapacitated Draken and Sigfred, including mention of holding a number of POWs above King Squadron's capacity to hold without jeopardizing it's current mission, and request replacement parts and Spike fuel as required. High encryption and clearance levels, this would cause an uproar even within the military and would need to be handled with care. Once the Elephant picks up Sable-One, we'll tow it to a defensible position and await reply. ++
This message was last edited by the player at 15:23, Wed 14 July 2021.

++Agreed. We are stretched far too thin for anything other than defensive operations. At this rate, we are going to need a proper fleet tender to get everything in working order and then immediately send the squadron to dry dock for overhaul.++

++King Squadron. We have yet another...wrinkle. the drone has data from the original outpost. I'm welding a message onto the drone and sending to Hallus Station...I'm tapped captains.++

++ Is it possible to save the current buffer in an empty folder? I'd rather not send out a drone with orders to glass the listening post and everything around it just in case the drone with our data ends up not making it back. ++

OOC: It isn't, it's designed to go one way and only stay there in case there was a transfer failure, which there was. You can attempt to deconstruct the data in the buffer through data analysis, but you can't just dump it back into the datacore as a single discrete unit. That would take a lot of time and prevent the buffer from being used for anything else until it was finished.

--== Post-Timeskip ==--

As the ships set out and were about to enter the first jump, Diana addressed the Squadron as a whole.

++ All ships, we are about to Spike. The Squadron will assume the same formation as during the previous mission, with a hammerhead layout. The Valdar will take point, flanked by the Angantyr and Randver. The second line will consist of the Rospolis, flanked by the Wartooth and Ivar Vidfamne, with the Talos taking up the rear. This will allow the two Knarr-class ships to reverse thrust in case of trouble, with the Talos providing fire support for them if pursued. ++



She then switched to personal channels.

++ Captain Quarnstrom, i would like an estimate of how fast the Talos would be able to complete a tour of all four systems, provided refueling is not an issue. Also, just to be certain, but the Talos IS equipped with nuke snuffers, correct? ++

That out of the way, she turned to her XO, lowering her voice a little so as not to be overheard.

- "XO Havail, you are to pick three dates and times for emergency combat readiness drills. Do not inform anyone of them, including myself, nor will you take crew duty schedules into consideration when choosing these times. I will leave disciplinary measures for tardiness to your discretion, they are to be issued where needed without regard for rank and station."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:54, Sat 13 Nov 2021.

It caught him a little off guard to be addressed by a title of authority... True he had been a team captain but most of them called him Shiv or just Sir before they died. The survivors just called him Mr Havail now, or Chan if they were out drinking. It was nice to have something like friends. Even some Shivari didn't trust other Shivari. It was sad.

Chander nodded, "Yes Ma'am. Day one would be a little rude. I'll see to it though that we get all three on this transit. I will have summary forms to you each morning but otherwise plan to keep you as bored as I can when it comes to matters of this ship."

Zazan doesn't look up from the assault suit inspection he is performing in the armory. He keys though several frequencies on his ghost talk transceiver ++Understood, Randver will move into position++

《Helm, we are taking 3 position of the hammerhead and preparing to Spike. I will be up in 6 minutes.》

《All hands, Spike travel imminent. Prepare yourselves》
Commands distributed, Zazan Looks at the attending mechanic and points to three of the suits,
"It looks like ze servos were not locked prior to stowage. You'll have to vent ze chamber and recalibrate or else ze gyroscopes will be off.

We will continue once we are in the maw."


This message was last edited by the player at 18:39, Wed 24 Nov 2021.

Zazan makes it to the bridge and surveys the status of the squadron. He pulls up the system map and notes the growing distance between the formation and Hallus station.

Switching to the squadron officers comm channel, ++Officers of King Squadron, let me welcome you all to ze second cruise. Ze first was historic, but I hope it will be ze exception, but not the rule.

Commander Hersson, would you like to go over contact protocols and contingencies before we Spike?++

Having arrived at the system departure point long before the other ships the Talos has had plenty of time to calculate navigation paths for every ship even taking into account their varied speeds and capability.  As each ship arrives Sara transmits that data to their navigators as a starting point to use for their own preparations to drill to another system.

++ Indeed i would, Randver Actual. In the event of an encounter, i would like the Talos to reverse thrust along with the two Knarr-class ships, while the rest of us engages the hostiles. The specific tactics would depend on enemy composition, but generally speaking the Rospolis would try and draw the enemy fire, being by far the most durable of the Squadron, while the corvettes focus on teaming up against the smaller ships. The aforementioned Talos would see to the safety of the Knarr-class ships, having permission to formation spike out of the system with them should their position be sufficiently threatened. ++

++ Your thoughts, Captains? ++

++I suggest ze corvettes focus on ze largest threat, if our encounter with Grendel thought us anything.

Speak your thoughts officers, we are in ze black now, not surrounded by comrades and superiors as on Hallus Station. No one needs to be impressed, we have a job to do.++ Zazan says, trying to encourage the newer additions to the squadron.

Oscar felt that he did not need to micromanage his crew as the orders for positioning came from the squadron commander. He had been in his own head for most of the departure. He was still getting used to the interface for the warbots. The neural cradle had caused some feedback during recovery and Oscar had kept it quiet for the most part while the squadron prepared to depart. In fact, he had discovered that the cradle adapted to his thought patterns slowly, which is why one of the warbots was sitting in his cabin, docked for maintenance mode. He had made efforts to practice connecting to the operating system to familiarize himself with the commands. It was the words of Zazan that pulled him from the exercise and disconnecting from the interface.

Approaching the bridge, Oscar nodded to the officer of the deck and assumed his captain's chair. "I would agree, Randver. We should look to cripple the biggest threat first. That will give Angantyr the opportunity to latch on and deploy the warbots. Once that is complete, the squadron can focus on any remaining threats."

Chander wasn't the most proficient person with computers and machines, preferring to work with people more directly but understanding that people generally didn't prefer to work with him directly. He tried to respect the desires of others and so it would be a bit of his work to learn to use the computers better but it wasn't a complicated thing with some of the tech specialists available to patch his data pad in to the fleet systems.

While it was likely to be something of a miracle for him to pull up any specific thing that he was looking for at a moment's notice, it wouldn't take much for someone more proficient to send him the feeds relevant to a given problem so that he could leverage his abilities. He liked the thought of being able to help people quickly in lots of different places.

For most drills he planned to not use his abilities unless it was to complicate things, under instruction. He wanted to better himself and allow others to better themselves during these times when they were not so much at risk.