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Next on the agenda was heading back to the colony world where Flight Leader Kuritz and his command crew had been stranded last month. You called in support from Captain Sylvan who used the opportunity to test out a Battlecruiser equipped with a plasma cannon you had recovered the pieces for back in the Smugglers Run.

Enemy planet based starfighter squadrons ensured that you couldn't conduct a long drawn out fight. Knowing this your ship and starfighter squadrons struck hard at the station in orbit, obliterating it and badly mauling the local enemy ships before falling back to a safe distance.
At your request Captain Sylvan asked the Commander to send for an allied fleet powerful enough to sweep aside the planet based fighters and land troops. While waiting for their arrival a few of the remaining enemy ships fled the system. Captain Sylvan's three Battlecruisers along with Fourth Squadron left in pursuit of them.

A fleet made up of ships from several of the allied Factions lead by Admiral Forrester from the Terran Alliance arrived on schedule and began launching starfighters in preparation for the planetary assault. You've been asked to provide assistance to the assault forces, and while it would be useful it isn't strictly necessary.

I think we had several suggestions for dealing with the recalcitrant population. Some were more ambitious than others.

You contact Admiral Forrester and ask if the people on the planet have offered to discuss terms.
"Not yet. From our intel this planet rebelled against the various Houses that used to hold the area no less than a dozen times before the Pirates swept through. The Warlords probably offered to leave them alone in return for buying starfighters off of them at a discount.
They're either collaborating with the Warlord forces or have ties to the extremist Free Planets League. Maybe both. Once we have troops on the ground in a position they can't push us out of, then we'll force them to the negotiation table. The Dominion wants their worlds back as part of the terms for maintaining this alliance. If you have a plan that will put this world back under Dominion control without another rebellion forcing them off a month from now I want to hear it."

Ever the one to attempt negotiation if it results in securing valuables you ask the Admiral to hold off on the assault until you can at least attempt some negotiations.
"I have some ideas that would give some of the extremists what they want but still put them under nominal Dominion control. If I fail we can still invade."

Forrester sighs. "Sir Reynard I appreciate what you're trying to do, I really do, but I'm bound to treaty obligations the Alliance has with the Dominion. If I had full command of this fleet I could could only delay the landings by an hour but I'm just in charge of securing the orbital space. The three Houses that sent troop ships and Carriers are the ones you would have to convince. Besides, the kind of negotiations you're talking about would need days or weeks to get traction, especially since the Houses present haven't even decided which of them will govern this world later. Our timetable is limited. Frigates will enter the atmosphere to secure a landing zone in twenty minutes."

>>22844873
You're disapointed at this news and it shows.

"Look, you're free to conduct your negotiations but be aware your allies here may not be as interested in a peaceful resolution as you are. Forrester out."

You look over your shoulder towards the coms officer. "Find me someone on that colony to talk to. Fast."

Five minutes later you have Thomas Vance, mayor of one of the cities on the Southern continent on the line.
Your plans regarding future interaction between the Dominion and the Leage may all be well and good but its not something that the three Houses present will agree to in a matter of minutes.
Consider your offer(s) accordingly.

>What say?

How good a claim do we have on the planet? we did take out the space forces.

>>22844918
But you're not landing any troops of your own and only providing what amounts to 1/7 of the starfighter forces present.
You House has salvage claims on all of the ships and debris in orbit.

>>22844947
Do we at least have an ironclad case for that planet that surrendered to us? I don't think any other dominion forces were in the same system when they surrendered.

>>22844909
What if we claim the planet as ours and have their government surrender to us?

We could then tell the other houses to stay off our planet. If they have a problem with it, they'll be forced to either risk an incident within the dominion, or have to go through the proper channels, which might take weeks.

The planetary government has practically nothing to lose by doing so. In the worst case, they will most likely postpone the invasion for a few weeks, in the best case, we might be able to get the dominion to recognise them as a protectorate that gets to pay its levy in star fighters instead of conscripts.

>>22844909
What do they other houses want out of this? It's kinda hard to negotiate with knowing that.

>>22845049

while the planet's government and our House may gain from such a plan, we essentially make 3 Houses hate us.

Is this planet really worth pissing off 3 different Houses?

>>22845360
Probably depends on the houses.

>>22844995
The Grow Op one? Or the one with the bio weapon outbreak?
If the former, yes.
If you mean the latter, sort of. Enough resources have been brought in from outside forcees to help deal with the outbreak and the mass uprisings against the planetary government that its becoming a bit blurry. Honestly a lot of people in your House would like to hand the problem off to someone else.

>What if we claim the planet as ours and have their government surrender to us?
>We could then tell the other houses to stay off our planet. If they have a problem with it, they'll be forced to either risk an incident within the dominion, or have to go through the proper channels, which might take weeks.

Even if this were to happen without the other Houses flipping their shit (they would since you requested their presence after all) you would still need to land troops to secure the shield generators and planetary defenses to ensure they couldn't be used against you or your allies. The only problem is your House doesn't have enough ground troops at the moment to pull that off. If you tried to it would be easy for the locals to turn against you and slaughter your forces.

>>22845360
>Is this planet really worth pissing off 3 different Houses?
This.

>The planetary government has practically nothing to lose by doing so. In the worst case, they will most likely postpone the invasion for a few weeks, in the best case, we might be able to get the dominion to recognise them as a protectorate that gets to pay its levy in star fighters instead of conscripts.

At this suggestion Vance claims their air and ground forces could hold out for weeks against the troops your allies are projected to land. You somehow doubt this but it might be possible.
"My constituants are not going to lay down their arms to any of the Houses without a fight. Besides which, you don't even have troop transports present, you couldn't enforce your claim even if you wanted. You seem to know what WE wan't, talk to your allies. I bet you'll have just as much trouble getting them to budge from their position as us."

>>22845452
We're still on the small end, officially anyway. I'm willing to bet that some of our local rivals are getting a bit worried though.

>>22845504

Screw these idiots. Let's just support our allies and get this invasion over with.

... didn't the station above this planet belong to that captain that enabled us to get our men off this rock?

Shit, we didn't kill them, did we?

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At this point your long term plans to make peace in the area may end up taking a back seat to the short term problem. Or vise versa. You can attempt to prevent or delay the invasion by the other Houses but it will almost certainly have political consequences.

1) Attempt to delay through claiming planet (roll 1d20) (Will almost certainly hurt relations with the other Houses)
2) Persuade Houses to delay the invasion (roll 1d20) (Hurts relations with other Houses, increases relations with the planet)
3) Do not interfere with invasion but don't assist (This may still hurt relations with the Houses but may make it easier to talk to the locals of this planet)
4) Provide support to landings as previous voted on (This will hurt your relations with this planet but increase those with the other Houses. They may even owe you )

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VXLY7PZ

>>22845850
>... didn't the station above this planet belong to that captain that enabled us to get our men off this rock?
It belonged to the planetary government or equivalent body.
>>22845850
>Shit, we didn't kill them, did we?
Odds are good Sylvan may have but not necessarily. The Battlecruiser the two fast battleships dragged in front of them to use as a shield while badly damaged isn't completely destroyed.

>>22845983
All those options are crap :O

>>22846035

Are the Terrans providing CSAR for the battlecruiser and any survivors upon it, or do we need to get on that?

>>22845983
What assest of ours are involved with the invasion? Some Fighters mainly, and frigates and Corvettes right?
I say we leave a wing, the fighters, and pack up and leave. There are more important things too see too then this.

>>22846122
It was bound to happen eventually. I'm surprised we haven't had one like this sooner really.

>>22846163
A bit of both. Salvage teams will arrive in eight hours, or delay if its decided its too dangerous in the area. With the orbital space mostly clear of enemies your ships could help stabilize the orbits of the largest pieces of debris until they get here. Any spare shuttles could also help on that front.

>>22846190
>What assest of ours are involved with the invasion? Some Fighters mainly, and frigates and Corvettes right?
Starfighters to support the troop ship landings. Orbital fire support and low altitude fire support with the smaller ships.
The option to use LST's to help move Allied troops to the surface was a bit borderline to be included.

>>22846504

I'd very much like to get some of our ships, ones less suited to assisting the invasion, to stabilize orbits of good salvage and to conduct SAR on that battlecruiser if it was the same one that helped us before.

We owe that captain at least that much.

>Its been 1 hour and we've had a total of 3 votes. All time low.

>>22846789
"Squadron leaders, I want all of your ships capable of atmosphere prepped for close support. Anyone with ships that cant take atmosphere split up and start moving the larger pieces of debris into more stable orbits. Vengeance Type pilots, I know you cant take atmosphere but what you can do is bring all of your point defense to bear on ground targets. You'll be helping with fire support from orbit.
"Starfighter squadrons get ready to support the planetary assault, heavy air to air loadout."

Roll 3d20

Rolled 14, 11, 15 = 40

>>22847110
Roll Away!

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>>22847166
My Rolls can't be that good! It's gotta be a trick!

Rolled 3, 15, 9 = 27

>>22847110
rolling

Rolled 12, 10, 2 = 24

rolling

Rolled 8

>>22847110
1

>>22847199
Damn, too late.

>>22847110
Monday + crappy options? I didn't vote, to be honest.

>>22847218
That plus there really isn't much at stake for our house right now. We've sort of been getting a feeling of diminishing returns for a while now anyway.

>>22847266
We have been picking more Long-term investments the past few sessions. I suspect that will change shortly.

>>22847266
We got our own Battlecruiser. It's just kinda like those catalogues you ordered stuff from when you were a little kid. It takes ages to get delivered.

>>22847110
One planet isn't worth the ire of other dominion houses. If we can better our relation with them then all the better. I for one found those choices reasonable.

>>22847293
No, its more like a feeling that the house can't keep up with or properly exploit our success. The one with the bioweapon outbreak is a classic case in point.

>>22847332
We never said they weren't, they were just all rather meh choices. That's Politics.

>>22847355
A fair point. Bit of Column A, Bit of Column B?

>>22847355
It was said multiple time that it can't. We're such a boon that they can't keep up with our exploit and the Latham incident only made that all the more obvious. Being a Minor house is suffering,

>>22847391
That is the power inherent in a PC. Scary isn't it?

>>22847413
>>22847391
>>22847355

We should consider speaking with the Commander about that.

If the House is overextending, it may be better to start making some deals with friendly Houses or even the Terrans, giving us permissions to claim things in their name in exchange for rewards to our expedition force or even the House as a whole.

>>22847185
>>22847194
WHY
?

WHY WOULD YOU ROLL AFTER THE FIRST FUCKING ROLL?
WHY???

>>22847613
Because only the best set of rolls out of the first three counts?

"Coms, continue to broadcast requests to the cities to surrender. Reynard to Third Wing, all forces are cleared to engage."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZKKhfyc7Og

Starfighters and Frigates from the other Houses enter the atmosphere over the southern continent, aiming for an open area not protected by the planetary shield. Planetary defense missiles launched from the safety of the cities detonate high in the atmosphere where the radiation and fallout wont damage the surface. Mass driver fire from your ships in orbit rains down on the nearby shields causing the silos to cease fire for fear of having a missile struck early in its flight.

The Frigates reach ground level and extend their shields forming a perimeter while the starfighters spread out across the countryside, striking at any hostile ground forces they can spot. Camouflaged Surface to Air and AAA positions open up only when they're certain they can land hits on the invading starfighters. You're certain there are more of them that will wait until later before giving away their positions. Before long fighter squadrons from airbases inside the city shields sortie against the invaders triggering a string of air battles across a wide front.

The Heavy lifters with their Mechanized Divisions detach from their transport and begin their descent, shields at full. This second wave is escorted by more fighters including your own. Once the HLV's have reached an altitude of 10km the escort fighters disperse, dropping down on the dog fighting fighters while using their height to get a better picture of where they're needed. Small flashes light up areas of the surface near the landing zone as Dominion and planetary forces exchange fire.

I have a question. If we used our big tow ship to relocate our base to over the quarintined planet would it make it easier for our house forces? Based on its static defenses it is by far the most valuable target we could take anyway.

>>22847391
True. On the other hand, OP still hasn't given us the promised upgrades that are supposed to come with all of the supply facilities we've captured.

Your fighters in the second wave dropping down from above prove to have gained more than a height advantage as they deal a crippling blow to many units with missile and beam attacks. Your starfighter forces are a bit more varied in terms of types used compared to many Houses which adds confusion to the enemy defense. Some enemy squadrons are completely wiped out in the fighting but many simply take the chance to retreat. Local pilots attempt to use the cover provided by streams and rivers nearby to get out of the immediate area and for a few it pays off. others are intercepted by fighter squadrons watching from altitude.

Your few dedicated ground attack fighters split off and begin eliminating anti-air emplacements around the landing zone. With the initial air threats repelled the rest of your fighters pull back to the immediate vicinity of the landing zone as well.

The third wave includes many of your corvettes and atmospheric capable Frigates. In the time it takes for them to descend towards the surface the mechanized divisions are spreading outwards from the HLV's as fast as possible. Repulsor equipped Tanks, IFV's and LRV's use their levitation to jump over smaller obstacles like stone fences or elevated side roads, and skim above streams or rivers, all at much more than 100km per hour.

With the close fire support provided by your ships the initial advance by the ground forces moves startlingly fast. In two hours the fastest units, mostly made up of IFV's, have advanced 350km.
Assault shuttle units are already landing teams of Rangers at the edges of the planetary shields more than 1000km away. Things there remain more serious though as the defending fighter forces have less to worry about from orbital support.

Your ships will only be required to assist for another two hours at which point the Frigates that had secured the initial landing zone will relocate to the front lines.

Two hours later your ships are pulled off the line. The Frigates replacing them have enough particle beams to provide direct fire while some of the corvettes are being refit on the ground with heavy artillery that lower from their underside launch bay.

Your fighter forces did take some losses but they were minor. Shuttles are already recovering the downed pilots and some of the wrecks for later repair. A few are unrecoverable.

In orbit the ships not involved in the bombardment have been busy keeping as much wreckage as possible from burning up. The important bits have all been taken care of and marked for salvage. You also helped rescew the crews of numerous warships.

Roll 1d100 to see if the battlecruiser captain survived.

Will you wait in orbit for the Salvage teams to arrive or head back to base now?

Rolled 54

>>22848525
I really hope he did.

>>22848525
I'd say we should at least leave some people to keep an eye on our salvage claims. I vote that guy from first that I don't like.

Rolled 5

>>22848525

well, I wanted to see if he lived so here goes nothing...


I say we leave a squadron on station to wait for the salvage teams, preferably of volunteers

Rolled 9

here goes

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>>22847413
pic related?

>>22847817
The station would have to be disassembled before being relocated. Still I suppose you could move all of the modules at once with a ship that big.
I'm not sure it would do much for helping get the situation on the surface under control any better since the forces from the other Factions and Houses there would remain to do their jobs.

>>22848553
I hope he had a 50% chance to live.

>>22848600
I would better protect the station though, given the fixed defenses.Plus, we would relocate the fleet, and its marine contingents. Is there anything at all we can do to help our house's manpower issue?

>>22848600
Better logistics, support and centralized control?

We would have to upgrade of course structure, to get those manufacturing modules if I interpret the icons correctly.

You check through the reports from the search and rescue teams before heading out. The captain of the battlecruiser is alive but badly wounded. He's being transferred to Alex's ship which has slightly better medical gear aboard. Since your ships are headed back to base soon the rescue personnel would like you to take all of the recovered wounded back with you.

>>22848566
>>22848578
You ask for volunteers to remain behind and help guard the salvage, keep an eye on things and protect the landing forces. Mostly to guard the salvage.

There hasn't been any word yet from Captain Sylvan and Fourth Squadron but your people should be about to fight their way out of anything your old CO gets them into.

>>22847527
>>22847413
>>22847391
>>22847381
>>22847355
The real reason why the House cant seem to keep up with you at the moment? Back in the smugglers Run you were spending the vast majority of your time on recon missions. Even with upgraded sensors a good deal of that time was spent deploying sensor and communications buoys. There would be days at a time between major combat operations. Here you're doing next to no recon work hitting target after target with 3-4 times the forces you would commonly deploy with.

>>22849891
I think that is because the targets are a bit tougher, and because we prefer to achieve massive local superiority. And looking at our kill numbers we are doing a pretty good job. Still, I suppose we can slow down a bit

>>22849891

We lost enough people in the Grand Clusterfuck.

Don't we still have a pilot missing from that? The U-Haul?

>>22850053
>Don't we still have a pilot missing from that? The U-Haul?
Yes and no.
Cristina Pozzi is still MIA. Siri Thal who lost her U-Haul was recovered and is in command of fourth squadron.


On your return to base you first see to getting repairs underway. With that taken care of you schedule an appointment with the Commander. You were thinking of going to see her before departing for the last mission but most of the Wing had already undocked by the time you saw the message. Now you have several reasons to see her rather than just one.

Refugees are still crowding sections of the base but its not as bad as before. A few more days and operations should return to normal.

Mike contacts you an hour after the Wing makes it back to base.
A navy officer with the Kavarian Imperium has arrived on the station recently and is seeking out help with a petition. The Kavarians want to resume production of Firestorm class Attack Frigates. Due to restrictions placed upon their navy following the Faction Wars they are limited in what ships they can produce and in what numbers. While small numbers of the Frigates may trickle onto the market from private shipyards these resources are quickly being exhausted.
If enough Houses were to support such a petition the Dominion as a whole would cease blocking production. The Kavarians are likely working on convincing the Terrans and Rovinar as well which would give them the majority necessary without the Republic.
Mike says that the Iratar corporation is more than willing to start exports if it can get production back.

[ ] Sign it and pass it along to Knights of other Houses you meet
[ ] Sign it, we could use those Frigates
[ ] Decline, let the people above you decide
[ ] Never! We cant let them become a threat to the other Factions again
[ ] Other

>>22850418
Up the ladder. Because Fuck Politics today.

>>22850418
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't attack frigates like the Firestorm horrifically uneconomical? IIRC, they cost almost as much as an attack cruiser to make. And I vote decline, since our house has domestic attack cruiser construction. Why invite competition? Plus, since we can't afford to use all of them for our own house, I find it unlikely that we would want or could afford to buy their frigates anyway.
tldr: we have domestic production of similar ships, why invite competition?

>>22850418
>[ ] Sign it, we could use those Frigates
I'll go against the grain here and vote for . We could always use some more allies, also more than getting attack frigate the ability to buy if need be is more important along with batter reputation we'd get with another large faction. (at the expense of republic.)

>>22850418

[x] Other

We need to speak with the Knight Commander already, and this is very much something that we should get her opinion on.

So I imagine we need to round up Arthur and get that done with.

Out of curiosity and a possible scheme, does Katherine Drake bear any resemblance or share any facial traits with us?

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>Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't attack frigates like the Firestorm horrifically uneconomical?
They are not, though their systems were quite expensive to maintain when they were first developed. They use a multi beam system similar to the attack corvettes which are slowly but steadily replacing the old standard corvettes of most Houses. Because of this they're actually easier for the Houses to maintain than any other group. These days they're only slightly more expensive to produce than most combat Frigates. Their sale price has been skyrocketing because of the lack of availability.
On the downside they're one of the few Frigate types that are not very good when it comes to entering atmosphere. Much like a Vengeance type it would have to land on its tail.

>>22850709
>Out of curiosity and a possible scheme, does Katherine Drake bear any resemblance or share any facial traits with us?
No. Or probably not, Sonia's exact features have been intentionally left up in the air.

I've loosely based the Commander off of pic related that I found on /tg/ some time ago. Hope that doesn't spoil anything.


Arriving at the Command ship on time for your appointment you're escorted to the sitting room Winifred has had repair crews convert from a former storage room or office. You cant tell which.
It may not be as well appointed as the previous one but all the key things are still here, including a small but impressive display of rare spirits.

"Welcome Lieutenant, please be seated. I've been informed that not all my valuables perished when my old command ship was torpedoed. It should be operational again in a few more weeks. Not soon enough but until then this Battleship is proving more than sufficient.
Did you wish to discuss the matter with the detective first or something else?"

>>22850974
We can discuss the detective first. I doubt the Kavarian economy will crash in the next five minutes.

>>22850974
Oh, I thought I recalled reading somewhere that most attack frigates are only slightly cheaper to make than attack cruisers.

>>22850974

Kavarian Petition first.

It seems like Kavarians looking to gear for a future war, really. And if there is one thing we've learned, it is that some things need to be well thought out.

>>22851049
It wouldn't be the first time I've contradicted myself without realising it so if you find where I said it by all means green text the shit out of it.
On further reflection it could have been regarding upgrading Standard Frigates to match attack ships in terms of speed. Yeah I could have said that but it would have been a good 40% more in terms of cost and materials to get from a Frigate up to an attack cruiser.


"I was a little concerned about the Detective sir. He said he was looking for information on you and any potential relatives in the fleet?"

Winifred scoffs. "Yes, one Tzhnto Fehmehn. He wasn't even attempting to travel under an alternate identity."

"He... it was a he right? He seemed to think his investigation was perfectly legal."

"That's because it was legal but the implications alluded to something less so. What did he tell you and what conclusions of your own did you draw as a result of your meeting with him?"

>What say?
Also any questions you want to ask about the whole incident?

>>22851513
I'm off to hunt then. Anyway, she probably already asked that question to him so answer honestly. Honestly meaning, that someone may or may not come after a former wing-mate of ours, and we don't particularly like that.

>>22851513

"Frankly, Commander, I believe he was a well-connected spy that was locating bounty heads for another group of Norune bounty hunters. In the Run, a Norune ship was hunting for the one on my head. I assume this spy had confused Drake for myself, likely due to a case of human females looking the same to him. That is my report on the situation, and why I had him detained despite his identification and clearance."

[x] Wait for Winifred to ask us what we really think, off the record.

>>22851513
Someone within the Dominion, and possibly our own House, is seeking to do harm to you or your decedents, and may believe one of my pilots to be a relative of yours.

>>22851642

and then the truth, preferably once she has ceased laughing at the poor attempt to cover Drake.

It was suspicious that Drake wasn't held with her ship or the rest of the wing when our ships were seized, and how they both were seemingly located at similar times during the battle.

The detective's story only lends further questions to the suspicious nature of their imprisonment.

Drake is our pilot, and no one fucks with our pilots. That said, if there is truth to the detective's words... with all due respect, Winifred had better not fucking lie to us about it.

It would explain some of Winifred's motherly moments, if it were true, though.

>>22851642
>"Frankly, Commander, I believe he was a well-connected spy that was locating bounty heads for another group of Norune bounty hunters. In the Run, a Norune ship was hunting for the one on my head. I assume this spy had confused Drake for myself, likely due to a case of human females looking the same to him. That is my report on the situation, and why I had him detained despite his identification and clearance."

Winifred laughs at this. "I was planning to add that you'd given the other woman your former ship as well but I see you've otherwised devised a tale quite similar to the one I'd hoped to spin. Stick to that story when filling out your report for security later. Now do tell me what you really think."

>>22851601
>>22851726
>>22851870
"As I suspected. Your commitment to your people is commendable though."

>It was suspicious that Drake wasn't held with her ship or the rest of the wing when our ships were seized, and how they both were seemingly located at similar times during the battle.
You ask her about this as it's been bothering you for some time now.
"I was wondering when this would come up." She frowns. "I was meeting with your pilot aboard my command ship when were were boarded, much as you and are are seated now. Troops walked through the door and stunned both of us before we could draw a weapon. I do recall Ms.Drake attempting to throw her glass at one of the soldiers as a distraction but they were in Power Cell armor. The next moment were were both chained up inside a converted storage room with who knows how many others then House Helios troops broke in an began releasing us."

You remain silent. If your superior wants to say more she will with or without your prompting.

>>22852255
"I was married to Lord Holtby for a number of years as part of a pollitical arrangement. There were no illusions that neither of us really cared that much for the other. It was merely a temporary arrangement, I gave him the heirs he wanted in return for money and favour within the House and we devorced towards the end of last year. What my former husband is likely looking for are any children I might have had before we were married. If I were to be killed in action without an heir of my own my fortune would default back to him and the spoiled brats I left him.
I trust that satisfies your curiosity Lieutenant?"

>>22852274
That's some shit. Does she plan to do something about it?

>>22852274

damn it, I want it straight from her mouth...

but she's confirmed it just by protecting Drake.

"Negative. You've confirmed my curiosity over your motherly ways, Commander. Though if you're looking for an heir to deny your ex... [Mike, was it?] has the potential for knighthood but is of common origin. I doubt he'd complain about being adopted."

Ask about our missing pilot, as the Commander would likely get such information before us.

And Kavarians!

"Your concern is touching, but unnecessary. Lord Holtby is one for using people and methods as far removed from himself as possible, so its either him or any of several hundred others who may have been annoyed at the promotions earlier in my career. Still if I feel you should be apprised I'll send you a suitably cryptic warning before any deployments."

>Ask about our missing pilot, as the Commander would likely get such information before us.
She reaches over and picks up a pad then scrolls through it, frowning in concentration.
"A missing pilot... Cristina Pozzi, missing in action. Evidence suggested that the emergency teleporters activated but hasn't been heard from. If the device worked she either failed to survive its activation, is AWOL or landed in an area so far outside the civilized parts of a planet that she simply hasn't been picked up yet. Who knows, perhaps the teleporter simply misfired and sent them nowhere? Don't trouble yourself, she'll either turn up or wont."

>>22852902
With that out of the way you bring up the Kavarian Navy officer attempting to get signatures for a petition.
"The Kavarians are masters of industrial production. If there was any doubt the Union shattered that in the Faction Wars. Still, they've always had difficulty with manpower. It wasnt until they stole cloning technology while the Ruling House was distracted by the Terran Civil war that they could threaten even us. Thankfully their cloning technology was destroyed long ago or the Republic might have insisted they be exterminated."
She shakes her head.
"Those must have been dark times to live in. The current Iratar government is the successor in most senses to the weak willed one the Dominion crushed almost fourteen hundred years ago. "
Winifred pauses.
"I could support the petition if there were a clause limiting the number of ships they can stockpile, what shipyards can produce them so they can be watched, and ensuring that the majority be for export to groups acknowledged by the main Factions. Given that the Iratar corporation is about making money first I'm sure that would be more than enough to satisfy them."

Provided these modifications are met will you bother mentioning the petition to Knights of other Houses or keep quiet about it?

>>22852936
Houses we like, so they can get the jump on buying cheap frigates.

>>22852936
I think we'll mention it. There are investment opportunities here, I assume.

"Now, you've doubtlessly heard rumours around the station about the Republic since its civil war ended."
You haven't, as you were busy most of the time for your last leave.

"At any rate we've received word that the Republic plans to contribute an Expeditionary Force of their own towards wiping out the Warlords once and for all. Given the reports of ships and crews having been drawn from both sides its amazing they've been able to do it in such a short time without renewed violence. The former head of the separatist navy Karistof Ralthan has been put in charge of their fleet which counts more than seven thousand Centurions and four thousand Transcendent class ships. All of the remaining super heavy cruisers they can spare are being used as fleet command ships."

"When do they leave Republic space?" you ask.

"Last week apparently. Their advance guard should arrive in the cluster in eight days to link up with the rest of the fleet and determine how best to coordinate their efforts with everyone else. If all goes according to plan the Republic main fleet could arrive within two weeks. One of the Rovinar main fleets along with a small mixed force from the other Factions have already cut off the only other route out of the cluster. The pirates will soon be trapped."

>>22853290

... shit

trapped forces mean bitter fighting

>>22853290
Becoming increasingly apprehensive about what happens after the combined fleets of the major allied powers defeat the mutual enemy.

We four way cold war soon

>>22853290
How does their Expeditionary Force compare to the one we're a part of? Because it seems pretty damn enormous.

With the ending of the thread last week there was of course the long term issue of what to do about the whole Free Planets League. Negotiate [Greedy Houses vs Determined Terrorists.]
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/22737146/#p22787360
>This is some high level shit. You'll need to get in contact with the Ruling House and convince enough of the seven.


South Reach Autonomous Region
[Recurring mission]
After thinking things over you've decided that the best way to separate the Free Planets terrorists from the worlds they hold sway over is to invalidate their reason for existing by giving those worlds autonomy. Mind you many of their supporters could still try to gain control of the individual planetary governments but they would have to do so through more legitimate means. At the very least it could give the terrorists, their less extremist followers and a number of Houses a new way to play ball politically.

Should be a piece of cake!

Yeah, not likely this is going to take a lot of work.

Before setting out on a project that could radically alter the landscape of the region and your career it would be a good idea to take a vote on support for it.

[ ] Attempt to secure partial autonomy for some of the worlds within South Reach
[ ] Try to convince Houses that will occupy the region to allow worlds self government in some capacity, no forced conscription
[ ] Push for Houses to show greater support for civil rights within this region if only to reduce uprisings
[ ] Don't bother, we don't negotiate with terrorists
[ ] Other

>>22853759
The distinction between the first three options is unclear to me, but I like the sound of all of them.

>>22853759
[x] Don't bother, we don't negotiate with terrorists

Honestly, we shouldn't mess around with other Houses' shit. If we make any moves on this stuff, it should be limited to planets that our House will control.

>>22853680
On average the fleets being fielded by the Dominion are far superior numerically but understandably have many more corvettes. Your group is significantly understrength at the moment as it hasn't recovered from the House Lat'tham debacle. If this was not the case Dominion combat ships could easily exceed 50,000 in number with only one of the two fleets that were there.

The second fleet which wasn't effected now numbers some 60,000 ships.

In total the entire Republic expeditionary force might number some 20,000 ships.
The Kavarians may have 15,000 which makes up the bulk of their military.
The Terrans and Rovinar are fielding more fleets than the others but each one is much much smaller. Its unknown how many they've brought in since the Rovinar have ships everywhere and the Terrans are constantly swapping out damaged ships from their far flung colonies.

>>22853827
Option 1 would basically create a DMZ where the Houses couldn't fight over the worlds.

>>22853960
By the way how long is it before we get our new pimping ship from the great houses?

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>>22853827
Trying to clarify better. Will post survey link momentarily barring someone coming up with a good 5th option.

1) South Reach Autonomous Region (Create a DMZ within which Houses cant fighter over planets)

2) Self government beneath the Houses. No forced conscription. The planets will run themselves but at the end of the day still pay taxes to the House, receive defense from them and so on. The populations could later push for other reforms from within.

3)Houses take full control of the worlds but there is a push for better civil rights in the area. With a bit of effort by the Houses they could reduce the risk of uprisings but it will still be there.

4)Don't bother, we don't negotiate with terrorists. The Houses that occupy the area can each deal with things their own way. We concentrate on helping worlds out house actively controls and nobody else.

5) Other???

>>22854025
It'll be awhile, its being built from scratch after all. Speaking of which, were their any features besides the bitchin weaponry and I assume emergency teleporters you wanted?

>>22854165
>Speaking of which, were their any features besides the bitchin weaponry and I assume emergency teleporters you wanted?

If possible, armored housing/ports for mass driver turrets so that their ammo feeds can run through the hull.

Also, even better secret safes for storing our valuable illegal data.

Ask our current crew if there are any particular amenities they would like, such as an ultra-comfortable ergonomic navigator's chair.

Seeing no other options being suggested, posting survey link.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9ZKWZBH


>>22854285
>If possible, armored housing/ports for mass driver turrets so that their ammo feeds can run through the hull.
>Also, even better secret safes for storing our valuable illegal data.
>Ask our current crew if there are any particular amenities they would like, such as an ultra-comfortable ergonomic navigator's chair.
Noted.

>>22854165
>Speaking of which, were their any features besides the bitchin weaponry and I assume emergency teleporters you wanted?

Improved crew safety features.
A decent hangar that at least keeps our personal fighter safe.

>>22853759
>[ ] Try to convince Houses that will occupy the region to allow worlds self government in some capacity, no forced conscription

I think this is the best option. If we could somehow get unfriendly houses assigned to particularly troublesome worlds, it could even net us some advantages.

Dibs on that beach planet, btw.

>>22856631
Our poor fighter is the greatest tragedy of this war.

>>22856726
I'm sure there people working on piecing it back together right now.

>>22854425
For every terrorist, there are 3 civilians. Decent Right are the least we should do for the innocents.

>>22858399
For our civilians, yes. Letting the other house's get greedy and put their foot in it while we stay squeaky clean might be a good political move.

>>22847110
>All time low

Was at work so wasnt able to vote, buit I would have chosen the fuck them for rebelling option

Current results are:

Option 2 has 4 votes
Option 3 has 4 votes
Option 4 has 5 votes

>>22858399
>For every terrorist, there are 3 civilians
And you got this number where?

Anyways I'll be back in about 3 more hours.

>>22859323
I have no idea where he got it. There should be at least 10 civilians for every active militant. Even with wartime military conscription you can't get much above 12% of your population in uniform.

>>22859323
Id say we go with a mix of two and three, depending on a case by case basis.

>>22859611
agreed, at least for our planets, if other houses want to put their foot in it and give us an opportunity for expansion that's their problem

>>22859611
This sounds like an excellent plan

All that DMZ and Free planet league stuff is so not our problem. Our house can barely hold on to the few planets we already control out here, and we are better served with concentrating on our assets in the Smugglers Run in my opinion.

Involving ourselves in politics is just asking to get in trouble, within our house but also in other houses. We should do our job as wing commander and leave the scheming to the lords.

Seriously, considering what political shit the Knight Commander has to deal with i'd be very happy to abstain from promotions from now on.

>>22860646
I personally take the view that if other houses want to screw up we should let them. That said, promotions are good.

>>22860701
Far too much politics to me. From what i understand of the dominion ranking system we are two promotions away from Winifreds Rank (Lieutenant -> Captain -> Commander), and she is basically spending most of her time politicking, which disgusts me. Personal opinion.

I'd rather spend my time asskicking.

>>22860752
I must disagree

>>22860752
I'd guess the next few promotions we'd get would be social, not military. Mostly titles etc., I would assume.

>>22860752
Way the world works anon. Think of it this way, our character has always shown an ambitious streak.

>>22860752
I agree with the anons above me. Politics will be required. However even more important we should focus on a military and economic role, to ensure our house has money, money and military assets. Preferably more money than a house our size should have. This way we will be able to uphold long logistic trails and large armed forces.

With some planets here and there, and perhaps one or two friendly houses both somewhere around our home-worlds, in the smugglers run and here. With good allies, preferably more than one we can ensure some system of security and allow us to solidify our gains through money and material influx as well as increase in our human resources numbers.

Option 2 has 7 votes
Option 3 has 4 votes
Option 4 has 6 votes
Sure hope nobody is voting from multiple locations but no way to know for sure.

>>22860646
>All that DMZ and Free planet league stuff is so not our problem. Our house can barely hold on to the few planets we already control out here, and we are better served with concentrating on our assets in the Smugglers Run in my opinion.
>Involving ourselves in politics is just asking to get in trouble, within our house but also in other houses. We should do our job as wing commander and leave the scheming to the lords.

Going for either the First or Second options would require finding like minded supporters among your allies. One Knight with unorthodox political views from a Minor House is hardly something to be concerned about and is easily ignored. You'll need Knights and other nobles from dozens of Houses along with politicians, skilled diplomats and financial backers. So you wouldn't exactly be doing this by yourself. If anything, it might be possible to find someone else to lead this endeavour entirely.

>>22861572
>If anything, it might be possible to find someone else to lead this endeavour entirely.

What about the bro knight who allowed us to capture the super heavy? Is her house involved in this?

>>22861612
Her house isn't supporting the expedition. They are also apparently assholes.

>>22861612
>>22861635
>Her house isn't supporting the expedition.
This.
>They are also apparently assholes.
While I would like to contradict this I really can't.


So, while you lack the pull to get things done yourself in the grand scheme of things that doesn't mean you can't find and influence people who can. There was that certain incident not too long ago in House Lat'tham space after all. Be aware that cashing in on good will accrued from your actions at the party and after will only get you so far. If you try to influence too many people too much you could end up in their debt or worse. It would be best if you tried to concentrate on as few as possible once you've identified who may or may not assist you.

Getting the ball rolling on a project like this is often considered the hard part. Will you try to seek out like minded individuals first to determine what help you can offer each other? Try to cash in on some good will with the higher ups of other Houses? Check your business connections for financial backers that would benefit from the increased stability this plan might create?
Or just start within your own House? You are meeting with the Commander after all.

>>22861753
>Will you try to seek out like minded individuals first to determine what help you can offer each other?
>Check your business connections for financial backers that would benefit from the increased stability this plan might create?

I think these two are good starting points.

>>22861753
I am against this whole project and I am bad at politics. But asking the Commander for her opinion on our plan would probably be the best possible start.

>>22861753
I vote do nothing.

>>22861864
Please add your vote here:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9ZKWZBH

>>22861776
Indeed these are the best options. We get motivation and somewhat stable allies.

>>22861815
Then step aside. We could notify her of our designs, but we should not dump it on her, as she is already have a plate full and we were told not to give her more trouble

>>22861753
I would start with the Commander who might be able to point us in the direction of like minded individuals. Of course if we can find some financial backers from our business connections all the better!

Business angle is a good angle to play, otherwise people might accuse us of having morals.

>>22861879
done. Please reexamine vote total

>>22861753
I'd rather we go with 3 or 4 but I already voted so...
Still if we go politics we should inform the commander, look for people with the same opinion on those colonies then our buisness connection and financial backer. We should also drop a word to the higher up of the other house after everything is in motion just in case they are interested. If we are to make use of them we have to show them that we can do this alone and that anything they have to do is profit from it with minimal investments.

>>22861975
I'm the one that came up with option two and I don't even want to do it anymore. It was simply a means to allow our house to continue to grow in power at a quick pace. I have no interest in helping out other houses not fuck up postwar.

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>and I am bad at politics
Given the track record of most career politicians I would say the majority of people are bad at politics.

>>22859611
>Id say we go with a mix of two and three, depending on a case by case basis.
>>22859648
>agreed, at least for our planets, if other houses want to put their foot in it and give us an opportunity for expansion that's their problem


The numbers keep climbing and yet remains tied between 2 and 4. the votes from option 3 would be the only real means of a tie breaker so I propose the following.

Inter-House Treaty for Economic Stability of South Reach
(If anyone has a better name, then by all means say so.)

This would be a combination of options 2 and 3 from above. It would have elements of both. This treaty would be presented as a means of curbing future violence by anti-Dominion groups but would be more like guidelines than actual rules.

Unless there is another great suggestion the next survey link will be posted shortly with 2 options. A treaty along these lines, or staying the hell out of politics.

>>22862248
As I said, I don't care either way and I find doing some politics could be interesting, we probably can't put that off forever anyways.

>>22862248
I like that idea. especially if people we don't like don't sign. That way when they inevitably deal with rebellions the signatories can take their planets away from them.

>>22862248
I could get behind such a plan.

Personally, I feel we should concentrate on getting our own House to adopt any of these ideas. We're small, and likely hold minimal sway in the Dominion as a House, let alone as a low-ranking Knight in a House that wouldn't be missed.

The other worry I have is that our constant schemes that require other Houses are going to make us enemies within our own House. The entrenched nobles and higher-ups can't look kindly upon a knight that seems to want to shake up the status quo in favor of some damned rebels.

We should also remember that any ill-will that we generate is very likely to fall upon our Commanders and subordinates, likely more so than any good will we generate will.

>>22862248
Approved.

>>22862674
Agreed, get our house, and maybe those we like to agree to treat our people decently but ignore the rest. Let them fuck it up. We'll just pick up the pieces.

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http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JH59592


While we're waiting for the results Commander informs you that the transports captured from the refugees and smugglers have all been cleared for use. Their first duty will be in moving some of the refugees off the station and she would like to know if you had any ideas for good locations. You have been out to see a few of these after all.

[ ] Grow Op - Largely an agricultural world the House is hoping to convert at least some of the captured bush farms to grow food.
[ ] Plateau - The abandoned smuggler base where your teams initially found the nav charts that lead you to the base the refugees had relocated to.
[ ] Scavenger base - A long abandoned colony world where you captured a number of ships attempting to salvage parts of the remaining structures for use elsewhere.
[ ] Surakeh - The world where bio weapons were being used against the populace. The planet is industrialised and with several million dead they may have housing available in the near future.
[ ] Other - You have another world in mind but you need more time to capture it.

>>22862817
[grow op]

>>22862817
>[X] Grow Op - Largely an agricultural world the House is hoping to convert at least some of the captured bush farms to grow food.
>[X] Surakeh - The world where bio weapons were being used against the populace. The planet is industrialised and with several million dead they may have housing available in the near future.

Give them the choice between these. Both could use the addiotional population, and people might think we actually care about them if they're give a choice.

>>22862817
Surakeh. Mainly because do want that planet. I still think that relocating our base/fleet to take advantage of that planets industry and defenses is a smart move. After all, we are basically in the middle of nowhere right now.

>>22862910

seconding this idea.

It also allows people with labor skills to go where they may feel better about having work.


Can we check up on that Battlecruiser Captain that was badly wounded, and possibly whoever ranked after him among the survivors?

I imagine our crew/marines get wonderful medical care, but prisoners may get sub-par or even "only if they can pay" deals...

You tell the Commander that you think Surakeh and the Grow Op colony would both be good locations. In addition if the refugees were given the option of choosing which planet to go to it might prove handy, both in making them think you actually give a damn and providing alternate places they could find work.

Winifred says she'll take it under advisement and that some of the transports will need to be escorted out in the morning. You can either send a squadron with each group or perform one relocation at a time.

Next you bring up the idea to relocate the base to Surakeh and the positives of doing so.

"We're currently in a legal battle for control of the planet. I don't care what happens to the refugees sent there. Still you're right that it could increase the chances of our claim if we move our main base there." Acknowledges the Commander.
"That or it may cause us to look like squatters. Regardless we'll need to wait until the asteroid tug is brought back and the refugees have been cleared before relocating. I plan to have a new station core module ready to replace the current one by then."

We're going to have to come back to the conversation with the Commander once the vote is a bit higher. We're at 4 out of 6 votes for the treaty but that could still turn the other way.

You tell your superior that you will try to look after your pilots and will make sure to deal with the escort in the morning. With the conversation over you head out and see if there are any new reports in from the Wing before you head to the medical center.

Biran Edah who was among those who volunteered to remain behind at the colony has a report on the fighting. Apparently one of the allied Frigates acting as low altitude fire support suffered an accident that destroyed its main reactors causing it to fall out of the air. Its landing bays were being used to refuel CAS fighters so its possible there was a fuel explosion that carried back into the drives.
Local forces also carried out a low altitude attack using stealth modified fighters which were able to get inside the landing zone perimeter, damaging a number of HLV's before retreating.

Captain Sylvan has returned to base with Fourth Squadron. They were able to follow the fleeing ships to an enemy base. A Battlecruiser grade shipyard you detected on your earlier recon of the region is producing Razors as quickly as possible with all other production winding down. There are a minimum of four custom Razors upgraded fast battleships. Its almost certainly the shipyard where they were built.
The Captain has speculated that they're trying to produce ships with longer ranged guns specifically to support their Razors which use shorter ranged pulse weaponry.

>>22863711
>A bunch of fast battleships ripe for the taking

Do want.

Heading into the medical center you enquire as to the wereabouts of the wounded enemy personnel and are directed to the far end which has been walled off with blast doors. Security checks you through but insists on sending a pair of escorts if you plan to carry a weapon, which you most certainly do.

The guard reads off the records on the captain as you approach the medical cubicle where he's beeing kept sedated.
"Captain Yadclif Kymeri. Kavarian male, age fifty two. Former employee of an Iratar security systems subsidiary charged with protecting their smaller shipyards. Twelve years ago he and a number of fellow employees stole a nearly completed battlecruiser from its berth. They had hard coded a set of features into the ships computers while it was being built to give them full control. The theft was carried out without a single casualty. Since then they've worked as mercenaries in numerous systems and nav relays, mostly on jobs with little in the way of combat."

The door into the cubicle retracts into the ceiling revealing the captain on the medical bed. He's in rough shape, missing a leg and one arm what what you can see. A medical repair system suspended from the ceiling is still working away at repairing damage to other parts of his body. A sterilizing field is still in place so its safe for you to enter the room without contaminating the patient.

"What's the prognosis?" You ask.

"Um... he'll live? He'll live Sir." One of the guards call up the status screen. "Most of the injuries can be taken care of but the missing limbs will require more time and resources than the House is willing to expend on a prisoner. All organ cloning is currently busy with Dro'all and Human patients and the doctors dont want to fit prosthetics unless necessary. I suppose you could ask about a transfer to a Kavarian med center, not that they'd want him. "

>>22864238
What do you plan to do regarding the captain?

>>22864286
I suppose we should at least see how he is doing, and make sure he is treated decently.

>>22864238
How much would us a new set of organs cost us? I think we kinda owe this guy (Do we? I had already forgotten about him).

>>22864286

Yadclif is the reason we got (Siri, was it?) our men off that planet, despite the local hostility.

Would it be possible for us to fund replacement or prosthetic limbs and a bit of extra care for the Captain? Or possibly to say, get him a reduced sentence?

I kind of feel like we owe him for his part in getting our crew back, but don't have a clue as to how we'd be viewed for trying to repay him in some manner for it.

>>22864286
See if getting some new limbs for him won't cost us an arm and a leg.

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>>22864339
>>22864383
>>22864395
>See if getting some new limbs for him won't cost us an arm and a leg.
Must not respond with puns...

It would cost a couple thousand to buy some good quality prosthetics.

>>22864383
Sam Kuritz from third squadron.

>Or possibly to say, get him a reduced sentence?
You likely could, though it would cost a little money.
His history would put him towards the low end of the security threat spectrum if it wasn't for the initial ship theft. Then again some of the Mercs now working for the Houses often have a checkered past.

>>22864566
Would it be possible to get his sentence altered to "house arrest" and labor? Essentially, he would be legally required to work on one of our ships instead of going to prison. I don't know how practical this would be, though.

>>22864566

Well, I think for now we should let him recover and speak with the doctor in charge of him.

When he is awake and in good condition to speak, we'll meet with the Captain and ask how he would prefer to be repaid?

For now, we ask the doctor to treat him a bit better than they likely treat pirates and to update us with his medical opinion for when he is ready to speak.

>>22864630
I was having the same idea. Though maybe hold off on exactly what to do with him until her is awake.

>>22864729
he wakes up *

You talk to one of the doctors and agree to pay for some prosthetics at the minimum. Next up is looking into the possibility of having the sentence reduced but that wont be finalized until you talk to him.

Two hours later the Captain is revived while security waits with weapons readied.

"Alive in a medical center, that's good." He looks over at you and the others. "Faction uniforms... Dominion? That's less good. Yadclif Kymeri Captain of the Sunleaf's Cousin, former security officer etcetera and so on. I take it you've looked up my record already?"

"We have." You answer. "But you helped save some of my people once so I'm inclined to return the favour. Within reason."

The captain blinks a bit before looking at you again. "You do look familiar... torpedo seller? I heard the bush growers were after you. That's a mistake if you were a merc, they have connections. Didn't expect to hear from the likes of you again. You were working undercover as deep recon last time?"

"No, just looking for my people. Mostly the same as the story I told you."

>Gone for dinner. If you plan to offer him a job remember what work he's been doing for the past few years.

>>22865249
> If you plan to offer him a job remember what work he's been doing for the past few years.

Well, what jobs did he do, exactly. If he's not experienced with combat I'm sure he has some other skills that might come in handy.
The plan they used to steal that cruisers seems quite smart. Was it his idea?

>>22865249
We could certainly use him as a consultant and trainer. If he has contacts of his own, so much the better. I'd like to know what he really wants to do, because he's not going to have the ability to pick and choose jobs when he's serving his sentence.

>>22865462
I like the consultant and trainer idea though learning if he specializes in anything would be beneficial.
We should say something along the line of "We are considering having your sentence reduced under certain conditions if something like that would interest you."

>>22865339
>>22865462
>>22865626
According to the intel report he's a moderately experienced ship captain despite doing his best to avoid larger fights. His years with Iratar security mean he knows the ins and outs of how station and starship security systems work, how to sabotage them or cause boarding teams to think they've defeated them. His knowledge of small unit tactics aboard ships is comparable to your best teams.
When you ask how your teams were able to get aboard his ship so easily he tells you the systems were disabled to assist rescue teams.

"I'm considering having your sentence reduced if you were to help us out. You could act as a consultant or a trainer to help keep my people alive out here. Would anything like that interest you?"

The Captain thinks. "That's a generous offer given my employment record. I get the feeling its one I couldn't refuse."

"The conditions of your Parole would basically be house arrest when not on duty, wearing a tracking device and being escorted at all times for the first month or two. After a year depending on your record the new mercenary guild might be interested in signing you on or perhaps even my House at that point."
You give the Captain a moment.

"My people were living the dream. You'll notice there are long stretches between our mercenary contracts. We were a small bunch of old engineers and security personnel with jobs that payed piss poor and no opportunity for advancement. I had the skills but wasn't going anywhere either. So we stole a ship to go see the universe on our terms."

"You're saying you stole a fully armed battlecruiser to go sight seeing and joy riding?" you ask, hardly believing what you're hearing.

"Yes we did, and it was fun, but it had to end eventually. A battle like that one was just an eventuality. Some of my people abandoned ship and went down to the planets surface in escape pods after we were hit. Most of them are mercenaries though a few of them are part of my original crew. You should probably find them before the locals can hire them. I'd hate to see some of the traps my security people have dreamt up over the years."

>New mission added!
Find missing crew of the Sunleaf's Cousin
Time Remaining: 42 hours

>>22866766
Let's do it. Scooping up these people is just a good idea.

I wonder why they didn't dump the ship for cash and buy something less conspicuous. They could all have gone their separate ways in nice yachts and possibly gotten away for good.

>>22866766
Clearly we must go find the other members.
>>22866900
From how he tells it this is a group that has been together for awhile. So I find it understandable that they wanted to stay together and with a battle cruiser they had a chance at making money when they had to do mercenary work.

Current status of vote:
Inter-House Treaty - 7
Stay the hell out of politics - 4

Linked again should anyone have missed it.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JH59592


While Captain Kymeri would like you to find his missing crew they are not a prerequisite for his employment. He agrees to work for you according to the previous terms and you tell him a lawyer will stop by with a contract later.

>>22866900
>I wonder why they didn't dump the ship for cash and buy something less conspicuous. They could all have gone their separate ways in nice yachts and possibly gotten away for good.
The trade lanes between the relays were becoming increasingly dangerous for ship traffic over the past few years because of the increase in piracy. It was getting close to the point where civilian commerce was breaking down completely. FTL Yachts and light transports are not the sturdiest craft.

>Let's do it. Scooping up these people is just a good idea.
Its late in the evening by this point and 3rd Wing will be responsible for escorting refugees first thing in the morning. The volunteers, mostly from first squadron that remained behind at the colony should be returning just before then. Fourth Squadron is just beginning to dock for repairs.

Who did you want to escort the two refugee convoys and what forces did you plan to dispatch to find the missing crew?

>>22867073
Can we see the Wing diagram?

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>>22867175
Here you go. Daska and second squadron took some hits from those fast battleships. The damage will take another day but Daska is prepared to transfer her flag to another ship to deploy.

Hey while we're hiring pirate captains, is Crayton still in a cell somewhere or was she 'killed while trying to escape'?

>>22867336
The volunteers will take one convoy, and the undamaged units of second squadron will take the other. Any elements of second squadron that have been repaired by morning may go as well. Daska and the crews of any ships that will not be done by then may transfer to reserve ships.

One carrier will also go with each convoy. If we need any more ships to fill out the escort units, pull them from third squadron.

Realistically, how many personnel will we need to allocate to searching? We could always go ourselves, I suppose.

>>22867336
Continue rotating frigates into the wing's frigates into the lineup. Let Daska have a break, and give our Mike/Alex a chance to run an escort force. 3rd squad takes the other force. 4th squad takes the recruitment run with us while 1st takes a break.

>>22867536
I'm fine with this, with maybe take one or two understrength flight with us to help with the search.

>>22867507
You haven't heard anything regarding her and the Commander has made a point of not talking about her or anything related since you gave her the torpedo data. This may be a good thing as it means she likely isn't dead.

You assign one of the Escort Carriers to each of the convoys. You want second squadron to look after one group while undamaged volunteers take care of the other. Daska seems determined to remain in command of her unit and declines the option of having Alex take command until her ship is repaired. Frigates are rotated in to cover any gaps.


>Realistically, how many personnel will we need to allocate to searching? We could always go ourselves, I suppose.
What you need the most are shuttles or other vehicles that work well in atmosphere like starfighters or LST's. Captain Kymeri has provided you with a communications frequency by which to contact his people but if they're beneath one of the planetary shields you'll need to get underneath them for it to work. They did abandon ship before most of the shields went up afterall.

>>22867829
So how about us, the LSTs, one flight for backup, and the Blackbird to help us get LSTs to the surface without getting ganked

>>22867895
Sounds like a plan.

You grab one of the flights from third squadron and have the spinal mount weapons detached from the carrying bed of the Journeyman and stowed at the station.

"Sir, this is going to seriously compromise my ships fighting ability." Mentions the pilot.

"If we end up in fighting a space battle we're going to be in more serious trouble than a lack of cannons. Our LST's are going to hitch a ride on your topside carrying bed so make sure nothing happens to them. I'll be bringing the heavy Strike team's ship."

Arthur lends you both his wingmen which includes another corvette bringing your total up to three and a former Smuggler Frigate in addition to the two cruisers.

"Hafnar we're going to be searching the surface of that last colony for some escape pods. Go back through your records and see if you can figure out where they landed. Once we're there try to get an exact fix on them and any usage of the com frequency I'm going to send you."

"Yes sir."

Your small group jumps back to the colony and within an hour are entering low orbit near the rest of the invasion fleet.

Roll 1d100 for scanning

Rolled 80

>>22868108

Rolled 66

>>22868108
Rolling Thunder

Rolled 85

>>22868108
Copy that, we are go for dice

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"I have a possible contact on the northern continent just outside the range of the shields."

"Why is it always on the northern continent?" You ask out loud.

"Hey, at least they're not near the fighting on the southern continent." Points out Arron. It seems the front lines have advanced considerably since your departure.

The contact is in a large valley just outside the range of two planetary shields. Ground based fighter squadrons are likely patrolling inside the range of the shield on watch for any attempts to disable the defenses. The methods with which you approach and search the contact area will effect how long your people have to search for the downed crew.

>Your orders?

>>22868366
Have the Blackbird shield us with ECM as we head toward the surface. Its priority is to protect the LSTs from detection as long as possible, not so much anything else. The corvettes and the frigate will defend the LSTs; the frigate should extend its shields over them after they land.

Meanwhile, the cruisers will provide overwatch from high altitude and, if necessary, bombard the nearest planetary shields as a distraction.

>>22868473
Sounds good.

>>22868473
>>22868541
We should probably try calling them first to make sure they know we are coming . But otherwise it sounds good

After prepping the atmospheric capable ships for a planetary assault you do a quick check of the com bands.
"Try and raise the crew with a tight beam signal. Make it look like its from another mercenary ship."

It takes a few minutes but repeated hails to the crew of the "Sunleaf's Cousin" gets an answer.

"This is Byrei, who is this?"

"This is Captain Has-ann. I owed Captain Kymeri a favour so I'm here to get you and your people off world. Find a landing zone big enough for a shuttle or Light transport to set down in and we can be at your position in minutes."

"We found transport towards one of the major cities. Wouldn't it be better if we get to a real port where your people can land?"

"Negative, the shields are up and there isn't time to convince the locals to let us through. I told your captain I would get you out so find a clearing."

"Fine, but watch yourself, the observer corps are out on alert and if they think you're coming in to drop vehicles they'll open fire. I've seen it before."

You copy the transmission and tell your ships to begin their descent.

Any changes to your plan?
If not Roll 2d20

Rolled 4, 10 = 14

>>22869083
Continue on good sir.

Rolled 14, 5 = 19

>>22869083
rolling over average (I hope)

Rolled 15, 13 = 28

>>22869083
I don't think so.

Rolled 6, 14 = 20

>>22869083

Rolled 19, 9 = 28

>>22869198
And so we were saved (hopefully)

>>22869232
forgot to take the dice off.

>>22869232
Top three, so >>22869198 just pulled hard for a win.

"Sir, are you sure this is a good idea? The atmospheric shock waves coming off our shields could be dangerous if we come in too fast."

"Then take it easy, but your priority is to protect the LST's from harm. I want those mercs off the planet so whatever you do don't start shooting everything in the area unless the AAA is going to be a problem for your shields."

"Yes sir. Beginning descent."

The Blackbird moves into position and begins broadcasting ECM from high orbit attempting to scramble ground based sensors but not wreck communications so badly that your ships cant find the mercenaries.

You watch the sensor readouts but don't see any signs of defense missile launches. By the time the ships have dropped to an altitude of 30km they've slowed their descent to the supersonic range and continue to slow down. The invasion ships didn't have to care about the shock waves because they didn't have any people on the ground to worry about. You do.

At 10km altitude the ships reduce to just below supersonic and change course towards the beacon now being transmitted by the mercs.

"Byrei to Has-ann, what the fuck, you're hot dropping a Frigate on us?! The ground side people are sure to see that!

"Yes, yes, keep bitching so my transports can lock onto your position." You mutter.

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The Frigate cuts its engines and glides in on repulsors while the corvettes swing out wide.

You listen in on your pilots.

"We've got them. Pair of ground vehicles at the intersection moving west north west."
"Closest LST set down in the field, everyone else move to cover positions so no one can fire into their landing ramps. Extending shields to provide additional cover to the LZ."

One of your older LST's set down and extends the landing ramps normally used to let vehicles offload. The mercs bail out of the vehicles they'd been hitching a ride in and rush across the thirty meters of open field towards the transport. There's some commotion as they reach the base of the ramp.

"-mion markings on their ships, not Pirates, not Mercs, Dominion! Has-ann, we are not getting on that ship unless you tell us what is going on!"

"I told you, your Captain wants your asses off that planet, I'm getting you off. Now get on that ship before my people stun you."

A pair of micro phase cannon shots flashing across the valley and striking the shields is enough to convince the mercs that they don't want to be on the ground when the fighting starts. Cursing, the ranking officers gets his men up the ramp.

"Sir, we're under fire from a pair of AAA positions, wait make that three. Permission to return fire?"

[ ] Don't bother, just get out of there
[ ] Fire away, less for the invasion force to fight later
[ ] other

>>22870051
"Boom."

>>22870051
[X] Do not bother.

>>22870051
[]Get out of there return fire if you can

>>22870051
Just get out.

>>22870051
[X] Get out of there, but return fire if you must

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6KJdfbgHOg#t=6m12s

"Just get your ships out of there and cover the transports. Dont bother unless they're an actual threat."

The LST lifts off and flies above the Frigate, the other transports turning to follow in its wake. The larger ships come about and soon follow, putting full power to the repulsors and gaining altitude. Once they're past 10km the starships light off their fusions drives while the LST's increase to full burn, staying just ahead.

"Planet missiles." Says Kavos drawing your attention.

Both of your cruisers in orbit open up with mass driver fire causing the ground based silos to halt their barrage. A few of the ones that had already made it into the uper atmosphere explode near your climbing ships but it isnt enough to harm their shields and even without them their armor is too thick for the radiation to penetrate.

You make sure to not waste time once the transports have reached the safety of space. Your own LST docks with the EX-K while the other three dock for their ride on the other cruiser.

An alert from Arron pops up on your screen. "Sir, attack bombers are climbing into orbit."

"Lets get the out of here, I've had enough fighting around this planet for one lifetime." you tell the others.

After clearing the gravity well your group jumps and heads back to the station.

The first refugee convoy is departing as you dock and begin the paperwork for dealing with the mercs. Intel will have to screen them but if they check out you could offer them a similar deal but serving with the mercenary guild. At the very least you should let them talk to their captain to prove you weren't just pulling the story out of your ass.

Will you push to allow Yadclif Kymeri to offer the rest of his people a similar deal once they've been checked out by intel?
>Y/N ?

You also need sleep. A lot of it. You haven't exactly been meeting the recommended quota for it lately but that isnt unusual.

Current status of vote:
Inter-House Treaty - 8
Stay the hell out of politics - 5

>>22870900
We may as well push for it.

We need to expand our personal business ventures and having personnel not entirely belonging to the Dominion military is a good start.

>>22870900
Y
And not getting a lot of sleep is normal for us, but might as well try to get some while we can. After of course we get Yadclif Kymeri telling his men he sent us.

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>>22871090
>>22871174
With that out of the way you get some rest until the rest of the squadron return to base.

The Grow Op colony while still secure has more than enough civilians to trouble them for the time being. Immigration is closed for the next week while they try to get people settled and find work for the refugees.

Surakeh while not officially open for refugees yet was able to find temporary space for them. Incineration crews have been working around the clock are almost done scrubbing one of the city zones that were contaminated.


Enough of the refugees have been cleared out for the logistics people to get things working again.
You have 9 WRP with which to buy upgrades. While the structure upgrades are locked out until the last of the refugees are cleared and the station is moved, you have the option of purchasing level 2 now. The Commander has already stated that she's requisitioned a new center module.

NOTE: I'm realising that with the distribution of starfighters I have to do something different with the requisition levels for them. Expect changes in regards to that. Your losses in the last few battles weren't severe so its only been knocked down 1 point worth.

Fighter:1
Structure:3
Training:1
Weapon:2
Shield:2

>>22871720
Concur

>>22871720
Fine by me.

>>22871720
I would have to agree

With the upgrades out of the way the base should soon be much harder for enemy starfighter or shuttle forces to attack. External Modules with point defense batteries are being installed creating deadly overlapping fields of fire. Increased shield power will protect against long ranged attacks and give defending ships time to scramble.
The training facilities have been upgraded providing plenty of physical options along with holo booths optimized for combat training programs. You still haven't decided yet if you'll sign on with that company to appear in that combat sim and history program being produced for propaganda.

For the moment you have time to consider the state of the Wing and if they need more time training...
Recurring Missions

R&R
People need time off occasionally. As you've just come off of a 48h leave this shouldn't be necesary for a few days.

Knights of House Jerik-Dremine
Your would be Knights are training whenever they have spare time available but if they're in constant combat this may take longer.

Weapon trajectory analysis program
With only limited time to familiarise themselves with the program many of your people haven't gotten the hang of it yet. They'll continue to train whenever the unit is out of combat for more than 12 hours.

Mining Op
Needing a break from constant front line action? This is it. Protect the Mining barge from any potential dangers while it collects ore for the refineries.
This mission will be available at most times.

Recon
Allied ships are scouring sectors but they could always use some more help.
Roll 1d100 for each sector you want to scan down.

Fleet support
The main taskforce needs fast strike elements in the larger battles they're facing. Attack Corvette units from numerous Houses are being rotated out to keep them fresh. Your fast ships would be a welcome addition, even if only for a short while.

Rolled 11, 17 = 28

...but wait there was a boxing match to attend.

Time sensitive missions

Smuggler Colony
Time Remaining: 0-48 hours
Return to Tourta and ensure that Pirate forces cant use the planet as a base. Command doesn't care how you do it provided you don't violate ROE. (Don't nuke the planet.) Rovinar ships have observed that some of the local smugglers have already departed while others seem to have disappeared without trace. Then again enough submarines have been observed near the ports that its not impossible the missing ships are underwater.

Boxing Match
Time Remaining: ???
A Chief mechanic recently arrived from the homeworlds has challenged you to a boxing match. More specifically a rematch. More than six months ago you challenged a Chief mechanic to a boxing match in order to stop a bar fight that would have landed your fellow pilot trainees in the brig. In the end the fight was a tie largely because your opponent, a much larger Dro'all, was going through a hormone swing.

Giant Asteroid Tug
Time Remaining: 8 days
The large asteroid mover that you have a salvage claim on has been in use clearing out the blocked lane into the the local Nav station. Their job is almost finished but there are signs not everyone will be happy handing it over to your House. Such a ship could be useful to dozens of Houses for moving anything from cargo and mining asteroids to the relocation of battlestations.
Understandably command wants that ship. Send a small escort to make sure nothing happens to it once its job is finished.
If fired upon by a "friendly" you are authorized to return it.

Sensor Array
Threat ?
Rovinar Scouts have detected a sensor array scattered around the edges of a nebula. A control station may be somewhere in the interior. The 4 largest arrays are heavily guarded. Destroy either the arrays or the control station to reduce its effectiveness.

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I'm going to stop here for the night. Feel free to decide which mission(s) we'll be dealing with next.

Meanwhile vote update. I've seen some divisive arguments in quests over the years and this one seems to be getting up there.

Inter-House Treaty - 8
Stay the hell out of politics - 8

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JH59592

Train knights, send mixed elements under command of potenial commanders to guard the mining barge, rotate them out every day while at the same time 48 hour leave.

>>22872183
We should probably get some decent sleep at some point. After that, I suggest doing the smuggler colony mission and then scheduling the boxing match. Meanwhile, we could detach one or two squadrons to do another mission.

>>22872298
Thanks for continuing to run this. I wonder how many votes that survey's going to get before you close it.

>>22872183
>Smuggler Colony

We should probably get some decent sleep, and then do this. We might also want to ask Kavos about Dro'all physiology, in order to prepare effectively for the fight.

Bump.

>>22872402
>I wonder how many votes that survey's going to get before you close it.
Its at 23 votes atm.
Inter-House Treaty - 13
Stay the hell out of politics - 10


>>22872401
>Train knights, send mixed elements under command of potenial commanders to guard the mining barge, rotate them out every day while at the same time 48 hour leave.
>>22872402
>Meanwhile, we could detach one or two squadrons to do another mission.

So, have 2nd and possibly elements of 1st go on some mining missions? Everyone else take 5 for a couple hours then hit up Tourta?

I'll be back in 5-6 hours with any luck.

>>22878270
>So, have 2nd and possibly elements of 1st go on some mining missions? Everyone else take 5 for a couple hours then hit up Tourta?

Sounds good to me.

>>22878270
Sounds like a plan.