>>30760992
FOR HOUSE AND DOMINION!

>>30760992
FOR HOUSE AND DOMINION

FOR DOUSE AND HOMINION!

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You've been busy with things beyond rebuilding the Wing. The idea to start up a starfighter factory back in friendly territory is one that has surfaced as a result of your latest acquisition. While searching systems in enemy held territory the 3rd and 5th discovered several vessels worth salvaging. Both were towed in and used in the previous mission with one -the Shukhant Medium cruiser- sold to the Alliance afterwards.
The other vessel, which your flag was aboard during the operation and since, is a Medium Cruiser sized command ship and carrier. Built by the Republic it was intended as a rival design to the Heron but only saw limited mass production as other designs were far more mobile and less specialised. The carrying capacity and defenses are quite good but you lack sufficient starfighters to make the best use of it.

Even with all of the starfighters from 3rd and 5th put together it would barly fill half of the ship's bays. The Aries Corporation has taken back all their drone starfighters to analyze their combat data and begin work on upgrading the prototypes. That could take months.

A message you recived from Baron Winifred indicated that she'll be transfering more crew to help man the vessel at least. The first to arrive is a House officer wearing a uniform reminiscent of the Carrier captains you've met and is introduced as one Captain Wiremu Tama.
"The Baron sent me to assist in captaining the ship while you command the larger fleet. I have experience with Carrier operations, either starfighter deployment or covering planetary assault and recovery ops."

>What say?

>>30761448
Glad to have you onboard.

>>30760992
FOR HOUSE AND DOMINON!

>>30761448
"Pleased to have you onboard, Captain. Welcome to House Jerik-Dremine's 3rd Wing. Now, do you have any questions?"

>>30761448
>>What say?
"I'm glad to have you aboard, Captain. If the Baron has sent you, then I'm sure it will be a very educational experience to watch you command our fighters. Any questions about 3rd or 5th wing?"

>We must forget about engine upgrades to our current flag ships, and the investments in shipyards capable of building Heron-Class ships.

>>30761448
"Good to have you with is Captain Wiremu. The ship acts perfectly as a rearmament platform but because of that will gain some limitede movement, just so you are aware. It should work like a charm forsome with a little bit of experience like yourself."

>>30761621
>>We must forget
"We must *not* forget"

>>30761448

Why am I suddenly thinking of the Wayward Treasures Captain...

>>30761578
>>30761621

These are good responses, but we should be sure to introduce ourselves, as well. Manners and all.

Did we get a dossier on her, or do we have to ask her about her combat/command experience?

And could we get the info on the Medium again? I forget if this ship has any capacity for carrying corvettes or smaller ships. We might have to put it to work as an evac ship in an attempt to fill it with starfighters/spare parts

If it's been a few weeks...does that mean our gun's been delivered?

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You salute sharply and introduce yourself, first by your House rank and title then Alliance rank.

"Pleased to have you onboard, Captain. If the Baron has sent you, then I'm sure it will be a very educational experience to watch you command our fighters. The ship acts perfectly as a rearmament platform but because of that will have to deal with limited movement just so you are aware. It should work like a charm for someone with a little bit of experience like yourself.

I would like to see if it's possible to upgrade her engines so she won't be as vulnerable to pursuit forces but that will have to wait until a yard clears.
Any questions about 3rd or 5th wing?"

"Just how close to their operational areas you would prefer to keep the command ship. Have the ship's weapons been upgraded?"

You list off the current stats
Length 2098m
Width 2021m

Weapons:
2x Spinal mount Medium plasma cannon (Wingtips)
4x Heavy phase cannon array (forward arc)
2x Heavy phase cannon arrays (Dorsal/Ventral) Full 360 degree coverage
8x torpedo launchers (4x Forward, 4x Aft)
16x phase cannon turrets
Extensive point defense and anti-fighter missile coverage
Repulsor launch assist for port and starboard bays. Landing/Deceleration repulsors for all bays.

The dossier on Captain Tama shows that he's commanded Carriers for eight years and served as executive officer for a decade on Baron Archivald's command ship. His carrier was destroyed in Lat'tham space and he was temporarily suspended from service until the data regarding the loss of the ship could be reviewed via court martial. The admiralty concluded that he did everything that could have been done to save the ship and was returned to duty. He's served with a number of training units since the start of the Invasion.

The Tama family sided with the government forces in the Terran civil war and fled to Dominion territory early in the Faction Wars.

>>30762478
>Carrier destroyed in Lat'tham space
>court martial

Seriously? In that clusterfuck? What did he break of Baron Archivald's?

"With our starfighter stocks as low as they are, the ship will likely see use as an attack ship more so than a carrier, though it will likely see more time in reserve."

>>30762478
>"Just how close to their operational areas you would prefer to keep the command ship. Have the ship's weapons been upgraded?"

"We're currently rather low on fighters, so it will most likely have to double as a regular cruiser for at least the near future."

>>30762478
Archivald.... HE IS A SPY I TELL YA'LL!

"Your deployments will depend on the type of mission we will be runing. Expect to see action mainly as the attack force, until we can get some more Fighters. You will also probably end up as escort for the Carriers then aswell as long range firesupport. Got to put those Plasma cannons to good use, did I mention the plasma cannons? There is two of them. As for upgrades, we kinda just salvaged it and got it into working shape befor heading out to take a crack at the Neerans but if there are anything you would like to upgrade on it just tell me and I'll see what we can do once we hit a yard."

>>30762734

I expect he'll either be a spy or someone that Archivald decided to screw over.

And I can't help but read your post there in the voice of my hyperactive niece, and now I'm imagining Sonia rubbing her hands together like a hyperactive prayer to the salvage gods every time we see a ship to salvage.

damnit

>>30762478
"I do like to have command ships in a more hands on distance, however, due to the slower engines of this ship it is likely we'll push it further back in engagements."

"How much action have you seen on the frontlines so far if I you don't mind me asking, Captain?"

>>30761839
>I forget if this ship has any capacity for carrying corvettes or smaller ships. We might have to put it to work as an evac ship in an attempt to fill it with starfighters/spare parts
It can only carry starships on it's outer hull. The internal bays are only suitable for starfighters and shuttles.

>>30762441
>does that mean our gun's been delivered?
Yes it has.
Roll for exploding gun!

>>30762660
>>30762734
"With our starfighter stocks as low as they are, the deployments will depend on the type of mission we will be running. You will likely see use as an attack ship more so than a carrier, though you can expect to see even more time in reserve.

With the current weapons the ship has some options for long range firepower. I hope to put those Plasma cannons to good use, did I mention the plasma cannons?"

The Captain nods his head. "Yes, it was in the armaments listing. It seems most Repuiblic Mediums from that era had to be equipped with some sort of plasma weaponry. Probably since they couldn't trust the supply of SP weapons."

"Good point. Since this ship was salvaged and repaired in a hurry it may still be missing some essentials. If there is anything you would like to upgrade on it just tell me and I'll see what we can do once we hit a yard."

Providing the captain data on the last battle he soon points out a potentially serious design flaw.
"The Plasma cannons fire directly through the same area of space the fighters launch through. At full reverse thrust engine wash also passes through the same area and could threaten fighters launching from the port and starboard bays... Even the Republic knows better than this."

Well it was essentially a prototype. Looking through the battle footage it seems the plasma cannons were only fired once, shortly after all of the starfighters had been deployed after the fleet left the asteroid trenches. The rest of the battle there were too many starfighters in the way to risk using them.

>>30763034
Sonia is a excitable thing that has two gears.

Bloody Violence and Filthy or Rusty Lucre

Rolled 70

>>30763079
Gunne!

Rolled 42

>>30763079
>>30763079
Not sure if serious but here is a roll anyway.

Well dam. That is a pretty serious flaw but then again "Prototype".

>>30763079
>Providing the captain data on the last battle he soon points out a potentially serious design flaw.
>"The Plasma cannons fire directly through the same area of space the fighters launch through. At full reverse thrust engine wash also passes through the same area and could threaten fighters launching from the port and starboard bays... Even the Republic knows better than this."
We are not running a full load of fighters, could we have them dock and launch from one side of the Medium while the other side fires it cannon?

Rolled 50

>>30763079
Boom for the Boom God!
Gun for Psycho Sonia!

>>30763287
>Not sure if serious
I was not, but if you guys want to.
>70
The weapon requires some minor calibration, and the multi loading systems are a bit sensitive. In combat there is a chance they may jam up. The weapon smith modified the design it so that said jams could be cleared more easily. Other than that the gun seems to be in good working order.
Ten magazines of the specialist 20mm ammo you designed for it were included and they do seem to be effective against armored target markers designed to simulate Neeran suits.

There is also a letter included from one of the various inspection agencies that checks official freight for contraband. The ammo passed through a region where it was banned more heavily but was given a pass as it was headed to the front. If your ammo passes through the Terran controlled Nav relays while heading any other direction it will be confiscated in the future. Finding another shipping company or selling directly to the military in South Reach may be prudent.


>>30763046
"I do like to have command ships in a more hands on distance, however, due to the slower engines of this ship it is likely we'll push it further back in engagements."

"That may be wise. This ship is too slow to act as effectively as most medium cruisers in an attack role, and

"How much action have you seen on the front lines so far if I you don't mind me asking, Captain?"

"I was given temporary command of an Alliance carrier at the end of the previous deployment cycle leading into the start of this one. The PCCG unit that loaned the carrier to the Alliance decided they wanted it back, or more accurately they wanted one of their people commanding it once it was attached to a largely Mercenary unit.
Most of my deployments involved hiding the carrier in nearby cover and letting the starfighters do their work. Rather average stuff."

>>30763315
Yes, or they could use the aft landing bay to launch but it would be slower.

I'd like to know if our Terran admiral and the Neeran mini wizard managed to survive.

>>30763079
>"The Plasma cannons fire directly through the same area of space the fighters launch through.

Would it be possible to configure the plasma cannons to fire in bursts? I'd be willing to accept proportionally longer reload times as it seems we won't be able to bring them to bear continuously.

>>30763906
>Good gun news.
Excellent.

Can we get Eccord over to test it for us? He's the sort of person we envisioned using it, so I'd like to get him to try it out and see what he thinks of it. Perhaps let him take it out on deployments too, and use any guncam footage as promotional material for when it goes into full production.

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>>30764099
The Neeran, Baldr, and the Terran Captain Madeline Jones both survived. Barely. The Captain's unit was cut down to just two ships

Still they made it through alive resulting in their own special projects carrying more weight. The Alliance is considering commissioning a design study on a specialist cruiser class capable of carrying a plasma cannon while also maintaining the mobility of a lighter weight attack cruiser. The few upgraded Centurions used by the House have serious problems in terms of maneuverability explaining why the Republic haven't upgraded more than a few Wings of their own.

Things you won't be seeing for awhile: Mass produced combat walkers the size of Assault Mechs.

>>30764161
That would require redesigning the cannon entirely. As it is they already fire only for a couple of seconds per shot though it is in a stream.

>>30764221
Ecord comments that the weapon's current reliability isn't too far from that of the X-Ray laser in the Team's inventory but that his own suit wouldn't be the best choice for carrying around all of the needed ammo one would need. Power Cell troops should like it but would require additional training for regular marines to use if they were headed into an environment where a power drain was in effect.

>>30764681
>There is also a letter included from one of the various inspection agencies that checks official

Hooray! We should definitely share a drink with these two before we head out to the front again.

I was really interested in that guys unit, but I figured capturing any kind of ship where his unit would actually be useful could be very hazardous to everyone involved, especially whoever would have to cover their approach and boarding action. Also, considering how much fluff Battletech has to employ to make their mechs a feasible choice, I doubt they would work too well.

"This is 6th sq- I mean this the rapid response unit hailing the command ship, please respond."
Hearing Mike's voice you head over closer to the com station. "This is Reynard, go ahead."

"We're being told by docking control that our berths need to be vacated within the hour, which is fine but that whole module is being removed after that."
"Why, are they putting another section on the station?"
"No, they're shipping it out of the system to a rally point farther away from the front. We're not going to have a place to dock when we're done todays exercises."


Arron flags a sensor report on the number of friendly ships that have entered the system in the past 2 days. He's noted that availability of docking space will only get worse.

Captain Tama shrugs. "Many ships have to perform resupply away from dock because of repair and service berths being too full. Even elite units should be used to that."

True, but with station modules being moved out of the system you're a little concerened about the locals being able to maintain the forward fleets. No other Heavy Carriers or super heavy cruisers with support options have arrived in the area except for the Alliance fleet operating in the sector, and bogging them down would be a bad idea.

>Do you plan to do anything about this?

>>30764681

We should probably buy Captain Jones a drink or two.

>>30764681
>That pic

Snazzy looking fighter and a cool as hell mech.

>>30764849
>We should probably buy Captain Jones a drink or two.

I think we should buy everybody who survived that battle a drink, to be honest. We have the money for it, I'd guess.

>>30764839
>>Do you plan to do anything about this?
-Propose a mission to capture and relocate a hostile repair platform?
-Try to locate something we can salvage that can do the job?
-Has RSS found anything other than the mobile shipyard that could be of help?

>>30764968
The Heavy carrier would work. But that would probably require at least 6 months to repair. Also, we haven't retrieved it yet.

>>30764839
Tell the Alliance this might be a bad idea.

Anyways! Befor you mentioned there was a mission to steald a Neeran prototype Corvette? Is that still up? Cause I kinda want to steal it for the House.

>>30760992
>Regarding the message from the Baron in the last thread about a possible multi-front war

Should we share that with people we can trust, like Kavos, Alex, and Mike?

Rolled 5, 6, 4, 7 = 22

You send out gift cards to everyone, which is a bit of a cop-out but the only one that's practical. Shipping everyone bottles of the good stuff would be an additional strain on logistics that's not needed right now.

>>30764863
Thanks! I suspect a BT mech out there may look exactly the same from the front.

>>30764968
>-Propose a mission to capture and relocate a hostile repair platform?
A Faction one that may have been left behind, or a Neeran one? The latter would take weeks to modify and rebuild. Both might be difficult to transport unless you were just stealing modular station sections.

>-Try to locate something we can salvage
You ask Kavos to look into any intel reports about ships that may have been disabled when the Neeran staged their lightning assault into the nearest occupied territory. Cloaked ships should be searching the region, maybe they'll find something.

>>30764968
>-Has RSS found anything other than the mobile shipyard that could be of help?
Maybe. They've been rather busy with the Anchorage class. Also with the size of the salvage rush in the region much of the best stuff is drying up fast.
The second salvage unit has been started up doing work for the House but that's mostly minor things.

>>30765144
>Tell the Alliance this might be a bad idea.
"We know, but the Shallan government is worried about future offensives. They want to prepare stronger fall back points now that we've bought time to do so."
"What about the ships already here?" You protest. "We could do a lot more damage if everyone was operational."

The officer on the other end of the line tells you sorry, but the only way they could get more station modules into the area would be to trade for them on the black market.

>Special missions
You send off a message asking if one of them are still available.
>steal it for the House.
They're missions offered by the Alliance. I'm sure they'd notice if you didn't bring it back to them.

>>30765510
We should probably never directly share anything the Baron gives us in the form of a semi-cryptic warning.

At least not until we've spoken to her in private to confirm what exactly she meant. Personally I think its a warning about fighting Neeran and political fighting within House/Dominion at the same time.

>>30765581
>Black market

Well there is an idea.

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It seems that RSS has not found anything like a station or repair ship of late. Just a former merc battlecruiser and a Pirate attack cruiser.

Rovinar scouts have found a grappler recovery ship that they're unable to bring in. (Think one of these but upside down since I haven't scanned by sketches of it.)
With some work it could act as a single berth salvage and repair ship like your salvage Barge. This still does not solve the docking problem.

>>30765863
Roll 1d10 to see how many valuable components 5th Wing and the Repair Barge held onto when they were last out salvaging.

Rolled 7

>>30766008
Side note: when were we planning to pull in the Heavy Carrier we found to our main station? I thought we were going to pull it in ASAP before someone else took it.

>>30766079

Baron Winnifred gave us a heads up that the Governor or House would confiscate the shit out of that Anchorage class if we brought it to any J&D holdings.

We managed to get it to a Factions Alliance staging area, however, and it is currently under repair.

If you mean the first Heavy Carrier, it is still in an FTL hazard zone...

Rolled 7

>>30766008

>>30766079
Well we have plans to "get" the Heavy Carrier, but the Anchorage class is taking up a lot of time.

After that is finished we might want them to look for some "normal" salvage to help bring up the cash reserves, but time shouldn't be a issue as that area where the Heavy is is still classified as a hazard zone.

Rolled 7

>>30766008

Rolled 2

>>30766008
>Roll 1d10 to see how many valuable components 5th Wing and the Repair Barge held onto when they were last out salvaging.

Daska, don't make me disappoint.

>>30766140
>If you mean the first Heavy Carrier, it is still in an FTL hazard zone
Not really answering my question at all.
>Baron Winnifred gave us a heads up that the Governor or House would confiscate the shit out of that Anchorage class if we brought it to any J&D holdings.
Actually, certain factions wanted to try to confiscate it. Once they are aware a heavy carrier is available they will probably lose interest anyway since it has similar repair capability and the house would probably be unable to man both of them.

>>30766348
both the Anchorage and the other ship are heavy carriers, but the Anchorage was an Exodus construction ship while the other carrier in question is likely better off scrapped

>>30766375
That description of the anchorage is not even remotely accurate. Also, we haven't gotten a good look and the heavy carrier.

>>30766429

>Anchorage Class Mobile Fleet Yard
>Section on wiki: Heavy Cruisers, along with the other Heavy Carriers and Mobile Ship Docks

>>30766507
Not remotely a heavy carrier. Its slow as hell, has no armament or armor, and no way to carry starfighters into battle. It is a supposedly mobile repair yard.

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>>30766079
>when were we planning to pull in the Heavy Carrier we found to our main station?
There was never any consensus on precisely when to bring it in. The majority wanted to do so later after the Anchorage was dealt with because of the FTL Hazards posed to recovery of the Carrier and the fact that the Anchorage was far more readily accessible.
The Anchorage would be long gone by now if you hadn't gone after it first, either hauled out by larger ships or cut up into sections and sold for scrap. It could be some time before the guild classifies the area the HC is sitting in as safe for FTL travel. If you guys want to take a team in there before that it's your decision.

>>30766507
>>30766548
While it is far from a front line military ship it's hull size is consistent with a Heavy Carrier. It is a predecessor to modern Heavy Carriers but repurposed for civilian work. If you send it into combat in it's current state or without upgrades it will be raped in sort order as it's defenses are a millennia out of date.


>Rolled 7
There are roughly 7 million S worth of salvaged components remaining. Some were used in field repairs of ships it seems.
With that you could buy one modular station section with Repair LVL 2. Still, it's only one section and not a full station. With so many other units nearby you may want to coordinate your efforts.

Do you guys want to try and salvage the recovery ship or pass the information on to someone else who may be grateful?

>>30766707

Can our barge/medium extract the ship for repair in friendlier territory?

>>30766831
Yes. How large of an escort do you want to send?

>>30766872
Two Squads, its not like they are doing anything else. And yeah, coordinate with other units.

>>30766872
>>30766956

2 squadrons, with 2 more + our battlecruisers ready to jump in if needed.

>>30767089
Supporting.

>>30766872
Definitely one of our EW ships/squads.

You let Daska know that teh repair ship won't be available for awhile then select a pair of squadrons from 3rd wing to act as escort along with a backup rescue force. Mike's unit is still in training as is the new 6th squadron both of which will remain behind along with the Command ship.
Alex will be in overall command of the lead two squadrons. Tes'us promises to not let anything happen to the Devourer.

You continue the paperwork of keeping the new command ship running with the new transfers along with the Captain who keep looking for mercenaries in the region that might have starfighters.

"5th Wing has just jumped into the system. They're inbound for repairs and to refuel." Reports coms. "Sir, Knight Captain Daska want's to talk to you. She says it's urgent."

You step over to the command chair and switch on one of the displays.

"Are your sensors detecting the object?!" Daska hurriedly demands.

"What object?"
"There is a cloaked object inbound from above the plane of the system. It reads like a Neeran cloaking field from our angle and it's expanding. No it's... it's splitting into multiple contacts. Sending you scan data now."

5th's scans are only able to pick it up because of their active ECCM and even then just barely. The course plots as headed toward the station at very high sublight speeds and accelerating.

You turn to Arron. "How fast are they coming in?"
"Uh, maybe 9% light speed and increasing?"

>Your orders?

>>30767676
>>Your orders?
Put everybody on full alert. Start shooting torpedoes and nukes at that thing. If we have any ships who can move the station, we should start pulling it out of the way.

It's likely that the enemy is planning to employ some kind of cloaked kinetic kill vehicle.

>>30767676
Dump torpedoes. Set them to act as homing mines when an enemy ships gets close enough.

This might be a cloaked KKV, even. So basically just put anything into the way of it.

>>30767676
Hit the big red button. Get all allied units aware of whats happening. Then prepare to intercept. If we can scatter some sort of debris field in their path that would be good.

>>30767676

Forward data to station/command ships

Scramble our forces. Carriers to scramble fighters with SP torps loaded

>>30767676
Pincer attack/ambush maybe?

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>>30767761
>So basically just put anything into the way of it.
Uh, let's not do this, please. I got a bad feeling about those inbound objects.
Instead, we should position what ships we have to be out of the way of the actual inbound path, so that way they can lay down flanking fire as they come in.

But yeah, get out of their way. I don't trust something coming in that quickly to stop before it hits us. We should look to be able to jump ASAP if it turns out to be a killer weapon.

This brings up an interesting question. What kind of mass do you need to intercept a KKV to destroy it?

>>30767927
Why intercept and destroy it?

Space is big.
Adjust the trajectory of the KKV enough that it misses.

Or even easier, move the target.

>>30767927
Probably not much I don't think cloaking and normal shields work together well.

>>30767967
Well, I was thinking that a KKV with cloaking and engines likely strapped to it might be able to maneuver to a degree...

You, Tama and Kavos begin directing different officers and crew on the various bridge station. It's a bit chaotic since the three of you haven't been in an emergency situation before.
"Full combat alert, all ships! Forward the sensor data to the station and all friendlies. I want everyone clear of the station with their shields up. Move it!"
"Disengage docking clamps, helm the moment the station let's go bring us to full reverse." Order's Tama.

"We still have some crew aboard the station." Says Kavos.
"Launch shuttles to pick them up."
You switch channels back to Daska and tell her to get hold of Mike since local com channels are filling up.

Once all of your ships are away from the station and have shields up you order everyone to launch torpedoes and missiles.
"How much time do we have?"
"Two minutes. Not enough time to evacuate the station."

"Use tractor beams and repulsors to move the station. Any tractor beams not on it try and nudge the objects. Maybe we can change their course."
"They're coming in like a shotgun spread. It's going to be tough to move enough of them."

>Where do you want Daska and Mike?

Roll 3d100 for Station push/ object push/ Missile & Torpedo effectiveness.

Rolled 18, 36, 69 = 123

>>30768267
Damn, that's our tactic!

Rolled 87

>>30768267
>Roll 3d100 for Station push/ object push/ Missile & Torpedo effectiveness.

1

Rolled 50, 67, 66 = 183

>>30768267
Oh god oh god I can't think tactics because it's 4am.

>>30768267
Gotta hand it to them, that was a well executed KKV salvo.

For House and Damage Control!

Rolled 13

>>30768338
2

Rolled 34, 39, 95 = 168

>>30768345
Whoops, left off the dice part

Rolled 87

>>30768355
3

>>30768267
>>Where do you want Daska and Mike?
They're experienced enough to decide how to put their ships to good use.

>>30768267
Send word about the attack to our allies immediately. Just in case the Neeran have timed multiple of these strikes to occur at roughly the same time.

>>30768267
>>Where do you want Daska and Mike?
Can we use our HUD tracking system to predict their inbound path? If so, move the station towards the lesser concentration of their strike zones, and have Daska and Mike intercept the ones that could still possibly hit the station. Have them try to damage the engines just enough to divert their flight paths away from the station.

Hopefully these aren't guided.

>>30768267

If Daska is able... could she jump/micro ahead of the objects and either engage if they're KKVs [attempt to shoot some in the opposite direction we're trying to move the station?] or possibly just ID and scoot if there are ships?

Can Mike's ships fire up their ABs to move the station faster/more?

Either way, I think Daska's unit is probably better off moving in such a manner as to better provide trajectory on the incoming KKVs.

87, 67, 87

What a peculiar set of rolls.

I wonder if we'll ever reach the skill level where it's best of 4 sets.

>>30768498
I kinda want to leave a letter to Daska behind with Sonia's will, 'The secret to my success' written on the envelope. Can you image Daska's face when she opens it, unfolds the letter and reads "I roll three times for almost everything and get to use the best one."?

>>30768583
That would just be the most glorious thing. "Salvage is particularly lucrative when you roll dice to pick the site, it turns out."

"Anyone that's pushing get on this side of the station. Thrust against the direction of it's movement. We don't want anyone screwing us up."
"Won't that drop it into the atmosphere?"
"Not if we can correct it in time."
Another ship captain sends a warning. "If we put too much power into pushing the station the supports will buckle. Once that happens we'll only have a moment to let go of the entire thing will rip apart."

"Repulsors and missiles are changing the headings of a couple of the objects but I don' think it's going to be enough."

"Daska and Mike, jump closer and try to shoot the engines on the KKV's."

You spot their squadrons on sensors, reverting ahead of the objects and approashing on a parallel course. The close proximity of their ECCM causes two dozen objects to appear on sensors with possible battlecruiser and battleship contacts behind them in hard to reach locations.
Each of your ships fire missiles and torpedoes ahead of the targets, while phase cannons try to land direct hits on the locations of ships or engines.

With more accurate fire now available weapons fire blasts chunks out of what must be comet fragments.

"We're out of time. We need to move this ship now." Says Tama.
[ ] Keep pushing, protect the station with the command ship's shields.
[ ] Move the ship.

>>30769097
>[x] Move the ship.
Remember we're a slow sack of shit now. Bugging out when the guy who's used to this kind of slowness recommends it is a good idea.

>>30769097
What is its mass relative to ours? At it's current speed, would it be possible to use both the shields + repulsors to deflect it away from the station? If so, we should attempt to do so before we let the KKV destroy the station. At the worst, I vote we try to take the hit for the station. There are a LOT more people aboard that station than on our ship.

>>30769097
>[X] Move the ship.
Get those frontal guns on target.

>>30769097

[x] Move the ship

Our reverse thrust and and repulsors should work to move both us and the station.

... Can we rotate and shoot the comet fragments with Plasma Cannon in time?

If we can, we should still attempt to extend our shields to cover the station as well.

>>30769175
It looks like they are all pieces broken out of a single 20km comet. Most of them were are around 3km and degrading rapidly under weapons fire.
>At it's current speed, would it be possible to use both the shields + repulsors to deflect it away from the station?
You could definitely move one of them. What section of the station would you want to protect?
The Station core, Medium docks, Logistics docks, Merc/Civilian, General military docks.
If you protect one, another that might not have been hit will be.

>>30769195
>Can we rotate and shoot the comet fragments with Plasma Cannon in time?
You could turn and shoot but would not be able to move out of the way in time.

>>30769404
>The station core
If the core goes, the rest of the station will go up anyway.

>>30769404
>Most of them were are around 3km and degrading rapidly under weapons fire.

How strong are our and the station's shields against projectiles? It's pretty hard to assess this situation, to be honest.

Kind of unrelated but I can see this comet attack being a diversion and a fleet sneaking in whilst we're busy, so can we transmit that the instant those comets hit/pass people are to assume combat positions?

>>30769501
>How strong are our and the station's shields against projectiles?
A direct hit by one of the larger fragments will destroy your ship or any section of the station it passes through.

With the shields of your ship plus the station and working with the smaller warships nearby there should be time to deflect one of the larger fragments from hitting particular sections of the station.
Because of the shotgun like spread of the fragments if you protect one part of the station, another that might not have been hit will be.

With your plasma cannons it might even be possible to destroy one of the smaller fragments, though you'd be unable to maneuver to avoid the other fragments. If you decide to shoot one you will be unable to deflect any others headed for other parts of the station unless you chose to sacrifice your ship.


What section of the station would you want to protect?

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XTKYPVD

>>30768440
>Send word about the attack to our allies immediately. Just in case the Neeran have timed multiple of these strikes to occur at roughly the same time.
>>30769701
>Kind of unrelated but I can see this comet attack being a diversion and a fleet sneaking in whilst we're busy, so can we transmit that the instant those comets hit/pass people are to assume combat positions?

Right about now you get an intel update warning about possible Kinetic kill vehicle attacks on forward installations. It appears to be a front wide attack by previously deployed raider groups.

Also I will see you all in the morning.

Captain's Bump.

Bump

9/12 votes for protecting the station core.
Started out with Alex way in the lead now it's gone back to Aries.


>I agree with alex. Frostback should be the site of research labs not production lines.
Anyone mpre interested in this?

>Can we not just have an orbital factory attached to our station on the barons planet?
You could, though most people prefer to put them on planets for the added protection of planetary shields and the Factions treaty.

>Why_not_both?.jpg
You'd be in competition with yourself for contracts and military sales. Aries might not be thrilled about it. No other reasons really, you're free to go ahead and do so.

>>30776194
Why exactly would we make Frostback into a resarch location? It's far from anything and deserted sure. That also means far from help and far from supplies unless we decide to make an entirely self sufficent base. Not to mention a lab will hardly help boost the local economy unlike the production line which will most likely attract a lot of people who currently lack a job, construction for appartments for the workers, shops for those people now living in the appartments. And befor we know it we have growing society made out of the best engineers we could pick from amongst the locals and the refugees. Also I thought we where going to build the lab in that asteroid once we had the funds to maintain it? That is not to say we can't have both on Frostback all in due time. Heck we could dig it in under the bloody production line and have the activity above help mask what happens below.

Aries... I do not see the point in this one. They get a factory and we get a little bit of rent. That's hardly the best result we can get from this idea. Sure it will save us the money from building our own factory and still supplie the House with Fighters but if we wont use the money then we do we even save it? Besides that factory will pay for itself in no time.

The question you will have to ask yourself is if we want to help Aries grow or we want our own companys to grow and as a result ourselfs grow.

>>30776381
Frostback IMHO would be a Area 51 type of deal for our main research labs that are one block away from major house universities.

Remote controlled experiments and some techs with waldo units and such. getting deliveries and playing monkey hears monkey does.

>>30776381

If we have Aries build a factory, we get rent and keep any improvements if Aries decides to ditch the location later.

If we make our own factory, we have a higher investment into the facility, no profit from rent, have to acquire production licenses for anything we produce, may end up price-fixed due to production licenses, and we assume all of the risk. We may even fail to acquire production licenses for things people will actually buy, or find ourselves undercut by larger companies.

And let's not even get into the absurd idea of developing our own fighter designs. Money and time sink from hell.

"Helm, get us above the station core. Focus repulsors on the fragment inbound towards it. Try and angle the shields to help deflect any we might take. Coms tell the station crew and any ships staying behind to do the same, everyone else get clear."
"Diverting all power reserves into shields and repulsors." Says Kavos.
"All hands to emergency teleport pods!" Orders Tama over the intercom.
The helmsman rolls the ship to give it a smaller profile.

A few Centurions dump fire from their plasma cannons into one side of the comet to help out before fleeing. It's a mad scramble as all of the other ships attempt to get out of the way at the last moment.

Linda buckles herself into her seat. "I sure wish I wasn't here right now."

There's a garbled transmission from Mike about Battlecruisers detaching then the projected path of the comet fragment begins to shift more dramatically.
"This is going to be close." States Kavos.

A moment later you're thrown into your restraints by the impact hard enough to knock the wind out of you. Gravity and lighting cuts out to be replaced by the red glow of the emergency backups, and damage alarms light up the displays. The shields show a complete failure and the lower four decks of the ship are gone.

"Report." You order once you've caught your breath.
"We are venting. Attempting to seal off the leaks."
"Station core survived." Adds Arron between coughs. "The Logistics and civilian docks are gone. Smaller fragments have punched through the several of the outer arms. "

"Logistics? Why weren't we hit by a blast from the fuel reserves?"
"Looks like the fragment hit hard enough that it carried the worst of the blast with it away from the station."

Some good news.
"How long will shields be down?" You remain worried about follow up attacks.

"I don't know. " Answers Kavos. "Status scans on most of them are completely blank."
Tama unbelts himself and staggers towards an ops station, dealing with current minimal gravity. "I've seen this before. All ventral shield generators and the starboard dorsal shield generators are completely destroyed. They'll need to be replaced."
"Must have fed back from the impact and then blown up." Speculates Kavos. "Surrounding power feeds are shot too."

Damn. Your command ship is effectively out of action. Still you're alive and the important parts of the station survived.
"Contact the other ships to secure the station before it falls out of orbit. How much debris is there?"
"Only large sections. Anything that took a direct hit was atomised. Detecting a mixed enemy force at the edges of the system including a heavy cruiser and what looks like light cruisers and Frigates. They're jumping back out." Reports Arron.

"Sir, 5th Wing is requesting permission to pursue." Says coms.
>Your orders?

>>30777170
Granted. Take the rapid response unit as well

Rolled 59, 91, 20 = 170

>>30777170
Go ahead but don't get carried away.

Everybody else, keep looking, this could be a decoy.

5th Wing along with Mike's unit jumps out in an attempt to track down the main raider force.

Everyone else works to get the station and it's sections into a stable if low orbit. Helm works to keep the still shielded part of the ship pointed away from the planet for better defense once the surviving generators are back online.

When Alex returns with the salvaged ship he finds the system in a far more chaotic state than he expected. All of this is not helping the repair options for the sector. To fully repair the recovery ship and get it operational Alex will have to take the vessel to one of the locations farther back from the lines.

Eventually you're able to get hold of the local sector commander and ask about the attack.
"Why weren't we tracking the raiders? Arent there sensor arrays and warships in the area?"

"Commander they're moving too much and too fast. We only detected them making a course change near the origin of the comet once in the past two weeks. They've stopped multiple times at other locations which we then had ships check but at those they found nothing. The single direction cloaking device they were using is not as good as Faction ones but they had ECM support making detection more difficult. We're having specialised sensors brought up to better keep watch for future attacks, but they're not going to get here soon enough for every system of every sector. We've lost too many platforms near the front lines to hold against concerted attacks. We're continuing full scale evacuation efforts."

"What happened to trying to capture our bases intact?" you ask.

"Guess they changed their minds. It should weaken their logistics in the area once they take it so that's one piece of good news. I'd like you to assist with civilian evacuations. Shuttles can base off your Medium cruiser to bring people up, then transfer them to transports unable to handle atmosphere."

>Any objections to evacuation support while repairs are underway?

File: 1394558265533.png-(208 KB, 450x421, Socks.png)

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>>30777777
>all dem 7's

>>30777777
Nice, um, sextuples?

Works for me. With several shields down and slow to boot, we have no business going into battle.

>>30777777
GRORIOUS POST 7 of 7s GET AT THE MOST
GRORIOUS THREAD ON /tg/!

FOR HOUSE AND DOMINION!

>>30777777
...So they basically just undid all of our hard work. Fuck.

>>30777777
Sounds good to me and this just shows they might just be hurting a little after what we did.

>>30777777
>>30777804
>>30777945
Oh, neat.

>>30777957
Sort of. You forced them to improvise. On the bright side it's unlikely they'll be able to pull this again without being detected much sooner.

>>30777910
Within the hour a pair of refugee ships dock with your Medium and shuttles of every kind begin to arrive from the surface. Marines and damage control teams secure corridors to the transports to prevent any of the refugees going places they're not welcome. The last thing needed is a saboteur aboard.
The flights on and off the ship remind you of a documentary you watched about the Exodus and evacuation of Earth. The landing bays are soon crowded with vehicles and personnel. You even manage to pick up a few starfighters from the local garrison, though you doubt you'd be able to keep them.

As the front wide confusion from the attack starts to clear up, and the reports of follow up attacks to exploit it come in, you get a response to an earlier message you sent. The Alliance has openings for a pair of missions. While they've launched a few such operations more are better.

The Neeran have begun construction of what might be a large shipyard or possibly a Nav station near their initial invasion area. Cloaked ships are having a hard time penetrating the defenses that have been set up. A small afterburner equipped unit or a strike Wing are requested to go in and and find out what's really in there. Delaying construction is a secondary objective.

>Cont.

True but the fact that they can afford to destroy our infrastructure means that they have enough of their own to replace it when they resume the offensive. We need to continue our own strikes against their infrastructure to make sure they can take as little as possible, or track down their raider groups to reduce our own losses.

File: 1394561073576.jpg-(649 KB, 660x900, 1379944877386.jpg)

649 KB JPG

>>30778305
An infiltration mission requiring special forces with Recon Armor is also available. The objective is to capture advanced starships, specifically those testing new weapons and other systems. So far these ships are not deploying close enough to the front lines to make that easy.
You would be provided with a prototype hacking system that should be able to override the Neeran systems on smaller ships and then pilot one of them out to a recovery location. There are not many recon troopers that are cross trained with starship piloting to a suitable degree.
A bounty could be arranged if accomplished successfully.

If you insisted your Wing could be stationed nearby to help with the pickup and evacuation from the site, though this might put defenders on alert.


The Krath operative that's been helping out your Wings with stealing enemy ships "Jarato Eldal" might be of assistance on such an operation but his piloting experience is minimal. He would be better suited to faking the role of a Neeran Captain to unlock Transports and Battleships so that others could fly them.

>>30778305
Major thing here for our wings.

We should combine the 5th and 3d wings for it and the Special Squadron for it too. one wing as decoy and relaying jump data, the Squadron jumping in to scan things out and find what is happening while avoiding damage and if it needs be the second wing either jumping on the afterburner squadron to help them out and blast the thing to hell or help out either wing or squadron in evacuating.

I've had enough spec ops for a few threads, to be honest.

I'm definitely feeling the first mission. Plays to all of our strengths and shows the enemies juicy secret.

I recommend jumping in the afterburner squadron to grab their attention and get some data while a heavily cloaked blackbird with appropriate escort jumps in to do the real work.

>>30778427
>>30778560
>>30778579
>why_not_both.jpg

>>30778579
>while a heavily cloaked blackbird with appropriate escort jumps in to do the real work.
There is a high powered detection grid surrounding the entire site which will reveal any cloaked ship that enters its range. Alliance intel does not know specifically how it works though there are some (classified) theories.
They've given up on sending a cloaked vessel and just want to send fast ships.

>>30778427
>>30778560
>>30778579
>>30778624

Splitting up the unit is certainly possible, though your command ship is left with the problem of repairs taking a long time while it's on evacuation support duties.

You could keep the Wings on split logistics raiding and defense, send all of them to attack enemy logistics or keep all of them hunting the enemy raiders. Send just the rapid response unit to take part in the recon mission, keep everyone back and go on the infiltration mission yourself, ask Rufaro to go despite lack of piloting experience.
Taking one wing along for a mission while leaving most on raiding duty is also one way of doing things. Go for a split on all the missions. Or concentrate your forces like >>30778427
suggested.

There's a lot of options.

>I've had enough spec ops for a few threads, to be honest.

How much support is there for any of the special missions first of all? If there's very little we can focus on more of the local options.

[ ] Recon
[ ] Infiltration
[ ] No spec ops

>>30779046
I like power armor missions and infiltration and recon rick stuff.

And imho if its not stated they are not exclusive we can do it too. Got to keep up our personal fightan skills up and we don't go for heavy armor but more skill and more speed with the light armors we favor.

Also considering the force concentration for the heavy recon if we load up on SP torps and perhaps a vektron launcher we might kill it in one go.

Fuck up Neeran plans in one go.

>>30779046
[X] Infiltration

We literally have the exact skill set needed for this operation and we can set the Wing to do stuff while we are gone. Hunting down raiders and hitting enemy logistics sounds nice to me.

>>30779046
>[ ] Recon
I'm interested in disrupting the new Neeran offensive.

>>30779242
Really though since the recon mission is asking for fast ships we could hand the mission over to Mike and see if he feels up to it.

BOOM

Two operations at one time.

>>30779046
>[X] No spec ops

>>30779046
I want both.
[x] Recon.
Chance to do original Attack Wing Action and blow up something the Neeran might hold in special regard.

[Inflitration]
Power Armor Stealth Murderizing?
Boarding?
Grand Theft Starship?
Where does Sonia sign up?

>>30779046
>[x] Recon

Totally give our gun to the Krath and demand that he test it out in the field for us.

>>30779324
I support this. Let's give Mike some time to shine. Who else in 3rd would be best suited to take our place should Sonia die? Time for them to step up. We've got overall command of two Wings, so we should step back a bit from direct command of 3rd both so our eventual replacement can start getting experience, and so we can focus on our larger strategic role.

>>30779046
[x] Recon woop woop!

>>30779644
No wait... Infiltration darn it! Stealth suit action! It's been a long time.

Taking part in an infiltration mission yourself seems to have the most support. Who do you want to leave in overall command of the two wings and the Command ship? Or would you prefer to split that responsibility between their respective units?
Did anyone want to bring additional ships to assist in ex-filtration or just get the Krath to provide pickup?

There also seems to be plenty of support for sending Mike's unit off to take part in the recon mission. Veckron weapons will not be issued for a strike on the location until or unless proper reconnaissance has been conducted.
Should I add these to a survey to be sure?


>>30779396
I understand and sympathise with your position. But the truth is that the threads drag along when logistics raids against multiple systems and the like take place.

>>30780019
I was for the infiltration mission only if it does not conflict with the Raid.

That thing is potentially one of the more important strategic happenings in this war.

>>30780019
It cannot be helped.

>>30780019
Leave Alex in command of Third and Daska in overall command of both. The Krath ship should do perfectly fine, after all we lack stealth units.

Personally I do not really like the sound of this mission with Mike's unit and would rather we diden't do it.

Mike and a back-up squadron for the fast recon. Gotta make sure they have some teeth if they send another heavy after them like in our previous mission.

Not really feeling the infiltration mission as the general unfamiliarity with Neeran systems and the fact that we'll be far behind enemy lines seems much too risky, even for Sonia.

>>30780019
>Command of wing/Command ship

Knight Verilis in command of 3rd. Let Alex know that we're doing this beforehand.

3rd Wing will report to Daska for the time being.

Inform the good Baron of this command restructure.

Mention the recon mission to Mike. If he wants to volunteer his unit, he has our blessing. If he prefers to stick with the Wing, he has our blessing.

In the end, it should be his call if his unit can pull it off and if they even have the morale to go for it.

>>30780019
I would leave Alex in charge of 5th, Daska in charge of everything.

As for survey I think we should just ask Mike if he feels ready to take up a special mission of his own.

>>30780635
Actually I'll change my vote to Knight Verilis for 3rd.

>>30780230
>I was for the infiltration mission only if it does not conflict with the Raid.
It does not. The two locations are rather far apart.

>>30780312
>>30780635
>>30780714

Slight conflict with Alex/Verilis here Never mind, Verilis in charge of 3rd and Daska in overall command.

Unless otherwise stated Captain Tama will continue attempts to get the shields replaced and assist evacuation efforts.

>>30780345
>Mike and a back-up squadron for the fast recon. Gotta make sure they have some teeth if they send another heavy after them like in our previous mission.
Did you have any particular squadron in mind? Or would you prefer to ask for an allied unit as backup?

>Not really feeling the infiltration mission as the general unfamiliarity with Neeran systems and the fact that we'll be far behind enemy lines seems much too risky, even for Sonia.
1 vote against infiltration but it still seems the majority are still for it.

Are you taking Jarato Eldal with you or leaving him to assist the attack squadrons?

>>30780635
>Mention the recon mission to Mike. If he wants to volunteer his unit, he has our blessing. If he prefers to stick with the Wing, he has our blessing.
>>30780682
>just ask Mike if he feels ready to take up a special mission of his own.

You contact Mike and ask him if he thinks he's up for a special assignment.
"You're kidding me right? This is the kind of thing I had in mind when I first asked to form a unit like this! It'll be great. Dangerous no doubt but still great."

>>30780954

Have Mike come over and share the info we have

... I'd personally call it suicide, but it is his call

>>30780954
Okay then.

Looks like Mike is on board so leave him to it and if he feels like he needs backup let him organize it he just can't take..you know...the whole wing.

Yeah, helping with evac and getting those shields/repairs done should be what Captain Tama focuses on.

The reason I say let Mike organize it/work it out with Verilis and Daska is because really we shouldn't try to micromanage everything and trust our people to handle things.

Really we are slowly turning into admiral material in my opinion (if a bit eccentric at times) and part of that is having people we trust that can handle tasks that we give them.

Also as for the infiltration mission: I seriously hope we find Neeran Power Armor at these experimental ship sites.

>Jarato Eldal

If he feels like he is up to the task I say let him join us.

On a side note it's too bad we weren't able to talk to the wizard's apprentice much.

>>30780954
I'd like to throw my vote in for Alex in charge. He seems to have done a better job.

>>30780954
Wait, I thought alex was a given in charge. Huh

>>30780954
I'm against the infiltration mission in general, but if we do it lets at least leave Alex in charge.

>>30781540
Alex gets along better with Daska, we'll have less command issues. Alex and Daska get along like a house on fire, which is good because Daska and Verilis set that house on fire.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6GWM8ZF

Quick survey to settle the thing with the 3rd Wing CO.
Previous survey still open for the starfighter factory thing as per requests to leave it open longer.


>>30781068
>Have Mike come over and share the info we have
"Special mission. Recon. Go fast to avoid being shot. Got you." He notes down the details on a pad he's brought with him semi-jokingly.
"I'm serious Mike this is dangerous."
"More so than the last mission? If anything this one sounds less dangerous since we won't have to look after protecting the slower ships."

>>30781699

... as the quoted anon on that, my initial reaction is to reach across and slap Mike hard enough to ensure that everyone between here and his ship certainly knows he was just slapped

the more rational side of me then said 'slap Mike'

God damn it Mike, at least act like you're taking this seriously

>>30781848
I am okay with this.

>>30781848
that seems excessive

>>30781848
A bit far, but we do need to let him know this is serious time.

The Neeran aren't just the Pirate Warlords. This isn't some ragtag group of mercenaries and banditos with standard equipment. This is a hostile empire with superior technology and superior training.

>>30780954
Does that mean we could do them both or not?
Because at first you deny it but the next sentences spells out that we have to chose one.

If so we would better scrap infiltration for a later date and organize a raid proper. Give out wing 3d wing command to Alex, 5th to Daska and Mike the Special squadron, with us coordinating and in overall command able to attach ourselves to either of them.


And we scout the shit out of the Neeran special toy and have enough firepower to get out of almost any problem and break that toy a bit.

File: 1394573243616.gif-(2.12 MB, 320x180, atomic slap.gif)

2.12 MB GIF

"Mike come here." You lean forward and motion him closer until you can grab him by the collar.

If the resultant CRACK was not audible from other sections of the ship you would be surprised.

"What... the hell. Sir." Is Mike's response.

"God damn it Mike, at least act like you're taking this seriously. The Neeran aren't just the Pirate Warlords. This isn't some ragtag group of mercenaries and banditos with standard equipment. This is a hostile empire with superior technology and superior training."

"I am, sir. This is the kind of mission I've been preparing for since the start of the war, or a variation of it. The only thing I'm worried about is pickup for anyone that bails out with emergency teleporters, I just hadn't brought it up yet."

"...oh. But you're still on for this mission?"
"Yes sir, unless you order me not to."

>What say?


>>30782039
If they were both in the same place there would be a conflict as one would set off so many alarms that the other would be so difficult as to be near impossible.
As they are not near each other and therefore one mission will not cause excessive alarm at the second's location yes it is possible to do both missions.

>I was for the infiltration mission only if it does not conflict with the Raid.
>It does not.
Meaning it does not conflict with the Raid. There is no conflict preventing both missions from being done.
The two locations are far apart. Both missions are possible to be done simultaneously as a result.
They would be carried out by otherwise unrelated groups.

>>30782335
"Alright. I'm glad you understand, Mike. I was simply worried for you. I'd prefer to see you live to make wing commander some day."

>>30782335
>What say?

We should probably make it clear he received that slap because he's our friend and we care about him.

At least I think that's the reason why people suddenly wanted to slap him.

>>30782335
How long will i have to endure this 'fuck you very much serious-irritation-rectal acronym' you have managed to get in every sentence? Will a second one cure that? No? Oh well, I hope it will pass. I'd rather have you sir me for a while than have to go back searching for your teleported corpsicle.

>DETERMINATOR LINE:
We are getting out of this war alive.

>>30782335

"You know I wouldn't call you here and then order you to ignore it. Not after the Knights Errant joke we did to you."

>recovery of emergency teleporters

They should be able to pre-set the teleporters and recover with cloaked ships again?

Command sucks when we're sending people off and can't go ourself. We need to mimic the Baron's collection of booze. I bet it is how she deals with this shit sometimes.

>>30782335
Basically this >>30782434 & >>30782589 for the whole slapping thing.

Also I agree 100% about the whole collection of alcohol.

I agree with >>30782452 on the part where we are getting out of this war alive.

>>30782452
This is a bad horrible idea, why the fuck would you want to antagonize one of our most trusted and capable knights in a way that provides no benefit other than a blatant power trip? He already knows the risks of the mission, he was in that massive fleet battle we had just a while ago. He has experienced firsthand the Neeran war machine, no need to belittle him about it.

>>30782734
I agree. That reply just seems unnecessarily aggressive.

>>30780957
Preferably the next fastest unit with the heaviest armament or a pair of our BC's. Ideally they would be a decent distance behind Mike's unit's jump in point so that they would be able to provide flanking fire into any pursuit craft's engines then bolt out with them. Hopefully a sneak attack like that will stop them in their tracks or at least pause them long enough to get to friendly space.

>>30782821
Apologies, I meant this link >>30780954

"Alright. I'm glad you understand, Mike. You know I wouldn't call you here and then order you to ignore it. I was simply worried for you.
I want to be clear you received that slap because you're my friend and I do care what happens to you.
I'd rather have you sir me for a while than have to go back searching for your teleported corpsicle.
I'd prefer to see you live to make wing commander some day."

Mike raises his hands on mock surrender. "Thanks but most Knights don't advance to reach Captain and just command a single Cruiser or a corvette squadron. With a fast attack unit like mine I think I'd like to stay there for a bit. Ask me in a few years if I'm interested in ever commanding a whole Wing."

>>30782589
>They should be able to pre-set the teleporters and recover with cloaked ships again?
Yes, but there's a chance the landing craft or the pods themselves will be detected when they appear.
>Command sucks when we're sending people off and can't go ourself. We need to mimic the Baron's collection of booze. I bet it is how she deals with this shit sometimes.
Grey hair point +1

>>30782821
It should be possible to get a few battlecruisers for backup, or even yours if you wanted to send them.

>>30782452
For a second there I thought I was getting bitched at over the spiel with the both missions at once thing.

>>30782452
Yeah, let's not treat subordinates this way. I wasn't here for the slapping suggestion otherwise I would have spoken up against that as well. it's incredible unnecessary, disrespectful, humiliating, and unprofessional. Next time you feel like submitting a hyper aggressive response to someone within the Wing, just go punch a pillow instead

>>30782898
>Grey hair point +1

That only makes me want to start a collection more.

You and one of the technicians load up your armor in a transport crate along with weapons and anything necessary to keep it in working order. Additional external armor plates have been packed as well to reduce the amount of damage your suit might take and if it does to provide patches.
New Rifle, X-ray laser, Fusion gun, Warlord built Mass driver rifles, plasma pistol, all of them check out.

"Rufaro!" you address your double.
"Sir!"
"I want you and Valeri to make sure this ship is in one piece when I get back. If any Neeran do board this ship make them regret it."

"Do you want any trophies saved for psycological warfare purposes?" Asks Valeri, deactivating his camo and nearly causing you to jump.

>What say?

>>30783124

"I'll leave that up to your imaginations."

>>30783124
"Within limits. We're still fighting sentient and feeling beings, after all."

>>30783124
This >>30783220 plus add that he should already know what sorts of things that interest us.

AKA any tech they have on them.

>>30783124
"If you happen upon a particularly vicious one then you may mount it's head at on the front of the ship"

>>30783370
I'd rather not do that.

>>30783124
"Bring me the arm of a Neeran and I will buy you drinks for a year. I must have revenge for my own loss."

>>30783124
Wait....I just relized something

>Infiltration mission
>To steal a ship

I feel this is the perfect time to see if the enemy Neeran have any information on the wizard.

>>30783370
>>30783439
Save that for when we figure out how to adapt our body to more easily interact with Neeran tech.

AKA I haven't given up on the idea of implanting one of those organs for when we get that Neeran Power armor.

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>>30783220
"I'll leave that up to your imaginations but try to keep it within limits. We're still fighting sentient and feeling beings, after all. How about any working tech you find?"

Boarding one of the spare corvettes from the reserves you set course for the coordinates intel sent you. The trip is lengthened due to the changes in the lines and assembly of convoys headed back to the Nav Relay Station. There are few if any that make direct flights back to towards the Shallan Homeworlds.
Five days later you arrive at your destination and transfer to a station where ships are being assembled. You don't see any Krath ships nearby, but that means nothing. There could be dozens of them cloaked nearby and you'd never know it. There are plenty of Rovinar ships though.

Flexing your grey skinned cybernetic right arm you briefly wonder if this was such a good idea. The nagging doubt passes the next day when you're given your briefing along with several others, largely a mix of Terrans and Dro'all with the occasional Rovinar. Some of them might be Krath but you wouldn't know which.

"Krath Frigates have made low speed passes through a number of systems where Neeran have set up testing bases. We're seeing all of the usual things, mobility testing among asteroid fields, target drones and markers, they're even conducting drills around the system's gas giants to see the effect of the new weapons and if they change the flight profile.

Most of the ships are being built or modified on site. We have confirmed the presence of corvette and battlecruiser sized production lines but expect them to be heavily guarded. We're hoping that the ship docks themselves will be slightly less defended. The ships are the objective not any data that might be in the production line computers."

"Stations of this type and variations of them are beginning to appear in more rear line areas so expect to see plenty of them in the future. They have a fairly straightforward layout with tankers far removed from any vital areas to prevent damage from accidents or sabotage to the tankers.

The docking points on the dorsal and ventral hull look to be good entry points but don't rule out the other docks or going straight for the target ships.
Questions?"

>>30784364

Do we have any intel on known modifications?

Assuming we have to steal FTL-capable ships, what is the extraction plan? Each individual/team has a predetermined location to escape to for pickup/escort?

>>30784364
>Questions?"
Any idea about Neeran internal security measures?

How are we supposed to take over and escape without everyneeran on the base realizing what we're up to?

With so many ships on maneuvers around the base, it seems unlikely that we'll get anything but an FTL corvette out of there intact and that would be wih some luck and a lot of asteroid cover.

Not trying to be pessimistic but...

I finished my research. So there are a couple of tweaks we have to make to the rifle but nothing major. Basically the difference between guns and cannons is partly the size of the projectile and how the projectile engages the rifling. Bullets have soft metal jackets that deform in the rifling to impart spin. Cannon shells however are made of steel which does not deform, so they include driving bands which are a rim of softer metal to seal against the rifling.

Since our splinter shells are built from space nanotube magic this is less of a problem for us. So while the shells are definitely of size to be considered cannon ammo, we can simply use a more flexible type of carbon fibre as the jacket thus making them oversized bullets.

What is still a problem is the length of the shell. The longer a object is the harder the rifling has to work to get it to spin, which can rapidly become unfeasible when you account for barrel wear and stuff like that. So I'm going to retcon the rifle as being 25mm instead of 20mm, and the ends of the shell will be slightly more pointed so less touches the rifling. This allows the shells to be slightly shorter but maintain the same internal volume.

By the way, when the Alliance foisted observers upon us. Did Mike, Alex or the other squadron leads get one too?

>>30784506
>Do we have any intel on known modifications?
"Weapons mostly, though there could be structural, ECM, shield or even FTL modifications we don't know about."

>Assuming we have to steal FTL-capable ships, what is the extraction plan? Each individual/team has a predetermined location to escape to for pickup/escort?
"Corvettes without FTL have higher sublight performance ratings than those that can jump. Each team will be provided several pickup locations depending on the system they're targeting. If you can reach them Faction ships will be able to extract you.

>>30784556
>Any idea about Neeran internal security measures?
"We've been studying their internal sensors found on some of their ships and will be upgrading your recon armor to further dampen it's electromagnetic signature. We don't know how effective this will be against actual Neeran so your best bet is to either avoid them like we've been doing or kill them in areas with minimal coverage before they can raise an alarm. Intel believes some inter-unit rivalry serious enough to come to death blows do take place, not unlike dueling in the Dominion. If an alarm is raised kill them and try to make it look like another Neeran did it."

Good to know.

>>30784722
>How are we supposed to take over and escape without every neeran on the base realizing what we're up to?
"Their corvettes have minimal crew, as do most of their other ships for that matter. If you act to take a ship over quickly enough you should be able to prevent anyone from being the wiser for a short while.
Our hacking units should be able to get you codes to launch. If it cant wait for a training flight to launch, or until more of the ships are gone on exercises. There are never more than 40% of the ships docked or nearby at any given time.
Asteroid cover should be relatively close by if you need it but be aware that other prototypes will likely be on maneuvers among them."

>>30784976
20mm is a commonly available round size for anti-materiel rifles and large caliber sniper rifles. Other sizes are available but are not nearly as common which will result in lost sales if put into mass production.
The next larger round that remains somewhat common would be in the 30mm range, though they're rarely seen carried by infantry.

>>30785180
Yes, most of your ships got observers.

>>30785212
If we're doing work for the Alliance in our power armour, do we get to shop around in the other factions armouries before we go on our mission? I'm sure there are a few neat gadgets that factions usually don't share with outsides that might help us on that mission. And might conveniently go missing on ops.

>>30785710
>do we get to shop around in the other factions armouries before we go on our mission?
Yes, but you might be disappointed. Your plasma pistol, X-ray laser and guided micro grenade launchers are top tier.

Most other weapons are variations on existing technology. Chem/tranq guns, splinter ammo based weaponry, monoblade flechette launchers, missiles launchers, plasma anti-tank guns, Shallan fusion guns. Modified phase rifles that fire a scattered beam.
Republic Plasma pistols are still in R&D mode.

If you can think of a weapon ask and they'll see if they can get it.

>>30785927

Any of those telescoping HF Blades/Polearms?

Upgraded/anti-neeran grenades?

Shark launcher?

>>30785212
Do we get to keep this new hacking unit?

Plasam anti-tank gun...... GIMME!

Choose your loadout!

Recon Armor [Equipped]
Smart Grapple [Equipped]

HF-Blade (x1)[Equipped]
Monoblade
Republic bayonet
Repulsor gauntlet

Plasma Anti-tank Gun
Shallan Fusion Gun
RPG
4 barrel Box Missile launcher

X-Ray laser+GL
Custom Mass driver rifle prototype [Equipped]
Mass Driver Rifle
Phase rifle
Silenced Carbine
Shotgun (Grenades, AP Slug, Flechettes, Incendiaries, other)

Plasma Pistol [Equipped]
Forearm microRPG [Equipped]
Forearm SMG
SMG
Pulse Pistol
Holdout [Equipped]

>Grenades
High explosives
Frag grenades
Stunpulse grenades
Flashbangs
Half moon (Breaching charge)
Claymore mines
GP mine
Shard Missiles

>Misc.
Hand cutter[Equipped]
Rescue beacon[Equipped]

>Other
Specify

>>30786077
Frag and halfmoon. Side note: our custom rifle is a sniper right? Also, can we grab tri bladed HF blades? Nothing says effective like "Specifically banned under the Geneva Convention"

>>30785927
>Yes, but you might be disappointed. Your plasma pistol, X-ray laser and guided micro grenade launchers are top tier.

Well, it doesn't have to be weaponry. Cool gadgets, or just a more effective med kit could help a lot.

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>>30785541
Poor AlexShallan observer intensifies

>>30786077
HF blade, Plasma pistol, custom rifle, X-Ray laster, Stun frag and halfmoon charges.

>>30786077
Half moon and Frags are a must of course.

Maybe one or two Stunpulse just in case.

>>30786195
A good question since the old HF blade has been our go-to melee weapon of choice for a long time. Anything that the factions have to up to killing power?

>>30786077
Can we bring one or two spare camouflage units like the one we had before it was integrated into our armour?

Just in case we manage to break the one we have.

Bring the shotgun for sure. Nothing says boarding op like a scattergun and the range of munitions for it will definitely be a boon in close quarters. Also, some half moons and stun pulse for breaching and capturing a captain (if possible) to enhance our piloting efforts.

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>>30786065
>Any of those telescoping HF Blades/Polearms?
Sure!

>Upgraded/anti-neeran grenades?
Those would be grenades with more explosives in them. I think there might be sticky bombs/grenades as well, though they have the age old problems of friendly fire danger.

>>30784976
>>30785541
Btw, following up on this. The round sizes are largely because many manufacturers already produce them and don't want to bothered to switch. Expect opposition from manufacturers who pay off (or are) politicians that control procurement contracts.

>>30786195
>Side note: our custom rifle is a sniper right?
Yes, though there's nothing stopping you from using it normally since it also fires smaller caliber rounds with the repulsors like normal mass driver rifles.

>Also, can we grab tri bladed HF blades?
Like any of pic related?

>>30786069
>Do we get to keep this new hacking unit?
If it works the Alliance will want to look over it's data. They might loan it to you while you're on deployment.
>Plasma anti-tank gun
Noted.

>>30786234
>Cool gadgets
I am open to suggestions.
>or just a more effective med kit
Done, though self administering is rarely a good idea.

>>30786257
You consider asking Alex if he or anyone else has had humorous encounters with the observers aboard but decide it can wait.

>>30786627
>Can we bring one or two spare camouflage units like the one we had before it was integrated into our armour?
You can bring 1 extra.

>>30786257
Crazy, adorable blue spess elf is my fetish.

Thank you for helping me find out.

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>>30786876
Like so. They were banned under the geneva convention

>>30785541
Okay well if we are using the most standard size we can just use 20mm with driving bands. That allows the shell casings to be fully hardened and more effective. As far as ammo types go we came up with all sorts of nasty stuff. But since we are still prototyping I'm going to assume we only had some API rounds custom made.

Couple things I learned about AP shells:

- A lot of AP rounds are not as big as they look, they have a thin metal cap on the tip like a traffic cone that only serves to make them more aerodynamic. A full sized solid metal shell will often be too heavy. Sometimes this cap is filled with incendiary to make API rounds.

- It's desirable to have a large shell diameter to allow for more propellant and a higher launching force. But use a smaller kinetic penetrator to focus the impact on a smaller point. When they first came up with this concept they would embed the penetrator (usually tungsten) into a lighter metal (like aluminium) to form an APCR round, but this was later superceded by discarding sabot designs. With splinter rounds we can return to the APCR design because the carbon is so much lighter than the metal core.

- Shell fuses are a lot bigger than I thought they were. Fuses are used for safety and to delay detonation on impact. Mechanical fuses can be 25-50% of the internal volume of the shell! However our API rounds don't need fuses because they are supposed to ignite on impact. In this case we can use a pyrotechnic fuse like a Raufoss round which has no mechanical parts.

>>30786876
>I am open to suggestions.

>Sigh, firefox just ate my suggestions ;_; Anyway
+A portable emergency teleporter?
+A cloaked, remote controlled camera drone?
+Some acid to melt through doors/walls/floors without the noise explosives tend to cause?
+Are there sensor upgrades available? Additional light filters, different sonar ranges etc. Multiple view modes like in the predator movies?
+Holographic emitters? We could either distract the enemy with them, or use them to hide Sonia as something unassuming like a crate.

>>30787078
>+Holographic emitters? We could either distract the enemy with them, or use them to hide Sonia as something unassuming like a cardboard box.
fixed it for you.

>>30786195
Our mass rifle has a bunch of firing modes depending on what kind of projectile you select. It's basically a combination 20mm antitank rifle, .50cal HMG or 7.62 LMG to give you an idea of it's effectiveness. Since it's a mass driver you can also crank up the launching speed for extra AP power. But against most targets that will cause you to start overpenetrating, which can be problematic.

The rifle can also be fired in shotgun mode, it just loads a bunch of small slugs at once end to end and fires them like canister shot. Expect the accuracy to be worse than regular buckshot because it can't spin them when it does this and they tend to tumble all over the place.

>>30787078
This would be way too expensive for a prototype but I think it might be possible to add holoprojectors onto the rifle itself. That would make it easier for Recons like us to use/hide because of it's large size.

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>>30786949
I remember hearing a story that the geneva conventions tried to ban the use of .50 cal's against infantry because they were considered excessive.
A triangular blade should be easy enough to get hold of. Do you want it equipped as default to the extendable polearm or use a regular HF blade for that?

>>30787078
>emergency teleporter?
No
>cloaked, remote controlled camera drone?
Drones yes. The Rovinar have some.
You can have ones the size of a baseball that can fly around for a little while on repulsors but lack the ability to carry camo. (Think those camera drones on SGU)
A basketball sized one could carry camo but is only useable in an atmosphere and would be loud enough to be heard.
One the size of a large-ish beach ball could potentially carry camo, use repulsors and mount a pulse pistol. Nobody has had a plasma pistol available to mount on one before and it would need to be manually reloaded by you after every 6 shots. (Was it 6 or 8? It's been awhile.)
It does not accelerate especially fast which could make retreat or getting out of the way of suddenly appearing Neeran difficult.

>acid to melt through doors/walls/floors without the noise explosives tend to cause?
Possibly. I'll need to get back to you on this following research.
>Are there sensor upgrades available? Additional light filters, different sonar ranges etc. Multiple view modes like in the predator movies?
You already had most of that. IR, UV, sonar, passive radar.
>Holographic emitters? We could either distract the enemy with them, or use them to hide Sonia as something unassuming like a crate or cardboard box.
This could work against crew from other species but would be ineffective against actual Neeran.

>>30787317
>can also be fired in shotgun mode
I was not previously aware of this or missed it. This would add considerably towards the possibility of something going terribly wrong inside the weapon.
end to end
One way to avoid that though I question it's effectiveness in said mode.

>>30787476
>I remember hearing a story that the geneva conventions tried to ban the use of .50 cal's against infantry because they were considered excessive.
Yeah in this case they banned them because the wounds are much harder to treat and have a very good chance of being infected. IIRC they have some additional armor penetrating value as well.

>>30787476
>Drones yes. The Rovinar have some.
Mini drones sound good to me.

>This could work against crew from other species but would be ineffective against actual Neeran.
Well, if there are rarely more than 1-2 Neeran on anything smaller than a cruiser, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Do Neerans pilots/commanders actually bother with corvettes?

>>30786876
>I am open to suggestions.
Could we get some compressed air, just in case we have to move through space at one point?

>>30787476
Hmm, well the rifle is more than powerful enough to fire 10 or 20 small slugs at once. But you don't get the right effect if they all hit the same spot. It might be possible to use the repulsors at the end of the barrel as a "choke", tipping each round in a slightly different direction to get them to tumble. That would cause them to spread out in a cone. It's really more of a utility use if you want to dump a ton of kinetic energy into something without just punching a hole in it. Plus if you do this with our custom slugs each round also has some HE inside, so there's that too.

If you want to turn the rifle into an actual shotgun I don't see why we couldn't just make some ludicrously powerful 20mm buckshot/flechette rounds. If the shell doesn't have driving bands it won't spin as it goes down the barrel so the pellets won't be affected. They already make these for IRL 40mm grenade launchers so we're just changing the dimensions.

Non-AP airburst frag rounds are also a thing.

>>30787661
>Could we get some compressed air, just in case we have to move through space at one point?
Well there is a type of small gun (which I seriously need to put in the wiki) that marines use on occasion in space that fires compressed air to help them move around. I've mentioned them on a couple of boarding operations. They also have a small magnetic grapple, though it's connection is not nearly as strong as your smart grapple.

>Do Neerans pilots/commanders actually bother with corvettes?
This is unknown for certain though their corvettes are built so that they could easily be configured for one to pilot. It's known that some Neeran pilot their starfighters (though this is rare) so it's not out of the question.

>Mini drones sound good to me.
You grab a camera drone that can recharge from your suit. power supply.

>>30787822
> It might be possible to use the repulsors at the end of the barrel as a "choke", tipping each round in a slightly different direction to get them to tumble. That would cause them to spread out in a cone
I am going to state that this would require some specialist reprogramming of the repulsors before it could be used in such a manner, which you do not have time for before deployment.
Sonia will have to spray and pray like anyone with an AR if she want's to achieve the same effect for the moment.

>airburst frag rounds are also a thing.
They're available on the normal shotguns among the other specialist rounds they can use. You guys never really took the shotgun though, always the Silenced Carbine.

I'm going to say that the acid is not available for use in cutting through doors or armor as it's proven to be too inneffecient agaisnt Neeran hardware.


Current loadout!

Recon Armor
Smart Grapple
HF-Blade (x1)
HF-Blade T-blade trench knife
Extendable polearm attachment

X-Ray laser+GL
Custom Mass driver rifle prototype
Plasma Pistol
Holdout

>Grenades
Frag grenades
Stunpulse grenades
Half moon (Breaching charge)

>Misc/Other
Hand cutter[Equipped]
Rescue beacon[Equipped]
Improved medkit (WARNING: Contains Medical repair nanites. Exposure to phased energy weapons fire could render them unusable, or inert within the body.)
Camera drone
Spare camo system / Holographic projector

Am I missing anything?

>>30788527

>missing anything

enough cigars for everyone in our infiltration team/squad, in a metal tube for protection. for when the plan comes together.

The next 5 days are spent aboard a Rovinar LST docked to the hull of a Krath Starship whose name is unpronounceable. Everyone just tells you to call it the Donovan. There is enough space aboard the LST to get some exercise and practice in, though you cant really fire your weapons as there isn't any spare ammo for anything but the phase pistols and rifles. Even if they could recharge your plasma pistol you question the durability of the hull.
Your Krath backup spends most of the flight aboard the larger ship which he claims would not be able to support the atmosphere of any of the Faction races. At least he talks to you a few times over the course of the trip. Most of the flight is spent traversing the last 20% of the distance at slower and slower FTL speeds.

Eldal comes aboard when the vessels return to real space for the approach and begins suiting up.
"Can't you just change yourself into someone with a suit of armor?" You ask him.
"Possibly, though I wouldn't have extra armor for protection then, or repulsor systems, holographic camouflage, a way to share secure coms with you that wouldn't alert anyone nearby."
"Right."

"Commander we're coming up to the drop point. Are you ready?" Asks the LST's Rovinar captain.
"Ready."
"Bay teams report condition dark." Says another trooper in the bay with you.
"Opening bay doors."
Your HUD overlays a wireframe of the Krath ship and edges of the bay door to help with the indistinct visuals.

"Underside loading door is open."
"Distance to target?"
"Thirty kilometers and closing."
"Geometry angle?"
"Geometry is good, cloak is good, solar drag is behaving as anticipated."

"Commander you'll be jumping from eleven hundred meters. The shields may only be at navigational levels but we'll risk disrupting the cloak if we get closer to a station this big."

"Copy that."

I'd really rather have the shotgun since our new custom covers sniper and AR and we have a forearm GL. Carrying the X-ray seems a bit overkill considering we're going to be boarding in close quarters but I suppose the HF blade with extension could cover it.

Just wanted to put that out there.

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The ship's relative speed to target drops down to a few meters per second then below one.
"Jump."

You and Eldal throw yourselves clear of the cargo bay and towards the station, aiming for an open area of the hull largely devoid of docking bays, sensors, or other equipment that might be more heavily protected.

You're coming down mid way between the cargo docks and the miscellaneous docking areas shown in the maps. Using repulsors to slow your descent as little as possible it seems that the station has a small amount of external gravity. The landing is a bit harder than you would have liked but none of the equipment is damaged and your sore spots don't bother you for long.

Off in the heavy cruiser docks you see the hull of what was once a Neeran Tanker but is now being converted into a warship that masses less than half the more rounded Neeran Heavy cruisers. It's still definitely in the Heavy cruiser category only now it looks like a ship you'd rather not mess with if given the choice. The tankage section is now covered in hull and turrets, with gaps large enough for corvettes to launch from within.

Closer to the mixed docks is a medium cruiser sized vessel that looks to be around the same size of the Eminence class. This one sports 4 spinal mounted plasma weapons along with two more normal Neeran plasma turrets, dorsal and ventral.

There are 4 ship types in the mixed docks area you're unfamiliar with. A drum shaped vessel that looks like a Neeran corvette was expanded until 6 engines or perhaps weapons could be crowded into it's frame.
One looks like a cross between an ancient airship and a V2 rocket with engines filling up it's wide fins. It's armed only with conventional phase cannon turrets.
The third ship has a curved central hull sloping down into a pair of engine nacelles. It's sublight engines could likely serve as spinal mount fusion or plasma cannons similar to Neeran corvettes.

The last is a Frigate that has a forward cannon from a corvette but with a wider body and additional engines. It seems similar to the Archerfish in many ways.

Eldal point out another version of the same ship but with four spinal mounted phase cannons instead of the plasma weapon. That one however is incomplete and may even have been abandoned.

The more familiar Battleships, battlecruisers and corvettes are docked where it was indicated they would be.

What do you plan to try and steal?

The drum-shaped ship and the archerfish-like frigate have my attention. How large do we estimate the former is and what would it likely classify as?

If only we had the personnel to grab that medium with all that plasma spam...

The first and fourth seem interesting and the second slightly less so. We should also try and grab a standard corvette or frigate so we can get more info on their standard forces.

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>>30790213
>How large do we estimate the former is and what would it likely classify as?
+500m diameter. It would be classified as a Light cruiser at the smallest. It looks like it might be designed to face off against Centurions.

>>30790344
>fourth
The smaller one pictured is the Frigate. Neeran corvette weapon system illuminated in red because of reasons.

The Tanker is probably worth the most in terms of intel value. I don't think we can handle something that big though.

The drum shaped one looks interesting. The alliance is planning to make heavy use of plasma in the future right?

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>>30790016
I'm down for the frigate.

Just got back to my laptop. Did we bring any of the >pic related ammo?

>>30790924
>The alliance is planning to make heavy use of plasma in the future right?
They're hoping to since the cost and sustainability of SP and Veckron usage is a bit questionable. Republic plasma weapons seem to have the best bang against the shields on Neeran Supers outside of SP torpedoes.

>>30791050
I don't think those got approved for production just yet. You have 20mm splinter rounds and smaller mass driver slugs.

I'll keep posting for a bit tonight and in the morning but won't be able to resume until after 5pm tomorrow so you guys know.

>>30791106
Alright. See you tomorrow and take care.

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And for the life of me I cant replicate my missing drawing of a Neeran attack cruiser without it ending up looking like an overweight SSV Normandy.
Damn you clouds, this is what I get for taking design advice from you.

Wiki Notes: What became the Neeran isolationists were originally envisioned as the "Cloud people" who built ships to mimic cloud formations found either in planetary atmospheres or nebula.
This concept was eventually developed into the cloaking fields used to hide their ships which in turn took the appearance of cloud banks. One of their art forms consistently remained cloud sculpting, only in its current incarnation can be done so without expending vast material resources it would have if building ships.

Soccer was really boring when I was younger and provided ample cloud gazing opportunities. If only I'd had a camera back then.

>>30791688
>Clouds as inspiration for ship shapes
Woah, I do the same.

>>30791106
Now that our command ship will have to be repaired, do we get to upgrade/refit it too?

>>30792010
provided we survive this mission and a repair area is found for it, we should be able!


As for these Neeran ships, I'm thinking we'll have to settle for the frigate unless we've got more than just the two of us to secure a ship.

if we live through this you know what we should invest in?

A legal team of say 20 or 30 lawyers that focuses on alliance law and salvage and property law to flag and beep us whenever we find something they have a reasonable chance to argue and win for us.

So whenever we get something we beam a coms to them tow them with us and if they think we can get away with it beam us back the ok or the not.

Service open to the 5th, 3rd and special squadron and encouraging membership in our vacation club or whatever we ended up calling it.

>>30795379
Are you suggesting we start a gentleman's salvage club? Because I am ok with that

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VYV9HV5
We didn't get as many votes as I'd hoped overnight. Putting a survey up while I'm gone. See you after 5pm!

>>30791832
I do that for some, not all.

>>30792010
>>30794803
Structural repairs and those to the engines will have to wait until the evacuation efforts are concluded and there are plenty of evacuations to go around. Your crew will still attempt to get the ship fixed up ASAP and you did mention the engine upgrades to Captain Tama.

>>30795379
>Lawyers
Remind me about this if I forget.

Looks like there's still support for the Frigate and Light Cruiser.

>>30796176
>until the evacuation efforts are concluded and there are plenty of evacuations to go around

With all that fighting, evacuating, and being nice to refugees in general, did Sonia make it on the Shallan government's Christmas card list this year?

Bump.

pg9 bump

>>30763906
>Ten magazines of the specialist 20mm ammo you designed for it were included and they do seem to be effective against armored target markers designed to simulate Neeran suits.
>There is also a letter included from one of the various inspection agencies that checks official freight for contraband. The ammo passed through a region where it was banned more heavily but was given a pass as it was headed to the front. If your ammo passes through the Terran controlled Nav relays while heading any other direction it will be confiscated in the future. Finding another shipping company or selling directly to the military in South Reach may be prudent.
How did they even ban the SHARK ammo already?

>>30800405
Because it's technically splinter ammo with fancy bits added on, I think it's been banned.

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>>30800405
It's a type of splinter ammo which has been banned in lots of places for some time since planetary governments have always been worried about it's use as a cop killer.


"Plenty of good looking targets. Have you decided on one yet?" asks Eldal
"I'd pefer that we find anything that looks like it has a phased plasma cannon but that cruiser looks too good to pass up. What I'd really want is that converted Heavy Tanker/transport but that's just way too big."

"Agreed. Though I would likewise love to steal a ship like that."

Making your way along the hull towards the docks both of you stay within a few meters of each other to be sure you don't lose contact while the camo is up.

"Let's uh, try to cut an entrance for ourselves onto the target ship to board it. Unless we see an open bay first maybe that would work too."
"You don't sound very certain." point out Eldal.

"Because I'm not. Let's do whichever is easier for us. I want to avoid as many Neeran as possible since they're close to the only thing that can detect us."

Vote was split 50/50 on going through the station or cutting your way onto the ship.

Approaching the docking arm where several of the newer ships are parked you spot some shuttle and fighter launch bays that could work as an entrance. There are also larger bays open for tugs and small worker ships.


[ ] Proceed farther down the docking arm
[ ] Investigate starfighter bays
[ ] Investigate worker bays/gates
[ ] Other

>>30803340
>[ ] Investigate worker bays/gates

>>30803340
>[ ] Investigate starfighter bays
neeran almost never fly starfighters IIRC

>>30803340
>[X] Investigate starfighter bays

>>30803340
[x] Investigate starfigher bays, because >>30803412

Apparently there's a glitch in the auto refresh because it counts down to updating and just stays there, not updating or beginning a new count down.
Maybe I just need to clear my cache again.


Heading towards the starfighter bays seems to be a safe bet. Odds are good that there will be very few Neeran present if any. The Avoiding the sections where shuttles come in the two of you glance through the gap leading to where the fighters are parked. A force field is keeping the atmosphere in and lights up when anything solid passes through it. There's a chance it might reveal you momentarily when entering, or your camo might just be fine with it.

Eldal points out a Neeran officer in the bay, patrolling from one end to the other and talking to the test pilots. Most of the pilots are from known species within the Neeran Empire, but when one of them takes off their helmet you realise it's a Shallan.

"Dammit. We're barely a full year into the invasion and they're already recruiting Shallan personnel?"
Eldal points out the possibility of dissidents. "Their government has always been a bit on the controlling side. Similar to the Terrans in their first couple of centuries after FTL, but more so since there's always been the possibility of a new wave of Neeran attacks."

You could try to enter the bay when no one of paying close attention to the containment field, wait until fighters are entering, thereby disrupting it themselves, or perhaps when some are exiting would be better?
Then again there's the chance that you'll be fine and go completely unnoticed when passing through the field. In any event you plan to stay far away from that officer.


Your orders?

>>30804014
wait until someone enters.

>>30804014
We have time to wait.
Also traitor Shallans... We should leave a note for them with pictures of destroyed Shallan worlds.

>>30803340
>>30804014


There is one thing we forgot on our gear list people!


A Suitcase/Backpack Warhead!

Seriously we are stealing shit again! And we do not pull our signature move of party favors after we steal ships?


Plus the confusion that will cause once they start chasing us with some bombs detonating on their shit would be hilarious.


Seriously its one of the few times we can pull a Crazy Has Anne Bomber move and it simply slips our mind.

Damn it!


Hope the Karth thought of it.

Else I think we will have to figure something else out.

In case we do not have intel on this we should ask Edal

>>30804014
As the saying goes: Better to be safe than sorry.

Wait for a ship to enter (or exit).

"We'd better wait. Both for some fighters to enter and for the officer to be farther away from our section of the bay."
The two of you split watch keeping duties and you contemplate leaving a note for that pilot with pictures of destroyed Shallan worlds. Probably best not to though.

>A Suitcase/Backpack Warhead!
Damn. You would like to blow things up as you leave.

"Eldal, any chance you're carrying a nuke we can set up to explode as we're leaving?"
"No, it never came up with our mission being theft rather than destruction of the base. I'm not even sure how much damage one would do."
"Neeran use nukes on their starfighters, can we steal one of theirs?"

"I'm not certain we'd be able to arm it, and if a warhead was removed from an armory it might set off an alarm. Even dissasembling one and carrying the components might give away our location on internal sensors."
Right. Cheap nukes would have a neutron signature.

Eldal turns to you. "Unless we told them we were moving a nuke."
"Say what?" you're a little worried about the direction this is taking.
"I disguise myself as an enemy officer and find a suitable reason for moving one or more warheads. You would either need to be unconsious in the bomb cart or elsewhere entirely. This would make hijacking a light cruiser more difficult as I dought your new hacking system could handle the security for a ship that size."

>What say?

>>30804842
>This would make hijacking a light cruiser more difficult
>>What say?

Let's not do it, in that case.

>>30804842
"Let's not, I was just reminding another mission of mine where I had to.. .Well can't really talk about it but it ended with me setting of a nuke on a Super heavy to cover my escape... And because it was fun.

>>30804842
>>30804842
As fun as that sounds lets stick to the original plan.

We just like to make explosive exits and i'm sure we will figure out a way to do it once we get to the ship we are hijacking.

Back to watching the starfighter flights you indicate when the officer is headed away from the closest section of the bay. Eldal tells you to pull back a couple of times on suspicion that a Neeran piloted fighter was coming in. Their cockpit setup is slightly different, with a transparent canopy rather than a solid armored one similar to Faction built needle fighters. one of the fighters was indeed carrying a Neeran and it takes some time for the pilot to leave patrol pattern to resume a predictable pattern.

"Incoming fighters. They're all normal ones."
"Then let's go."

Rushing towards the force field you slow down and crouch to wait for the fighter to get closer, finally jumping through below one as it passes through. none of the bay crew seem to notice, concentrating on the fighters and getting the pilots out of them. Both of you head off into the pilot ready rooms and lockers before any more Neeran can make an appearance.

"You sure we're going the right way?" You ask your partner.

"Not entirely, but this seems like it would be the most expedient way into the station interior since pilots generally need to come and go in a hurry."

Despite the Neeran sized corridors there seems to be few of them around in this section. At one point you double back into a side corridor when your sonar detects one getting closer but it soon passes by.

Approaching a turbolift stop the two of you look over the controls and associated displays. Your translation gear is getting better. You can actually make sense of half of the buttons now.

"If we take the turbolift it will use the shortest route to reach the destination we give it. Thankfully I think we can fool it's internal sensor. It will pass through some areas with higher potential for Neeran being present. Close enough that they might notice us, though it would be so brief they might dismiss it. Or we could pull the old trick of climbing through the interiors of the lift tubes. It could be dangerous.

>Your orders?

>>30805799
Less contact with Neerans means a better chance to do this without getting killed so climbing seems the right way to go about it, like befor we still have all the time in the world. However I am still currious just to what kind of danger the lift tubes could throw at us.

Rolled 1

>>30805799
I can't decide between 'Roll dice to not be detected' and *Roll dice to not die*.

If we should reach a tie, or nobody is going to vote:

1=Elevator
2=Climb

Definitely climb, we can't risk getting spotted in an elevator we don't have complete control over.

>>30805799
I would say climb though i'm curious as to what danger he speaks of.

Keeping an eye out for anyone approaching and checking the lift call screen for signs of any cars on the way, the two of you manage to get the doors open. Once inside time is of the essence. Scans show places where you can take cover from moving cars and it's important to get to those locations quickly lest a lift car pass through at near super sonic speeds.

Using smart grapples you're able to traverse the distances relatively quickly and easily. This is partly because traffic isnt very heavy in this section. After crossing a few side tunnels you begin to approach one of the main transit ways. Things are much busier here but there look to be more access ways on the sides for repair crews to work on fixing problems.

You could either stick to these walkways which could take some time to reach your objective or try something riskier. Using the smart grapples to hitch onto the backs of moving cars you could let them drag you towards your objective quite quickly, then detach if they head off in a direction you don't want. Most of these tunnels are in microgravity so using the cars to pick up speed and fling yourself down a tunnel is an option.

[ ] Take it slow
[ ] Fling yourself (Roll 3d20 to determine speed of approach)

>>30806966
>[X] Take it slow

We have more than enough time to do this without the added risk.

>>30806966
>[X] Take it slow

Slow and steady wins the race after all.

Rolled 20, 8, 20 = 48

>>30806966
>[x] Fling yourself (Roll 3d20 to determine speed of approach)

The Neeran have internal sensors to detect a person's DNA.

We've got to pick up the pace somewhere.

>>30807333
Not that I don't like these rolls, but....
wouldn't our stealth module and hermetically sealed armour prevent them from picking up anyhing?

>>30807369
Our stealth module is great when we're against an enemy that can't mind-scan.

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>>30807034
On that note I forgot to mention that your suits were equipped with additional fuel tanks should your deployment take longer than expected.

The next several hours are spent making your way through the maintenance access corridors and on rare occasions avoiding work crews. Most of the personnel seem to be from the same three species. There are access hatches large enough for Neeran to get into the area but they're less common.

Once you get into the tunnels leading to the docking arm you want things become much more crowded once again. Eldal tells you to stop while he heads off for a moment to check things out in the corridors, back tracking to the nearest maintenance hatch.

It takes a few minutes but he soon returns and give you an update including new map data. The cargo and passenger cars pass through the center of the docking arm. You're in a passenger tunnel right now which are kept separate. There are crew decks and cargo decks, each of which connect to the ships. The ship crews and other personnel are present in the open promenade areas of the crew decks. It is spread out so you might be able to stay out of detection range of any Neeran. It looks like there are less security personnel there overall simply because there are so many people present.
The cargo decks will probably have security crews watching the cargo offloading points.

Getting in via the crew deck connections would be the easiest, but you run the risk of detection by random Neeran walking by. If you're spotted there will be plenty of witnesses.
Cargo decks would only require you go get past the one area of security and it's more isolated. You might be able to kill any Neeran and/or guards that are present without raising an alarm. It'll be slightly harder to get from the cargo bays into the crew sections of the ship.

>Your orders?

>>30808326

Do the crew decks make use of all sides of the passage, or could we possibly walk on the wall/ceiling to bypass the pesky bodies?

>>30808326
Cargo seems like the best option in my opinion. The less risk of meeting a Neeran the better. I wonder if the stun grenade works on them? Is it wrong of me of looking forward to silently shiving every single one of the enemys crew members still on the shi?

>>30808548
>Do the crew decks make use of all sides of the passage
No, just the "floor" on the docking arm's crew deck.

>could we possibly walk on the wall/ceiling to bypass the pesky bodies?
Yes. You could walk on the walls and ceiling and this would cut down on having to avoid the smaller species crews. If you were standing directly above a Neeran however you would be too close. You'd still need to avoid them.

>>30808326
>[x] Crew Deck

>>30808326
Cargo bays it is then.

>s it wrong of me of looking forward to silently shiving every single one of the enemys crew members still on the shi?

Nah, if anything it's perfectly okay and is the correct response.

>>30808326
[x] Cargo Deck

>>30808587
>>30808875

Hey now, remember that we need to keep a few alive long enough for our Krath friend to ram his face into their mind

>>30808953
Oh of course.

I'm just talking about security and the like so we can better our chances.

Making your way out of the transit tunnels takes a moment to make sure that no Neeran are nearby. And you thought sneaking around had its difficult moments back in the old days.

When you find an appropriately sized passage way from the crew areas into the cargo bays you wait for one of the smaller crewmen to happen along then jam the door partly open behind him. You think it's a him, its hard to tell. You make a note to read up more on the biology of the other species you're fighting lately, not just the ones that can detect your recon armor.

The cargo sections are a bit on the hazardous side when workers are shifting around containers not knowing there might be someone moving between them. Gravity is also a bit unpredictable with the crews shutting it off in sections.

Roll 2d100 for handling gravity shifts.

Rolled 95

>>30809397
>Roll 2d100 for handling gravity shifts.
1

Rolled 51, 10 = 61

>>30809397
>>30809397