FOR HOUSE AND DOMINION

So far since arriving at the station you've killed a pair of Neeran troopers guarding a cargo loading dock and most of the engineering crew of the ship you hope to steal.

Checking your prototype repulsor rifle it seems to have held up from the quick burst of usage. You still have five magazines of 20mm ammo plus the two left in the gun. The smaller caliber ammo you've barely touched. Overall it wasn't much of a test of the weapon since the engineers were unarmored but there's bound to be more still on the vessel.

Eldal steps over the dead and stunned bodies and checks the engineering systems before deactivating his camo. "Internal sensors are on a loop now using data from earlier. No sign of an alarm. I should be able to pull up data from the ship's infonet from here but there's a slight chance I'll be detected since I'm uncertain of the exact protocols for this class of vessel."

[ ] Don't chance it, head straight for the bridge.
[ ] Get some info first. (Specify.) (Roll 1d100 average of 3 rolls)

>>30895085
>[ ] Don't chance it, head straight for the bridge.

>>30895085
>[x] Don't chance it, head straight for the bridge.
Also

FOR HOUSE AND DOMINION

>>30895085
>[X] Don't chance it, head straight for the bridge.

Take the protocols from one of the engineering crew. One of them is likely to be senior enough to have some basic codes we can use or an ID we can swipe.

"Then let's not chance it. Turn your camo back on and we'll head straight for the bridge." You quickly check for a spare ID on either of the Neeran engineers but find nothing other than a few tools.

Hitting the door controls both of you pass through the opening and close it behind you as quickly as possible lest it show up on other sensors. Even at maximum extention the camo system on your suit would not be able to cover a doorway large enough for a Neeran.

"The Bridge should be slightly farther forward."
You're not especially sure about that as the ship seems to be large enough for a secondary bridge to be present. Then again it does increase the odds of finding at least one of them.

You're approximately half way there you think when the intercom goes off.
["All crew, alert. All crew, alert. Loading dock second entrance compromised. All Neeran are to ?equip? weapons and armor. Support crews report for check in. Secure ship immediately or all hands face demotion."]
[ ] Bust into the bridge, all out attack.
[ ] Head for the armory
[ ] Other

>>30895887
[x] Bust into the bridge, all out attack.

>>30895887
[X] Head for the armory

We can set an ambush with our breaching charges and such. It should kill a decent portion of the crew.

>>30896094
>>30896184
[ ] All out attack (Roll 3d20)
[ ] Set an ambush (Roll 4d20)

Do you want to stick with your prototype rifle or switch to another weapon?

Rolled 11, 17, 4, 6 = 38

>>30896364
Rifle, because it's got the full auto availability that we can use to lay down supressing fire.

[X] Set an ambush

I'm kicking myself now because we didn't set any remote charges on the docking arm.

Rolled 13, 2, 7, 11 = 33

>>30896364
[X] set an ambush

Rolled 18, 18, 5, 6 = 47

>>30896364
ambush

>>30896537
Or remove potential witnesses that could later wake up and alert everyone a few minutes sooner than would have happened otherwise.

Some of the regular crew are beginning to appear but things aren't crowded yet.

"Change of plans, head for the armory. We can ambush the troops before they get their armor and weapons."

"It's not listed on the basic direction indicators. Cover me for one moment." your backup hits a few buttons on a wall panel bringing up a small display for new crewmen. "There." He closes down the display and you resume moving. "I may have been detected but it should be overlooked with everyone moving around."

You make best speed for the armory, only slowing when you see a Neeran entering the room.

The two of you give him to the count of three and then rush the door.
"I've got left."
"Understood. Covering right."

The door hisses open revealing a Neeran soldier sitting facing the entrance mid way through attaching armor plates to it's lower half.

["Who is there?"]

Two 20mm rounds to the head answers that question. Stepping inside you fire off three rounds each into the helmets of two other Neeran getting to their feet. The impacts are all accurate enough but for good measure you add a burst of smaller fire to the downed targets. Eldal likewise is able to kill the other Neeran on his side of the armory before it can turn into too much of a firefight.

"Get the ambush set up. I'll watch the door." You toss over some grenades to be planted around the entryway. Some of those GP mines would be really handy right about now.

Eldal has a few of the weapons placed when the doors his open again and two Neeran attempt to enter. "Oh shit."
You open up before they can get within arms reach of you, spoiling the attempted ambush but giving Eldal time to jump out of the way. Most of the opening bust hits the first one in the upper chest and throat but two shots hit the second one wounding it.

Rolling to the side to change firing location you avoid being hit by the beam from a Neeran pistol. Eldal rights himself and launches grenades through the doorway finishing off the second before it can get a better shot around the corner at you.

"Not quite as I planned it." You state.
"Neither of us died." Eldal retorts.

Pulling the bodies inside strains your suits but might buy you a few minutes.

"None of these bodies belong to the captain or an overseer. We could trap the remains as you planned for when more come looking for the missing squad and continue to sneak up to the bridge or..."
"Or?"
"Or I could use the armor and bodies here to impersonate an officer."

"Why didn't you do that to one of the engineering crew earlier?" you ask.

"I was advised to assimilate information, memories and the like from Neeran as little as possible. Taking too much from what is essentially a telepath runs the serious risk of a personality crisis. I would prefer to only do so once per mission."

Walking over to a weapon's locker your partner examines a large bore beam weapon designed to be carried by a Neeran or a small vehicle. "The cost benefit ratio is not as clear cut as I would care for."

>Your orders?

>>30897808
"Save it for the Captain. We'll need you to impersonate him later when we want to get this thing moving right?"

[x] Booby trap the bodies and the armory, head for the bridge.

>>30897940
Seconing, bombs all over a room full of weapons can never go wrong and the captain is more likely to have interesting information.

Rolled 1, 5 = 6

"Save it for the Captain. We'll need you to impersonate him later when we want to get this thing moving right?"

"If the new hacking device doesn't work on a ship this large, then yes."

The explosives are set along with any others from the weapon lockers that seem to be compatible. Should create a big bang when they go off and you'd rather not be there when they go off. Sneaking once again it takes a few more minutes to reach the bridge with crewmen rushing past on occasion.

When you find it there are already a pair of guards posted outside, weapons at the ready.

"Remember, do not shoot the Neeran Captain in the head." Eldal stresses while you set up.

The door is sealed so you'll need the halfmoons once the guards are down.

>Do you have a plan to help incapacitate the Neeran captain?

Roll 3d20 for attacking the guards/breaching the doors in a hurry.

Rolled 6, 10, 1 = 17

>>30898571
>>Do you have a plan to help incapacitate the Neeran captain?
Yeah, hit him with a stun grenade then knee-cap him with our rifle.

Rolled 2

>>30898571
>>Do you have a plan to help incapacitate the Neeran captain?
Liberal application of stun grenades to the bridge.
Centre-mass shots on the captain?

>Roll 3d20 for attacking the guards/breaching the doors in a hurry.
1

Rolled 6

>>30898679
2

>>30898571

Shouldn't we know some locations that Neeran dislike being shot in that aren't fatal by now? Like some sort of Neeran gut/lower spine shot?

Gutshot/arm shots and our friend can probably eat his brain while the good Captain bleeds out

Rolled 15, 17, 9 = 41

>>30898571

Rolled 18

>>30898710
3

15, 17, 18

Not too shabby.

>>30898900
I was kinda worried there for a while about the 9 but now I am calm again. Also, note to self to get some of those silencers for the X-ray rifle.

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Rolled 18, 16 = 34

>>30898726
These are the known locations were weapons fire can prove fatal to Neeran soldiers. It does not always work.
>that aren't fatal
That would be everything else. They are capable of shrugging off quite a bit of punishment when you're not head shooting them with expensive specialist munitions.


Both of you open fire, your first round deflecting off the shoulder armor of the closer soldier as it shifts it's aim. The rest of your fire lands on target, tearing into the chest armor of the farther Neeran as it attempts to dive across the corridor and into better cover. Ducking aside to reload a plasma weapon shot glances off the corner you're hiding behind superheating the surrounding air.

Eldal uses suit repulsors to run up the wall, avoiding return fire from your target as his own has dropped dead.

Rushing out from cover and diving to the deck you fire off the contents of your 5th magazine, killing the other wounded soldier.

"I'm burning through ammo quick fighting these guys." You state as you get to your feet and slap halfmoons on the door. Eldal adds another charge as well for good measure then waits for you to ready one of the stun pulse grenades.

The blast from the halfmoons cuts a star shaped hole in the door which you toss your pulse grenade through.

Plasma Pistoling the captain's arms and legs off would have been a good idea I think.

>>30899337
>The blast from the halfmoons cuts a star shaped hole in the door which you toss your pulse grenade through.
>Rolled 18, 16 = 34

Seems like they aren't impressed.

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A few phase rifle shots flash through the opening before the grenade goes off at which point you jump through the opening, weapon at the ready. It looks like everyone on the bridge had drawn weapons and were preparing for someone to come through the door only to be stunned by the grenade. Even the Neeran Captain is down.
Wait, he's still gripping a weapon!

It looks like a crescent-shaped blade with a handle attached to its mid point.

[ ] Shoot
[ ] Dodge (Left? Right?)
Roll 1d20

Rolled 11

>>30899806
>[ ] Shoot
Wow, that's a terrible melee weapon.

>>30899806
[X] Shoot, just not in the head.

Claim weapon for ourselfs! If only for a trophy.

Rolled 20

>>30899806
>[X] Shoot
and jump back

Rolled 15

>>30899806

[x] Shoot

Hard to pick a dodge option with no info on how the attack is coming... and vs a telepath.

>>30899984
Odin is proud of you.

>>30899806
Watch out!
It's a lightning staff!

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Taking Eldal's request into account you aim for the center of mass and open fire. No way in hell you're letting this guy get close enough to hit you with a swinging blade minus the rope.

The captain still has time to raise the weapon off the ground, at which point the leading edge of the blade ejects from the weapon, flying towards you. It's a little off target thanks to the wounds you'd inflicted but not enough to outright miss. The blade cuts clean through your rifle, cybernetic hand and imbeds itself into your right shoulder and upper chest armor.

Stepping backwards from the impact it takes a second to register that there's a weapon stuck in you but that you're also not dead yet.

Eldal curses and puts another shot into the Neeran for good measure then tells you to hold absolutely still, walking around to look at you from the front. You take tiny breaths as you start to feel were you've been injured and the increase in pain if you breathe in too much.

"Launched mono blade." observes the Krath as he checks the severity of the wound, seeing if it would be safe to pull the weapon out. "The compact systems in your artificial arm combined with the rifle and Recon armor slowed it down enough that it didn't go clear through you."

"Any time now." you gasp out, trying to ignore the readings on your suit monitors.

Eldal unpacks the medkit your brought along. "Agreed, we don't have much time to do this. I'm going to pull the blade out and use a basic sealant to close the wound. Do not breathe."

The officer yanks the blade straight back, which causes a few more red warnings to go off, then sprays down the cut. Yep, that you felt.

Looking down at your right hand for the first time since it was hit you see that only the pinky finger remains. The rest of the hand below the wrist was cut clean through. That may hamper flying. The right shoulder joint is also a mess with some of the connections to the arm damaged. Your sensor suite is offline, not that you'd been using it with the camo on, an active scan would have given away your position.
The suit shows a damaged rib or two in addition to everything else.

"This is familiar." You state while drawing your plasma pistol left handed. You have got to stop losing this arm.

Eldal steps over to the captain's body to do his thing while you cover the doors.

Do you have any plans medically speaking once he's done that?


>>30899868
>Wow, that's a terrible melee weapon.
Admittedly I never could get the damn thing to look quite right. It's actual melee configuration is barely an improvement.
Anyone know a drawfag that's decent with weapons? Someone must be able to improve upon this concept.

>>30901403
On the bright side: it was our cyber hand.

On the down side: NO! NOT THE PROTOTYPE!!!

That mono blade launcher is so getting salvaged.

>>30901474
>Do you have any plans medically speaking once he's done that?

Well, what can the first aid do for us? Anything the Eldal can do with his Krath powers?

>>30901474
"Hey, Eldal. You think they'll cover the loss of my company's prototype rifle?"

Yeah that was undeniably the worst thing. Now we'll have to wait another month or too whilst another is built! Other than that it performed admirably. Maybe the next version should have thicker casing and insulation, to stop things like this from happening.

>>30901474
Prop ourselves in the most comfortable position I imagine. One that we can cover Eldal and also help him fly if need be.

>>30901474
I don't suppose the suit can give us some painkillers? Not enough to completely take the pain away but to at the very lest dull it so that we are still aware of everything happening. Also if it does have medical capabilitys perhaps we should check if we have been poisoned or the like, I do not think such is below the Neerans.

>>30901515
Damn right it is, anything almost killing us is yet another trophy to show off!

>>30901554
I second this. I like him and I trust him enough to allowe him to work his Krath magic on us.

Medicaly unrelated we should finish off the stunned crew so they do not come to and stab us in the back.

>>30901474

Is there anything we can spray over the sealant or maybe some sort of nanite injection we can toss into ourselves in that advanced medkit?

Is our camo still functional?

Can we cut off some crewmember's hand, lash it to the stump of our hand/wrist, and use it as a fixed grip while our pinky pushes buttons for piloting?

Do any of the bridge crew happen to have a robot arm we could steal?

>>30901515
Aren't you glad it was brought up that we should order two or three of the rifles, as we'd be sure to break at least one?

IIRC we had him make more than one rifle specifically in case it got lost or damaged during it's first test. We only brought the one with us. It's not a total loss though, we confirmed that it works on Non-Commando Neerans. Once we get out of here the autopsies will show exactly how effective it was.

I don't think it's really possible to make anti-monoblade armour. They dull as they cut, so the more heavy armour you have the better. But the amount of armour you need to stop one completely is way more than infantry can wear, which is why they are effective in the first place.

>>30901703
>I don't suppose the suit can give us some painkillers? Not enough to completely take the pain away but to at the very lest dull it so that we are still aware of everything happening.
Doing so.
>check if we have been poisoned or the like
Parts of the blade fragmented inside your body similar to Republic bayonets. Your suit is filtering your bloodstream to remove them and systematically blocking afflicted blood from reaching vital organs.

"Hey, Eldal. You think they'll cover the loss of my company's prototype rifle?"
"You bring personal equipment along on missions at your own peril. This is unfortunate for anyone from the Dominion where most good things are generally owned by the user."

>>30901554
>>30901743
>Well, what can the first aid do for us?
The medical nanites in the kit can fix most if not all of the damage to your biological bits if given enough time and not getting shot with phase weapon fire. (Or using the teleporter.) Doing either of these after injecting them would be really bad.
>risk it?

For the more short term now that the wound is sealed you can implant micro sutures to better hold it together, though you'd need to remove the armor for a minute to do so.

For the cybernetics you're out of luck.

>Anything the Eldal can do with his Krath powers?
"Nothing that wouldn't kill you eventually. I could temporarily graft another arm for you provided I did not let go and was not preoccupied fighting Neeran memory fragments which I will be."

To drive this point home you hear the sound of bone... cracking? Being crushed? You're not sure you want to look over and find out.

>Is our camo still functional?
Yes.

There are no suitable limbs biological or otherwise that you could attach to the

>>30901770
>>30901843
2 were made. 1 to hang on to and 1 to inevitably get destroyed while out fighting I think someone put it.
No, destroying it was not an objective of mine it just happened.

>>30901515
>salvage
Possible repulsor gauntlet upgrade?

>>30902155
>>risk it?
Nope, doesn't seem worth it atm.

>>30902155
>medical nanites

I assume the nanites have an emergency 'inert' pulse/signal/failsafe? Could our suit do that on command?

And what kind of 'getting shot with phase weapon fire' are we talking about? Direct hits? Near misses? general 50 meter radius?

>>30902155
"Most Krath I've met have been pretty genuine, Eldal, but damn if they aren't slightly creepy."

>>30902155
>Risk it

Nah, time to see how we well we fly the ship one handed.

>>30902287
Shut themselves down to better survive EMP effects? Possible, but there's still a chance it won't work.

A near miss inside of 5 meters has a chance of disrupting them. It depends on the efficiency of the phase weapon used. The less efficient, the higher the chance of residual damage from missed shots because of scattering.
With your suit sealed the chances of them failing from near misses were reduced but it's no longer sealed.

"Most Krath I've met have been pretty genuine, Eldal, but damn if they aren't slightly creepy."
["That's overseer ?translation not found? you are privileged to be graced with my presence."] You look over and see that Eldal has taken on the form of the Neeran captain.

"Apologies." He eventually says to you. "This overseer... Talvinoth? Had a rather lofty opinion of himself despite being of little importance. I'll secure the actual captain, we should remove the rest."

The false Neeran picks up one of the smaller bodies and restrains him in one of the seats near the door by bending some pieces of metal into place. With that done he begins to unlock the control consoles for the bridge and disables the other sections, closing bulkheads, reducing atmosphere levels and venting the section the remainder of the security team is in.

"There. If you detect a pressure drop then someone is attempting to reach the bridge. We may still have troops on the ship."

With that reassurance you do what you can to better fix up your wound while Eldal tries to secure launch clearance, or at the very least convince the station that things are under control. Your translator catches Eldal saying "victory is mine" in Neeran to the station controllers, which apparently is in keeping with the overseer's personality.

Roll 1d100 (average of 3) to see if the hacking module will work on this type of ship.

Rolled 71

>>30903016

Rolled 94

>>30903016
>response to the 'inert' signal

I just sort of figured that if you were programming nanites to repair an organic body, you would have a method to kill them or otherwise render them inert in the event of a medical emergency. Like say if something went wrong.


>Rolling

Rolled 50

>>30903016
>Roll 1d100 (average of 3) to see if the hacking module will work on this type of ship.

Rolled 37

>>30903016

Well, the hacking module does an admirable job. Within a few minutes it's managed to secure many of the systems, just not all of them. Because of the odd weapon and engine setup the engines also seem to be a bit finicky and you doubt you'd be able to use them to their fullest. Still, it's rather good.

"This engine setup is similar to the industrial drive modules built by Exodus in most respects." says Eldal as he attempts to work with the system controls to give the hacking module more access. "They may be able to assist R&D with reverse engineering if we get this ship out of here."

"If?" You question him.
These controls are going to be a pain with only one finger on your right hand. The good news is that the pilot makes use of a neural interface similar to your suit or the walker you borrowed the one time.
"You'll have to take off your helmet while in flight." You're informed. "It's not compatible with Neeran systems."
One thing after another. "This atmosphere better not kill me!"

"I'm altering it to Faction norms."

You have a limited amount of time before the deception is seen through. Do you wish to time your launch from the station to take place as another wave of ships leaves for exercises? Later? After some have returned and finished docking?
Or just take off as soon as you have control?

>>30903496

Does this ship have FTL?

If so, is FTL online?

If so, do we have control of FTL systems?

Do we have any indication of this ship's top speeds, and how far we'll need to get to jump to FTL and get to a friendly link up?

>>30903496
Could the overseer think of any excuse to get us out? perhaps further deeper into neeran held territory? We can double back then while giving them a reason or two for being paranoid.

>>30903603
>Does this ship have FTL?
Yes
>If so, is FTL online?
It will be shortly. The ship's overseer was placed in charge of lockouts that would prevent the ship from being hijacked as easily by the crew if they turned traitor. Eldal is disarming them at which point they should be fully operational, though their efficiency remains in doubt.
>If so, do we have control of FTL systems?
See above.

>Do we have any indication of this ship's top speeds, and how far we'll need to get to jump to FTL and get to a friendly link up?

It is slower to accelerate than your Attack Cruisers but faster than Dominion Light Cruisers. Not terribly impressive given the speed most Neeran ships are capable of, but it should be maneuverable with the engine placement.

On a straight line out from the station at max acceleration you're not certain it could jump before being picked off by the ships or turrets. You'd be farther ahead to dive into the asteroid belt and use it as cover from the heavier guns then jump once clear of the other side. You could also try to use a transport for cover when it departs.

>>30903795
"We could deploy on an exercise but they're not doing any that would require us to fully power up the FTL systems. Still, it would get us out of range of the gravity well and station guns. I'm just worried too many questions would be asked of us."

>>30903919
Using one of the transports as cover seems like a good idea.

>>30903919
Exercise, hide in asteriod belt, jump out. Seems simple enough.

>>30903919

What about playing to that pride?

Could we say that the observer wishes to punish/drill his crew for their lacking ability? Possibly by forcing the weaklings to run a lap around an asteroid within a certain time to prove they are worthy of the honor of serving under [him]?

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I went and redid the shell designs. Since this is a prototype I'm going to assume we are firing the first kind. The latter two are much more complex to make and kind of require a whole factory.

Most of the designs I came up with were fun, but not terribly practical. So I pared it down to the three most useful.

- APCR: General purpose AP round, better for use when collateral damage is a problem.
- HEI-Frag: Powerful blast with lots of heat and fragments.
- API: Poke holes in stuff and fill em with thermite. Fun for the whole family!

The shells themselves are 6 inches long. This makes them roughly twice the length of the 20mm shells WWII fighter aircraft were shooting at each other. And those were already capable of stuff like blasting metre-wide holes into sheet metal and punching through an inch of steel at several hundred yards.

To think that we've been committing brain surgery with these things. fucking brutal

>>30904210
I'd vote to codename our rifle 'Starshadow' when it enters full production

>>30904198
"He thought he was more important than he really was. If he deviated too much from established protocol it could potentially end badly for him, even he knew that. If things went well here he would have been given a more important assignment. We might be able to get some leeway but not much. I doubt the Neeran commanders would put up with him otherwise.
I'll still see what I can do about getting an earlier launch window for exercises. Yes. The crew need drills, no excuses. Even the captain agrees."

"Okay?"

>>30904175
>>30904198
So exercise deployment? Or should I wait and see what people say overnight?

There are a pair of exercises coming up, the first is mostly with smaller ships like the upgraded corvettes. They're faster and would be able to overtake you if attempting to escape.
The next after that is with cruisers like yours, which are tougher and have more weapons but would be slightly easier to lose.
The third and last Eldal thinks you can afford to wait until includes mixed battleships and cruisers.

Or you could still try to make a run for it using either the asteroids or the transport.

>>30904210
Cool as usual.
>So I pared it down to the three most useful.
Probably for the best. The simpler the ammo the less that can go wrong.

>>30904720

Was there a 2nd team deployed to this station, or was it 1 team per station?

I'm thinking we should go for the corvettes and end up 'having crew/engine issues', encouraging the corvettes to leave us as a straggler during the exercise while things are 'straightened out'.

Unless we can get permission to join both the corvette and cruiser exercise, staying out while the groups swap out and making our escape then.

>>30905081
>Was there a 2nd team deployed to this station, or was it 1 team per station?
It was supposed to be just 1 team, but that could have changed and they never told you.

I'll see you guys in the morning.

>>30905081
I'm liking this idea, though lets try it during the cruiser tests so that we don't run the risk of being run down.

With so many engines on this cruiser we could make up an excuse about malfunctioning thrust equalizers or some such believable thing and pulse some of the engines at varying levels to make it look genuine. Just enough to let them think that its real and fixable enough to let them feel safe leaving us behind with no escort.

Would they get suspicious if we powered down the engines and let ourselves coast for a little while on our escape vector under the guise of the repairs? If it did it'd be a great way to gain some extra space as well as leave the rest of the potential pursuers farther away.

>>30909003
Also, meant to clarify that by powering down the engines, we just cut off thrust and not completely cut off power to them, unless this would be needed to get the desired effect of gaining distance from the pack with NO escort.

Don't want a fight on our hands even if this thing is loaded for bear. (Is it? What are its combat capabilities in case this goes FUBAR?)

>>30904600
Well since it's partially based on a weapon from Mass Effect I figured we could follow the same naming convention and call it the Megalodon. Pretty much all of the sniper rifles in ME are named after teeth or things with teeth/claws. (incisor, mantis, black widow etc).

Plus this way we can use really cheesy marketing slogans like "No greater bite!".

There is also the paladin, the eviscerater, the jackhammer (I think that's what the semi-auto rifle was called), etc. Let's give it a suitable prototype name and save Megalodon for the finished product.

Maybe call it the Neeran Special or Crater Maker. Its probably just me but I feel that the shark naming convention should be saved for our masterpieces, like the Devourer.

>>30909918
In that case we could call the prototype model the Migraine

>>30910012
......
GENIUS

You have all of my hetero-love right now
>made me chuckle

>>30910012
That or general analgesic.

Safety bump

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>>30909918
>>30910012
>jackhammer
>Migraine
Sounds appropriate. There's one of those outside again today, causing the other.

>>30909003
>Would they get suspicious if we powered down the engines and let ourselves coast for a little while on our escape vector under the guise of the repairs?
Unknown. You won't find out until you try it.

>>30909065
>Don't want a fight on our hands even if this thing is loaded for bear. (Is it? What are its combat capabilities in case this goes FUBAR?)
After looking it up to be certain Eldal informs you that all 12 engines have focusing systems to form fusion cannon beams with the exhaust. Each pair, front and back, are also hooked up to fuel cell to let them fire a heavier more powerful beam. As a result each is as powerful as those fired by corvettes or Battleships.

"There is a problem. This ship class has not begun testing with with the phased plasma weapons yet."
"What? Why not?"
"They wanted to be sure it worked properly first. It's built by one of the Neeran client races not the Neeran themselves."
Dammit.


Do you guys want to attempt escape during the corvette or cruiser tests? Those seem to be the more popular ones. The other options are still available though.

>>30912829

Do we see any other benefit in between them?

>>30912829
-Corvette
Less Damage incurred (probably)
More numerous pursuers
Faster pursuers

-Cruiser
Heavier hitting pursuers
Less Numerous
Slower enemies

Looks rather balanced to me. I'll go vote [x] Cruiser tests though, as we are a cruiser after all.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3M73WQP
Considered posting a survey last night but thought maybe other escape ideas would come up in thread if I didn't.

>>30913168
>any other benefit in between them?
Nope, just the previously listed benefits.
>>30913305

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Meanwhile Mike Serth's unit, formerly 6th squadron of the 3rd Attack Wing, approached their target.

"Time to detection grid, 30 seconds."
While the region was covered by a cloaking field the detection grid itself was made up of defense platforms deployed in a sphere surrounding the site. Some of them were the size of Neeran corvettes while others were objects measuring 1000m in diameter. Too many to destroy, only a large scale attack would threaten the grid, at which point they would probably be pulled back into the cloaking field for protection.

"Krath support ships are decoupling from the hull and breaking off. We're becoming visible again."

"That was going to happen eventually." Replied Mike. "Once they're clear order all ships full power to their afterburners."

After waiting until the Krath ships were a safe distance away Mike kicked in the afterburners, rocketing in towards the target with the rest of the squadron.

"Outer patrol squadrons vectoring to intercept. We'll be inside the cloaking field before they can fire on us."

Barely changing course the squadron flashed past the detection grid, shields and sensors warning about exotic particle emissions.

Breaking through the outer layers of the cloaking field revealed multiple stations, defense platforms and more ships arrayed in protective formations around another layer of cloaking fields.

"How deep is this?" Mike wondered aloud.
"Cloaked ships haven't made it past this layer of defenses." Reported the ship's Alliance observer.

A volley of SP Torps left over from the previous mission cleared the way through a few battleships and supporting carriers. Sensors showed two Heavy cruisers breaking position in an attempt to intercept before they disappeared from view.

"Super Heavy Carriers were beginning to launch corvettes sir."
Well it should make things interesting on the way out he figured.

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Breaking through the last cloaking layer overheat warnings on the afterburners were starting to become an annoyance. Even with the upgrades provided by the Alliance, or perhaps because of them, they would still need to shut down for most of a minute before heading out the other side.

Twenty super heavy cruisers were arranged in a sphere half a million km across. Most were beginning to deploy corvettes but the squadron wouldn't be within weapons range of them for awhile given their velocity.

At the center sat a station just as suspected, with construction ships still at work.
"Looks like a nav station. The ring on it is quite a bit bigger though."
"Scaled up for Neeran maybe?" Speculated one of the other pilots. "No cross connections yet."

That theory was thrown out the window when the construct lit up with energy discharges and space began to tear open at the center. Light from every part of the spectrum bled through the opening which continued to widen until it was large enough that a Neeran command ship could have come through.

"New contact."

Moments later sensors showed a cargo container appearing through the gate.

"Analysing... it's made up of those newer prefab stations the Neeran are starting to deploy in rear areas. 120 of them."
"Station sections?"
"No sir, full stations. There are also material stockpiles, eight heavy cruisers and many smaller starships."

"I think it's time we left sir." Suggested Rasi.
The Mercs were likewise eager to get the hell out of there.

"Yeah, time to go. Change course thirty degrees away from the station. Save your SP Torpedoes for targets that get in our way."

Cruisers seems like the best idea. We have to line up the engines to make a shot meaning the smaller faster corvettes can anticipate and evade much easier than the cruisers will and can use the opportunity to flank after we fire.
Let's just wait until the cruisers move out and smack them with our BS firepower if they give chase.

Rolled 74, 54 = 128

Back to Sonia, we're up to 5/5 votes for escaping during the cruiser exercise.

Eldal sends a message to the station while you practice a simulation on the ship controls. It'll be tricky due to the injury but the controls seem simple enough except for some minor differences.
"Any chance you can invert these controls?" you ask.

"I'm uncertain what that would do to the other control systems. It would be best to leave them as they are."

The docking and loading arms retract and you're soon on your way, following the other cruisers towards the asteroid field. Your translation gear is having trouble with some of the slang used by the other crews but you get their meaning for the most part. Probably.

Roll 1d100 for piloting skill while with the other ships.

>>30914427
Another Neeran wormhole?

Well, I can see that's going to be priority target #1 for some large VTs

Rolled 94

>>30914723
Six finger piloting go.

Rolled 1

>>30914723

Rolled 61

>>30914723
Keep the helmet nearby, just in case the atmosphere changes suddenly.

>>30914739
Hah, we only need ONE finger to fly this baby!

Does Sonia have religion? I think it's time we got some.

That jump gate just undid the equivalent of months of our squadrons work in minutes. They've probably even replaced the command ships we eliminated earlier and the flotilla of super heavies as well.

Is this the only area like this that we've detected or are there other similar ones? From the sounds of it, we're going to need an entire arsenal of veckrons to damage/destroy it through it's SH and Heavy shields.

They may even screw up subspace to prevent future use of the facility but not quickly enough to help us now. This is the Neeran game changer.

>>30914812
I agree. That thing sounds incredibly serious.

But then again, the ruling house has declared full mobilisation. We'll probably be swamped with dominion ships soon.

>>30914812

Sonia is clearly the favored of the goddess of loot, salvage, and honorable war. Possibly also of wisdom, as she also blesses work under holographic cloak.

You get the hang of flying the ship easily enough and keep up with the other ships. A little too well for Eldal's liking.
"What happened to acting as a straggler?"

"We'll just have engine problems in a minute. Once we're not as likely to be shot at by station guns."

The false Neeran calculates a good place to suffer an engine failure and sends the coordinate data to you.
"When we reach that point I'm going to cut power to that engine. Just try to fight it like you normally would."

You do as instructed and one of the starboard drives cuts out creating a thrust imbalance that you counter by turning down another engine.

A message comes in from the other ships asking what's happening.
["Engine failure. Crews attempting to correct. It should be repaired before we reach the test range."]
After an extended exchange Eldal closes the channel then curses.
"They've sent one of the other ships to act as an escort."

Before long the other ships are leaving you behind except for one of the other cruisers similar to yours.

>Your orders?

>>30915261
Get engines back on, shoot the escort in the back, gtfo?

>>30915261
Have the engine 'fixed' and look to catch up with the squadron then have it fail again. Declare the that we're going through a full system run through and power the FTL and other systems. From there when it's ready jump out as soon as we get an opening.

>>30915395
>>30915423

Attack now or try to get the FTL fully powered up before trying anything?

>>30915261

wait a minute or two, then open a private channel to the escorting vessel, if possible.

We'll play to that inter-neeran rivalry thing mentioned by command...

Bet we can beat them back to the formation/test range, despite our crew being so lacking in brains.

Of course, they'll win when our engine goes wonky again, but we should be able to use that 'error' to turn and burn while they're near top speed and ensure our escape.

>>30915604
I like this plan in combination with the 'full system shakedown' so we can get all systems online without arousing suspicion.

Eldal would like to get out of here as quickly as possible but humors you, beginning a few system restarts and powering up the FTL systems for good measure.
["FTL is not required for today's exercises. Finish the required system repairs."] Demands the overseer of the escort ship.

Eldal explains the need to check for damage to related systems and then once the engines are back up challenges the other ship to a race. Their overseer declines.

["If you were worthy of such a contest you and your captain would not have allowed your ship to reach such a state. You would have been responsible enough to remain in dock and finish repairs."]

>Your orders?

>>30915838
shoot

>>30915838
Look like we're turning to maneuver, then align the main gun with the enemy ship and blast.

Rolled 14, 10 = 24

>>30915875
>>30916023
Roll 2d20

Rolled 9, 17 = 26

>>30916186
Oh god

Rolled 13, 16 = 29

>>30916186

Rolled 1, 7 = 8

>>30916186

If possible, Eldal might be able to make the entire maneuver/charging of weapons look like some sort of Neeran 'fuck you, this will be settled later' challenge/insult, up until we core the fucker's ship with 6 plasma cannons.

Rolled 16

>>30916186
>Roll 2d20
1

Rolled 14

>>30916234
2

>>30916233
I hate you so much right now.

"Commander, turn to maneuver towards the testing grounds then align the guns with the enemy ship." Eldal instructs you.

You bring up the engines and move past the escort before aligning so that your engine wash is pointed towards the other ship.
"Firing aft cannons."

Your six cannon shots impact on the escort's shield which returns fire and begins to maneuver. The slugging match quickly turns into a maneuver fight with both ships continuing to take hits. The other crew are just a bit more experienced with their ship than you are and soon you've taken an armor hit, though it's a minor one

"We're too evenly matched." You tell Eldal.
"Lose them in the asteroids. Phase cannon turrets are set to auto fire now."

Dodging behind an asteroid you see that one of your shots have penetrated the other ship's shields but for each one that does you've taken another hit yourself.
"Not looking good."

"Hang on. I'm trying to find a way out of here so we can jump... Got it."

A new course is uploaded to the sublight nav system which you've mostly gotten the hang of.

"Shoot at the asteroids as we pass."
You're going to take serious damage from cannon fire in the process and say as much.

"Take hits on the flank armor and the aft sections if you must. We still have engines facing forward, turn the ship for the final run to FTL."

You grumble about preferring not to take hits at all but follow the escape plan, firing into the asteroids despite the increasing armor and hull damage. To make matters worse you feel a pressure change in the bridge. It's not enough to have been a full on hull breach.

["Keep flying!"] Eldal urges you then stomps to the back of the bridge. You hear the distinctive sound of the former Captain's weapon ejecting a layer of it's monoblade then Neeran pistol fire. The bridge begins to heat up.

fucking telemarketers. 1 sec

One of the aft engines fails sending the vessel into a spin but the increasing level of debris is beginning throw off your pursuer. Eventually the other ship reverses engines and begins to pull back so that they can head out far enough for a clear shot. This is your chance to get the shields back to full and get out of here.

"Reverse the ship and make a run for it!" You hear between weapon blasts.

Already in the process of doing so you reply; "I appreciate your assistance but now you're just being a backseat driver."

Accelerating out of the belt you activate the beacon you're carrying and transfer weapon power to shields and FTL. Space begins to tear in front of you signaling you're moving fast enough to jump. Then more weapons fire impacts on your aft shields.

Eldal rushes to the navigator's console and slams the throttle for the drive plates forward. The ship jumps for barely a second then reverts to real space several AU away. Checking the transmitter its still set to broadcast on the recovery frequency the Krath gave you.

"Grenade!" Shouts Eldal from behind you.
Covering your ears and ducking down in your chair for cover the Krath blocks the worst of the blast from hitting you. Throwing off the pilot interface you put your helmet back on, wincing from the additional pain the movement has put on your wound.

Plasma pistol at the ready you roll out of the chair and take cover behind the commander's dais.

Roll 2d20 for combat

Rolled 6, 13 = 19

>>30917894

>Sonia with plasma pistol out

Everything is slagged

Rolled 9, 13 = 22

>>30917894
Pewpew

Rolled 3

>>30917894
1

>>30917894
>Plasma pistol
I cannot express my love for this gun. There is something incredibly alluring about beams of molten metal plasma being thrown around at relativistic speeds.

We need to get it plated in House colours.

Rolled 16

>>30918032
2

>reply quickly enough for the roll to count - roll garbage
Oh you, /tg/ dice.

Hey, my internet's working again. What will go wrong next, place your bets!

Leaning out from cover with your pistol you don't wait for them to come through the door, firing off several shots through the opening and a few into to walls to see if they'll penetrate. It turns out to not be as effective within a warship as you'd hoped. Probably the shell of the bridge teleporter acting like another armor layer. One shot eventually gets through.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn6hhrX34Pw

Eldal fires the last layer from the Captain's weapon so that it embeds into either side of the opening, making it more difficult for anyone to enter. Afterwards he switches to a rifle he must have taken from another Neeran while you were flying.

Your limited hand options make reloading the plasma pistol difficult. You eventually settle on holding it in place with the right pinky finger and swapping out the fuel cells with your undamaged left hand.

"Going invisible."
Turning the camo on you run closer to the door until you can fire down the side of the corridor Eldal hasn't hit yet. Two crewmen with rifles are moving up. A pair of shots cuts them in half and blasts craters in the walls behind them.

There's no kill like overkill it seems. Thank goodness you still have plenty of fuel cells left.

["Give up!"] Demands a Neeran from outside. ["You are surrounded and will run out of ammunition before you defeat all of us."]

You suit com goes off.
"This is the Krath battlecruiser Donovan to Alliance forces. Is your ship prepared for recovery?"

>What say?

>>30918749
>"This is the Krath battlecruiser Donovan to Alliance forces. Is your ship prepared for recovery?"

"We were able to secure the engineering section, booby-trapped the armoury, and are currently holding the bridge but it's only a matter of time before hostile forces will be able to overrun the bridge. I'm operating at severely reduced combat efficiency, Eldal seems to be doing fine. We still have control over all important ship systems, so the ship is most likely as prepared for recovery as possible. You might want to hurry."

>>30918749
"Get some god damn troops over here before there's no ship left to recover."

>>30918749
"Yes, but I'd hurry. A one armed knight and a single Krath won't hold for long."

>>30918749

>to Krath

"We have some party guests still aboard but are prepared for recovery. I trust you have some gifts for the guests."

>to Neeran

"I accept your surrender. Anyone that cooperates won't have their minds eaten or stolen by my friends. The rest of you... well, I hope you've made your peace with the universe."

>>30918749
Delay the Neeran by asking the surrender terms.

>>30918749
First Comm the Krath that we are currently engaging the remainder of the enemy crew and unless they have marines to help with the mop up operations they should steer clear until they are taken care of.

Second: Yell to the Neeran that bodies will litter the corridor and reach the ceiling before they even get close. Only death along side your captain will greet those who step foot on the bridge.

Unless they wish to meet the same fate "THEY" should surrender.

AKA Try to demoralize them and get them to surrender.

Rolled 10

>>30918749
We'd also like a boarding party. We most cunningly lured Neerans to blockade us in the cockpit. They are ripe for a debriefing room or a vivisection, as long our fuel cell supply holds up.

>>30918749
Can we lay a salvage claim on the neural interface headset by the way? Adapting it for the Great Devourer would be cool as shit.

>>30918954
Hell, adapting it to any ship would be pretty great.

"The ship is yes, but I'd hurry up and send troops over here before that changes!
We have some party guests still aboard and it's only a matter of time before they overrun the bridge."

"Understood. Launching boarding craft."

"Engineering should still be locked down but I'm operating at severely reduced combat efficiency, Eldal seems to be doing fine. A one armed knight and a single Krath won't hold for long."
"Our people are on their way."

You turn to Eldal.
"Tell them I accept their surrender. Anyone that cooperates won't have their minds eaten or stolen by my friends. Those that try to take the bridge will litter the corridor with their bodies."

"Are you sure that's wise?"
"Not really."

Roll for boarding assault and holding the bridge 4d20

>>30918954
The Alliance will likely want to reverse engineer everything. Expect some of the tech to be made available once they know how it all works.

Rolled 15

>>30919376
>Roll for boarding assault and holding the bridge 4d20

1

Rolled 19

>>30919437
>"Are you sure that's wise?"
2

Rolled 20

>>30919461
>"Not really."
3

Hey cunt,

Put quest in your title so I don't have to see this shit.

Rolled 19

>>30919497
4

Rolled 11, 14, 12, 15 = 52

>>30919376

I wonder how long Krath can eat minds after technical 'death'? Say after a plasma pistol shot cuts the Neeran in half

Rolled 10, 18, 14, 6 = 48

>>30919376

15, 19, 20, 19

Wow good job on those rolls individual-roll-anon.

>>30902155
>"You bring personal equipment along on missions at your own peril. This is unfortunate for anyone from the Dominion where most good things are generally owned by the user."
Considering how good Sonia, and by extension her highly experienced pilots and crews, and Daska, are at what they do, might the Alliance be willing to make an exception for her and the wing?

They're easily earning their pay, probably even if the Alliance had to cover losses of individual property.

Several more armed crewmen attack the bridge entrance. Or attempt to, they're rather out gunned compared to either of you. It's readily apparent that they're trying to use up your ammo reserves so that the few remaining Neeran aboard might stand a chance when they finally rush you.

A grenade comes flying through the opening and you're forced to kick it back out. Your suit takes some minor damage from the blast but a good deal less than it would have been. It's too bad the laser requires two hands and you're not really proficient with it left handed. You could fire it if necessary you suppose.

"Two fuel cells left. You?"
"Ten percent capacity on this rifle. I'm uncertain exactly how many shots that is."

A series of distant thumps sound through the ship followed a few seconds later by closer ones.
"The boarding team is breaching the blast doors. [Last chance to surrender!"]

The next set of explosions cause decompression through the section and atmosphere begins to rush out of the compartment. Checking your equipment you find more sealant and spray down the suit breach to cut down on the chances of anything bad happening. The HUD still shows a slow leak but it will take some time for the levels to reach critical.
The Krath doesn't seem to be bothered overly much but begins looking for suitable breathing gear.

A minute later a pair of Rovinar soldiers signal all clear and approach the entrance, a little weary of Eldal's appearance.
"Commander. Anything we need to know before the ship is towed out?"

"All of the systems should be unlocked for use by Alliance personnel." You tell them. "We could probably quarter surviving crew in the remaining pressurised sections provided they don't break out and kill themselves."

"Good. Turn off your beacon, we're about to jump."

After some communications with the Battlecruiser vibrations begin to run through the ship building up to the eventual jump to FTL.

A few minutes later the ships revert at a much safer location and troops begin to seal off the breaches with portable airlocks. With things presurised again you're ferried over to one of the LST's that are docked and undergo medical treatment. Your artificial right arm is replaced with a more basic version though this takes the better part of a day. Repairs to the flesh and blood parts go much faster, though you'll once again need to make sure to do physiotherapy as directed to be certain of a full recovery.

Eldal remains on the other vessel for the remainder of the return flight apparently consulting with a few other Krath who went aboard before the return to FTL.

A Rovinar medic asks if you've given any consideration to extending the repairs done to parts your ribs to the entire ribcage and even other bones.
"What do you mean?"
"You've been shot here, here, and cut into here. The repairs were all done by high end medical suites, or the final repairs were. What happened did you have to use an old Hune med station at one point?"
Cascading Fury was an old ship. Only certain things had been upgraded on her you recall.
"All of these areas of repair are much more durable than normal bone matter. They've been reinforced to prevent subsequent breaks but are still as flexible as normal bone to a degree."

You'll have to give it some thought. Back home such a procedure would be ludicrously expensive. Or it would have been when you joined up.
"It's really only of use if you're planning to do more field missions."

With the extra time in the flight you wite out a full after action report and an evaluation of your short lived rifle prototype. The splinter ammo rounds you designed work, though they have their downsides. You plan to append battlefield videos to the weapon evaluation and forward them to the Baron Winifred.

>Is there anyone you want to try and convince about your rifle and the need to leaglise the manufacture and transportation of Splinter ammo to?

>>30921044
Yeah. Let's speak with troop commanders and the people who'll actually be buying them from us. Making the rifle is all well and good but if we don't have anyone contracted to buy it then we're down on cash.

The Terrans too. See if we can get in contact with their logistics and customs people. If we can get them to give us the greenlight to ship splinter-rounds through their relays with no trouble, it'll reach the frontlines quicker.

>>30921044
>>Is there anyone you want to try and convince about your rifle and the need to leaglise the manufacture and transportation of Splinter ammo to?

It might help to talk to Ecord, Jin Ki, and our various veteran sergeants. Eldal might be able to provide some valuable input on the rifle as well.

The Terran Captain who went on the suicide mission with us might be a way to work something out with the Terrans. After that battle, she and Sonia are probably Best Battle Buddies Forever.

>>30921044
Maybe some Pandora Cluster governmental representatives? I'm sure /all/ the governments would appreciate it if Splinter ammo wasn't being manufactured and transported across galaxies.

We should get Baron Winifred's recommendation for a post mission drink. Can Krath drink alcohol too?

>>30921044
The Terrans ban the manufacture because of concerns about cop killing right? We should ask them how that is relevant when the bullet in question is for an Anti Materiel rifle. We pinky swear that it really won't matter to their cops at that caliber.

>>30921044
>>Is there anyone you want to try and convince about your rifle and the need to leaglise the manufacture and transportation of Splinter ammo to?

Wasn't one of the Dick-Ass Baron's sons in our House's ground forces? And a rather cool dude as well? If we can convince him that the rifle and ammo would make decent equipment for his troops it might help our plans quite a bit.

>>30921390
Yeah, it doesn't really matter if there's a 15 cm hole in the cop if he gets hit by somebody using the rifle and regular ammo, or if there's a 30 cm hole in them. Regardless of ammo type, the rifle is probably overkill against anything that's not at least power armour or a Krath.

>>30921044
>A Rovinar medic asks if you've given any consideration to extending the repairs done to parts your ribs to the entire ribcage and even other bones
>"It's really only of use if you're planning to do more field missions."

Yeah, I think that would be appropriate considering our occupation and our knack for going on these types of missions. If we can someone get the alliance to "pay"/do the operation for free all the better.

>>30921179
Basically my idea as well. Troop commanders, Power Cell armor leaders, getting the Terrans on board would be pretty great as well. Hell, we could even pitch the idea to the Ruling House if we want. Really I want to try and secure a place to manufacture the weapon itself and if we can get that with the backing of the Ruling House we can then pitch it to the Alliance.

If we can convince a few of them we could then bring it to alliance command. We "technically" have a factory that after a little conversion can pump out the ammo for the weapons right after it's approved.

Your debriefing with Alliance intelligence is as mind numbing as seemingly possible. By the time you're done and the medics have cleared you following additional checks for stray nano fibers the engineers have completed a preliminary check of the captured ship.

They're a little disappointed with the extent of the damage and lack of phased plasma tech but overall it's a good haul. The neural interface is one that they've been seeing on an increasing number of Neeran ships. A couple of the corvettes you captured in the Pandora cluster had them as well but they were only able to get enemy ones to work for Faction species recently. Weeks before the mission.
The plasma weapons do have some advantages over previously captured models and those used by the Republic or modified from Exodus drive systems. It should help R&D with general plasma weapon tech in the long run and boost the damage of Fusion cannons within a year or two.
Armor on the vessel seems to be slightly more resistant to SP torpedo fire but retains the usual toughness of Neeran armor against conventional weapons.
Future hacking modules should now be more efficient against Neeran warships. No you can't keep the one you used on the Mission. Yes they are checking to see if you're smuggling it out with you.

>>30921305
>The Terran Captain who went on the suicide mission with us
Madeye? She has her hands full with her own pet project but it could work. Your recent capture could influence development of her ship class.

>>30921438
>Wasn't one of the Dick-Ass Baron's sons in our House's ground forces?
You may be thinking of his nephew Troy Harmen, who is a repulsor bike unit commander. As the Heir apparent for the family his relatives are trying to get him reassigned to safer positions. He's currently in the Pandora cluster trying to secure plasma anti-tank weaponry for use by the House ground troops due to shortages.

>>30922096
>plasma anti-tank weaponry
Well, we have this design, see. It's a plasma bullet...

>>30922096
>You may be thinking of his nephew Troy Harmen, who is a repulsor bike unit commander.
Yes, that's exactly who I meant. Any way we can help him with his mission? We should know somebody in the Pandora cluster who in turn should know somebody etc.

>talk to Ecord, Jin Ki, and our various veteran sergeants.
Done. Ecord is glad to hear that the rifle did well in the field but is reluctant to get into House politics.
Ki asks that you to send what data you have on it which he will go over. You lack a spare prototype to send him without risking the surviving model, even though you trust him to keep it safe.
Eldal admits to being far from an expert on firearms other than how to use them.

Your Veterans show largely positive responses to the suit recordings and a few offer to buy models of the rifle when they enter production. The majority will wait to see how well their comrades fair in the field with them and if there are any unadvertised problems with the guns.

>>30921179
>>30921390
>>30921438
>>30921659
>Terrans
For the most part it's illegal to ship splinter ammo weapons through Terran space, specifically their relays. They probably manufacture their own at secret facilities for use by spec ops. Their government holds to the idea that restricting movement of such rounds should help slow their sale to third parties. Many planetary governments among the Houses operate on similar principles, but the military is exempt.


>>30922288
>Any way we can help him with his mission? We should know somebody in the Pandora cluster who in turn should know somebody etc.
Roll 4d100 to play telephone

Rolled 90, 16, 4, 61 = 171

>>30922548
TELEPHONE

>>30922548

Rolled 58

>>30922548
>Roll 4d100 to play telephone

Riiiing.

1

Rolled 54, 47, 2, 33 = 136

>>30922579
Woops

Rolled 74

>>30922592
Riiiiing.

2

Rolled 19

>>30922613
Yip-yip-yip-yip...

3

Rolled 22

>>30922637
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

4

90,74,19,61

One of them is kinda low, but overall it's pretty good.

>>30922548

Is there any chance we can see about claiming a few trophies from the Neeran armories? And the possible bounty for stealing the ship?

Specifically, would it be possible for us to take a few parts of Neeran armor for use in testing our ammo/rifle?

Also, is it possible to salvage what was left of our rifle?

And of course, we should order a few more of the damned things, possibly enough to give some to our veteran marines for field testing?

As for the shipping issue with our ammo, perhaps the Faction Alliance or Rovinar could assist us with that?

>>30922548
>Eldal admits to being far from an expert on firearms other than how to use them.

Would he like to have one? I think we should set him up with one for either the manufacturing cost, or even a lower price. Guy's a bro, even if his habit to eat people's faces is slightly creepy.

While we're at it, would Eldal be willing to share a few things about Krath culture in general? Nothing super secret about their physiology, politics, or history, but if I understand things correctly, you can't really gain any credible information about them on the space internet. Any tips to avoid faux-pas and provide a more welcoming environment to them would be great.

Sonia seems to keep running into them more and more often.

>>30922548
>illegal to ship splinter ammo weapons through Terran space, specifically their relays.
So is there no turning this around?

I mean, TCS Vieona, they owe us etc etc.

>Terrans Cont.
Your point about getting an exemption for anti-material rounds could certainly hold some weight. If successful it would mean the larger rounds intended specifically for use against Neeran could be passed, but the smaller rounds your rifle and other weapons like it use would still be blocked or restricted to travel in one direction. Towards the front lines and away from the more heavily populated worlds.
Did you want to attempt the same track within the House in an attempt to speed the legalisation process for some of the larger rounds? Or just keep on pressing for all sizes of the ammo to enter production?


>>30922180
That one hasn't even been prototyped yet. You'd need heavy R&D support to properly develop it. I think you did patent the design, but there is competition on that front.
There is a push for fuel cell containment bottles like those used by your plasma pistol, Republic AT guns and Shallan Fusion Guns to be used as warheads. There have already been instances of Marines rigging the fuel cells from the AT guns as crude plasma grenades. The new series would act as warheads for grenade launchers and some cannons as well as replace nuclear warheads used on ship to ship missiles.

For the smaller caliber weapons like 20mm your round might actually be a fair bit cheaper but it would still be competing with a larger push for a particular tech. Be prepared for an up hill battle.

I need an ISP that I can afford but that isnt shit. 1 hour down time starting minutes after they close. God fucking dammit.


>Telephone line broken
Your extensive string of contacts in the Pandora cluster start and end with the Major who, while sympathetic, is not a merchant. Most of his additional contacts are mercenaries or people that deserve to be thrown in prison. The few people who he does direct you to are dead ends. However if you happen find some of the weapons they would be more than happy to buy a few.
Your offers to sell them on a prototype plasma bullet that has not even been tested yet are met with negative remarks.
The one good thing you've picked up on all of this is contact information for a company that manufactures repulsor based mass drivers. They take their privacy seriously and took some potshots at Alex when his unit conducted recon of the area last year.

>>30924035
>>Telephone line broken

Dang, that 19. What were we aiming for? All rolls above 60-ish?

>>30924035
Any chance the information broker on Tourta would be able to help?

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>>30922858
>Would he like to have one?
"A rifle that size, even if you could get it to fold down to a fraction of it's size is a bit too conspicuous for my tastes. If you had a small pistol or RPG round that might work better for me."

>would Eldal be willing to share a few things about Krath culture in general?
>Any tips to avoid faux-pas and provide a more welcoming environment to them would be great.
"First rule, don't ask. We'll tell you if it's necessary. Second rule, don't tell anyone else anything about us. Ever. We find out eventually."
"Okay. That's informative, I guess?"
"Most fruits are... nice. That's just on observation. I'll contact you when I'm available for future deployments. It could be a few weeks."

You wish him well then sign off. That was slightly awkward.

>>30923664
>So is there no turning this around?
Not for small caliber rounds just yet. If you were to get them approved for production within House space it would be easier to have them shipped from South Reach to the front as they could avoid all of the Terran relays. There is 1 relay that could reduce shipping time and cost but that's it. A few Houses have begun production of them and are dealing with it by having their warships take stockpiles to the front with them when they go. There's no way the Terrans could get away with customs checks on Dominion warships headed to the front. Transports however remain fair game as much as everyone might hate it.

>>30924084
Even above 40 would have helped you out. Maybe not much but a bit.

>>30924156
The brokers on Tourta are largely concerned with things going on within South Reach or that directly affect it. Weapons being shipped out of the cluster do not seems to include many anti-tank guns. If the Pirates have some in the stockpiles they held onto from the raids they're not selling them just yet.

>>30924725
>"Most fruits are... nice. That's just on observation

Now to figure our his favorite fruit. The Krath guessing game begins!

>>30924725
"First rule, don't ask. We'll tell you if it's necessary. Second rule, don't tell anyone else anything about us. Ever. We find out eventually."


The first rule of Krath Club is: You do not talk about Krath Club. The second rule of Krath Club is: You do not talk about Krath Club.


>"Most fruits are... nice. That's just on observation. I'll contact you when I'm available for future deployments. It could be a few weeks."

Awww, he likes us... I think. Not sure if that's a good thing. Better order some fruit. Not like we can't keep them around indefinitely with stasis tech.

For some reason, I want to see if we can get away with replacing his bed with a bucket or tub next time he stays on the ship.

But I'm afraid that would start something Sonia can't win. These guys must be great pranksters.

>>30922727
>Is there any chance we can see about claiming a few trophies from the Neeran armories?

>And the possible bounty for stealing the ship?
While reluctant to hand out the cash because of growing animosity between military units and mercenaries you do get a payout. 10 million.
I'm adding it to your investment portfolio before I forget it.

>Specifically, would it be possible for us to take a few parts of Neeran armor for use in testing our ammo/rifle?
Yes. Most of it was fairly generic, though a few pieces are fitted with the energy absorber tech that leeches power from energy weapon hits.

>Also, is it possible to salvage what was left of our rifle?
It's unlikely to ever work properly again. Too many important custom built components were cut through.
It could serve as a cut away model for demonstrations!

>>30925091
>trophies
Did we call dibs on that blade weapon?

>>30925146
I want the neural headset so we can go "look, no hands" as we fly a ship

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>Reynard_Holdings_and_Finances
>Land on Frostback.
Argh, I forget you guys had land there!
That would have made for a different option with the starfighter factory. As it stands the majority vote was to rent land on Tourta to Aries. The good thing about this is that if they do close down the factory in the future you still get the surrounding infrastructure developed.
>terraced landscape.jpg
The Company is working on negotiations. Locals are looking forward to more jobs being brought in but are not happy about the prospect of competing with Shallan refugees for them.

When you talk to Daksa and Alex again things seem to be going well enough. They've taken some minor ship losses while dealing with raiders and covering evacuation efforts. Your command ship has it's shields back up and several starfighter squadrons on temporary loan. Captain Tama has also picked up a number of support ships, including a small tanker, useful due to shuttle refueling operations, an LST and a landing corvette.

Doing some research in the Republic database the captain also dug up the ship's previous name via it's registry. The Republic navy gave the ship the name Dilatory Vulture due to it's slow sublight speed and their reluctance to deploy it to front line combat with it's design flaws.
Do you want it changed?

>>30925146
>Did we call dibs on that blade weapon?
Yes. It will take some time to secure one of the launched blades though as they are currently a biohazard.

>>30925533
You would still need hands, just as you did when mech piloting, they just help out a lot.

Alex is currently planning another project for his land on Frostback and wants to know if it would be possible to rent the services of your Anchorage class in a year's time to relocate a large structure for him.

>>30925533
We could fly two ships at once. Or maybe multiple drones at once. The possibilities are endless:
"Hah! I, Daska, shall pilot my ship to drop the SP torpedo in the conveniently exhaust port that will cause the moon-sized Neeran ship to explode. I will save the day and gain everlasting fame."
"This is Sonia, assuming direct control. Sorry Daska, just sitting around on my command ship got boring. Let me save the day real quick, and then you can take over again."

>>30925699
>Alex is currently planning another project for his land on Frostback and wants to know if it would be possible to rent the services of your Anchorage class in a year's time to relocate a large structure for him.
I guess we'll need to ask our Company how long it will take them to repair it.

>>30925699
>Anchorage class
What was our long term plan for that, quick sale or company asset?

>>30925699
I would say give Alex the go ahead and that we will set it up so that he will be able to.

>>30925757
I'm pretty sure in a year's time we will have it in such a state where it could haul things. Maybe not 100% to repairing things, but hopefully pretty close.

Also, speaking of hands we really need to get a replacement for our arm. Hell, i'm tempted to get some back ups of our sensor one.

>>30925822
I voted for sale.

>>30925822
With how many resources we are putting into it it's definitely a company asset.

At 100% it is a large mobile station with huge repair ability.

>>30925699
>Dilatory Vulture
That's...not the best of names. I'd be fine with calling it something like "Slow Fight", or putting it up to a crew vote for fun.

>blade biohazard
Woah, what happened there?

>Anchorage
I'm sure it'll work with our schedule. However, it's been said multiple times that if we show that thing near any civilized colonies it'll be repossessed. So for now, let's decline.

>>30925699
I would say yes to Alex and that we will get back to him with the details.

>>30926052
A good question. Why "is" it a bio-hazard.

>>30926052
>I'm sure it'll work with our schedule. However, it's been said multiple times that if we show that thing near any civilized colonies it'll be repossessed. So for now, let's decline.
Unless we manage to cut a deal.

>>30925822
A majority wanted it as a company asset though not quite half that number wanted to see about selling it to a suitable government or organisation that could actually pay you for it. Unlike the House.
RSS has begun negotiations with Exodus. In return for doing the occasional job for them they would be willing to sell production and repair equipment along with production licenses at reduced rates.

I do not have a total on costs associated with the Anchorage at this time. The firefight did not help but it does have some repair ability now so the other salvage ships are slowly getting fixed and mostly sold to the Mercenaries guarding the work site.

>>30926052
>what happened there?
Because of damage it took it's shedding fragments of nanotube fibers similar to the ones that ended up in your blood stream. Which would have killed you eventually without the suit filtering it, though it might have taken a long time to do so.
The current concern is for airborne particles which if inhaled could cause symptoms similar to asbestos exposure. It'll be cleared for transport eventually but will still be counted as a hazardous material.

I will be posting in the morning tomorrow but won't be able to resume until 7pm. Provided the thread is still around I should be able to run all day Thursday.

>>30921044
So far the prototype of the rifle has definitely proven the concept. I think we can go to limited production and work through a couple refining steps.

What issues do we still have to work out? For one thing the rifle is supposed to have two different sizes of mass driver slug. The bigger size is nonstandard and I'm thinking it might be a little redundant given that most users will always have shells loaded.

We should definitely push for legalizing the antitank splinter rounds. For one thing we need every advantage we can get against the Neeran, especially in light of their energy drain abilities that counter conventional weapons. And as everyone has pointed out, the issue of "copkiller" bullets is kind of moot when we are talking about light antitank weapons.

You get some more responses while waiting to ship back out to the fleet. Alliance R&D wants to procure a prototype of your rifle for their own testing purposes. They do recognise your patent on the things and the ammo.

Do you provide them with your remaining prototype, the destroyed prototype along with your combat data on it, or wait until you've had a limited run of the rifles produced?


Another offer also comes in from R&D regarding a job opportunity. They're recruiting more personnel and given your experience with DHI and other suggestions you've been making they're beginning to think you may be of use. This offer will remain open for awhile.

See you tomorrow!

>>30926740
I wouldn't mind giving them our remaining prototype, the combat data and ordering in a few more prototypes for us as well as a few others.

>R&D has a job opportunity for us.
>FOR US
For reasons unknown to me this makes me very excited.
I

>>30926740
Oh god yes to lending the prototype to the Alliance. If we can get a bulk order from them we will surely be rich...er. Not to mention others will pick up on their new weapon and also want one, the joy! Just ask that they send copys of data so we may do any changes to the design that may be needed to make it into a production version.

Also as soon as we are ready to go we're taking the R&D mission. For science! The fleet seems to be in good hands after all and to be honet these kinds of missions are more fun than blowing the odd Corvette up... Mostly... Sometimes.

>>30926740
Send them the prototype and combat data as well as a promise of a few of the production run with the necessary tweaks and upgrades that we have in mind.
Sell a few others from the production run at cost for the other people that had interest in using the weapon so that we'll have a decent stream of other combat data to work with in further improvement.

What kind of opportunity is this? Testing/designing a new weapon of some type or something a bit more important?

Also, save the destroyed prototype rifle and have it sent back to our lodge on the homeworld to be mounted as a trophy. These are the memories we want to think of when we're in semi-retirement. (Because really, is she ever going to stop?)

>>30926740
>Alliance R&D wants to procure a prototype of your rifle for their own testing purposes. They do recognise your patent on the things and the ammo.
Oh hell yes, they can have the other prototype. But maybe we can ask for some conditions?

1. They have to support our push to legalize splinter ammo (the 20mm kind) for military use.
2. Combat/Testing data involving our rifle or ammo designs should be considered classified and can only be shared with us.

If they recognize our patents it means that we have essentially cornered the biggest market. If the idea becomes successful there will be a lot of copies by other companies. If they restrict access to testing data it will slow the development of knockoff designs because those companies will be limited to reverse engineering. And even if they make competing rifles, the Alliance is the largest potential customer and won't buy any if they are don't acknowledge our patents, which means royalties for us.

So basically we are now in step 2 of development. Step 1 was trying out the prototype to prove the concept works and that it didn't blow up in our face. Step 2 is incorporating any requested features and testing samples to destruction. Once we hit a ratio between reliability and cost that is suitable for military grade equipment, it's off to the assembly lines.

Speaking of assembly lines though, where would be make these? We have a factory on Surakeh, but that one is tooled for ammo and not weapons. Since we decided to put the starfighter factory on Frostback maybe we could use the terraced land on Tourta? We've been meaning to create a small arms research lab too and having that in the same place would make sense.

Also I just had another crazy idea in light of our damaged hand, I'm going to record it here before I forget. Carrying around a replacement cybernetic arm wouldn't be feasible for combat units. But there might be a way to repair damaged cybernetics well enough to use controls and basic weapons.

The idea is to make a large tight fitting glove that goes all the way up to the shoulder. The glove can be sized to fit your arm, or so that it can layer over any body armor. The glove is made of thick "bulletproof" material with electro active fibers woven into it.

When your arm gets damaged, as long as you have at least half an upper arm left you can slip this thing on. The glove then temporarily glues itself to you and inflates with air. It taps into your existing cybernetics and uses that control input to contract and relax the fibers and allow you to control the hand. To give the arm and hand enough rigidity to be useful the inside is lined with pockets that inflate to fill any voids. The pockets are filled with an expanding gel that foams up and then partially sets to form rubbery "bones". Depending on how much of your actual arm is missing the inflatable arm isn't very strong, especially without an elbow to fill it. But it should be good enough for the manipulation of controls and light weapons.

Like any other cybernetic arm it requires extensive programming to be useful. But this one is easy to work with because you can just wear the glove around for a couple days until it learns your patterns.

For use cases, losing everything from your bicep down is an extreme example and the arm wouldn't be combat effective. But it's mostly intended to restore hand functionality in the case of damage that renders your hand inoperable, or like us you lose a couple of fingers.

Rolled 3

>>30929273
I would not want to give them our only prototype.

How fast can we make a second one?


>>30929622
Actually we may do better. Combine this inflation fiber only on straight lines of the boy and put at every joint wireless command motors that can reel it in or out, the fiber.

Couple this with a neural interface or even a secondary mode that allows them to function like modern day motorized prosthetic by interpreting boy movement and we have a very smart system that we can make a entire modular body glove out of, that can be packed in with medkits. Are you injured and troopers need to move? Patch the guy up and then put a glove over the injured limb or the entire body, and see the subject can now regain mobility.

This way injured troopers can move themselves to evac points or continue fighting at a even higher level of mechanical damage if necessary.


Such a system should seriously increase the combat endurance under fire of all ground troops.

The wireless system could use multiple bands, even a laser system if the joint motors jut out enough, but they could just as easily use multiple variants of existing bands integrated in one suite to prevent jamming.

Rolled 5

>>30929914
>by interpreting boy movement
by interpreting body movement

>>30929273
Correction: We chose to put that factory on Tourta and help with the land.

Though on the bright side we remembered that we do indeed have land on Frostback.

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>Send them the prototype x4
>I would not want to give them our only prototype.
Do you want to place conditions on the loan that you would get the weapon back within a certain period of time?


>How fast can we make a second one?
It would take a couple months to have the guy that built the prototypes make another and send it to the front. Provided he wasn't busy.
Your factory on Surakeh should have enough room to construct some but it would take some time to set up and again to ship them.
You could also contract another company closer to the front. That company you just got the contact info for is a bit shady but is supposed to make quality product. There are certainly others.

>>30927419
>What kind of opportunity is this? Testing/designing a new weapon of some type or something a bit more important?
Assisting with testing and designing of new weapon systems. As an experienced unit commander you would also be taking squadrons or larger into the field to see how effective they are with new equipment and developing tactics to best make use of the recent advances.
This is an Alliance position that wouldn't necessarily require you to be on the front lines for your 6 months out of the year, but you would have more involvement with the Alliance during the other months away from the front.

If accepted you would not be commanding your House Attack Wings while on deployment with the Alliance.

>>30932349
>If accepted you would not be commanding your House Attack Wings while on deployment with the Alliance.

If we even consider taking that position, we should probably talk to the Baron about it.

>>30932349
Oh you don't know how tempting that is.

Thankfully that offer is going to be open for awhile and I could see us taking them up on that offer later in our deployment.

Because really I don't think missing the chance to try out the new toys and maybe nudging R&D into interesting directions could be passed up.

>>30932349
That sounds like something Alex would be more interested in really. I'd like to continue on our track to high command

>>30932349
Question: Just how long will the job be open for? Would it still be open when our 6 months were over? As >>30932518 said I would rather keep on the track to high command

Ask them to wait until the end of our current deployment so that we can talk this over with our squadron leads to find a successor and the baron for advice. This does sound like the natural decision for Sonia to me and the difference we could make with our collective ideas is huge.

Maybe contact the Knights Errant as well for fun on the side

An interesting proposal. Is this a permanent posting? Can we, for instance, join this program for a 1 year term before heading back to our house forces? We'd gain some valuable contacts within the alliance and the work would look good on our portfolio.

Rolled 8

>>30929914
Why does this give me the image of house JD troops being regarded as faux TechnoZombies?

Rolled 2

>>30932349
Tempting, but how would that affect our necessary time with the alliance. We do kind of want to eventually retire from Alliance military and see to the Glory of our House.


Also i have this feeling that Sonia is probably related to both Root and Shaw from Person of Interest.

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>>30933963
>>30933963
If I were to think on it, I would have to say its more Shaw. High degree of loyalty, and while Sonia can become morally bankrupt at times she always prefers violence as a default option.


However I do not see any point to this line of thought since we have more than enough character for Sonia to stand for herself as a unique character that does not need to be though of in relation to other works that have no bearing on this story.

Or is this relevant to her physical appearance?
If so then have a picture.

If we end up working for this alliance tech squad, we should put together a team of trusted engineers and have them look over the blueprints we acquired from Svidur, then have them build the upgrades into the Great Devourer.

1. We should consult with Baron Winnifred on the possible R&D position.

2. We should consult with Baron Winnifred on our rifle. She started in the infantry, after all!

3. We should look into working with the Baron's R&D people on churning out additional prototype or a limited run of our rifles. Her people might be able to improve the rifle's reliability or reduce dependence upon custom parts.

And finally, we should look into the possibility of taking a few people with us if we go R&D route. Or even using our Anchorage as a base for any R&D unit?

We'd also have to consider what we'd do with our battlecruisers, as taking them with us would weaken 3rd & 5th wings, but possibly result in some interesting improvements to their designs.

>>30932349
Well it's a loan so we definitely want it back at some point. Preferably in time for our theoretical next ground mission.

>>30929914
Your idea might be a lot harder to put into practice than mine because mine is designed as a field repair for existing cybernetics. In order to move around with damaged body parts inside of it, the shell would have to be rigid or else it would be putting stress onto the wounds. Controlling it might also be problematic, without any existing cybernetics in place the glove would have to read signals off of the body inside it. That would mean the user couldn't use any neural isolation or other method to dampen the pain.

That's not to say it's a bad idea, it's basically a more advanced and miniaturized version of that exoskeleton thing that Mike had to wear when he got shot in the leg during the Latham Coup. (or was that Alex? I forget).

Page 9 bumpe.

bump

>>30929622
>The glove is made of thick "bulletproof" material with electro active fibers woven into it.
Took me a bit to remember it but there are Medical exoskeletons marines and others wear when injured. Normally they're used for legs. What you're proposing is a much more refined version that would be more field portable. It's certainly possible and could work for biological or mechanical limbs.
>Controlling it might also be problematic, without any existing cybernetics in place the glove would have to read signals off of the body inside it. That would mean the user couldn't use any neural isolation or other method to dampen the pain.
Intercept the signals higher up the nerve, dull or nullify the pain response as appropriate.

>>30933663
>Is this a permanent posting?
It could be. They're looking at several years preferably unless the war were to suddenly end.

>How would that affect our necessary time with the alliance?
As you'd be working for alliance R&D, perhaps even when in House space, you'd be more than covered.

>>30932552
>Question: Just how long will the job be open for? Would it still be open when our 6 months were over?
Almost certainly.

>>30933963
>>30934084
>Root and Shaw
Both are crazy in their own way. Is root still locked up? I know they let her out the one time and I haven't been able to watch on a regular basis since then.

>>30934392
>build the upgrades into the Great Devourer.
That could take awhile. It would probably be easier to build prototype tech into a new ship from scratch than retrofit the Devourer.


>>30934814
>And finally, we should look into the possibility of taking a few people with us if we go R&D route. Or even using our Anchorage as a base for any R&D unit?
Taking the Anchorage along could be interesting. I'm not sure you'd make much money that way but could be interesting.
>Battlecruisers
Upgrades have to work with the existing hull.


>Talk to the Baron about it.
Will start writing new post once I'd grabbed some food.

>>30941070
>It could be. They're looking at several years preferably unless the war were to suddenly end
Ugh, no way, no how.

>>30941070
>R&D
>Upgrades that Svidur gave us

...Oh....Oh god...that would be quite a opportunity.

>Taking the Anchorage along

That also would be pretty good. Hell even if it doesn't make a huge profit if we stick with Alliance R&D for a couple years it might have paid for itself.

Also, good to have to back TSTG

>>30941288
But it basically torpedoes our career path.

>>30941070
Gotta say, this idea is looking worse and worse all the time.

>>30941402
>>30941450

It depends. We're from a small as shit House, in the scheme of things. Taking and excelling within this field could make us a very influential person within the House, and a source of tech as well.

>>30941572
True, but it takes us directly away from high command and back into small unit tactics. Now, if they had a fleet command of some sort to offer I'd seriously consider it. But going back to leading a squadron? Fuck that.

>>30941572
But its not the field I want to excel in at all.

>>30941572
>small as shit House
Jerik-Dremine has been described as a 'medium' house, so we're not insignificant.

I'm split on this as well though. Taking this position could be a good way to make contacts for our business (and house) in the future, but because it's a more permanent posting I don't see us reaching any higher than the small units we were commanding.

Such a split. At least we've got time to think it through.

You contact Baron Winifred while on the flight back to your unit.

"Alliance R&D? It seems they must have realised how many design proposals were being sent by you and wanted to cut down on bandwidth usage to the Pandora cluster. So you're considering it then?"

"Considering yes. I'll need some time to think it over, but it is effectively a demotion from commanding two Attack Wings."

"Technically speaking yes. Still, you would get access to better research facilities than I can keep quiet about. That could give you no small measure of pull politically and militarily, though there would be calls of favoritism by some if you pushed that too far."

On that note you push on to your rifle and the data sent to her.
"It seems to have good a good test. Knight Jing Ki is looking over the data for me in greater detail. It should certainly help in the push for the House to legalise splinter munitions. A few nobles are making noise about the need for such weapons with exotic game hunting expeditions of all things. Prices in the Pandora cluster are starting to be affected.
The rifle itself will need to go through some thorough testing at one of our proving grounds before it could be accepted. I'm sure procurement will insist on design changes so that it's more compatible with existing parts if possible. How soon could you have ten of them readied?"

You do only have the one and are thinking about loaning it to the Alliance for their own tests.
Winifred frowns in thought. "In theory if it passed with the Alliance it would be easier to convince the House to adopt it. Still, if it's the only example outside of the design blueprints there would be a delay in getting more built versus a delay in having the weapon approved if you sent it to be copied instead."

"You have specialists. Could any of them build a copy or two of my rifle?"
"I'm sorry Commander they're otherwise occupied with front line equipment studies."

1) Which action do you want to take first with your rifle prototype?
[ ] Send to the Alliance
[ ] Send to the House
[ ] Get copies made

2) Where would you have the initial limited production run built?
[ ] Surakeh
[ ] Contract reputable (if slow) arms manufacturer in Pandora Cluster
[ ] Contract shady manufacturer to get it done quickly


>>30941402
>But it basically torpedoes our career path.
For a number of years yes. You could always request a transfer back out.

You guys wanted R&D, access to the latest and greatest new toys and a higher chance of personally surviving the war. This is an offer that fits the bill.

>>30942773
>1) Which action do you want to take first with your rifle prototype?
>[X] Get copies made


2) Where would you have the initial limited production run built?
[X] Surakeh
[X] Contract reputable (if slow) arms manufacturer in Pandora Cluster

>You guys wanted R&D, access to the latest and greatest new toys and a higher chance of personally surviving the war. This is an offer that fits the bill.
I think it's an interesting offer, we should at least read the whole job description, and talk to people who are already in the same position.

>>30942773
>[x] Send to the Alliance

>[x] Surakeh

We've got some time to think it through though haven't we? I would miss Alex, Mike, and a lot of the other wing regulars.

>>30942773
>[ ] Get copies made
Ugh, gotta agree with the other anons, not a direction I want her to go. Especially since I'm less interested in having the latest and greatest.

>>30942869
>We've got some time to think it through though haven't we? I would miss Alex, Mike, and a lot of the other wing regulars.
We'd also probably end up as Daska's subordinate.

>>30942773
1)
[x] Send to the Alliance
[x] Order another pair of prototypes from original order source. (Possible bribe to speed it up?)

2)
[x] Surakeh

>>30942773
1) Which action do you want to take first with your rifle prototype?
[x] Get copies made
We can use our initial rifle to boost copies than we could make a batch of them done quicker perhaps?

2) Where would you have the initial limited production run built?
[x] Surakeh
[x] Contract reputable (if slow) arms manufacturer in Pandora Cluster

- for some reason i do not want to go with the shady one and have ourselves a Chinese Knockoff in two months.

>R&D.
Tempting, especially as we could potentially play fast and loose as long as the war is on and prioritize and transfer stuff for our house's benefit.

However with the push of observers on front line units i feel that window will close too fast for us to pull anything off.

If the offer stands for a longer time and is not time limited we could say that as far as our unit is in the field we can not in good conscience leave their side.

We have seen our people through a lot of shit and we intend to see them through to the end.


We would be most pleased however to act as testbed or cooperation and such. It may be a long shot but at this time its as much as we can commit.
In effect they would get a field testing option of embedding new stuff into a elite unit that can push almost anything that would fit our rather broad field through some serious paces, and not only that but the CO of said unit will most likely work as a assistant project manager. All in all a good counteroffer imho. It might mean that when we are rotated out of the fight we will have some obligations at Alliance R&D Offices but it wont be a full time job, just filing reports, and doing followup on any active project we ran in the field, preparation for further ones and such.


My main problem with even suggesting this compromise is that i don't see a exit strategy out of the Alliance, and while this option will allow us to form serious contacts in the R&D community i am a bit lost of how will we use this for the House and our own gain.

>>30942773
Honestly, given my career objective for Sonja is a fleet command, I can't think of a worse offer to have

>>30942773
[X] Get copies made

[X] Contract reputable (if slow) arms manufacturer in Pandora Cluster

We are serving for 6 months correct? The Job offer is up for a long ass time also?

We could have it so that when we aren't out "fighting" we are in the R&D arena.

>>30942773
>You guys wanted R&D, access to the latest and greatest new toys and a higher chance of personally surviving the war. This is an offer that fits the bill.
I wanted fleet command and survival actually.

>>30942773
>>30943311
>>30943495
Woah now. I think as players, we want a lot of different things. This offer isn't too bad to me, but I can understand where you're coming from wanting to reach higher military echelons.

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>>30942869
>We've got some time to think it through though haven't we?
Yep.

>>30942937
>We'd also probably end up as Daska's subordinate.
You get the feeling that megalomaniacal laughter is emanating from somewhere within Shallan space.

>>30942954
>Order another pair of prototypes from original order source. (Possible bribe to speed it up?)
A bribe won't speed things up. There are other clients ahead of you.

>and talk to people who are already in the same position.
Well there's Madelyn Jones you know for sure. She'll be working with engineers to design a new ship that borrows design elements from the original group that were cobbled together out of scrap. All of the surviving hulls are currently out of service due to severe structural problems that will need to be addressed in the new design. Balancing engine power, recoil and fuel cell stores necessary for the main gun will also take time.
The Captain is looking forward to the development process and having a say about what features will be implemented. Some may be changed as a result of testing the prototypes, but with any luck she's hoping to snag one for use as a new command ship.
"Give me a couple of years. Once these things are finished and the bugs are worked out, Fleet commanders will be lining up to get their hands on them."
>Anything you wanted to ask her?

>>30943343
>We are serving for 6 months correct?
No longer than 6 months at a time per deployment. You never explicitly came to an agreement on number of deployments. The House would probably send you to the front regardless for a similar time frame as part of it's wartime obligations.

>I think as players, we want a lot of different things.
Indeed.

>>30943909
I think that one of the reasons it seems like a lot of people want tech tech tech is that we've always been extremely limited in the number of ships and formations we can command. We simply have been unable to push for more units so the only option has been to invest in tech. Now tech and promotion seem to be in direct conflict. Honestly, given that a substantial portion of the player base flat out hates this deal, we should probably look at a different option.

>>30944101
>Now tech and promotion seem to be in direct conflict.
if we do keep rolling on the promotion train how many steps away would a desk job be on that path?

>>30944078
nope

>>30944179
Quite a few. Especially since we're moving to a system of not playing every operation. Even if Sonja has more desk-work it will have no noticeable impact on us.

>>30944179
At least two, probably a lot more than that if we get into the Alliance fleet ops

It's a tempting offer but I can't see us leaving behind the unit we worked so hard to put together. Maybe if we manage to turn the tide of the war and can get off the front line, we did want to keep the wing alive and not just us remember.

But I definitely wouldn't mind working closer with R&D given how many ideas we come up with. Our wing has a pretty good record, and even previous experience with prototype equipment. Maybe we could work something out?

>>30941878
When the quest began we were definitely small-time. The remnants of two nearly destroyed houses trying to build up again. After all of the operations we did and ships we recovered we built up our power base considerably. But while we might have edged into "medium house" territory we are still quite small in terms of assets in territory.

IIRC our long term plan for JD was to make up for our small numbers with elite units using a lot of high tech gear. This will be especially important when the war is over and the cloak and dagger bullshit comes back.

Speaking of house assets, how are things going with the Forebearance and the other superheavy we captured? We wanted to sell the one we captured because repairing it would require more than our house can afford, and the market probably improved dramatically since the war broke out.

>>30941070
Should we pass on the idea for advanced medical exoskeletons to the Alliance? Unless we or the house have the resources to prototype it ourselves. Also we should recommend retrofitting emergency teleporters with extra heat shielding in light of the pilot we lost. It would be expensive, but if it doesn't work in the end it's kind of useless. Since the capsule can GTFO in seconds it wouldn't have to last long, a stasis field shell might work too.

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Looks like you're going to have copies made. To be certain it will be included in the next survey which will remain up, probably into next week.

Tracking down the Wing takes some time as the entire group seem to have relocated. They're currently staging from a sector near the front where the Neeran have taken advantage of the damage to support stations. The Command ship has still not picked up any engine upgrades or more than basic repairs to the underside. It's also sporting a few new scorch marks, but as you find out they're largely cosmetic. The armor is still in good condition except for the previously mentioned patchwork to the areas the comet grazed.
When you come aboard the landing bays are still a madhouse of activity. The bay crews all seem to know what they're doing, getting the civies off the shuttles and out of the bay as quickly as possible. Most of the crew are House personnel but a good number of those helping with the unloading are Shallan or military personnel from other Factions.
Marines escort you through to the secure areas of the ship and then the bridge where you're welcomed back and given status updates.

One of your pilots is now MIA and two new ships have been added to 3rd Wing. 3rd Squadron now has a cruiser you recognise as belonging to the Navigator's guild. It's on temporary loan from the Alliance.

Mike's unit is currently undergoing repairs before they return to the front. They're down a ship and will try to pick one up on the way. Several of their ships had to be towed back from their mission. He plans to give you a full briefing in person since the results are highly classified.

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>>30945643
3rd and 5th Wings have been rotating out, either performing escort to friendly transports and intercepting raiders, or attempting to conduct raids themselves. 5th Wing is currently out in the field and should return within a few hours.

"How long are we expected to be here loading refugees?" you ask Captain Tama.

"Until we're forced to break orbit due to enemy fire, unless or until you or someone else orders otherwise. We're currently landing enough shuttles for approximately twenty five hundred refugees per minute, or one hundred and fifty thousand an hour. We're getting very good at it. Maintaining fuel supplies and updated landing zones have been the main problems. We're not the only ones up here.
At the current pace of evacuations the bulk of the civilian populace from this colony should be gone within a week."

>your orders?

>>30946003
>>your orders?

Seems like things have been going reasonably well while we were on that mission. Tell them to carry on with what they're doing.

>>30946003
Let's get all the ships that aren't assisting in the evacuation rallied together and raid the dyson sphere.

>>30946197
no

>>30946243
10/10 contribution there ace.
>>30946003
Continue as necessary, and have the defending units of the wing on patrol? Unless we know where there's an enemy encampment nearby, then take a small raid team and hit it to distract them and buy more time for the evac.

>>30946003

We should probably get in touch with RSS and general Alliance command, figure out what the general withdrawal plan is for this galaxy and see where our company's evac ship is.

This front seems to have gone to hell, even with the Admiral's gambit.

and seconding this >>30946645

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CGJYCQ8
See you guys in the morning.

>>30946985
>raid the dyson sphere.
Any particular reason?

>>30946243
>no
Well okay then.

>>30946003
Shouldnt the allied front reposition to counter the salient before it encircles the main force?

Or are the allied fleets playing hyperstatic defensive wars, since such a Neeran maneuver has to be taking ships from somewhere. Which means their mainline fleets have shifted a large number of ships to participate in this salient or that allied command has purposely undermanned this galaxy.

>>30946197
I'm curious to hear your reason why. This is a pretty drastic course of action, so a proposal would be nice.

>>30946243
C'mon guy.

>>30947337
>R&D
Any way we can compromise and do this part time? Maybe instead of working for them we can collaborate with them as a consultant. I know a few other posters here are more interested in the R&D side of the game, and normally submit great ideas. I want them to be accommodated, but Sonia is still a Wing Commander first. It's the name of the game.

>Anchorage-class
Any reason why we can't lease it out to the House once it's operational? That'll allow the House to redeploy otherwise engaged assets elsewhere and they won't have to buy it outright.

>>30946003
What are the blue, cyan and green circles on the map?

Is one of them the Dyson Sphere?

>>30947988
The bigger cyan circle with the white cross in it is the Dyson Sphere, if I remember correctly.

>>30747569
I've wondered that myself. It would definitely speed up the rate at which they could retrofit the old attack corvettes into mark 2's and just about any other ship for that matter. Since it would be leased into the name of the House, it seems much less likely that it would get snapped up in requisitions.

Plus, we could man it with the plethora of refugees that have been poring in. There are millions of them so there has to be plenty of skilled labor to recruit from.

>>30947337
Much as I like commanding the wings I do think it will be in our best interest to accept the R&D job. Sometime back I rememberd TSTG writing that what we lacked to keep rising in the ranks of the House was political pull. And now here comes this offer. So in the long term I do believe this offer will be better for us than blowing stuff up.

We've also talked about setting up our own R&D station/base/whatever. Now working here will give us contacts with people who does just that. Perhaps we will even make friends whom can be trusted with some of our more.... sensetive projects?

The question remains about how much new tech we can smuggle out for the House to get a hold off without getting caught. My suggestion is a pen and papper

Also the rifle, perhaps we should make a small batch of about... 100 of them? Then we could give like 20 to the House and the Alliance each. Some for those that wanted one amongst the veterans and the knights and then some for spares.

>>30944078
>>We'd also probably end up as Daska's subordinate.
>You get the feeling that megalomaniacal laughter is emanating from somewhere within Shallan space.

There's a very easy solution to that, we'd simply have to kill Daska. Or at least freeze her until we comfortably out-rank her again.-

Bump.

>>30949805
We're going to have to agree to disagree on the R&D job. House and Dominion: lab edition doesn't sound fun, which is why I suggested working as a consultant as a compromise. I'm firmly against resigning command in favor of a desk job. Prize money for capturing ships is the main source of Sonias wealth, it'd be dumb to give that up. We're doing a good job of increasing her political power through our various side projects, so let's stick to what's been working so far.

>>30947988
The Green sphere is the Dyson, the Cyan is the Nai homeworld.

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You've decided to get copies of your rifle made first and foremost, everyone will just have to wait. As for where they'll be built the arms factory on Surakeh would seem to make the most sense in the long term. Better to keep control yourself and let the workers there get experience in making them.

>Keep old name. It's bad luck to rename a ship.
I was under the impression that most of the bad luck was if it was changed while under construction. Changing it later was more about praising the machine spirit adequately.

Lots of name suggestions btw.

>>30947507
More Alliance fleets are being moved into the area.

>>30947988
>>30949021
Map Legend returned.

>>30950372
Daska is a Dro'all noble. Family members would eventually start to ask questions.

>>30947559
>Any way we can compromise and do this part time? Maybe instead of working for them we can collaborate with them as a consultant. I know a few other posters here are more interested in the R&D side of the game, and normally submit great ideas.
Maybe while you were off the front lines, but that wouldn't leave you much time for going home and seeing family members. They're looking for people who will put effort into select projects until they're completed.

Best example I can think of atm would be Benjamin Sisko spending 3 years at Utopia Planitia developing the Defiant.

You might be able to get hold of some prototypes but you've mostly commanded mixed units which means you're more likely to continue getting attack ships of mixed origins.

>House and Dominion: lab edition
http://i.imgur.com/kr8aSwS.jpg

At the moment the vast majority are not prepared to go on the R&D route at this time.

>>30946645
>Continue as necessary, and have the defending units of the wing on patrol? Unless we know where there's an enemy encampment nearby, then take a small raid team and hit it to distract them and buy more time for the evac.
Sensor arrays brought in from other abandoned sectors have just finished being set up. The raiders must be basing their support group out of range as the ships they're sending in are only dropping out of FTL long enough to align for their next jump.

>figure out what the general withdrawal plan is for this galaxy
The Fleets are recovering from the disorganised withdrawls caused by the loss of infrastructure from the KKV attacks. The current positions are much better defended and if they do fall will slow down the enemy considerably as they have not been bringing in the numbers of ships they were previously. It looks like the advance is slowly grinding to a halt from the lack of Neeran reserves.

Alliance fleets are now conducting a limited counter attack into the salient with the hopes of finding and pinning the main Neeran fleet in the region. They've been allocated Veckron weapons to destroy enemy Supers while they're outside of inhabited sectors. Additional ships are needed for recon and to destroy tankers conducting refueling operations.

>and see where our company's evac ship is.
Your transport has already returned to South Reach and is headed to the front once again. It would have been back by now but there were some delays.

Did you want to try and hunt down some of the local raiders, hit some targets yourself when the Wings rotate out, or see about deploying one of the Wings to help out the main fleets?
Or do you have plans for another option entirely?

>>30954137
>Did you want to try and hunt down some of the local raiders

I think this is something our Wings are perfectly suited for.

>>30954137
Raiding and hunting seems nice in either case. I'm kinda leaning towards going back to raiding ourselfs as then we got the possibility to find more ships for our Wings which would be nice. I still dream of a world where every pilot in third is flying a cruiser or better.

On an unrelated note, how long would it take to fix the Medium by moving the plasma cannons to a location where they will not interrupt and/or shoot the Fighters aswell as doing something about it's lack of speed? Cause if we can't fix that Plasma cannons placement we should just rip them off and smack them on some other ship since they wont do any good on the Medium.

Definitely time for us to return to raiding. No more suicide ops.

>>30954345
It might be easier to move just move the fighter bay exits than the plasma cannons. I think we should keep the firepower for emergencies.

>>30954137
Just a thought, but maybe you should give us more opportunities to gain political influence? I mean, us not having enough is cool but it would be nice if there were some clear routs to getting more. For example, did we get points with Daska's family when we recommended her to the job of wing commander?

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>>30954345
>if we can't fix that Plasma cannons placement we should just rip them off and smack them on some other ship since they wont do any good on the Medium.
It's certainly an option. There are Republic Battleships that could use new guns.

>moving the plasma cannons to a location where they will not interrupt and/or shoot the Fighters
>might be easier to move just move the fighter bay exits
Any hull modifications to the main body would take an extended period of time and may compromise the strength of the ship's structure. The class was never redesigned to fix it's flaws because it's development was abandoned in favour of the Heron.
Engine upgrades are the easiest thing to do as they're designed to be removed and replaced. You'll still need a Medium cruiser yard and a couple of weeks to make sure the new engines are built to fit the ship.

>>30954266
>>30954345
>>30954424
Slightly more support for raiding? Did you want to go into the nearby enemy held sector(s), or check the areas in between there and here for the support ships that must be helping the raiders?

Rolled 1

>>30954916
We were forming that veterans club, so yeah.

It might not be much compared to existing fashion but its a way to keep our close people close by enforcing a outing and a structure they can call on when they leave the service.

It would be nice if we could get nobles and perhaps the Barron and other Wing Commanders or similar ranked and other units rolled into this, to somehow informaly bind the whole expedition force, in kind of a old boys club that will try to deal with issues of our tiny group. All informal of course and each after they get back to their shit still going to their factions but with our common belonging in mind. We were and are the sword of House JD.


I doubt we can get more political power than we have now without becoming a hereditary noble somehow on our own or having to marry into such a line, or getting another promotion.

And it has been said that we are capable and a potential candidate for Fleet command but there are only so many fleets.


Somehow this whole house JD expansion seems a lot like Spain's/
Exploration and Annexation and reliant upon a large core of veteran professional soldiers to keep it up and pursue its shit. Lets hope we can avoid the same pitfalls.

>>30954950
Heh heh, you drew a candy corn butt plug ship.