>>1375219
You make your way aboard the deck, thumbing your ID across the sensor and stepping past the rushing doors. It seems today you are in luck. Alexi, Gerard and the 6 captains of the Air Forces are still here deliberating but it looks as if they are nearly done, perhaps you had best formulate what it was you wanted to ask Stukov.

>Write in

Previous thread http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=UED%20Supremacy%20Quest

>>1375226
>Write in

Comrade, I have been discussing with the lower echelons some changes that might streamline our deployments and engagements, do you have a moment to review and okay them?

>>1375375
Yeah this, also why were we searching for him again?

>>1375424
At the end of the last thread people wanted to discuss something with Alexi, perhaps ask about why he had commandeered the science division from us, other than that, no Idea.
>>1375375
Gonna give it 10 minutes and do a writeup

HAHAHAHA I'M HERE AND I'M NOT DRUNK THIS TIME

>>1375226
You spend a moment to look over your uniform, straightening a cuff and rehearsing in your mind as the meeting adjurns, Alexi sharing a few words with Dugalle you dont hear, and turning towards the door, and also yourself.

You catch his eye quite easily an the man gives you a half smirk before adjusting his cap and marching over to you.

"Hello again Captain Dempsey, glad you could join the testings." He begins. "I suppose you have already seen to some matters of grave importance that you were not here with the rest of us."

You nearly waver, realising for a moment you must have missed a great deal of weapons and maneuver tests, but recovering when you realise nothing you missed would not have been archived or already available in the ship archive. Steeling yourself you speak with your superior.
"I have Vice-admiral Alexi, attended to a few things I would like to discuss with you. I have spoken with a great deal of the lower echelons and come up with some changes that might streamline deployments and engagements, do you have a moment to review and okay them?"

Alexis smirk fades into a genuine smile quite quickly, and it seems you have dodged some sort of hazing for now.

"Oh have you now! Quite impressive. Yes I suppose we have a little more time. The final preparations for the Cryobays are still being run, and I have time to kill. Truly I would enjoy drinking and overlooking my projects, but I suppose what you have in mind wont take long. Come, walk with me." Alexi says waving a hand and marching past you. You note he does not wave his ID but the doors open for him as he marches through, yourself close behind. Your mind races with a few different topics of varying importance that need to be managed.

>Discuss the re-assignment of the science bay and its staff.
>Discuss Dugalles secret weapon
>Discuss the plans you drew up with the ground forces officers
>Write in

>>1375502
And my Tripcode! That helps!
>>1375500
Welcome comrade!

>>1375502
>Discuss the plans you drew up with the ground forces officers

First and foremost, because this is what we told him we were here to discuss and it is our responsibility to the lower enlisted.

>Discuss the re-assignment of the science bay and its staff.

As a follow up

>>1375502
>Discuss the plans you drew up with the ground forces officers

>>1375502
>Discuss the plans you drew up with the ground forces officers
I worry for our men once they meet the zerg
>Discuss the re-assignment of the science bay and its staff.

>>1375607
>>1375522
(Had to see to getting something from the store. And we are back)
As the two of you walk you notice some activity has returned to the halls a last few technitians and officers from the sortie running to and from their positions making the last adjustments before the long wait in the crybay. Alexi at your side they all make plenty of room for you, and often spare salutes.
"So, what are these adjustments Captain, and how can I facilitate your keen interest in the health of our mission." He says half in jest as he flags down a grey uniformed attendant with a clipboard coming from the lift to the archive. "Ah good, these are the manifest reports?" He says quietly, never stopping his march as the attendant keeps up with the two of you. They exchange a few words you dont manage to hear over the clang of the deck but you hear Alexi recieve an afirmative about something and he waves her off. He turns his attention back to you.
"Yes Vice-Admiral, it would appear that the officers of the ground forces have some concerns." You start.
"Concerns captain?" Alexi interjects.
"Yes, concerns sir. In lieu of more dedicated air support and to bolster our support and mechanical crews I was requisitioned for a few hundred un-manned drones and a signifigant amount of man portable ordinance to supplement our marines. I have the means to produce them using our resource stores and they would not expend too much in the way of material or manpower considering our allotments, I just wanted to check in with you, see if perhaps you would approve the order, or see to it we could load the materials requested before we launch."

Alexi rubs his beard briefly, watching a particularly slow technician pass who picks up pace at the admirals glower. After the man passes Alexi smiles again and offers a response.
"Ordinarily I would have a need to consult with Dugalle on this myself, but we are already too far along for a supply run. We are already nearly out of the Centauri system and waiting the launch order. If we were still at Ticonderoga this might be possible, but it is not so. We drained them to empty bays for this expedition. However," He says stopping to face you.
"Believe it or not, I have read your files, I myself am only so much more experienced than you in this matter of logistics. If you say it would not drain us of potential material, more than its benifit, I give you permission to proceed. Your judgement is well placed to see me however. My science corp will have significant material demands as well."

As he turns and continues to walk you are both relieved and somewhat more stressed. You speak up again.
"Actually Vice-Admiral, I had wished to speak with you about the science corp as well."
As you finish you finally notice where Stukov has lead the two of you. And his smile replaced with a rather indecipherable stoic expression he turns to you.
"Indeed Captain, it follows that the master of logistics would wonder about this arrangement."

cont.

>>1375726
Stukov continues, "Especially as it was a rather last minute decision that I be put in charge of the space." He stands at the precipice, not opening the doors to the space or making a motion to.

"This was a matter of some pressing concern I can assure you, and both Dugalle and the Council agreed that my particular skills would serve best commanding this particular operation. While I cannot for the moment reveal to you the nature of this re-assignment, I can assure you it was of some great importance that I take the head here. My men in the special operations unit will be quite dependent upon the work done here. If you wanted to argue the nature of the reassignment I must inform you there is no leeway here." He says staring you down, trying his best to look down on you, some difficult task that it is that he is a full 4 inches shorter than you.

"Of course I would understand that the Council would want you in command where it best serves our mission Vice-Admiral." You respond hastily, keeping yourself for the most part composed. "I was merely inquiring as to the circumstances as I have not had a free moment to attend to any report informing me of why the transfer of command was made, and my judgement saw fit to ask you directly sir. We will be working quite closely together for the next few months and I only saw it as reasonable to ask than to assume or worse yet wonder." You saw, hoping to have come across quite as amicable as you sounded in your head.

Stukov continues to stare for a few moments before raising a hand and waving away the tension. "Ah of course. Well you understand the nature of Op Sec, I was worried for a moment you may have- Never mind. It was right of you to talk to me, and the moment you are cleared to be advised on the subject of the science deck and her crew you will be, either by myself or my station." He says a small smile returning. "You are a good man Captain Dempsey, we will do good work together. But for now you must leave me to my work. I must attend to these matters before I enter the cryobay myself."

Nodding in understanding you excuse yourself and return to your officers quarters. Your somewhat tense walk-and-talk had taken the better part of 30 minutes, and you are quite certain the cryobay prep will be completed in the next 15 or so minutes. If you have any more concerns you wish to tend to you must do them now or wait until after your arrival in the Koprulu sector.

>Recheck your officers mail log
>Review the sortie and weapons tests
>Speak with your head of requisitions from your office computer desk and inform him of the work order
>write in.

>>1375774
>Speak with your head of requisitions from your office computer desk and inform him of the work order

So this guy is our Quartermaster? Or is that our official position, either way making sure things run smooth on our side means that everyone else can run smoothly as well

>>1375796
As of the moment you are more of a head of personnel, although when you can actually establish an industry base later and start working more with your officer base you would take on more of a quartermaster role if thats what you focus on.

>>1375774
>Speak with your head of requisitions from your office computer desk and inform him of the work order
If it's automated it's best to get started before the nap.
Although I'm really starting to hate our bosses because of all this secret bullcrap.

>>1375813

I am going to be honest here, I am not familiar with the Starcraft Universe, exactly how commie is the UED? Because it's looking very commie and that probably contributes to the secret bullshit flying around

>>1375851
one look at the UED propoganda cinematic really tells you all you need to know. And then the wikipedia definition for Directorate will tell you the rest. Probably some nightmare mish-mash of constant shadowrunning and workers dystopia.

>>1375813
>>1375796
Writing!

>>1375851
if I recall correctly we haven't actually seen much of what Earth is like outside of the few bits of fluff in the vanilla manual which suggested that Earth began to worship human purity and rejected various sorts of augmented people who got shipped off to koprulu sector. I imagine it's kind of more or less fascist dictatorship.

>>1375796
>>1375813
You take a few minutes to relax at your computer with a glass of scotch and write a memo with specifications for your head of requisitions. In all likely-hood he is already waiting at the cryobays to begin loading. Nonetheless you finish the memo with time to spare and spend a few extra minutes enjoying your drink before depositing your glass back in its drawer and marching to the pods yourself.

The wait isn't quite so bad as the boredom of the whole affair. Before you went to officer school you could always rely on some conversation with your friends, but now even the rare familiar face you see are bound to silence for respect of your rank, and the officers around you are dry as your drinks. You think it would be good to continue to build a repertoire with the various officers, rebuild some of that lost connection you are longing for.

Your wandering feet and wondering mind eventually leads you to the end of the command cryo block at the innermost ring of the cryogenics decks, and finding yourself before the man sized and padded capsule gently strip and change into your provided cryosuit and slip in.

You had experienced cryosleep before, maybe a weeks travel between two distant posts on a low speed trip not worth the fuel of a high speed jump. Understood the function of the anesthetic and sleeping agents. What you don't remember or perhaps better said, blocked from memory was cryosleep sickness. You at least have the benefit of not having to indulge the suspended animation of many years the prisoners weathered, and enjoy the comfort of many purgatives, but damn does it hurt. As your pod opens your head is swirling, your vision dull, and your body aching. Worse yet you have to get out of your pod unassisted. Who fucked the paperwork and forgot the forms for the assistant robots, why weren't you being helped out of your cask? As you lean over the side of your casket and rub your eyes, slowly unhooking the cords and small filters plugged into your skin you slowly recover and take in your surroundings. It looks for a few moments like yours was the first to enter its defrosting cycle, the many banks of officer capsules in your chamber still closed and humming. In fact most of the lights are still off, only a few maintenance lights and the service light above your cask.

>Service light?
>Call for a cryogenics assistant from your pods comms terminal
>Get up, stretch, and explore for your uniforms storage locker
>write in

>>1375909
>Service light?

>>1375909
>Service light?
Try to recall just who is in charge of service bots.

>>1375964
>>1375948
You take a moment to sit and stare. Thats a service light. All the pods have them. This one is on. That cant be good. Maybe that explains why you feel like a air collision survivor. You shift uncomfortable for a moment, letting yourself re-accustom to breathing little more while you continue to think.
The service bots probably could have fixed any malfunction with the casket without you waking, unless it was an internal sensor error. But where are the service bots? If they had woken you up to repair an error a few would be on hand wouldn't they? Maybe a waking shift member? You wrack your brain for a few moments before mentally reacquainting yourself with the ship before you realize the chamber has a service console not 5 feet across from your pod, which you groggily march to and query. It looks like there was a malfunction in the drug feed that was supposed to take you out of cryosleep and you were ejected early to prevent cell damage. Nothing too major, probably the right call. But looking up the location of the mechanized service bay you locate it in the aft section of the ship, a small space crammed between the tail end engineering and production spaces and the science bay.

Well that is some ways away from the pod chamber you are in but that doesn't explain the tardyness on behalf of the service crews. You thumb your ID quickly and type a memo to the service crew before locating your locker aside the casket and dressing. You feel like shit, but you are only two days away from the destination by the computers logic. All things assumed you should probably wait for the service crew and go back into cryo, but for the moment you seem to have a very valuble opportunity on your hands.

>Explore the science bay.
>Locate the Admiral and Vice-Admirals pods. See if they are still in cryo.
>Visit the manufacturing space and check in on the order you left for the trip crew
>Wait for a service crew and return to your pod
>Dick about in your private quarters drinking and playing loud music
>Write in

>>1376010
wow what a grammar trainwreck. I apologize for that. I was distracted

>>1376010
>Visit the manufacturing space and check in on the order you left for the trip crew

>>1376010
>Locate the Admiral and Vice-Admirals pods. See if they are still in cryo.
Then
>Explore the science bay.
Fuck keeping needless secerts amongst the three highest ranking people in this tin can.

>>1376031
>>1376068
Gonna need an agreement, you can do all of these things but I need to confirm you want to approve doing all of them

>>1376068

Let's do this one first then, confirm they're asleep still and then go snooping real fast before getting to our own work so we have a ready excuse for it

>>1376031
>>1376068
Taking in the realization of your situation you understand immediately what this early awakening could mean for you. You slowly put on your boots and meander to the end of the command block of cry bays to the two secure chambers at the centerpoint of your block, and tucked neatly under the spinal superstructure of the Aleksander. Thumbing each door, one at a time, and checking their contents you find that for the moment you are in fact the ranking officer on ship. Both the admiral and vice-admiral are still in cryogenic slumber and the monitors tell you they are both going to thaw sometime in the next 30 or so hours. Somewhat odd that they would have an advanced schedule but not unheard of. Perhaps they plan to oversee the ship as she comes out of warp.

But that aside you are overcome with glee. The power in your hands is limitless as your imagination, and the envy of shadowrunners everywhere. As the commanding officer you have unfettered access to every inch of the ship. And one thing immediately comes to mind.
You march from the cryobay through the empty halls, and stealthily avoiding the maintenance bay, the only part of the ship so far lit with something other than low power lighting you stand before the doors to the science bay. A whole deck previously beyond your perusal.

You take a deep breath, and speaking to the panel aside the double doors call to the ships rudimentary AI.
"Aleksander Centcomp, open main science bay entrance."
The monitor, small and curved alongside the ID scanning panel briefly lights and a very simple archaic face greets you. A facsimile of a smile from the oldest days of earth computer technology.
"Hello Commander Dempsey, I see you are awake from cryogenics, forty two hours, ahead of schedule. I see you are the highest waking member of the crew at this time. You are unfortunately not cleared for this area, would you like to enact exemption powers in accordance with maritime procedures?" The AI chirps mechanically.

>Open them doors AI
>Im having second thoughts
>Grant me additional access, and freeze the door records for the science bay for the duration of my visit
>Grant me additional access, and the tell me why I am not cleared for the science bay Centcomp
>Write in

>>1376175
>Grant me additional access, and freeze the door records for the science bay for the duration of my visit
>Grant me additional access, and the tell me why I am not cleared for the science bay Centcomp

Strike this conversation from record as well, resume tracking after I have arrived at the manufacturing space, I shouldn't be long

>>1376186
(Ill go ahead and move with this since its the correct answer anyway)
"Centcomp, grant me additional access. and freeze the door records for the science bay for the duration of my visit" You say aloud into the monitor.
After a few moments and a buzzing sound the doors in front of you slide open gently.
"Welcome Commander Dempsey, logs have been halted and will resume when parameters have been met."

You take a few steps into the waiting reception area, and are relatively disappointing even though this was most certainly be to normal specifications. A few doors leading to crew special gear storage, a small glassed in office overlooking the area, a trio of lonely, likely never used chairs across from it, and the well tread, color led line leading to the blast door into the deck proper. As you walk to the door and wave it open you are taken with a thought and call aloud to the computer.

"Centcomp, are any of the science crew active, and why was I not cleared for the science bay." You say as you walk into the deck further.

As you march in without waiting for a response however you are rather taken aback, the science bay was supposed to be well separated into 4 decks of mostly similar dimensions for lab and work space, but before you is a small walled space much longer than it is wide, that rises high above you with mostly empty space for those 4 decks. Alongside this wall are several rows of scaffolding at the level for 1st sub deck and third sub deck, and a series of open air lifts between the 1st and the 3rd. This is more what you were expecting. Bizarre unlisted structure modifications, matching none of the specs you were given for this space and remember checking over before you arrived. Behind you over deck speakers the Centcomp responds.

"You are the only crew member present on Deck Commander. You were not cleared for this space and its operations because of its redesign in accordance with current needs in Zerg Domestication facilities and the projects assignment to Vice-Admiral Stukov." It chirps.

You are somewhat confused and afraid. You knew that certain action would be taken to pacify the Koprulu actions, and expected some moral buggery, but this was obscene. You honestly should have expected as much, this was probably how the admirals planned to deal with the protoss as well, should any of this bear fruit.

Deciding to start at the bottom and work your way up you enter a series of dense enclosures, mostly pre-assembled autopsy rooms and a miniature manufacturing bay that looks to be set into two halves, one for some manner of narcotics manufacturing who's chemical specifications far escape your expertise, and the other into a strange series of bio-ports and various pieces of direct interface gear. If you had to guess the big plan is to drug the beasts and remove whatever organs allow their hive intelligence, opting in a mechanical transmitter. Clever, and you are sure Commonwealth technology could accomplish it too.

Cont.

>>1376304
Looking above the various work spaces you see a grand assembly of material and hazardous material loaders and their corresponding networks. It seems that deck two had to be sacrificed to let the specimens and materials reach the work stations and manufacturing plant.

This leaves the 3rd and fourth decks, which after you make a second round to get a good feel for the space, you leave the way you came, and take a lift up to. Entering your first prevailing feeling is dread. In various states of stasis are about a thousand zerg in tubes of various sizes. The specimens here run the gambit of size shape and state of disassembly. If your gut was weaker you might have fallen ill, but instead you simply feel faint. The work it seems is already underway, and now you feel, at last you understand why you were barred from the deck. There are, or have been zerg in UED space. If they were brought there or captured there doesn't do you any good to know, the thought makes your skin crawl. If there had been a breach or failure of some critical system, the bugs would know we were coming. You nearly don't have the strength to proceed to the 4th deck, but at least you can expect what you find. Taking a lift on the inside of this space, and through a sealing and unsealing set of blast doors, you are taken to the chop shop. Here are various work spaces fit to allow specialists to do their work and splice the zerg with whatever mechanisms they are using to try and enforce control. You don't spend long here, and taking the two lifts back down the base level, swiftly remove yourself from the space. Its almost too much to handle. How had they acquired them? Dugalle said that there was a spy network in place, satellites specifically, had they made previous expeditions for samples? Had they paid local labor for such a suicidal task? How was it done in the first place. Many answers escaped you, and you feel it is probably for the better.

You mindlessly make your way to the manufacturing space aside engineering and enter, ignoring the strange and worried looks of the few technicians running the works here while the crew sleeps. Making your way to your secondary office near the automatic assembly ring you step inside and access your terminal, now out of your stupor. Nearly half the production had run on the drones, and a great deal of the munitions were completed but... What was all of this going to do. Was this the whole of your mission? Were you really going to be capturing Mengsk or were all of these men and women just to be fodder to collect and tame Zerg suicidally? You tremble as you log out of your console and just wrack your mind at your station.

>I need a drink, Get stone cold drunk in your private quarters
>Interrogate Centcomm for information
>See to the maintenance bay, ask if your pod is ready so you can sleep off this nightmare.
>Check records for why your pod failed, was it intentional?
>Write in

>>1376377
>Check records for why your pod failed, was it intentional

I want to interrogate Centcomm for info, but I feel that is a pretty easy way to get us censored. Or demoted. Or shot. I wish we brought a recording device though.

>>1376377
>>1376412
2nd. I get the impression someone felt we needed to know so they let us out early.

>>1375219
Welcome back, QM. Glad to see you managed to return on the day you said you would.

>>1375226
Did you link the previous thread to this one? It'd help for those tracking the previous threads.

>>1376377
>Check records for why your pod failed, was it intentional?

>>1376412
>>1376433
Good idea, and hell yea I keep my promises
>>1376436
(Sorry about the absence, post easter festivities)

You breifly consider career suicide, defecting, and regular suicide in short order. Pride however wins out. You have a great deal riding on your back, not only your goals and friends, but the future of the human race. This can be overlooked for progress. But something else rises to confound you.

Logging in to CentComp under your credentials you query and browse the information on your pods maintenance cycles. The list is atrociously long, having stretched back to when the pod was first installed during drydock 4 months ago. You spend a few hours fighting through it though, once again compelled to find your doubts put to rest.

After a mountain of all clear checks, and having CentComp bring up references for the pump that failed in your pod, and all the maintenance that went into it for the last 2 weeks you find what you didn't know you were looking for. Your pod when it was assigned to be for you, recieved a retrofit to be as secure as the pods for the admirals, however was decided last minute to be stored in the general officers bay rather than its own chamber for un-specified reasons. Pouring over the footage of the retrofit at first offers no insight, but the footage comes with a ticket addendum. A notice for future repair and replacement for your detox pump. You do another quick query for if the ticket was ever filled, and find that surprisingly CentComp refuses to show you the data for the tickets completion. You ask the computer aloud.

"CentComp, why can I not access the files for Maintenance ticket F-J # 492." You ask slowly, unsure of what the the AI would respond.

After a tense, and unussual 30 second delay CentComp responds. "The ticket information you are looking for has been purged from my database. Without accessing unavailable records from the dockyard I cannot update you on the information you are requesting." The machine chirps.

Well that was unexpected. These tickets don't ever get cleared, they stay in the archive. So you can only be lead to believe it was intentional. But maybe there is a different way to go about this if you have the time or intuition. For the moment however you have part of the answer you need. Your pod was clearly set to fail, and long in advance for any number of reasons you could only guess. Perhaps someone you snubbed for the position on the ship intended you to die in transit? Did someone overhear your interest in the science deck and set you up with an opportunity to explore?

A terrible thought grips you. Did Alexi... His comment from before seemed odd, but did he think you had ulterior motives? But you calm yourself, that was beyond unlikely, this ticket was filed 2 weeks ago, far in advance of his suspicions.

For the moment, you still have most of two days to either delve deeper or return to cryo.

>Follow up with the Maintenance bay
>Return to the Science Bay
>Write in

>>1376668
>Write in
Check who the pot was suppose to be assigned for, or see who took our pod in the admiralty bay. We may have a traitor in the higher ups.....?

>>1376702
Pod*

>>1376668
>>1376702
>>1376705
2nd. Maybe whoever was going to get the pod was deemed unfit for the potluck?

>>1376702
>We may have a traitor in the higher ups.....?
[Shadowrunning intensifies]

>>1376668
>>1376702
This. It's likely some high-ranking person, assuming only they can purge archives. We've only spoken to Stukov and DuGalle, so lets search there.
Of course, it could be DuGalle is pulling the same shit he did to Stukov, showing the zerg in action Or it could be Stukov trying to find out if and what DuGalle is hiding from him

>>1376702
>>1376705
>>1376764
As you sit and wonder at the possibilites, a single technician has the strength of will to interrupt you with a soft knock on the door to your office. Allowing them to enter he asks you a few mundane questions about the current project his crew was working on, aside maintain the fabricators, which was some manner of belt feed for the new mineral enhanced munitions the chicken walkers were to be equipped with, clearly trying his hardest to avoid asking why you were here, unscheduled. Answering him as well as you can you order him to return to his duties, and waiting for him to leave do the same. Having locked your office you make to the officers quarters to find your own, intent on thinking without distractions. The walk seems to be just what you needed and an idea swiftly comes to you. If someone had intended on clearing a spot for either themselves or someone they favored over you, you could likely obtain some insight from finding whose spot you took in the officers cryobay and what happened to the chamber set aside for you.

Reaching your quarters, pouring yourself a glass of resplendent liqueur and sitting at your desk you set to work with enthusiasm. Which unfortunately is swiftly stymied.
Having logged in an looked over the manifests again with CentComp you notice that as far back as the drydock schematics show your current location in the officers bay had belonged to a long line of different unimportant naval men who surely would not be worth the trouble of disposing of you for. You however do make some headway into another avenue. You remind yourself that a space was built and prepared alonside the other admirals, but that after you were transferred from it you had not delved deeper, having at the time been more concerned with following your pod as it was transferred from one place to the other.
Returning to the schematic you are surprised to say the least. Your chamber was scheduled to be re-assigned to a number of different officers, well below your rank, each cycled quickly one across the other before setting at its current occupant. The Chief Science Officer. Doran Routhe...

Now this was downright impossible. Swiftly you queried CentComp aloud.
"CentComp, give me the data regarding Doran Routhe."

The computer hummed, and spat our an even more insane and downright impossible response.

"The Data you have requested is restricted at your access level."

Now, some men might have paled in the face of learning a nearly 300 year old corpse was their Chief Science Officer. You however, were not to be stopped.

"CentComp, as part of maritime law, in the event that the master of this vessel considers that the security or survival or the mission is at catastrophic risk of failure he may under the Superior Naval Powers act secure unfettered information clearance, is that correct?"

CentComp swiftly chirps, "That is correct commander."

You hesitate for a moment. Is this treason?

>Do it
>Stop

>>1376890
>You hesitate for a moment. Is this treason?
No treason here, sonny.
>>1376890
>>Stop
We'll inform DuGalle and Stukov of this and come to a group decision on this. As much as I would like to continue further into the very suspicious person, now's not the time to go through intense shadowrunning.

>>1376906
Why'd you have to be so reasonable. Supporting.

>>1376890
>Do it
The only way the UED wins here is with us at the head. Any treason is for the greater good.

>>1376951
>The only way the UED wins here is with us at the head. Any treason is for the greater good.
This sounds like something the Tau would say.

Regardless, part of the reason why I made my decision at >>1376906 was because
>>1376890
>"CentComp, as part of maritime law, in the event that the master of this vessel considers that the security or survival or the mission is at catastrophic risk of failure he may under the Superior Naval Powers act secure unfettered information clearance, is that correct?"
There's a decent chance we can't scrub that from record, given how serious that would be. Which means if the other's catch wind of this, they'll have our ass on a silver platter for Doran Routhe to enjoy faster than we can sputter "No wait, this isn't treason!"

>>1376906
>>1376913
You stop yourself short of saying the words, deciding now that cards were in your favor to secure your position. Your cunning had served you well in your career, but the games of intrigue inside the UED were no mystery to you.

Having retrieved yourself from foolish curiosity you were returned to thought. If someone posing as Doran had secured themselves a place in the crew, as the Chief Science Officer no less, then DuGalle and Stukov would be well aware, especially Stukov. The next step would be to wait for them to defrost some 30 hours from now and discuss this more intensely. Even if the Admiral were to call rank, or attention to his potential misconduct in the use of maritime law, you have broken no conduct beyond the barest hints of the social contract, and that wasn't worth demotion aside.

All these shenanigans, downing the rest of your drink and savoring it, it all coalesces into an enjoyable nostalgia. Your career as a admiral of your own forces was perhaps not the most famous, but certaintly not uneventful. You enjoy fond memories of similar secrets and their routing among old rivals, and older posts. This all was far and above the most entertaining ethical quandary you had ever encountered.

Daring to pour yourself another you relax a moment, allowing yourself to drift slightly in memory before coming back to your senses.

Mentally arranging all you had learned you laid it before yourself.
You had secured access and knowledge of DuGalles secret weapon no doubt, learned of a possible assassination attempt, and located a mysterious and dubious science officer who had taken your place of importance, all without leaving a lasting trace of malfeasance, after all the manifest was open even at your clearance. Well done Dempsey, you are going places. Feet upon your desk you wonder what would be next in this line of events.

>Request the admirals be defrosted ahead of schedule
>Attempt to contact Centcomm and ask why there is a dead man assigned to your crew
>Attend to more minor duties in the engineering and manufacturing spaces
>Meet with the navigational crew
>Write in

>>1376980
>>Meet with the navigational crew
See if anything needs our attention, if not then we go about our duties.
>>Attend to more minor duties in the engineering and manufacturing spaces

>>1376980
>>Attempt to contact Centcomm and ask why there is a dead man assigned to your crew
Doing this when the information to directly access it wasn't cleared for us probably isn't the best idea, especially with the admirals still in cryobay.
>>Request the admirals be defrosted ahead of schedule
I don't really know the implications of this beyond not getting an extra days worth of beauty sleep, is there anything detrimental to their health from doing this?
>>Meet with the navigational crew
I don't really know what we'll find there, but getting to know our crew and find out more on what we'll do once we make landfall will help. I'll go for this for now unless an anon gets any other ideas.
Then
>Attend to more minor duties in the engineering and manufacturing spaces
If we have any spare time, making sure all our subordinates get what they need will be good.

>>1376980
>Meet with the navigational crew
>Attend to more minor duties in the engineering and manufacturing spaces
Working is always good for cover.

>>1376980
>Well done Dempsey, you are going places.
Not even in our first mission, and already we're in a few conspiracies for this campaign!

>>1376980
>You enjoy fond memories of similar secrets and their routing among old rivals, and older posts.
This makes me interested in learning what Dempsey's career was like before this campaign now.

>>1377001
Having done the necessary reading and prep work for your position on the Aleksander you would know a general overview of the Koprulu sector, its current standing, expected forces, etc. So its completely reasonable you would know who Doran Routhe is from a historical persective, if not who this Routhe or impostor is. And while the records and details are not accessible Ill state outright, that cryochambers existence and their name are not above your regular clearance.

Just felt like clarifying that since I didn't make it as clear as I had wanted.

>>1377017
That's part of taking the Commander route, you don't get the direct action, but you get the direct action if you know what I mean. I mean you have to deal with the constant barrage of bullshit that is human beings and also the logistical hell-scape that is a unestablished, nonfunctioning, nonexistant war economy in the middle of a war.

Actually, just realised what time it is, and that I planned on getting up at a reasonable time tommorow. For now the quest is over. But I shall return Wednesday and run again, for another absurdly long stretch of time. I hope to see all of you again in this thread.

>>1377029
>That's part of taking the Commander route, you don't get the direct action, but you get the direct action if you know what I mean.
So we're not directly involved in the battles in a micro sense, but we're directly involved in the campaign in a macro sense?
>>1377029
>I mean you have to deal with the constant barrage of bullshit that is human beings and also the logistical hell-scape that is a unestablished, nonfunctioning, nonexistant war economy in the middle of a war.
So our job is the corporate equivalent of a XO to keeping everyone's heads in check, and CFO to keeping our lavish expenses from sending us into bankruptcy?
I wonder how good we are at paperwork and accounting compared to the other officers.

>>1377055
Thanks for the run, QM.

>>1377001
If Stukov knows and they laid some traps to capture the mole, then a direct confrontation like this is going to alert the mole and probably piss off alot of the higher ups.

>>1377204
Oh yeah, that'd make sense if Stukov was so concerned for Op Sec.
That might explain what Stukov's self-interrupted comment was at >>1375774
>Ah of course. Well you understand the nature of Op Sec, I was worried for a moment you may have- Never mind.

>>1377055
Where u at qm

This quest is really interesting. Please, do continue when you can.

>>1380707
Ah hell, I was hoping to make it back from my roadtrip before now but I suppose people have already started showing up.

Hello again and welcome to UED Supremecy quest. Ill start writing the next update now.

>>1380765
Nah man I can wait. It's worth it for this fun.

>>1376980
>>1376992
>>1377013
>>1377001

>>Meet with the navigational crew
>>Attend to more minor duties in the engineering and manufacturing spaces

You finish your second glass, and somehow manage to find the strength to resist a third. Your defrost headache is still quite obtrusive and all this stress is only compounding it. Truthfully you would like nothing more than to sit here and drink away your weakness, but the sun is out and so you must make hay.

Putting away your glass and stepping from your desk you see fit to march to the pilot nooks under the Command Deck. Itself a small deck of its own cradled beneath the already heavily reinforced plating and armor of the command deck the pilots space is the second most structurally secure spot on the ship, right after the Admirals pod spaces. You walk is again rather pleasant, more empty sparsely lit halls and few distractions. You arrive and thumb open the doors, much to the terror and surprise of the 3 pilots currently overlooking a game of cards. the space does not have much for room, but it appears a single folding table was migrated here from the mess hall alongside a few chairs from storage. You smirk to yourself as the nearest of the 3 pilots begins muttering some sort of apology or excuse of which you simply wave off.

"I am disappointed my life and the lives of so many others are in such careless hands, but I suppose this fault lies with your superiors for not finding you more stimulating ways to fulfill your duties." You tell the crew ominously, some paling at your implication, before you crack a smirk laugh. At another time you might immediately reprimand these men and have them put to punishment duty but for now they counted their odds well. You would hardly be willing to take the time to thaw their superior on the flight crew, or to retrieve their replacements ahead of their schedule which would only be punishment to them. In short you really have no recourse you care to take, and simply walk away from the buffoonery in front of you. Its not like the ship needed to be steered right now. She was driven nearly entirely by CentComp. They were really just there as an emergency crew.

Instead you turn and leave without addressing the men, they do deserve some laxness for serving such a long and boring shift. The trip across the breadth of the ship the second time is much like the first, a meditative and enjoyable endeavor as you arrive in your office in the manufacturing space and set to work.

Now would be a good opportunity for another timeskip!

>Lets do the timewarp again! Until Alexi and DuGalle are decanted.
>Wait wait, we need to take care of something (write in)

>>1380781
>Wait wait, we need to take care of something (write in)
Holler at the first person we see to go 'requisition' the pilots deck of cards.

>>1380781
>>Wait wait, we need to take care of something (write in)
Can we meet the player UED commander from the Brood War campaign, "The Captain?" Does he exist if we're around or do we replace him as an alternate counterpart? If he's around is he awake or is he still in cryobay?
Since I didn't know much of the Brood War campaign before, I used the intermission time to watch some of the missions and learn more of the lore. The Captain seemed really commendable in his duties so it'd be nice if we could get to know him.

>>1380803
Support

>>1380803
Ooh. I actually expected everyone to ignore the Captains existence, and drop him in as a character once we arrived and he distinguished himself.

For the moment you know the captain, he actually was present with the officers of the ground forces and listened as you took complaints and requests. You can speak to him if you can find good reason too, but for the moment he is just one of 2 ground forces commanders of no particular importance to you

>>1380788
Clever. Whatever the next action is there will be an aside note of us doing this.

>>1380813
Do we have access to the map of the system? It would be good to go over the information we have available so we can rcvoment first targets and places to expect opposition.

>>1380813
>I actually expected everyone to ignore the Captains existence,
Sorry if I ruined a surprise, but when I read your listing of Dugalle's accomplishments last thread at >>1360852, it just sounded too larger than life for me to not investigate. When I then found the Captain's role in the events, he just seemed too awesome to not want to meet even if we don't ever actually hear him speak. I just sort of imagined the Captain as being the UED's equivalent to Master Chief for commanders when watching his gameplay footage.


>>1380813
>he is just one of 2 ground forces commanders
Who's the 2nd one?

>>1380833
>rcvoment
Recommend?

>>1380813
>You can speak to him if you can find good reason too,
>>1380833
2nd. Since our invasion fleet is basically a spec ops strike force in the guise of a conventional fleet, we'll need to make sure we make use of whatever first strike capabilities they have before we get wrecked by attrition.

File: I am eagar to help.jpg (9 KB, 480x360)

9 KB JPG

>>1380781
>Wait wait, we need to take care of something (write in)
Talk to the Valkyrie pilots, I want to discus their ship armaments and experiences, and performance in combat. Or flirt with them. ; )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z56TYzw4Cuw

>>1380833

This, prepare prepare prepare, that way we can be ready for as much as possible and hopefully for a few things we weren't expecting

>>1380813
I'm playing the SC1 Terran campaigns again, I figured we were him or something.

>>1380855
>>1380849

Do we have a master of propaganda? We could spin a pr run saying this fleet is sent to save humanity from the zerg and protoss and run heavy recruitment drives and use those men as our cannon fodder and there resources to supplement what we have and make up for the little we have now. Build those 50 battleships were missing.

>>1380781
>>1380833
>>1380849
>>1380855
>>Wait wait, we need to take care of something (write in)
It also occurred to me that while we discuss preliminary invasion plans, we should also talk about diplomacy with the natives and how to prevent insurgencies once we occupy this region. The biggest folly we could make is giving the natives a common banner to unite against so we'll eventually break under the attrition. Which is what happened to the original invasion fleet.
We should try making sure we ally with the rest of humanity force or act as a neutral party to deal with the Zerg and Protoss before we go back to infighting over politics.

>>1380876
>Do we have a master of propaganda?
The only propaganda run I saw was from the UED news stations. I think we're pretty much suppose to either be the propagandist, or hire one as we're the effective head of personnel.
>>1380876
>We could spin a pr run saying this fleet is sent to save humanity from the zerg and protoss
If the original invasion fleet had bothered to do something like this, their chances would've likely been much better than having the whole region on their ass.

>>1380833
>>1380849
(Hes a nobody who will only come up a few times hopefully, unless some ungodly rolls get the Captain killed.)
>>1380854
There is of course a wait ahead of you. The Valkyries are all currently docked among a few spires and launch decks in the aft of the ship near your engineering space for loading and prep. Basically everyone but a skeleton crew is in cryo right now. But that is not to say you wont get a chance to mingle.
>>1380855
>Wait wait, we need to take care of something (Analyse star charts and prepare juicy targets for plunder)

You spend the next day attending to the duties of your station, helping your standby crew to fill the order for the ground forces nearly to completion, however the munitions are dragging a bit, because you need more manpower for the final integrity checks on the gear which must be inspected by hand. Throughout your time you also enjoy a sparse few drinks and pour over the informational debreifing you missed with the sortie a week ago, and the supplied star charts as well as several more that were locked behind your previously insufficient access.
It seems that there were a few things the admirals wanted to see to immediately after de-warp, particularily a rather large delivery from a ghost fleet very close to your projected arrival space and a detour to a nearby rebel colony. If this place were made a staging point, you have to admit it might be a rather good one being that it was so far on the fringe of contested space and so close to the star lane your own reinforcements would certainly deploy from.

Aside that in the established plans the first true flexing of your forces muscles is scheduled not long after your pick up and duties on Braxis, a frigid colony world with a rather large science and civilian infrastructure. It appears to be the start of the offensive, with Braxis holding a number of secure databases in its capital which would inform future movements, and past that nothing on the retinue.

It would appear that the Admirals are not making to many assumptions in the long planning of the war, and all of that may be left up to you, so setting to work you devise a plan. You know that the system that braxis is in has a few smaller planetoids that were passed for colonization but were never thoroughly surveyed. Your onboard foundries are waiting for raw materials, and if you had to guess these would make juicy first targets.

Also looking over the reports from a nearby spy satellite you see a number reports of renegades running unsanctioned mining operations in the system seeming to substanciate your thoughts that perhaps the planetoids would have worthy ore.

>>1380879
>>1380876
During this discovery you are struck with a thought. How would the Admirals, or the council for that matter feel about a conscript force? Surely the utter madness inflicted in these reports of the various terran worlds destroyed by the Zerg and Protoss alike.
Cont

>>1380879
Let's just lie to there faces. Humanity stands as one now we no longer care if you are pure or mutant these enimies in the stars are far too great a threat. We have come to save you in your time of need and welcome you back to the rest of humanity as brothers.

Also appoint whoever we think would do a good job as head of propaganda. We need to push this shit out fast.

>>1380899
Why do we need to lie? We can give them bare bones freedom and better life. We just gotta be marginally noticeable better than the alternative and they will probably join.

>>1380904
Well if I remember correctly were purists and sent all these guys put there becuase they were mutant variants. We will give them a better life till we win then go right back to heavy opression!

>>1380908
Are we talking games cannon or star wars extended universe crap from books and stuff.

The only thing I can recall about the space rednecks/australians being mutants is that I think in the old guides or handbooks it said that they traveled in poorly shielded ships to the sector and cosmic radiation or w/e. gave some latent physic/physionic powers or something.

And that they sent most convicts and political dissident, and undesirables to colonize the korpruls sector.

>>1380899
>>1380904
>Why do we need to lie?
>>1380908
When we make the propaganda statements we can just make a lie of omission for any mutants because we'll welcome them all during times of war, what happens after is a different story. Which works well with propaganda so long as we don't mention the aftermath for mutants.
>>1380904
>We just gotta be marginally noticeable better than the alternative and they will probably join.
At this point, they most likely will given how war-torn the region is by now.
>>1380899
>We need to push this shit out fast.
Spin this faster than the Goonswarm tried spinning World War Bee a year or so ago.

>>1380929
>Are we talking games cannon or star wars extended universe crap from books and stuff.
The game's canon that's all included in the manual. It's not mentioned in the actual game which is why the UED seems much better and heroic than how it was portrayed in the manual.

>>1380895
It would be easy to drum up support among the scared and divided human ranks. At least thats what you think, but the Balkanization, you hoped to capitalise on was already well taken afvantage of. It seemed that Mengsk, your primary target among the terrans had established a Dominion encapsulating the entirety of the scattered Confederacy and her forces, with only a few wayward exceptions. The exceptions being a mining consortium of some few holdings and a rogue faction of terrans holding a few planets at the edge of terran held space.

Hardly a fit stock for recruiting, though the play with the thought and eventually drop it. You have the means if dedicated to the task to recruit and train new soldiers, but it runs at odds with the Admirals current plans to apparently make use of the zerg, not to mention various questions of purity and honesty. The entire reason these criminals were outcast was their unfitness to take part in civilized society, you would be hard pressed to sell otherwise to the admirals themselves. Having spent a good 12 hours in your space, working hard you desire to retire and spend the evening listening to music and musing in your quarters before resting. However before you depart the manufacturing wing you put in a memo to the maintenance crew for a requisitioning of a very specific deck of cards and smile to yourself. That aught to do the trick.

Its not long now, maybe 4 hours until the admirals defrost, and not long after the rest of the warmup crew, and then the fleet. Any additional plans should be handled now.

>Use your special access while you still have it and tint all the portraits in the Admirals private quarters and fold pages in random books on his shelves.
>Oversee the munitions tests yourself. If you are lacking for manpower you shall make use of your own two hands.
>You have a few dozen hours on record of flight experience right? Why not check out the valkyrie holding bays and see if they were properly put into storage.
>Drink and write memos to the various departments reminding them of their post cryo prep duties. Everyone must be at their best
>Explore the Science bay again, look for something specific (Write in)
>Do whatever takes your fancy, (Write in)

>>1380946
>Oversee the munitions tests yourself. If you are lacking for manpower you shall make use of your own two hands.

Nothing boosts morale like a leader who shows they are willing to get their hands dirty as well

>>1380946
>You have a few dozen hours on record of flight experience right? Why not check out the valkyrie holding bays and see if they were properly put into storage.
Messing with admirals seems funny but will prolly just get someone in trouble.

>>1380939
Oh we should probably inform Alexis and Dugalle that we plan on doing this propaganda campaign And get there support for it. The spec ops especially could be extremely helpful in executing this.

>>1380946
>>1380951
Either this or
>You have a few dozen hours on record of flight experience right? Why not check out the valkyrie holding bays and see if they were properly put into storage.
For leading by example. Personally I think we should go for
>Oversee the munitions tests yourself. If you are lacking for manpower you shall make use of your own two hands.
because this is what our ground forces requested to increase their odds of survival.

>>1380946
>You have the means if dedicated to the task to recruit and train new soldiers, but it runs at odds with the Admirals current plans to apparently make use of the zerg, not to mention various questions of purity and honesty.
Isn't the majority of the Confederacy's and the Dominion's military composed of resocialized criminals? Couldn't we just resocialize them instead? Alternatively, raise them like penal units to swiftly send them to their deaths?
>>1380946
>The entire reason these criminals were outcast was their unfitness to take part in civilized society, you would be hard pressed to sell otherwise to the admirals themselves.
Temporarily use them to deal with the war, then tragically dispose of them like cattle?

>>1380946
>The exceptions being a mining consortium of some few holdings and a rogue faction of terrans holding a few planets at the edge of terran held space.
Are these factions the Kel-Morian Combine and the Umojan Protectorate?
What are our thoughts on Raynor's Raiders?
We should try initiating trade with some of the neutral factions if we aren't willing to ally with them.

>>1380967
Yep. We could try doing what the Raynor's Raiders did and hijack a news station to broadcast a message. Of course, we already have our own news stations to broadcast so it might not be necessary.

>>1380946
>Oversee the munitions tests yourself. If you are lacking for manpower you shall make use of your own two hands.

>>1380946
>you would be hard pressed to sell otherwise to the admirals themselves.
>>1380967
>>1380968
It occurred to me that if we aren't using the propaganda campaign to recruit more followers to our side, we could use it to instead fracture the factions' cohesiveness and increase their odds of infighting. Raynor's Raiders seemed to a pretty good job of that in Starcraft 2.

>>1380946
>>1380968

Yeah it certainly would be easy to convince them if we plan on treating them like penal batallions and afterwords deal with them. We have no intent on raising these mutants and degenerates beyond there station. Just the mere illilusion of it. As well I'm sure mengsk hasn't been doing the best job saving humanity from the aliens and a new face on the block with big promises would do quite well i imagine.

Im going to be handling a few things for the next hour or so, so in the mean time feel free to discuss our next course of action while I get this done.

>>1381007
Got it, boss.

>>1380978
>a new face on the block with big promises would do quite well i imagine.
Are we going to pull a Mengsk and do pretty much what he did to the Terran Confederacy?
>>1380978
>We have no intent on raising these mutants and degenerates beyond there station.
Can we still keep some that we take a liking to, like Talion might from Shadow of Mordor?

>>1381016

Yeah we will beat him at his own game. I mean comon were earth's representatives the best they have to send to save these poor poor bastards we will look like saints to them. You know until the clensing.

Yeah I guess we can keep raynor and any Wifu we happen to find but I doubt the admirals would be happy.

How should we leverage the knowledge we should not have? Also, our cryorig malfunction.

>>1380946
>t least thats what you think, but the Balkanization, you hoped to capitalise on was already well taken afvantage of.
>>1380968
>>1381025
I just remembered what the term I was trying to use for earlier for diplomacy with the other factions was, allies of convenience. We can do so under the guise of being on a mission to save humanity, which is our original reason we got sent to the Koprulu Sector. We'll form a coalition with the rest of the human factions for basically the reasons of “Humanity #1.” The “Humanity Fuck Yeah” sentiment is probably stronger than wanting to buddy up with the Protoss or the Zergs, and will make us look much better than any other factions that happens to decline our generous offers. Once the war is over with the Protoss and Zerg, we start purging the rest of the factions to secure our hold over the region.

>>1381025
>How should we leverage the knowledge we should not have?
What knowledge would that be? Currently I'm referring to knowledge Dempsey already knows.
>>1381047
>cryorig
Cryopod?
>>1381047
>Also, our cryorig malfunction.
We'll introduce it as part of the evidence of the assassination attempt once we have a group meeting with the admirals.

>>1380908
>>1380939
I went over the Prima strategy guide and the little booklet that gives overviews on the new broodwar units and a bit of lore aftermath and none of that adds up or makes sense.

In the -terminal agenda-
Dugalle and the UED fleet were put together and sent to the Korprulul sector mainly in response to the zerg and protoss invasions, where before they were content to silently observe from afar.

>>1381060
Can we not inject our views and agenda into this quest and let it take a more natural course with the story growth?

>>1381080
What views are we injecting we are simply pushing the dogma of the UED

>>1381070
I'm referring to the wiki and some other sites for my source and apparently it's from the StarCraft: Brood War (Manual). None of that is included in said manual? I'm guessing the booklet you're referring to is the manual?

>>1381080
These aren't my views, this is what my understanding of what the UED's views and thereby Dempsey's views are and writing accordingly. I may be mistaken since I don't actually have a physical copy of the game on my to confirm whatever I'm looking at.
Also, before jumping to conclusions on politics, please ask because that's simply insulting to a quester.

>>1381083
>>1381085
Well when take the lead in plotting the story like this before it happens, it tends to make it shift from creative writing and storytelling to more of a predictive fiction that feels less "organic" that we already know the ending to.

It tends to take away the initiative from the storyteller and make it so that we try to tell the story which tends to have a immersion break and a cognitive disconnect, since the people coming up with the story and the writing are two or more different people. Its like reading a book that you wrote compared to being read a book that you haven't heard before.

That's just my perspective.

As for lore and the wiki, I think things from all over the lore from comics and books, to Starcraft 2 story are added into it, so it may be a bit different from the OC source material. Since we have not even started broodwar story time yet, I'm not sure if we should adopt(metagame) their later polices.

I'm speaking to both of you generally so I apologize if its indirect.

>>1381146
I've never actually played brood war and such don't know much about what's going to happen. I'm really basing my strategy on what our guy knows. I don't think we're plotting the story in any way just planning for our overarching plans which is basically our characters job description so I don't think we're doing anything wrong.

And the UED come In right at the start of brood war im pretty sure then die in it and disappear.

>>1381146
>Well when take the lead in plotting the story like this before it happens, it tends to make it shift from creative writing and storytelling to more of a predictive fiction that feels less "organic" that we already know the ending to.
I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about, I'm only providing suggestions or commands in the context of what Dempsey already knows and what is relevant to him. This is relevant because we're planning the start of the invasion and any good invasion plan would involve knowing whose asses you kick and whose you don't.
Whether it will actually work or not is up to the QM and the rest of the questers and I'll try to roll with it as best as I can. This isn't a definitive plan by any stretch, more like a brainstorming session.
>>1381146
>That's just my perspective.
That's fine.
>>1381146
>As for lore and the wiki, I think things from all over the lore from comics and books, to Starcraft 2 story are added into it, so it may be a bit different from the OC source material.
Possibly, it says it's the canon manual when I'm looking at the sources for what I'm currently referring to, and said information should be historically common knowledge to any UED citizen if it’s true.
>>1381146
>Since we have not even started broodwar story time yet, I'm not sure if we should adopt(metagame) their later polices.
That's the stuff I'm spoilering in the discussion as a comparison. However, they said as much that the invasion fleet is insufficient for an actual invasion and they're pretty much placing all their eggs in one basket, the secret weapon. We ourselves don't know much of the secret weapon because were locked out of it and didn't bother investigating further for discretion to actually trust its supposedly game-changing role.
>>1381146
>I'm speaking to both of you generally so I apologize if its indirect.
That's fine.
>>1381159
This is pretty much my sentiments.

Back, just reading over things and doing prep work.
The drive back from my folks place was kind of rough, and I had to get gas. Happy post-Easter everyone.

>>1381159
>>1381163
Ah darn, I guess I can't ask either of you, if you guys would so happen to have unmolested copies of "hidden missions" from then.

>>1381176
Find any Easter eggs?

>>1381177
>Ah darn, I guess I can't ask either of you, if you guys would so happen to have unmolested copies of "hidden missions" from then.
I didn't know what hidden missions were until you mentioned them, but now that I looked them up, I'm sorry to say I can't provide some of that dank lost content. They might have that in some torrents somewhere, but I probably won't be allowed to say anymore than that in this board even if I knew.

>>1381176
>Happy post-Easter everyone.
Happy post-Easter, QM.

>>1380946
(Before I left it looked to be a tie between the munitions test and the valkyrie bay, seems to be the same now. You have time for both before the admirals defrost but Ill warn you, you wont have time for anything else.

Also in regards to playstyle and lore usage, I draw on everything. All the comics, all the books, all the manuals, and the games. Anything and everything is fair game.

Also I leave a >write in option for basically every post, so if anyone has concerns about wether this should be my solo show or a group effort, there is your answer. I will provide an ambient running line of events that will for the most part proceed unless interupted, but you guys get to decide if that shit gets interupted, or if things stay the course. Joint effort. And maybe a little grand standing on my part. Hoo-ah.)

>>1380946
>Oversee the munitions tests yourself. If you are lacking for manpower you shall make use of your own two hands.
My vote is for this because I really want to make sure our ground forces get what they need, especially since they requested this stuff.

>>1381258
>(Before I left it looked to be a tie between the munitions test and the valkyrie bay, seems to be the same now.
Currently it seems munitions test won now. I can count the votes if you want.

>>1381258
Thanks for the clarification, QM.

>>1380946
>Oversee the munitions tests yourself. If you are lacking for manpower you shall make use of your own two hands.
Given your own understanding of things, the firing range is a mostly simplified hands off facility, load, fire, and forget as far as testing goes. That said you realize quite swiftly there is no reason this order cant be filled on time. You want to advance in rank, you get persistent. Stepping from your quarters and proceeding back the the manufacturing space you immediately call a group up of the attendants and technicians on the trip crew, some 30 odd men and a few sparse women. Talking it through you designate a few hours and having organised the men into a more effective group have a supply line of the munitions and equipment flowing from the bay where the auto-lathes dumped them to the firing range, a few men running loaders back and forth between, while you and the others swiftly assemble the various man mounted launchers on their various positions for the firing pistons to use.

After roughly an two and a half hours you and your men have tested the vast majority of the randomly picked munitions, and enjoying the explosive tests can adequately designate the order fit for service. You notice immediately a lot of the crew getting warming with you, some over stepping minor bounds between officers and their subordinates, and you aren't sure its a bad thing. If these men talk about the extra work you put in it might just motivate the rest of the crew after they defrost, similarily, if it reaches the ground forces that their munitions were tested personally under your supervision, an act that scarcely occurs, you are sure there will be no shortage of morale on Braxis.

Attending to a few signatures and handshakes, you then set off from the manufacturing bay and head the short distance to the valkyrie dry dock one space over from you. At first you think that you hear talking as you approach one of the two bays, but as you open the doors to the space, you notice you are in fact mistaken. It wasn't talking per-say but the ships announcement system playing an anthem overhead. The wording isn't english, which strikes you as odd, but it sounds strikingly similar to the UED anthem, so you are not sure if it is seditious. You are however sure that someone managed to leave that playing for the duration of the trip, wasting power and now your time. Taking an interior lift to the control tower opposite the many racks holding spare components, and the deck itself loaded with carefully loaded and packed valkyries and step inside the control room. To your non-surprise you find that the only panel still active is the maintanence panel, and stepping to its holographic display you turn off the testing feature for the deck speakers. You get it now, using the feature in conjunction with a replaced music file turns the alerts system into a massive stereo system. An interesting workaround. You might need that trick later.
cont.

>>1381309
Having seen to that minor nuisance you boot the rest of the station enough that you can access the diagnostics panel, and do a quick once over of the checklist the last operater used and see that for the most part the valkyries were all loaded without incident, and staring down over the space from your vantage point you can see the nearly 2 dozen vessels are secured properly. Nodding to yourself you set notice for the next operator to inform them of your visit and dissatisfaction, and send a reprimand to... Oh. For a moment you had forgotten. You handle reprimands for this post, technically it is in your space, being between one of the engineering and manufacturing spaces. You delete the memo and make a stern notice instead and opt to give the operator a days punishment duty to return to. Satisfied you shut down the panels again and return down the lift, quickly making the walk to the other hangar bay. This time however things are in somewhat better order, although before you can even approach the over-watch tower you notice that there are several carts and small hauling vehicles that were not properly restored to their storage location. Sloppy, but not the end of the world. Proceeding to the top and duplicating your former actions you leave a reprimand for the ill-stored vehicles and proceed to leave.

What would this ship be without you. These were supposed to be the best of the best that humanity has to offer. Checking your watch you note that the first round of defrostings will occur in just a few minutes and the admirals will be available. Thoughts drift again to the idea of what to do with the renegades. Intel had suggested that there was a running rebellion among the dominion, and the council had included in its briefing to you that your ultimate goal for these Terrans was to put them under effective UED rule. Perhaps you have formulated a better response to offer to the admirals. A few brigades of rebels fighting for us, against more of our supposed targets would only take more death away from our own troops wouldn't it? And openly arraying ourselves against the Dominion, which the renegade nations had already arrayed against wouldn't be hard to sell once you had established a strong presence. Perhaps its worth reconsidering after-all.

>Wait at the cryobays for the Admirals
>Wait at the Primary Bridge for the Admirals
>Wait in your office and run the manufacturing space as the woken crew emerge until the Admirals notice you are awake.

and tertiary to that

>Bring up the idea of a subjugate coalition of local human powers. The Idea would take a considerable amount of casualties away from our fleet and only speed up the conquest if successful.
>Do not mention the coalition Idea
>Bring up questions about the shadow fleet and what we shall be bringing aboard.
>Mention both
>Bring up the Science Bay and mention the zerg
>Bring up the Science Bay but play that you know nothing.
>Dont bring it up

and
>Write in

>>1381342
Are there any other duties for us to attend to? We finished the request for the drones and infantry ordinances. The Valkyrie holding bays are already packaged. Are there any memos that are outdated for the departments?

and tertiary to that
>Request to speak in a more private and secured area for a meeting.
>Mention both
>Bring up the Science Bay but play that you know nothing.
>Do ask if whatever the Science Bay is doing is something we can rely on though.
>Bring up our cryopod failure, which is why we woke up early.
Mention the ideas we can plausibly come with on our own, but not the ones that would require secret access that they didn't grant to us yet.
We should ask if we should be putting our eggs in one basket if the Science Bay is really the keystone of our plan, and if we should be coming up with alternatives in the meantime.
Dempsey being the Logistics Commander and the military equivalent to a CFO should know better than anyone else on how risky it is to concentrate all of one's investments like that.

>>1381309
>>1381342
All this writing of industrial efficiency is giving me an industry boner. Is this what it feels like to be an XCOM head engineer?

>>1381342
>bring up the idea a subjugated coalition of local human powers. For front line troops and the collection of raw resources to build the fleet we lack.
>mention the shadow fleet

>do not bring it up!
We've asked enough questions

>>1381366
Def breing up cryopod failure and the dead scientist tho

>>1381342
>>1381366
>>1381373
>We've asked enough questions
Oh yeah, good point. We can ask about the Science Bay once we deal with possible saboteurs in our midsts.

>Wait in whichever area we can fulfill most of our spare duties in.
I'm guessing that's our office to write out more memos, but it could be elsewhere for other reasons. The Admirals can come on their own time if they're busy.

>>1381373
>Def breing up cryopod failure and the dead scientist tho
Oh yeah, also the dead scientist.

>>1381342
>>1381366
>>1381373
>>1381377
Oh wait, now I'm actually worried. If the possible saboteur already sabotaged our pod which is already as secured as the other admirals' but in the general officers bay, should we wait in the Admirals' Cryobay first to make sure they didn't get sabotaged? Or would that make the possible saboteur more suspicious that we caught onto their plans?

>>1381342
>Wait in your office and run the manufacturing space as the woken crew emerge until the Admirals notice you are awake.

>Bring up the idea of a subjugate coalition of local human powers. The Idea would take a considerable amount of casualties away from our fleet and only speed up the conquest if successful.

>Dont bring it up

>Write in
Perhaps we can try to gather more info on the potential mole, and maybe it can be used to our advantage further?

>>1381342
>>1381366
>>1381377
>>1381412
>Perhaps we can try to gather more info on the potential mole, and maybe it can be used to our advantage further?
Hm. Come to think of it, we got most of our evidence just by referencing item reports in our office. We could probably keep doing that to see if we can dig up any more dirt.

>>1381390
It could also backfire and give a readily available pastey for the spy to point the finger at.... Us.

We were already doing suspicious things like breaking norms and customs, took liberties with our free roaming authority, and found things we have no business finding out. If the spy is a high ranking person, they can overrule us and point the finger with little repercussion.

Lets just have the Adjutant run diagnostics and bios, and watch for any discrepancies.

>>1381433
Yeah that works too.

>>1381342
>>1381390
>>1381442
>Lets just have the Adjutant run diagnostics and bios, and watch for any discrepancies.
That sounds like the safe way to make sure the Admirals are safe without making us seem suspicious, let's go with that.

>>1381453
I think we can do both since it'll all by done from our computer terminal right? Saving the human race from our office one sip of coffee at a time.

>>1381465
>I think we can do both since it'll all by done from our computer terminal right?
Yeah, I think so. I meant adding on to what my previous commands were, so I probably should've clarified that.

>>1381465
>Saving the human race from our office one sip of coffee at a time.
Lol. So we're the almighty desk jockey or office drone?

>>1381467
Only when we have time to sit back and ponder if the pen is indeed mightier.

>>1381342
>Wait at the Primary Bridge for the Admirals
>Mention both
>Dont bring it up
>talk about pod failure and the possible enemy agent

>>1381433
>>1381447
(Alright, stick in the office a bit and follow up more on the espionage. Two birds! One stone!)

You have had a long run of walks, but there is always something that needs doing.

Swiftly the ground is covered between you and your office in the primary manufacturing deck, and you call up CentComp to again set to work.

"CentComp, bring me up vitals on the Admirals, and see if I ever received a message from the maintenance crew." You add realizing that it had been nearly a day and a half since you had sent your notice and not bothered to see if it was responded too.

What you receive on your display is a rather concise list of vital details, and a notice that the Admirals pod had successfully decanted its occupant a few minutes ago. Reading further you see that the vice-admiral is actually cycling to begin his thaw right now. Good to know they didn't suffer any setbacks as you did, but that still leaves one thing. Thumbing away those documents you are greeted with a plain maintenance form, devoid of apologies or excuses. Your pod is clearly finished in its repairs though. This ruffles your feathers a bit. The maintanence bay does fall somewhat under your jurisdiction so you send a very harshly worded notice, and a reprimand to the crew active when you were decanted. Clearly the pilots weren't the only ones lounging around. And about the robotic drone assistants. You make short work of accessing the drone bay network, and see unsurprisingly the vast majority were busy for the last 18 hours doing god only knows what in the Science bay. Well that answers some things.

Turning to the pod room reserved by the late earth scientist you do a little more digging into that particular repair log. A long long list of repairs pops up, apparently to some arcane and very specific set of non-regulation improvements, most of which serve no more purpose than to rather expensively aid its occupant, whoever that is, in waking up more comfortably. Now things seem a little bit more clear. Whoever the good doctor is clearly has no qualms wasting man power or resources for extravagent comforts. Well, at least outside the normal comforts a high station enjoys like good drinks and nice paintings. But still, a note to be made.

You have just a little bit of time left. If you left now and walked with urgency you could make it to the command bridge before the Admirals.

>Wait for them to notice you
>Go to the Command Bridge and mention the Coalition, and the dead doctor, and shadow fleet
>Go to the Bridge and mention the coalition and shadow fleet.

>>1381342
>>1381366
>>1381377
>>1381390
>>1381442
>>1381453
So far my adjusted command is:
>Wait in your office and run the manufacturing space as the woken crew emerge until the Admirals notice you are awake.
>Investigate into the potential saboteur further from our office. Look for discrepancies in manifests and tickets.
>Ask the Adjutant to run a diagnostics and bios on the Admirals Cryobay to monitor their condition, watch for any discrepancies.
Counter-espionage accounting ahoy!

and tertiary to that
>Bring up the idea of a subjugate coalition of local human powers. The Idea would take a considerable amount of casualties away from our fleet and only speed up the conquest if successful.
Mention ways to improve our invasion odds to make our life easier. Not really related to logistics, but they’ll probably give us access to their resources that we can use.
>Bring up questions about the shadow fleet and what we shall be bringing aboard.
Discuss if there are any other duties for us to do as the Logistics Commander to prepare for this event. This seems like a logistics manner.
>Dont bring it up
Science Bay is top secret stuff, keep that for until we got more dirt on the saboteur.

>>1381475
>Only when we have time to sit back and ponder
Such is the life of a Logistics Commander.

>>1381493
> go to the command bridge and mention the coalition dead doctor a shadow fleet. But make sure to mention why we noticed the dead doctor starting with us waking up early and figuring out why and how it led us there Try to be less suspicious.

>>1381493
>If you left now and walked with urgency you could make it to the command bridge before the Admirals.
Will we miss something if we just wait for them to come to us? This option sounds pretty important.

>>1381493
>Whoever the good doctor is clearly has no qualms wasting man power or resources for extravagent comforts.
How decadent! In the military, no less!
If only this scientist could be as spartan as us.

>>1381493
>>Wait for them to notice you
>>Wait for senpais to notice you
FTFY

>>1381507
>Wait for them to notice you
I'm willing to bet my trust in stukov....

>>1381547
Hm. For now I think nothing bad will happen if we just let them continue their routines and have them come to us once they're done. We can continue to dig up more dirt in tickets and manifest in the meantime I'd suppose.
>>1381493
>>1381524
>Wait for them to notice you
If I'm not around to put a vote later and read any clarifications.

>>1381547
>I'm willing to bet my trust in stukov....
Didn't we just recently meet Stukov before we went into cryostasis though? I'm not sure how long we knew him for before we went into the ship.

>>1381555
>>1381561
Ill keep this as the decision for next time, and sorry about the short notice but I am juggling quite a few things at the moment. Ill call it here and restart the session this thursday, or if no one is around come friday and finish this thread.

As a reference Ill be making new threads mondays, as always, and will keep track of these in the archive. Ill write a cap post in a little but, but until tommorow there wont be any other updates.

>>1381493
>>1381555
Oh yeah. If there's not anymore stuff to look through for that repair log trail, we can look in manifests with a word filter for "Doran Routhe" to see if happened to have appropriated any stuff for any nefarious deeds. There's a decent chance either he or a minion took some maintenance uniforms and toolbox to do this sabotage.

>>1381493
>Wait for them to notice you
Let's roll with the punches, for now. Best not to attract too much heat.

>>1381597
>Ill call it here and restart the session this thursday, or if no one is around come friday and finish this thread.
Thanks for the session, QM.
>>1381597
>sorry about the short notice but I am juggling quite a few things at the moment.
It's fine. Personally, I'm just glad you haven't flaked yet. You've been relatively consistent with your posts and punctuality so far.

>>1381597
Eyes open...hands reaching for the release lever... too early to come out of cryosleep... must escape the tube...

Eyes open... awakening from cryosleep...

>>1381597
Yo qm if your around I'm around.

Its a friends birthday today so Ill be out and about most of the day. Rather than leave nothing, I'm going to make that cap post I passed out without writing last night.

Going to do a quick recount but i was pretty sure waiting won, though some wonky formatting makes it hard to tell. Expect just one post for today.

>>1383625
Ok cool enjoy the celebrations!

>>1383625
Enjoy

>>1383625
Have fun, QM.

>>1383625
Entirely unacceptable, QM. Get back to work and write our script! *grin*

You have done quite a bit of walking and working the last day and a half. All things considered, you owe yourself a break. You have plenty of time to talk to the admirals.

Instead you sit and maintain your station, and as the first hour passes you see a few more of the manufacturing space crew log into their posts from your computer. It seems a small prep crew has defrosted with the admirals to ready the ship for arrival. You notice several orders pass to you from your Head of Requisitions, a few for cookware for the mess, a few for extra blankets, snow gear, some winter modifications for the various armor elements of the ground forces, things of that nature. It seems that a larger contingent of our forces than expected will be deployed to Braxis, including several walker and armored divisions. The Cronus Wing will definitely be happy with the added allocations, although you aren't sure why these additions are being made now. Perhaps some new report was received by the admirals and they made an executive decision on the matter.

Whatever the case, it seems quite appropriate. You are certain if you were a member of the ground forces you would approve anyway.

You continue to maintain your work, approving various orders, directing struggling crew, and overlooking expenditures for the space when an odd order passes by your terminal. It appears that a quarter ton of refined gold, 2 tons of zinc, and a half ton of copper as well as a few pieces of ordinance are being transferred to one of the auxiliary docking bays. You are hesitant to okay the orders, as even if the zinc is an acceptable loss, the gold and copper has a variety of industrial uses and slightly cuts into your expected expenditures. That much refined metal could be used to print circuits and mold wires for nearly a half dozen walkers or fighters, which could make the difference in a close battle. Your hands are tied however when you see the order is directly from the Command Bridge, and was requisitioned by the admirals themselves. You worry for a moment they might be skimming supplies for another secret project, but you remember reading the report that you were to meet with a shadow fleet. Likely these materials were specially requested for repairs or other matters. Seeing fit to do so you okay the order and organize a significant portion of your crew from each of the engineering and manufacturing spaces and set them to loading haulers and transferring the materials. Not long afterwards, maybe 4 hours later, feeling a bit tired and ready to retire from your post, a new message appears on your terminal. You are being asked to attend a meeting between the admirals and the commanders of the Cronus and Atlas Wings. Sighing quietly to yourself, retrieving a cup of coffee from the small break room aside your office, and starting the walk, you make your way to the command bridge.

And that is the little bit we get for today. Ill be here bright and early tomorrow for the quest to continue!

>>1385271
Hmm.. well then, I guess we'll know the plan soon.

>>1385271
1) Does Jack have access to any intelligence report that would warrant the need for a larger contingent of forces that are soon to be deployed to Braxis? 2) What was the strength estimate of Confederate forces on Braxis prior to deployment and how has that data been updated or changed? 3) If the admirals are indeed conducting a clandestine operation unbeknownst to Jack, and if such an operation were not given the green light by the upper echelon of UED brass, would Jack be seen as the pasty, given that he gave his stamp of approval for the atypical allocation of resources? ... he would want to know the answers to these questions prior to making it to the command bridge.

>>1385271
>All things considered, you owe yourself a break.
>Instead you sit and maintain your station, and as the first hour passes you see a few more of the manufacturing space crew log into their posts from your computer.
>Instead you sit and maintain your station,
>Dempsey's concept of a "break" involves doing more work.
Is Dempsey a workaholic perchance? I've noticed the long stretches and level of work he seems to do and how nonchalantly he handles it all with a cup of coffee. He seems downright enthusiastic, even. Especially after a successful day's work.

>>1386617
Dude we've been up for 2 days strait now. We're fucking such a workaholic how do you think we got this position.

>>1386624
A little bit of hyperbole. You did have a standard 6 hour sleep cycle after last nights shenanigans, but it was easy to miss since that was 1, maybe 1 and a half sentences in that post.
>>1386617
I like to imagine him at having mastered his profession. To him doing paper work is second nature, and as hes flawlessly completing forms he is just resting his feet for the things he really wants to do.
>>1386307
Jack knows that Braxis is the first real military target for the Expedition. Its a semi-fortified research world so he really isn't expecting or dismissing any possibilities.
Braxis was never really mentioned in the lore before broodwar, and even then its predominion history is scarce, that said, prevailing headcannon on my part is it was a research installation that grew outward as its clearance varied. Never had the biggest of military presences until the Great War and everything went to hell. And as far as treasonous shennanigans, Dempsey is basically just betting on the admirals. He has no proof what they are doing is part of the plan, he was never informed, so the best informed decision he can make is follow the chain of command and make up a good excuse where needed.

ALSO I'M BACK BABY

>>1386645
Yay your back

>>1386657
Let's get started.

>>1386657
Your stroll is somewhat less contemplative than your previous few, and you notice several military police as you walk the halls to the briefing room. Perhaps some manner of altercation had taken place in the cryobays similar to your own mishap, or perhaps for some other unknown reason. You hardly have the time to bother wondering as before long you find yourself before the doors of your destination. Thumbing the pad and entering you see that DuGalle has already arrived and is waiting, along with the Commander from the Cronus Wing.

Taking a chair you sit and take in your suroundings. This is the same meeting room where you had your discussion with the officers a week prior, a round room with a few dozen chairs and a great deal of standing space around a central dias with a podium and a computer terminal, as well as several fittings for holographic projectors, nearest to you is the commander who is trying his best to appear interested despite clearly still recovering from his time in the cryobay. Standing near the podium is the Admiral himself who is looking somewhat angry, and appears to be directing his gaze towards you. Granted he always seems to be dour when dealing with anything, but some of that seems to be directed at you. It appears that the meeting is waiting on the commander of the Atlas wing and Alexi Stukov to arrive.

For the moment, and I appologize seeing as we already had this vote, but I want to try something new that I tried to do last thread. use a strawpoll.

http://www.strawpoll.me/12795923
Multiple answers allowed

>>1386740
>For the moment, and I appologize seeing as we already had this vote, but I want to try something new that I tried to do last thread. use a strawpoll.
What's the poll for? Why can't we just have it in the thread?

>>1386740
One problem with straw poll is no write ins

>>1386743
Just trying something new
>>1386746
And that I realized the moment I posted the update.

If anyone wanted to suggest a write in and everyone agrees on it in thread I would of course be willing to add that too. This is after all just a first attempt at something.

>>1386740
>Multiple answers allowed
>>1386746
>>1386750
Another problem with straw poll is that it doesn't allow ranking votes to indicate preference to my memory, so they're all treated as the same value.

>>1386740
>>1386757
>>1386750
Also I apparently can't change my vote after I've already made it. I misclicked Dugalle instead of Stukov in the poll.

>>1386750
>http://www.strawpoll.me/12795923
I strongly prefer the strawpoll and would encourage it to be used as often as possible. Very good addition. (I mistakenly thought that such polls were already in place... didn't realize that they were new.) Keep it.

>>1386757
>>1386853
Well the poll has served its purpose this time, I might bring it back for other similar decisions.
Anyway, writing.

File: xprot3prev.jpg (62 KB, 640x480)

62 KB JPG

>>1386740
You decide to bide your time. There would be no sense in having this conversation twice and Stukov you suspect has questions as well as answers.
You relax and finish your coffee over the next few minutes when you are interrupted by the deck shuddering, and the characteristic sound of the drive rings powering down. It would appear that at long last you are in the Koprulu sector proper. No sooner has the ship entered real-space than do the doors open, and Stukov flanked by the Atlas Wing Commander enter.

Stukov is wearing a rather different outfit than you are used to seeing him in, apparently having walked directly from the science corp he is still in his regular admiralty attire but without his pea coat. Quite an odd look, but you assume he was in a hurry after removing quarantine gear. You see the Cronus wing commander eyeing Stukov as well but saying nothing. The space forces commander takes a seat between you and the other, and Alexi marches to DuGalle and the two share a few words you cannot hear before Alexi stands back and takes a seat behind him. DuGalle Clears his throat, taking yourself and the commanders to attention, offering a salute to your superior office which he nods to and you release.

DuGalle starts, "Gentlemen, I have provided to all of your stations upon your arrival to this room a new and updated dossier. As you are all aware our intelligence gathering in these systems has been ongoing for some time. Even before the public announcement that the colonies existed. We have maintained certain assets inside of the Koprulu Sector including spy satellites and a single outpost which has to this point remained entirely undetected." He checks something on his console and a small projection of a small Zerg creature appears aside him. "However, as of a few hours ago that outpost was discovered by a wing of pirates, evacuated, and destroyed. Originally this was to be our staging post for our operations hench forth, but now we are forced to take a more mobile position. We are near to a rendezvous point with a shadow fleet consisting of locally sourced vessels, purchased or manufactured to our needs from a previous operation which you are now cleared to know about." He eyes you and each of the commanders before continuing. "These vessels have been critical in the acquisition of study subjects and materials, and will now be merging with our own fleet."
Turning his gaze directly to you, he continues again. "Mr Dempsey, you will be receiving a series of specifications for a new suite of modifications that our existing mechanical and air forces will be receiving to make use certain materials which though common in this space, were previously too rare to put into use in our manufacturing processes. In addition you have been provided a report on mineral surveys dictating what we know of local topography and space."
He then turns to the Cronus and Atlas commanders.
Continued

>>1386952
"You gentlemen may notice that in the new forces being allotted to your wings from the shadow fleet are of an inferior quality to our own vessels. This is to be expected for all future manufactured vehicles and vessels. Unfortunately in order to maintain our technological superiority, until our own dedicated facilities can be formed, we cannot spare any of our schematics for local captured industry centers. You will have to make due with any replacement gear these facilities can produce, as we will likely outstrip the production capacity of the Aleksander swiftly." He half turns and spares Alexi a look, at which he stands and takes a place next to him, adjusting his cap.

"As to the greatest part of this meeting, I hand the floor to our Vice-Admiral Alexi Stukov, who will be our master of covert and science operations." He says stepping aside after tapping a few more buttons on the console.

Several vessel profiles, and a brief breakdown of their capabilities is projected on the opposite side of the zerg creatures. All of them appear to be rather archaic designs, clearly the local shadow fleet.

Alexi takes the floor and speaks quickly.
"I understand this may come as a surprise to you all, but as a part of our mission here, we must start analysis of the Zerg bio forms immediately, and the primary focus of the fleet we are set to meet with was the acquisition of living samples. When we meet with them we will receive a large shipment of these creatures aboard the Aleksander, though many will remain on the shadow fleet until we have need of them. As is outlined in the Cronus dossier, our long term goals now include the weaponizing of this race as a supplement to your forces. Make yourself acquainted with it as soon as possible commander." At this the Commander nods though otherwise remains silent.

Finishing Alexi speaks, "The first engagement on Braxis will commence sometime in the next 48 hours. We will be running another sortie on a local colony, which myself and the Admiral will be overseeing. All three of you are to become familiar with the new information available to you, and to prepare for the taking of Braxis as you see fit. You are dismissed." He says bluntly, turning off the projectors and moving to leave with DuGalle.

Taking your chance, as the other commanders stand and leave to review their new orders you approach the two Admirals, DuGalle having seemingly expected you gives you an indecipherable look, and Stukov noticing with a smirk turns to see you as well.

"Commander Dempsey! I was hoping the meeting would answer your questions but it seems to not be the case." He straightens his cap slightly and offers you a handshake as you approach which you take and return, also offering a salute to each of your superiors.

Alexi continues, "You know, you weren't originally supposed to be part of this meeting. I was actually quite surprised to see you were out of cryosleep early. Come, walk with us."
Continued

>>1387009
You continue to receive that odd look from DuGalle as Stukov speaks, but he says little, merely chiming that he too was surprised at your initiative to return to your duties.
However you were not here to discuss your work.
You broach the topics of interest quickly as the three of you march to the observation deck nearby.
"Yes, speaking of which it was actually an unintentional matter which lead to my early awakening. I have a few questions regarding the Shadow Fleet, as well as other matters."
DuGalle speaks at this.
"You have received a quite thorough document about the shadow fleet Mr Dempsey. Why trouble us with this I wonder."

You continue, "It is not to trouble you, but I have rather specific questions. I read up on the fleet in my previously sent debriefing, but was wondering about just how long they had been active out here. I was not aware there was a physical UED presence or any servicemen already deployed."

Stukov interjects this time as the three of you reach a deck you have never been to before, far more furnished than the other observation deck you visited.
"Ah, of course I should have known as much. You take a commendable amount of initiative Dempsey, you were clearly the right man for this job." He moves to a oaken humidor and pouring himself a glass of strong drink and removing a cigar, returns to you.
"Yes, it is not public knowledge but we have been preparing to retake the colonies for some time, it seems that this business with first contact has merely sped things up. I was not even aware until I was selected for this mission." He lights his cigar after this, taking a long look at the quiet burst of a few distant warp space drives. Clearly the Shadow fleet accelerating towards the Aleksander.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ss1iQFrNus

DuGalle turns to you know, speaking up, "It had been previously decided that this would be mission solely for my own undertaking, however as we all now know, matters have flown far out of hand." He looks morosely out at the fleet. "The chaos and slaughter out here is unlike anything we have ever encountered. I aught to have been here years ago in truth. If my own forces had been allowed to deal with first contact, well." You see his sour mood turn somewhat darker. "Things would have turned out better."

You take the somber silence of the two admirals, and let it steep a moment before continuing. "I had other questions, pertaining to the colonies themselves."

Alexi puffs his cigar, and replacing it for a swig of his drink turns to you. "I am thinking I may know what you have in mind Commander."

You continue. "A Coalition. Our forces seem as if they may be adequate for the Dominion itself, and though I do not like the news we will be using Zerg-" You are interupted by DuGalle.

"Disgraceful act that it is. We aught to have had a more proper force assembled by now. I can trust my own men more than these rabid dogs. Continue Dempsey." He nearly spits.

Somewhat unnerved you continue.

>>1387058
"It would appear there are forces which have not assembled under the false emperor. Forces of a nature significant enough to warrant a second look. I believe with a proper recruitment campaign, and a call to mother Terra we may be able to rally these disparate forces to our cause, and thereby save the lives of our more loyal troops."

At this Alexi laughs, but DuGalle merely rubs his chin, seemly considering what you have to say.

"You seem to have some rather fanciful ideas Commander, though your dedication to your cause and crew is quite admirable. Im afraid the men of these wild lands have not the patriotism of you or I. Hardly do they think of the motherland, or her people." Alexi says, replacing his cigar and grinning.

DuGalle however responds in a way you aren't expecting. "I had not considered the outliers in truth. The Umojan protectorate as they call themselves, do bring a certain amount of interest. They are self serving, defensive. If we were to successfully topple Mengsk, such a display of power might sway them to align with us, being that we would naturally come for them next. Perhaps a peaceful resolution would serve us well, and we could push them for 'volunteer' forces." He says the last word with emphasis, and you see his poor mood lessen.

Alexi nearly gaffs when he hears this response, but lights up seeing the same reaction you do. "Well this is a rare sight. Since we set out you have scarcely been so upbeat old friend." He says with some amount of pride.

DuGalle continues, "Yes, I feel rather taken with the idea, though the logistics of it seems daunting. We did not bring the means of a propaganda campaign. But the thought has promise."

Taking this as a good sign, you continue with your last concern, turning to Alexi. "I did have one other matter which I hope you can clear up for me Vice-Admiral."

Alexi returns his look to you. "Oh? And what would that be comrade?"

"Who is the Head of Science who took my secure pod space next to yours."

DuGalle and Stukov quickly share a look at the mention of the science officer.

"I might have known you would see through this ruse for the flimsy thing it is." Alexi says, taking yet another sip of his drink. "You actually might know him. Or rather his grand descendant." You are nearly taken aback. What is he saying.

"Our chief science officer is no less than a distant relative of the late Doran Routhe, he was actually named after the man. I think he might like to meet you actually. You both share a certain... Furor for duty." The way he says that for some reason gives you chills. "But for now, it seems the fleet is nearly ready to dock their umbilicals. Would you like to join us Dempsey, or did you have something else to see to?" Alexi asks.

(Whoa momma was this a big dump. But it was a while comming, seeing as the discussion post was a few updates back.)

>See to the new Dossier
>Oversee the new work orders
>Write in

>>1387106
It was a good long post you should write book sometime.


>I say we look what's new in the dossier and go over out resources and see what logistics would be required for a affective Pr campaign. If we do well enough we could get plenty of defections from the dominion as things are already going to shit for them with the zerg and protoss killing everything.

>>1387106
>>1387145
2nd.
We should also try getting to know some of our other staff members. The Chief Science Officer who replaced us, our Head of Requisitions, and the 2 other commanders who'll be cooperating with us on our current mission. Make sure we don't butt heads or step toes on one other.
>>1387145
>and see what logistics would be required for a affective Pr campaign.
For an effective PR campaign, we first need some good propagandists. We likely didn't come with any, and we likely can't trust any locals here with the propaganda, so we should request to import some propagandists, news stations, and marketers on the next wave of reinforcements from central command.

>>1386952
>He checks something on his console and a small projection of a small Zerg creature appears aside him. "However, as of a few hours ago that outpost was discovered by a wing of pirates, evacuated, and destroyed.
So the outpost was evacuated and self-destructed when they spotted the pirates, and the pirates had Zerg cargo? Or did the pirates spot us while being tailed by the Zerg and helped evacuate the base before it was destroyed? Or are the Zerg not related to the outposts destruction and the Zerg hologram was related to the science vessels in his next part of the speech?

>>1387168
The first one.
>>1387145
Yea I've considered it, but other than a few other other occasions I've never really written anything anyone has seen.

>>1387168
>So the outpost was evacuated and self-destructed when they spotted the pirates, and the pirates had Zerg cargo?
>>1387175
>The first one.
>The pirates had Zerg cargo.
>Zerg cargo.
But why?

Did they somehow manage to jack one of our Zerg shipments and thought it was a good idea to try selling it on the black market or something?

>>1387178
Sorry I must have misread that. The shadow fleet had the zerg, and the pirates were deemed not worth fighting since the position was discovered. So I guess it would be the last one instead.

>>1387184
Oh okay, so 1st and last. That makes sense. I'm guessing the early Zerg hologram was while it was booting up for the rest of the shadow fleet speech.

>>1386952
>>1387009
>>1387058
>>1387106
4 posts for 1 update's decisions. This is much longer than expected, but welcomed. Thanks for writing it all out.

>>1387106
>Would you like to join us Dempsey, or did you have something else to see to?" Alexi asks.
I believe that more accurate intelligence could be acquired by shadowing the two admirals, especially under the auspice of their personal invite. I would specifically be more interested in learning more about Stukov's seeming reservations in using the Zerg as bioweapons. What precisely are his concerns? Moreover, what are the risks of using said weapons... and, more importantly, once they are deployed, how are they to be contained as to not affect the UED and/or any allied assets still left on the ground. In either case, shadowing the two seems to be the most likely to yield the best data.

>>1387106
>The Umojan protectorate as they call themselves, do bring a certain amount of interest.
If we also get the chance, we should also review Kel-Morian Combine's willingness to trade and look up Confederacy Remnants like Raynor's Raiders.
>>1387106
That reminds me, who are all these pirates and renegades we've been seeing anyways? We saw some force this outpost to evacuate, and some earlier that were mining asteroids nearby.

>>1387145
>>1387161

Alright reigning vote is desk duty. Writtan.

>>1387106
As much as staying and discussing matters with the Admirals may appeal to your promotion seeking side, you are compelled to see to your duties. You excuse yourself from the presence of the Admirals and make your way back to the manufacturing wing and your waiting office. You may have been right to return, including your previous production queue you had a massive order for parts and materials on your hands. Several orders for thousands of missile pods for the fleet, a hundred thousand magazines of belt fed ammunition for the chicken walkers, a requisition order for several tons of light-weight silicon chips, the size and specifications of which appear to be for star-ship controls and vehicle interfaces, and several other orders which make your head swim. That is until you realize these are all standing requisitions that will also need constant refilling as you are effectively being ordered to double the ammo dumps and process all the raw materials ahead of time. It is abundantly obvious to you that your current on-hand crew will not be enough for the mission at hand, and you put in an order of your own for the entire production and engineering crew to defrost ASAP.

Signing off on the various orders and assigning them between the various stations of the primary and secondary manufacturing decks and ordering up the majority of the refinery crews from the engineering spaces it becomes obvious that this will take an immense amount of coordination with how many hands you are going to be filling the deck with. You call a gathering of your subordinates, nearly 25 men of rank and a few hundred subordinates to the main storage depot, nearly the entirety of your staff who are already defrosted, including the maintenance crew. You yourself then make for the depot and prepare to meet with your various department heads to plan out the production schedule.

When you arrive you are immediately greeted by Silvestr Kamil, the large formerly Czech man who serves as your head of requisitions and his well organised crew most of whom you have also started to get to know from working with on the weatherization projects earlier. Next comes a small drip feed of additional men from the manufacturing spaces and Head of Engineering, the imposing and rather barbaric looking Estonian man Nigel Johannes along with his crew of miners smelters and fleet technicians although he clearly brought fewer than you asked. Perhaps they were already requisitioned for repairs on the shadow fle-, hmm, you suppose now they are just the regular fleet.

You address him on the matter. "Head Engineer Johannes, I see you have brought less men than I requested."

He retorts. "Ya, Commander Dempsey, most of the men who delivered the order for materials to the cargo bay were requisitioned not long after. Other job." He says simply. You dislike working with the man but he runs his space well from what your reports say. Ignoring the subject you turn to Kamil and notice at last,

Cont

>>1387339
that the dribble of men from the other manufacturing space has finally ended. You address your Head of Requisitions and his team leaders behind him. "We have a new series of standing order. All extra Large CO Kamil, I have forwarded the details to you and your subordinates, you, and everyone mustered from the engineering crews must start production now to prepare the space for the men I have ordered to defrost to assist in filling it today."

You see the man somewhat defeated as he hears you fill him in. It is obvious just looking at him that he had hoped that he would have a chance to ease in after defrosting.

"I expect to be aiding you all in the production schedule, and seeing to a high level of excellence and quality, however for the moment I must attend to new intelligence which I have made available. You are all to proceed to your new projects immediately, former duties may be resumed when the backup arrives, but until then we make headyway on the munitions and the winterized gear. Understood?"

You are greeted with a somewhat enthusiastic 'Ay commander.' from your men, though many towards the back you can hear are passing the orders along and cannot respond. Seeing it as a good enough introduction you make to dismiss them and proceed to your office.

Now the meat, what secrets have finally come into your hands. Opening the docket you were provided you are almost blown away by the amount of information you were handed. At the forefront of it all is a notice that until a new staging point can be made and a station built no reinforcements will be permitted from UED space. Not the news you were hoping for. In fact the rest of the information you have is rather blunted by the fact. You aren't sure how to proceed.

>Begin looking for suitable system maps and any place that would be good enough for a new staging ground. Supply lines are the life energy of an army.
>Begin looking for information on suitable asteroid and planetoid mining locations in addition to the two in this system. Erecting a space station takes materials you do not have, and securing those is priority.
>Begin reading in on the Zerg Domestication project. It will require a massive amount of supplies no doubt and knowing what to deal with ahead of time will help you balance your duties.
>Look for information on expected resistance, and local pirate activity. It seems that these bastards are thick in the air out here and knowing the best course of avoiding or dealing with them will lead to better decision making for resource gathering
>Write in

>>1387366
>>Look for information on expected resistance, and local pirate activity. It seems that these bastards are thick in the air out here and knowing the best course of avoiding or dealing with them will lead to better decision making for resource gathering
It would helpful to understand their leadership, strength numbers, base of operation, and perhaps some details concerning what their objectives are.

Alright it seems like here is where we stop for now. I will be back with a shiny new thread come monday. I hope to see lots of folks there.

>>1387366
>Look for information on expected resistance, and local pirate activity. It seems that these bastards are thick in the air out here and knowing the best course of avoiding or dealing with them will lead to better decision making for resource gathering
Not much point building or expanding supply lines if they will get cut. We, or the other science guy, can deal with the zerg later.

>>1387366
>Begin looking for suitable system maps and any place that would be good enough for a new staging ground. Supply lines are the life energy of an army.

We will affect the entire fleet with this decision.

>>1387366
This. A lot hinges on this, and we really do want those reinforcements.

>>1387366
So this is a pretty major decision, and all of them have pretty good justifications.
>>1387394
>>1387556
>>1387630
Bring up good points.
My vote is currently on
>Look for information on expected resistance, and local pirate activity. It seems that these bastards are thick in the air out here and knowing the best course of avoiding or dealing with them will lead to better decision making for resource gathering
for potentially getting pirates to our cause, if possible. Also because our former outpost was here and there may still be some assets we could salvage from the wrecks there or it'd still be a good place for a listening post.
>Begin looking for suitable system maps and any place that would be good enough for a new staging ground. Supply lines are the life energy of an army.
Is my 2nd preference, if pirate hunting fails us.

I'm guessing between finding a way to deal with the raiders in this system or finding a new one, it's either high risk and high reward or low risk and reward in this case. Especially because of the delays with finding a new system and jumping to it to set up our stuff again.

>>1388633
What're you supporting? You linked back to the decision tree.

>>1387219
Oh. Sorry for not noticing your post earlier. This sounds fair for gaining more intel, but since our primary duties our Logisitics, we sort of need to make sure we manage to defeat General Winter for our first mission.
At least that was the impression I got back at >>1385271
>a few for extra blankets, snow gear, some winter modifications for the various armor elements of the ground forces, things of that nature.

>>1387522
Hey QM, when you start up your next thread will you also link your Twitter on top of the archives and any other potential news outlets you use like Discord?

Comon Op live pls. At least tell us you didn't get hit by a car or Somthing and that your just being lazy. I'll accept that.

Starcraft is kill, Qm is kill.

Recent updates from bnet have rendered the game unplayable.

>>1398778
>>1398588
>>1398300
Yea Im alive. Just busy. Expect a thread later tonight

>>1398857
>>1398778
Wonderful news, QM! I was worried Bnet updates might've killed you.

>>1398857
So uh how's it going bro.

>>1401668
Good good, just dragging my feet and working on other things. Sorry about the wait. New thread!
>>1402164