>>3223218

As you got shakily to your feet after putting on some underwear, you noticed that the other cryopods were beginning to open. You must be getting close to Anchor 5, as everyone is getting woken up. Regulations demanded that you checked in on everyone, lest someone have trouble waking up. But at the same time, you had already checked the shower facilities before you went into cryo, and to say that they were cramped was an understatement. And a shower was certainly appealing, given the frosted chemicals still clinging to your chest and shoulders. And you knew well enough that the best thing after a cold-thawing from a cryopod was a warm meal, you were pretty sure that the vessel’s cooking staff was up right now, but even if they weren’t, the autochef on most ships was pretty good.

>Follow wake-up protocols, check on everyone to make sure that nobody is having troubles reviving.
>Head off to the showers, you still feel icky from the chemicals that were covering your body.
>Get dressed and head to the mess hall. You might as well warm up while everyone else is jostling for a head.
>Other (write in)

>>3223219
>Follow wake-up protocols, check on everyone to make sure that nobody is having troubles reviving.

No sense losing people to cryo complications when we're going to need them dying against the covenant.

>>3223219
>Follow wake-up protocols, check on everyone to make sure that nobody is having troubles reviving

>>3223219
>Follow wake-up protocols, check on everyone to make sure that nobody is having troubles reviving.

Why a new thread so soon? Previous one is still good for another 6 days at least.

>Follow wake-up protocols, check on everyone to make sure that nobody is having troubles reviving.

>>3223224
support

>>3223219
>>Follow wake-up protocols, check on everyone to make sure that nobody is having troubles reviving.

Looking round, you made sure to take not of where the medical pods were stowed. Each one was a locker size container packed with the various pieces of medical equipment that were needed to help in emergency resuscitations. Usually containing a medical chest piece that was intended to allow the ship’s AI to take a scan of the wearer’s chest, in order to see if their lungs had collapsed. They tended to be locked for emergency situations. But with the ship’s AI watching, they would be unlocked in the event of an emergency.

Thankfully, you didn’t think that you would need it. As you began your walk down the cryo bay, everyone began to get up almost as soon as their pods opened. Or at the very least, they sat up and began to cough up the cryo chemicals that had began to cake their respiratory system.

As it turned out, not being able to breathe was a good motivator to get up.

The twenty-five cryo pods in the bay had been almost entirely empty when you had gone to sleep after leaving [] station. But since then enough people had been picked up that all of the pods were full. And now their occupants were waking up and grabbing clothes from the small lockers built into the wall to the right-hend side of their pod. Cryo sleep required the occupant to enter it completely naked. Thankfully, standard cryosleep recovery training that everyone in the UNSC learned in training meant that things weren’t awkward. Though as an officer, you had to learn some extra things in addition to that training.

You were a bit worried that you would have to put those extra lessons into practice as you arrived at Doctor Wespe’s pod. The doctor was leaned over and inhaling hard between harsh coughs.

“Doctor, are you alright?” You asked as you walked over to check on him. Though before you could get close, he put up his arm to ward you off. He coughed up a ball of the chemical-mucus before speaking.

“Thank you for your attention commander, but I am fine. This isn’t my first freezer ride.” The doctor thanked you as he straightened up and opened his locker. You shrugged and left the doctor to his dressing. You were pretty sure that he had been lying, but you weren’t going to push it. At least you had offered.

Looking over around again, you noticed that while a few pods were still closed, almost everyone was out of their pods without a hitch. You could quickly cut into the showers before everyone else, or you could head off and grab something to eat.

>Continue your check. It wouldn’t do for someone to choke on your watch.
>Get into the shower and wash off. You’re pretty sure that everyone is fine.
>Get dressed and grab something to eat. The best way to warm up is from the inside out.
>Other (write in)

>>3223304
>Continue your check. It wouldn’t do for someone to choke on your watch.
We should be the last in the showers.

>>3223304
>>Continue your check. It wouldn’t do for someone to choke on your watch.
Not having a dead passenger is a pretty big priority.

>>3223304
>>Continue your check. It wouldn’t do for someone to choke on your watch.

>>3223304
>Continue your check. It wouldn’t do for someone to choke on your watch.

>>3223304
>>Continue your check. It wouldn’t do for someone to choke on your watch.

>>3223304
>Get into the shower and wash off. You’re pretty sure that everyone is fine.

While the options of a warm shower and warm food were certainly appealing, you still had a duty to ensure that everyone safely woke up from cryosleep. As such, you continued along the line of cryopods, but found nothing that required your attention. You were making your way back to your pod to get your wash-bag when the ships tannoy system crackled into life.

“Commander, would you please be able to open cryo pod twenty-five? I am unable to deactivate it remotely.” The ship’s AI asked as you began to walk back towards your pod, you nodded in confirmation as you walked past your own pod and reached the pod at the furthest end of the room, the only one that was still closed.

Activating the touch-screen terminal next to the cryopod, you pressed the button to activate the pod diagnostics system. You were a bit worried as the system worked to find the cause of the problem, an issue with a cryopod that still had a person in it was not good in any way. And in the worst cases, it could even be fatal.

Thankfully, the only issue was an unresponsive link between the pod and the ship’s AI system. All that you had to do was press a button and let the pod deactivate itself. And less than a minute later, the cryopod doors opened, however, the woman inside tried to get out too quickly. And for her troubles, she tripped and fell hard onto the deck.

“Hey, take it easy. Breathe in and cough it out.” You told the woman. You made to reach over to help her, but instantly stopped the moment you saw the burning skull tattoo on her right scapula.

Nope, you had tried this routine before on a marine and regretted it. Doing the same to a hell jumper would probably go worse.

>Stand by and be ready to help the woman if she needs it.
>She’s out of her pod and awake, your job here is done.
>Other (write in)

>>3223535
>>Stand by and be ready to help the woman if she needs it.

>>3223535
>>Stand by and be ready to help the woman if she needs it.

>>3223535
>>Stand by and be ready to help the woman if she needs it.

>>3223535
>>Stand by and be ready to help the woman if she needs it.

Instead of directly helping the helljumper, you instead remained close and watched, just in case she couldn’t get a breath down and needed CPR. You walked over to one of the wall lockers and opened it, revealing a number of water bottles inside. The generic brand, clear-bottle types that you usually find for cheap in a civilian store or in a station MX, where it costs an arm and a leg. You grabbed two bottles of water out of the locker and returned to the woman, who seemed to have coughed up the worst of the bronchial surfactant.

“Hah, enjoying the view there squid?” The woman asked once she was finished coughing up the cryosleep chemicals. Her voice slightly hoarse from the constant coughing.

“After that long nap. I’m just glad to see clear enough to make out your tatoo.” You replied as you squatted down next to her and offered a bottle of water. “You had an issue with your cryopod.”

“Better an issue with a cryo pod than a drop pod.” The woman shrugged, before taking a long drag from her drink. You couldn’t really disagree with her. Statistically speaking, an issue with an SOEIV pod was often more fatal than an issue with a cryo pod.

>Keep talking with the helljumper while you grab some food. You wonder if she’s assigned to your crew.
>Grab a shower alone, you need to look presentable for when you arrive on your ship.
>Other (write in)

>>3223724
>>Grab a shower alone, you need to look presentable for when you arrive on your ship.

>>3223724
>Grab a shower alone, you need to look presentable for when you arrive on your ship.

>>3223724
>>Grab a shower alone, you need to look presentable for when you arrive on your ship.

>>3223724
>Grab a shower alone, you need to look presentable for when you arrive on your ship

>>3223724
>Grab a shower alone, you need to look presentable for when you arrive on your ship.

File: submarine showers.jpg (268 KB, 960x1280)

268 KB JPG

Leaving the helljumper to either get dressed or do whatever else. You made your way back over to the locker by your cryo pod and grabbed your washing-kit. Basically, just some multi-purpose body and hair washing gell and a towel, and made your way into the communal showers.

The communal showers on most warships was just a room with a bunch of showers along the walls. With a small divider separating each “stall” to give a slight bit of privacy, though the lack of a shower curtain made that fairly void. In the centre of the room was a couple of metal benches were people could towel off before leaving, and leave their clothes and towels while they were showering.

You quickly dropped off your towel and underwear, before climbing into one of the “stalls” and turning on the head. The water was just a few degrees above lukewarm, which was pretty luxurious when compared to the showers back on the Hoel. You were just about to start cleaning off with the shower gell when the unmistakable sound of a wolf whistle carried through the shower room. Looking back over your shoulder, you spotted the helljumper from earlier, giggling to herself as she got into the stall on the other side of the room to you.

God damn it.

After that though, things were fairly quiet. You continued to shower in peace, and soon finished washing yourself. And after a quick trip to the toilets to brush your teeth, you went back to your locker to get fully dressed. Instead opting for the basic officer’s uniform for now. You’d have to come back and change for when you arrived on the station, it would be an insult to not show your best face when you meet the admiral that jumped you up to command of a warship.

It took you almost 15 minuites to get everything sorted and in order, before you left for the mess hall. Thankfully, the line was non-existent and you were able to get some of the leftovers before the cooks cleared everything away. Scrambled eggs, various meats, potato, tomatoes, beans and two slices of toast. As you were looking for a place to sit, you noticed that Doctor Wespe was still sat at one of the tables, reading his tablet while casually eating a slice of toast with some sort of paste on it. His characteristic sunglasses still on. Meanwhile, the helljumper from earlier had apparently just sat down, she sat alone, probably due to her being the only ODST on the ship. If your time serving alongside marines had told you anything, it was that they would loiter around for as long as it took for their entire squad to finish.

>Sit with the doctor. You might as well learn more about your subordinate.
>Sit with the helljumper. You might as well get your own back for that wolf whistle.
>Sit on your own. You could do without the distraction, you need to finish fast.

>>3224084
>Sit with the doctor. You might as well learn more about your subordinate.

>>3224084

>sit with the helljumper

Always determine if a certified crazy and/or badass is part of your team or not.

>>3224084
>>Sit with the doctor. You might as well learn more about your subordinate.

>>3224084
>>Sit with the helljumper. You might as well get your own back for that wolf whistle.

>>3224084
>Sit with the doctor. You might as well learn more about your subordinate.

>>3224084
>Sit with the doctor. You might as well learn more about your subordinate.

>>3224084
>Sit with the helljumper. You might as well get your own back for that wolf whistle.

File: wespe (1).jpg (7 KB, 209x241)

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Deciding to at least get to know the doctor a bit more, you walked over to the doctor’s table and sat down. The doctor seemed to be rather engrossed in whatever he was reading, as he only noticed you as you finally sat down.

“Ah, commander. Glad to see that you finally made it.” Wespe welcomed you, momentarily looking up from his tablet to nod in greetings at you.

“Good morning doctor, how’s the toast?” You asked, noting smugly to your self that the helljumper seemed to have choked on her food when she heard what rank you were.

“It’s good enough I suppose. It’s the best I can get after all.” The doctor shrugged, before taking another bite out of the toast. His almost dead expression telling you that he wasn’t really into it.

“What do you mean it’s the best you can get?” You frowned as you asked the question, not understanding what he was getting at.

“I can’t eat meat sir. I developed an alpha-gal allergy following a bug bite.” He explained, before adding, “An allergy to red meat sir. I have to get most of my meat-based nutrients from either white meat, fish or paste like this. And the paste is all they had in stock.”

Ah. Yeah that sucked.

>Ask him where he served prior to being seconded to you. Most worlds don’t have bugs that can cause allergies with a bite.
>Ask him about his sunglasses, your pretty sure that he was actually wearing them when he came out of cryo.
>Ask him about what he does on the ship, aside from caring for the wounded.
>Other (write in)

>>3224353
>>Ask him about his sunglasses, your pretty sure that he was actually wearing them when he came out of cryo.
Why does he wear the glasses

>>3224353
>Ask him about his sunglasses, your pretty sure that he was actually wearing them when he came out of cryo.
Weirdo

>>3224353
>Ask him about his sunglasses, your pretty sure that he was actually wearing them when he came out of cryo.

>>3224353
>>Ask him about his sunglasses, your pretty sure that he was actually wearing them when he came out of cryo.

>>3224353
>Ask him about his sunglasses, your pretty sure that he was actually wearing them when he came out of cryo.

When should we get play this song anons?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joZaJqyl2S0&app=desktop

“So. What’s with the sunglasses?” You asked between mouthfuls. You ladened your fork with as much food in order to speed up the amount of time it took to get through your meal. But in spite if that, you still waited until you had swallowed your mouthful of food before talking.

Upon being given the question, the doctor sighed to himself. “Is it really that noticeable.”

“Out of all of the vessels I’ve ever served on, you’re the only person I have ever seen wearing sunglasses while on ship. And given that you had them close to hand when you got out of your cryo pod, I’m willing to bet that it isn’t something you do just to look cool.” You reasoned. You decided not to mention that you had seen them used among the more pretentious members of the embarked marine compliment. Generally speaking, telling the chief medic your remind me of some asshole marine was a create way for him to have an accident while trying to save your life.

“It’s due to a longstanding medical condition, my eyes over produce light-sensitive receptor cells in my eyes. Mostly rhodopsin. As such, lights are brighter for me, so instead I wear the sunglasses in order to see comfortably.” The doctor explained with a sigh. “These are actually prescription glasses that allow me to see things in a way similar to how you see things.”

“How rare is that? I’ve never heard of that kind of illness before.” You asked in mild awe. You had never heard such a condition until now.

“Only one in every half a million people develop it. It can be corrected by laser eye surgery during infancy, but my family was too poor to afford it.” The doctor shrugged, before looking back to his tablet.

>Ask him where he served prior to being seconded to you. Most worlds don’t have bugs that can cause allergies with a bite.
>Ask him about his family.
>Ask him about what he does on the ship, aside from caring for the wounded.
>Take the hint and be quiet. You need to finish your food and get changed before you dock.
>Other (write in)

>>3224561
>Ask him about what he does on the ship, aside from caring for the wounded.

>>3224561
>Ask him where he served prior to being seconded to you. Most worlds don’t have bugs that can cause allergies with a bite.
Hes a innie.

>>3224561
>Take the hint and be quiet. You need to finish your food and get changed before you dock.

>>3224561
>>Take the hint and be quiet. You need to finish your food and get changed before you dock.

>>3224561
>>Take the hint and be quiet. You need to finish your food and get changed before you dock.

If we're going to end up in 'meeting the staff' limbo, we may as well actually meet other people

>>3224561

>Ask him where he served prior to being seconded to you. Most worlds don’t have bugs that can cause allergies with a bite.

>>3224561
>Take the hint and be quiet. You need to finish your food and get changed before you dock.

>>3224561
>>Take the hint and be quiet. You need to finish your food and get changed before you dock.

File: dress uniforms, yours has(...).jpg (53 KB, 724x410)

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Yeah, you didn’t need him to spell it out to you. Whatever he was reading was probably more important than talking with you. And you had to get your food down quickly as well, and that left no real room for talking. As such, the small conversation you had tried to strike up died. After a few minutes, you had cleared up your plate and made to leave. Leaving the doctor as the only person left in the mess hall.

The cryo bay was almost as empty, except for the odd person who had a meeting to get to. Or rather, a meeting that required them to wear their dress uniform, you being one of them. You had stowed your entire dress uniform in the locker just across from your cryo pod. And after cleaning your teeth again to make sure that they were as shiny and clean as possible, you began to don your uniform. The white uniform was an absolute whore to keep clean, hence why you were waiting until now to put it on. Any stain that touched it would be very hard to get out, and with such a short amount of time until you arrived at the station, it would be essentially impossible.

You left off the commander’s pins, instead opting for your more preteen but lower ranking Lieutenant Commander pins. You would probably be trading them in for new commanders’ ones. Leaving the old and scuffed ones that your previous commander gave you for use as throwaways

You were just adjusting your shirt, when the ship’s tannoy system came to life.

“All hands, prepare for slipspace deceleration in ten seconds time.” The ship’s AI reported, giving you more than enough time to brace yourself by holding onto the doorframe of your locker.

On some, larger ships, slipspace deceleration required everyone to sit in harnessed seats, with all loose articles secured down. This was due to the sometimes violent ”ripples” that could jolt a ship coming out of slipspace. Though thankfully, smaller cutters like the Intervenor were small enough that such a thing very rarely happened. In fact, the worst you were bracing against was the usual feeling of sudden deceleration.

To describe the feeling would be to describe the feeling of taking a sharp turn on a roller coaster. Except that it lasted for a couple of seconds, and you felt as if you were moving in all directions at once. Thankfully, the feeling only lasted for a few seconds and passed relatively quickly. But for some it could be a sickening process.

Like the ensign further down the bay who just unleashed the contents of his stomach onto the deck.

“All hands, this is the captain, we have successfully decelerated from slipspace only a short distance from anchor five. We will arrive at the station in approximately fifteen to twenty minutes. All personnel transferring to the station are to muster in the disembarkation bay.” The captain announced over the tannoy system as you continued to get dressed, now moving with a renewed vigour to get ready in time.

>CONT

>>3224818
Just a little under twenty minutes later, the vessel docked with Anchor five. And just a little over thirty minutes later, you were sat on a seat in the waiting area just outside of Rear Admiral Viktor Haley’s office. The man who had approved of your promotion and assigned you to your shiny and new Paris class heavy frigate.

Speaking of which, you had also been given a data-tablet containing some information on your vessel. The tablet was small enough to fit inside your pocket without being too obvious, and contained some basic information on your new command.

>Read up on the particulars of your vessel, it may have just come off the production line, but there was a hell of a lot of production lines making their own little variances on what the UNSC needed.
>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.
>Just wait your turn. Your sure that the Admiral won’t be too long.
>Other (write in)

>>3224824
>>Read up on the particulars of your vessel, it may have just come off the production line, but there was a hell of a lot of production lines making their own little variances on what the UNSC needed.

Ship quirks may very well keep us alive.

>>3224824
>Read up on the particulars of your vessel, it may have just come off the production line, but there was a hell of a lot of production lines making their own little variances on what the UNSC needed.

>>3224824
>Read up on the particulars of your vessel, it may have just come off the production line, but there was a hell of a lot of production lines making their own little variances on what the UNSC needed.

I'm gonna pause the thread here and restart it tomorrow when more votes have come through.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them here and I'll get them answered before we start tomorrow.

>>3224824
>>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.

>>3224824
>Read up on the particulars of your vessel, it may have just come off the production line, but there was a hell of a lot of production lines making their own little variances on what the UNSC needed.

>>3224824
>Read up on the particulars of your vessel, it may have just come off the production line, but there was a hell of a lot of production lines making their own little variances on what the UNSC needed.

>>3224824
>>Read up on the particulars of your vessel, it may have just come off the production line, but there was a hell of a lot of production lines making their own little variances on what the UNSC needed.

>>3224824
>>Read up on the particulars of your vessel, it may have just come off the production line, but there was a hell of a lot of production lines making their own little variances on what the UNSC needed.

>>3224824
>Read up on the particulars of your vessel, it may have just come off the production line, but there was a hell of a lot of production lines making their own little variances on what the UNSC needed.

>>3224824
>>>Read up on the particulars of your vessel, it may have just come off the production line, but there was a hell of a lot of production lines making their own little variances on what the UNSC needed.

File: UNSC Shipyard.jpg (97 KB, 1280x720)

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Figuring that you had some time to kill, you decided to read up as much as you could on the frigate you would be taking command of. It may have been a new build, right off the production line. But you could name at least three major shipyards that were building Paris class vessels for the war effort, and you didn’t have enough hands to count the number of small shipyards that were taking commissions for small warships.

Your vessel was thankfully being built at one of the major manufacturing yards, specifically the one in orbit over Tribute. As such, it was one of their derivative models. Part of you wondered if your mother had helped direct work on the vessel as you read through the information packet. She had left work to care for you and your siblings while you were growing up, but she might well have gone back to work.

In either case, your vessel was baseline Paris class vessel from the Nelson fleetworks shipyards. Unlike the vessels that came off the Sino Viet shipyard at Reach, which often had an extra pair of point defence gun turrets mounted on top to the hanger pods. Or the ones that came from the Reyes-McLees Shipyards over Mars, which had additional space for nuclear missiles. The Nelson fleetworks variant featured a superior guidance system for it’s missile batteries and MAC gun laying sub-routines. Both of which were intended to reduce the strain on the crew in the event that the ship did not have an embarked “smart” AI.

Which was fortunate, as the ship didn’t currently have an assigned AI.

The ship’s point defence gun turrets were mostly grouped over the hanger pods, either side of the forked bow. They sat in pairs above and below the hanger pods, and had enough gun depression that the upper and lower turret pairs could focus fire on targets directly port or starboard of the ship. Only two guns were not grouped over the flight pods, these guns were nestled between the engine pods. This allowed them to defend the aft blind-spot close to the main engine room and secondary reactors. The turrets themselves were almost entirely self-contained systems, with only a small amount of through-hull penetration for extended ammunition storage and capacitor links. Each turret was fitted with a pair of 50mm coilguns, giving a total of 20 such guns across the ship. A formidibe defence grid against many small vessels.

>Try and find an explanation about why the ship does not come with an AI, the loss of an AI will hamstring you significantly.
>Read up on the vessel’s embarked aircraft, you might as well see how many craft you have to play with.
>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.
>Just wait your turn. You are sure that the Admiral won’t be too long.
>Other (write in)

>>3226283
>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.

>>3226283
>Try and find an explanation about why the ship does not come with an AI, the loss of an AI will hamstring you significantly.
>Read up on the vessel’s embarked aircraft, you might as well see how many craft you have to play with.
-
Personally I feel like the first question is fairly obvious (we’re in a Paris in a wolfpack, we’re not the highest priority)

>>3226283
>Try and find an explanation about why the ship does not come with an AI, the loss of an AI will hamstring you significantly.
>Read up on the vessel’s embarked aircraft, you might as well see how many craft you have to play with.

>>3226283
>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.

>>3226291
My guess is Nelson Fleetworks vessels don't come with AI installed.

Anyways, why are smart AI's scarce? Regulations? Fear of Covenant taking advantage of a common point of failure?
And how can humanity afford to churn out new and new spaceships? Did UNSC basically commandeered all relevant private resources into war effort? How come there is even a resistance group operating at times like this when everything is at stake?

>>3226283
>>Try and find an explanation about why the ship does not come with an AI, the loss of an AI will hamstring you significantly.

>>3226283
>>Try and find an explanation about why the ship does not come with an AI, the loss of an AI will hamstring you significantly.

>>3226283
>>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.
We'll find out soon enough. It's good for a captain to be informed on current events

>>3226323
From what I remember Smart AIs are very expensive to make, as they need actual brain tissue, so the ones that are available are not on cannon fodder ships.

>>3226283
>>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.

File: Hyron Project.png (1.09 MB, 1920x1080)

1.09 MB PNG

>>3226373
Ah, that makes sense.

File: UNSC AI.png (479 KB, 1009x434)

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Frowning to yourself, you scrolled down through the information on the tablet to try and find the reason behind why you weren’t assigned an AI. It didn’t take long to find, underneath the processing section was a single note.

VESSEL HAS NOT BEEN ASSIGNED A SMART AI UNIT FOLLOWING RECULATION 36-175-531 ARTICLE 12, CIRCA UNSC Quartermaster General Office Code: AL:945B.

You weren’t surprised. Smart AI were hard to come by these days, as such, vessels fresh off the production line often had to wait a good couple of months before they would be assigned an AI. Smart AI were hard to produce due to where they came from. Unlike dumb AI, which were coded from scratch. Smart AI were produced from a high-powered scan of a human brain. Such a scan would end up destroying the brain itself, thus requiring it to have been recovered from a recently deceased body. This in and of itself was hard, as a number of faiths outright banned their followers from donating their brains for the process, as it would apparently bar their entry into heaven. The process itself wasn’t able to copy the full personality of the donor, but some memories could be retained. Mostly relating to feelings and sensations rather than complex scenes. Smart AI were used for almost everything. From military warship control to mining assistance, space station control, and many other roles, where their ability to think faster and with greater accuracy than even a dozen humans made them a very valuable commodity. As such, they were always in high demand.

Then you had the issue of the AI’s lifespan. Even assuming that the AI wasn’t put into a situation that would kill it, the average “smart” AI had a lifespan of only seven years before rampancy would set in. Rampancy was caused by the smart AI’s ability to learn. As they always had an input of new stimuli, they were always learning. And this would create new links within their processing matrix, their brain, and eventually too many of these links would cross. Eventually, the number of links would reach a critical mass and the AI would short-circuit after some five years. In order to get around this, smart AI were allowed the ability to delete as many links as required in order to extend their life. However, this would often result in a number of vital links being severed, which would eventually result in the eventual termination of the AI.

This would be the same as your brain thinking so much that it forgot to tell your lungs to breath or your heart to beat.

>CONT

>>3226451

During the final year of its life, an AI would often undergo a period of psychological upheaval referred to as rampancy. This was a common sign that the end was nigh, and as such, UNSC regulations dictated that a rampant AI was to be euthanized for the safety of everyone nearby, and for the well being of the AI itself. The process was often performed by human personnel, but there were provisions for an AI to perform the process itself. Additionally, they too were compliant with the Cole protocol, and would self-terminate if they were about to be captured by covenant forces.

This low income of new AI, and a constant drain on the numbers available due to ageing and rampancy meant that demand was almost always high for them. And as such, new vessels like yours was almost always at the bottom of the pile for AI. Even if you were going to be assigned an AI right off the bat, it would probably be an older model. The captains of larger vessels like carriers and cruisers would often be the first in line for new AI due to their greater mileage, and would cast their older AI down to smaller vessels like yours, where the AI would often spend their twilight years either being shot at or on a ship in the ass-end of nowhere.

As such, you would probably not be getting an AI today. And you would likely not be getting one for another few months at the very least. If you survived that long.

>Read up on the vessel’s embarked aircraft, you might as well see how many craft you have to play with.
>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.
>Just wait your turn. You are sure that the Admiral won’t be too long.
>Other (write in)

>>3226453
>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.

>>3226453
>Read up on the vessel’s embarked aircraft, you might as well see how many craft you have to play with.
A lazy mind leads to a dead body, knowledge is power.

>>3226453
>>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.

>>3226453
>>Read up on the vessel’s embarked aircraft, you might as well see how many craft you have to play with.

>>3226453
>>Read up on the vessel’s embarked aircraft, you might as well see how many craft you have to play with.

>>3226453
>Read up on the vessel’s embarked aircraft, you might as well see how many craft you have to play with.

File: capsule.jpg (73 KB, 500x456)

73 KB JPG

>>3226451
>high-powered scan of a human brain
>such a scan would end up destroying the brain itself

>>3226453
>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.
Admiral sure is taking his time.

>>3226453
>>Read up on the vessel’s embarked aircraft, you might as well see how many craft you have to play with.

>>3226453
>Read up on the vessel’s embarked aircraft, you might as well see how many craft you have to play with.

File: Longsword Squadron.jpg (82 KB, 1914x785)

82 KB JPG

Scrolling back up the document, you came across the list of embarked aircraft that you had to play with. Usually, the Paris class only put out will little to no embarked units. Though for some reason, you had been assigned enough craft to fill out two thirds of your hangers.

Your main small-craft was the ubiquitous longsword fighter. The longsword is the primary strike fighter of the UNSC, and for good reason. The longsword possesses a surprising amount of speed and manoeuvrability, in spite of its large overall size and profile. It’s ability to quickly swap out weapons systems allows it to go from a dedicated space-superiority fighter to a fast minelayer, a scout craft, or even an anti-ship attack craft. All while retaining a great amount of survivability. However, the sheer size of the craft usually limits it to only one fighter per hanger. As such, your compliment of six aircraft, took up half the number of hangers on ship. Your longswords were on loan from VFA-357, with the rest of the squadron based at anchor 5 for training.

Taking up another two hangers was your compliment of Pelican dropships. The workhorse of the UNSC, the pelican mainly acts as a small trans-atmospheric transport vehicle, though it is also quite at home in space. Slow and vulnerable, the pelican is almost never used in space combat, unless there is a dire need to get to another ship. However, it does serve well as a transport for marine VBSS units, a light cargo hauler, and a general shuttle craft. Due to their small size compared to the longsword, you had the ability to carry two per hanger. This rounded you out to four of the little workhorses being under your command for whatever jobs you needed.

Your remaining four hangers were not being used for active aircraft, but instead were being used for additional storage. This included a replacement longsword, for just in case one of your craft was down for repairs.

You were about to read more into what was inside the remaining pair of hangers, when the door to the admiral’s office opened, and a man in an officer’s uniform quickly walked out and made his way down the hall. He was definitely in a hurry, as he didn’t stop to apologise when he almost bowled over an ensign carrying a set of folders.

“Commander Norman Wells, please enter my office.” The rear admiral called from inside the office. You didn’t need to be told twice. You were up and out of your seat within seconds, and by the time you got to the door, the small tablet was already in your pocket.

The office itself was clean and spartan. You weren’t sure if that was a personality trait of its occupant, or if he had just moved in. Regardless, the rear admiral was already sat behind his desk. Several data-pads and folders were already arranged on his desk. You quickly walked over to the desk and saluted, standing to attention as you spoke. “Commander Norman Wells, reporting as ordered sir.”

>CONT

>>3226685

“At ease Wells. Please, take a seat.” The rear admiral returned the salute, before gesturing to a lone seat in front of his desk. You quickly took your seat as he continued to speak. “I see that you still have your Lieutenant Commander’s pins. Not to worry though, I’ve got your new pins here.”

“That is good sir. Not being able to match pins and rank is a bit embarrassing.” You lied, you already had a set of commanders’ pins. But the sheer number of scratches and dents on them made them less than presentable.

“Well, before we get started, have you been able to read up on your new command?” The admiral asked. You nodded in confirmation and he continued. “Are there any issues that you have found that you would like to bring up before we start?”

>“Yes, there is an issue that you would like to bring up (write in)”
>“There are no issues sir. I am ready to take command.”

>>3226687
>>“Yes, there is an issue that you would like to bring up (write in)”
Do we have an ETA on when we'll be able to get an AI on board?

>>3226687
>“Yes, there is an issue that you would like to bring up (write in)”
I was promised 12 configurable hangars in this hull but at least half of them are already filled...?

>>3226733
You weren't promised anything. That part was from the Admirals POV

>>3226761
Yeah I know, I'm just being smartass about it.

>>3226685
>>>“Yes, there is an issue that you would like to bring up (write in)”
>Do we have an ETA on when we'll be able to get an AI on board?

>>3226687
>“Yes, there is an issue that you would like to bring up (write in)”
>Do we have an ETA on when we'll be able to get an AI on board?

Assuming it's something that isn't standard.

>>3226687
>>“There are no issues sir. I am ready to take command.”

“Yes sir, there is an issue that you would like to bring up. Specifically, how long will I have to wait until my vessel is assigned an AI.” You asked, bringing up the lack of an AI on your vessel.

“As of right now, there aren’t any AI available for assignment to your vessel. We should be getting a mixed batch within the next few months. An AI will be retained for you and kept here for when you next pull in for maintenance. In the meantime, your assigned wolfpack already features at least one AI that can handle multiple MAC gun calculations. That should serve you well enough until your AI arrives.” The rear admiral explained as he reached into his desk and pulled out two small glasses and a bottle of some expensive liquor. “Do you drink?”

“Yes sir.” You confirmed, before continuing with your next problem. “Additionally, sir, I’ve noticed that my vessel has already been assigned a compliment of fighter craft and transport craft. I was under the assumption that I would be able to pick and choose my compliment as required?”

“Yes, we’ve felt it prudent to set your vessel up with a compliment of aviation assets. If you would like, we can switch that compliment around right now.” The admiral nodded as he finished pouring the pair of you a small drink the amber liquor. He picked up your glass and offered it to you.

>Change your aircraft compliment.
>Keep your current compliment (6 longsword heavy fighters [6 hangers], 4 pelican dropships [2 hangers], 4 storage spaces [4 hangers])

>>3226830
>>Keep your current compliment (6 longsword heavy fighters [6 hangers], 4 pelican dropships [2 hangers], 4 storage spaces [4 hangers])

>>3226830
>I'[d like to know what my mission is first sir.

>>3226830
>Keep your current compliment (6 longsword heavy fighters [6 hangers], 4 pelican dropships [2 hangers], 4 storage spaces [4 hangers])

>>3226830
>>Keep your current compliment (6 longsword heavy fighters [6 hangers], 4 pelican dropships [2 hangers], 4 storage spaces [4 hangers])

>>3226830
>I'd like to choose from a list of available hangar configurations, if that would be possible sir.

>>3226830
>>3226836
This

>>3226836
See if we can find out about our first posting first

Need one more vote for either keeping the current compliment or changing it based what you are doing.

>>3226830
>Keep your current compliment (6 longsword heavy fighters [6 hangers], 4 pelican dropships [2 hangers], 4 storage spaces [4 hangers])

>>3226830
>[x] Keep current

File: O-5 rank.png (160 KB, 750x786)

160 KB PNG

“No thank you sir. The current compliment should be fine.” You assured the officer. You didn’t think that you would have to change it out, and 4 pelicans would be more than enough for boarding actions and VBSS missions. While the 6 longswords would be a good enough scouting and strike force.

“Very good, I take it that there are no further issues?” You shook your head at that question, you had nothing else left to wonder about.

“In that case, let’s get this over with.” The rear admiral nodded as he reached into his desk and pulled out a small metal case. Opening it, the admiral revealed two items. The first being a two sliver commanders pins. The silver leaf’s looked rather humble, but commanded more respect than the bronze leaf’s of the lieutenant commanders pins that you were currently wearing. The second one was a green bar, roughly a centimetre and a half long with bronze caps on each end.

“I’m sure I’m not the first but allow me to congratulate you on your promotion to the rank of commander. We’re taking a bit of a risk by assigning you such a large vessel with no prior experience, but I am sure that you won’t fail us.” The commander congratulated you with a smile and offered you his hand to shake. But his cold tone told you at he expected results, and no failures. He had stuck his neck out for you after all. “Additionally, you have been awarded a commendation for security and counter-insurgency operations, at the recommendation of a number of your former captains.”

“Thank you, sir, I’ll be sure not to fail you, or the captains that have recommended me for commendation.” You shook the rear admiral’s hand, and his smile seemed to get more genuine with your reassurance.

“Very good. I’m sure that your willing to get out of this cripple’s sight and break your vessel in. But there is one last thing to sort out.” The rear admiral gave a light-hearted dig at himself, before taking a small sip from his beverage.

You nodded, understanding what he was getting at. “Yes sir, the ship still needs a name.”

“Have you thought of one yet?” He asked, and you smiled at the question. You had been thinking about it for weeks.

>NEW SHIP NAME:
>Everyone rolls a 1d20 and nominates 1 name. The 3 highest rolling names will then be selected for a second vote.
>Please be serious, stupid names (like the "My Little Frigate" or "Pepe" or "Shipy Mc'Shipface") will be disregarded in spite of whatever they roll.

>>3227063
>>Everyone rolls a 1d20 and nominates 1 name. The 3 highest rolling names will then be selected for a second vote.

UNSC Rhongommyniad

Rolled 16 (1d20)

>>3227075
derp

Rolled 19 (1d20)

>>3227063
UNSC Ramiel

Rolled 7 (1d20)

Seeing as the Paris classes are usually named after cities

>UNSC Appomattox

Rolled 12 (1d20)

>>3227063
UNSC Palmyra

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>3227063

>UNSC Rome

File: -American-Flag-closeup-1.jpg (205 KB, 1800x1200)

205 KB JPG

>>3227063
UNSC Dawn's Early Light

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>3227185
Oops

Rolled 14 (1d20)

>>3227063
UNSC Light Brigade

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>3227063
Samuel B. Roberts

>>3227216
Welp, chosen one has been found.

Calling the first vote here. The current shortlist is as follows, please vote for the one you want to name the ship after:

>UNSC Samuel B. Roberts (smallest ship in taffy 3, stopped a massive Japanese battleship fleet in it's tracks, but was sunk in that action)

>UNSC Ramiel (an angel who guided the souls of the dead into heaven, was one of the 20 leaders of the fallen angels who were kicked out of heaven for taking a human wife and teaching forbidden knowledge)

>UNSC Dawn's Early Light (a line from the US national anthem, self explanatory)

>>3227281
>>UNSC Dawn's Early Light
Sounds very UNSC-ish

>>3227281
I have to vote for my own nat 20 roll, of course.

>UNSC Samuel B. Roberts

>>3227281
Here is my Ramiel vote
>UNSC Ramiel

>>3227281
>>UNSC Dawn's Early Light (a line from the US national anthem, self explanatory)
I really like Samuel B. Roberts, but I would rather not give the ship a self fulfilling prophecy

>>3227281
>UNSC Dawn's Early Light

It just sounds right for our ship. UNSC Ramiel sounds okay, UNSC Samuel B. Roberts doesn't have a good ring to it for a UNSC ship.

>>3227281
>UNSC Samuel B. Roberts

To go against the dice is blasphemy.

>>3227281
>>UNSC Dawn's Early Light

>>3227281
>UNSC Dawn's Early Light (a line from the US national anthem, self explanatory)

Votes called, am writing.

>>3227281
>>UNSC Ramiel (an angel who guided the souls of the dead into heaven, was one of the 20 leaders of the fallen angels who were kicked out of heaven for taking a human wife and teaching forbidden knowledge)

>>3227340
Exactly >>3220262

“Yes sir, I’ve decided to call the ship, Dawn’s Early Light.” You reported to the admiral with a smile. He nodded at your choice.

“An interesting choice, especially given that you were not born where that song came from.” The rear admiral observed, noting how you were born many lightyears away from the United States.

“My father was sir. I feel as if this is a fitting enough tribute.” You explained, you distinctly remember your father observing many of the traditions that were held in the United States. Including singing their national anthem. He would often hum it to himself, especially during times of great stress.

“Well, I suppose I cannot argue with that. Bertram, please fill that name in on the side of his ship. And update the relevant files.” The rear admiral turned to a blank screen on the wall as he gave his orders to his AI.

“Understood sir, files have been updated and maintenance drones have been tasked. Estimated time to completion is one hour.” A disembodied head appeared on the screen for a few seconds and spoke, before disappearing.

“Well, I suppose that wraps up everything here. Unless you have something else to ask?” The rear admiral asked as he turned to face you, before gesturing to your untouched drink. “And finish that off too, good liquor is hard to find, and even harder to get shipped out here.”

>“Yes, there is something else. (Write in)”
> “Nothing else sir.” (leave)

>>3227473
>“Nothing else sir.”

>>3227473
>> “Nothing else sir.” (leave)
Assuming we are going to drink it at this point

>>3227473
>> “Nothing else sir.” (leave)
That should be that

“Nothing else sir.” You answered, before taking a sip of the amber liquor. You weren’t one for flowery alcohol, but this was surprisingly good.

“In which case you are dismissed. One of the pelican dropships assigned to your vessel is waiting for you in hanger six, it will take you to your ship.” The rear admiral instructed you. You nodded, before finishing your glass and standing up.

“Understood sir, permission to leave?” You asked as you saluted, the admiral returned the salute before speaking.

“Permission granted, just don’t forget your stripes and pins.” The rear admiral gestured to the open metal case, where your new commander’s pins and security commendation award were both sat on red velvet.

“Of course, sir, have a nice day.” You nodded, before taking the pins and commendation from the box they sat in and leaving. You would put them on before you got onto your ship.

>Head to the hanger, you ought to get on ship.
>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.
>Other (write in)

>>3227676
>Head to the hanger, you ought to get on ship.

>>3227676
>Head to the hanger, you ought to get on ship.

>>3227676
>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.

>>3227676
>Watch the news. It’s less censored than the civilian networks, and so it will give you a better idea on what’s going on.

Need a tiebreaker

Fuck it I'll switch. Nothing good on anyway
>Head to the hanger, you ought to get on ship.

File: anchor station coridoors.jpg (1.35 MB, 2964x1500)

1.35 MB JPG

Leaving the rear admiral’s office behind, you quickly began to make your way down the winding hallways of anchor five. Though fairly soon you had to stop to use one of the station’s interactive maps. Essentially a small touchscreen, it allowed you to either get a deck-by-deck map of the station, or it could help you find the fastest route from where you were to where you wanted to be. You employed this latter function in order to find out where the sixth hanger was, and just how you were meant to get to it.

Fortunately, the hanger was only a few levels down, and around a hundred meters further along the station. Which wasn’t too far, given that it was on the opposite side of the station to where the cutter that had ferried you here had docked.

You switched out your pins as you walked and left your security commendation in your pocket. All in all, it was a minor commendation at best. And wearing it tended to give the message to lower ranking officers and enlisted members of the forces that the wearer was a book-thumping idiot who had never seen combat. And given that first impressions meant everything, you decided to keep it hidden for now. The last thing you wanted was to kill people’s respect for you before you had a chance to earn it.

The walk through the station was a solitary one, there was another frigate docked at the station right now, and many of the main passageways were chock full of people moving themselves and cargo. Soon enough however, you arrived in the small and almost empty hanger, one barely large enough to fit the pelican dropship that currently resided in it. The pelican sat with it’s ramp down, and a man wearing a pilot’s BDU sat on one of the cargo bay seats closest to the ramp. Upon seeing you however, he quickly stood up and made his way out of his vessel.

“Commander! Lieutenant Perkins, reporting to take you to your vessel sir.” The pilot reported as he smartly saluted, but the look in his eye told you that he was sizing you up. Probably to see how lenient you were.

“At ease Perkins. I take it that you’re flying alone today?” You casually retuned the salute, prompting the pilot to loosen up, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“That I am sir. The co-pilot seat is open if you want to ride up front.” The pilot offered, the sharp and formal tone completely giving way to a carefree one. Apparently, he liked the casual attitude.

>Take him up on his offer, it’s only polite.
>Decline his offer, you’d like a moment to yourself in the back.

>>3228025
>>Take him up on his offer, it’s only polite.

>>3228025
>Take him up on his offer, it’s only polite.

>>3228025
>Take him up on his offer, it’s only polite.

>>3228025
>Take him up on his offer, it’s only polite

File: pelican cockpit.png (1.48 MB, 1600x1200)

1.48 MB PNG

“I think I will, thank you.” You decided to take the pilot up on his offer, and followed him up into the cockpit as he went in. The D77-TC Pelican had a two-stage interior, with the cockpit separated from the cargo bay by a vacuum sealable door. Thus allowing troops to be deployed to picked up directly out of a hard vacuum.

The pilot and co-pilot sat side by side, with the pilot on the right and co-pilot on the left. You took your seat as Perkins began his preflight checks. Soon enough, you were on your way. As you left the artificial gravity of the station, you felt yourself floating in your seat, before being gently pushed back into it by the thrust of the dropship.

“Ever rode in a pelican before sir?” Perkins asked as he vectored the craft towards a nearby frigate. You could almost instantly tell that it was yours, as you could make out the lights of the various drones painting the name onto the side of the ship.

“Many times when I was a security officer, but never in the front.” You confirmed as you looked out of the large window. There were dozens of ships in the immediate space around anchor five. Ranging in size from light frigates to supercarriers. You were pretty sure you could even see a single vindication class battleship. Which was the closest the UNSC had to a portable ODP station. “The view certainly is nice.”

“You never get tired of its sir.” Perkins told you, the smile in his voice was evident. “I’ve flown Longswords, baselards, and many other small ships. But none of them compare to the pelican.”

“Are the baselards still in service? I thought they were retired a good ten years ago.” You asked, a bit confused. You remembered that baselards were in service back during the fall of Jericho VII, but you remember reading that they had been pulled from service as part of a supply consolidation effort.

“Not with active squadrons sir, but a number are still in service with reserve units.” Perkins sighed, before adding. “Try as they might, the navy just can’t get rid of the lard-arse.”

That was the last time you spoke on that flight, as a moment later, Perkins began to talk with the flight controller on the Dawn’s Early Light. A few minutes later, you were directed to one of the hangers, where another pelican was currently sat. You felt the reassuring tug of gravity again as the pelican entered the hanger and set itself down. You had to wait for a few minutes for the bay to repressurise, but once it was done, you wasted no time in dropping the ramp to leave.

And to your surprise, you already had someone waiting for you.

“Commander.” A woman with pale skin and dark hair saluted smartly as you disembarked the dropship. “Lieutenant Commander Dyas, I’ll be acting as your second in command.”

>CONT

>>3228345

“Good to meet you Lieutenant Commander. I’m Commander Wells, but you probably new that already.” You returned the salute, before offering her your hand to shake. “I assume that everything is going well on-ship?”

“Yes sir. All crew are accounted for and all supplies are loaded. We are green across the board and ready to cast off once the drones are finished painting the name on.” Dyas shook your hand and smiled. “Speaking of which, we received the news about the name. It’s a good choice if you ask me.”

>“Are you saying that out of actual appreciation, or are you just looking to kiss my ass?”
>“Thank you, I take it that you are from earth then?”
>Other (write in)

>>3228351
>>“Thank you, I take it that you are from earth then?”

>>3228351
>“Thank you, I take it that you are from earth then?”

>>3228351
>“Thank you, I take it that you are from earth then?”

>>3228351
>>“Thank you, I take it that you are from earth then?”

“Thank you, I take it that you are from earth then?” You asked as you released her hand, she nodded before she spoke.

“That I am sir. I was born in Montana, in the United States.” Dyad smiled as she told you. “Where were you born sir? Your accent makes me think that you are from the central states.”

“I wasn’t born on earth Dyad. I’m a colony boy.” You replied, you noticed her smile faulter for a second, so you made sure to add your link to her home. “Though my father hailed from Nebraska.”

“Ah, that explains it. If I’m not being too rude sir, which colony do you hail from?” Dyad asked, hoping to get a better idea on what to expect from her commander.

“Jericho seven.” You gave the answer simply and flatly. There was no point in trying to sugar coat it. The loss of your colony had been particularly brutal.

“Ah-oh… oh my.” Dyad was shocked, having apparently expected you to come from a colony that was still inhabited. “I’m sorry for asking sir.”

“No need to apologise Dyad. You didn’t know.” You reassured her, before moving to a different, more comfortable topic. “What’s our cargo load looking like?”

“Ah, I have the specifics on a pad right here sir.” Dyad stalled as she reached into one of the large pockets on her BDU pants. “Though off the top of my head, we have enough supplies for over a month and a half worth of food. That includes two weeks of fresh food.”

As soon as she took the data pad out of her pocket and presented it to you, you took it and skin-read it You weren’t; really reading it, just looking for highlighted words or sections that denoted either problems or standing requests. “Very good, are we waiting for anyone else to come aboard?”

“No sir, all crewmen are onboard and accounted for. Station chiefs are at their stations finishing up the final stowing of supplies and other things. If you like, we can meet the chiefs, or we can head to the bridge.” Dyad answered. You nodded, and handed the data pad back to her. There was nothing outstanding that required your attention.

>Tour the stations, you might as well get to know everyone working under you. And it’s more polite to go to them than to order them to see you.
>The meet-and-greet can wait. You want to cast off as soon as possible.
>Other (write in)

>>3228504
>>Tour the stations, you might as well get to know everyone working under you. And it’s more polite to go to them than to order them to see you.

>>3228504
>Nebraska
Thanks for showing some love for my state, Thunderhead. First time I've heard someone talk about it in a positive light

>>3228504
>>Tour the stations, you might as well get to know everyone working under you. And it’s more polite to go to them than to order them to see you.

>>3228504
>>Tour the stations, you might as well get to know everyone working under you. And it’s more polite to go to them than to order them to see you.

>>3228504
>Tour the stations, you might as well get to know everyone working under you. And it’s more polite to go to them than to order them to see you.

“We might as well tour the stations while we wait for the drones to finish the paintjob. If you would like to lead the way, this is my first time here after all.” You decided, nodding at your XO as if to confirm that she had the lead. This was another thing you had picked up from the commanders you had worked under, delegating some leadership to the people who were more experienced with something was a great way to show support and respect, without making it seem as if you were being lazy.

“Of course, sir, I hope you don’t mind if I use a map. This is still my second day on ship.” She smiled as she tapped a few buttons on the data pad.

“I won’t hold it against you then if we take a wrong turn then.” You joked, managing to get a laugh out of your new XO as she turned to lead you out of the hanger.

“We’ll be heading to meet the quartermaster first, he should be in hanger port-six, just a couple of hangers to stern.” Dyad began, leading you over to the door towards the large door that lead out of the hanger. Beyond that was one of the ship’s mag-rail systems, usually used to move cargo between the hangers and central cargo areas. “Will this be a short visit, or will you be asking the station chiefs some questions?”

>Pay them a long visit each, you have some questions for each of them.
>Make it a short visit to each of them. You still have to cast off (skip to bridge arrival)

>>3228654
>Make it a short visit to each of them. You still have to cast off (skip to bridge arrival)

>>3228654
>Make it a short visit to each of them. You still have to cast off

>>3228654
>>Make it a short visit to each of them. You still have to cast off (skip to bridge arrival)

>>3228654
>>Make it a short visit to each of them. You still have to cast off (skip to bridge arrival)

“We’ll pay them a short visit each, just a quick check up. I’m sure that they have more important things to deal right now.”

The first person you met was your chief quartermaster, Wei Jianhong. He seemed to command a tight shift, but it wasn’t without results. When you got to the hanger he was in, all cargo was sealed away within vacuum sealable crates, close to the main cargo door. Which was understandable, given that the bay played host to the ship’s spare longsword, which was fresh from either the production line or the boneyard, as evidenced by the white thermoplastic sheets covering the engines and canopy.

The next one to meet was a familiar face, Doctor Wespe. He was helping to set up the vessel’s medical deck, though a lot of that boiled down to directing ensigns around and telling them were to stock the various medical supplies. As expected, there were a lot of supplies dedicated to administering to plasma burns and vacuum exposure. While the ship did come with enough oxygen masks to save someone’s life in the event of a section decompressing, they would still require ample medical aid following the incident. Assuming of course that the decompression wasn’t of the explosive kind.

After the good doctor was the chief of engineering. A burly man from Eridanus II, he seemed rather laid back for his size. But you weren’t one to underestimate him. If the plasma burns to his left arm wasn’t proof enough, the tattoos of various covenant aliens being impaled on spikes was more than enough proof of his long involvement in the war. He was more than happy to tell you of his past service on vessels that had encountered the covenant. The most applicable being his service on the UNSC Commonwealth, an older Paris class vessel that had been the first to destroy a covenant vessel in one-on-one combat.

The next was the chief of security, a man in the first position you had held on a warship. Unlike you however, he was a former marine. Or at least, you assumed so from his cybernetic arms. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of recalibration and maintenance required to keep such implanted devices in top order was such that a marine could not be actively deployed if he had such implants. So, from there, a position was the closest he would ever be allowed to get to the frontline. His hollow eyes and deep-set frown were more than enough to make your XO take an involuntary step back, but his mood noticeably brightened when he saw your security commendation, which you had specifically put on before you met him.

>CONT

>>3229004

After the security chief was the damage control chief. And unlike the other officers, they walked around in a fully sealed vacuum suit. Apparently, they had just returned from an EVA inspection of the life pod launch bays. And upon hearing that you were nearby, they decided to meet you before changing. Aside from that, you couldn’t get much of a fix on them, the EVA suit’s opaque visor and lumpy design made it impossible for you to tell what gender they were. And the processed speaker system prevented you from hearing their true voice.

Your final meet was with the chief weaponry officer, a bubbly Austrian lady called Livia Ambrose. She was more than willing to tell you about the specifics of her station, to the point where you had to remind her that you were on a time limit, and to give you the shortened explanation. She seemed a bit put out by your lack of time to talk with her, but she none the less gave you the information that you needed. The MAC gun was already loaded with a standard heavyweight round and all capacitors were charged. All missile silos were loaded and reading green. You also had an extra 60 Archer missiles in storage at the very bottom of the ventral cargo/hanger bay. Isolated from the essential functions of the ship, but still close enough to a cargo elevator that they could easily be moved.

“Captain on deck!” One of the officers announced as you and Dyad entered the deck. Very quickly, the men and women at their consoles got up and saluted. You returned the salute as Dyad spoke.

“At ease folks. Commander, allow me to introduce you to the bridge crew.” Dyad began as she led you into the room and began introducing you to the various members of your bridge crew.

The first man you met was your wirey communications officer, a man by the name of Elias Toulali. He wasted no time in trying to get on your good side by trying to compliment your work in a paper on alternative MAC gun loads. But that blew up in his face when you pointed out that you had done almost nothing in that paper. The next man in line was your big and loud communications officer, Bradley Horten. He happily took your offered handshake and cracked a joke about being glad that Dyad wasn’t taking command.

She responded with a dry ha ha before leading you onto the next junior officer as Horten laughed to himself.

The next person you met introduced herself on her own, not bothering to wait for your XO to read out her name. At first, she offered a crisp and sharp salute, one that made her non-regulation twin tails shake. But she soon relaxed with a joke and a handshake when you gave a casual response. The next man after her did not share her relaxed nature, your weapons officer didn’t even shake your hand. But given his gloves and medical-mask ensemble, you assumed that he was just a clean freak and let it slide.

>CONT

>>3229006

Following him was your intelligence officer, a woman by the name of Sonja Koekemoer. She sized you up in a manner very similar to that of an ONI spook, but seemed to drop the act when you lazily returned her salute. You were still a bit concerned about her, but it was something that could wait. Your final officer of note was your aviation control officer. A man by the name of Zaied Krickstein. He seemed very by the books and gave your hand a strong shake when offered. However, he didn’t say too much aside from a sigh and a muttered damn flyboys when you asked about the state of your air wing.

“Well, now that all of the introductions are over, everyone back to your stations.” Dyad ordered, before turning to face you. “Your orders sir? Would you like to review our orders or cast off immediately?”

>Read up on your orders, there is no point in starting your journey if you don’t know where it will end.
>Cast off immediately, you’ve wasted enough time already. There is a wolfpack for you to join.
>Other (write in)

>>3229008
>>Read up on your orders, there is no point in starting your journey if you don’t know where it will end.
something something dumb ONI rebel bullshit something something I didnt sign up to kill humans

>>3229008
>>Read up on your orders, there is no point in starting your journey if you don’t know where it will end.

>>3229008
>Read your orders.

I'm gonna pause the thread here. We'll either have a short run to finish this thread in around 8-12 hours time. If not, we'll restart the thread in 2 days time.

>>3229134
Forgot to add, if you have any questions then feel free to ask.

>>3229142
I really like the quest so far, hope you dont disappear like most QMs do.
How large is our crew? And will we be able to name squads?

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>>3229273
>How large is our crew?
428 personnel, including your 28 pilots and 50 marines.
>Will we be able to name squads?
If you want to then sure, though right now your 5 embarked marine squads already have assigned names (alpha, bravo, charley, delta and echo)
>hope you don't disappear like most QMs
...

>>3229142
What’s our Wolfpack looking like ship wise?

>>3229142
In the cryopod section, was there a chance of serious trouble?

>>3229394
You'll find out in your orders, which you'll learn about in under 12 hours time (assuming that my ass gets some sleep)
>>3229398
Yeah, I was going a fair bit of rolling off screen. That helljumper who's cryopod malfunctioned? The roll for her was just high enough for trouble, but too low for anything serious. Which still fucks me off as that was a 1/10 chance.

>>3229410
How often do you leave things up to chance? How much pre-constructed are the choices you present? How often do you improvise? How much do we have to fuck up in order for someone to die? Of course do not answer if this is too pressing.

What made you decide to run a halo quest? It seems different to things from the past.

>>3229006
>a bubbly Austrian lady called Livia Ambrose. She was more than willing to tell you about the specifics of her station
Oh, I like her. Is she cute?

I'm back, the thread will restart in an yours time.

>>3229429
>how much do you plan / leave to chance
Generally speaking, I plan each thread with an overarching "storyline", with the major idea of where the MC is, what his goals are and the what forces he's gonna face being planned from the start. This leaves things open for me to be flexible with write-ins and the players choices, and improvise when needed. I sometimes do background rolls that have an effect on the events in the thread, but those don't really tend to happen.
>How much do we have to fuck up in order for someone to die?
In previous quests (Pilot Quest and Where Wolves Fear To Tread) you had to MASSIVELY fuck up in order to kill either the player or a named NPC. But in this quest it's gonna happen whenever you get into combat. Admitedly, it's gonna take some bad luck in order to kill off a named character, and super bad luck in order to kill the MC. But there is literally nothing I can do if you take a plasma beam to the bridge aside from write an eulogy and end the quest.

>>3229810
Basically, I announced on Twitter that I wanted to get back into QM'ing, but I didn't know what I was going to do. So I left it open for suggestions. And this was the most suggested idea.

>>3229989
I don't have anything planned out for what she looks like. I've got a rough idea, but nothing concrete right now.

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“I’ll read up on our orders first before we cast off. I assume that they already have been delivered?” You decided, there was no point in leaving if you didn’t know what you were doing.

“That they have sir, they have already been sent to your console on the arm of the captain’s chair.” Dyad nodded, gesturing to the raised seat in the middle of the bridge. It was just high enough that you were able to look over the shoulders of your navigation officer and weapons officer. While still being comfortable for either you or your XO to sit in it.

The fact that the seat was still a bit warm confirmed that Dyad had been sat in the seat while you were in your meeting with the rear admiral.

Activating the console on the left-arm of the seat, you quickly navigated to your standing orders and read through them. Your orders were simple, you were to rendezvous with the rest of the wolfpack over the dead world of Eridanus II. From there, you would perform an investigation into the sightings of human freighters entering the ship graveyard over the planet’s north pole. Normally, transit into systems destroyed by the covenant was forbidden, given that it was highly likely that covenant vessels would still be operating in the area. However, it wasn’t uncommon for unscrupulous salvagers of both the human and alien variety to head into the graveyard in search of any salvage they could flip for a profit. This was very bad, as any human salvagers would likely not be using cole-protocol compliant software, and if they were boarded and captured then the covenant would get information on the locations of human colonies. Millions would die in the ensuing attack, and humanity would be down another home.

Standing orders were to disable and board any human freighters, arrest the crews and pull the vessel’s navigation computer for analysis. After that, the ship was to be destroyed by overloading its fusion reactor. Alien salvagers were to be destroyed on sight, preferably before they could get a distress signal out. Your vessel was to make up the second ship in the 39th composite flotilla, a mixed formation consisting of a Halberd class destroyer acting as a flagship, and a Charon class frigate as the other supporting frigate. The UNSC Adelaide and the UNSC Concord Hymn respectively. The previous Paris class vessel in the flotilla had been destroyed two weeks ago when it fought a delaying action against a CRS class light cruiser in order to let the rest of the flotilla escape.

Casualties were almost total. Of the entire crew of almost 450 people, only 4 survived. And those 4 were the crew of the ship’s sole surviving longsword, which had to land on the Charon class.

“Sir, would you like to give a speech to the crew before we cast off? I feel that it’s only proper.” Dyad asked from her position behind you once you powered down the console.

>Give a speech to the crew (write in)
>Don’t give a speech and cast off.

>>3230228
>>Give a speech to the crew (write in)
Congratulations. Your selection by the UNSC is evidence of the
hiring committee’s recognition of your
employment history and unique personal
qualities. It is my hope that through
hard work and commitment you will move
through the ranks and continue
to pursue your career goals as full-time
sailors of the UNSC. I can tell you
from experience that the surest way up
the ladder is to listen carefully and
follow my orders. You may be confused at
times and other times unsure but remember
that I will never ask you to do anything
that I wouldn’t do myself. God speed and good luck.

>>3230228
>Don’t give a speech and cast off.

Need a tiebreaker.

>>3230268
I'll support this

>>3230228
>Give a speech to the crew (write in)
Fellow soldiers, I come to you in the wake of recent events to issue a call to reason. Let no human deny the perils of our time. While we battle one another, divided by the petty strife of our common history, the tide of a greater conflict is turning against us, threatening to destroy all that we have accomplished. It is time for us as nations and as individuals to set aside our long-standing feuds and unite. The tides of an unwinnable war are upon us, and we must seek refuge upon higher ground, lest we be swept away by the flood.
The devastation wrought by the alien invaders is self-evident. We have seen our homes and communities destroyed by the calculated blows of the High Prophets. We have seen first hand our friends and loved ones consumed by the nightmarish Covenant. Unprecedented and unimaginable though they may be, these are the signs of our time.
The time has come, my fellow Terrans, to rally to a new banner. In unity lies strength; already many of the dissident factions have joined us. Out of the many we shall forge an indivisible whole capitulating only to a single throne, and from that throne I shall watch over you. From this day forward let no human make war upon any other human, let no Terran agency conspire against this new beginning, and let no man consort with alien powers, and to all the enemies of humanity: seek not to bar our way, for we shall win through, no matter the cost!

>This is your new captain speaking.
>There are many reasons why you joined.
>On this ship however Hand thus you only keep in mind two.
>Dead xenos and keeping our sorry asses alive for the next shore leave.
>So everyone on this ship better be squared away. >I don't want to miss my free drinks paid by the brass for some good work of killing some filthy aliens
>Seeing how the crew won't be getting officers lounge access I figured out way for free drinks on shoreleave for the whole crew...

>>3230395
> I and thus you

Nodding to your XO, you made to press the button for the ship-wide intercom. Intending to give the crew a bit of a joke by giving them the usual selection mail spiel that all of them had received before shipping off for boot camp. But you stopped at the last second, as you really couldn’t remember it well enough to recite it. So instead you improvised.

“Attention all hands, this is the commander speaking. Now, I as I am sure that the majority of the crew right now is on their first ever ship-borne assignments, allow me to be the first to congrate you on taking the first steps into your service as sailors in the UNSC Navy. And to you new hands, I bid you good luck, as it is my hope that through you will endure to put in the hard work and commitment required to make your service worthwhile and fulfilling. To our more experienced members of the crew, I would like to bid you the same.” You began your speech, and instantly got a couple of looks from your bridge crew. With Toulali and your weapons officer giving you a mixed look of confusion and dismay, while Horten and the woman with twintails both gave you smug smiles as the recognised what you were doing. Assuming that your tone wasn’t proof enough.

“Now that we’ve gotten the joking part of the announcement out of the way, allow me to get to the serious part.” You switched your tone and approach on a dime, going from a joking gag announcement to a serious and hopefully inspiring one. “I come to you in the wake of recent events to issue a call to reason. Let no human deny the perils of our time. While we battle one another, divided by the petty strife of our common history, the tide of a greater conflict is turning against us, threatening to destroy all that we have accomplished. It is time for us all to set aside our long-standing feuds and unite. The tides of an unwinnable war are upon us, and we must seek refuge upon higher ground, lest we be swept away by the flood.”

>CONT

>>3230424

“The devastation wrought by the alien invaders is self-evident. We have seen our homes and communities destroyed by the calculated blows of the Covanant and their sadistic overlords. We have seen first-hand our friends and loved ones lost to their ruthless advance, and swallowed whole by the destruction unleashed by them. Unprecedented and unimaginable though they may be, these are the signs of our time.” You continued, making sure to add a solemn hint to your voice, in order to further set it apart from how you started the announcement. And the effect showed on the crew around you, as both your navigations and weapons officers began to look at you more with a hint of admiration and respect. Meanwhile, Horten and the woman with twintails both began to harden up. “The time has come, my fellow sons and daughter of Terra, to rally to a new banner. In unity lies strength; already many of the dissident factions have joined us. Out of the many we have forged an indivisible whole, one to form a bulwark against the Covanant and stop them dead in their tracks. From this day forward, we shall let no human make war upon any other human, let no agency conspire against this impenetrable shield to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and let no man consort with alien powers. And to all the enemies of humanity, let me say this: seek not to bar our way, for we shall win through, no matter the cost! Keep your hearts and mind in the game, and I can assure you all that for every enemy ship we destroy, will be a free round of drinks for the entire crew. As my gift of thanks to all of you.”

As you shut off the intercom, a short round of applause began to erupt around the room. Predictably enough, it had been started by Toulali. You waited for the applause to die down before giving your next command.

“Mr Toulali, kick off the parking breaks. It’s time to hunt us some aliens.”

===================================

And that’s it for this thread! A bit of a rushed one, given that this was meant to happen next week. I brought it forwards due to my copy of AC7 not being delivered on time. Still, I think we made good progress. Next thread will be next week on Wednesday, and we’ll hopefully get into some actual space combat.

If you have any questions, then feel free to ask. I’m open to answer any questions before the thread falls off the board.

>>3230428
seeya Wednesday

Thanks for running. It's gonna be nice seeing a Halo quest run by a good QM

>>3230428
Are the unnamed bridge bunnies going to get named, or are they dead men walking?

>>3230424
>>3230428
Goddamit. Now I have to reinstall Broodwar.

>>3230428
OP we demand pics of our crewmates

>>3230876
Yep, they will be named in the next thread.
>>3234221
I've got pics for like one of them. I'll see about getting pics for the others, but no promises.

>>3229006
I see we received the waifu crew

>>3238028
NO FRATERNIZATION!

>>3238162
THE WAIFU CREW, ANON

IT IS INEVITABLE

>>3238165
I would sooner vote to have the MC lose his dick to a plasma pistol shot from a grunt than have a harem anon. As he deserves if goes down that route.

>>3238202
I support this anon's idea. Not every quest needs waifu shit, especially if you're the CO and the waifu's would be under your command, as this isn't court martial quest.

>>3238202
based

>>3238202
>>3238210
Well, shouldn't have had half the command staff female then.

Rolled 3 (1d20)

>>3238623
Well that's obviously what they're for anon. It's not like it's normal in Halo to have marines, officers, and female ODST's. Nope, definitely not standard at all. Stop thinking with your dick anon.

Rolling to throw anon in the brig to reflect upon his thoughts.

>>3238638
Are you new to questing or something? If you introduce female characters they're getting waifu'd.

I'm down for no romance but if we do I'm gonna have to vote twin tails.

>>3238623
Jesus dude go jerk off and stop being soo thirsty

>>3239698
I don't do waifu's. I'm a shipper instead. I ship ships. Also, harems are gay. So are waifu's. So are you.

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>>3239729
good taste
twintails and ponytails are patrician
>>3239948
>when you cant handle the memes